Richard Buller Wills - Warwickshire

This next set of four wills to be transcribed I will refer to as the Richard Buller wills and they are labeled Richard-1, Richard-2, Richard-4, and Richard-5. They will appear over the next couple of days but I will probably not add much to the transcription of them. It all appears in this writeup. The National Archives information on these four wills:

Richard[-1] Buller, Long Compton, Warwickshire, PROB 11/22/381, probated 8 Nov 1527
Richard[-2] Buller, Long Compton, Warwickshire, PROB 11/83/388, probated 6 May 1594
Richard[-4] Buller, Yeoman, Long Compton, Warwickshire, PROB 11/153/33, probated 8 Jan 1628
Richard[-5] Buller, Yeoman, Long Compton, Warwickshire, PROB 11/323/635, probated 15 May 1667

I have added [-number] for ease in identification for me as I work through these wills. The Richard[-3] will which appears to be missing in the list is not found on the Wills of The National Archives site but rather in the documents available when you search on their Discovery search engine. More on this to follow.
British History online for Halford has the following information on the Buller family at Halford where they owned watermills and other land:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=57047
........ In 1564 Bartholomew Hales and Mary his wife (in whose right he held the manor of Snitterfield) (fn. 24) sold two watermills and land in Halford to Richard[-2] Buller. (fn. 25) He died in 1593, seised of the mills and fishery, leaving a son Richard[-3], (fn. 26) who was succeeded by his son Richard[-4] in 1628. (fn. 27)
fn 24    Victoria County Histories Warw. iii, 168
fn 25     Feet of Fines. Warw. Hil. 6 Eliz.
fn 26     Chancery. Inquisition post mortem. (Ser. 2), ccxxxviii, 16.
fn 27     Fine Rolls. 4 Chas. I, pt. 1, no. 20.

My continuing search for Richard Buller at Halford Warwickshire on Google brought up an abstract of this will for a Richard Buller of Halford with the original document held at Shakespeare Centre Library and Archives (folder dated 11 Sep 1611 (ER 3/2237 Halford Estate Records)):

Copy will of Richard[-3] Buller the elder of Halford containing the following bequests: to Halford Church 3s 4d; to the great stone bridge at Halford 3s 4d; to every godchild, 1s. 0d.; to the poor of the parish, 3s 4d.; to each of his servants in his house, 1s.0d.; to his second son Walter Buller, the messuage with appurtenances then in the occupation of John Bearne, Henry Treene, William Savage, Philip Rose and William Alice with appurtenances, with one close by the Mill House; to his eldest son, Richard[-4], and his heirs, one malt house of three bays, one barn of four bays and a 'cutte end', and one court between the said barn and malthouse with the closes thereto belonging (the houses aforesaid lying at the overend of the testator's court towards the church) upon condition that the said Richard[-4] Buller the younger should at any time after the testator's death, if so required, release to the said Walter Buller all the estate, right and title which he, Richard[-4] Buller the younger, had in the premises thereby devised to the said Walter Buller to the said Walter Buller, after the death of William Mushin, one house and close then in the occupation of Richard Townsend, one close lying between the houses of William Rose and John Nibbes and also two yard lands in the common fields of Halford (being parcel of three yard lands and a half in the occupation of William Mushin) with a proviso that the said two yard lands should be chargeable with a legacy of £400, devised by the testator to his daughters, if such sum should not be discharged out of lands devised to Richard Buller the younger before his death; and to Thomas Buller his son the house occupied by William Mushin with barns thereto belonging and one yard land and a half in the common fields of Halford (being the residue of the said three yard lands and a half), in the occupation of William Mushin, provided that, if the testator's son, Richard[-4] Buller, should educate and maintain the said Thomas Buller until he should reach the age of fourteen years or thereabouts, and thereafter apprentice him to a trade in London until he was twenty one years old at his own cost and pay to the said Thomas £100 on his attaining twenty one years, then the said devise to the said Thomas should be void and the premises so devised to the said Thomas remain remain over to the said Richard[-4] Buller the younger, and provided that, if the said Richard[-4] should educate and maintain the said Walter until the said Walter attained the age of eighteen years, he, the said Richard[-4] the younger, should have the use and profit of the premises devised to the said Walter until the said Walter attained eighteen years. Appointment of Thomas Buller to be executor, and Richard Savage of Idlicote, Robert Halford of Halford the elder and Mr. William Thornhill, parson of Halford, overseers of his will.
Witnesses: Robert Halford and John Rose.
Proved at Worcester.

A Walter Buller is mentioned as his second son and the parish records for Halford show a Richard[-4] Buller baptized 1584 and a Walter Buller baptized 1596. This Walter Buller's will was transcribed on blog:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/02/will-of-walter-buller-citizen-and.html

Parish records at Halford which is nine miles from Long Compton:

Richard[-3] Buller married Marie Hall 12 Jun 1584 at Halford
Richard[-4] Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 7 Oct 1584 at Halford
John Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 24 Mar 1585 at Halford; buried 24 Mar 1595
Marie Buller daughter of Richard Buller baptized 6 Aug 1587 at Halford.
Elizabeth Buller daughter of Richard Buller baptized 22 Apr 1592 at Halford
John Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 31 Oct 1593 at Halford, buried 24 Mar 1595
Katherine Buller daughter of Richard Buller baptized 16 Mar 1594 at Halford
Walter Buller son of Rychard Buller baptized 6 Mar 1596 at Halford
Susanna Buller daughter of Richard Buller baptized 21 Jul 1599 at Halford
Thomas Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 23 May 1605 at Halford
Richard[-3] Buller the elder died and buried at Halford 21 Jul 1610
Richard Buller gent died at Halford 22 May 1614 (buried in the church inside near his seat 23 May 1614), will probated 1614 (#232)
Elizabeth daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Buller born 23 June baptized 1 Jul 1654
Thomas son of Richard and Elizabeth Buller baptized 2 Feb 1658

Parish Registers at Long Compton:

Richard[-5] Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 18 Jan 1628
William Buller son of Richard Buller baptized 14 Nov 1630
John Buller son of Richard Buller[-4] baptized 9 Dec 1632
Anna Buller daughter of Richard Buller baptized 24 May 1635
Elizabetha Buller daughter of Richard Buller and Anne baptized 9 Feb 1639
Richard and Thomas twins of Richard junior and Margarett Buller baptized 17 Feb 1687

I then proceeded to review the Halford lEstate File in which this will was found and the following documents pertained to the Richard Buller families in this time period.

Moving back slightly in time to a record in the Halford Estate file (ER 3/2234, 25 March 1531.32):
Release by Thomas Dode of Coventry, mercer, and Alice his wife (one of the daughters and co-heiresses of William Banwell formerly of Coventry, deceased) to Richard Buller of Halford, husbandman (reciting that the said Richard Buller, by deed of 7 March 1531/2, had purchased of the said Thomas Dode and Alice his wife the share and portion of the said Alice as co-heiress of her father, William Banwell, namely a fourth part of all the lands, messuages and tenements which they, the said Thomas Dode and Alice his wife held in Halford and Over Ettington, formerly belonging to William Banwell), whereby it was witnessed that the said Thomas Dode and Alice his wife released and quitclaimed the said Richard Buller and his heirs for ever from all their claim, interest or demand whatsoever in the said share or portion of the said premises. (1-B-S)

Halford Estate file (ER 3/2235, 26 Apr 1544):
Grant by Anthony Coope of Hardwick, co. Oxon., esq., to John Buller of Halford of one half part of a messuage in Halford (between the messuage of the said John Buller on the west side and the messuage of Elizabeth Mason, widow, on the east side, and extending in length from the highway to the messuage of John Smyth) and two virgates of land and one quarter of land in Halford, which premises the grantor purchased of Anthony Lee of Brydeston, co. Bucks., knight, by deed of 4 April 1544. Appointment by Anthony Coope of Edward Coope, his son, to be his lawful attorney to deliver seisin of the premises.
Memorandum endorsed of livery of seisin in the presence of Edward Dalby of Brookhampton, gent., Henry Warde of Over Pillerton, John Smyth, Richard Smyth, Richard Wright, William Elderton, Thomas Colyns and Nicholas Egynton, all of Halford, and Robert Millys of Stratford. Also endorsed with note of enrollment in the presence of Sir Richard Catesby, knight, and William Wallington, Justices of the Peace for the county of Warwick, and in the presence of Richard Hawes, clerk of the peace, at the session held at Warwick, 10 June 1544.

Halford Estate file (ER 3/2236, 20 Sep 1584):
Settlement made between Richard Buller of Halford, yeoman, of the one part and Richard Hawll of Idlicote, gent., and Richard Gybbs of Honington, gent., of the other part, whereby Richard Buller granted to Richard Hawll and Richard Gybbs all his messuages, houses, seven yard lands and other premises in the common fields of Halford, then in possession of Richard Buller, John Rooke and Thomas Tasker, to the use of Richard Buller and Mary his wife during their lives and the life of the survivor of them, with remainder to the use of the heirs male of the said Richard Buller by Mary his wife, and with remainder, in default of such issue, to the use of the heirs female of the said Richard Buller by Mary his said wife.
Memorandum of delivery of seisin in the presence of Anthony Gybbs, A. Ingram, Edward Bentley, Stephen Hawford, Thomas Rose and Thomas Ashworth.
Memorandum endorsed: 'John Rooke, tenant of a third part the right of Anne his wife, mother to Richard Buller, is contented that the said third part after his wife's decease, shall go and be according to the purport of this deed, which assent was given in the presence of Anth. Gybbs, Thomas Callowe and John Haines, clerk.'

The will mentioned above was the next record in the Estate file.

The next entry in the Halford Estate File (ER 3/2238 24 September 1624):
Lease from Walter Buller, citizen and salter of London, to William Pewe of Halford, husbandman, for £16 10s 0d, of a cottage containing two bays of houses with outhouses, stables, orchard, backside and easements thereto belonging and eight arable lands with appurtenances in the common fields of Halford, and common of pasture for one rother beast in the said common fields of Halford (except and reserved to the landlord the bodies of the three best elms upon the premises, with liberty to cut and carry the same) for a term of 80 years from the Feast of St. Michael then next if the said William Pewe, Joan his then wife, and Thomas Boyes son of Thomas Boyes of Halford, deceased, or either of them, should so long live, at a yearly rent of 20 shillings and one strike of apples and three parts of the Wardens [a particular type of cooking pear] that should be yearly growing upon the trees then in and upon the premises.
Witnesses: William Baldwyn, John Underesill, Richard Boyes and Joseph Bradford.
(Walter in his will of 1625 mentions his sisters: Marye Underhill, Alice Mayall, Elizabeth Aynge and Katherine Newberry. )

And the story continues in the Halford Estate file (ER 3/2239-40, 20 February 1627/8):
Appointment, with counterpart, and declaration of uses between Richard Newbery of Halford, mercer, and Richard Boys of Halford, yeoman, of the one part, and Thomas Buller of Halford, gent., of the other part (reciting that Thomas Buller, in Hilary Term then last past, had in the court of Common Pleas levied a fine of his hereditaments in Halford to Richard Newbery and Richard Boys) whereby it was witnessed that the fine aforesaid should enure to the use of Thomas Buller and his heirs and assigns for ever.
Witnesses: John Brent, William Brent and Roger Brent.

Halford estate (ER 3/2241-42 Hilary Term 1627/28):
Indenture and counterpart of fine made in the Court at Westminster, 3 February 1627/8, before Thomas Richardson, Richard Hulton, Francis Harvye, George Croke and Henry Yelverton, H.M. Justices, between Richard Newbery and Richard Boys, plaintiffs, and Thomas Buller, gent., deforciant, of one messuage, one garden, one orchard, seventy acres of land, fourteen acres of meadow, twenty acres of pasture, four acres of furze and heath, and common of pasture for all cattle in Halford.

Halford Estate (ER 3/2244 9 Apr 1629):
Mortgage from Thomas Buller of Halford, gent. to Job Dighton of the Middle Temple, London, esq., for £100 of the messuage wherein he, the said Thomas Buller, then dwelt situate in Halford, with a close or pasture thereto adjoining, a close called Well Close, and four yard lands of arable meadow and pasture in the common fields of Halford, then or late in the possession of the said Thomas Buller.
Witnesses: Francis King and Joseph Parker.

Halford Estate (ER 3/2245 29 Jul 1630):
Assignment from Job Dighton of the Middle Temple, London, esq., to Jarvis Hall of Wolverhampton, co. Staffs., gent., (reciting no. ER 3/2244 and that the said £108 had been paid by Thomas Buller to Job Dighton) for £100 of all his interest in the mortgage described in no. ER 3/2244.
Witnesses: Francis King, John Parker, Thomas Royser, John Lockleys and Thomas Buller.

Halford Estate ER 3/2246 30 Jul 1630):
Conveyance from Thomas Buller of Halford, gent., to Sir Hercules Underhill of Idlicote, knight, for £620, of the messuage in which he then dwelt in Halford, with a close thereto adjoining, closes called Well Close and Long Close, another close near the church, then in possession of William Mushen, four yard lands of arable meadow and pasture in the common fields of Halford then in the tenure of Thomas Buller, and three messuages in Halford with appurtenances then in the several tenures of John Burnam, William Pewe and Walter Duke.
Witnesses: Ger.Hall, John Lockley and Thomas Royser.

Halford Estate (ER 3/2248 Hilary Term 1630/1):
Exemplification of a fine suffered in the Court at Westminster in the octave of St. Hilary 1630/1, in the presence of Thomas Richardson, Richard Hulton, Francis Harvye and Humphrey Davenport, H.M. Justices, between Hercules Underhill, knight, plaintiff, and Thomas Buller and Elizabeth his wife, deforciants, of four messuages, two barns, one dove-house, four gardens, four orchards, seventy acres of land, seven acres of meadow, ten acres of pasture and common of pasture for all cattle in Halford.

Halford Estate (ER 3/2249 12 May 1656):
Assignment of mortgage from Sir Hercules Underhill of Idlicote, knight, and John Rudd of Idlicote, gent., to Richard Aynge of Stratford-upon-Avon, gent., (reciting that by an indenture, dated 2 May 1653, Sir Hercules Underhill mortgaged to John Rudd his mansion house with orchard, gardens, dovecote, courtyard, barns and stables in Halford, together with the close adjoining called Conygree containing three acres, a close called Parking Close containing one acre, a close called the Well containing one acre, eight acres of meadow in the Nether Ham, one acre of meadow in Over Ham, three acres in Downe Meadow, closes called Mornehill Close and Downehill Close, three platts or pieces of arable land containing fifteen acres on Downehill, and a close newly enclosed containing three acres, all which premises were in the occupation of the said Sir Hercules, to secure £220) for £220 paid to John Rudd by Richard Ayinge and £200 advanced to Sir Hercules Underhill by Richard Ayinge of the residue of the said term of 1000 years in the said premises.
Witnesses: Thomas Fletcher, Ralph Gibbs, Robert Rowse (by his mark), James Leppington.
Endorsement, dated 20 June 1666, that the mortgage money had been supplied by Henry Gibbs for whom Richard Ayinge was a trustee.
Witnesses: Edmund Tidsall and Edward Somervile.

The last mention of the Buller family is in Halford Estate (ER 3/2252-3 Hilary Term 1656):
Indenture and counterpart of a fine levied in the Court at Westminster on the morrow of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, before Oliver St. John, Edward Atkyns, Matthew Hale and Hugh Wyndham, H.M. Justices, between Henry Gibbes, gent., John Willes, gent., Richard Dyer and Katherine his wife, and Robert Pancridge and Frances his wife, plaintiffs, and Hercules Underhill, knight, John Smyth and Alice his wife, Richard Buller and Elizabeth his wife, Thomas Walton and Katherine his wife, and Katherine Walton, widow, deforciants, of six messuages, five gardens, five orchards, 150 acres of land, thirty acres of meadow, fifty acres of pasture and ten acres of furze and heath with common of pasture for all cattle in Halford.

The first mention of Richard Buller in the Halford Estate records was 1531/32. There isn't anything in this record to indicate who this Richard Buller is. I do not know if he is related to the Richard who I refer to as Richard-1. I do know from the will of Richard-1 that he has a brother John Buller, he doesn't appear to have any sons and there is another John Buller at Sutton which is not far from Long Compton and Harford. You can not tell from the will of Richard-1 how old his daughters are except that they are not yet 21 years of age because he appoints his brother John as guardian. The remaining wills that I have are in the 19th century principally so do not aid me with this set of Richard Buller wills. There are no wills of a John Buller living in Warwickshire on The National Archives will portion of their website. There are several documents pertaining to John Buller in the Warwickshire area which could be investigated some time in the future if this looks like my line. At the moment that is pretty wide open.

Richard Buller in the Halford Estate record of 1531/32 is quitclaimed by Thomas Dode and Alice (relatives perhaps (aunt)). The Richard-1 will is not really going to enter into the following conversation. I do wonder if the Richard Buller of 1531/32 is the Richard Buller whose will was probated in 1594 (i.e. Richard-2). It would then be his son/grandson Richard-3 Buller who married Marie Hall in 1584 and who left his will which was probated in 1611 and Richard[-3] Buller the elder died and was buried at Halford 21 Jul 1610. No idea on who the Richard Buller gent was who died in 1614 but we will ignore him since he did not leave a will. He is referred to as a gent rather than husbandman/yeoman which was the designation for the other Richard Buller men. The 1544 estate record refers to a John Buller acquiring land at Halford and there is the remote possibility that he is the son of Richard-2 and the father of Richard-3. The next record of 1584 is clearly Richard-3 and his wife Marie/Mary Hall and Richard-3 is taking possession of his land following his marriage and the impression might be that he is relatively young so that the possibility that he is a grandson of Richard-2 and son of John Buller has added possibilities. The mother of this Richard was Anne and this document tells that she has remarried and her married name is now Anne Rooke.

The next record was the will of 1611 probate for Richard-3. Mentioned in this will are his eldest son Richard-4, second son Walter (baptized 1596) and third son Thomas (baptized 1605) and he does mention that both Walter and Thomas are underage. Richard-4 (baptized in 1584) is 26 years of age at the time of the death of his father. Richard-3 does not mention any siblings. Since he married in 1584 and likely 21 years of age he is now at his death in 1610 around 47 years of age or more. He appoints Thomas Buller as Executor but I rather think it was because that was the custom of the time to appoint the youngest son as Executor to protect his inheritance.

The next entry in the Halford Estate record is from 1624 and involved Walter Buller whose will was probated earlier and he was a citizen and salter of London. He has rented his property at Halford so that it appears Richard-4 did not assume this property as was entitled to do for payment. Walter Buller died in 1625 but no mention of that in the Halford Estate record.

In the record of 1627/28 Thomas Buller gent is mentioned and he is presumably a brother to Richard-4 Buller. He too has retained his property given to him by his father Richard-3. In 1629 Thomas Buller has mortgaged his property but he has repaid the mortgage by 1630. Thomas then conveys this property in 1630 to possibly his cousin as his sister Mary married (unknown) Underhill. More family names are mentioned in the record of 1656 with Elizabeth Aynge also a sister to Thomas Buller.  The last record in 1666 mentioned Richard-5 and his wife Elizabeth. At this point the property has moved out of the Richard Buller family.
Richard-4 in his will of 1628 mentions two sisters (Ann Tymes and Elizabeth Bidle). He also mentions his daughters Anne and Margerit. His wife was Mary (as was his mother). He still owns the mills in Halford and his wife formerly lived at Hocknorton (now known as Hook Norton). He mentions his son Richard-5. He also mentions his brother in law Mr. Anthony Hodges and Mr Charles Townsend. There were Hodges living at Hook Norton. I did not find baptisms particularly for this Richard-4, nor did I find a marriage. The will of his father in 1611 does mention Richard and his heirs and he would have been 27 years of age.

Richard-5 in his will of 1667 does mention he is Richard the elder and his sons are married so they are likely the group of children baptized at Long Compton as the children of Richard namely Richard, William, John and Anna. He also mentions a son Robert and a daughter Elizabeth. His will order is Richard, William, John, Robert, Elizabeth Jefferis and Anne Joiner (she is perhaps deceased as he mentions her children rather than herself). He mentions his brother Water Webb and sister Anne Webb (possibly his brother in law). As his father Richard-4 mentions his daughter Anne sister to Richard-5.

Did I learn anything new about the Buller family? I did acquire a lot of information on the Buller family of Warwickshire. I still have a few wills to transcribe at a later date in Warwick. Still to do Warwick wills for the Buller family - Arthur, William-1, William-2. There is another will which I do not have for William Buller, Yeoman of Sandford, Oxfordshire probated 27 Jun 1600 which may fit into this family and provide information.

Still to come the wills of William-1 and William-2 and Arthur Buller all of Warwickshire. The last of the Buller wills which I purchased earlier and did not include in Middlesex  John Buller and Richard Buller are next. Also a Frederick William Buller and that one was more a curiosity; he was a Lieutenant General and I know he is not likely in my ancestral line but thought I would read it through. Then Samuel Hucks because of the middle name of Robert Hucks Buller (son of Christopher Buller and Mary Beard). I also have a paper copy of the will of Sir Francis Buller (Judge of the Court of Common Pleas). Again none of these have been transcribed but on completion I will then move back to the Blake one name study and the Pincombe one name study principally.