Hertfordshire Brokets 17th-20th C - The Broket Archive

Hertfordshire Brokets 17-20th C

Dynasties’ wealth has their rise, zenith and decline. The 17th and 18th C saw the Brokets’ wealth steadily decline and for a hundred years—from the 1780s to the 1880s—records of them are entirely absent from Hertfordshire.

  1. 17th Century
  2. 18th Century
  3. 19th and 20th Centuries (separate page)

The 17th Century

Huge changes were taking place in England during the first half of the 17th C: the Puritan movement, the beginning and rapid growth of emigration to the New World, the Civil War of 1642-6 and the execution of king Charles I in 1649, to name a few. Brokets still had landed wealth in Wheathampstead in the 1st half of the 17th C but it was significantly less than in the previous 2 centuries. In the Lay Subsidy of 1628 for instance, the principal landholder in Wheathampstead was Sir John Garrard, Baronet. He was due £8 on £20 worth of land, while John Brockett of the Street Esq was due £4 on £10 worth of land, and John Brockett of Mackries End Esq was due £4 16s on £12 worth of land.1

The majority of 17th C Hertfordshire Brokets lived in and around Hitchin and Wheathampstead and are grouped on this page under those clans. Those of Wheathampstead largely relate to the 2 John Brokets just mentioned. William, whom we call ‘of Essendon’—2nd son of Edward of Letchworth—and John, whom we call ‘of Codicote’— a son of William of Essendon—both had many descendants, some of whom lived in Essendon and Codicote, but most of whom moved elsewhere. You will find some of these and some of the Wheathampstead clan listed below but featured on separate pages. The main focus of this page is the Hitchin clan.

For initial identification here is an alphabetical list of the known 17th C Hertfordshire Brokets, plus a ‘Singleton’ section for those currently unattached:

  1. Anne of Wild Hill d 1616 — see below
  2. Clement Husbandman 1609 — see below
  3. Edward of Ware c 1590-1647 — see below
  4. Edward III of Hitchin and Leicestershire, Yeoman b 1595 (separate page)
  5. Edward Gent of Wheathampstead 1606-69 — see below
  6. Edward II of Walsworth c 1617-1687 — see below
  7. Edward of Hitchin Quaker 1657-64 — see below
  8. Edward III Yeoman of Walsworth d 1696 — see below
  9. Dame Elizabeth of Brockett Hall d 1612 (separate page)
  10. George of Royston Labourer 1614 — see below
  11. Sir John III of Mackerye End c 1562-1613 (separate page)
  12. John Esq of the Street, Wheathampstead c 1571-1649 — see below
  13. John Gent of Codicote b by 1569, d 1649-53 — see the separate page.
  14. John Esq of Mackries End and Caswell 1583-1659 (separate page)
  15. John Grocer of Pirton 1600- (separate page).
  16. Rev John s/o John of Caswell 1612-1663 (separate page)
  17. Rev John [Job] of Royston 1688 — see below
  18. Margaret Brockett / Dale / Leigh / Levett c 1582-1648 (separate page)
  19. Richard Yeoman of Cosmer, Hippolletts d 1603 (separate page)
  20. Susanna Widow of Watford d 1686 — see below
  21. Thomas, b by 1569, s/o William of Essendon — see below
  22. Thomas s/o Sir John III 1584- (separate page)
  23. William Yeoman III of Hitchin c 1559-1623 (separate page)
  24. William Gent / Esq s/o William of Essendon c 1561/2-1626 — see below
  25. William Gent s/o John of Codicote b c 1594 — see see the separate page.
  26. William Gent of Wheathamstead 1631-75 — see below

Essendon Brokets 17th C

Essendon lies c 4 m E of Hatfield, where William Brokett (b c 1532 d 1610) was recorded as Clerk of the Peace. William was the 2nd son of Edward of Letchworth the Sheriff, see the separate page William. Prior to Essendon, the family lived in Harpenden, William’s wife Ann Bardolf’s parish and where their first few children were born.

William b c 1561-2 d 1626, son of William of Essendon Gent / Esq

Eldest son and heir of William of Essendon Gent. He married Sara daughter of Thomas CRANE Esq of Quidhampton, Wiltshire, and they had a large family. They resided in Limpsfield, Surrey, where William died intestate in 1626. His estate was administered by his eldest son Thomas, and several court cases on behalf of the younger siblings and their mother followed, see the separate page.

Thomas, b by 1569, son of William of Essendon Gent / Esq

Alive 1609.

Anne Brocket of Wildhill d 1616

One of the 3 surviving daughters of William of Essendon Gent. Anne’s Will was written 6 Mar 1615/6:2

1. In the name of God Amen I Anne Brocket of
2. Wildhill in the Countie of Hardfordshire single woman beinge of perfect memory thankes Read more

Hitchin Brokets 17th C

Hitchin and Ippollitts lie in the north of the county but Brokets settled there from the start, and while elder lines lived further south in and around Wheathampstead, cadet lines continued in Hitchin and Ippollitts right through the 17th to the late 18th C.

Edward II of Walsworth b by 1617 d 1687

Son of Edward Brockett the elder of Walsworth.3 Edward Brockett the elder must have been the man we call Edward I of Walsworth, son of Edward I of Hitchin. Edward II lived into his 70s; the latest birth date of 1617 is calculated from his marriage in 1635.
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This was Edward II’s signature as witness to a Will of 1675 in two places.4

From 1998—Gray’s pedigree of Brockett of Hitchin—up until 2017, it wasn’t clear whether or not this Edward II was the Edward Brockett of Hitchin who was a Quaker. Were they two different men or one and the same? And what was his or their descent from the earlier Hitchin Brokets?

Re the first question Gray hinted that they might have been the same person by placing Edward the Quaker in a box on the pedigree next to this Edward. Re the second question Gray was more equivocal—no hint at their possible descent is evident from his pedigree, indeed it could imply that they were from a separate clan to other Hitchin Brokets.

But evidence has since emerged and accumulated to the point where not only does it seem definite that they were one and the same person, but also what their descent must have been from the earlier Hitchin Brokets. Following below is the proof statement that Edward Brockett II of Walsworth and Edward Brockett of Hitchin the Quaker were one and the same person:

  1. Only four records of Edward Brockett ‘of Hitchin, Quaker’, have been found, and they date between 1657-64. More records have been found of Edward Brockett (II) ‘of Walsworth’, before, during and after 1657-64. The other known contemporary Edward Brokets are:+Read more
  2. Walsworth was a hamlet in the parish of Hitchin. so it is highly probable that outside the immediate vicinity someone living in Walsworth would be described as ‘of Hitchin’.5 Within the parish ‘of Walsworth’ was a description locals would give someone who lived in the hamlet. Why records referred to someone as ‘of Walsworth’ or ‘of Hitchin’ was more a question of whether the records were of local or wider provenance or relevance, not that different people were necessarily involved.
  3. All the records of Edward Brockett (II) ‘of Walsworth’ were local to Hitchin: manorial records and the purchase or sale of property. All the four records of Edward ‘Quaker’ were on a wider than local level, relating to the persecution of Quakers by the national religious authorities.
  4. The records of Edward ‘Quaker’ give no hint as to his birth date, but they are entirely compatible with an estimated 1617 as the latest birth date for Edward II of Walsworth. No record of a baptism has unfortunately been found.
  5. The 1657 record of Edward Brockett as a Hitchin Quaker was for imprisonment for refusing to pay tithes. This meant he held property in Hitchin. Whether copyhold or not, it would have been mentioned in manorial records, as was the property owned by Edward Brockett II of Walsworth.
  6. Hitchin manorial records show that the wife of Edward II of Walsworth was called Anne, both by 8 Oct 16386 and at their deaths late in 1687.7 The 1657 record of Edward Brockett the Quaker being imprisoned was followed by a record from 1660 of Anne Brocket of Hitchin refusing to swear the Oath of Allegiance.8 So, not only was there an Edward Brockett of Hitchin Quaker and an Edward Brockett (II) of Walsworth between 1657-60, but there was also an Ann Brockett of Hitchin Quaker and an Ann Brockett of Walsworth. The couple could not have been Edward II of Dunton 1589-1660, married to Ann NEGUS. That Edward Brockett clearly lived in Dunton and Millo all his adult life and made no mention of Hitchin property in his Will of 1660.
  7. The 1662 record of Edward Brockett as a Hitchin Quaker concerned not baptising his children. He and his wife must therefore have had children in Hitchin, as did Edward Brockett III and Ann of Walsworth.
  8. That a baptismal record for Edward III of Walsworth has not been found suggests that his parents may have been Quakers. Manorial records show that Edward III was the son of Edward II of Walsworth and Ann. Baptismal records have also not been found three other children of Edward Brockett.
  9. Two of Edward Brockett’s daughters were married in Quaker meeting houses.

Taken together these evidences can leave little doubt that Edward Brockett of Hitchin, Quaker, was this Edward II of Walsworth, Yeoman.

Marriage

There can also be little doubt that it was this Edward II of Walsworth who married Ann PAPWORTH in nearby Ippollitts in 1635,9 and that it was their daughter Ann who was baptised in Hitchin 30 Mar 1637.10 As discussed above, no other suitable Edwards are known, and Hitchin manorial records show that the wife of Edward II of Walsworth was called Anne by 8 Oct 1638.11 This means Edward was born by 1617 at the latest.

However, after 1637 no further records of baptisms of children of Edward and Ann were recorded until the birth of another daughter, Mary, in 1651, a period of 14 years. Who knows why this was? Mary could have been baptised late, Edward III could have been born during this period, and they could have had other children that died. A more speculative suggestion would be that his wife Ann PAPWORTH died and some time afterwards he married again, to another Ann. It was a common name. No records of course support this, and an argument that Quakers didn’t marry in the established church so there would be no record, would mean that Edward married the 2nd Ann a certain time after 1647, when George Fox, the founder of the Quaker movement, started preaching, and that he and Ann PAPWORTH had had no further surviving children.

Gray suggested that Edward married Mary SHERMAN 22 Mar 1642/3 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire.12 The marriage is recorded in Allen’s Index of marriages, however that Edward was more likely Edward son of John of Codicote. Welwyn is just a couple of miles from Codicote, and about 10 from Hitchin. Gray also suggested that the Edward who married Ann PAPWORTH in 1635 in Ippollits was Edward III of Hitchin.13 This is unlikely since that Edward and his wife Johanna had sold their property in Hitchin in 1631-2 and moved to Leicestershire. It isn’t known if Johanna died before her husband, but according to Edward’s brother John, after 1632 or 33 Edward settled somewhere in Wales, where he still was in 1652.14

Children:

  1. Ann, bap Hitchin 30 Mar 1637: “The 30 day. baptized Ann the daughter of Edward Brockett”.15 Gray put her as the daughter of Edward III of Hitchin, following his suggestion mentioned above that Ann PAPWORTH might have married him rather than this Edward II of Walsworth.16
  2. Edward III of Walsworth. No baptismal record so far found.
  3. Mary, bap 4 Dec 1651 Hitchin, daughter of Edward Brockett.17
  4. Daughter, buried Hitchin Sep 1652: “The 13th day was buried the daughter of Edward Brockett”.18 Unnamed presumably because newly born; the other daughter buried that month was named—Susanna daughter of Laurence Tristram.
  5. Sarah, buried Hitchin Oct 1652: “The 28th day was buried the daughter of Edward Brockett”.19
  6. Sarah. No baptismal record so far found. Sarah Broket of Walsoe (Walsworth), Hitchin, Spinster, married 12 Dec 167- Thomas CUNINGHAM, late of Hitchin, Butcher, at a public Quaker meeting at William Lucas’ place in Hitchin.20 The first witness after the couple themselves, and before William Lucas, was Edward Broket, presumably Sarah’s father.
  7. Elizebeth, bap 23 Feb 1661 Hitchin, daughter of Edward Brockett.21 A Quaker Marriage Clearance issued by Hitchin M M to Kensworth M M dated 29 Apr 1691 freed Elizabeth Brockett, late of Hitchin, to marry James HAWKINS.22 It was signed by Samuel Newman, John Samm junior, William Lucas, Graveley Whittingstall, Daniell Saunders, and William Turner. Her father Edward had died in 1687. No other Elizabeth Brockett is known from Hitchin at this time. Kensworth is just SW of Hitchin past Luton. It is now in Bedfordshire but at that time was in Hertfordshire.

Other records

1646: After the marriage and baptism of daughter Ann in 1637, the next record found is of Edward Brockett of Walsworth Yeoman purchasing an acre of arable land in Purwell Field on 11 December 1646 from William UNDERWOOD for £14:23 +Read more

1658: On 21 July 1658 Edward Brockett and his wife Ann surrendered 100 acres of arable in Walsworth in his own occupation to Thomas Blackall the younger and his wife Martha and their heirs.24 The land presumably included the 3½ acres in 3 pieces in the Furlong called Hide Dane “lately the land of a certain Edward Brockett” mentioned among Thomas and Martha Blackall’s copyhold lands in the 1676 Survey of the Manor of Hitchin.25 The same Survey listed about 32 acres of copyhold land in Walsworth and over 2 acres of freeehold land there then held by his son Edward but formerly by this Edward.

1663: Nonetheless, the Edward Brockett recorded with 4 hearths in Hitchin in the April and September 1663 hearth subsidy returns26—the only Brockett listed for the whole of Hitchin hundred—would have been this Edward II of Walsworth, or Edward the Quaker, if they weren’t the same person. He was listed at the end of the return perhaps because Walworth residents came last.

1676: Edward II was recorded as a customary tenant in 1676 living in the Hamlets of Hitchin, holding the following copyhold land, totalling about 32 acres and paying yearly 16s rent.27

1. 1 capital messuage in Walsworth, with outbuildings, yards, orchards, gardens and appurtenances
2. the eastern part of a close of pasture called Garretts containing by estimation 2 acres
3. 20 acres of land lying dispersed in the common fields of Walsworth: in Midle Field 3 acres in 3 pieces, in Great Field 10 acres in 13 pieces, in Mill Field 7 acres in 13 separate pieces, once of Edward Brockett, the elder deceased, his father, and now in the tenure of the aforesaid Edward
4. 10 acres and 3 roods of land in Purwell Field in 10 separate pieces
5. 12½ acres of land in 5 separate pieces in Great Field in Walsworth in the furlong called Neither Innings
6. 3 acres and 3 roods of land in the same field in 4 separate pieces in the furlong there called Midle Innings
7. 1 piece of land called Scottswell containing by estimation 7 acres in the field of Walsworth next to Ickleford
8. 1 other piece of land in the same field called Woollgrave Peece in the furlong there called Woollgrave containing by estimation 5 acres, and 1 other acre in the same furlong
9. 2 closes of pasture and meadow at Walsworth beyond the stream called Pelters and Patents containing by estimation 3 acres with the king’s highway leading from Hitchin to Baldock lying between them
10. 1 close of pasture called Sumpters containing by estimation 2 acres
11. 1 close of meadow or pasture called Hills containing by estimation 3 acres, once of the aforesaid Edward Brockett, the elder deceased, his father.

In 1676 Edward Brockett was also a freehold tenant of the following 2 acres and 4½ roods paying yearly 4d rent:28

1. 1 acre and 3 roods of pasture being the western part of a close called Garretts in Walsworth
2. 1 pightle of pasture, by estimation one and a half roods, adjoining the last mentioned pasture towards the north and lying next to the highway there
3. 1 acre of land in Purwell Field adjoining the customary land of Edward himself there towards the west, being lately the land of Edward Brockett, the elder, his father deceased, and now in the tenure of the said Edward.

All this property was “once [the property] of Edward Brockett the elder, deceased, his father”.29

1687: On 19 Oct 1687 the Hitchin Manor Court fined Edward 5s for keeping “above the allowance of two sheep per acre of land lying fresh and fallow in his occupation within the manor, contrary to the ordinance”.30 Edward died very soon after because by the Court’s sitting on 19 Dec 1687, his widow Anne had also died and son Edward had entered into both her copyhold property and her deceased husband’s freehold.31 No Will of either has been found.+Read more

Edward Brockett of Hitchin Quaker 1657-64

See Edward II of Walsworth.

Hitchin was a Puritan stronghold and after the confusion of the English Civil War the Quaker movement gained ground rapidly there. The existing religious authorities reacted strongly. The Baptists, among them John Bunyan, who was a preacher there at the time, attacked them verbally and in writing, and the established Church launched a full scale persecution against them, having them imprisoned, transported, etc.32 “The Society of Friends early suffered in this parish,”33

Four records of Edward Brockett of Hitchin as a Quaker have been found between the years 1657-64, and one of Anne Brocket of Hitchin Quaker:+Read more

Edward III of Walsworth Hitchin Yeoman d 1696

No baptismal record has been found. However, manorial records show that Edward was the “eldest son” of Edward II of Walsworth and Anne Brockett, and that he inherited their property in Walsworth at the end of 1687 when his parents both died.40 Edward III had known surviving sisters, probably born in the 1650s. But no surviving brothers are known; the “eldest son” of the manorial record seems to have been formulaic.

This Edward III married Mary LOVE in 1678. According to Gray41, she was the daughter of William Love the elder of Walsworth, Taylor, whose Will was written 1675.42

On 12 Jan 1690 the Hitchin Manor Court book recorded a transaction between Edward Brockett and Simon Lucas Gent, signed by both.43
+
TNA LR3_24 p 284-5 signatures
Edward was raising money (£550) from Simon Lucas by pledging/mortgaging the property to him. If Edward repaid the money (with £25 interest) in 2 instalments: £12 10s on 13 July 1690, and £562 10s on 3 January 1691, then the whole transaction would be cancelled. If it was not repaid, then ownership would be transferred to Simon Lucas. Any copyhold transaction had to go through the manor court by surrender to the lord and regrant, hence this convoluted procedure, in order to transfer ownership (albeit conditionally) to Lucas. Brockett could not just make the arrangement in private with Lucas without involving the manor.44 Here is Edward’s property that he mortgaged to Simon Lucas: +Read more


All these properties had been recorded held by Edward II of Walsworth and Anne Brockett in surrenders to the manor court in 1638.45 Six of them are clearly identifiable with those mentioned in the 1676 Survey above (items 1, 3a, 3b, 4, 5 and 7). Two closes—Pattents and Sumpters—were among the properties owned by Edward Brockett I of Walsworth mentioned in the 1608 Survey of the King’s timber and wood on the manor of Hitchin, proving this Edward’s descent from that one. That Edward II and Anne held the property on 8 Oct 1638 means that Edward I of Walsworth had died by then.

This is the manor court entry in full: +Read more


At the Hitchin Manor Court of 23 October 1691, adjourned to 23 December, it was recorded that nothing of the £575 had been paid to Lucas by Brockett on the days and place specified on 12 January “whereby the estate of the said Simon Lucas in the respective premises has become absolute”.46

Edward III and Mary had the following children, all baptised in Hitchin:47

  1. Edward IV of Walsworth, Victualler, bap Hitchin July 1680. Buried Hitchin 1739. Married 1st 1704 Ann CANES, 2nd 1738 Ann OLIVER.
  2. William, born 8 Aug 1682, bap Hitchin Feb 1684/5: “the 4th day were Baptized William & Henry sons of Edward & Mary Brockett of Walsworth the said William being borne the 8th day of August 1682”.48 William is the only one of the family for whom no further record has been found, so it is most likely that he died young.
  3. Henry, bap 1685 Hitchin.49 Sawyer. Buried in Hitchin 1765.50 Married Mary ….
  4. Richard, bap Hitchin 1687.51 Labourer. Buried Hitchin 1729. Married 1711 Sarah TAYLER.
  5. John, bap Hitchin 11 Apr 1690: “the jjth day was Baptized John the sone of Edward Brockett of Walsworth”.52 ?Buried 1721/2 Hitchin, ?married 3 Oct 1710 Offley Mary STEWARD.53
  6. Samuel of St Albans, Brazier, bap Hitchin 1692.54 Buried St Peter’s St Albans 1764 or 66. Married 1727 Mary HORNALL.

A Hitchin Manor court of 21 Oct 1696 recorded Edward III’s death since the last court—27 Jul 1696.55 He had died intestate and administration of his estate was granted to his widow Mary on 16 Sep 1696, along with Richard and Thomas Love, perhaps her brothers.56 She marked with an X; on her Will she drew a large and awkward M. She lived a further 36 years.

Wheathampstead Brokets 17th C

In 1598 Sir John II had died without a son and the dynasty’s seat of Brocket Hall had passed through a daughter to the Reade family. The Brokets now held only Whethampstead Place—passed from Edward to son John in 1598—and Mackarells End House or Mackery End House, inherited from his mother by the last Broket knight, Sir John III, knighted in 1599.

Sir John III served the King in Ireland but in 1603 was accused of counterfeiting coin there. Whether or not he was guilty, a cloud may have remained over his name, for although buried in Wheathampstead Church c 1613, there is no memorial to him nor Will surviving. His son Thomas sold Mackarells End in 1628. His other son called ‘John Brockett of Caswell’ after his last residence in Wheathampstead, was styled an Esquire, but as Chancery Bills suggest, his financial situation went from bad to worse. He was the last of that line in Wheathampstead. When he died in 1658 neither of his sons lived there.

John of Wheathampstead Esq b c 1571 bur 5 Nov 1649

Only son of Edward and Etheldred Lady Challoner. His father died 1598 and for half a century thereafter John was the prominent local squire. He was sometimes called ‘the elder’ or ‘snr’ to distinguish him from the other adult John of Wheathampstead Esq, b 1583, called latterly ‘John Brokett of Caswell‘ after his last residence in Wheathampstead. John married twice: firstly Mary GARROWAY and secondly Mary BANNISTER. Both wives bore him many children. For more details see separate page.

Edward of Wheathamstead Gent 1607-70

Eldest son of John of Wheathampstead Esq (d 1649). See separate page.

William of Wheathamstead Gent 1631-75

A younger son of John of Wheathampstead Esq (d 1649), and the last Brockett of Wheathampstead. See separate page.

Susanna of Watford Widow d 1686

Will written 21 Aug 1686, proved Archdeaconry of St Albans Sep.57 She had been the wife of George Brockett, a son of John of Wheathampstead Esq (d 1649). An earlier Susan Brockett was the widow of Rev John of Bentworth.

Singleton 17th C Hertfordshire Brokets

Clement Husbandman 1609

Clement Brocket Husbandman gave evidence 18 Dec 1609 at an inquiry in Royston re the death of Robert Foster.58 Was he the Clement buried 12 Jan 1634/5, Sherfield on Lodden, Hampshire? No other record of a Clement is known.

George of Royston Labourer 1614

George Brockett of Royston Labourer stole a purse containing 6s 11d on 9 Mar 1614 and was condemned to hang.59 No other record of him is known. The IGI records the baptism of a George son of John at St Giles Cripplegate, London, 1593, but who was he? And why should a young man have moved from London to Royston?

Edward of Ware c 1590-1647

Edward Brokett and Alice PARKER were married the xjth daye of september A[nn]o d[om]ini 1615” at Widford, Hertfordshire.60 Only 5 other marriages were recorded there that year. An Alice Packer was baptised in Ware 18 Aug 1594,61 but Parker is a common name and at least one other was in Widford in the early 17th C.

Widford, Hertfordshire, is a small village between Ware and Sawbridgeworth, c 4 miles from each, and c 2 m S of Much Hadham and 2 m N of Gilston. It is not to be confused with Widford, Essex, c 20 m E of Widford, Hertfordshire and c 2 m SW of the centre of Chelmsford. The Widford Parish Registers survive from 1558 and

Edward and Alice soon moved 4 m W to Ware where at least 2 children were recorded:

  1. John Brocket son of Edward”, bap 19 Jul 1618 St Mary’s Ware.62 In a later undated handwritten transcription of the Ware registers this entry reads “Brocket John (son of John) July 19 1618″, however it has a mistake on the title page dating the transcription 1645-1553, so the actual register is more to be trusted.63 No further record of John has been found, so it’s possible that he might have been the John who emigrated to New Haven.
  2. Edward Brocket son of Edward and Alice”, bap 2 Apr 1620 St Mary’s Ware.64 Probably the “Edward Brockett senior [buried] July 27” in 1676 in Much Hadham—5 m NE of Ware—where earlier he was recorded father of:
    1. Alse.”[1649] May the 20 Alse Brockett daughter of Edward Brockett” was baptized in Much Hadham.65 An Alice Brokett married Edward BENTON there 22 Sep 1669.66
    2. Edward. “[1650] October 8. Edward the son of Edward Brocket” was baptized in Much Hadham.67 That his apparent father was dubbed ‘senior’ in 1676 implies that this Edward was still alive and perhaps in Much Hadham then. The record from Widford that “Edward Brocket of Gilston and Elizab’ Randolph of Widford married Jan: 18. 1684/5” was most likely this Edward.68 A Bond and Allegation survives.69 Otherwise, no further record has so far been found, but he could not have been Edward of Hitchin, Quaker, who was from the previous generation and with little doubt married Ann PAPWORTH in 1635.
    3. Nicholas Brockett bap 25 Jul 1652 Much Hadham.70 A Nicholas Brockit married Ann/Anis WOLLWARD there 1 Oct 1679.71 Children—all baptised Much Hadham.72
      1. Edward Brocket, son of Nicholas and Annis, bap 10 Oct 1680.
      2. Ann Brocket, daughter of Nicholas and Annis, bap 20 May 1683. “Ann daughter of Nicholas and Ann Brocket” was buried in Great Hadham 12 Jul 1688.73
      3. Elisabeth Brocket, daughter of Nicholas and Ann, bap 31 Mar 1686.
      4. Mary Brocket, daughter of Nicholas and Ann, bap 7 Apr 1689.

      In 1718 Nicholas Brockett of Much Hadham was a beneficiary of the Will of G Larkyn, as an occupier.74 No further record of Nicholas’ family has so far been found.

    A 5-mile move by Edward, bap 1620, from Ware to the village of Much Hadham is more likely than a 15-mile one from Baldock, where John and Joan, the parents of Edward, bap Dunton 1624, had moved to when their Edward was 17. These parents Edward and Alice of Ware are more likely than John and Joan of Baldock.

  3. Martha Brockett was buried 1 Apr 1625 in St Mary’s Ware. No parents were named, so she may not have been Edward and Alice’s daughter.75
  4. Marie Brockett was buried 17 Oct 1626 in St Mary’s Ware. No parents were named, so she may not have been Edward and Alice’s daughter.76

“Edward Brocket a Smith” was buried in St Mary’s Ware on 21 Nov 1647.77 This was doubtless Edward, the husband of Alice Parker.

It isn’t yet known who Edward’s parents were and where and when he was baptised. A “Henry Brockett was buried the xxxth daye of Auguste” at Widford 1613, but no parents or other details were given, so he may have been the father or a brother of Edward or other relation. A relationship between Edward—and Henry—and one of the Broket families of the more southerly Hertfordshire clan is perhaps more likely than to the smaller Hitchin clan, c 22 m NE. Ware is c 12 m E of Wheathampstead and c 8 m W of Sawbridgeworth. The only currently known unaccounted-for contemporary Edward is the 2nd son of Edmund Vicar of Luton and Graveley, but it’s unlikely that he would have become a Smith—his elder brother was a senior Officer in the Army, his next youngest was a Gent in London. No further Brokets were buried in St Mary’s Ware up to 1670.78

Rev John [Job] of Royston 1688

Parochial incumbent for Royston 1688-92.79 ‘John’ was a mistake for Job.

The 18th Century

Numbers of Hertfordshire Brokets dwindled and 8 of the 12 baptisms this century were in Hitchin.80 Brocket Hall had no connection with any Brockets in this century.

  1. Mary of Hitchin Widow d 1733
  2. Edward IV of Walsworth Victualler 1680-1739
  3. Henry of Hitchin Sawyer 1685-1765
  4. Richard of Hitchin Labourer 1687-1729
  5. Samuel of St Albans Brazier 1692-1764 or 66
  6. Henry, Laborer/YeomanYeoman, died 1684 Limbury, Bedfordshire

2.1 Mary of Hitchin Widow d 1733

Widow of Edward III of Walsworth. On 9 Jan 1713 she purchased 4 cottages near Hollow Lane in Back Street, Hitchin, for £38:81 +Read more

“Buried 1732/3 Feb 14 Mary Brocket widow” in Hitchin.82 Her Will was written 5 Mar 1730, proved 6 Mar 1733.83 To son Edward one shilling. To son Henry—sole executor—and heirs her 4 cottages near Hollow Lane in Back Street, all her other lands, plus all her money and personal estate. Sarah Brockett widow—of Mary’s son Richard—was living in one of Mary’s cottages. +Read more

2.2 Edward Brockett IV of Walsworth Victualler 1680-1739

Eldest son of Edward III and Mary of Walsworth, bap Hitchin 8 Jul 1680: “the 8th day was Baptized Edward the sonne of Edward Brockett of Walso”.84

Property

His father died in 1696 when Edward IV was only 16, so the manor court gave his mother Mary guardianship of his copyhold property in Walsworth until he reached 21.85
+
TNA LR3_24 p 383 guardianship to Mary

Translation: “Guardian. And also at this court the guardianship of the aforesaid Edward Brockett the son and of his lands held from the manor aforesaid by copy of court roll is granted to Mary Brockett widow his mother, during the minority of the same Edward”.

For a rent of 8s 2d a year, it comprised:86

1. The eastern part of a close of pasture called Garretts c 2 acres
2. 3 acres of land in Midlefeild in 3 pieces
3. 10 acres of land in Great Feild in 13 pieces
4. 7 acres of land in Mill Feild in 13 pieces

At the same court Edward was also admitted to his father’s remaining freehold property:87

5. 1 acre 3 rods of pasture being the western part of the aforesaid close called Garretts in Walsworth
6. a pightle of pasture containing by estimation 1½ rods adjoining the close of pasture called Garretts on the north and lying next to the highway
7. 1 acre of land in the field called Purwell Feild in Hitchin

Edward would have come into full possession of these properties in 1701.

On 26-27 March 1705 Edward and his wife Ann concluded a lease and release with William Watson of Cadwell Yeoman of 3 properties for £70.88

1. A piece of arable land or pasture in Walsworth lying in a close called Garretts comprising 1 acre 3 rood with land heretofore of Widow Lawman on north and copy land now or late of Edward Brockett on south and one head abutting on the River adjoining Shadwell. The said 1 acre 3 roods were lately purchased by Edward Brockett deceased late grandfather of the said Edward Brockett party to deed of Arthur Pulter and others.
2. A pightell of pasture lying in a close called Garretts adjoining aforesaid premises on north and lying next to highway from Hitchin to Baldock which Edward Brockett his grandfather bought of John Lawman late of Walsworth deceased comprising 1 and a half roods.
3. 1 acre in Purwell Field in Hitchin abutting on the common way from Hitchin to Baldock lately purchased by Edward Brockett his grandfather of William Underwood of Hitchin deceased.

These references to purchases by his late grandfather Edward Brockett, the third of which was purchased on 11 December 1646, clarifies the lineage in the absence of a baptismal record of Edward’s father.

First wife Anne

On 6 Feb 1704/5 Edward Brockett Husbandman married Ann CANES in Hitchin St Mary, “both of this Parish by Banns”.89 As shown below, Ann was aged about 48 or 49 at this time, so was likely to have been a widow. The burial on 19 Aug 1703 of “Ann the daughter of Ann Kaines wid” might have been of one of her children.90 And records of a burial in 1689 and a baptism in 1690 of sons of an Edmund CANE of Walsworth might possibly be of her children also.91 Otherwise, records of Canes/Kaines in Hitchin from this period have not been found—no Will, for instance, nor mention in the 1676 Survey.92

On 9 Oct 1736 “Ann Wife of Edwd Brocket Victualer” was buried in Hitchin.93 Gerish recorded a Memorial Inscription in Hitchin of an Ann Brockett buried 1736 “aged 80”.94 Aged 80 in 1736 would mean a birth c 1656, some 24 years before Edward, an unusual partnership. The only other Edward Brockett of Hitchin known to have been living at that time was this Edward IV’s nephew Edward V, aged c 23, and in 1741 his wife’s name was Elizabeth. Moreover he is not known to have been a Victualler. Her husband Edward was alive—the gravestone in St Mary’s graveyard, Hitchin reads: “Ann Brocket, wife of Edward Brocket who departed this life October the Fifth 1736 Aged 80”:95
+
Ann Brocket d 1736 aged 80

It looks as though space was left for Edward’s details underneath, but on 13 Feb 1738/9 in Hitchin of “Edwd Brocket Victualer and Ann OLIVER were married by Banns”.96 “Edward Brocket Victualer” was buried a month later on 14 March,97 perhaps in another grave. No records of children from either of Edward’s marriages have been found. There was an extended OLIVER family in Hitchin in the 16th and 17th C, to which Ann may have been related by birth, but more likely by marriage—Edward was 58 or 59 when he and Ann married, so Ann was probably a widow. No record has been found of her remarriage or burial after Edward’s death, apart from the Terrier of the Manor of Hitchin, mentioned below, which suggests it might have been as soon as 1740.

Edward IV’s Will

Edward’s Will was written 22 Feb 1739 and proved a month later on 27 Mar 1739.98 He bequeathed all his property to his wife Anne—sole executrix—for her life provided she remain a widow. After her death or remarriage the property was to go to the unnamed]99 eldest son of his youngest brother Samuel of St Albans Brazier. Edward’s signature is on the Will. +Read more


Notes on the Will: (to follow)

Terrier of the Manor of Hitchin 1684-1765

A Terrier of the Manor of Hitchin that had been drawn up in 1727 has a page entitled “Edward Brockett of Walso” (Walsworth) with “For Mess. & 5 ac in Walsworth Cop. unde Mess. & 2 ac voc Patents & 3 ac voc Hills 2s 6d” below.100 This means that he was the copyholder of a house and 5 acres, two of which were called Patents, and 3 called Hills, and the annual quit rent of the whole property was 2s 6d. To maintain an up to date record of the tenants the steward of the Manor made alterations, so after Edward’s death in 1739 added “the words “Dead Qrey his wo. Ann”, querying whether or not his widow Ann was the new copyholder. These words were then crossed out and “Anne widdow of” were written above Edward’s as the new copyholder. Then a year later in 1740 the steward added a new admission “now Henry Brocke [sic] & Elizabeth his wife”. Henry was Edward’s nephew. In 1740 Henry and his wife Elizabeth were admitted to copyhold property in Walsworth comprising a messuage and 2 acres called Patents, and 3 acres called Hills. It had previously belonged to Henry’s elder brother Edward, and perhaps briefly to his widow Ann. The entry for 1770 was blank, Henry having died 5 years previously.

2.3. Henry of Hitchin Sawyer 1685-1765

Third son of Edward III and Mary of Walsworth. To be distinguished from Henry Brockett of Limbury, Laborer/Yeoman, died 1684 and Henry, son of John of Wheathampstead Esq, baptised 1634, alive 1675. Four records have been found for Henry Brockett, Sawyer:

  1. 1684. His baptism 4 Feb 1684/5 Hitchin.101.with his older brother William, who appears to have died when Henry was young.
  2. 1733. He was appointed sole executor of his mother Mary’s Will in 1733, in which she left him most of her property: 6 acres of arable land dispersed in the common fields of Walsworth.
  3. 1751. On 16-17 Oct 1751 Henry Brockett of Hitchin, Sawyer, and Mary his wife leased and released the property his mother had left him 18 years before to William Cooper of Lower Gravenhurst, Beds, Yeoman for £80, i.e. the 6 acres of arable land dispersed in the common fields of Walsworth:102 +Read more
    This shows that he had married Mary … before 1751. Henry and Mary’s large signatures are at the bottom of both indentures.
  4. 1765. The burial of Henry Brockett in Hitchin 1765103 must have been his; no other Henry Brocketts were recorded in Hitchin.

Married Mary ….

Henry is not to be confused with his namesake nephew Henry who married Elizabeth … before 1740. This Henry was the one mentioned in the Terrier. Until the final court record of the Broket property in Walsworth was found, it was thought that there was just this one Henry Brockett in the 18th C. However the terrier was difficult to interpret and the final sale of the Broket property wasn’t clear. So ended over 200 years of Brockett-held property in Walsworth. Thereafter the family were landless and after 1783 none were recorded in Hitchin. If any of the males survived and had descendants elsewhere who are still living, it would be fascinating to compare their DNA with Genetic Group 1.

2.4. Richard of Hitchin Labourer

Son of Edward III and Mary of Walsworth, bap Hitchin 8 Jul 1687.104 Married 22 Dec 1711 Sarah TAYLER in Codicote Hertfordshire (but not to be confused with Richard, bap 1609, s/o John of Codicote, see the separate page.105 Children, all bap Hitchin:

  1. Mary, “1712 September. The 27th. was baptized Mary Daughter [of] Richard Brockett”.106 1717 October the 24th was buryed Mary the Daughter of Richard Brocket Laborer”.107
  2. Edward V of Hitchin bap 21 Mar 1713/4: “Then also was Babtiz’d Edward the Son of Richard Brocket”.108 Died bef 1754.109 The marriage on 13 Feb 1738/9 in Hitchin of Edward Brockett to Ann OLIVER would have been a second marriage of his uncle Edward, rather than a first of this Edward, who married Elizabeth … around the same time. She? married 2nd Thomas SUTTON 16 Aug 1761 Hitchin.110 Children:
    1. Samuel bap 27 Sep 1741 Hitchin.111
    2. Elizabeth bap 1 Jun 1746 Letchworth.112
    3. Sarah bap 13 Sep 1747 Hitchin.113
    4. Martha bap 18 Mar 1749 Letchworth.114
    5. Edward VI of Hitchin bap 1754 Letchworth. Married 29 Aug 1775 Hitchin Hannah GRAY.115 No burial reords have so far been found. It’s unlikely that he was the “Edward Brockett, abode Workhouse, buried in Hitchin 20 Sep 1820, aged 77”,116 unless he was actually aged c 66. Children, all baptised Hitchin:117
      1. Edward VII bap 7 Oct 1778. Might he have moved to London to work as a Compositor?
      2. John bap 26 May 1779. It’s unlikely that he married in Blunham 1811.
      3. Elizabeth bap 24 Oct 1781
  3. Mary, “March the 9th 1717/8 was baptized Mary the Daughter of Richard and Mary [sic?] Brocket Laborer” in Hitchin.118
  4. Richard bap 30 Apr 1721.119
  5. Samuel bap 1724/5.

On 12 Jan 1743/4 a Sarah Brocket married John IMPEY, Barber, in Hitchin by Banns.120 The Clerk at the time didn’t note whether brides were widows or spinsters, but did note if they came from another parish. Sarah, therefore, could have been Richard senior’s widow, marrying late in life after being a widow for some 13 years. No record of her burial as a Brocket has been found. Alternatively, perhaps less probably, Sarah was a daughter of Richard and Sarah, whose baptism wasn’t recorded. Following up who John Impey was might provide a clue.

2.5. Samuel of St Albans Brazier

Son of Edward III and Mary of Walsworth, bap Hitchin 1 Feb 1692.121 Removal order 1744 St Albans Abbey Parish to St Peter’s Parish.122 Buried St Peter’s 1764 or 1766. Samuel Brockett and Mary HORNALL married 3 Jul 1727 St Andrew Hertford.123 Children:

  1. Thomas of St Peter’s, St Albans, apprenticed to father 1750.124 Married 5 Oct 1767 St Albans Abbey Ann LYLES.125.
  2. ?Samuel bur St Peter’s 1764 or 1766.

2.6. Henry, Laborer/Yeoman, died 1684 Limbury, Bedfordshire

No record of this Henry’s baptism has so far been found, and it isn’t clear who his parents were, but he is to be distinguished from Henry, baptised 1634, son of John of Wheathampstead Esq. Until the Hitchin Manor court record of 31 Oct 1770 was found,126 which recorded the last years of Broket property in Walsworth—‘the Ship’— we didn’t know who the Henry and Elizabeth Brockett of Limbury in Luton, Bedfordshire, were. We knew that they had married in Luton in 1741 and their Wills were proved there in 1684, but who were they? They clearly had no surviving children and their Wills only mentioned property in Luton. However, this Hitchin Manor court record partially answered—he was a nephew of Edward Brockett IV of Walsworth Victualler 1680-1739, but son of which brother we don’t know.+Read more


Married Elizabeth … before 1740.

Page Last Updated: June 8, 2021

Footnotes

For full bibliographical details please see the sections Publications or Glossary.

Expand

[1] TNA E 179/121/331, available online Jan 2019 from FamilySearch FHL film #2228680. Thanks to James Lively for drawing attention to this.

[2] Proved PCC 28 Mar 1616, PROB 11/127.

[3] Howlett 2000 p 37.

[4] HALS 81HW14 Will of William Love the elder, Walsworth, 1675. Reproduced by kind permission of Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies.

[5] Communication from Bridget Howlett Dec 2017.

[6] TNA LR3/24 pp 284-285.

[7] TNA LR3/24 p 223.

[8] Besse 1753 p 242.

[9] IGI.

[10] Parish Register.

[11] TNA LR3/24 pp 284-285.

[12] Gray 1998b with a question mark.

[13] Gray 1998b with a question mark.

[14] TNA C2 ChasI/B167/98.

[15] Parish Register.

[16] 1998b.

[17] Transcription by FamilySearch Intl from England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975 on FindMyPast, accessed 29 Nov 2017, no original image supplied.

[18] Parish Register.

[19] Parish Register.

[20] Quaker Register: TNA RG6/1551 BEDFORDSHIRE AND HERTFORDSHIRE: Monthly Meeting of Hitchin: Langford. The page is slightly damaged on the right hand edge obscuring the exact year in the 1670s. FindMyPast recorded it as 1677.

[21] Transcription by FamilySearch Intl from England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975 on FindMyPast, accessed 1 Dec 2017, no original image supplied.

[22] BARS FR2/9/2/4.

[23] Translated by David Bethell from the Latin of HALS 87111. HALS 87712 is a quitclaim in English signed by William Hall of Hitchin husbandman and Alice his wife renouncing all possible claims against the property.

[24] The abstract of title of John Blackall Esq (changed to Mr John Moore) to an estate at Walsworth (HALS 58664) starts with a copy of the Hitchin Manor court roll for 21 July 1658 mentioning this surrender. Thanks to Bridget Howlett for this reference.

[25] Howlett 2000 p 53.

[26] TNA E179/248/23 and 24.

[27] The 1676 Survey of the Manor of Hitchin (Howlett 2000 p 37).

[28] Howlett 2000 p 81.

[29] Howlett 2000 p 37.

[30] TNA LR3/24 p 197.

[31] TNA LR3/24 p 223.

[32] A rewrite of Hine 1929 vol 2 p 139, 142, citing Besse 1753 vol 1 pp 240-254.

[33] Urwick 1884 p 637.

[34] Besse 1753 vol 1 p 240; cited by Hine 1929 vol 2 p 139.

[35] Besse 1753 vol 1 2p 241-2.

[36] Urwick 1884 pp 638.

[37] Urwick 1884 p 638.

[38] Urwick 1884 p 638.

[39] Hine 1929 vol 2 pp 139, 142, citing Besse 1753 vol 1 pp 240-254. The statement in Besse has not been found, so may have been Hine's own gloss.

[40] TNA LR3/24 p 223.

[41] 1998b.

[42] Proved Archdeacon Hunts 1675.

[43] TNA LR3/24 Hitchin Manor Court book for 1672-1697 p 284.

[44] Thanks to David Bethell for this explanation.

[45] TNA LR3/24 pp 284-285.

[46] TNA LR3/24 pp 394-7.

[47] Parish Records.

[48] Parish Register.

[49] Parish Register.

[50] Parish Records.

[51] IGI.

[52] Parish Register.

[53] IGI.

[54] IGI.

[55] TNA LR3/24 pp 382-3.

[56] Archd Hunts.

[57] HALS 122 AW5.

[58] Cockburn 1975 p 76.

[59] Cockburn 1975 p 139.

[60] Parish Register, accessed on FMP Aug 2019; HALS D/P123/1/1.

[61] HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/1.

[62] HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/2, also in HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/22.

[63] HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/22.

[64] HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/2, also in HALS Ware Parish Registers D/P116/1/22, an undated handwritten transcription of Ware St Mary the Virgin Christenings, Marriages and Burials 1558-1653 (omitting 1642-5), in which Alice was omitted.

[65] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019.

[66] IGI.

[67] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019.

[68] Widford Parish Register, image accessed via FMP 18 Feb 2020.

[69] ERO D/ALL 1685/7.

[70] IGI.

[71] IGI; Allen Index of marriages.

[72] IGI.

[73] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019.

[74] Essex Wills Beneficiaries Index, 1675-1858, ref BR17 296, accessed from FMP 20 Aug 2019.

[75] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019; HALS D/P116/1/1.

[76] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019; HALS D/P116/1/1.

[77] Parish Register, accessed via FMP 20 Aug 2019; HALS D/P116/1/1.

[78] HALS D/P116/1/3.

[79] Hennessy 1918.

[80] IGI.

[81] Hitchin Museum 746A0138.

[82] Parish Register.

[83] Proved Hitchin Archdeacon Hunts. HALS 16HW24, registered copy HALS 13HR 119r.

[84] Hitchin Parish Register.

[85] TNA LR3_24 p 383. Reproduced by kind permission of the National Archives licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

[86] TNA LR3_24 pp 382-3.

[87] TNA LR3_24 p 383.

[88] HALS 58431. Many thanks to Bridget Howlett for this reference.

[89] Parish Register.

[90] Parish Register.

[91] Parish Register.

[92] Howlett 2000.

[93] Parish Register.

[94] Gerish ... and Hertfordshire Monumental Inscriptions Volume 88. Hertfordshire Family History Society, 2007.

[95] Many thanks to Bridget Howlett for taking the photo Aug 2017.

[96] Parish Register.

[97] Parish Register.

[98] HALS 16HW63, proved Archdeacon Hunts 27 Mar 1739.

[99] Blank space.

[100] HALS 64356 p 18 - a Terrier of the Manor of Hitchin drawn up in 1727 but with amendments up to about 1770. Many thanks to Bridget Howlett for this reference and for help interpreting it.

[101] Parish Register.

[102] HALS 58614-5.

[103] Parish Records.

[104] IGI.

[105] Codicote Parish Register, see above.

[106] Hitchin Parish Register.

[107] Hitchin Parish Register.

[108] Parish Register.

[109] H Gray 1998b.

[110] IGI.

[111] IGI.

[112] IGI.

[113] IGI.

[114] IGI.

[115] IGI.

[116] Image accessed on FMP 18 May 2021.

[117] IGI.

[118] Parish Register.

[119] IGI.

[120] Parish Register.

[121] IGI.

[122] Gray 1998b.

[123] FamilySearch transcribed the name as HARVALL (Aug 2019).

[124] St Albans Borough Records.

[125] IGI.

[126] TNA LR3/27. By Bridget Howlett Feb 2018.

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