Will of William Pincombe of Molland Devon dated 30 Oct 1637 - PROB 11/188 - Image Reference 392/350

The will of William Pincombe at Molland Devon quite perked my interest. My emigrant ancestor John Pincombe had farmed at Molland (Lower Gatcombe Farm to be exact) until 1850. I still do not know how he acquired his farm and references to Gatcombe and Molland occur in several wills for the Pincombe family.

This William Pincombe is known to me. He is the son of John Pincombe who was himself the eldest son of William Pincombe and Emotte Snowe (and so the eldest brother of my Richard Pincombe).  That information was a long time working through. I read the will a few years ago but couldn't place him initially. The relationships he mentions include his Uncle Thomas Pincombe and his brother John Pincombe. He mentions his kinsman Hugh Thomas and I wonder if Hugh is his brother in law or his first cousin - the use of the word kinsman still confuses me in a will. I do not know the name of the wife of John Pincombe his father. I do know from the will of William Pincombe (see blog 30 Jul 2011) that the children of John Pincombe (his eldest son) were William, John and Marye and his will was written 20 Dec 1602. William (will 1602) does not mention any property that was given to his eldest son John or his second son William - they must have already received their inheritance.

William in his will below doesn't mention any relationship between John Pincombe at Bishops Nympton or William Pincombe at Filleigh. They were his first cousins probably - William being the son of his Uncle William who had himself left a will in 1625 whilst living at East Buckland (Filleigh being nearby). His cousin William (son of Uncle William) was living at Filleigh according to this will. He had married Bridget Worth.

It is convenient though to be able to place this William in the family lines - the will helps to establish the family lines but unfortunately his daughters have not yet married and his son also unmarried and they are all under 21 years of age at the time of writing of the will. No neices or nephews are mentioned so I am left to wonder if John Pincombe his brother or Marye Pincombe his sister have married. Then Hugh Thomas his kinsman I am unable to place at all. Always a will may answer some questions but generally produces a whole host of other questions!

I am also curious why he mentions John Pincombe at Bishops Nympton (the only John there is a half brother to my ancestor William (baptized 1599 at Bishops Nympton). Since William (will 1602) and his wife Emotte Snowe had had nine children there were a lot of cousins though and the names John, William and Thomas are very frequent in this time period)! Although a second John Pincombe does not appear in the Bishops Nympton records, John Pincombe at Bishops Nympton could be the brother of William Pincombe at Filleigh. It is a possibility that has just entered my thoughts - I do not know where this John lived and choosing one member of the family might encourage one to choose the other brother as one of the overseers as well. I shall keep that one in my thinking cap as it is a distinct possibility. Coming from a large family, it is highly possible that the two eldest brothers kept close through the years and hence their children would have been close. Richard was the fourth son (and my ancestor).

The family that the priest at Bishops Nympton had me write to may be descended from one of these elder brothers as well. If one is not into genealogy then answering stray letters from far away and extremely distant cousins may not be something that one makes time for in a busy life. I can quite understand that.

Initially when I found this will for William Pincombe at Molland I wondered if it would answer any questions about my line back since my ancestor was last at Molland before he emigrated to Canada. But quite definitely my line was of Bishops Nympton; I have all the family lore that takes me back to John Pincombe and Grace Manning - going back further was more difficult but as I put together the family of William Pincombe and Johane Blackmoore from the Parish Records the descent down was obvious. William and Johane had six children (four sons and two daughters). One son died at 13 years of age (John) but the other three sons all had families with William (my ancestor) and Thomas being the two Pincombe lines at Bishops Nympton on the 1723 Oaths and William occupying/owning land at Bishops Nympton. I do not know what Thomas did for a living and that is still to discover. Hugh farmed at Landkey. The two daughters I have not yet found marriages for them - Johan and Wilmote were twins.

The will of William Pincombe at Molland:

Recorded: 17 Oct 2011
Source: Public Record Office, London, UK, PROB 11/188 - Image Reference 392/350
Place: Molland, Devon, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 30 Oct 1637 (probated 12 Mar 1642)
Condition: photocopy, bold and light writing, some smudges, old English writing

[in margin] T[estator] Will[ia]m Pyncombe

1 In the name of God Amen The thirtith
2 day of October in Anno D[o]m[ini] one thousand six hundred thirtie seaven
3 I William Pyncombe of Molland in the County of Devon yeoman being
4 sicke and weake of body but thankes be given to allmighty god of p[er]fect
5 minde and memory revokeing all former wills and testaments doe make and
6 ordaine this my last will and testament in manner followeing First I com[m]end
7 my soule into the hands of god my maker redeemer and Saviour hopeing assuredly
8 through the only merrits of Jesus Christ to be made partaker of life ev[er]-
9 lasting As for the worldly goods wherewith it hath pleased god to endowe me
10 I give dispose and bequeath the same as followeth Imprimis I give and
11 bequeath unto the poore of the parrishe of Molland aforesaid twenty shillings
12 to be distributed by my Rulers and overseers the next Saboth day after
13 my buriall Item I give to all my godchildren twelve pence a peece Item
14 I give and bequeath unto Hugh Thomas my kinsman tenn shillings Item
15 I give and bequeath unto Johan Pincombe my daughter fourscore pounds
16 of lawfull money of England to be imployed by my Rulers to her use
17 w[i]thin two moneths after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto
18 Elizabeth Pyncombe my daughter fourscore pounds in money to be imployed
19 to her use likewise w[i]thin half a yeare after my decease Item I give
20 and bequeath unto Johan Pyncombe my wife one bedd and bedsted p[er]formed
21 Item my will intent and meaneing is that yf the said Johan and Elizabeth
22 my daughters or either of them shall chance to dye before they or either
23 of them shall accomplishe the ages of one and twenty yeares Then the
24 said somme of fourscore pounds shall remaine unto the longest liver of
25 them and my executrix propor[t]ionably to be devided betwixt them
26 the residue of all my goods and chattels moveable and unmove-
27 able not given nor bequeathed my debts and legacies payed my
28 funerall rights and duties discharged I doe nowe give and bequeath
29 unto William Pyncombe my sonne whome I doe make my wholle and
30 sole executrix of this my last will and testament And I doe ordaine
31 and appoint Thomas Pyncombe my Uncle John Pyncombe my brother
32 John Pyncombe of Nympton Epi and William Pyncombe of Filleigh
33 to be my Rulers and overseers and to assist my executrix in the
34 execution performance of this my last will and testament In witness whereof I
35 have hereunto sett my hand and seale dated the day and yeare first
36 above written Signed William Pyncombe Memorand[um] before then sealing
37 and delivery hereof my will intent and meaneing is that yf the above
38 said William my executor doe happen to dye before he shall accomplish the full
39 age of one and twenty yeares then his por[t]ion of goods and chattles
40 shall come and remaine unto the foresaid Johan and Elizabeth my
41 daughters Sealed and delivered by the said William Pyncombe and
42 by him published to be his last will and testament in the p[re]sence of the
43 Sig[ne]d Thomas Pyncombe signed John Hoosgood Test. John Braye

I have not yet found marriages for William, Johan or Elizabeth the children of William the testator but I have not yet transcribed the Parish Registers of Molland - another future project! I have Parish Registers 1, 2 and 3 which covers the period 1538 for marriages and 1541 for baptisms and burials up to about the 1790s. I realized after I bought them that I hadn't brought them up far enough because my ancestor was baptized at Molland in 1837 (the first not to be baptized at Bishops Nympton in 250 years) and I should have purchased the next two registers - another time I will do that. But for the moment once I have completed North Molton (and South Molton comes next) then I will move on to Molland.

I now have two competing studies the Pincombe one name study which is so very centralized in Devon (and London after the mid 1700s) and the Blake one name study which has a very strong pull as it is my childhood surname. Nowadays one thinks of one's surname as life long but in the 1960s women were still for the most part taking on their husband's surname.

Pincombe - Oxford University Alumni 1500 - 1714

Continuing to look at my Pincombe family both for myself (my mother was a Pincombe) and for my one name study. I found it helpful to look at Richard Pincombe and his father John in the Alumni list for Oxford so decided I would transcribe all of the Pincombe entries for my future reference in my blog.

1.  Pincombe, John, of Devon, gent. Exeter Coll., matric 13 July, 1604, aged 18; of Poughill, Devon, bar.-at-law, Middle Temple, 1616 (as son and heir of John, of South Molton, Devon, gent.); father of Richard 1655. See Foster's Judges and Barristers.

2.  Pincombe, John, s. William, of Filleigh, Devon, pleb., p. p. New Inn Hall, matric, 15 May, 1662, aged 16, B. A. 1665.

3.  Pincombe, John s. Jo., of Bishops Nympton, Devon, pleb. Exeter Coll., matric 17 April 1668, aged 17.

4.  Pincombe, Richard (Pyncombe), arm. Wadham Coll., subscribed 7 Nov., 1655; student of Middle Temple 1656 (as son and heir of John, of Poughill, Devon, esq., deceased); buried in the Temple church, Friday night, 20 Nov., 1656. See Foster's Inns of Court Reg.

Can I place all of these individuals? Well certainly John Pincombe (1) of Poughill and his son Richard (4) have already been discussed.

John Pincombe (3) son of John Pincombe of Bishops Nympton is the grandson of Richard Pincombe father of my William Pincombe except by his second wife Francis Gill. This John Pincombe (father of alumni) was baptized 9 Dec 1604 at Bishops Nympton and his son John (3) was baptized 16 March 1650 and he is said to be 17 when he completed his studies 17 April 1668. Actually he was 18 but close enough. This is the only John Pincombe of Bishops Nympton with father John Pincombe who would fit this description.

John Pincombe (2) son of William Pincombe of Filleigh may be the son of William Pincombe and Bridget Worth who were married 16 Feb 1628 and I believe at Washfield but I am still working on that line. The wills of this family coming down from William Pincombe (son of William Pincombe and Emotte Snow and older brother to my Richard) And William Pincombe's will be the next will to transcribe. He was married to Temperance Pollard and his will was probated 28 Jun 1625.

Gill-Gale Family at Bishops Nympton

Discovered a rather interesting item for a requester looking for information on their Gill family at Bishops Nympton. For reasons unknown to me the priest spelled the name of this family Gale starting with the marriage of one of the sons of William Gill in the late 1770s. He continued with the Gale spelling for this family line into the 1800s although siblings were spelled Gill. Solved a mystery for the requester who had been trying to locate her ancestors on the IGI for awhile. I double checked all of my entries just to see if I had made a transcription error but the priest had clearly written Gale.

A little more work completed on the Hinxman wills and I decided to put off ordering the Blake wills from the Hampshire Record Office until September. I really do not have time to work on them right now. The days are flying past.

We had a lovely walk with the dogs up to the video store to return "Knowing" which I had watched for a second time today. No bike ride today though - too humid still.

Tomorrow more work on the Hinxman will.