Notes
Note N859
Index
Diane Brice (Dickens) says the he was "illegitimate" and that he and his wife and family immigrated to New Zealand.
Notes
Note N860
Index
Again, his existence comes from William's letters. He says in one "David when you write Explain to me About my aunts in Newry for I knew of none except my Aunt Martha, uncle James' wife."
Notes
Note N861
Index
The Whichford registers describe him as John Timmes of Ascott. Who was his father? Was it the William Timmes of Ascot who had four children in the period 1609 to 1621? Given that his first son was named William, that is certainly a possibility. Or was he a brother to that William? (William's children were Ellinor, Katherine, Elizabeth and Rebecca.)
For the time being, I have decided to make him a son of William Timmes.
Notes
Note N862
Index
Here is his will:
In the name of God Amen I William Timms of Ascot in the parish of Whichford in the county of War yeoman thinking of the Certainty of Death and of the uncertainty thereof knowing that this Earthly Tabernacle must be desolved and now being in sound and perfect(?) mind and memory praised to Allmighty God but not knowing how Soon my Chaing may come therefore Do make and ordain this my present last will and Testament this ffour and Twentieth Day of October in the Eighth year of the raigne of o' Sovereign Lord William the Third by the Grace of God now King of England or Annos 1696 in manner and form as follows that is to say ffirst and principally I commit my soule onto Allmighty God my maker Reposing through the merciees? of Jesus Christ my Saviour to obtain remifsion and forgiveness of all my sins ** to inherit Eternal life And my Body I commit to the Earth from whence it came and as for it thos things of this world which the Lord in mercy hath lent me in this life I do hereby order quit & dispose thereof as follows:
Imprimus
I give and bequeath unto Ann my beloved wife one moity or ffull Halfe part of all that Close or Ground Inclosed lying and being within the liberties and limits of Hooknorton in the County of Oxon comonly called or known by the name of one Berry ffields Hill To hold to her for and during the terme of her naturale life And I alfso Give and Bequeathe unto Ann my said beloved wife one moity or ffull halfe yard(?) of All that Messuages or Tenements situate and being in Ascott aforesaid wherein I now inhabitt and dwell and one halfe of All that twoYardlands and a Halfe of arrable meadow and pasture ground lying and being enjoyed in the open and comon fields of Whichford and Ascott aforesaid unto the said messuages *** belonging and then one moity or one Halfe of all those two Closes called by the names of Bramonds(?) Close and Stowerton Moor(?) Close together with the moity and one halfe of All the Houses outhouses Edifices **** Barnes Stables Closes Orchards Gardens Berryfields ** ** Commodities and apertenances(?) whatsoever unto the said Messuages or tenements One Yardland and a halfe & *** is belonging to hold to her the said Ann my wife for and during the term of her natural life
Item As to ** and ** my other yardland arrable meadow and pasture ground lying and being in the fields and liberties of Whichford and Ascott aforesaid and one Close of pasture ground unto the same yard land belonging together with all the Commons and appurtenances unto the same yard land belonging which I lately bought of one Thomas Bury It is my will and I do hereby devise and give the same for the time of sixty years after my decease upon my son John Timms my son-in-law John Humphries and my kinsman John Rouse their executors and administrators as Trustees that they *** or one of them out of the said yardland Close and *** shall pay yearly and in any year During the said terme onto Ann my beloved wife or her afsigns the yearly sum of ten pounds of lawful money of England All *** ffeaste or ***** of payment in each year [that is to say] the ffeaste of St. Michael **** I***ott and the Anunciation of St.*** day and St. Mary the virgin by *** and equall portions for Ann my said wife Shall She Long live, And my Will is that my Said Trustees shall permit and Suffer Ann my Said wife to **** and take to her ** one Halfe of the cropp and ff***ll now growing or which shall hereafter grove on the said premifses During the said term if She shall for(?) long live, And if it Shall happen * my Said Wife Shall depart this life before the Said Sixty years do expire Then my Will is that my said trustees some or one of them out of the *** yardland Close and premises shall pay yearlye any yeare during all ***** of the said terme of sixty yeares which all the **** of my said wife shall ***** unto my daughter Ann
Godson (Godin?) the wife of Richard Goson the yearely Sum of Six pounds all the same *** or *** of payment each yeare above mentioned by equall portions If She the said Ann Shall She long live and ** ** daughter ***********discharge But if She Shall happen to Dye Before the said Terme of Sixty yeares is expired and have any Child of her body*** the age of Eighteen yeares old then in that case my Will is and I Doo hereby order my said Trustees some or one of them All the *** of them all, out of the said yardland Close **** to pay yearely for the *** of the children of my said Daughter Ann the Sum of Six Pounds a yeare yearely until the youngest child of my said daughter Ann Shall attain to Eighteen yeares old, and as for the *** after the death of my said wife to remain *** *** for my Grandson William Timms
And after the Expiration of the terme of Sixty yeares or sooner Determination thereof my Will is and I Doo hereby Give Devise and bequeathe the said yardland Close and premises with all rights *** and *** thereunto belonging unto my Grandson William Timms To Hold to him his Heirs and Afsigns for and During all the right *** And remainder of the terme of yeares which shall thereto come and *** of my ** by which I now hold by and Enjoy the same without imposition of or for any manner of wages *** I also Give and bequeathe onto my said grandson William Timms one Table & frame(?) and one *** that stand in the Parlour one *** one Chaire Table in the Hall and my furniture after the decease of Ann my wife
Item I Give and Bequeathe unto my Daughter Ann Godson her Children Namely Mary Hannah Amy Elizabeth Marthah and William the sum of Ten Pounds apiece of lawfull money of England And to Ann the sum of Thirty Pounds of life money to be paid unto them by my Executrix in manner as hereafter I shall Direct and appoint--------------
William Timms
X
His mark
Item I Give and Bequeathe unto my Daughter Mary now wife of John Humphries her ffirst children namely John William Edmund Anne and Mary the sum of Ten Pounds *** of lawfull money of England to be paid unto them by my Executrix in all such times and in such manner s hereinafter I Shall Direct and appoint Item I Gie unot my Granddaughter Anne Timms the like sum of Ten Pounds of Curant English money And my Will is and I Doo hereby order that my Executrix hereafter named shall pay all the *** herein before my me given and bequeathed unto my Grandchildren in manner and form following (that is to say) To pay such and so many of them as Shall be and Twenty yeares of age within the time of ffive yeares next after my Decease and to all the rest of as they Shall *** to the same Age pf and Twenty Yeares old And if either of them Dye *** ago my Will is that his or her Legacy Shall be paid to the surviving Brothers & Sisters of the Deceased equally amongst them: Item All the rest of my Household Goods and *** of household Together with all my right of Crop of *** & Graine Cattle and Chattels of whatever nature or kind *** and after my ** and personal Estate what sooner(?) not before bequeathed I Give Devise and bequeathe unto Ann my beloved wife & her Afsigns *** John(?) And I doo herby make and ordain Anne my said wife with my whole and sole executrix of this my will I Give unto my sonn John and to my two daughters Ann and Mary ****** In Writing I whereof I have hereunder sett my Hand and seals to this my *** page Will and Testament C*** in two ** of paper the day and yeare ffirst above written:
William Timms
his T mark
Signed Sealed Published and Declared in the presence
William B****
William X Harris
his mark
Thomas Woolford
6 J ibgg
Quo ** Juratus fiid John Timms filius ******
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There is a MI for Whichford that has a William Timms who died on March 12, 1699, at age 60. His wife was Ann who died on March 16, 1699 at age 66. (These date and ages differ slightly from the parish records.) He was buried next to a Mary Timms, wife of William Timms late of Berryfield who died August 10, 1772 at age 74. I am not sure if it is saying that Mary or her husband died on August 10th. But in any event, their son William died October 23, 1748 at age 33. The christening records for Whichford have two children born to a John Timms of Ascott - William on September 3 1693 and Ann on April 14, 1695. These are likely the grand children - William and Anne in the above will. Unfortunatley, there is no christening record for a William in 1638/9 or a John to a William and Ann at any time. There is an Anne Timms who married a John Godson on 14th May 1675. This would be the daughter Anne.