The existence of a will is a fabulous find for the amateur genealogist. Wills, are hit and miss in that, firstly, did your ancestor leave one, and secondly, did it survive? In this section I will look at a series of wills of various families telling the story of connection, emigration and intrigue as they reveal their stories.
Let us begin with the will of John Winder of Dearham in the County of Cumberland, who left a will dated 1663. He also appears in the Dearham Bishop’s Transcript’s first entries, to survive, beginning in 1663. “John Winder of Dearham was buryed Jan 29th”. The parish registers before this date and going back to the 14th century are missing.
The very first entry in that register is, “April the 10th was Jane the daughter of John Archer bapt.” Now this is significant as Jane is his granddaughter by said John and his wife, John Winder’s daughter, Mary, who sadly died in 1667. John Archer remarried Eleanor Cuthbertson in 1677.
In the late John Winder’s will he leaves, to his granddaughter Jane, a little heifer. John’s will is dated January 27th 1663 indicating that he missed the birth of his first grandchild by mere months, however did he? As he mentions her by name it indicates she was already born and was baptised April 10th 1662. He was buried January 29th. This also indicates that the will was hastily written, a sign that he was close to death.
There are no surprises in this will. We can presume that, as his wife is not mentioned she died before him. He leaves money owing to him by his son, Peter in Ireland, to Peter’s sons. It is not clear when, or why Peter went to Ireland but, as it is by indication that he was a Royalist during the civil war he may have been forced into exile after the defining Battle of Worcester in 1651 when it is said that some officers in the Royalist Army were exiled. The will mentions John’s other children; John, William, Nicholas and Mary as joint beneficiaries and executors of his will.
John was buried 26 April 1670 on the 3rd day after writing his will on the 23rd April. William was buried 29 June 1695 writing his will on the 8th day of June. Nicholas buried 26 November 1711 wrote his will the 18th November. Mary’s husband John Archer buried 4 May 1700 wrote his will 21st April. John Archer’s son buried 18 August 1707 wrote his will the 16th June 1707. William’s wife buried 13 May 1715 wrote her will 11 March 1710/11. Edward Winder of Redmain mentioned as uncle of John Winder d. 1670 in his will, buried unknown, his will written the 20th January 1663, the cousins John Winder d. 1663 and Edward dying within days of each other.
Winder Family History 