John French (bef. 1626 - 1648)

Born before 30 Apr 1626 in Chiddingly, Sussex, England

Ancestors

Died 1648 after age 21 in Chiddingly, Sussex, England

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Biography

John French was born in Sussex, England.

John was born about 30 April 1626 at Chiddingly, Sussex.^[1][2]

John was born into a family with a long connection to the Wealden iron working industry and many of the marriages of the family were to other members of iron working familes. His great grandfather John French was employing aliens to work in the iron working in 1552.^[3]

His grandmother Barbara Fowle was from a family involved in the iron idustry her brother Anthony is recorded as an owner/landlord of ironworks.^[4]

John doesn't appear to have been an ironmaster. In his father John's will he leaves his property to John's elder brother Stephen (b.1623,^[5] d. 1666):

The National Archives, PROB 11/159/91, 23 Dec 1630, proved 29 Jan 1630/1

Will of John French of Chiddingly, Sussex, gent.

[inter alia] 'My will is that my Executors in trust shall permitt and suffer my loveinge unkle Thomas ffrench to inhabit and dwell and to have use and enioye my mansion howse called the Streame and all my landes tenements and herditaments to the same belonginge used occupied or enioyed (excepte my fforge and ffurnace) and the howses wayes ponds bayes and waterlayes there unto belongynge use occupied or enioyed and except all woods and underwoods theron standinge growinge or beinge) until my sonne Stephen ffrench or such of my children as shalbe my heires shall come and attaine unto his or her age of one and twentie yeares'.

John French died at Chiddingly^[6] in 1648. ^[7]

John appears to not have married having died at the young age of about 22. No wife is mentioned in his will and no mention of a marriage in the Chiddingly parish register.^[8]

In his will written 19 August 1648, codicil dated September 5th 1648, probate granted 23 November 1648: John ffench of Chiddingly als Chittinglie in the County of Sussex, gent

I give and bequeath unto Anne ffrench and Elizabeth ffrench the daughters of Stephen ffrench one hundred pounds apeece.

I give unto Edmund Townlie, Katherine Townlie and John Townlie the children of my sister Barbara Townlie seven hundred pounds to be equally divided between them.

I give unto my brother Robert ffoster one hundred pounds

I give unto my sister Anne ffoster one hundred pounds

I give unto my brother Thomas ffrench one hundred and twentie pounds

I give unto my Aunt ffoster Shurlye the wife of John Shurlye one hundred pounds

I give to Barbara Stapley fifty pounds

I give unto my mother the Ladie ffoster twentie pounds

I give to my brother Stephen ffrench twentie pounds

I give to my sister Barbara Townlie twentie pounds

I give to Thomas Millard forty shillings

i give to William Smith twentie shillings

I give to Elizabeth Shirley twentie shillings

I give to Phillip Burton twentie shillings

I give to Barbara Stapley twentie shillings

I give to Maria Jarvis twentie shillings

I give to Maria Nash? twentie shillings

I give to Margaret Hope twentie shillings

A five pound bequest to the poore of Chiddinglie

As can be seen from his will, he left a substanial amount of money. One hundred pounds in 1648 was roughly equivalent to 3 years wages for a skilled tradesman.^[9]

Research Notes

His will mentions that he is sick in bodye and also that the minister of the parish, John Baker should receive fortiie shillings for his paines in writing this my will. It seems likely therefore that John died in Chiddingly and would have been buried at the parish church

Daniel French does not belong to this tree please do not reattachBrowning-5288 14:10, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ John French in:"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPN3-MV8 : 19 September 2020), John French, 1626.
2. ↑ Entry in Chiddingly parish register for John Frenchhttps://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSSD-23KX-1?i=9&cat=385572 Film # 007821646 image 10 (accessed 26 May 2021)
3. ↑ Family of John French in: Awty, B. G.. (1984) Aliens in the ironworking areas of the Weald: the Subsidy Rolls, 1524-1603. Wealden Iron, Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group. Second series, 4. pp. 13-78 (accessed 23 May 2021)
4. ↑ Anthoney Fowle in : Wealden Iron Research database http://www.wirgdata.org/searchpro2.cgi (accessed 23 May 2021
5. ↑ Entry in Chiddingly parish register for Stephen Frenchhttps://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSSD-23K8-W?i=8&cat=385572 Film # 007821646 image 9 (accessed 26 May 2021)
6. ↑ John French burial in https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSSD-23LB-4?i=92&cat=385572
7. ↑ Will of John French of Chiddinglie The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 206
8. ↑ Family Search LDS Film of Chiddingly parish register # 007821646
9. ↑ The National Archives, "Currency converter: 1270–2017,(https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter : accessed 16 June 2021)

See Also

• General information on the iron industry in the area John French livedWealden's Iron Industry http://www.bushywood.com/wealden_iron_industry.htm The Wealden Iron Research Group (accessed 23 May 2021)
• French family in:Parochial History of Chiddingly.. Lewes: Lower, Mark Antony, 1813-1876 pub. G.P. Bacon, 1862. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011633061 (accessed 26 May 2021)
• John French in: East Sussex Record Office, "Burial in the parish of Chiddingly: John French, Gent" https://www.thekeep.info/collections/getrecord/GB179_PAR292_1_1_1_637