Person:Francis Dingley (7)

Francis Dingley was baptised on 19th August 1628 at Cropthorne in Worcestershire, son of Philip Dingley. No records have yet been found which name Francis’s mother. Francis appears to have been the eldest of eight children. Francis’s father Philip was described as a gentleman of Charlton in the parish of Cropthorne.

It is not clear when either of Francis’s parents died; his youngest brother was baptised in 1651, whilst his father was mentioned as being deceased by 1660 in Francis’s brother Samuel’s apprenticeship papers. The surviving Cropthorne registers between the 1640s and 1660s are very patchy due to all the upheavals through the Civil Wars and Commonwealth period that Francis lived through as an adolescent and young man.

On 20th January 1669 a marriage licence was issued for Francis to marry Mary Eden, who was also from Charlton in Cropthorne. Francis was said to be “about 36” on the marriage licence, although he was actually forty. Mary was about fifteen years his junior; she was said to be 25 on their marriage licence.

Francis and Mary appear to have had at least seven children together. Baptisms have only been found for three of them. The other children are all named in Francis’s will, which he wrote in 1708. In it he described himself as a yeoman.

Francis died in 1712, aged 83. He left relatively small amounts of money to his children and grandchildren, with the remainder of his property being left to his wife Mary. An inventory taken immediately after his death includes crops of corn and hay, teams of horses, livestock including cows, calves, sheep and pigs, and farming equipment including ploughs, harrows, carts and wagons. The inventory was taken on 28th July 1712, before Francis had been buried. He was buried at Cropthorne on 30th July 1712.

Mary survived Francis by just over a year.

1. ↑ Cropthorne, Worcestershire: Parish Register Transcript.

   Anno D[omi]ni 1628 / Francis the sonne of Mr Ph[i]lippe Dingley was baptized August 19.

2. ↑ Cropthorne, Worcestershire: Parish Register Transcript.

   1712. Burials / July 30. Mr Francis Dingley was buried.

3.   Worcestershire Probate Records (Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service, Worcester).
   In the name of God Amen the sixteenth day of July one thousand seven hundred and eight I Francis Dingley of Charlton in the parish of Cropthorn and County of Worcester Yeoman being weak in body but of good and perfect memory thanks be to Almighty God and calling to remembrance the uncertain estate of this transitory life and that all flesh must yield into death when God shall be pleased to call doe make constitute ordain and declare this my last will and testament in manor and form following revoking and disanulling by these present all and every testament will or wills heretofore by me made or declared either by word or writing and this to be taken only for my last will and none of those and now for the setling of my temporall estate and such goods cattell and chattells as it hath pleased God far above my deserts to bestow upon me I order give and dispose the same as followeth that is to say first I will that all those Debts and Duties as I owe in right or conscience to any person or persons whatsoever shall be well and truly Contented and paid or ordained to be paid by my Executor hereafter named within convenient time after my decease
   Item I give and bequeath to my Sonn Richard five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Daughter Alice five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Sonn Francis five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Sonn Phillip five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Sonn Samuel five shillings
   Item I give and bequeath to my Sonn William five shillings
   Item I give to Katherine Dinely my grandaugther five shillings
   Item I give to Elizabeth Best my grandaughter five shillings
   Item I give to Anne Best my grandaughter five shillings
   Item I give to Mary Munslor my grandaughter five shillings
   Item I give unto all my God sons and daughters each of them one shilling
   Item I make Mary my beloved wife my whole Executor and leave all my goods cattell and chattells at her disposing provided she pay all my Debts and Legacies In witness whereof I have hereunto putt my hand and Seale the day and year above written.
   FRANCIS DINGLEY
   Sealed and subscribed in the presence of
   William...
   Samuel Hood
   
   A true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the goods cattle chattels rights and credits of Francis Dingley late of Charlton in the Parish of Cropthorne in the County and Diocese of Worcester Gent[leman] Dece[ase]d Taken and Apprized this twenty eighth day of July Anno Dom[ini] 1712 by us whose names are hereunto subscribed as followeth viz.
   

   		£	s	d
   Imprimis His Wearing Apparell		05	00	00
   Item	Beds Bolsters Linen and Woollen and other furniture belonging to the Chamber	25	00	00
   Item	For Brass and Pewter and other things belonging to the Kitchen with the other furniture belonging to other Rooms Below Stairs with Barrels and hams in the Cellar	53	05	00
   Item	For the Crop of Corne and Hay	60	00	00
   Item	For the Teems of Horses	33	10	00
   Item	For the Stock of Cowes Calves and Sheep	24	05	00
   Item	For the Stock of Piggs	03	10	00
   Item	For Plows harrows Carts Waggons and other Implements thereunto belonging	16	10	00
   	For Cheese and Bacon	02	05	00
   Sum total		181	05	00

   
   John Eden
   Thomas Munslo Appraisers

   This will transcript and the accompanying inventory transcript are copied from images of transcripts attached to various member’s trees on Ancestry, although unclear where the actual will and inventory were found – they do not appear to be listed in the Worcestershire Probate Index or in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills. Assumed that it is a Worcestershire will that has been omitted from the index, but needs to be confirmed at Worcestershire Archives.

   There is either an error in the transcription or the addition on the original inventory – the sum of the items listed is actually £223 5s.