Ancestors

John Talcott

John Talcott lived in the town of Colchester in Essex, in the parish of St Peter. When the heralds visited Essex in 1634, they drew the Talcott pedigree with him near the top. Above him they set only a Talcott of Warwickshire, whose given name they did not record. A herald's visitation was a tour of a county by officers of the College of Arms, who wrote down the descents of the families entitled to bear arms. The Talcott arms were a silver shield with a black upright band down the middle, carrying three silver roses. The crest was a black half griffin with a silver collar.

He married twice. His first wife came from a family named Wells, and her given name has not survived. She was the mother of his son John, who settled at Braintree, of Robert, later an alderman of Colchester, and of a daughter who married a Bernard. After her death he married Mary Pullen.

With Mary he had a second family of seven. Thomas became rector of the churches of St Mary and Mile End in Colchester, and in 1634 he was chaplain to the Earl Marshal. Grace married John Death, Joan married a Knewstub, Mary married a Marshall, and Eme married Thomas Adler. The youngest son was also named John, the same name as his eldest half brother. This second John became a merchant at Madrid in Spain.

His eldest son died first. John Talcott of Braintree made his will in 1604 and was dead by January 1605, leaving a widow, a son John and a daughter Rachel.

John Talcott of Colchester made his own will on 24 September 1606. It opens: "In the name of God, Amen. I, John Talcoat, of the town of Colch'str, in the county of Essex, being in p'fitt memorie (thanks be unto God) do make & ordeine this my last Will & Testament." He asked to be buried in the churchyard of St Peter's. He left five pounds to the poor of the town, to be given out the day before his burial.

He owned houses all over the town. There were houses in St Peter's parish, in Holy Trinity, in St Giles's "next unto Debbels wall", and in St Botolph's. He also held leases of the fields called "the severalls" and of part of Dowe House Field by the North Bridge.

He shared the houses among his children. His daughter Marie Marshall had the house in St Botolph's "in which house James ffearfill glover now dwelleth", to pass after her to her eldest son. Eme Adler had the house in Holy Trinity where "the widdowe ffroste now dwelleth", after the death of her mother, and forty pounds. Grace had another house in Holy Trinity, "neer unto Sheergate", also after her mother's death, and fifty pounds. Joan had "foure skore pounds". His grandchildren John and Mary Bernard had five pounds apiece at twenty.

He did not forget the boy whose father had died at Braintree. "I give and bequeath unto my grandchilde, John Talcoat, the son of my son, John Talcoat, late of Braintree, the sum of fortie pounds, of good and lawfull mony, to be paid unto himself by myn executors at the age of one & twenty years (if he lyve so long), & the said fourtie pounds in the meantime to be reseived for him in the hands of myn executors." That grandson later went to New England and was one of the first proprietors of Hartford.

He made his sons Robert and Thomas his executors. He died in Colchester about 1 November 1606, and the will was proved on 12 November in the Commissary Court of the Bishop of London for Essex and Hertfordshire. He signed it "Taylcot". His widow Mary died in Colchester about 19 June 1625, the date of her own will.

If John Talcott is in your family, start your own tree.

Cite: Heirology, "John Talcott (d. 1606)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/john-talcott-1606-58b73d.