John Wood (1600-1652)

 

John Wood (1600-1652) of Woodend



John was Thomas' elder brother.

He married Elizabeth Robertson, sister of Thomas Robertson, miller at Wath and later at Millgillhead. It's possible that they came originally from High Trees or Lees in Lamplugh. The marriage isn't recorded.

They had children: Elizabeth (baptised 19-05-1624), Thomas (baptised ?-09-1626), Annas (baptised 26-02-1629), John (baptised 25-03-1632), Mary (baptised 06-02-1637, buried 12-01-1640), Henry (baptised 15-08-1639), Ellenor (baptised 13-02-1642), George and Robert. The last two, presumably, were born during the Civil War, when only some baptismal records were kept.

John wrote his will 01-11-1652 and the inventory was taken 10-11-1652. The family waited until the Restoration before applying for probate. The probate bond was dated 06-01-1661/2. His widow Elizabeth was buried 14-07-1691.

The coexecutors of his will were his wife Elizabeth and his children John, George, Henry. Robert, Annas and Elin [Ellen]. The witnesses were Thomas Wood, miller, and John Dickinson [1620-1666, of Woodend].

The inventory was prized by William Dickinson [1604-1677, of Streetgate], John Dickinson [as above], Henry Wood [1609-1676, of Redhow] and William Bowman.

The bondsmen were: Thomas Wood of Woodend [John's brother - he marked] and Thomas Wood junior [John's son - he signed]. His widow Elizabeth, the executor, marked.


Children


Elizabeth Fearon of Beck (1624-)

 

She was named as Elsabeth in the baptism register. She married 05-?-1644 in Lamplugh to John Fearon of Beck. She was a few months older than he.

The first child after the marriage, William (baptised 26-07-1645), was his, illegitimate. They then had children: John (baptised 02-01-1647) and Thomas (baptised 13-05-1649). Her father, in his 1652 will, mentioned 'John Fearon son-in-law and his wife'. Her uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 called her 'cousin Elizabeth Fearon wife of John Fearon'.


Thomas Wood (1626-1699) of Woodend

 

Thomas, as eldest son, inherited Woodend. His baptism doesn't give a name, but records a son of John Wood. His widow in 1699 was an unknown Elizabeth, and she may have been the mother of his children.


Annas/Ann Bell (1629-) of Cockermouth

 

Her father, in his 1652 will, mentioned Annas as one of his children. Her uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 mentioned 'cousin Ann Wood'. Her uncle, Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead in 1681, mentioned 'Ann Bell daughter of sister Elizabeth Wood' and described her as living in Cockermouth. Bell is not a Lamplugh name.


John Wood (1632-)

 

His father, in his 1652 will, mentioned John as one of his children. His uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 called him cousin and mentioned a debt of £30. This was listed in the inventory, with John there being described as nephew. His uncle, Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead in 1681, mentioned 'John Wood son of sister Elizabeth Wood'.


Henry Wood (1639-1706) of Kelton Head in Lamplugh

 

His father, in his 1652 will, mentioned Henry as one of his children. His uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 called him cousin. His uncle, Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead in 1681, mentioned 'Henry Wood son of sister Elizabeth Wood'.

He appears to have died unmarried and without children. He wrote his will 02-01-1705/6, in which he described himself as a carpenter. The inventory was dated 08-01-1705/6. The bond was dated January 1705/6.

The will named his nephew Henry Wood as executor (named as Henry Wood of Woodend on the bond). The witnesses to the will were: Abraham Gill, William Singleton and John Robertson. All of them, including Henry himself, signed.

The inventory was prized by: John Robertson, Henry Wood, Joseph Fleming [1650-1721, of Walk Mill] and William Bowman. The total was £41 09s 10, with debts and credits largely balancing out.

The executor was Henry Wood of Woodend. The other bondsmen were: Robert Ribton of Cockermouth and Abraham Gill of Leigh [Lees] in Lamplugh. The last two aren't, so far as I know, family - so may be working colleagues or friends.


Ellenor/Ellen Bowman (1642-) of Ireland and Whitehaven

 

Her father, in his 1652 will, mentioned Ellen as one of his children. Her uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 mentioned 'cousin Ellen wife of John Bowman'. Her uncle, Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead in 1681, mentioned 'Ellinour Bowman daughter of sister Elizabeth Wood' and described her as living in Ireland. She is described as cousin [sister-in-law] in the 1712 will of Elizabeth Wood of Woodend, and living in Whitehaven [I have this written down as Whittington in my transcript, but Whitehaven sounds more likely. I don't have access at the moment to check].


George Wood (-1694) of Millgillhead

 

His father, in his 1652 will, mentioned George as one of his children. His uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 appointed 'my nephew George Wood' as his executor. His uncle, Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead in 1681, appointed 'my nephew George Wood of Millgillhead' as his executor. He was a bondsman for Thomas Robertson's children, Thomas and Jane Robertson in 1676 (on both occasions, he marked - his brother Thomas, who was the other bondsman, signed)

His widow was an unknown Margaret. He had two children: Isaac and Easter [Esther presumably]. Isaac was already an adult by 1681 (when he was a probate bondsman for Thomas Robertson). There are baptisms for a George Wood in Hunterhow with children Isaac (1686) and Sarah (1691) - they may be his, from a second marriage, but the previous Isaac would have had to die, and there is no tuition/child bond for either of them. Nor is Sarah mentioned in the will. The period 1660-1680 is a blank in the Lamplugh register - so it seems likely that George of Hunterhow was an unrecorded son of George of Millgillhead.

George Branthwaite was a bondsman in his probate, which strongly suggests that the children were related to him. The Branthwaites were at Whinnah, next to Millgillhead, and two of George's sisters (Dorothy, baptised 1630; and Isabel, baptised 1638) could have been the mother of his children (this would mean, however, that his widow Margaret was a second wife - there is no Margaret in the Branthwaite pedigree, which makes it unlikely that she was a Branthwaite).

That both Thomas uncles appointed George as executor suggests that he was likeable or dependable, but there's the oddity of being unable to sign. His older brothers could. Had the money run out for his education? Was he dyslexic perhaps? Did he have a physical disability? Even an accident at the mill?

George's will is dated 10-03-1693/4. His inventory was prized 29-03-1694. The bond was made 04-06-1694.

The witnesses to the will were: Thomas Wood [his nephew], George Branthwaite [1633-1701, of Whinnah] and George Lamplugh, Rector of Lamplugh. The prizers for the inventory were: Thomas Wood [ditto], George Branthwaite [ditto], Thomas Winyeat [-1705, of Millgillhead] and Henry Wood. The executor of the will was his widow Margaret. The bondsmen were Thomas Wood [ditto] and George Branthwaite [ditto].

The next Wood inhabitant of Millgillhead was a century later: Jonathan, an innkeeper. The names of his children (Henry, Jonathan, Anne. Isaac) might suggest a link with George.


Robert Wood

 

His father, in his 1652 will, mentioned Robert as one of his children. His uncle Thomas Wood in 1666 mentiond him as a cousin.  Thomas Robertson of Millgillhead, in 1681, doesn't mention him at all, which suggests that he had died by then.