Ancestors

Mary Purchas

Mary Purchas was a daughter of John Purchas, a tanner of Much Waltham in Essex, and his wife Margaret. She married John Warner at Little Dunmow in 1578. He was the son of a husbandman of the same parish.

Her father made his will on 27 March 1585. He left ten pounds, as one share of a legacy that depended on her brother George, to "Mary my daughter, wife of John Warnard," and five pounds outright "To Mary my daughter, wife of John Warner." Her two children, "Thomas Warnar and Mary Warnare," had six shillings and eight pence each at eighteen or marriage. Her father-in-law, John Warner of Much Waltham, had died the summer before, leaving a quarter of barley to the same small Thomas.

By 1609 the family were at Hatfield Broad Oak, about ten miles away, and her husband was a yeoman there. In March 1614 he bought thirty five acres of freehold, and in his will of 16 July 1614 he left them to her for life. Their children named in that will were Thomas, John, Andrew, Edward, Elizabeth and Rose. She was widowed soon after.

She made her own will on 12 May 1627 as "Mary Warner of Hatfeild Broadoke alias Hatfeild Regis ... widow." Her son John had four pounds within a month of her death, and a further twenty shillings, a gown and a petticoat within a year. To her daughter Rose she left "my worst blackgowne and one peticoate one fetherbed one bolster one Covering one pillow wheron I now ly and three payer of sheetes in her Chest." To her daughter Elizabeth she left "One Chest with linnen Ready layd up and my best gowne and one peticoate." Rose and Elizabeth had twenty shillings each as well. Her best gown but one went to Joane, the wife of her son Thomas.

Then she went through her grandchildren. Thomas Warner was to have ten shillings, a covering, a chest and a pewter platter at twenty one. Thomas Sanford had a chest, a pewter platter, a kettle and a covering. Elizabeth's two children had ten shillings each. Mary Warner, the daughter of her son John, had ten shillings and "one box with linnen and other thinges layd up in it." Thomas's two children shared ten shillings, and John's other two children another ten. Mary Sandford, Rose's daughter, had ten shillings, and Rose's seven other children five shillings each. Last came "the Two children of Andrew my sonne," who shared twenty shillings. Nineteen grandchildren in all.

Everything else went to Andrew: "the greatest Chest and greatest Ketle and also all other my moveable goodes or Chattells whatsoever," to pay her legacies and the charges of her burial. She made him sole executor. She signed with her mark, and the witnesses were Peter Linzell, who also made his mark, and Jonathan Ince. The will was proved at Stortford on 17 July 1627, so she died between those two dates. Six years later Andrew took his family to New England.

If Mary Purchas is in your family, start your own tree.

Cite: Heirology, "Mary Purchas (d. 1627)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/mary-purchas-1627-6da44f.