Ancestry.com: P05: Probate records of the court of the Dean of Salisbury 0004reg
In the name of God Amen the xixth [19th] day of April in the year of our Lord god one thousand five hundred fowerscore and two [1582] I Rbt [Robert] TAPP of Ffordington being a peculiar belonging to the Cathedral Church of Sarum calling to mind the certainty of death and the certainty of the time thereof and feeling weakness of my body but perfectness of mind and remembrance (god be praised) do make my last testament concerning my last will in manner and form following:
First: I give and commend my soul unto almighty god my maker and my body to be buried within the churchyard of the parish of Fordington aforesaid:
Item: I give unto the poor men’s box of Fordington aforesaid 6d:
Item: I give to my daughter Alice a coffer with key and lock standing by the bedside where I lie and a platter and pottinger of tin
Item: I give to Ann my daughter half an acre of wheat lying at Hencberin? within the fields of Fordington aforesaid and 1 sack of barley to be delivered unto her or her assigns at the next harvest time
Item: I give to Jone my daughter one platter one pottinger and 1 saucer of tin and one candlestick;
I give to Alice my wife the porker [young pig fattened for food]:
I will that the said Alice my wife shall have the use of the standing bedstead, featherbed bolster two pillows coverlett and blanket and one sheet belonging to the same standing bedstead that I do use to lie upon during her life if she do not marry at any time And then I will that the same standing bedstead, featherbed bolster pillow coverletts and sheet shall remain and be the goods of my sons William & Robert without any covyn [covin] or fraud.
I will also that the said Alice my wife shall have the use of the lesser brass pan of the three bigger pans and a little crock now remaining in the custody of Nicholas DOBYN of Tolpuddle for and during the space of three years from and after my decease if my said wife do and shall so long live. And the use and leave of the same as well repaired and used as at the time of the receipt thereof Provided that if my wife do not cover the said bed with new canvas within a reasonable time [ ] she may be able, then I will my said two sons to have the use of the said feather bed
The residue of my goods as well moveable and unmoveable I give and bequeath unto my said sons Willm and Robert whom I make only my Executors and they to see my debts truly paid .
And I will and my mind is that my said sons shall stand bound in several [joint] obligations unto the Overseers of this my last present Testament that they shall equally divide my goods between them, or the price of any of the goods that shall be sold , And they to lay allow equal pte and persons towards the payment of any said debts
Item I do ordain and make my Nephew Sr Thomas TAPP, Robert BARONS, and John WHITE the younger the Overseers of this my present Testament
These being witnesses cousin Johane CHUBB
The debts which I do owe are these
Impremis to Sr Thomas TAPP and Robert COSSENS being the Overseers of the Testament of Roger COSSENS for a little [wyk of otte and batches ?] the sum of 40 shillings
Item to the same Overseers the rest of the price of a house which is 46 shillings
Item to Robert Michu? Which I borrowed of him the sum of 6 shillings
Item to John Allyn of Mayne for Barley 10? Shillings
Item to John DOWBYE I do owe 10 shillings
Probate of this testament of Robert TAPP deceased –of Fordington proved before Johane BRIDGES 29 Aug 1582
INVENTORY
[Note:- I have not recorded the values against each item which are difficult to read as is much of the text making it difficult to be sure about some items particularly where I have added a ?]
There followeth an Inventory taken the iij [3rd] day of July in the year of our Lord 1582 of goods chattles and debts of Robte TAPPE of Fordington deceased prised by Wm BUTTE, John WILLMS, Reynold THORNE & Robte COSSENS
Impremis: a cheaste [Chest] --pice [prised or appraised at]
Itm: iij [3] Coffers - the best --
Itm: the second & third [coffers] --
Itm: the bedstead --
Itm: the featrher beede [bed], a bolster, pillows --
Itm: a coverlet wth blancets [blankets] --
Itm: wone [one] sheit [sheet] --
Itm: wone [one] tester --
Itm: two cubards [cupboards] --
Itm: a basson [baison] --
Itm: vij [7] platters --
Itm: iiij [4] poden[ ]? [porringers?] --
Itm: two sawcers [saucers] --
Itm: a salte [ ] --
Itm: iiij [4 ] candlesticks --
Itm: fower brasse potts --
Itm: fower brass pans --
Itm: two bottles --
Itm: a frayenor [frying?] pan --
Itm: fower trendles --
Itm: one draye? baule [bowl] --
Itm: a [ ] vate [vat] --
Itm: a [ ] vate [vat] --
Itm: a Dirke? --
Itm: two standers -- [probably to stand the vats on]
Itm; a plump? --
Itm: a drasse? vate [vat] --
Itm: a silte? wt [with] ij [2] wder? --
Itm: iij [3] Covell? --
Itm: two paylls? --
Itm: a busshell --
Itm: a peele -- [long handled shovelwith which loaves are thrust into an oven]
Itm: a chagers stoole --
Itm: a table boade [tableboard] tressell & form --
Itm: a hacknel sadle [saddle] --
Itm: two turns? [churns?] --
Itm: a Keale? --
Itm: a tener sawe [tenon saw] --
Itm: wone [one] axe & hatchet --
Itm: two [-------?] [carpenters?] chessel & wimell [i.e. wimble - an auger] --
[Folded over]
Itm: ----Cart Horses ---
Itn: the harness belonging unto ---
Itm: The Cart --
Itm: The Sulle wt their h?ults [halters] --
Itm: the itpes wt ropps [ropes?] & botkell --
Itm: the woode ---
Itm: a skoope [scoop] --
Itm: xviij [18] bords --
Itm: two picks --
Itm: a porker [young pig] --
Itm: a carte roppe --
Itm: a sithe [Old english for Scythe] & donye wooke? --
Itm: eight ackers of wheate --
Itm: vij [7] ackers of barlye --
[Torn and edges missing]
------Exhibited & William TAPPE a //
[i.e. Robert TAPPE] ------other executor on penultimate [30th] //
die [day] mensis [month] Augusti [August] Anno//
DM 1582 [rest latin] Signed Hutchins
Genealogical Notes :-
(1) Parish Registers and Bishops Transcripts have not survived for the period 1579 to 1584
(2) THE SURNAME TAPP/TOPP:
At this date there was no correct way to spell a name. Dr Samuel Johnson's Dictionary was the first real attempt at a complete dictionary which included common the common word and was not published until 1755. This of course did not include surnames, but was the first real attempt at any standarisation. Each scribe in 1582 was therefore recording how the name sounded to him and ability varied considerably. There are many examples even for Robert's surname which makes associating documents more difficult and requiring as much evidence as possible. It always worth bearing in mind whether you are dealing with different scribes with different backgrounds.
Robert TAPP (alias TOPP) (d.1582) Husbandman or Yeoman
From his will and inventory above was clearly a husbandman or yeoman with a holding in Fordington Fields - The inventory although damaged lists 8 acres of wheat, 7 of barley and an acre of vetch (a legume) and all the tools inc a cart and horse to run a smallholding. He leaves for example half an acre of wheat specified as being in Fordington Fields to his daughter Ann, and the pig to his wife Alice and owes a debt for barley he has purchased for his copyhold. 16 acres equates to a Farthinghold [Link]
Most land in Fordington Fields was copyhold and held for 3 lives which often started with the copyholder himself, his wife and eldest male child and changed with circumstances. Here after his death Alice is still in charge of 3 unmarried daughters and two sons Wm & Robert, so I would expect her to be the next life. If we turn to the 1600 Survey of Fordington Manor there is only one Alice holding a copyhold in her own name, and she is a widow, but recorded as Alice TOPP holding a half place (usually about 20/25 acres - link ) and paying 13s 4d rent. If we move on to the crucial 1607 Survey This half place is held by a Thomas TAPPE amounting to 29 acres and paying 13s 4d rent. It also usefully states that "the previous owner was Alice TAPPE the widow of Robert TAPPE his father". This Alice is later buried at FStG recorded as Alice TAPPE widow on 17th Jan 1615/16. Another interesting entry in the 1607 return is that Thomas TAPP has recently erected a new cottage in the West Tything near Magdelen Hill for which he is paying the highest rent of 18d. As the rest of his family is on the original plot this suggests to me he is already married to his wife Joan and they now have separate accommodation.
Thomas TAPP (born ~1555) was therefore their eldest son and the third life on the original copyhold which as heir is why he is not left a bequest in Robert's will. Thomas still holds the plot of 29 acres in the 1615 Survey [but recorded as Thomas TOPP] from which we get an estimate of his age as being 60 making him born ~1555. Interestingly this time recorded as Thomas TAPPE he still has the new cottage but paying a more reasonable 12d rent. We have not located the burial of Thomas or his brother William mentioned in his father's will so it is possible they died during the civil war when registers from 1640 to 1663 are missing. A new copyhold agreement however was granted in the year 1636 and by the 1650 Survey Robert & Alice's youngest son Robert TAPP is holding the 29 acre plot by custom of the manor with only his life left on the copyhold - so it looks as though the 1636 copyhold was for the life of the three brothers Thomas, William and Robert TAPP.
SUMMARY: I think this draws a consistent thread through the above documents that shows that Robert TAPP (d.1582) [alias Topp] was married to Alice (bur 1615) and they had at least 3 boys, Thomas, William and Robert and 3 girls Alice, Ann and Jone. The family held by copyhold grant a half place at 'the Crosse' in Fordington Fields for 29 acres [made up of 27 acres of arable land, 1½ acres of Meadow and ½ an acre of meadow] and this passed to Alice at her widowhood in 1582 by custom of the manor. By 1607, 25 years has passed since her husbands death and Alice is recorded as the previous owner of the plot and having ceded it to her son and heir and no heriot was paid as Thomas was the third life on the original copyhold deed. On 14th March 1614/15 Joan the wife of Thomas TAPP is buried at FStG and the 1615 survey confirms Thomas still holds the plot but and cottage - their is no evidence that they had any children. In 1636 a new copyhold is arranged for 3 lives for the 3 brothers Thomas, William and Robert and then the Civil War intervenes and we loose track of Thomas and William and Robert is left as the last of the 3 lives in the Survey carried out in 1650.