Draycot Cerne in the 1600s and 1700s

England in a time of constant change

England in the 1600s was a time of constant change: from a Protestant country to a Catholic country and back again; from the age of the Tudors to the Stuarts to the Hanoverians; from Civil War to a Glorious Revolution; from rule by a Scottish king to rule by a German king; from a largely agricultural economy to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

Draycot Cerne

We can get a sense of what life was like in a small rural community by reading the Wills and Inventories of some of the villagers from the time, which teach us something about their homes and possessions.

The History Section of Benger Trails now includes some Wills from Draycot Cerne.

Thomas and Abigail Taylor

Thomas Taylor died Intestate in 1665; his widow Abigall (or Abigail) died in 1667. They both left us with extremely detailed Inventories, showing that they were relatively wealthy for the time. Despite this, Thomas himself was unable to sign his own name, and signe with a 'Mark'.

They were clearly clothiers and cheese-makers, typical for North Wiltshire. They had a smallholding or small farm, on which they grew wheat and beans. But they also had some cattle and pigs and a large number of sheep; and they had large quantities of wool. They had a large house with at least 5 bedrooms, with (for the time) a huge amount of linen of various types. As well as a 'hall' or living area, they also had a kitchen with a separate buttery and dairy.

Thomas Taylor (died 1665)

Thomas Taylor died in 1665, and a detailed Administration of the estate had to be carried out - possibly because of the large value. But another factor may have been that he had clearly fallen out with his sons; the terms of the Will make it clear that, although he is leaving them some small bequests, they are to leave the family home and are 'not to be troublesome to their mother'. Probate, and the Administration of Wills, was the responsibility of the ecclesiastical courts until the Court of Probate Act 1857, which transferred responsibility to a new civil Court.

Latin was the primary legal language throughout the 1600s, especially for the ecclesiastical courts, and there is a lengthy document in Latin which forms the basis of Thomas's Probate. This has not been transcribed in full, but the essence is that the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Salisbury formally passed the Administration to the Rector of Draycot Cerne; he was charged with ensuring that Thomas's widow - Abigail Taylor - was sworn in to act as Executrix.

The Revd James Mitchell (or Michell) was the Rector of Draycot Cerne at the time. The documents show that he took two small fees out of the estate for his trouble in issuing an oath to Abigail.

Abigail Taylor (died 1667)

Abigail leaves the majority of the estate to the daughters; she was clearly still having trouble with the sons, who are directed not to not 'deface the house.' She was clearly still carrying on the family-cheese-making business; she had increased the total value of the estate, and left 'six hundred of cheese' worth a total of £6 5 shillings (£6.25 in today's terms).

One of the most interesting facts about both their Inventories is that they had beehives, which were important enough to be gifted as specific bequests; these are the only hives (so far) to be found in the Sutton Benger and Draycot Cerne Wills and were valued by Abigail's appraisors as being worth £3. The total value of her estate was over £100 - worth over £11,000 today.

Margaret (Margit) Fry

Margaret Fry was the widow of Zephaniah Fry of Sutton Benger (1688/89 – 1716). He had married Margaret Jefferies of Bremhill on 15 April 1712 in a Quaker wedding at the Charlcutt Meeting House. They lived together in Sutton Benger; but Margaret moved to Draycot Cerne after Zephaniah died. Margaret died on 13 April 1755 and was buried at Tytherton Lucas on 18 April 1755.

Zephaniah’s brother John was married to Mary Storrs; they built the house in Sutton Benger which eventually became The Vintage and La Flambé. John’s son Joseph moved to Bristol and founded the company which eventually became Fry’s Chocolate.

Margaret's Will is full of spelling mistakes – even by the standards of the 1600s and 1700s it is an extreme example. It certainly provides an insight into the literacy standards of the 1700s. In fact, she writes her own name as 'Margit'; although it is possible that - just maybe - she pronounced her name that way, there are no other known examples of anybody using this word as a version of 'Margaret'.

The Wills and Inventories for these and other villagers from Sutton Benger and Draycot Cerne can be seen in full; look out for others appearing on the website in due course.

If you have any questions about the transcriptions, or if there are any specific Wills you want to see, please get in touch:

Email: hello@bengertrails.co.uk