Person:George Walby (5)

George Walby was baptised on 9th July 1648 at Aston in Hertfordshire, son of Martha Walby, formerly Smith, and her husband George Walby, a butcher. Young George appears to have been the eldest of six children. When George was thirteen years old his father died.

George was married in 1675 at Ardeley, a little way north of Aston, to Sarah Skeg. They returned to Aston after their marriage, where they had four children baptised between 1676 and 1682.

George died at the aged of 46, being buried at Aston on 15th September 1694. An inventory was taken of his possessions, which appear to suggest he was a farmer. His estate included £27 worth of wheat and barley "in the great barn", £16 worth of oats and peas "in the little barn", and several farm animals: a cow, six pigs, two horses and four sheep. We can also tell something about his status from the places around the house and outbuildings mentioned in the inventory - there was a 'shop' (probably in the sense of workshop), a drink house, a kitchen, a milk house, a hall, a chamber above the stairs, a parlour and a servant's chamber.

Sarah outlived George by nearly 32 years.

1. ↑ Church of England. Aston Parish registers, 1558-1980. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   1648
   Georg the son of Georg Walby bapt[ised] July 9

   This baptism has been linked to the George who married Sarah Skeg in 1675 on the basis that the father of the George baptised in 1648 was a butcher, whilst at least one of the sons of George and Sarah was a butcher. The 1648 baptism is at a plausible time and in the parish in which the adult George had his children and died, and no evidence has been found suggesting the George baptised in 1648 died young or married anyone else. This is also the baptism identified in a mid 20th century genealogy of the Walby family deposited at Hertfordshire Archives, which also claims that this George was a butcher like his father and son, which is plausible, but the evidence confirming George's occupation that the genealogy relied upon has not been found.

2. ↑ Church of England. Aston Parish registers, 1558-1980. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   1694
   George Walbye buried Sept[ember] 15

3.   Inventory, in Hertfordshire, England. Huntingdon (Hitchin) Archdeaconry Wills. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies)
   H22/1235.
   A True Inventory of all George Walbys goods & Chattles
   Lately Deceased in the parish of Aston & County of Hertford
   Valued & parsed by [...] names are Underwritten
   on 10th day of September 1694
   
   

   In the Great Barn Wheat & Barly	27	.	00
   In the Little Barn Oates & Pease	16	.	-
   for Hay in the Barn & standing Abroad	14	.	-
   for Grass in the Feild	1	.	-
   for One Cow	3	.
   for Six Piggs	4	.	10
   for two Horse	4	.	-
   for two Carts two plowes one paire Harrowes & Harness w[i]th other implements}	3	.	-
   for Wood in the yard	2	.	-
   for foure Sheepe	1	.	-
   for twice Tilling Seaven Acres of Ground	3	.	10
   for Waites, Scales, Towlds[?], & Clevers in the shop	1	.	10
   for two Tubs one Comnell[?] three drink Vessells in the drink house	1	.	-
   for three Kettles one porridg pot in the Kitchin	1	.	-
   for Milk Vessells in the Milk house	-	.	10
   for two Tables Six joint Stools one Cubboard in the Hall	1	.	2
   for three pewter dishes one Warming pan one paire Gridirons foure chairs one Gridiron fire shovell[?] & Tongues}	1	.	12
   for one Table three Hutches one Cubboard two chaires one paire Gridirons a bed & Bedstead one Boulster Two Blankett eight paire shoes[?] one Dozen Napkin one Table Cloath all in the Chamber above Stairs}	5	.	-
   for one bed & Bedstead its[?] Curtains lanbll[?] & one chest in the parlour	1	.	10
   for one Bed & Bedstead two Blanketts in the Servant Chamber	1	.	-
   for Apples	-	.	5
   for Waring Aparrell	2	.	-
   in all - £	95	.	9

   
   John Bigg
   Henry Cordwell