Pincombe Family at North Molton, Bishops Nympton, Molland

One of the last wills from my earliest purchases of wills from Documents on Line at the National Archives is written by William Pincombe of Molland and he mentions the Pincombe Family at North Molton, Filleigh, Bishops Nympton and his own line at Molland. He doesn't mention cousin in this relationship but already he would be 3rd cousin to the mentioned individuals and perhaps considered them to be somewhat distant. I do not have any first cousins and few second cousins so that third cousins seem close to me but looking at their mutual ancestors all descendant of William Pincombe and Emotte Snow and the numbers were quite large in that this couple had nine children still alive in 1602 when William leaves his will and the youngest was over 21. The potential for a large number of descendants could have made 3rd cousins quite distant in the family groupings although the relationship would still presumably have been known in the 1630s. Since I do not know all of my 2nd cousins other than by name it is quite possible that I would not think of them as cousins in the sense of 1st cousins - I can see that now although as a child I thought a 2nd cousin was very close.

I am continuing to work on the Parish Registers for North Molton and have completed 1547 with 178 baptisms, 41 marriages, and 78 burials. The registers are somewhat difficult in spots in this earliest register but it is so lucky to have a register going back to 1539. At the time that I purchased North Molton I bought Parish Registers 1, 2, 3 and 13. At some point I may purchase more of them depending on the frequency of my surnames in that parish as I move towards the present. I also have the Parish Registers for Molland, Merton, Rose Ash and they too are are projects that I am keen on starting. Although I have read through them and extracted my family notes I find that just reading the register I miss entries on occasion and so transcribing them gives me a better overall picture of my family lines in these particular villages.

The Pincombe family was at North Molton as there is a baptism for Marye daughter of William Pincombe 8 Dec 1547. Since William Pincombe (married to Emotte Snowe) does not mention a daughter Mary I am left to ponder if this is their daughter and were they married by 1547 although their second eldest son (according to the Visitation) wasn't born until 1566. I suspect this is not William Pincombe married to Emotte Snowe and in that case who is he?

We know from the Visitation that the Pincombe family is first at North Molton where Lord Zouch held the manor. This has led to my premise that either the first Pincombe married twice or there is a missing generation. I am tending more towards the first Pincombe marrying twice but no evidence of either actually other than the names of the children:  John, John, and Thomas. We know that one of the two John Pincombes married into the Dodderidge family and that eventually the family daughtered out and Gertrude set up a large Pincombe Trust which is still in existence today. Entailed land would have gone to a descendant further back but if the land that was acquired was from the wife of the first Pincombe then that would not be the case and Gertrude would have been free to sell or otherwise discharge all holdings since she and her sisters were the surviving heirs and any land that was entailed would have gone to the Tuckfield family which it did. In particular this furtherest back John would have needed to be an only child or the necessity of assigned proper descent to property would have arisen and it does not appear to have done so. The wills certainly lend credence to this thought.

I am then left with the knowledge from the Visitations that this John Pincombe who eventually lived at South Molton had two sons John and Christopher both of whom had large land holdings. Gertrude being descendant of John. I have not yet traced Christopher's line but it also appears to daughter out much earlier. Is it possible that William is a third son? Why he wasn't mentioned in the Visitation though is a mystery although he does continue at North Molton. Reviewing the tax rolls once again:

Surname    Forename    Parish    Year    Property
Pyncombe     Christopher  South Molton    1544 Subsidy    10
Pyncome       John            South Molton     1544 Subsidy    13
Pynkeham     Philip          Tawstocke          1544 Subsidy    8
Pencombe    Richard       Bideford              1544 Subsidy    5
Pencombe    Thomas       East Buckland     1544 Subsidy    9
Pencombe    Alice (wid)  North Molton      1545 Subsidy    5
Pencombe    John           North Molton       1545 Subsidy    4
Pencombe    Richard      Kings Nympton     1545 Subsidy    1

Pencombe    William      North Molton        1545 Subsidy    6

We can see Christopher and John at South Molton (Is the John at North Molton their father?). There is a William at North Molton and Thomas is still at East Buckland (father of William Pincombe married to Emotte Snowe). Alice at North Molton is a widow. There is also a John at North Molton. Definitely there are too many Pincombe entries when one compares this list with the Visitation of Devon genealogy tree for the Pincombe family of North Molton. It is a slowly unraveling mystery. Who is William Pincombe at North Molton in 1545; whose son is he? As I work my way through the North Molton Parish Register I hope to find some answers.