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Facts and Events
Sarah Skeg's origins have yet to be established. Her first confirmed sighting is on 16th February 1675 when she was married at Ardeley in Hertfordshire to a George Walby. He was from the nearby village of Aston, where they settled after their marriage, having four children baptised between 1676 and 1682.
George died in 1694, aged 48. Sarah was left looking after the four children, who were between eighteen and eleven years old when their father died. She wrote a will in 1700, naming all four children. Shortly after she wrote her will her daughter Ann died, aged 20.
In 1706 Sarah's son George married, and Sarah's first known grandchild was born in 1709. Sarah's son George died in 1715 aged only 36.
Sarah died in 1726, when she was described as an 'ancient woman'. She had survived her husband by over forty years, and it was 51 years since she had married. She had seen at least six grandchildren born in her lifetime. She was buried at Aston on 7th August 1726.
References
- ↑ Church of England. Aston Parish registers, 1558-1980. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).
1726
Sarah Walby an ancient woman Aug[ust] 7
- Hertfordshire, England. Huntingdon (Hitchin) Archdeaconry Wills. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies)
144HW17.
In the Name of God Amen the twelfth day of October In the yeare of our Lord God 1700 I Sarah Walby of Aston in the County of Hertford Widdow, being desirous to settle that little Estate it hath please God to give me, doe therefore make my last will & Testament In Manner following: Imp[rim]is I recommend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God hopeing to receive Salvation through the meritts my Lord & Savio[ur] Jesus Christ & my body I desire may be buried near my husband at Aston Whereas my Elder Son George Walby is provided for already by the Estate that descended to him upon the death of his father therefore my care might be for my younger children, & in order thereunto I give unto my younger Son William Walby the house wherein I now live with the ground thereunto belonging being a lease hold Estate holden of the family of the Botelers upon Condic[i]on neverthelesse that he shall pay to my two daughters Sarah & Anne tenne pounds apeece Sarahs money to be paid within one yeare after my decease & Annes money to be paid her within two yeares after my decease & if either of my daughters shall happen to die before their moneye shall become due to them then my will is that the whole shall be paid to the survivor of them & if both of them shall happen to die before the money shall become due My will is that the same shall be saved to my son William & not be paid to any Ex[ecut]or or Adm[inistrat]or of my said daughters But if my said son William shall not pay to his Sisters their Legacies according to this my will that then & in Such case I give the said house & ground unto my said two daughters upon Condic[i]on that they pay to my said son William the sume of twenty pounds but if my said son William shall happen to die before he attains to one & twenty yeares of age or before he pays the moneys I give the said house & lande to my said Daughters equally to be divided between them And as to my p[er]sonall Estate whatsoever I give the same amongst all my said Children (to witt) my two sons & my two daughters equally to be divided amongst them after the just debts which I shall owe at the time of my decease & my funerall expenses are paid And lastly I constitute & appoint my said son William my Sole Executor of this my last will & Testament desiring him to see the same carefully p[er]formed Thus revoking all former & other wills by me made I do desire this to be my last will & testament contained in one sheet of paper
Signed sealed published & Declared by the Testatrix to be her last will & Testament in the p[re]sence of we whos names are hereunto sett in the p[re]sence of the s[ai]d testatrix
Jo: Chauncy
John Page serv[an]t to Mr Chauncy
Sarah Passett
Sarah Walby X her mark
[Probate in Latin: 16 Aug 1726 at Hitchin.]
- Hertfordshire, England. Huntingdon (Hitchin) Archdeaconry Wills. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).
Other Skegg wills at Aston which may be connected to Sarah:
123HW6 / 11HR227 - John Skegg, yeoman of Aston, 1720/1
120HR73 / 120HW51 - William Skegg junior, husbandman of Aston, 1688, with inventory
Needs to be confirmed at Hertfordshire Archives.
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