Spelling of name – sometimes Lintot and other times Lintott. Genealogists do not agree on its origin: 1) The surname Lintott is of English origin and is thought to be derived from the Middle English word “lynt” or “lynet”, which means flax. Therefore, the name Lintott likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who dressed flax, a plant fiber used to make linen. OR 2) It is a habitational name, possibly from Lintot in France.
The Lintotts were not a Puttenham family until James Lintott married Elizabeth Snelling of Puttenham, in 1606, in the early years of the reign of James I. Every village needed a blacksmith to shoe the horses, make and repair farm equipment, and make metal ware for the inhabitants homes. James’ blacksmith shop prospered in Puttenham and the family accrued wealth and property and for 130 years the Puttenham Parish Records tracked the lives of generations of Lintotts. Four members of this branch of the Lintott family left Wills, telling us that they had accumulated estates worth their children inheriting. This is the story behind those four Wills.
Will of Thomas Lintott, Senior ~ 1676
Thomas was the eldest of James and Elizabeth’s sons and was born in Puttenham in 1609. He trained as a blacksmith and after finishing his apprenticeship, he married Mary Pavie and the couple had twelve children baptised in Puttenham church. Amazingly, eleven of them survived to be mentioned in Thomas’s will written in 1675; Puttenham must have been a healthy place to live in the 17th century!
- Thomas Lintott wished to be buried in Puttenham Churchyard;
- My tenement, land, and dwelling house to my wife Mary, for life;
- After the death of Mary Lintott, the Puttenham property to go to my son, Thomas Lintott
- Upon inheriting, Thomas is to pay £20 to each of his brothers, John and Nathaniel Lintott and the portions stipulated below to each of his sisters from the income of the blacksmith business;
- A tenement with land that I own presently occupied by James Lintott, to go to my sons Nicholas and James Lintott; in other words, the two sons to share the income – unclear if this is James, Thomas’s brother or James, his son!
- To my daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, Joan, Frances, and Sarah at my decease, £20 each, and a further £10 after the decease of their mother; the daughters ages ranged from Mary (39) to Sarah (18) and, most unusually, none were married;
- to my daughter Anne, 5 shillings after the decease of her mother; Anne must have done something to upset her father!
- should any of my daughters die before they marry or come of age, the portion to be divided amongst the others;
- to my son Nathaniell, the anvil and tools and instruments of the trade of blacksmith, after the decease of my wife; Nathaniell was the youngest son and perhaps was not yet set up as a blacksmith whereas his brothers were already in business;
- Executor: my wife Mary;
- Overseers: Nicholas Lintott (brother) and Thomas Tacklow;
- Witnesses: Edward Whight (X) and Thomas Payne (X);
- Mark and seal of Thomas Lintott.
- Mary Lintott hired a surrogate -John Holland – to represent her at the probate court; this was a common practice;
- The decision of the probate court is written in Latin;
- Under Thomas Lintott’s signature red blob of sealing wax;
- Witnesses used symbols as they were unable to sign their names.
Will of Thomas Lintott, of North Warnborough, near Odiham, Hampshire ~ 1713
We know that Thomas Lintott Junior had left Puttenham and settled in North Warnborough near Odiham by 1664 as his son, Thomas, was baptised in Odiham Parish Church on 15 June 1664. Additionally, Hampshire Archives holds the following record which describes the property which he leased: “A messuage and grounds with an enclosure of land (0.5 acre) and an enclosure of land with its headland in Bicklands field (4 acres), called Potters Horne, with an enclosure (2 acres) and 30 acres of land in the common fields of North Warnborough, occupied by Thomas Lintott.” (Reminder messuage = ‘messwitch’).
In his Will, Thomas leaves his blacksmiths’ tools, including his ‘beam and scales and weights’ to his son, Thomas Lintott ‘now living in Puttenham’ as well as £20 in two years time ‘provided he pays the £30 that I owe to my brother, James Lintott of Puttenham’!
Hampshire Archives has a record showing that the lease of “All that messuage in North Warnborough late in the tenure of Thomas Lintott” was sold to Thomas Hare of North Warnborough, a tanner in 1717. The record does not include the name of the tenants.
Will of John Lintott of Puttenham ~ 1717
John Lintott was Thomas and Mary Lintott’s second son, born in Puttenham in 1641. He married twice; first to Ann Larby and they had one daughter, and then, when Ann died, to Margaret Bristow, with whom he had three more daughters. In 1695, he was eligible to be a jury man according to the Surrey Jury-Qualified Freeholders and Copyholders record set. Presumably, he was a blacksmith, but that is not mentioned in any record.
John Lintott wrote his Will on 6 November 1715.
- to my grandchildren a guinea each;
- to my daughter Ann Pain wife of James Pain, £20 more than they owe me on bond;
- to my daughter Margaret Billinghurst, wife of John Billinghurst of Seale, Surrey, £20 more than they owe me on bond. John had lent these two daughters money and was prepared to forgive the debt and add £20;
- to my daughter Sarah Woods, wife of Caleb Woods, my house and land in Puttenham. Caleb Woods came from a Quaker family of Guildford who were maltsters. All of Sarah and Caleb’s children were registered in the Society of Friends records which listed date of birth – the children were not baptised in keeping with the beliefs of the Friends;
- the residue of my estate to be shared by my daughters Ann Payne, Sarah Woods, Margaret Billinghurst, and Mary Lintott. Mary had married John Mills on 5 October 1714, but this was not acknowledged in John’s Will for some reason and she was not given anything extra beyond a one quarter share of the residue;
- to my sons in law James Paine and Caleb Woods £1 each and to be executors.
- Witnesses: James Lintott, snr. (X); James Lintott, jnr.; William Fory. James Lintott, senior was John’s brother, discussed above, and James Lintott, junior was his nephew;
- John Lintott signed his name and attached his seal;
- The Will was proved on 3 April 1719 with administration granted to the executors.
The Puttenham house stayed in the Woods family for many years as shown by the Will of Caleb Woods of Puttenham ’24 April 1730, Maltster, to my wife Sarah Woods, all my messuage in Puttenham Street with malthouse, boiling house, gardens, gate room etc. with 2 acres of land for the duration of her life, and then to my son Thomas Woods‘. Family connectivity is evident in Caleb’s Will as his sister-in-law, Margaret Billinghurst, was a witness, along with his nephew by marriage, James Lintott. One of the trustees was John Mills, wife of his sister-in-law, Mary.
Sarah lived a long life and died, age 79, in Seale where her daughter Margaret Billinghurst lived; the record says ‘Sarah Woods, widow of Puttenham, was buried.’ Her son Thomas, therefore, had a long wait for his inheritance and the Puttenham records make no mention of a ‘Thomas Woods’.
James Lintott, Puttenham Blacksmith ~ 1719
James Lintott was the third son of Thomas and Mary Lintott, and like his father and his two brother discussed above, he had done well enough in life to warrant writing a Will for the distribution of his worldly goods. He married Mary Play in 1674 in Guildford and the couple had at least four children, with two named in his Will. In 1705, James was listed among 22 men eligible to vote in Parliamentary elections due to property ownership in Puttenham (not all were residents). James wrote his Will on 5 July 1716 but lived until February 1720, dying at age 77.
- to my only son James Lintott, my house and land I live in and all my goods except my share of a brass mortar and pestle which I give to my daughter Jane Lintott now Jane Avenell wife of John Avenell of Puttenham; the mortar and pestle must have been an expensive item if James only owned a share of it!
- the shop adjoining my house and all materials in it to my son James; the blacksmith’s shop.
- to my grandson James Lintott £10;
- to my granddaughter Mary Lintott £5;
- to my other grandchildren £2 10s each;
- to my daughter Jane Avenell, a house and orchard in Tongham in the occupation of William Stovell, wheelmaker. If she has no heirs, then property to be shared by my four granddaughters; Jane and John Avenell had no children.
- to my son James my share of a house in the occupation of John Toft;
- residue of my estate after expenses and debts payed to my son James whom I make executor;
- Witnesses: Edward Dudman; Thomas Moth (X); William Foory; Thomas Moth was married to James’s cousin.
- Proved: 15 March 1719.
The Last Lintott of Puttenham Records
James Lintott, who died in 1719, was the last member of the family to leave a Will. We can track the economic demise of the Puttenham Lintotts:
- Thomas Lintott relocating to North Warnborough – he was the primary heir of Thomas, the father of the three brothers.
- Children requiring loans of money
- John Lintott having no male heir and the inability of his grandson Thomas Woods to inherit as his mother lived a long time
- James Lintott’s investment house in Tongham eventually sold and proceeds split between 4 granddaughters
Select Sources: ancestry.com (by subscription), Exploring Surrey’s Past, Hampshire Archives, Google Images and maps.