Frampton

Frampton Wills and Administrations

Transcribed and donated to the Dorset OPC Project by Kim Parker

When a person dies somebody has to deal with their estate (money, property and possessions left) by collecting in all the money, paying any debts and distributing what is left to those people entitled to it. Probate is the court’s authority given to a person or persons to administer a deceased person’s estate. Before 12 January 1858 the probate of wills, and the granting of letters of administration for the estates of persons who died without leaving a will, took place in an ecclesiastical probate court of which there were at least 300 throughout England and Wales.

The court in which a will was proved, or letters of administration granted, depended on the amount of goods and property left by the deceased, and their location. If the deceased held property in one archdeaconry the will was proved in the archdeacon’s court. If the deceased had property in more than one archdeaconry, but within the same diocese then the will was proved in one of the bishop’s courts, either the Commissary Court or, for more extensive estates, the Consistory Court. If the deceased held goods or debts worth more than £5 (or £10 in the City of London) in more than one distinct diocese or jurisdiction, then probate took place in the appropriate archbishop’s court, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (southern England and Wales) or the Prerogative Court of York. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury was the highest church court in England and Wales until 1858 when it was abolished and all wills were indexed centrally. (This index is widely available at Record Offices, Probate Registries and the LDS Church.)

This apparently simple system was confused by the presence of peculiars of important churches and cathedrals within dioceses which claimed immunity from the bishop’s jurisdiction A few places, called royal peculiars, claimed exemption from all jurisdictions except that of the sovereign. The picture in Dorset is further confused by some parishes having remained attached to the See of Sarum after creation of the Diocese of Bristol in 1543, which resulted in the transfer of a large part of the County of Dorset from the jurisdiction of Sarum to that of Bristol (Dorset was transferred back to Sarum in 1836). In the case of Frampton there is a further complication in that from 1678 until 1745 the Lords of the Manor of Frampton claimed a probate jurisdiction in the Liberty of Frampton, consisting of the tithings of Bettiscombe, Bincombe, Compton Valence, Frampton, and Winterborne Came. The inclusion in one Liberty of these scattered tithings may be due to the fact that they were all formerly the property of the Abbey of St Stephen of Caen, and the exemption from the ordinary probate jurisdiction claimed by the Abbey's successors in title as Lords of the Manor of Frampton is possibly also derived from that former ecclesiastical ownership. The motivation for asserting the jurisdiction was pecuniary: the steward would receive a ten shilling fee for every will proved or administration granted by the court.

Note that until the 20th century most people did not make a will: it has been estimated that the estates of only about one person in ten were dealt with by the ecclesiastical probate courts. Even when a will had been made, if there was little property involved and no dispute as to who should benefit, the will may not have been proved at all, in order to save paying the fee. In addition, until the late 19th century, only unmarried women and widows made wills as married women and their possessions were deemed to belong to their husbands.

I. Probate granted by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC)

The following wills proven in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury can be downloaded from the National Archives Discovery site for a small fee.
 

NAMEDESCRIPTIONDATEREFERENCE
ADAMSWill of William Adams, Shopkeeper of Frampton, Dorset19 December 1831PROB 11/1792
BAKERWill of William Baker, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset29 April 1597PROB 11/89
BARTLETT alias EAMESWill of Samuell Bartlett or called John Eames, Weaver and lately Seaman of Frampton, Dorset03 December 1695PROB 11/429
BEELEWill of Thomas Beele of Frampton, Dorset14 November 1657PROB 11/270
BLANDIMOREWill of William Blandimore, Husbandman of Frampton, Dorset16 November 1663PROB 11/312
BROWNEWill of John Browne of Frampton, Dorset02 March 1554PROB 11/36
BROWNEWill of John Browne of Frampton, Dorset01 May 1585PROB 11/68
BROWNEWill of Sir John Browne of Frampton, Dorset24 November 1627PROB 11/152
BROWNEWill of John Browne of Frampton, DorsetMay 1659PROB 11/291
BROWNEWill of John Browne of Frampton, Dorset09 May 1671PROB 11/336
BROWNEWill of Thomas Browne of Frampton, Dorset16 December 1680PROB 11/364
BROWNEWill of Robert Browne of Frampton, Dorset28 July 1736PROB 11/678
BROWN or BROWNEWill of Robert Brown or Browne of Frampton, Dorset13 April 1758PROB 11/837
BROWNEWill of George Browne of Frampton, Dorset12 April 1777PROB 11/1030
BROWNEWill of Francis John Browne of Frampton, Dorset07 May 1833PROB 11/1815
CLARKWill of Osmund otherwise Osmand otherwise Osmond Clark, Carpenter of Frampton, Dorset20 February 1823PROB 11/1666
CRODEWill of Hugh Crode, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset02 June 1626PROB 11/149
DEVENISHWill of George Devenish, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset03 August 1842PROB 11/1966
EVENSWill of Peter Evens of Frampton, Dorset02 December 1631PROB 11/160
FORSWill of Richard Fors of Frampton, Dorset14 May 1656PROB 11/254
GRANTWill of Sir Colquhoun Grant, Lieutenant General in His Majesty’s Army of Frampton, Dorset30 January 1836PROB 11/1856
GUPPYWill of Barnaby Guppy of Frampton, Dorset27 June 1587PROB 11/70
GUPPYWill of John Guppy, Husbandman of Frampton, Dorset19 October 1604PROB 11/104
HARRISONWill of Jonathan Harrison of Frampton, Dorset26 August 1789PROB 11/1182
HATHERLEY alias FURLERWill of John Hatherley alias Furler of Frampton, Dorset05 February 1627PROB 11/151
JOHNSONWill of William Johnson, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset23 August 1848PROB 11/2079
KESER or KESARWill of Richard Keser or Kesar of Frampton, Dorset16 April 1630PROB 11/157
KEESERWill of Agnes Keeser of Frampton, Dorset26 May 1632PROB 11/161
LEWISWill of Ann Lewis, Widow of Frampton, Dorset17 September 1844PROB 11/2005
LITTELLWill of William Littell, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset23 January 1591PROB 11/77
LITTLEWill of William Little, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset19 June 1635PROB 11/168
LITTLEWill of William Little, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset02 June 1663PROB 11/311
MABERWill of Lawrence Maber of Frampton, Dorset25 October 1591PROB 11/78
MARTYNWill of William Martyn, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset06 October 1561PROB 11/44
NEWBURGHWill of William Newburgh, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset31 May 1633PROB 11/163
SAWKINSWill of Reverend James Sawkins, Vicar, Clerk of Frampton, Dorset05 December 1799PROB 11/1334
SLADEWill of Francis Slade, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset01 March 1689PROB 11/394
STONEWill of John Stone, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset25 June 1832PROB 11/1802
STONEWill of Susannah Stone, Widow of Frampton, Dorset09 May 1840PROB 11/1928
THORNWill of Sarah Thorn, Wife of Frampton, Dorset09 October 1826PROB 11/1718
THORNWill of Joseph Thorn, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset10 April 1837PROB 11/1877
TIZZARDWill of John Tizzard, Groom of Frampton, Dorset11 May 1844PROB 11/1999
TROLLOPA or TROLLOPEWill of Eli Trollopa or Trollope of Frampton, Dorset03 September 1824PROB 11/1690
VINCENTWill of Thomas Vincent, Shopkeeper of Frampton, Dorset21 February 1845PROB 11/2013
WHITEWill of Peter White, Yeoman of Frampton, Dorset31 October 1626PROB 11/150
WHITTLEWill of Thomas Whittle of Frampton, Dorset11 July 1635PROB 11/168
WHITTLEWill of John Whittle, Gentleman of Frampton, Dorset05 May 1783PROB 11/1104

II. Probate and Admon granted by Bristol Diocesan Courts 1568-1792

These documents are now held at Blandford, with copies available on microfilm at the Dorset History Centre
 

a) Consistory Court
NameResidenceYearNotes
HUXFORD HughFrampton1716 
TIZZARD JohnFrampton1784A.c.W. durante minoritate
TURNER JohnFrampton169- 
TURNER JohnFrampton1696A.
TURNER JohnFrampton1696A.
TURNER JohnFrampton1696A.

b) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1660 - 1792 (Wills)  
NameResidenceWill N° / YearNotes
CUPMAN ThomasFrampton38 / 1736 
DEVENISH Edmund sen.Frampton24 / 1786 
HELLIER HenryFrampton24 / 1791Admon de bonis non 7/1798
LAKE JoanFrampton34 / 1775 
PETTY HenryFrampton28 / 1734 
STROUD ElizabethFrampton28 / 1778 
WALTERS JamesFrampton25 / 1786 
WATERS JamesFrampton15 / 1784 

c) Archdeaconry Court of the late Diocese of Bristol 1660 - 1792 (Admons)  
NameResidenceAdmon N° / Year
ADAMS WilliamFrampton4 / 1792
ADDAMS WilliamFrampton9 / 1746
ELLIS ThomazinFrampton17 / 1747
LEGG JohnFrampton7 / 1785
MARTIN RichardFrampton48 / 1684
MOREY JoanFrampton52 / 1671
ROBERTS JohnFrampton26 / 1675
TURNER JohnFrampton47 / 1684
WALTERS JohnFrampton5 / 1793
YEATES JohnFrampton25 / 1677


III. Probate granted by the Court of the Liberty of Frampton 1678-1745

None of the manorial probate documents appears to have survived, but fortunately all the wills and inventories were copied into the court books which can be consulted at the Dorset History Centre. The following is a list of the testators and intestates.
 


SURNAMEFORENAMEPLACEOCCUPATIONDATETYPEINVENTORY
ABBOTTGeorge the elderFramptonshoemaker1722Willno
ADAMSPhilip  1745Willyes
ASHSarahBincombewidow1691Willyes
BALSONMosesFramptonyeoman1753Willno
BANGERPeterFramptonvicar of Frampton1710Admonyes
BARTLETJohn the elderFrampton 1698Willyes
BARTLETRebeccahFramptonwidow1701Willyes
BARTLETTJohnFrampton 1716Admonyes
BARTLETTRobertFramptonyeoman1734Willyes
BECKJohnFramptonmason1744Admonno
BISHOPAnneFramptonwidow1716Willyes
BOYLANDWilliamFramptonyeoman1684Willyes
BOYNELL alias LUCKISThomasFrampton 1678Admonyes
BROADESarahBincombewidow1696Willyes
BULLOCKRobertFramptonyeoman1749Admonno
CHAMPJohnCompton Valenceyeoman1712Willyes
COMBDENElizabethFramptonwidow1679Willyes
COMBDENGeorgeFramptonhusbandman1706Willyes
COMBDENJoan the youngerCompton Valencespinster1745Willyes
CROADEThomasSouthover 1682Admonyes
DAYPeter  1684Willno
DAYPeterBincombeyeoman1684Willyes
DIGGEJoanSouthoverwidow1710Willyes
FORSJohnFramptonhusbandman1741Willyes
FORSERichardFramptonyeoman1748Admonyes
HARDYJohnFramptonyeoman1699Willyes
HENSLEIGHObadiahFramptonyeoman1729Willyes
HENSLEIGHMarthaFramptonwidow1733Willyes
HINEHenryFramptonblacksmith1693Admonyes
HOLLANDEdward  1741Admonno
KNIGHTJohnFramptonyeoman1690Willyes
KNIGHTRobertFramptonyeoman1730Willno
MABERPeterSouthover in Framptonyeoman1680Willyes
MABERJohnSouthoveryeoman1716Willyes
MABERAliceFramptonwidow1720Willyes
MANTELLJamesFramptonyeoman1678Willyes
MARTENEleanorFramptonwidow1682Willyes
MEADWAYJohn  1684Admonno
NOTTINGBernard the elderChilfrome*yeoman1689Willno
OLIVERRichardCompton Valenceshepherd1702Admonyes
OLIVERHannahCompton Valencewidow1726Admonyes
PASHENJohnBincombeyeoman1729Willyes
PEALEElizabethCompton Valencewidow1697Willyes
PRICKETTWilliamFramptonyeoman1743Admonyes
READHenryBincombehusbandman1683Willyes
ROPERSampsomFramptonyeoman1752Willno
SALISBURYJamesFramptonyeoman1728Willyes
SCOTTRichardFramptonhusbandman1698Willyes
SMITHJohnBincombeyeoman1690Admonyes
STEVENSWilliamFramptoncollar-maker1733Admonyes
STROUDJohn the elderFramptonyeoman1737Willyes
STROUDEMaryFramptonwidow1748Willno
SYMONDSWilliamComptonValence1684Admonyes
TIZARDRichard the elderFrampton 1728Willyes
TOOGOODJamesFramptonyeoman1684Willyes
VOWELLThomasBincombe 1728Willyes
WALLISDanielBincombeyeoman1734Admonyes
WHITEWilliam the elderFrampton 1680Willyes
WHITERichardBincombeyeoman1746Willno
WHITTLEThomasFrampton 1749Admonno
WILLISRobertFrampton 1679Admonyes
WOODJamesFramptonhusbandman1705Willyes
WOODRobertFrampton 1716Willyes
WOODRichardFramptonyeoman1725Willyes
WOODDorothyFrampton 1732Willyes
WOODJoanFramptonwidow1737Willyes
WOODJohnSouthover 1755Willyes
WOODSFORDAnthonyFramptonyeoman1679Willyes
YEATESJohnFramptoninnkeeper1678Willyes

*Chilfrome is not in the Liberty of Frampton, but it is stated in the probate act that the testator died within the Liberty.

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