John (born about 1575, died perhaps 1610) and Winifred WILLIAMSON of New Hall
New page 17 July 2019
Links:
Immediate ancestors: John and Jane WILLIAMSON and unknown
Immediate descendant: Humphrey WILLIAMSON
The Williamson of Crosthwaite story - WILLIAMSON of Crosthwaite research notes
index of surnames
(Apart from the overall shakiness of the Crosthwaite connection). John and Winifred are listed as the parents of Humphrey at his baptism in the Crosthwaite parish registers, which I have consulted in transcript. Like John (or at least John's father John--check), Humphrey is described as 'of New Hall' (if the reference/s is/are the same Humphrey). My inherited family tree, printed by James Gorton Brooker, gives this John, with his father John, his wife Winifred, and his sons, including Humphrey, but it does have some mistakes in it that I have found. So there is a bit of work to nail this link down.
John's parents were John and Jane WILLIAMSON of New Hall in Crosthwaite.
I have not yet identified Winifred's parents--her marriage to John doesn't seem to be in the Crosthwaite parish register.
John was the fourth-born child, though the only surviving boy, born to John and Jane WILLIAMSON of New Hall. In 1578, aged only about three, he inherited his father's landed property (which seems from the will to include both some owned outright and some 'tenantright' property, which I think was held for a permanent fixed rent; this will gives some round-numbers indications of value that total nearly 167 pounds). The property was to be held by John's widowed mother Jane for his and his sisters' maintenance until John reached the age of 21. Two of John's sisters survived by this time, aged about 5 and 1 with John in the middle.
John's father's will names his godfather--it is tricky to make out but I think a Mr Briskoe--and asks him to be good to his godson. Mr Briskoe and others, as supervisers of the will, were charged with ensuring that Jane gave at least ten pounds yearly out of the income from the family lands to the use of John's sisters.
John's mother Jane remarried after about two years, to a John LANCASTER of Dacre, several miles away. I do not know whether the step-father moved in at New Hall, or whether Jane and her children went to Dacre, or what.
Someone was at New Hall in the years after Jane's remarriage--a servant there, John CORBETT, is recorded as marrying in 1580. I have not found any baptisms, marriages or burials for any other non-Williamsons 'of New Hall' in this period.
John was about 27 when he baptised his first child, so perhaps married in his mid-twenties. He does not appear to have married in Crosthwaite.
I have not yet identified Winifred's parents or found information about her childhood. I probably need to start with a marriage record for her and John, or some other way of telling her maiden surname. I guess the lack of a marriage record for them in Crosthwaite suggests that they married in some other parish, and therefore that Winifred may have been from that other parish.
John, Winifred and their children lived at New Hall. Their children, with baptismal dates from the parish register, were:
Humphrey 1601 (baptised 14 February 1601/02)
Francis 1604 (baptised 4 April)
John 1606 (baptised 4 April)
Anthony 1608 ((baptised 10 June)
I know little of John's later life.
I have not found a will of John's, though New Hall presumably passed to his oldest son Humphrey and then to his heir in turn (who was not our ancestor). It, or at least a property of that name Under Skiddaw, seems to have come to our ancestral branch of the Williamson family some time in the 18th century, being bequeathed in a will of 1779 and transferred out of the Williamson family in 1810.
The only one I know anything about is the eldest, Humphrey, who married twice and had several children, I think at New Hall.
If you are interested in this family I'll be pleased to hear from you. Click this link to email me at deletethis.ianwilliamson161@gmail.com but delete everything up to and including the first dot, leaving just my name and number @ service provider.
Links:
Immediate ancestors: John and Jane WILLIAMSON and unknown
Immediate descendant: Humphrey WILLIAMSON
The Williamson of Crosthwaite story - WILLIAMSON of Crosthwaite research notes
index of surnames