Volume 1

A calendar of wills proved in the Consistory court of the Bishop of Gloucester, 1541-1650 and 1660-1800 : with indices nominum et locorum.

  • Church of England. Diocese of Gloucester. Consistory Court
Date:
1895-1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A calendar of wills proved in the Consistory court of the Bishop of Gloucester, 1541-1650 and 1660-1800 : with indices nominum et locorum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    3. Child's Wickham is said to have possessed similar peculiar privileges, and the absence of Wills from this place in the Bishop’s Calendar seems to confirm the statement. No Child’s Wickham Wills appear to be extant at Gloucester, at any rate before 1660. “ The advowson [of Child’s Wickham] formerly belonged to the Abbey of Bordesley, in Worcestershire. This is a peculiar and is visited by the Bishop and Archdeacon in the manor house, and the lord of the manor by custom entertains his visitor with a cake, a loaf, a pound of butter, a quarter of a sage cheese and a quarter of a plain cheese, a dozen of ale, and six bottles of strong beer. The Vicar has the prohat of Wills within his peculiar.”—Rudder. Within this parish is the hamlet of Murcot, anciently a chapelry. 4. Deerhurst had also a peculiar jurisdiction, and included the following parishes “ which claim archidiaconal visitation at their mother church,” viz. :— Deerhurst.- Hasfield. Boddington. Lye. Corse. Staverton or Forthampton. Starton. Apperley, Wightfield, and Walton are hamlets within the parish of Deerhurst. It seems clear that whatever may have been its ecclesiastical position, the peculiar of Deerhurst did not exercise probate jurisdiction, since there are numerous Wills from this peculiar to be found in the Bishop’s Registry. There was anciently a priory in this place founded about 715 ; it was dissolved by Henry VI, and Westminster Abbey was possessed of the manor at the time of Domesday, but previously it belonged to Pershore Abbey. 5. Withington and Dowdeswell.—It is said that the Rector of Withington has concurrent jurisdiction with the Chancellor of the Diocese of granting marriage licences and, until 1858, administrations and probate of Wills within the peculiar. We are not aware of the existence of any Wills so proved in the peculiars, though several from these parishes will be found in this Calendar. “ There was a nunnery at this place in Saxon times, and it was most probably endowed with the manor; it subsequently devolved to the See of Worcester in the eighth century.” “Withington is a rectory and a peculiar. This parish and that of Dowdeswell are included. The churches are subject Tirley or Trinley.