Person:Underwood Males (1)

Underwood Males was born on 5th April 1748 and baptised eleven days later at Cottered in Hertfordshire. He was the son of Mary Males, formerly Dearman, and her husband John Males, a yeoman farmer.

Some time between 1757 (when Underwood's youngest brother was baptised) and 1762 (when his eldest sister was married) the family appears to have moved about nine miles south-west of Cottered to Codicote. Several of Underwood's siblings married in the Codicote area. In 1774 Underwood's father took a lease of Shaw Green Farm at Rushden, back near Cottered, and Underwood appears to have left Codicote to go and live at Rushden with his parents.

On 2nd October 1777, aged 29, Underwood married Ann Draper at Clothall, another neighbouring parish to Rushden. Shortly after their marriage they moved back to Codicote, where several of Underwood's siblings had stayed. They went on to have seven children baptised at Codicote between 1779 and 1789, although one died young. Records from the 1780s and 1790s describe Underwood as being the licensee of the Robin Hood public house in Codicote, which is presumably the same establishment later known as the Robin Hood and Little John and Rabley Heath, a hamlet to the east of the village. The Robin Hood and Little John is a seventeenth century timber framed building which is now a listed building.

Back in Rushden, Underwood's father died in 1793 and his mother died in 1807. Underwood was named as one of the beneficiaries of his mother's will.

Underwood died in 1817, being buried at Codicote on 11th March 1817. His last abode was given as Hitchin. Although the town of Hitchin is some eight miles north of Codicote, the parish of Hitchin at that time had a long rural spur projecting southwards almost as far as Codicote. When Ann died five years later her abode was given as Shilley Green, which is a farm in that rural part of Hitchin parish near the hamlet of Langley.

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

   Baptized at Cottered / 1748 / Mailes / Underwood Mailes Son of John Mailes Farmer & Mary his wife (born Ap[ril] 5) Ap[ril] 16

2.   Miscellaneous Names (1604-1975), in Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. Hertfordshire Names Online
   LS/VAR/6/1-63.

   Victuallers Recognizances
   1786-1790
   Underwood Males
   Robin Hood public house, Codicote

3. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Codicote Parish Registers, 1559-1929. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Codicote in the County of Hertford in the Year 1817
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   46	Underwood Males	Hitchin	March 11	69 years [1747/8]	T.J. Jaumard