Person:Joseph Males (3)

Joseph Males was born on 10th February 1743 and baptised the following month at Cottered in Hertfordshire, son of Mary Males, formerly Dearman, and her husband John Males, a farmer.

Some time between 1757 (when Joseph's youngest brother was born) and 1762 (when his elder sister married) the family appears to have moved from Cottered to Codicote, about nine miles to the south west. Joseph had an uncle, also called Joseph Males, who lived at Node Farm in Codicote, so the family already had connections in the area.

On 15th November 1768, aged 25, Joseph married a widow called Ann Mardel at Welwyn, immediately south of Codicote. The following year he took a lease for nine years of Three Houses Farm in the parish of Knebworth, which is very close to his uncle's farm at Node Farm.

In 1774, Joseph's parents moved to Shaw Green Farm in the parish of Rushden, back near Cottered.

Joseph and Ann do not appear to have had any children together. She died in 1776 and was buried at Knebworth.

Just under three years later, Joseph remarried. His second wife was Elizabeth Pearman, and she was about fourteen years his junior. They married at Ardeley, also close to Cottered where Joseph had lived as a child, although Joseph was still described as being "of Knebworth" when they married. After their marriage they lived in Knebworth for a few years, having a daughter called Sarah baptised there in 1779 and a daughter called Mary baptised there in 1781.

In 1782, Joseph's uncle died. Having been one of the witnesses to his uncle's will, Joseph gave evidence to the court regarding some changes which had been made to the will. In this evidence he was described as a farmer of Knebworth.

Some time between 1782 and 1792 Joseph and Elizabeth left Knebworth and returned to Ardeley, where they had married. Elizabeth died in 1792, aged 35, and was buried at Ardeley.

Over in Rushden, Joseph's father died in 1793 and his mother died in 1807. Joseph was one of the beneficiaries of his mother's will.

In 1810, Joseph and his two daughters Sarah and Mary were also named in the will of John Pearman, father of Joseph's late wife Elizabeth. John Pearman had been a farmer at Luffenhall, a hamlet which straddles Ardeley, Clothall and Walkern parishes (and also very close to Cottered and Rushden).

Joseph died in 1819, aged 76. He had been living at Walkern immediately before his death, although he was buried at Ardeley, on 11th September 1819.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Church of England. Parish Church of Cottered. Parish registers, 1558-1977. (Hertford: Security Microfilms, 1975-1989).

   Baptized at Cottered / 1743 / Mailes / Joseph Son of John Mailes Jun[io]r (Farmer) & Mary his wife (born Feb[ruary] 10 [i.e. 10 Feb 1742/3]) March 26

2.   Discovery Catalogue The National Archives.

   DE/K/46627
   Lease for 9 years
   By Richard Warbuton Lytton of Knebworth esq, to Joseph Males of Woolmer Green, Welwyn, of two messuages known as "the Farms of the Three houses" and various lands in Knebworth.
   Field names given.
   Signature: Joseph Males (seal)
   Witnesses: Richard Price, Richard Kent
   Date: 12 Oct 1769
   Archive: Hertfordshire Archives

3. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Parish Registers of Ardeley. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Yardley in the County of Hertford in the Year 1819
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   54	Joseph Males	Walkern	Sep[tembe]r 11th	76 years	W. Parslow, Vicar