WINDLE OF CRACOE
The Rylstone parish registers include a summary of the marriages and children of Agnes Spence, showing that she married Thomas Kitchin in 1607 and had children Stephen, Alice, Elizabeth and Thomas, and that after the death of her husband Thomas, Agnes married William Windle and had children Ann, Magdalen, Abigail and William.[1]
Abstracts of marriage licence records show that in 1619, William Windle was of “Eastby” in the parish of Thornton-in-Craven.[2] This would refer to Earby in that parish where there was a large Windle family including more than one William. The Isabel, daughter of William Windle, who was baptised at Thornton-in-Craven on 2 October 1603 was likely the Isabel Windle of “Ridleston” (probably Rylstone rather than Riddlesden) who had a licence to marry Stephen Kitchin in 1625.[3] This Stephen was the one of that name who was son of Thomas and Agnes (Spence) Kitchin.[4]
William Windle of Cracoe made his will in 1638 when he had “growen old”. The testator mentions his wife Agnes and children Ann, Magdalen, Abigail and William.[5] It is clear, however, that these were not his only children.
There are chancery depositions of 1648-49 relating to a case with plaintiffs John Cockson, Magdalen his wife, daughter of William Windle of Cracoe, deceased, Abigail Windle and William Windle, and defendants John Windle, Christopher Windle, Richard Barrow and Thomas Howson.[6] Jane Whitwane, wife of John Whitwane of Earby, stated that William Windle of Cracoe, deceased, was her father.[7] Jane Windle and John Whitwam were married at Thornton-in-Craven in 1612.[8] Christopher Windle, late father of the defendant John Windle, is also mentioned, as well as John’s mother Jane.[9] Another deponent was Thomas Alcock of “Emsey” (Embsay in the parish of Skipton), about seventy years old, who described the William Windle who died in 1639 as his brother-in-law.[10] “Thomas Awcocke And Elyzabethe Mitchell” were married at Skipton in 1607.[11] The apparent connection is through Margaret Windle, widow, who married John Mitchell at Thornton-in-Craven in 1568. Elizabeth, daughter of John Mitchell, was baptised there in 1581. Christopher Windle of Thornton had made his will in 1565, mentioning his wife Margaret and children Christopher, William and Jane, as well as the testator’s brother John.
The 1613 will of John Mitchell of Booth in the parish of Thornton mentions his wife Margaret. It does not mention their apparent daughter Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Alcock, but it was witnessed by both William Windle senior and William Windle junior.[12] When William Windle of Cracoe made his will in 1638, he left “unto Jenett Mitchell wif of John Mitchell of the Booth and to John Mitchell her son either of them Ten shillings”.
SPENCE OF WALDEN
Agnes Spence was of Kettlewell at the time of her first marriage to Thomas Kitchin in 1607 and she is called Ann in abstracts of the licence records[13] (Ann and Agnes sometimes being used as variants at the time). The 1616 will of Humphrey Fawcet of Kettlewell mentions the potential marriage of his brother Vincent’s son William Fawcet to Alice or Elizabeth Kitchin, daughters of Thomas Kitchin of Cracoe, deceased.[14] Such a marriage did indeed take place as the will of Agnes (Spence) (Kitchin) Windle mentions “my daughter Alice Fawcet the wife of William Fawcet of Kettlewell”.[15] Humphrey’s will also mentions, among others, his wife Elizabeth, “John Spence of Waldencrosse yeoman” and “Miles Spence Children al[ia]s Bosta[...] of Bushopdaile”. Therefore, Agnes was evidently “Ann Kitchen my sister” named in the 1609/10 will of Miles Spence of Walden Cross, which also names the testator’s sister Elizabeth Fawcet and brother John Spence.[16] Walden Cross and Bishopdale were in the parish of Aysgarth.
The parentage of Agnes is uncertain but the will of Miles Spence allows the following to be identified as siblings:
i MILES SPENCE of Walden Cross,
yeoman, bur 21 Feb 1609/10, Richmond;[17] m
3 Feb 1605/06, Richmond, MARGARET COOTES.[18]
ii ELIZABETH SPENCE; m HUMPHREY
FAWCET.
iii MARGARET SPENCE; m FRANCIS RIDER.
iv AGNES SPENCE, bur 23 Mar 1657/58,
Rylstone;[19]
m(1) 23 Jun 1607, Rylstone, THOMAS KITCHIN;[20]
m(2) 6 May 1619, Burnsall, WILLIAM WINDLE.[21]
v JOHN SPENCE of Walden Cross,
yeoman.
Given that Miles was married and buried at Richmond, it may be noted that a Margaret, daughter of Miles Spence, was baptised at Richmond on 23 June 1574. Whilst this could be the Margaret who married Francis Rider, I have not found baptisms for any siblings.
There are various references to a Miles Spence around Walden and Bishopdale in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and it is not clear how many namesakes lived in the area.
A Miles Spence, keeper in Bishopdale, aged forty-five, was a witness in a legal case of 1544/45. Also a witness in the same case was Barnard Spence of Bishopdale, aged seventy, “underkeeper the space of 26 years, and whose ancestors have been underkeepers there for ccc years”.[22]
The 1560 will of John Spence of Bishopdale mentions his eldest son Miles Spence, who was then still in his nonage. John’s brother Roger was to act as Miles’s guardian and if Roger died then the responsibility was to pass to the testator’s “cosen” John Spence of Dovescar in Walden.[23]
A Miles Spence of Bishopdale, grassman, aged about thirty-five, was a witness in a case of 1578-79.[24]
The 1598/99 will of John Spence of Dovescar includes a legacy to Francis Spence, eldest son of Miles Spence of Bishopdale.[25] A Thomas, son of Miles Spence of Aysgarth, had a licence to marry Jane Metcalfe in 1602.[26]
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WINDLE
1 CHRISTOPHER WINDLE of Thornton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, died in 1565.[27] He married MARGARET.[28] After the death of Christopher Windle, Margaret married, on 12 September 1568 at Thornton-in-Craven, John Mitchell.[29]
Children
of Christopher and Margaret Windle:
i CHRISTOPHER
WINDLE.
2 ii WILLIAM
WINDLE (bur 1639); m(1) JEAN WINDLE; m(2) AGNES (SPENCE) KITCHIN.
iii JANE
WINDLE.
2 WILLIAM WINDLE of Earby and Cracoe, yeoman, was buried on 25 May 1639 at Rylstone.[30] He married first, on 8 February 1590/91 at Thornton-in-Craven, JEAN WINDLE.[31] William married second, on 6 May 1619 at Burnsall, AGNES (SPENCE) KITCHIN,[32] widow of Thomas Kitchin. She was buried on 23 March 1657/58 at Rylstone.[33]
Children
of William and Jean (Windle) Windle:[34]
i JANE WINDLE, bap 1 Dec 1591,
Thornton-in-Craven;[35] m
12 Dec 1612, Thornton-in-Craven, JOHN WHITWAM.[36]
ii CHRISTOPHER WINDLE, bap 19 Jan 1594/95,
Thornton-in-Craven,[37] bur
2 Oct 1595, Thornton-in-Craven.[38]
iii ANN WINDLE, bap 3 Aug 1596, Thornton-in-Craven.[39]
iv ALICE WINDLE, bap 7 Mar 1598/99, Thornton-in-Craven.[40]
v ELIZABETH WINDLE, bap 19 Apr 1601, Thornton-in-Craven.[41]
vi ISABEL WINDLE, bap 2 Oct 1603, Thornton-in-Craven,[42]
bur 20 Apr 1632, Rylstone;[43] m
ca 1625, STEPHEN KITCHIN.[44]
Children
of William and Agnes (Spence) (Kitchin) Windle:
vii ANN
WINDLE, bap 17 Aug 1619, Rylstone,[45]
bur 15 May 1645, Bradford;[46] m
6 Oct 1641, Bradford, THOMAS IBBOTSON.[47]
viii MAGDALEN
WINDLE, bap May 1622, Rylstone;[48] m
29 May 1645, Rylstone, JOHN COCKSON[49]
(see here).
ix ABIGAIL
WINDLE, bap 10 Oct 1624, Rylstone,[50]
bur 18 Sep 1671, Rylstone;[51]
m(1) 10 Sep 1651, Rylstone, THOMAS MOORHOUSE;[52]
m(2) ca 1658, JAMES KNOWLES.[53]
x WILLIAM
WINDLE of Cracoe, bap 9 Sep 1627, Rylstone,[54]
bur 24 Mar 1684/85, Rylstone;[55] m
ANN.[56]
xi WINDLE, bur 18 May 1631, Rylstone.[57]
[1] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The summary is written after the burials for 1607.
[2] C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological Journal, 14(1898):458-506, at 486.
[3] J.W. Clay, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological Journal, 16(1902):1-37, at 36.
[4] Will of Stephen Kitchin of Cracoe, dated 20 Dec 1629, proved 15 Apr 1630 (Borthwick Institute); National Archives, PROB 11/277/663.
[5] Will dated 22 Jul 1638, proved 9 Jul 1639 (Borthwick Institute).
[7] National Archives, C 22/773/6.
[8] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). In the 1649 depositions, Jane is stated to be “aged xlty yeares or thereabouts” which appears to be very inaccurate, perhaps an error for “lxty”.
[9] National Archives, C 22/744/17. The details given in the depositions indicate that John’s father was the Christopher Windle of Earby who was buried at Thornton-in-Craven on 21 Nov 1633 (Thornton-in-Craven parish registers, online at www.ancestry.com).
[10] National Archives, C 22/773/6.
[11] Skipton parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[12] Will of John Mitchell (“Michell”), dated 2 Dec 1613 and proved 1 Feb 1613/14 (Borthwick Institute).
[13] C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological and Topographical Journal, 11(1891):209-245, at 226.
[14] Will dated 25 Jul 1616, proved 13 Jan 1616/17 (Borthwick Institute).
[15] National Archives, PROB 11/277/663.
[16] West Yorkshire Archive Service, R D/AP1/83/43.
[17] Richmond parish registers (online at www.findmypast.co.uk). The entry gives Miles’s residence as Walden.
[18] Richmond parish registers (online at www.findmypast.co.uk). Miles’s will does mention any children of his own and only refers to his wife in an interlinear addition (“my wyves right excepted”) but the probate details name her as Margaret. One of the men who took the inventory of Miles’s estate was William Cootes.
[19] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); National Archives, PROB 11/277/663.
[20] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological and Topographical Journal, 11(1891):209-245, at 226.
[21] Burnsall parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological Journal, 14(1898):458-506, at 486.
[22] H.B. McCall, ed., Yorkshire Star Chamber Proceedings, vol. 2 (Leeds, 1911), 81-82. See also West Yorkshire Archive Service, catalogue entry for WYL639/172.
[23] West Yorkshire Archive Service, R D/AP1/81/78.
[25] West Yorkshire Archive Service, R D/AP1/82/135A.
[26] C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological and Topographical Journal, 10(1889):169-204, at 198.
[27] Will dated 25 Apr 1565, proved 9 May 1565 (Borthwick Institute).
[28] Will of Christopher Windle, dated 25 Apr 1565, proved 9 May 1565 (Borthwick Institute).
[29] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[30] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); will dated 22 Jul 1638, proved 9 Jul 1639 (Borthwick Institute); National Archives, C 78/536.
[31] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). Jean seems to be sometimes used as a variant of Jane in the register in this period.
[32] Burnsall parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); C.B. Norcliffe, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological Journal, 14(1898):458-506, at 486. A “Widoe Spence” was buried at Burnsall on 5 Dec 1630.
[33] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); National Archives, PROB 11/277/663.
[34] Another William Windle, sometimes described as junior, married Agnes Stawe at Thornton-in-Craven on 24 Nov 1601 and it is not clear in every case which William was the father of children baptised at Thornton after that date. The will of Jennet Stawe of Earby, dated 16 Nov 1607 and proved 8 Apr 1608 (Borthwick Institute) mentions her “sonne” William Windle’s children Alice, Mary and Ann. The will of William Windle, mentioning his wife Agnes and several children, was dated 12 Sep 1625 and proved 13 Apr 1626 (Borthwick Institute). An Abigail, daughter of William Windle, baptised at Thornton on 22 Sep 1606, was probably a daughter of William and Jean (Windle) Windle.
[35] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). She is called “Jean” in the baptism entry.
[36] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[37] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[38] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[39] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[40] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[41] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[42] Thornton-in-Craven parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[43] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[44] J.W. Clay, “Paver’s Marriage Licenses”, The Yorkshire Archæological Journal, 16(1902):1-37, at 36; will of Stephen Kitchin of Cracoe, dated 20 Dec 1629, proved 15 Apr 1630 (Borthwick Institute).
[45] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[46] Bradford parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[47] Bradford parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The will of Agnes (Spence) (Kitchin) Windle mentions “my grandchild Anne Ibitson”. The will of Thomas Kitchin of Conistone, son of Thomas and Agnes (Spence) Kitchin, dated 21 Oct 1688 (Borthwick Institute) mentions “Ann Ibbotson daughter of Thomas Ibbotson of Bradford”.
[48] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[49] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); National Archives, C 78/536.
[50] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[51] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[52] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[53] The will of Abigail’s first husband Thomas Moorhouse was proved in 1657 (PROB 11/266/541) and the will of her mother, dated 13 Mar 1657[/58], mentions “my daughter Abigail Moorehouse of Rilston” (National Archives, PROB 11/277/663). Abigail seems to have married James Knowles soon afterwards. The births of George, son of James Knowles, on 5 Nov 1659, and Elizabeth, daughter of James Knowles, on 13 Oct 1661, are recorded in the Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The will of James Knowles of Rylstone, made on 5 Feb 1666/67 and proved 31 Oct 1681 (Borthwick Institute) mentions his son George, daughter Elizabeth and wife Abigail. The will of Thomas Kitchin of Conistone, son of Thomas and Agnes (Spence) Kitchin, dated 21 Oct 1688 (Borthwick Institute) leaves “unto George Knowles three pounds and to his sister Elizabeth five pounds”.
[54] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[55] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[57] Rylstone parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).