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William Gribble (1662 - bef. 1734)

William Gribble aka Grebell, Gribell
Born in Camborne, Cornwall, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 10 Nov 1688 in Camborne, Cornwall, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died before before age 71 in Camborne, Cornwall, Englandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 28 Apr 2011
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Contents

Biography

William was born in 1662. William Gribble ... He passed away in 1734. [1] Considerable uncertainty surrounds his marriage[s] and composition of William's family. The IGI offers information which in part is contradicted by his will.

He was named in some places as John Grebell. William Grebell as he is called here , was the eldest son of William and Katheryn Gribell, and baptized on 2 June 1662. [2]

He may have married twice. It is noteworthy that a William Gribble married a Mrs. Mary Williams in Creed [Creeg or Creebrawse] during 1681.[3]. Creebrawse is about 15 miles from Camborne. The chronology of the two marriages fits and there was a great scarcity of William Gribbles in Cornwall at the time. The only two males with a given name of William and with a name resembling Gribble that were recorded as living in Cornwall at this time was this man William Grebell who was born in 1662 and his father William Gribell [as described in his profile], born 1632. If it were William Grebell [1662] he would have been 19 years of age at the time. [4][5]

The majority of researchers have him aged 26, marrying Elizabeth [probably Elizabeth Rogers] on 10 November 1688 [6]She was 21 years at the time.

William’s will [Refer below] suggests that he died shortly after 1 May 1734 at the age of 75 years. Elizabeth’s date of death is claimed by others to be 28 Nov 1710 meaning he outlived her by 24 years. This was the same year her son Daniel was born leading to a suspicion she might have died in childbirth.

But his will raises suspicion that he might have remarried after Elizabeth, as his wife named in the will is perhaps Lasia or Rasia. One somewhat wild interpretation of the old English style of writing is Lesie, representing Lizzie, as we spell the contraction of Elizabeth today. But is he outlived Elizabeth she would not be named in the will. The preferred interpretation is another wife - perhaps Sophia.

The IGI and Parish records identify eight children born to William and Elizabeth:

William,

Thomas, Margery,

Arthur,

John,

Benjamin [Beniman],

Henry and

Daniel [7]

of which at least six outlived their father. T

Two children recorded in the Index and not mentioned in the will were Thomas and Arthur, leading to the possibility that they both died young. Juvenile deaths were a common experience for all families. [8] However to complicate matters another son, Richard, was named in the will as recipient of one sholling.

That he was mentioned first amongst his brothers suggest that he might have been the eldest son. Was he born out of wedlock and not baptized? Could he be the son of a previous wife - say Mary Williams? Or was he just not baptized? Whatever the circumstances, he benefited from William’s estate no more or less that any of the other children.

At the time of their father’s death the ages of the children, excluding Richard, range between 46 and 27 years.

To date no record of marriage has been found for the four oldest children. l John Gribble the fourth eldest son, who married Ann Ousbrun, is the direct ancestor of this branch. l As indicated in William Gribell’s story, Benjamin, the fifth born child of William and Elizabeth married Mary Veran[t]. This couple had six children of which presumably two died young: Benjamin, Benjamin, Richard, Mary, Richard and William. Other families that married into this branch are Rowe, Hosking, Eudey and Glanville. [9] l Henry married Elizabeth with issue of three sons and three daughters. l Daniel married twice: first Jane Maddern on 5 February 1732 with issue of one daughter and second Amey Hayes, thirteen years later on 3 November 1745 with issue of seven children.[10]

Camborne Marriages

William and Elizabeth Grebell’s marriage was one of the few registered by the slowly increasing population in the parish. From about 1583 only about 10 marriages per year were celebrated. [11] This either reflected the size of the still small parish or a tendency to ‘live in sin’.

But before we reach the conclusion that our ancestors were a little wayward it must be remembered that marriages did not have to be registered until well into the next century. Moreover, to be recognized as legal a marriage ceremony had to take place in the parish Church of England. Fortuitously our branch of Gribbles worshipped at St. Martin’s Church of England for as long as our line of Gribbles lived in Camborne.

William Grebell - Villain?

After building up William Grebell’s reputation, now is the time to dismantle it. In the absence of a convict in the family this William Gribble [as spelt by Sims Carah] might be the closest the Gribbles come to claiming a serious miscreant for the family.

In addition to giving valuable clues regarding our origins, the Camborne Poor Rate Book Parish of Camborne. [12] provides a wonderful insight into life in the Parish of Camborne between 1647 and 1717. J. Sims Carah, the Vicar of Penpons in 1925 used the Rate book to write his history of Camborne. [13]

During these years, the book records the various disbursements paid to an assortment of groups and people. Included were the expenses paid to the Constables for the conduct of their duties. Fortunately for the Parish of Camborne, felons and prisoners were few, but one, a William Gribble committed some unknown crime in 1701 and was taken to prison at Launceston some considerable distance from Camborne virtually on the border of modern Devon and Cornwall. The same man committed three additional offences between 1701 and 1707. His exact fate is unknown but we know that his imprisonment was in an ancient castle adjacent to the town. If this William he was aged around 40 at the time. The gaol was a grim place to be:

---- whose steep rocky footed keep hath his top environed with a treble wall, and in regard thereof, men say, was called Castle Terrible. The base court compriseth a decayed chapel, a large hall for holding the shire assizes, the constable’s dwelling house and the common gaol

[14]

It was in this quite unpleasant environment that William Gribble may have spent his time of punishment, depending upon the actions of the Roundheads after their defeat of Charles I who had strong Cornish support throughout the war.[15]

How are we able to claim it was William Grebell? Three other William Gribbles have been identified living in Camborne at the time the crimes were committed. l There was William Gribell 1632, the father of this William Grebell, who died in 1704. l There was William Gribble b. 1691, the son of this William Grebell, who was aged 12 in 1703 and 16 in 1707, making him the unlikely perpetrator. l And there was the very young William Gribble, born to Richard and Marjery in 1703, making him an impossible perpetrator. [16]

So we are left with our William Grebell as the likely party. He would have been aged forty-two at the time of the first offence.The care of the wife and his family fell on the overseers of the Poor Rate. It’s just as well that his parents had been reliable payers of the poor rate. Unfortunately when the said William Gribble offended again in 1702 with a companion, the overseers again had to pay the following costs:

Constables to put W. Gribble and [unknown felon] to Launceston - £1.3.2 For one horse for carrying them - £0.5.0 Laid out towards their provisions - £1 .10 .0 For one horse for John George to go to Sessions to witness against them - £0.5. 0 Total was £3.3. 2

A disdainful Sims Carah further noted that William Gribble continued to be a very expensive parishioner for he was in trouble again in 1707. This time the church wardens, instead of the overseer, had to meet the even higher cost. They paid John Davey the constable:

---- for his disbursements in taking and keeping Bennets and William Gribble before they were put to Lanseston [£1.6.8] in expense: Puting them to Lanseston 13 shillings: To Steven Vivian for himself and his horse to go with them 10 shilling: to two horses more to put them to Lanseston 10 shilling: in expense at Sessions in prosecuting them 19 shillings- [£3 18 8 in 1925 money]”

and

In money they received for the six weeks 6s. 5d., in ‘corne’ 2s. 6d., in ‘girts and bread’ 11d. - this in 1701

and

---- this would mean at least £35 in 1925 money

William would not have been the most popular parishioner in Camborne because the cost incurred was very high compared to the level of rates drawn against the ratepayers. By contrast with the £40 spent on his behalf, over many years his father and mother paid no more than one shilling per year on their Penpons and Bejawsa properties.[17]

Will [18]

April 1, 1734 In the name of god amen I William Grebel of the parish of Camborne Mason being very sick and weak but in my perfect memory blesed to God for it ---- done mark this my last will and testiment. I doo give and bequeath my soal to all mity god and my body to christion burall at the deskreshon of my exeutor Item - I give too my son Richard grebel one shilling Item: I give too my son William Grebel one shilling Item: I give too my son benjaman Grebel one shilling Item: I give too my son Henry Grebel one shilling Item: I give too my son Daniel Grebel one shiling Item: I give to my dauftor Margry Grebel one shiling Item: I give to my son John grebel one shiling Item: I marke my wife Rafia [Sofia/Lesia/Lafia etc] grebel holl and soll Execitor of all my estate goods and chattls movable and unmovable in paying of my debts and *******willing my hand Witness **** **** **** John Dunkin jnr Nicholas Hocking

            • *****

Mary OO Cook [Signed with OO] William W Grebell [Signed with W]

The inventory of the goods and chattells of William Groebell of the parish of Camborne *********** taken on this first day of May, 1734 Item - His purse girdle and wearing apparell £0-10-0 Item - Household goods: £1-0-0 Item - One little bullock: £1-0-0 Item - One old mare: £1-0-0 Item - ten sheep and six lambs: £1- [19]

According to his father’s will William was to inherit his father’s property at Bejawsa after his mother, Katheryn’s death. Because she lived until 88 years he would have been 65 years of age before he became a beneficiary. In fact he only lived 6 years after she died. His will contains no mention of land or dwelling but both the will and the inventory vaguely refer to ‘estate’. Use of the term ‘immovable’ chattels adds nothing to our understanding.[20]

On face value he may have possessed property as lease or free hold. The ‘estate’ is worth much less than Bejawsa, his inheritance from his father. As land titles do not indicate tenement holders, we will never know if his ‘estate’ was that inherited from his father or whether it was a new tenement. [21] Had his father’s tenement in Bejawsa been vested with a ‘three-lives-lease’ it is possible that upon William’s death the tenement reverted to the ‘lord of the soil’ so could not be passed onto his family. Apart from details about his ‘estate’ his will provides only a sketchy outline of his possessions that amounted to some domestic animals and farm implements besides clothing and some household goods.Gribble [22]


Name

Name: William /GRIBBLE/
Source: #S00006

Burial

Burial:
Date: 07 APR 1734
Place: Camborne, Cornwall, England

Christening

Christening:
Date: 08 JUN 1662
Place: Camborne, Cornwall, England

Occupation

Occupation: Miner

He passed away in 1734.

Sources

  1. Roger Churm, Sep 5, 2011
  2. International Genealogical Index
  3. International Genealogical Index;
  4. International Genealogical Index
  5. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan
  6. International Genealogical Index;
  7. International Genealogical Index
  8. International Genealogical Index
  9. International Genealogical Index
  10. International Genealogical Index,
  11. Registers; St. Martin’s Church of England
  12. “ Poor Law Records for Camborne, 1640 to 1710”
  13. J Sims Carah. “The Parish of Camborne
  14. Carew Richard. “Survey of Cornwall 1602”
  15. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan"
  16. International Genealogical Index
  17. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan
  18. Walker M; Probates and Wills
  19. Wills and Probates England: Public Record Office,
  20. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan
  21. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan
  22. Ian: "Flash in the Pan


Source S00006
Author: Church of Latter Day Saints
Title: IGI Records
Repository: #R00002
NOTETYPE: Web Site
URL: http://www.familysearch.org
Repository R00002
Name: Family Search - IGI
Address: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/frameset_search.asp
E-Mail Address:
Phone Number:

1. Gribble Ian: "Flash in the Pan" A History of the Camborne Gribbles; Self Published; 1 Jan 2008; ISBN: 978- 0 - 9803307 -1-7 [Self published] 2. International Genealogical Index; Church of the Latter Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. 3. Registers; St. Martin’s Church of England, Camborne 4. Poor Law Records for Camborne, 1640 to 1710”. England: Public Record Office. 5. J Sims Carah. “The Parish of Camborne”: Some Notes on its History, its Antiquities and its People. Parts I and II. Address not available: Publisher not available, 1925 6. Carew Richard. “Survey of Cornwall 1602”. Redruth, Cornwall: Tamar Books, 1602 [Reprinted 2000]. 7. Walker M; Probates and Wills; British Government Sourced Cornwall Historical Society]


  • geni.com/people/William-Gribble/6000000006972561128?through=6000000020205383429




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with William by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with William:

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