Marriage record for Thomas Wyatt and Ursula Farmer in Cropredy:
"Thomas Wyott and Ursula Farmer weare maried the xxjth day
of October Anno 1605"
Ursula was christened 28 September 1585 in Daventry,
Northamptonshire, the daughter of William Farmer, yeoman of
Daventry. Daventry is a market town about 15 miles northeast of
Cropredy. Ursula and her sister Ales were christened the same
day. William Farmer's will of 1629 mentions his daughter "Ursula
Wyat". There is a mention of a debt owed to "William
ffarmer" in the will of Richard Terry in Cropredy in 1603.
(The Town of Cropredy, 1570-1640)
The Wyatts moved into a house on Creampot Lane
in Cropredy, shown as #31 in the map below. The Watts family
lived nearby at #34. In The Town of Cropredy the Wyatt's
location is discussed: "William Wyatt's father Thomas had
moved up to Creampot, next to the Rede's farm, at about the
same time as the schoolmaster left to get married (1596),
but both families had a keen interest in the welfare of horses
and forwarding education. The schoolmaster was asked to write
Thomas Wyatt's will not Ambrose Holbech."
"Craftsmen such as Thomas Wyatt could also move progressively
upwards on leased land. He moved to Kynd's deserted farmstead
and carried on shoeing horses with some veterinary work while
farming. His son either inherited his books or as a farmer cum
farrier had his own. This family was unusual. A few
generations before the Howse family had spread to three farms
remaining as husbandmen, but the Wyatts managed to move in
three generations to becoming gentlemen and leased the two
manor farms and at least three others all in Cropredy, while
buying land, in Shotteswell. Why did all these owners of
freehold land outside Cropredy choose to still live on a
leased farm? Cropredy must have been a much sought after place
being the central town north of Banbury to make it worthwhile
holding onto their leases." (The Town of Cropredy)
Additional information is given in The Town of Cropredy,
in a discussion of servants: "Wyatt, one of the two
blacksmiths on the Green, moved to Kynds vacated farm (31) at
the top of Creampot Lane in the 1620's and continued to
practice as a farrier and vet. At the same time he began to
farm and needed some help from sons and a maid. The Wyatt
family took their maid Elizabeth Bostocke, who had been with
them according to the lists since 1614 when she became
eighteen."
Thomas is mentioned in
The Town of Cropredy 1570-1640:
"While the Cropredy husbandmen were educating their
sons, the craftsmen were equally keen. Thomas Wyatt may not
have been able to sign his will, but he was determined to send
his sons to school, and judging by their signatures, books and
grave rhymes they were benefiting from his persistence."
The family seems to have been notable for their hard work
and love of education. In
The Town of Cropredy 1570-1640:
"The town was run not by an elite group of wealthy townsmen,
but by a collection of tenants united by their leased land.
They must between them organise the parish work...Artisans who
contributed their harvest labour were not reduced by such
undertakings. There was room for some independence in a town
which was not destroyed by a wealthy gentleman's patrimony.
Craftsmen such as Thomas Wyatt could also move progressively
upwards on leased land. He moved to Kynd's deserted farmstead
and carried on shoeing horses with some veterinary work while
farming. His son either inherited his books or as a farmer cum
farrier had his own. This family was unusual. A few
generations before the Howse family had spread to three farms
remaining as husbandmen, but the Wyatts managed to move in
three generations to becoming gentlemen and lease the two
manor farms and at least three others while buying land in
Shotteswell...Could hard work and eventual achievement, as the
Wyatts believed in, be available to all? It seems not."
Another mention of the family's upward mobility is found in
A History of the County of Oxford: "For about a century after
1668 the manor-house was leased to the Wyatt family, which
included some notable farriers; rhyming inscriptions on the
tombstones at Cropredy of John Wyatt (d. 1669) and of his son
John testify to their skill. By 1750 the Wyatts were often
'gentlemen' rather than 'yeomen'...The wealth of the Cropredy
farmers varied widely, from members of such families as the
Wyatts, who inhabited large farm-houses and were consistently
prosperous throughout the 17th century, to others who left
personalty at their deaths valued as little as £20 and less."
(A History of the County of Oxford: Cropredy)
Thomas Wyatt, the blacksmith, was an overseer and witness to
the will of Justinian Hunt in 1609, and one of those who
participated in taking his inventory.
FAMILY GROUP RECORD OF
JOHN AND AGNES WYAT
John Wyat was born in about 1475 of Newbottle, Northamptonshire.
He married Agnes. John was a husbandman of the hamlet of Astrop
in the parish of Newbottle. Agnes may have been married before,
as she had one son, John Cawde.
John was a churchwarden in Newbottle, in the time of Henry VIII,
1538.
Page from the Newbottle parish register showing John Wyot
as a churchwarden in 1538
John acted as a witness for the will of Robert Wyatt in 1542 in
Newbottle. Robert was also of the hamlet of Astrop. He may be a
brother or cousin for John.
Astrop
John died and was buried 3 October 1550 in Newbottle.
Burial record for John Wyat in Newbottle:
"John Wyat was buryed ye thyrd day of October in ye
yere of our Lord Christ"
John died is about 1550, leaving a will.
Will of John Wyat of
Astrope in Newbottle, husbandman, 1550
The wyll off John Wyat off Astrope in
the pyshe off Newbottyll
In the name of God Amen in the xxij day of ye monyth
off September and the yere of our Lorde Jesus 1550 I John
Wyat of Astrope in the pyshe off Newbottell and in the
cowntye off North, husbandman beying off sole mynde and
pfytt remebras lawde & prase be unto Almyghtye God make
& order this my present testament here in contenying mye
last wyll in manner & forme folowynge yt his to saye
ffyrst I comend mye soule unto Allmyghtye God my maker &
redeemer and mye bodye to be buryd in the pyshe churche off
Newbottyll in the north yle & I bequeth and geve to ye
hyght aulter for tythes and offryinge forgotton xijd. Item
to ye pore mens box xijd. Item to ye mother churche of
Patborow iiijd. Item to Anne Wyat my daughter xx
shepe & on heford. Item to Margarytt Wyat mye
daughter xx shepe and on heforde. Item to Katrin Wyat
mye daughter x shepe & on calff. Item to Alys Wyatt
mye daughter x shepe & on calfe. Item to Margery
Wyatt mye daughter iiij shepe. Item to Rycharde
Wyat mye sone xld. Item to John Cawde mye wyvys
sone x shepe & one younge mare. Item to John
Grannte mye servant vi shepe. Item to John Hyen mye sone
in lawe ij shepe. Item to Edwarde Wyat the sone
off mye son Foke Wyat ij shepe. Item to Peter Wyat
the sone off mye sone Wyllm Wyat on shepe. Item to Peter
and to John the sonnes of Ryc Wyat mye sone ether off
them one shepe. Item to John Colyns the sone off Edwarde
Colyns mye sone in law one shepe. Item to Robert
Enocke on shepe. Item Ryc Enocke his sone on shepe. Item I
wyll yt all thes shepe and catell be fore bequeathed be
deleveryd bye ye oversight of mye executors and oversears
here after namyd. Item I bequeth to Edwarde Colyns my
sone in lawe ij bullocks with or in his kepying. Item
to every one off mye goodchyldren iiijd. Item I wyll &
ys mye intent that yff anye of thes before namyd decease be
fore ther bequest be deleveryd unto the wych shalbe with in
xxxx days after mye wyll be provyd yt theyr yt pte or ptes
of the decessyd shall remane styll untyll mye executors.
Item I wyll yt all suche detts and denetes as I owe of
reyght and cosyerns to anye psone or psones be well &
trulye contentyd & payd bye mye executors here after
namyd without anye delay or contraydyccian & after mye
detts payd mye funeral expeances and mye legaces pformyd I
wyll yt all mye goods catells and detts shalbe devydyd into
iij equall ptes John my sone to have with Agnes
& John I order & make mye full executors and mye
intent and wyll is yt thay shall dwell & occupye
gentelye together and he to be obedient & under hyr
gandenance untyll he be mayred or come to ye age xxi yeres
and yff ytt happens mye sayd wyff to be maryed decease depte
from mye son John for anye unkyndnes yt then she shall have
hyz share equall pte through and all the goods catells &
detts as ys before specefyed without anye contraydiction
provided alwas & ytt ys mye wyll yt mye sone John
Wyatt shall have mye lease all mye tymber blockes
hanell postes and geeres with all of my cartes except my
best long carte otherwys callyd a corne carte with and
donnge carte wyche I geve to Agnes my wyff. Item I
wyll yt yff Agnes mye wyff doo marye depte frome John Wyat
mye sone or decease before he come to ye age of xxi yeres
& unmaryed then I wyll that hys lease and all other his
goods to him bye me bequeathed shall remane in the custodye
of mye overseers untyll he come to ye full age of xxi yeres.
Item yt yff mye sone John Wyatt decease before he come to ye
age of xxi yeres nott maryd & without yssue then I wyll
yt his beqst & legaces shalbe appointed and assigned as
mye over seers shall thynke best. Also I desire Mr George
Kebyll esquire to be good to mye wyff & children as mye
trust ys in hym and hym I order & make mye oversear of
this mye wyll with my sones Wyllm Wyatt Ryc & Folke
Wyatt and to everye one of thes iij my sones I geve
xxs a pec for ye labors and utterlye I revoke & adnull
all & every other former testaments wyll testametes
legacys bequests executors oversears bye me in any wyse be
fore this thyme made namyd wyllyd or bequeathed. Wytnes here
off Edward Medlay vic Georg Kebyll Umfray Bedyll with
others.
Agnes died and was buried 3 August 1565 in Newbottle.
Burial record for Agnes Wyat in Newbottle:
"Agnes Wyat wydowe of John Wyat was buryed ye iij
daye of August in ye yere of our Lord 1565 it of our
soverayn quene Elysabeth y. 7."
John and Agnes had the following children:
*1. Richard, born in about 1510;
married Elizabeth Spynney 18 January 1538 in Newbottle;
buried 6 August 1583 in Newbottle.
2. Folke, had son Edwarde.
3. Willyam, married Ysabel; had son Peter.
4.
Anne, married 1) John Maynerd; married 2) Edwarde
Colyns 6 January 1538 in Newbottle.
5.
Margarytt, married Rychard Archehyl 21 October 1561
in Newbottle; buried 20 March 1578 in Newbottle.
6.
Katrin
7.
Alys
8.
Margery
9. 
