THE WARDS of Lower (?) Whitle:
Copyholders and Yeomen
Pre 1509 - Circa 1608 

Richard Ward: Copyholder living in Whitle pre 1509 -pre 1541?

 

There appears to be two Ward families living in Sheen from the early 1500s. One headed by Thomas Ward and the other by Richard. We think that Richard Ward’s family were living, or would live in Whitle. We have not yet established where Thomas Ward and his family were living or their relationship.

 

The first reference we have found relating to Richard Ward is when he appears as a juror in the earliest surviving Manor Court Records of Sheen in 1509-1510. Over the next ten years he is a juror at least five times indicating he was he was an adult with a degree of experience, knowledge and status within the community. (1) Then in 1521, Richard transfers his messuage to his son Hugh Ward. (2) We cannot be sure where this messuage was in Sheen. There is just the hint that it might have been in Whitle as he was fined, with Hugh Manifold’s wife of Whitle, for trespass on the commons of Hartington. (3) Unusually, despite having handed over his messuage to his son Hugh, a Richard Ward continues to appears as a juror until 1533. Whether this is the same Richard isn’t clear. (4)

 

The only other reference we have found, so far, is that in John Gylman’s will of 1540/1541 he states he owes a Richard Ward 20d. (5)

 

An Alice Ward, of Sheen, whose will was proved in 1552 by her executors a Richard and Thomas Ward, may have been a relative. Unfortunately, this will is now lost. (6)

1. The National Archive (TNA) DL 30-49-588/589/592 Sheen Manor Courts : 1509, April 12 and October 8 1510, June 1511, October 24 1514

2. TNA DL 30-49-597 Sheen Manor Court October 4 1521

3. As above

4. TNA DL 30-50-603. DL 30-41-430 Sheen Manor Courts: October 12 1529, May 10, 1530, June 4 1532. Sheffield Record Office Hartington Manor Courts ACM 100- 33 August 19 and December 9 1533

5. Staffordshire Dioceses of Lichfield and Coventry wills and probates 1521-1860 John Gylman, Sheen Feb 20 1540/ 1541

 

Hugh and Jane Ward Copyholders of Whitle Bank 1521 -1578/1579

 

Hugh acquired his father’s messuage in 1521. Despite this, Richard continues to be a juror until 1533. Although a Hugh Ward appears as a juror in 1531, our next record of him is in 1541 when he takes 1 ½ acres of land at Whitle. (1) He starts to regularly appear as a juror from 1560, (six times in the 1560s and another four times in the 1570s), until just before his death in 1579/80. (2) Possibly this is due to his knowledge or status. His appraisers will describe him as a yeoman rather than a husbandman.

 

From his will of 1578 we know he was married to Jane and at the time of his death had three surviving sons: John, George and Thomas. There appears to have been some conflict between himself and George, who as ‘he will not come at mie’, is given money rather than goods. John, as his eldest son, not only takes over the copyhold of his father’s farm, but is also is given, as was usual in this area, husbandry ware and wooden household goods especially arkes (chests often used for storing grain) and armoire (a cupboard).

 

Although the appraisers of his goods describe him as a yeoman, he leaves an inventory typical of the everyday husbandman farmers in the area at this time. He has a few cattle, a flock of twenty-eight sheep along with some poultry and it is likely they would have had a pig which had been killed. He was also growing a cereal crop and grass for hay. There is the impression that they have had some spare money in order to make the house a little more comfortable and refined with a board cloth for his table, cushions and chairs. See Wills.

 

Hugh died in December 1578, or early 1579, with his land being formally transferred to his son John at the manor court in 1580. Jane was still alive in 1592, being mentioned in John’s will.

 

1. The National Archives (TNA): DL 30-41-430 Sheen Manor Court October 10 1531

2. TNA DL 30 -51-622/623/624/625/626/ 631 Sheen Manor Court: October 1560, April 29 1561, September 29 1563, April 22 and October 26 1564, April 30 and October 21 1566, April 24 1567, Oct 2 1572, May 4 1573, April 21 and October 7 1575

 

John and Katherine Ward  Copyholders c. 1579 - 1592

 

John Ward was Hugh’s eldest son and heir. Although there are few references to him, he leaves a will and an inventory of his goods which not only gives an insight into his life but into local vernacular farmsteads.

 

Following his father’s death John takes over his father’s messuage, which is confirmed at the manor court in October 1580. Various closes are named –'closes there called le banke, le Marlehill, le Middleclosse, le Broadsitche and longeshutt, le furbank, le furcrofte, le crofte above the house, le Hollensitche and Hollensitchknolle, le littlecrofte’. See Peeling Back the Layers Final Report.

 

We don’t know his connection to a Thomas and Elizabeth Ward, who die in 1582, but though Elizabeth leaves everything to her brother Thomas, her money and goods are in John Ward’s house at the time of his Thomas’

death. (1)

 

During the 1580’s John appears reasonably often as a juror and he is an appraiser of James Hall’s goods in October 1583. (2) At some point he marries Katherine Daken but they only have one (surviving) child, Parnell.

 

Although he is a juror in December 1591, by April 1592 He is dying. Describing himself as being sick in body, he makes his will on the 24th April just before his death. John describes himself as a yeoman and, with one or two exceptions, he leaves everything to his wife and daughter. We don’t know who Micheal White and Ann Hunt are but they could be servants. What is unusual is that he had enough spare money to lend over £47 to various individuals, including to Robert Daken, his brother-in-law. His brother, Thomas, also owes him for marl, which was used as a fertilizer.

 

The inventory of his goods and cattle is made a few days later. Two of the appraisers are his Whitle neighbours, John Harrison and Hugh Manifold. It is one of the most interesting inventories related to Whitle and one which raises a number of questions. Not only had money been spent on making his current home more comfortable with a ‘feather bed’, a board cloth and linen but John was about to build a new house, and this is despite lending out so much money. We are not clear how he was able to afford it. Was he making money from quarrying marl, possibly from ‘Marlhill’ above? There is also a reference to an, unspecified, trade in his inventory.

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‘Item i paire of tainters, ii paire of sheres with all other implementes pertaynynge to that trade the pric .....xxx’

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We don’t know what ‘tainters’ are. One suggestion is they are tentors – frames used for drying cloth, possibly related to the nearby Ludwell fulling mill. But, if there is only one pair then this is not a large-scale business. It seems the shears may relate to cutting cloth as he does not have any sheep. Most farmers in the area had a flock of around 20 – 30 sheep on average so it is very unusual for him not to have any. Though his father left his flock to John’s mother and brother Thomas, he certainly had enough money to buy some if he had wanted.

 

Possibly the most interesting part of his inventory are the details about the house he was building/about to build. Unfortunately, the edge of the page is missing/folded so the price of the materials isn’t fully accurate.The house, or extension, was to be three bays wide - about 45 feet by 15 feet probably using the ready hewn stones as a base. Typically, this means there would be a central hall with a parlour/kitchen on one side and a sleeping area on the other. He may have also planned to have a chamber(s) above a room reached by a ladder. Possibly due to the ‘slates’, which are likely to be stone tiles, he may have been planning to have a chimney. However, a least one window was having glass. See John Ward's Will and Inventory 1592.

 

Unfortunately, we do not know if the house was ever built after his death. He leaves only his wife and a one year old daughter Parnell who is accepted as his heir. (3) Sometime before May 1609 she marries Richard Sterndale and the messuage starts to pass through the Sterndale family.

 

1. Staffordshire Dioceses of Lichfield and Coventry wills and probates: Thomas Ward’s Inventory dated 24 November 1582, states ‘which money and ....... which remaineth with Elizabeth Warde lately deceased and is in John Ward’s house the which is not yet known.’

2. The National Archives (TNA) Sheen Manor Courts: DL 30-51-631, September 29 1584, April 1 and October 13 1585, April 20 1586, DL 30-52-644 December 22 1591

3. TNA DL 30-52-644 Sheen Manor Court May 31 1592