Brainteaser trying to work out relationships from a will - Siffleet

[jonw65]

Hi
As I see things, Mary's will confirms your own ideas.
Thomas Siffleet, her brother, had three sons - John (eldest), James, and Thomas (youngest).
I would imagine that Thomas the youngest son is the man we started with - the landowner with the 1806 will.

So, John the eldest son of Thomas senior married a Sarah. John is dead by the time Mary wrote the will. And I think Mary mentioned two sons of John, with Josias being the elder/eldest.
Again, I honestly think Josias/Josiah is much the same name (but I am happy to be corrected!)

It's interesting that Josiah Siffleet took up the administration of the estate of his cousin Elizabeth (daughter of Mary) in 1806. The same year that Thomas Siffleet's will was proved. It may all be connected?
John

[jonw65]

Hi again
Samuel seems to be the other son of John.
I thought the Josiah mentioned was a nephew of Thomas the landowner? I haven't gone all through that will though! There was also, as you say, a Josiah who was a son of the nephew Thomas.

Josiah seems to have eventually sold Beachwood
http://www.thekeep.info/collections/getrecord/GB179_SAS-WS_8

An early mention of the Killingbecks and Beachwood in 1655
http://www.thekeep.info/collections/getrecord/GB179_SAS-WS_14

What is intriguing is the name of one of the witnesses!
John

[lucymags]

Ah yes, I didn't go into detail of how I thought it hung together at this stage, sorry. I had already speculatively added Thomas Sr (possible wife a Broomfield) as father of Thomas landowner, and I would agree with what you've described - thanks.

I haven't yet got to looking at that connection to 1806 Elizabeth's will execution and will still need to go back to the original will to review everything - but the Dutnall one seemed like such a rich source that I had to start documenting as soon as I saw it!

And the earlier mention is very interesting too. Perhaps that is the link to the Syfleets in Kent.

I'm not on my computer now and might not find any time tomorrow. I will update you with my conclusions when I get there (not ruling out more questions first though!).

[lucymags]

This entry in the archives dated 15 Apr 1584 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/d08f42e9-b1f9-4834-b641-a0c4dfffb585 says
Thomas Sackville, kt, Lord Buckhurst, and his son and heir Robert Sackville esq, to Thomas Comber of Allington, yeoman, of:-
 A piece of land containing 31 acres parcel of Beachwood in the parish of St John under the Castle of Lewes between the queen's highway from Wivelsfield to Lewes, NE, a whapple way from Restinge Oake to Waningore Parke, NW, the demesnes of the manor of Waningore, W and the lands of the said Thomas Comber, S
 Also a piece of land containing 44 acres parcel also of Beachwood in St John's parish between the said highway, SW, the said whapple way, N and W and another highway leading from Markwickes House towards the Restinge Oake, E
 All the premises being parcel of the demesnes of the manor of Allington

I wonder if this "Beechwood Hall" is related to the property mentioned? https://goo.gl/maps/RCBGmJB2NFJ2 - there is also an Allington Farm nearby.

I think I have now documented the basic relationships of people mentioned in Mary's will. I'll PM you a couple of the relevant profiles FYI. I will have to come back to the rest tonight or tomorrow.

[jonw65]

Hi
I've been wondering exactly where it was (is!) The map link is also a great help.
They do have some manor records on FamilySearch, but sadly not Allington.
Another will - a PCC one. On ancestry
as detailed on TNA
Will of Francis Killingbecke or Killingbeck of Ardingly, Sussex
Date 15 April 1653   
PROB 11/230/7

Had a quick look last night and I thought it is actually the one that originally went through in 1747?
With a related record
Sentence of Francis Killingbeck, Batchelor of West Hoadley, Sussex
23 November 1747
PROB 11/758/152

My memory of it is that Francis bequeaths Beachwood to Elizabeth, then she died and it became an administration with will annexed in 1753 to mother Mary (there is a note). But I may be wrong about all this. I'll have to give it another look!

Lack of Baptisms
We have some Siffleet marriages and (a few) burials, but no baptisms for the period we need them (there are some later I believe)
So I tend to the view that the Siffleets were nonconformists (there aren't even any Soper baptisms in Henfield?)
However, FamilySearch coverage of Sussex is not complete and, as Barbara said, the Sussex FHG indexes are more comprehensive.
Have realised FS don't have Isfield - although burials are indexed elsewhere. They do have a film with transcriptions of marriages, from which the entries for Thomas and John have been taken
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D447-Z9K?cat=1197887

John

[jonw65]

My memory of it is that Francis bequeaths Beachwood to Elizabeth

Didn't mention it at all!
It's a different Mary in 1747 - the wife of John Durrant - possibly an attempt to get the will overturned.

[lucymags]

Thanks again John. I am just too tired to work anything more out tonight - I will try to find time tomorrow and/or Sunday.

Hmmm, I remember that John Siffleet married a Sarah Durrant, which I see is on that film you linked to - possibly some connection there with the Mary Durrant. I think I got that from FreeReg, along with the Sarah Juden-Thomas one. I see that it says those include Marriages for the parishes of: Etchingham, 1813-1837; Heathfield, 1813-1837; Isfield, 1691-1753. That might be the explanation for lack of indexing on FS? Will be interesting to page through when I have more time.

More when I have time to catch up with your findings! It's going to take me a while yet to go back through those other wills and notes and ensure that I have everything out of them properly documented, before forging ahead up the Killingbecks...

[jonw65]

Yes, we know that John had died by the time his aunt Mary made her will.
A John Siffleet died intestate before then, but there is a probate inventory (from 1759)
http://www.thekeep.info/collections/getrecord/GB179_PBT_1_10_3098

And we can see it on FamilySearch
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D4B9-42K?i=862&cat=685691

Land Tax records show a John Siffleet in Isfield (had a farm?), 1750-1753
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D4WW-ZCR?i=503&cat=326451

John Siffleet granted license in 1754 to dig clay in Chailey (see The Keep)
But we only have Chailey Land Tax from 1780

Index to Death Duty Registers
1819
Jemima Siffleet
administrators Michl Siffleet of Newick, Thos Siffleet of Chailey Sussex
Chichesr Lewes

[jonw65]

Hi again
A bit more stuff
On Beachwood/Beechwood
We can see the land tax for St John sub Castro, 1780 onwards
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LFQ-V94?i=562&cat=326480

which show that from 1793 the occupiers for a spell were Sopers. See also 1798 on ancestry (Sifflett).
We can also see that a Mr Tourle already had land there.

Have you come across this?
Three records on The Keep which tell us a bit about Samuel Siffleet, the son of John, mentioned in Mary's will. And that he had a daughter
http://www.thekeep.info/collections/search/?s=samuel+siffleet+barcombe&submit=Search
(hope that works!)

Sussex Burials has a couple of interesting entries at Chailey St Peter
21 June 1767
Elizabeth Syflet
wife of James

11 Dec 1791
Sarah Siffleet
widow

John