William Spicer (abt. 1555 - 1604)

Born about 1555 in Exeter, Devon, England

Ancestors

Husband of Grace (Chappell) Potter — married 12 Sep 1580 in Exeter, Devon, , England

Descendants

Died 3 Jun 1604 at about age 49 in Exeter, Devon, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Samuel Iacullo [send private message]

Biography

Steward of Exeter 1585, Sheriff 1597 ^[1]

Estate in 1604 of £3,492, net £2915 ^[2]. A significant amount of money.

William left a will, which has survived as it was a large estate so went to the perogative court at Canterbury rather being held locally. The executors were his brother Nicholas, the Mayor, Robert Hayman, the husband of his niece Grace, Richard Chapple (Chappell), William's brother in law, and Edward Smart who is not currently identified. Of his children all are mentioned except Thomas, Joan and Margaret. Burial records have been found for the first two, but not for Margaret but it sees likely that she had also died young (or just perhaps she had some major infirmity - George was younger than her but is mentioned). Note that Grace Hayman is mentioned as his daughter, but in fact she was his niece, and it seems that he took on arranging her marriage which happened shortly before William's death, hence referring to her in such close terms (her father Christopher died in 1601 - the brothers very were obviously close as William asked to buried alongside Christopher in the church of St Petroc (Peter).

A reference to his trading activities: BENEDICT WEBBE IN BREST, 1594.

Benedict Webbe of Kingswood, then in Wiltshire, clothier, borrowed £200 from William Spicer of Exeter to be repaid at Brest at an exchange rate of 5s. 8d. the French crown. It was a condition of the bond that if Webbe should break any of the conditions of the bills of exchange he should pay at the return of the ship Samaritan of Dartmouth the remainder of the loan at 6s. 8d. the crown. In November, 1593, he was at his house at Kingswood, 80 miles from Dartmouth, when his brother, Nicholas, sent from Exeter to tell him of the Samaritan's return. He wrote a letter for his brother to give to Spicer pleading that the market was so bad that he could not immediately pay and promising to pay at St. Paul's fair in Bristol.

Webb gathered the amount needed, £62. 8s. 0d. at 6s. 8d. the crown, not paid at Brest, but first he offered to sell Spicer some land and at first Spicer agreed but later began an action for debt on the forfeit bond. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Remarkable Antiquities of the City of Exeter, Samuel Izacke, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000194169
2. ↑ W.G. Hoskins, Old Devon (London: David & Charles, 1966) ISBN 0-7153-4049-2
3. ↑ E M Carus Wilson The Overseas Trade of Bristol in the Later Middle Ages Barnes & Nobel New York published in 1937 2nd Ed 1967

• Visitation of Devon, 1620 and additions

• "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2VF-HXW : 10 February 2018), William Spicer and Grace Chappell, 12 Sep 1580; citing Saint Petrock,Exeter,Devon,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 916,838.

• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5WP-T5N : 11 February 2018, William Spicer in entry for Jone Spicer, 01 Jan 1591); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 916,838.

• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5W5-94N : 11 February 2018, William Spicer in entry for Elizabeth Spicer, 21 Feb 1585); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 916,838.