Jeffery RUFFLE senor farmer Wickham Hall, and Jeffery Junior also farmed land in the area.
Jeffery Jr died in 1757 and his estate should have passed to his son Jeffery 1743-??, but he was under 21 years old so Jeffery Sr held the estate for him.
Around 1760 a new church rector was appointed, a Rev Erskins. It appears he and the Ruffles did not get on, and very shortly afterwards there is no Ruffle on the church council at all.
Jeffery Sr died in 1763 and at this point Jeffery 1743 inherited both his late father's and his grandfather's estates. He appears to have entered a tithe war with the Rev Erskins that went on for a few years.
Jeffery eventually was taken to court over it. But as Erskins was a solicitor before he was ordained, and the case was held in the Church Court, perhaps he should have backed off.
He lost the case, and every thing he owned, household goods, farm stock etc was auctioned on the WSP village green 15 Oct 1751. From local news paper ....
To be sold on 15 Oct 1771 at Mr Potters on the green at WSP Essex - the
house-hold effects of Jeffery Ruffle--farming stock-waggons-timber
carriages-wheeled and foot ploughs etc-house hold furniture
I have found no further records of him after that, but his brother William is later accused by Rev Erskins of two counts of theft, for which William is found not guilty at court. William (my ancestor) moves to Sible Hedingham, with wife and family, shortly afterwards.
Within two generations this line was gone from literate yeoman farmers to illiterate ag labs.
The Rev Erskins is living in Wickham Hall, shortly after the tithe court case.
geoff
