Mead in Watford, 16th and 17th centuries

[Vance Mead]

Hello all. I'm interested in the Mead family in Watford, starting with Richard Mede, ca. 1515-1560. They lived there, as well as in Ridge and Hatfield from about 1550 to 1700. I have quite a lot of information from wills, parish records, lay subsidies, muster rolls and manorial records.

Is anyone else interested in this family at around that time, especially in the counties of Hertford, Bedford and Buckingham? I have quite a lot of information on my web site and am always glad to share.

Also, is anyone else intersted in the 16th and 17th centuries, and are there any classes of records that I have missed?

And finally, does anyone know if there are there any plans afoot to put more Hertfordshire records online? Essex has SEAX, Bedfordshire has its online search, the Bucks FHS has several databases available. So, I'm wondering if there might be a project to put Herts wills or will abstracts online. Very useful for finding all those witnesses and beneficiaries. And perhaps the logical next step now that Wills at Hertford has been published.
Vance Mead

[Alan Mead]

Hello Vance.

I've come across your work regularly on the web while I've been researching my own Mead family.

Currently I'm looking at George Mead, yeoman of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, c1652 to c1709, his wife Hannah Hearne c1665 to 1729, and their children. George was my seven times great grandfather. I believe he was formerly married to Mary ____. I haven't managed to link to any Mead ancestor earlier than this.

This family can be found at http://www.meadfamilyhistory.me.uk/index.htm.

Sadly, looking at the vast amount of information you have gathered together, I think it's unlikely that I have anything that will be of use to you.

Alan Mead

[Vance Mead]

Hello Alan,
It's nice to meet you. I'll keep a lookout for George Mead. As he was in Sawbridgworth, he could have come from Essex. It's not far from Great Dunmow, Great Easton, Clavering and so on. There were an awful lot of Meads around there. Also in Bishops Stortford, Ware, Enfield. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting one.

Are these some of yours?

22 May 1701 George Mead of Billericay, Mercer, and Mary Goodwin of Shenvill



Lease for a year DE/Z120/44684 19 Dec 1716
Contents:
By William Warman the elder of Chrishall, Essex, yeoman, to George Mead the younger of Billericay, Essex, singleman, of a piece of land in Mansfield, Sawbridgeworth.
Signature. Seal (arm)


Regards
Vance Mead

[Vance Mead]

Alan
I suppose you've looked at all the Mead wills in Essex? Unfortunately I have only a few from the second half of the 17th century. There were quite a lot around there. These were within a few miles:

1659 Edward Mead, shoemaker, Aythorpe Roothing
1661 Edward Mead, yeoman, Gt. Canfield
1666 William Mead, husbandman, Birchanger
1667 William Mead, yeoman, Takely
1669 Robert Mead, husbandman, Writtle
1674 Nicholas Mead, yeoman, Farnham
1675 Thomas Mead, husbandman, Farnham
1679 Thomas Mead, Hatfield Broad Oak
1688 Agnes Mead, widow, Farnham

If you expand the search as far as Great Dunmow or Ugley, there are a lot more.

Also I have a George Meade connected with Sawbridgeworth, but a bit too early for you. In the mid-1620s, George Meade of Great Hallingbury was an overseer of the will of Edward Bevis of Sawbridgeworth.

[Alan Mead]

Hello Vance - and very many thanks for these items.

George Mead of Billericay, mercer, who married Mary Goodwin, was the eldest son of George, yeoman of Sawbridgeworth, and brother of Thomas, from whom I'm descended, who also ended up in Billericay/Great Burstead.

I haven't previously come across the details of the lease of land in Mansfield that you mention - but this ties in nicely as this could well be the " ... piece of Land lying in Manfeild containing one acre and a halfe ..." that the elder George left to his wife when he died. Maybe she sold it to William Warman who then leased it back to the Mead family (George the younger).

Regarding the wills, I have previously obtained copies of quite a few Mead wills - but none of these - so I'll certainly look into them.

Thanks again for your advice.

Alan

[Vance Mead]

Alan

Do you know anything about Joshua Mead, poulterer of Sawbridgeworth, PCC will made in 1707? Possibly he is related to George Mead? Joshua appears to have been born in Thorley, about 2 miles away, the son of Samuel Mead and Margaret. Samuel in turn is the son of Samuel, whose will is from 1620/21.

Joshua Mead was living in Sawbridgeworth in 1676.

Vance

[Alan Mead]

Vance,

Yes I've encountered Joshua and the conclusion that I came to was that he seems to be of similar age to George (c1652-1709) and surely must be related, but I haven't been able to link him in definitely as a member of "my family".

As you say, he was born in Thorley c1637.

In 1670 the Quarter Sessions show that there was a presentment for Joshua, a poulterer, not attending church. Maybe he was a non-conformist - George Mead's sons certainly were. Another mentioned was Jeremiah Herne (Hearne was George's wife's maiden name).

When living in Sawbridgeworth Joshua was licenced as a kiddler/higgler 1687-1706 (as were John Mead of Sawbridgeworth, John Mead of Gilston and Henry Mead of Sawbridgeworth).

I understand a higgler to be a dealer, especially of poultry and dairy produce, who buys up stock and sells it on. (Maybe the nursery rhyme ... Higgledy Piggledy my black hen ... has its origins in this trade!)

Thomas Mead of Gilston, George Meade and Joshua Meade of Sawbridgeworth, and John Meade of Thorley were included in the list of those in the Association for the preservation of the life and government of William III, 1696.

Joshua was buried in 1707, the year before George.

For the next few generations Meads of Great Burstead were still marrying folk at Thorley (the Flack family). These people were all tied together somehow but I have yet to find a will (Samuel's ?) that gives me the information I want.

Happy New Year.

Alan

[Alan Mead]

Sorry Vance.

I should have mentioned that I don't seem to have come across the reference to Joshua's will before. I will certainly track this down.

Alan

[Vance Mead]

Alan
Happy New Year.

As I'm sure you know, you can download a copy of Joshua's will from documents online - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

Another place where there are wills for Essex and eastern Hertfordshire is the London Metropolitan Archives. They have wills from the Consistory Court of London. I have a few of there wills, but only one or two from the latter half of the 17th century. There are also some wills from a few Hertfordshire parishes probated in the Commissary Court of London. These are at Guildhall Library. But I think I have all of these.

About George Mead's date of birth. The average age of first marriage for men in the 17th century was about 27 - after apprenticeship or seven to ten years of being a farm servant. So, if his eldest child was born in 1673, that might put his date of birth in the mid-1640s. This was during the Civil War, so there might be gaps in the parish records.
Vance

[Alan Mead]

Vance

Thanks again for your ideas, all very gratefully received.

Coincidentally I've just been trying to download Joshua's will. Got as far as typing in my payment details when the process failed and a message said to try later. As all my details had gone in, I'm not sure whether I've paid or not! Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

I've also checked through my records and found that I already have a photocopy of the will of Samuel Mead of Thorley, 1621, along with half a dozen others including that of Agnes his wife. They are all difficult to read (which is obviously why I didn't transcribe them years ago). Samuel's will mentions a son Samuel and daughter Hannah.

I live in hopes that there'll be a clue there somewhere.

Alan