Pearson, John, of Mockerkin in Loweswater (c.1624-1690)
Son of John and Mabel Pearson of Mockerkin.
The only proof of the relationship is that John's daughter was named Mabel - presumably after her grandmother.
He was not in the Protestation, so was under 18 in 1642; but old enough to be appointed an administrator in 1647.
He married first the widow of William Danson of Mockerkin (-1644) in 1646/7. Her name doesn't appear in any document.
We know this, not because a marriage record exists, but because in March 1646/7 he was appointed administrator for the Danson children; and, in the will of John Danson als Pearson in 1664, named as their father.
She would have been older than him, and taking on a large family would have been a strain; but he was probably already working the Danson farm (in the administration, he was described as 'agricolam' - farmer - rather than as yeoman), and marriage would have a natural consequence.
Quite what a strain it was on his finances is illustrated in the probate inventory of John Jackson of Mockerkin in 1649. Two loans are listed to him, presumably taken out between 1646/7 and 1649 (he was one of the prizers!).
They had at least one daughter: Mabel, married 24-11-1677 or 1678 to William Jackson. William was appointed administrator in 1690. The other two bondsmen were John Jackson of Whinfell and John Fletcher of Brigham. The temptation is to think that they were married to his other daughters.
This would be consistent with the will of Ann Fletcher of Mockerkin in 1689, who made bequests to her cousin John Pearson of Mockerkin and to his three children by his first wife.
His second wife was almost certainly Anne, widow of John Fearon of Dean (died 1661).
John Fearon appointed Anne as his executor in his February will, but the executer in the October bond was John Pearson of Mockerkin. The easiest explanation of this is that John Pearson married the widow Anne.
She had been John Fearon's second wife and had young children by him. Her relationship with her stepson probably was not good, so a protector in the form of John Pearson would have been sufficient to persuade her to give up her Fearon widow's rights. Her new husband would have been around the age of 40, with a prosperous farm - so an attraction.
An interesting detail is that, in this bond, John Pearson was described as a yeoman.
At his death, the bond was set at £200 - usually double the inventory. He did well for himself.
The Danson property descended to John Danson, so that farm shouldn't by this stage have been included in the inventory. However, he may have inherited a tenement and yeoman status when his father died in 1649.
Other sources (unused)
Title:Articles of Agreement 21 February 1655
Reference:BD HJ 220/1/6
Description:
1. John Lamplugh of Lamplugh, Cumberland, esquire.
2. John Tiffin of Workerken?, yeoman.
William Dickenson of Streetgate, yeoman.
John Peirson of Mockerkin?, yeoman.
Premises: (1) enclosed parcel of ground in Lamplugh called Skelsinge High Feild and Dixons Close.
Term: 3 years.
Covenants listed.
Witnesses: Henry Lamplugh, James Dickinson (he marks), Pickering Hewer (?).
Date:1655
Held by:Cumbria Archive and Local Studies Centre, Barrow, not available at The National Archives
Language:English