ESRI Story Map

Below is, in part the culmination of my 'perambulation of the borders' of the Canford Manor, plotted on a single map so as to see the true extent of the huge manor. It is a stand alone ESRI Story Map so there will inevitably be repetition.

You can also open the ESRI Story Map An exploration of Biddlecomb(e) families by clicking on the link, which will open a new page.

Planned future additions to the story are the locations of all of the people mentioned in this article for whom I can establish a location. Some are already plotted. Others include Biddlecomb(e)'s with later stories and records. All being slowly expanded.

Scroll down the insert to see the map, which can also be expanded.

Hightowns in the Will of Christopher Biddlecomb, together with Highwood in the Will of William Biddlecomb

The address I have given in the first past of the transcription of Christopher Biddlecomb is Lightowns, however, checking back to the script and looking at an old Ordnance survey Map held at the National Library of Scotland, that should probably be Hightowns.

The maps below focus on the original address in Christopher's will. However, Highwood, mentioned below, and another Biddlecomb residence, is so close and just to the north, of Hightown, and shown on some of the maps, that it would be repetitive to show the same maps, but focused on Highwood.

Hightown aka High Town, near Ringwood, Hampshire

Click on most of the maps and a new widow will open, taking you to the source of the map, where you will be able to navigate to both Hightown and Highwood, together with other areas around Ringwood.

The map above is titled Ringwood (Outline), Sheet 314, Revised: 1894, Published: 1895 and is part of the 1 inch series. A location map before diving into the 25 inch to the mile maps below.

The map below is titled, Hampshire and Isle of Wight LXX.12, Revised: 1895, Published: 1897 I have added a maker for the location of Hightown Farm which may have been Christopher's residence, over 200 years before the map was drawn. It is possible that the farm gave its name to the area surrounding it.

A closer look.

Going back in time to early detailed maps of Hampshire, in several plates, there are Taylor's 1759 and Milne's 1791 Maps. I did look at earlier maps, more contemporary to Christopher Biddlecomb, but they were only detailed enough to locate Ringwood, not the nearby Hightown.

Taylor's 1759 map above has Hightown immediately to the right of Ringwood. There are a few of the larger properties indicated on the map.

The Milne's 1791 Map also has Hightown shown, circled in blue. In some instances the major landowners of an area are also indicated on the map. However, Christopher Biddlecomb was a yeoman not an Esquire, so he, nor his descendants are included with this honour.

OS First Series, 1810-1855, the railways have arrived. A section highlighted in brown. Hightown or High Town as it is shown, circled in light blue. A turnpike gate circled in yellow, and just because it is my surname, Hurst Farm circled in green. Hightown is evidently expanding, as were almost all other conurbations in the country, as the population grew, and people moved to towns. Away from an agricultural based economy towards an industrial one.

Greenwood's 1826 Map is the last of the Old Maps of the location. Not able to pinpoint Christopher Biddlecomb's actual dwelling place, but a closer idea of how the area around Ringwood, and in particular, Hightown has developed over time.

Rockford, Ellingham in the County of Hampshire

Pertaining to the Will of Stephen Rook, husband of Margaret Biddlecomb who was the daughter of Christopher Biddlecomb.

Rockford the village is just under the Parish name of Ellingham. Rockford Farm is the location of marker and the light blue circle. Highwood, which is mentioned in another Biddlecomb(e) will. The distance between Rockford Farm and Highwood is approximately 800 yds, as the crow flies.

Parish records are an important part of putting meat on the bones of the Wills which form the starting place.

Knowing what to expect and where to find such records helps with the collection of further information about these families.

Records

Unallocated records have been moved to the next part of this article, Biddlecombe of Hampshire and Dorset

Except

Baptism for William Biddlecomb to father Hugh Biddlecomb

First name(s) William
Last name Biddlecomb
Gender Male
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1605
Baptism date 08 Sep 1605
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) Hugh
Father's last name Biddlecomb
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

Probably the associated burial of William Biddlecomb, son of Hugo

First name(s) William
Last name Biddlecomb
Birth year -
Death year 1605
Burial day 25
Burial month Sep
Burial year 1605
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set Hampshire Burials
Notes William son of Hugo
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Burials
Collections from England, Great Britain

If this is the same Christopher as in the will at the top of the page, with a Probate Date 26 May 1649, suggesting a year of death of 1649. 

Baptism for Margaret Biddlecomb, daughter of Christofer Biddlecomb on 25 Mar 1606.

First name(s) Margaret
Last name Biddlecomb
Gender Female
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1606
Baptism date 25 Mar 1606
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) Christofer
Father's last name Biddlecomb
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

Burial of wife of Christopher on 3 May 1664. If this is the mother of Margarett, it is 58 years after Margarett's baptism in 1606.

First name(s) -
Last name Biddlecomb
Birth year -
Death year 1664
Burial day 03
Burial month May
Burial year 1664
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set Hampshire Burials
Notes wife of Christopher
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Burials
Collections from England, Great Britain

There is a record of the burial of wife of James on 8 Apr 1666. The above will was 1702, 34 years after the burial of the wife of James. Which in turn would make the nephews mentioned in the will as least 34 years old. If James was born about 1630, he would have been 36 when his wife died.

First name(s) -
Last name Biddlecomb
Birth year -
Death year 1666
Burial day 08
Burial month Apr
Burial year 1666
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set Hampshire Burials
Notes wife of James
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Burials
Collections from England, Great Britain

First name(s) Elizabeth
Last name Biddlecomb
Gender Female
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1675
Baptism date 16 Jun 1675
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) John
Father's last name Biddlecomb
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

First name(s) Elizabeth
Last name Biddlecomb
Gender Female
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1675
Baptism date 25 Nov 1675
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) James
Father's last name Biddlecomb
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

First name(s) Mary
Last name Biddlecomb
Gender Female
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1675
Baptism date 08 Dec 1675
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) James
Father's last name Biddlecomb
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

Extract from © 2010 Hampshire Genealogical Society - Marriage Index 1538 - 1659

 Date Parish Groom Forename Groom Surname Bride Forename Bride Surname
09 Oct 1578 Ringwood Tho Biddelcom Marget Diett
08 Oct 1584 Ringwood Xpofer Biddelcom Avis Warne
05 Feb 1596 Ringwood Thomas Biddelcom Agnis Harris
01 Oct 1621 Ringwood Thomas Biddell Dorothi Walter
12 Jan 1623/4 Heckfield John Biddle Alice Freeborne
25 Sep 1626 Kings Somborne Edward Biddlecombe Ann Kente
16 Aug 1632 Ringwood Thomas Biddelcombe Alice Bensteede
01 May 1636 Ringwood John Biddelcombe Elizabeth Welsteede
00 Jul 1638 Broughton Huffe Biddle Susanna Ecton
24 Jun 1638 Ringwood William Biddelcombe Dorothy Foreman
02 Jun 1640 Hawkley Henry Biddle Joane Stretter
20 Aug 1640 Ringwood Christo Biddelcombe Elizabeth Biddelcombe
20 Aug 1640 Ringwood John Biddelcombe Elizabeth Biddelcombe
21 Jun 1641 Yateley Henry Biddle Elizabeth (w) May
24 Aug 1643 Yateley Richard Biddle Alice (blank)
22 Jan 1651 Yateley Richard Biddle Elizabeth Turner
09 Oct 1652 Ringwood William Biddlecombe Elizabeth Pepper
08 Apr 1652 Ringwood George Biddlecombe An Sanders
23 Oct 1654 Eling John Biddlecombe Susannah Thomas
19 Apr 1656 Elvetham Thomas Biddle Mary Wieth
28 Jan 1657/8 Ringwood Christopher Biddlecombe Mary Dunninge
00 000 1658 Stratfield Saye Edward Biddell Ann Caw

Date Parish Groom Forename Groom Surname Bride Forename Bride Surname
24 Jan 1561 Ringwood Hugh Bidelcon Joan Hobes
23 Sep 1574 Ringwood Thomas Bidelcom Joan Inwood
27 Jan 1592 Ringwood Christopher Bidelcom Elizabeth Rogers
07 Oct 1592 Ringwood Morris Bidelcom Agnis Wysman
14 Sep 1614 Ringwood John Bidelcombe An Harrison
24 Oct 1622 Ringwood Christo Bidelcom Cisley Bidelcom
26 Apr 1659 Beaulieu John Bidelcom Elizabeth Puckareg

Other or Miscellaneous

Other or Miscellaneous, may on the other had be much more aligned to what you may have been expecting.

Stories or information not directly relating to the person or place being researched but perhaps adds something to the whole. Maybe a slice of history to and context or timeline.

 The rationale for the "A" Series of Other, there may or may not be another Series of Others,  is pertaining to the Martin Biddlecombe, grand son of Richard Biddlecombe, and son of John Biddlecombe, all of Merrytown or Merry Town, and all assumed to be the same person. There is a record within a Government Report for Catholic Property ownership in 1715 and 1718, which refers to a Martin Biddlecombe of Merrytown being such a landowner. Perhaps if he is Roman Catholic, then other members of the family might also be. What was the status of Roman Catholics it the years leading up to 1715. The limitations for Catholics started with the reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Other A1

 

 

Dissolution of the Monasteries, and Anne Boleyn

The Reformation in Tudor England was a time of unprecedented change. One of the major outcomes of the Reformation was the destruction of the monasteries which began in 1536.

The Reformation came about when Henry VIII wished to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had failed to give him a male heir. When the Pope refused to grant the divorce, Henry set up the Church of England. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 confirmed the break from Rome, declaring Henry to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

The monasteries were a reminder of the power of the Catholic Church. It was also true that the monasteries were the wealthiest institutions in the country, and Henry’s lifestyle, along with his wars, had led to a lack of money. Monasteries owned over a quarter of all the cultivated land in England. By destroying the monastic system Henry could acquire all its wealth and property whilst removing its Papist influence.

From a recent TV programme about Ann Boleyn there is a slightly different view on this.

Anne Boleyn, William Tyndale and Henry VIII

Anne is thought to have been in position of a book, which could have led to her being called a heretic.

The 2nd October 1528 saw the publication of English reformer and Bible translator William Tyndale’s “The Obedience of the Christian Man” (full title: “The Obedience of a Christen man, and how Christen rulers ought to govern, wherein also (if thou mark diligently) thou shalt find eyes to perceive the crafty convivence of all jugglers”) in Antwerp. What has this book got to do with Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII? Well, it is thought to be the text that helped Henry VIII to realise that Kings were accountable only to God, and not to the Pope.

Tyndale's Bible laid the foundations for many of the English Bibles which followed his. His work made up a significant portion of the Great Bible of 1539, which was the first authorized version of the English Bible.[30] The Tyndale Bible also played a key role in spreading Reformation ideas to England which had been reluctant to embrace the movement. By including many of Martin Luther's commentaries in his works, Tyndale also allowed the people of England direct access to the words and ideas of Luther, whose works had been banned in England.

Perhaps the Tyndale Bible's greatest impact is that it heavily influenced and contributed to the creation of the King James Version, which is one of the most popular and widely used Bibles in the world today.

After a time of hiding the book, she is alleged to have shared it with her husband, Henry VIII. She and the book planted seeds of thought about Supremacy and about the land and wealth grab from the catholic monasteries, initially for redistribution to the poor, to improve the overall condition of England. However, Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, who may have seen a political side and a benefit to filling the Royal Coffers.

 

From 1527, Henry VIII had sought to have his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon annulled, so that he could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn. At the centre of the campaign to secure the annulment was the emerging doctrine of royal supremacy over the church. By the autumn of 1531, Cromwell had taken control of the supervision of the king's legal and parliamentary affairs, working closely with Thomas Audley, and had joined the inner circle of the council. By the following spring, he had begun to exert influence over elections to the House of Commons.

The third session of what is now known as the Reformation Parliament had been scheduled for October 1531, but was postponed until 15 January 1532 because of Henry's indecision as to the best way to proceed towards his annulment. Cromwell favoured the assertion of royal supremacy over the recalcitrant Church, and he manipulated support in the House of Commons for the measure by resurrecting anti-clerical grievances expressed earlier, in the session of 1529. Once he achieved his goal of managing affairs in Parliament, he never relinquished it. On 18 March 1532, the Commons delivered a supplication to the king, denouncing clerical abuses and the power of the ecclesiastical courts, and describing Henry as "the only head, sovereign lord, protector and defender" of the Church. On 14 May 1532, Parliament was prorogued. Two days later, Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor, realising that the battle to save the marriage was lost. More's resignation from the Council represented a triumph for Cromwell and the pro-Reformation faction at court.

The king's gratitude to Cromwell was expressed in a grant of the lordship of the manor of Romney in the Welsh Marches (recently confiscated from the family of the executed Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham) and appointment to three relatively minor offices: Master of the Jewels on 14 April 1532, Clerk of the Hanaper on 16 July, and Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12 April 1533. None of these offices afforded much income, but the appointments were an indication of royal favour, and gave Cromwell a position in three major institutions of government: the royal household, the Chancery, and the Exchequer.

 

Anne Boleyn
Henry and Anne married on 25 January 1533, after a secret marriage on 14 November 1532 that may have taken place in Calais.

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation. 

Anne Boleyn

 

Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard, and was educated in the Netherlands and France, largely as a maid of honour to Queen Claude of France. Anne returned to England in early 1522, to marry her Irish cousin James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond; the marriage plans were broken off, and instead, she secured a post at court as maid of honour to Henry VIII's wife, Catherine of Aragon.

Early in 1523, Anne was secretly betrothed to Henry Percy, son of Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, but the betrothal was broken off when the Earl refused to support their engagement. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey refused the match in January 1524 and Anne was sent home to Hever Castle. In February or March 1526 Henry VIII began his pursuit of Anne. She resisted his attempts to seduce her, refusing to become his mistress, as her sister Mary had previously been. Henry soon focused his desires on annulling his marriage to Catherine so he would be free to marry Anne. Wolsey failed to obtain an annulment of Henry's marriage from Pope Clement VII, and when it became clear that Clement would not annul the marriage, Henry and his advisers, such as Thomas Cromwell, began the breaking of the Catholic Church's power in England and closing the monasteries and the nunneries. In 1532, Henry made Anne the Marquess of Pembroke.

Anne was crowned Queen of England on 1 June 1533. On 7 September, she gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I. Henry was disappointed to have a daughter rather than a son but hoped a son would follow and professed to love Elizabeth. Anne subsequently had three miscarriages and by March 1536, Henry was courting Jane Seymour. In order to marry Seymour, Henry had to find reasons to end the marriage to Anne.

Henry VIII had Anne investigated for high treason in April 1536. On 2 May, she was arrested and sent to the Tower of London, where she was tried before a jury of peers, including Henry Percy, her former betrothed, and her uncle Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk; she was convicted on 15 May and beheaded four days later. Modern historians view the charges against her, which included adultery, incest and plotting to kill the king, as unconvincing.

After her daughter, Elizabeth, became Queen in 1558, Anne became venerated as a martyr and heroine of the English Reformation, particularly through the written works of John Foxe. She has inspired, or been mentioned in, many artistic and cultural works and retained her hold on the popular imagination. She has been called "the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had", as she provided the occasion for Henry VIII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and declare the English church's independence from the Vatican.

 

 

 

The final session of the Reformation Parliament began on 4 February 1536. By 18 March, an Act for the Suppression of the Lesser Monasteries, those with a gross income of less than £200 per annum, had passed both houses. This caused a clash with Anne Boleyn, formerly one of Cromwell's strongest allies, who wanted the proceeds of the dissolution used for educational and charitable purposes, not paid into the King's coffers.

Anne instructed her chaplains to preach against the Vicegerent, and in a blistering sermon on Passion Sunday, 2 April 1536, her almoner, John Skip, denounced Cromwell and his fellow Privy Councillors before the entire court. Skip's diatribe was intended to persuade courtiers and Privy Councillors to change the advice they had been giving the King and to reject the temptation of personal gain. Skip was called before the council and accused of malice, slander, presumption, lack of charity, sedition, treason, disobedience to the gospel, attacking "the great posts, pillars and columns sustaining and holding up the commonwealth" and inviting anarchy.

Anne, who had many enemies at court, had never been popular with the people and had so far failed to produce a male heir. The King was growing impatient, having become enamoured of the young Jane Seymour and being encouraged by Anne's enemies, particularly Sir Nicholas Carew and the Seymours. In circumstances that have divided historians, Anne was accused of adultery with Mark Smeaton, a musician of the royal household; Sir Henry Norris, the King's groom of the stool and one of his closest friends; Sir Francis Weston; Sir William Brereton; and her brother, George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford. The Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, wrote to Charles V that:

              he himself [Cromwell] has been authorised and commissioned by the king to prosecute and bring to an end the mistress's trial, to do which he had taken considerable trouble... He set himself to devise and conspire the said affair.

Regardless of the role Cromwell played in Anne Boleyn's fall, and his confessed animosity to her, Chapuys's letter states that Cromwell claimed that he was acting with the King's authority. Most historians, however, are convinced that her fall and execution were engineered by Cromwell.

The Queen and her brother stood trial on Monday 15 May, while the four others accused with them were condemned on the Friday beforehand. The men were executed on 17 May 1536 and, on the same day, Cranmer declared Henry's marriage to Anne invalid, a ruling that illegitimised their daughter, Princess Elizabeth. Two days later, Anne herself was executed. On 30 May, the King married Jane Seymour. On 8 June, a new Parliament passed the second Act of Succession, securing the rights of Queen Jane's heirs to the throne.

 

 

 

 

 

Other A2

Other A3

Christopher Biddlecomb of Hightown, Hampshire, his will

The starting place for this article is his Last Will and Testament.

 The above image of the Will is from Ancestry and The National Archive has the original reference PROB-11-208-256.

My initial transcription of the above will.

In the name of God Amen:
This fifteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand six hundred Forty and seven I Christopher Biddlecomb of Hightowns in the parish of Ringwood in the County of South a yeoman being sick in body, but of good and perfect memory thanks be given Almighty God do make and ordain this my last will and testament as followeth. First I Commit my Soul into the hands of Almighty god, and my body to be buried in the parish Church of Ringwood.
Item I give to the poor people of Ringwood twenty shillings.
Item I give to my Son John Biddlecomb twenty pounds lawful money of England, {....}.
I give to my said Son John Biddlecomb sixteen pounds being part of the debt of Edward Riffen unto me by bond, and which sixteen pounds my said  son John Biddlecomb hath {.........} {were......}.
Item I gift to my Grand children Elinor Dantor Iornd Dantor and Margartt Dantor and Richard Dantor and to xxxx and xxxx of them five pounds lawfull money of England.
Item I give to my Grandchild Thomas Biddlecombe five pounds of lawfull money of England.
Item I give to my Grandchildren Richard Biddlecombe and Elizabeth Biddlecombe and to {.....} and either of them five pounds lawfull money of England
Item I give to my Daughter Margarett Rook twenty shillings lawfull money of England.
All the other of my goods and chattels moveable and nonmoveable my debts and bequests paid.
I give and bequeath unto Richard Biddlecomb my Son whom I do make and ordain my full and sole Executor in and by this my last will and testament
I witness whereof I have hereunto set my hands and seal and published this my last will and testament the day and year above written in the {.....} of Christopher Biddlecomb his sign
Christophor Iun his sign
Nicholas Bounds

People in the Will of Christopher Biddlecombe of Hightown

 From the above it appears that Christopher Biddlecomb made provision for the following family, in addition to the poor people of Ringwood. 

 People mentioned in the Will of Christopher Biddlecomb of Ringwood

 Apart from the witnesses and the poor people of Ringwood. 

Christopher Biddlecomb or Christofer Bidelcom

Birth and baptism

A potential match for Christopher's baptism.

First name(s) Christofer
Last name Bidelcom
Gender Male
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1571
Baptism date 19 Mar 1571
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) John
Father's last name Bidelcom
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

Another potential match for Christopher's baptism.

First name(s) Christofer
Last name Bidelcom
Gender Male
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1592
Baptism date 18 Feb 1592
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Father's first name(s) Morris
Father's last name Bidelcom
Mother's first name(s) -
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

Marriage

See the tab Christopher Biddlecomb's Wife for thoughts about his marriage.

Death and Burial

Death would have been between writing the will and any codicil and the date of proving the will. If the rule of proving within is applied his death would have been close to the proving date. 

 Looking at the Hampshire Genealogy Society Burial Records;

Parish of Ringwood, 16 March 1647 Christopher Biddlecombe is one that jumps out on first impression, but that is before the Will was signed.

 The above was the result of a search for the parish of Ringwood with a first name starting with Chris and a surname starting with Bid, both to deal with the various spelling of the names encountered in records.

There are no appropriate records here.

Widening the field to the whole of Hampshire, surname starting with Bid, and the year 1648 ⁺/_- 1, gave the following result. Again, no matching record.

Perhaps a trip to the Hampshire Records Office in Winchester is required.

Christopher Biddlecomb's Parents

From the potential baptisms found so far, one to John Bidelcom baptism date 19 Mar 1571 and another to Morris Bidelcom with a baptism date of 18 Feb 1592. That calculates the between baptisms duration as being 20 years, 11 months including the end date.

Given a proving date of the Will of 26 May 1649, which I believe had to be completed within three months of death would result in a date of death of about say 26 March 1649.

The date the Will was written was 15 July 1647

Assuming that in both cases he was baptised at a very young age, at least before his first birthday, if his father was John he would have been 78 years of age at his death and 76 when he wrote the will.

If his father was Morris he would have been 57 years of age at his death and 55 when he wrote the will.

If we consider average generation gaps to be twenty years, Christopher could have married at twenty, and his first child married also at twenty, so he would be forty. Accordingly his first grand child could have been when he was 41 years of age. Christopher appears to have 4 grand children in one family from his Will. This would suggest that he was at least 45 years of age when he wrote the will.

Unfortunately, this exercise did not separate between John and Morris.

Trying something else.

From the HGS marriage records;

27 Jan 1592 Ringwood Christopher Bidelcom Elizabeth Rogers

Well a baptism date of Friday 18 Feb 1592, which is after a marriage date of Thursday, 27 January 1592 by 23 days, I think that conclusively rules out Christopher son of Morris as being married to Elizabeth Rogers. Whereas a baptism date of Monday,19 Mar 1571 would give an intervening period to the marriage date of 20 years 10 months. If he was married at full age, it would indicate that Christopher was born before 26 January 1571.

The probability is therefore that John Bidelcom is his father. There is no indication from this as to who his mother was.

Christopher Biddlecomb's Wife

A potential Wife for Christopher

First name(s) Christofer
Last name Bidelcom
Name note -
Marriage year 1591
Marriage date 27 Jan 1591
Marriage place Ringwood
Spouse's first name(s) Elizabeth
Spouse's last name Rogers
Spouse's age -
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set England Marriages 1538-1973
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from England, Great Britain

From other Ancestry trees it is suggested that Elizabeth Rogers may be a widow, with a maiden name of Elizabeth Humber, B:11 May 1575 Ringwood, Hampshire, England. Father Henry Humber and husband Robert Rogers who died 25 Sep 1591 Ringwood, Hampshire, England, however, that date of death is after the marriage at the beginning of 1591.

Another potential later life Wife for Christopher

First name(s) Christopher
Last name Bidelcom
Name note -
Marriage year 1622
Marriage date 24 Oct 1622
Marriage place Ringwood
Spouse's first name(s) Cisley
Spouse's last name Bidelcom
Spouse's age -
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set England Marriages 1538-1973
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from England, Great Britain

Christopher Biddlecomb's Children

Christopher Biddlecomb's Summary 

Christopher Biddlecomb was ill when he wrote his Will on 15 July 1647. He appears to have died a couple of years later in 1649 as the Will was Proved  26 May 1649

He is a yeoman of either High Town Farm or of the nearby hamlet of High Town, later known as Hightown. All near Ringwood in the County of Hampshire.

Christopher mentions in his will two sons, John and Richard Biddlecomb and a daughter Margaret whose married name was Rook.

He also mentions three sets of named grandchildren.

Baptism for Margaret Biddlecomb, daughter of Christofer Biddlecomb on 25 Mar 1606.

William Biddlecomb's Will

The primary source of information about William Biddlecome of Highwood is again a Last Will and Testament

Last Will and Testament of William Biddlecomb of Highwood, in the parish of Ellingham

Not necessarily the same William who buried his wife and child in 1652, records below.

There are no children of his mentioned in his will, nor a wife.

My attempt at a transcription of the above Will.

In the name of God Amen,

I William Biddlecomb of Highwood in the parish of Ellingham in the County of Southton yeoman being very sick and weak of body but of sound and perfect disposing mind and memory blessed be God for it Considering the vulnerability of this mortal Life xxx to this my Last Will and Testament in mannor following first of all I commend my soul to Almighty God hoping to have all my Sins pardoned and to have Eternall Life through the xxx of Jesus Christ my Lord and only saviour and my body I commit to the earth to be xxxxx buried according the xxxx of my Excuterors hereafter named and such worldly Estate as it hath pleased God to intrust me with.
I give and Dispose of thereof in mannor following
Xxxx I give devise and bequeath unto my Loving brothers John Biddlecomb Thomas Biddlecomb and James Biddlecomb and to my Sister Joan Biddlecomb the Sums of one pound and five shillings apiece of Lawfull English money
And to my nephews James Biddlecombs two Children which are now being the sums of Two pounds and xxx Shillings apiece the said several Legatists to xxx within Twelve months after my xxxx Item all the rest of my Goods Chattels and Cattle my debts and Legatist being paid and funeral Expences discharged I give devise and bequeath to my Loving Sister Ann Cottle of the parish of Christchurch xxxx (Christchurch Twyneham) in the said County of Southton widow and to my Loving friend Jane Dymote of the parish of Jbbsly in the county aforesaid the xxx xxx Share and Share alike
Lastly I make the said Ann Cottle my sister and the Jane Dymot Coexecutrix of this my Last Will and Testament hereby revoaking disannulling and making void all former wills whatsoever and Testament
In Witness whereof I have xxx unto xxx my hand and seals this Eighth day of February in the first year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Ann by the grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland Queen defender of the faith and xxx xxx 1702
Signed sealed published and xxx
By him the said William Biddlecomb to be his last will and Testament in the presence of
Sloy Ron Craruly
Stephon Early Jund
John Hobson

The mark of William + Biddlecomb

People in the Will of William Biddlecomb of Highwood, Ellingham, Hampshire

 People mentioned in the Will

 Apart from the witnesses

Birth and baptism

Marriage

See the tab William Biddlecomb's Wife for thoughts about his marriage.

Death and Burial

Death would have been between writing the will and any codicil and the date of proving the will. If the rule of proving within is applied his death would have been close to the proving date. 

 Looking at the Hampshire Genealogy Society Burial Records;

Parish of 

Burial of the wife of William Biddlecomb on 30 Jan 1652, only 5 days before the burial of her child. Pure supposition, but I suspect she died in childbirth.

First name(s) -
Last name Biddlecomb
Birth year -
Death year 1652
Burial day 30
Burial month Jan
Burial year 1652
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set Hampshire Burials
Notes wife of William
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Burials
Collections from England, Great Britain

Burial of a un-named child of William in 1652

First name(s) -
Last name Biddlecomb
Birth year -
Death year 1652
Burial day 04
Burial month Feb
Burial year 1652
Place Ringwood
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set Hampshire Burials
Notes child of William
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Burials
Collections from England, Great Britain