Fletcher, Lancelot, of Mockerkin in Loweswater and Low Leys in Lamplugh (1629-82)

Son of Thomas Fletcher of Mockerkin.

Quaker. Yeoman. Shoemaker.

He was baptised in Lamplugh 7-01-1628/29 by his grandfather, who was rector in the parish (and presumably his godfather). He was apprenticed to Thomas Fearon of Mockerkin.

He was convinced as an early Friend, and married Alice Ho[o]lstock 20-x-1660. The marriage entry in the Pardshaw Register describes him as ‘of Mockerkin’, as do the birth entries for all of his children (the last being in 1671). So he didn't move to Low Leys in Lamplugh until after that date.

The children of Lancelot and Alice were: Jacob 27-xii-1661/2, Sarah 10-x-1663, Ann 17-iv-1667 and Japheth 11-vii-1671.

The various details in his will and elsewhere prove that the Lancelot of Mockerkin and the Lancelot of Low Leys are one and the same.

His son, Japheth, lived at Underwood. Of his grandsons, Japhet inherited Low Leys and Isaac inherited Underwood. 

Japhet's burial notice describes his parents as being of Mockerkin.

This may suggest that Lancelot kept a business presence in Mockerkin, despite moving to Low Leys. Shoemaking was hugely profitable at this time (a booming Whitehaven, a booming Dublin, export to the colonies), and Mockerkin was close to Cockermouth, the local market town. Furthermore, Lancelot may have had a monopoly on shoeware for the local Quaker community. A Mockerkin workshop with a number of apprentices seems quite likely as a scenario.

There is a confusion about the date of his death - did he die in 1681 or 1682? The Pardshaw register gives his death as the 15th of the first month 1680/1, but the date looks as though it could have been altered later.

The will, which uses non-Quaker dating, was written on 7th February 1681, which one would normally read as 7th February 1681/2 (i.e. 1682 in modern reckoning).

The probate inventory, which was usually (in this parish) done on the day of death or within a few days of such, seems to be dated dated March 21th 1682. If it were the 21st, then it would mean March 21 1682/3 (i.e 1683 in modern reckoning), but the 'th' may mean that it should be read as 27th - so 1682 would indeed be the correct year in modern reckoning.

The probate bond (always after the inventory) is clearly given as 9th May 1682.

I am assuming that he died sometime between 21st and the 29th of March 1682.