Thanks for all the interest. I am aware of the second Metyer Reynolds, grocer of St Benedicts St, Norwich St. Swithin. He was the son of a Thomas Reynolds of Hethersett and had a brother Thomas who also named a son Metyer Reynolds but he died as an infant. It appears from the grocer's will at NRO that he had no children, all is left to his widow Elizabeth. My best explanation is that Metyer Reynolds, rector of Gisleham (and Bacton) began his career as curate at Hethersett 1737-1741 and made an impression on the young Thomas Reynolds.
The will of Honour Reynolds, dated 1788, has all her property left to Jay(?)Bracey of Norwich and Mary his wife, Lieutenant in the navy. Honour had extensive properties in Forncett, Aslacton and Tacolneston.......and the will begins with reference to a tripartite indenture between a baronet, Metyer Reynolds and herself which in my ignorance suggests a previous marriage.
I've seen reference to the dispute over Metier's will but no sign of the will itself as yet.
Now Scottow where Leonora Reynolds was married, is not so far from Salhouse and Woodbastwick where a Yeoman family of Metyers resided. Unfortunately, as far as I can see, only one daughter, Mary survives to raise a family of Appletons. The wills of successive Edward Metyers at NRO have no other family members.
Studying this family reveals one of the snags. Nobody is very sure how to spell Metyer. There is every imaginable phonetic rendition and some unimaginable ones. Mary is Macher when she marries Appleton and I would have missed her but for the will.
Finally, and I'm sorry to say this, my g.uncle Sam records in his very unreliable memoirs that Leonora Reynolds was the daughter of a brother of Joshua Reynolds. In spite of what you might think, this sounds plausible. Joshua Reynolds was a substantial farmer of Beeston St Andrew just at the time when my 3xg grandfather married Charlotte Reynolds Allen, the daughter of Leonora Reynolds (whose son was Metyer Reynolds Allen). 4xg grandfather was a labourer at Beeston, and as there were only about 6 families in the parish may well have been employed by Joshua. However the dates of baptism of Joshua's brothers at Blofield exclude the possibility of Sam's suggested relationship which I suspect, like so much else, was speculative. And finally! In 1841 when her descendants are all scratching a living, not always legally, Leonora is "annuitant" in a local hostelry. Perhaps an indication that she had once been "somebody"....perhaps Sam had a vague recollection of being told this when in later life he wrote his memoirs.
David Culley
