Tag: Byworth

A Woman of Farnham from 1605 to 1628

James VI of Scotland became James I of England and was succeeded by his son Charles I + Oliver Cromwell’s maiden speech in Parliament + The Mayflower sailed to the ‘New World’ + Religious wars raged in Europe

Petronell moved to Farnham in 1605 along with her new husband, John Byworth, a retired clothmaker and merchant from London. Petronell was probably in her 50’s, so considered elderly by the standards of the day. She and John lived in West Street and they soon became a magnet for members of John and Petronell’s families. Petronell was a woman of some wealth in her own right, owning a life-interest in property in Guildford, the leases of two properties in Fenchurch Street, London, and some land in Farnham that she had purchased. Farnham must have been most interested in these newcomers with money to spend!

Petronell’s Farnham House

When John died in 1623, Petronell leased the West Street house to her nephew Robert Horsford, a Cloth Draper, after buying a house for herself in what she called Longbridge, possibly on Lower Church Lane. Let us take a tour of Petronell’s house.

Living Room

This was a wood-panelled room with furniture including wood tables, stools with cushions, and a wicker chair. Decorative tapestries hang on the walls (including one with a design of birds), rugs on the stone floor, candle sticks, bowls, paintings, various ornaments around the room. The room was heated by a large open fireplace with a large iron grate topped by an ornately-carved wooden chimneypiece.

Dining Area

Contained a large wooden table with forms (high-backed benches), pewter platters, linen table clothes, 12 linen table napkins, various silver bowls, silver spoons, a best silver salter and the next-best silver salter, and drinking beakers.

Kitchen

Equipped with pewter, brass, and iron vessels, pans, kettles and ‘a Great Brass Pot’. Room also contained presses, cupboards, shelves, barrels with stands, hogsheads, brewing vessels, chargers, furnace, and a trough for salting hogs.

Petronell’s Bed Chamber

Her best bedstead had a valance and curtains, a feather mattress, linen sheets, a bolster, two blankets and a coverlet. Wood furniture including three chairs and three stools with green cushions. Petronell’s clothes and linens were stored in cypress chests. A jewelry box which held items including John Byworth’s rings, and two of Petronell’s gold rings, one set with pearls and the other with diamonds. A purse held her ‘ready money’.

The Green Bed Chamber

This room was newly furnished with a bedstead from London with green curtains and a valance, and a new green rug. Room included chairs and chests.

The Portrait Bed Chamber

So-named as it held a portrait of John Byworth and had two bedsteads and feather mattresses. On one wall was a red and green tapestry (which Petronell called ‘a carpet’.

The Small Bed Chamber

This contained a small bedstead and feather mattress with bolster, sheets, blankets and coverlet. On the floor was a yellow rug.

Petronell’s Clothes

She had a chest which contained her ‘best apparel’, another for her everyday gowns and yet another for petticoats and underclothes (which she called linens). One of Petronell’s outfits was a ‘loose gown made of cloth of my own making with a petticoat inlaid with black velvet’. The cloth would have been made of wool, woven by Petronell herself!

Petronell’s Will carefully documented all of the above items and in which room they could be found so that she could bequeath them to members of her extended family. Wills are gems for historians!

Petronell’s Story

We are fortunate in knowing Petronell’s roots in Rampisham, Dorset as her brother, Christopher Strickland, made charitable donations in the 1620’s which were most detailed.

From her Dorset cloth-making roots, Petronell enters the historical record for the first time in the Will of her husband Robert Bradbridge (sometimes given as Brodbridge) who died in 1602 in Guildford. Robert had been a friend of Petronell’s brother Christopher Stickland, who is also mentioned in the Will. Sometime Mayor and benefactor of Guildford Grammar School, Robert Bradbridge was a wealthy cloth maker and merchant in Guildford. His Will left clear instructions for Petronell on the upbringing of his son Robert by an earlier marriage, and his apprentice, nephew Robert Quinnell (who became John Byworth’s steward).

Petronell chose remarriage over widowhood and married another cloth maker and merchant, John Byworth, in Guildford’s St Mary’s Church on 21 July 1605.

The Farnham Parish Register contains oblique references to Petronell as she was godmother to a number of baby girls called Petronell as well other children of family members. The register does not list the godparents.

3 August 1620 at St Pancras, Soper Lane Church in London, ‘Petronella Biworth’ was listed as a Witness (godmother) to Petronella Vivian, daughter of her nephew, Christopher Vivian:

The next mention of Petronell is in the 1622 Will of John Byworth, as discussed in my previous post, in which she was given a lot of responsibility as his Executrix.

In 1625, the Surrey Feet of Fines records the purchase of land by Petronell Byworth, widow, from William Cooe.

Petronell did get a mention as ‘Mr. Byworth’s widow’ in the Farnham Burgesses Account Books in 1626:

In 1626, Petronell Byworth was listed in the Lay Subsidy records for Farnham as paying £5 in taxes.

On 19 November 1627, Petronell summoned Thomas Chamberlayne, a Farnham attorney, to dictate her Last Will and Testament. Petronell had never learned to read and write, not uncommon for women at the time. The Will was quite long as she had five properties to dispose of, her savings, all the items in her house, and a fairly large extended family to consider. Witnesses were Farnham surgeon Robert Bicknell and Crondall yeoman John Eggar (who founded the Free School in Alton).

Petronell died in mid April 1628 and her burial was recorded in the Farnham Parish Register. The entry before hers records the burial of Agnes the wife of William Cooe from whom Petronell had purchased land.

Petronell’s Family

Petronell was born into the Stickland family of Dorset and had at least one brother, and four sisters. Neither she nor her brother, Christopher, had children and their Wills line up ~ they left their estates to the children of their sisters. A family tree would look something like this:

Christopher Stickland’s Will was concise (fortunately as it was written in Latin!). In contrast, Petronell’s Will was long and very detailed – down to the last silver spoon! But thankfully written in English. Here is a summary:

Burial/funeral	To be buried inside Farnham Church + £100 to be spent on funeral.
Charity	Farnham Poor £5, Farnham Church £2, three Guildford Parish Churches £2 each, Mourning Gowns to poor Farnham women chosen by Executors
London property #1	Issac, Susanna, + Petronell Vivian, children of Christopher Vivian of London
London property #2	John, Issac, + Thomas Horsford, children of Thomas Horsford of Wrecclesham
West Street property	Robert Horsford of Farnham for life, and then to his son Robert Horsford
Longbridge property	Robert Horsford, son of Thomas Horsford of Wrecclesham
Land in Farnham	Joan Moore, daughter of George Moore of Farnham
Various sums of money	Children of sister Eleanor Dawe (deceased), children of Horsford, Vivian, Moore, Legge, and Gary nephew and nieces, children of stepson Robert Bradbridge, Alice and Anne Byworth, various godchildren, steward John Wassall, and her servants. Total: £350 ~ around £75,000 today
Ready money and money owed to Petronell	Divided between Elizabeth Moore (wife of Oliver Moore) and Eleanor Moore (wife of George Moore) – for their benefit and ‘husbands not to have power over it’
Most expensive bedstead	Brother Christopher Stickland
Remaining estate	Divided between Petronell Legge (daughter of Walter), Michael Gary (son of Michael), and Elizabeth Horsford (son of Robert) – all very young children
Executors	Christopher Stickland, Robert Horsford, and Michael Gary
Overseers	Humphrey, William, and Christopher Vivian + Thomas Horsford

Final Notes

1) Petronell’s Namesakes

• Petronell Chamberlyne, daughter of attorney Thomas Chamberlyn (mentioned above) born in Farnham in 1612.
• Petronell Austen, daughter of George Austen, born in Farnham in 1613.
• Petronell Ase, daughter of Thomas Ase, born in Farnham in 1614.
• Petronell Forder, daughter of John Forder, born in Farnham in 1614.
• Petronell Horsford, daughter of Robert, born in Farnham in 1614, married Charles Weston of Wisborough Green and named a daughter, Petronell.

• Petronella Vivian, born 1620, in London, daughter of Christopher Vivian.
• Petronell Moore, born 1620, in Farnham, daughter of George Moore, married John Brabourne of Farnham when she was only 16! They named a daughter, Petronell, born in Farnham in 1643.
• Petronell Legge, born 1625 in Ewshott, daughter of Walter, married John Baldwin of Wrecclesham and named a daughter Petronell.

• Petronell Bicknell, born 1626, in Farnham, daughter of William Bicknell (brother of Robert, one of the overseers on Petronell’s Will). This Petronell died as an infant.

2) Horsford Family

• Thomas Horsford (Yeoman of Wrecclesham): first Farnham Record ~ 1611 when he married Elizabeth Byworth; last Farnham Record 1673 ~ marriage of Joanna Horsford (granddaughter of Thomas) to Timothy Heath.
• Robert Horsford (Draper of Farnham): first Farnham Record ~ property purchase 1612; last: death of unmarried granddaughter Helen Horsford 1671

• William Horsford (Yeoman of Yelden) ~ first Yelden, Bedfordshire record: 1604 birth of son Walter; last Yelden record: 1713 death of William Horsford IV
• Walter Horsford (Yeoman of Netherbury): the father of William, Robert and Thomas Horsford ~ died in Netherbury, Dorset in 1609

3) Gary Family of Castle Street, Farnham ~ Drapers

• First Farnham Record: 1593 – baptism/burial of daughter of Christopher Gary I
• Last Farnham Record: 1717 – death of Christopher Gary III
• Apart from Christopher Gary III, all the other Gary children moved to London

4) Vivian Family of Bedfordshire and London

• Humphrey Vivian ~ had two sons, one became a Church of England clergyman: Daniel Vivian, Rector of Farndish, and the other, Christopher Vivian, was a Gentleman of Thorpe Achurch, Bedfordshire with 2 sons to carry on the family name
• Christopher Vivian ~ was John Byworth’s apprentice and settled in London as a cloth merchant. His son and heir was Isaac Vivian who was buried in St Mary Le Bow, in the City of London in 1684

5) Petronell’s Charity for Evershot and Rampisham Dorset

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