http://olneyfamilyarchives.blogspot.com.au
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 1 - 3.
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"Our research goes back to 1549 when William Onye married Agnes Scaune at Chalgrave, Bedfordshire. Their son Richard Olney married Jane Littlepage in 1584 at Woburn, Bedfordshire. They had four children christened there between 1585 and 1593, after that there are no further Olney entries in Woburn.
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 1 - 3.
"Our research goes back to 1549 when William Onye married Agnes Scaune at Chalgrave, Bedfordshire. Their son Richard Olney married Jane Littlepage in 1584 at Woburn, Bedfordshire. They had four children christened there between 1585 and 1593, after that there are no further Olney entries in Woburn.
Beatrice, daughter of Richard and Jane of Woburn, was baptised in 1590 and married Thomas Wells in 1642 at Luton (her name recorded as Betteris).
However,
the Luton parish registers begin in 1603, and
in 1605 through to 1612 we find four more christenings for the children of
Richard and Jane Olney. It seems probable that the family moved from Woburn to Luton between
1593 and 1605.
There appears to be only one son of Richard
and Jane Olney who survived to marry. He was Richard, christened in 1605.
Richard married twice. His first wife, Jane (or Jone), had six children and
died a few days after giving birth to twin boys, Thomas and Walter, in 1643.
Richard's second wife, Amey (Amy, Amie), had seven children before her death in
1697. Richard died in 1684. Richard Olney appears in the Hearth Tax Returns for
1671, possessing a home with two hearths (this tax was based on the number of
fireplaces a family had - as reasonable as any other tax!).
Three of Richard's children by his first
marriage were John, William and Thomas. We see that William and Thomas and
their families are mentioned in John’s will dated 1711. The first interesting
thing is that he was a butcher of Luton. (The
family practiced the butcher's trade for over a century). In his will, John,
who apparently was unmarried, mentions his brother Thomas and "kinsman
Thos Olney, his son, and Ann and Joane, his daughters." The term kinsman
was used to indicate relationship, and here it refers to the children of Thomas
(nephew and nieces of John). The will also refers to his kinsman John Olney,
son of William (who was another brother of John's).
William was also a butcher and married
Elizabeth Carter who died in 1728. Several other Olneys are shown as weavers
and butchers up to the 1750s. They had 12 children which included William christened 7 December 1676 and Richard christened 19 May 1682 who married Mary Clarke.
The author of "From Codicote to
Carievale, The Olney Family", A. Gordon Keys has provided a lot of history
on the Olneys in the early days. The foremost emphasis is on William Olney
(christened 1676) and Sarah Brownsell and their next two generations, Samuel Olney (christened 3 July 1723) and James Olney (christened 6 February 1748). Recent
research by Valmai Olney of Perth,
Western Australia considers that
A. Gordon Keys has mistakenly identified James Olney (christened 6 February 1748) for his
cousin James Olney (christened 2 August 1745), the son of Richard Olney and Jane Tomlin.
The family history then continues, as it
should, from James Olney and Anne French to Francis Olney and Elizabeth Irons
to Charles Olney and Martha Purser. Because A. Gordon Keys did so much research
on the Olneys of that era, and as William and Richard were brothers,
information about William and Sarah’s decendants has been included. This helps
us understand what life was like in those days. Richard and Mary Clarke remained in Luton while William and Sarah Brownsell moved to
Codicote.
In the surviving Manor records of Luton, we have Thos Olney holding land from the Lord of
the Manor in 1732 (this is the same Thos mentioned in the will of John Olney).
In the 1740s, Richard Olney, butcher, was fined for having an illegal sign over
his shop. Richard later bought and sold land in the 1750s.
The
Parish Registers of Codicote go back to 1559. These were troubled times in England.
The Civil War between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads had led to the
establishment of the Commonwealth. Many of the Parish priests were ejected from
their position and many people rejected being christened. Christening records
were often kept in a separate register, which may not have survived.
Most
of us would probably expect that there would be few records from so long ago,
but we are fortunate for two reasons. First, the British have always been
meticulous in keeping documentation and second,
more importantly, they have often been successful in preserving these records
from the ravages of time.
For Codicote (and the Olneys), there
are three sources from which we can build a reasonably complete picture of the
family. These records are the Parish papers - both the registers and the Vestry
Book, various land documents and an excellent set of Apprenticeship papers.
William, born 7 December 1676,
settled in Codicote about 1706. He was a butcher by trade and, as we will see
later, the family stayed in this trade for many generations. The fact that the
family were butchers explains their frequent moves from one parish to another.
In a small village there would not be room for more than one butcher, so the
sons moved elsewhere to set up or take over an existing business".
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| Peter & Joy Olney enjoyed their visit to Codicote in 2007 |
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| Codicote Green in 2007. Note Coat of Arms with St Giles Church, Old Dog, "George & Dragon Inn" - all with special significance to the Olney family. |
"The family
undoubtedly had some wealth, and in the England of those days wealth was
usually in land. With no stock market or other places to invest capital, land
was where money could be invested to bring in a steady return from rents,
mortgages, produce, etc. Land could also be passed down to the children,
ensuring their continued fortune.
The marriage of
William Olney to Sarah Brownsell took place on 25 April 1707, in Codicote.
The parish
of Codicote is mentioned in the Doomsday
Book in 1086 as having a church - St. Albans,
and two mills. When the "Black Death" plague struck England in 1348, Codicote was hard
hit. By November of that year five tenants had died; by May 1349, there were 59
deaths and a further 25 by December. A St. Alban's monk wrote that pestilence
"had halved all flesh". In the Abbey itself the prior, sub-prior and
47 other monks had died.
England
had been suffering from overpopulation and the “Black Death” solved, in a
rather harsh manner, this problem. In 1350, 15 of the tenements in Codicote
were still "in the lord's hands". That is, the lord of the Manor was
unable to find anyone
to rent them to.
In the old
Parish church, parts of which date back to 1108, is the "Old Dog".
This is a medieval woodcarving, which perhaps began as the end of a pew,
showing a fascinating creature with the head of a monkey, the ears of a bat,
the mane of a horse, the tail of a lion, and legs and cloven hooves of a cow.
To keep him in his proper place and from working any mischief, the "Old
Dog" is held fast by a carved wooden collar around its neck, attached to a
stout chain. For those with the courage to pat him, the "Old Dog" is
said to bring good luck".
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| "Old Dog" in St Giles Codicote taken 2007. |
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| "Ole Dog" in St Giles, Codicote taken 2007. |
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 4.
"Popular belief had it that burial outside the consecrated ground of the churchyard meant a denial of salvation. In the 1700s one who wished such a burial was Sissavernes, the wicked farmer of Codicote. He is supposed to have sworn never to leave his own land, and when he died his body was buried there, on a hill top. Another version of the tale is that the spot was chosen because his bier became so heavy that the horses could not draw it up to the churchyard.
We should note however, that our William was buried within the churchyard. In the Parish of Codicote, Hertfordshire, we find the following burial record: "1752, Apr.5 - Olney, Mr Wm. Age 77""
"Popular belief had it that burial outside the consecrated ground of the churchyard meant a denial of salvation. In the 1700s one who wished such a burial was Sissavernes, the wicked farmer of Codicote. He is supposed to have sworn never to leave his own land, and when he died his body was buried there, on a hill top. Another version of the tale is that the spot was chosen because his bier became so heavy that the horses could not draw it up to the churchyard.
We should note however, that our William was buried within the churchyard. In the Parish of Codicote, Hertfordshire, we find the following burial record: "1752, Apr.5 - Olney, Mr Wm. Age 77""
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| St Giles Church at Codicote taken 2007. |
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| Graveyard at St Giles Church Codicote taken 2007. |
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| Christening Font - William & Sarah Olney's 12 children were christened at St Giles Codicote. View to rear of Church with door to Bell Tower on left. Taken 2007. |
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| Pulpit St Giles Church Codicote taken 2007 |
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| Interior St Giles Church Codicote taken 2007 |
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| Winding Clock in Clock Tower taken 2007 |
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| Bell ringing in St Giles Church Codicote taken 2007 |
Codicote has retained many old buildings, including the "The George & Dragon Inn", probably the oldest inn in Hertfordshire (also known as "Coaches and Horses Inn" and presently "As You Like It").
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| "Coach & Horses Inn" owned by William Olney in 1700s, with Butcher's shop next door. Also known as "The George & Dragon Inn". Known as "As You Like It" (Chinese Restaurant) in 2007. |
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| "Codicote Butchers" is next door to "Coach & Horses Inn". There were many generations of Butchers in the Olney family. |
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| Bell Inn Country Hotel where Peter & Joy Olney stayed while visiting Codicote in 2007. |
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| "The Goat" Codicote taken 2007. |
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| "The Old Bull" Codicote taken 2007. |
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| "The Old Bakery" Codicote taken 2007 |
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 4.
"People from Codicote, on the highroad from Welwyn to Hitchin, have long been known as "Codicote Cutthroats". There is no doubt that this village, which largely still makes its living from road traffic, was in past times a haunt for highwaymen and footpads in search of well-to-do travellers. The best known of the Codicote robbers was William Darvell, called the "Phaeton Highwayman" for his use of that vehicle. William Darvell gathered information about the plans of travellers worth waylaying when they stopped at the “George & Dragon”.
William Olney and Sarah
Brownsell had twelve children christened in the village church. As mentioned,
William was undoubtedly someone of importance in the village. We rarely see the
use of "Mr." in the Parish registers and then only for someone from
the upper class. He was referred to as ''Mr.", not only in his burial
entry but also in Sarah's, where she is described as "wife of Mr.
Wm."
Our
first mention of William is in the Codicote Vestry
Book dating from 1692. In 1706, we find him (spelled Willm Owney) charged
six shillings and threepence for rates. Over the years his rates increased, as
his property holdings grew. By 1714 he was charged one pound five shillings for
"Malting" and eleven shillings for the property being rented by Rich
Smith. By 1724 he was paying thirteen shillings "for his own" and
three pounds fourteen shillings and twopence for "Stagny Hall".
A further clue to his standing in the
village is that he was appointed “Overseer of the Poor” in 1708. An overseer
was appointed annually and his job was to rate the inhabitants for the “poor”
rate, collect the money and apply it to give relief to the poor. In 1712 he was
appointed Church Warden. His duties were to protect the edifice of the church,
superintend the celebration of public worship and execute other parochial
works. In 1717 he was appointed Surveyor of Highways (that is, to ensure that
public roads were kept in good repair)".
The following
table of his appointments shows he was very active in the affairs of the
village.
Year Position
1708 Overseer
1712 Church
Warden
1713 Church
Warden
1714 Church
Warden
1715 Church
Warden
1717 Surveyor
of Highways
1718 Church
Warden
1719 Church
Warden
1728 Church
Warden
1729 Church
Warden
1732 Overseer
1733 Church
Warden
1734 Church
Warden
1735 Church
Warden
1736 Church
Warden
1737 Church
Warden
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 5 -7.
"Throughout the Vestry Books there are various mentions of William and his duties. In 1708 there was a rather interesting "taxpayer's revolt". The local government had passed a resolution saying that tithes should be paid for the year 1707. Another group objected: "We underwritten do protest against this day's proceedings". Among the signers was William. They apparently won a partial victory, for a resolution was later passed which stated that the tithe would be paid at half-rate for the year past but full for the next year. (William also signed this)
"Throughout the Vestry Books there are various mentions of William and his duties. In 1708 there was a rather interesting "taxpayer's revolt". The local government had passed a resolution saying that tithes should be paid for the year 1707. Another group objected: "We underwritten do protest against this day's proceedings". Among the signers was William. They apparently won a partial victory, for a resolution was later passed which stated that the tithe would be paid at half-rate for the year past but full for the next year. (William also signed this)
In 1724 he paid three pounds for two years of labour. In those times each villager had to perform a certain amount of labour each year for the parish. However, the more affluent, like William, could pay to have someone else fulfill their duties.
The next series of records we can look at are the Parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials and, at the same time, we can blend in the many Apprenticeship records on the family.
For years, England had an apprenticeship system, which provided training for many of the trades and crafts. With no universal school system, this was the only way that the middleclass families could educate or train their children for a good trade. Basically the procedure was that the parents made a payment to the tradesman to take his son or daughter as an apprentice. In return, the tradesman would house and feed the apprentice, teach him the trade, and perhaps pay him a small wage. The apprenticeship normally ran for seven years, after which the apprentice could legally ply the trade he had learned.
Although many of the Apprenticeship documents have been lost, the Society of Genealogists in London has an almost complete record from 1710 to 1762. They have indexed these both for Apprentices and Masters, which allowed us to find the Olneys quickly.
The
first child born to William and Sarah was a daughter, also Sarah, christened on
2 March 1707/08 and who later married George Crawley. The
next child and first son was William, christened 15 March 1708/09. Although his
apprenticeship cannot be found we learn (from William's will and land
transactions) that he became a butcher in Northaw and married Joan Doards.
Until 1752, Lady Day on 25 March of each year was the day when the calendar New Year started, rather than 1 January as we now have it. The result is that people born between 1 January and 25 March prior to 1752 have two birth years, old and current New Year start date.
Another son, Justus, was christened on 13 February 1710/11 and married Elizabeth Mobbs on 11 June 1751. Justus, the son of William of Codicote, was apprenticed to Henry Glover senior as a coachmaker. William payed twenty-six pounds, five shillings for the apprenticeship. Justus, in turn, established himself as a coachmaker in St. Luke, Middlesex, and we find him taking apprentices in 1743, 1752, 1754, 1757 and 1759.
The
third son, John, was christened on 13 December 1712. He became a rather
successful butcher in London.
Although his apprenticeship papers cannot be located, records show him taking
apprentices on five occasions - 1742, 1745, 1748, 1753 and 1762, charging
between ten and fifteen pounds for each of them. When one of his children was
buried in Codicote in 1745, he was referred to as "Mr. John Olney of London".
James
was christened on 21 November 1714 and he married Ruth Dean on 31 May 1744.
Thomas was christened on 7 January 1716/17, and had one son, Henry, named after his brother, who was apprenticed as a coachmaker in 1737 for twenty-one pounds. Also, among the miscellaneous paper which have somehow survived over the years, we find an affidavit completed by Thomas in 1754: "Thomas Olney of Codicote, born in the parish, his father a considerable landholder in the said parish, remembers that for grass seeds the tithes has been paid to the impropriator and that himself about years since he let a field called the Haydon close stand for grass seeds viz. tray foil or black grass. The tithes for the grass seeds was taken in kind by Mr.Black the executor tenant to the impropriator".
Thomas
was christened on 7 January 1716/17, and had one son, Henry, named after his
brother, who was apprenticed as a coachmaker in 1737 for twenty-one pounds.
Also, among the miscellaneous papers which have somehow survived over the
years, we find an affidavit completed by Thomas in 1754: "Thomas Olney of
Codicote, born in the parish, his father a considerable landholder in the said
parish, remembers that for grass seeds the tithes has been paid to the
impropriator & that himself about years since he let a field called the
Haydon close stand for grass seeds viz. tray foil or black grass. The tithes
for the grass seeds was taken in kind by Mr. Black the executor tenant to the
impropriator."
Also
a Mr. Jas. Pilgrim stated "Particularly in the year 1738 the year he took
of Mr. Olney (late Mr. Hale's tenant) a field called Mayfield then rented by
said Mr. Olney..."
Henry was christened 2 February
1717/18 and died 30 May 1740 at Codicote. His sister Martha was christened on 10 April 1720.
The
next son was Samuel, christened 3 July 1723.
Another
son, Joshua, was christened 30 October 1727, but we find a rather sad burial
entry on 22 January 1730: "Olney, Joshua, an infant 3 years old
suffocated accidentally in a mud hole".
The
last child was Jemima, christened 6 November 1728. She married Simon Folbigg on
21 June 1748 at Redbourn.
We
also find another Jemima Olney apprenticed in 1756 as a manteau maker (a
manteau was a woman's cloak); almost certainly she was the daughter of one of
the Olney sons.
William's
will has been located, which was not filed locally but in the Prerogative Court
of Canterbury, where the wills of the more well-to-do were often handled.
Although the will does not help us to extend the family back, it does confirm
William's standing in the community and provides us with other information.
William, (christened 1676 and died 1752),
the father of the above children, referred to himself as a Yeoman which was a
general term for a man of the most respectable class, often a freeholder of
land. William certainly held land!
He listed his various properties as
follows:
"A
copyhold estate in Codicote formerly Mr. William Pinns" (Land was usually
identified by citing its former owner).
"Two
closes of land as I purchased of Mr. John Ford in Codicote" (A close was a
parcel of land enclosed by a wall or fence; a farmyard).
"A freehold tenement purchased of
Robert King called the ‘Coach and Horses’ in Codicote”.
"Seven and a half acres of land
lying in the common fields of Codicote purchased of David Jobin."
"Another seven and a half acres
of land as above."
These last two properties were to go
to his son William (christened 15 March 1708/09) as a "Marriage Settlement
for his wife Joan". Again we have evidence of William's status in that
only the more affluent provided Marriage Settlements.
His son-in-law, Simon Folbigg (husband of
Jemima), was to receive forty pounds from the proceeds of the “Coach and
Horses” Inn, plus a further sixty pounds.
His son, John Olney, was to receive six
hundred and seventy pounds; to Mrs. North, three hundred pounds; to his
daughter-in-law, Ruth Olney, one hundred and twenty-nine pounds; another two
bequests of fifty pounds each. A Mr. Chapman got twenty-two pounds. His son
Justus got fifty pounds.
A grandson, David Crawley, son of George
and Sarah Crawley, was to receive all his wearing apparel, both linen and
woollen. It gives us an idea of how different things were to read of clothing
being willed. How many wills would we find nowadays specifying who was to get
grandfather's clothes!
The rest of his goods were to be sold and
divided among George Crawley, Thomas Olney, Samuel Olney, Simon Folbigg and
Matthew Charles.
Then comes a strange clause: "…for the
other three I think has no need of anything (God Almighty be blessed for
it)." A. Gordon Keys assumed that the rest of the children were already
well provided for. We note however that Henry died in 1740, Rachel in 1723 and
Joshua in 1729/30 prior to William’s death in 1752.
Finally, he appointed his sons, Thomas
and Samuel Olney, and his son-in-law Simon Folbigg as executors.
We learn still a little more from the probate of
the will. Two of his sons, William and Justus, swore to the authenticity of the
handwriting on the will. They were identified as William Olney of Northaw (a
nearby Parish), Butcher, and Justus Olney of St. Luke in Middlesex, Coachmaker.
William's occupation as a butcher is of interest, since we have seen at least
two of his sons were also
butchers, and apparently the trade continued in the family".
The table below is from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer on Page 7.
The table below is from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer on Page 7.
To gather some
idea of the value of these legacies in those days, the following table of
average annual incomes may be
helpful.
Annual income in Pounds:
Baronets 880
Knights 650
Esquires 450
Eminent
merchants and traders by sea 400
Gentlemen 280
Persons
in higher offices 240
Lesser merchants and traders by sea 198
Lesser merchants and traders by sea 198
Persons
in the law 154
Persons
in lesser offices 120
Freeholders
of the better sort 91
Naval
officers 80
Eminent
clergymen 72
People in liberal arts/science 60
Military officers 60
Freeholders of the lesser sort 55
Lesser clergymen 50
Farmers 42
Shopkeepers & tradesmen 38
Artisans & handicrafts 38
Common seamen 20
Labourers & out-servants 15
Common soldiers 14
Cottagers & paupers 6
Vagrants, as gypsies, theives & beggars 0
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Olney Page 7 - 9.
"From
the amounts that William left we can see that he was in the wealthier class.
The six hundred and seventy pounds left to his son John would represent 15
years of income for a shopkeeper, not even considering the interest!
As
mentioned earlier, reference to the "Coach and Horses" led to some
interesting family information. In the Hertford Record Office there is a
collection of title documents of this property (reference D/Emm T 48-9). From
this stack of parchment documents (almost a foot high) we have a history of the
land for most of the 1700s.
Probably,
from the name, it was originally an inn, but it is described as two tenements.
We will not try to explore the mysteries of English land transactions but
briefly, in 1710, William (1676) Olney, butcher of Codicote, purchased the
property for one hundred and twenty-two pounds. At the same
time he sold to "Richard Olney, butcher of Luton
in trust for the said William Olney, to attend and wait upon the freehold and
inheritance of the said premises." What they were doing is: Richard
(1682), William’s brother, would technically hold the property until his death,
at which time it would pass back to William (1709), son of William and Sarah.
In
1732, William (1676), the elder, and Sarah Brownsell his wife made an agreement
under a marriage contract (as mentioned in William's will). The deed recites
that a marriage had recently taken place between William (1708/9) Olney, the
younger, and Joan Doards. In consideration of this marriage and one hundred
pounds, the property went to William the younger, but William the elder and his
wife were able to live there until their deaths. This type of arrangement was
fairly common. It passed the property into the son's hands but provided a home
for the parents until their deaths.
In
1754 William (1709) gave the land to his only son and heir, Oshea Olney.
In
1768 Oshea leased the land to his Uncle Justus Olney, and in that same year
Oshea and Justus sold the property. So the property had remained in the family over three generations. Oshea,
incidentally, although shown as a cheesemonger in these transactions, had been
apprenticed in 1758 as a haberdasher!
It
was unfortunate, from Samuel's point of view, that he was the sixth surviving
son. Although William was almost certainly well-to-do, the English inheritance
customs are that the eldest son gets the majority of the land, title, whatever.
As the seventh son, Samuel probably received a smaller share when he married
Sarah Folbigg in 1747.
There
was a little confusion over Sarah's maiden name. One source shows it as
Hollbigg, another as Folbigg. However, thanks to the reference to Simon
Folbigg as son-in-law in William's will, we are on firm ground with Folbigg.
The problem almost certainly arose over the way some people of the time wrote a
capital letter 'F'. Often there was the top stroke with two downstrokes which
could easily be mistaken for an 'H'. Another marriage reference, however, shows
her name as Willis. Probably she was a widow and one was her married name and
the other her maiden name. To avoid confusion we will show it as Folbigg.
Samuel followed in his father's footsteps as a
butcher. In 1749, shortly after his marriage, he took an
apprentice for ten pounds.
Samuel
and Sarah had four children christened in Codicote before they moved to
Gravely. As mentioned, Samuel probably received little from his father's estate
when he died in 1752. With a wife and three children, he needed greener
pastures and moved to Gravely. In those days, each parish supported its own
paupers or elderly. To ensure one parish would not "unload" its poor
on a nearby parish, a person had to secure Settlement Certificate before
moving.
However we should not assume that
Samuel was a pauper. Anyone moving had to secure such a certificate, despite
their degree of affluence.
Fortunately
the Settlement Certificate for Samuel and his family has survived. It is
interesting to note that his brother Thomas signed the certificate as Overseer
in Codicote.
Another
four children were born to Samuel and Sarah in Gravely. Interestingly, a son
Justus (Justice) was born but died in infancy and the next son was given the
same name".
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"George & Dragon" in Gravely taken 2007 |
The following extracts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney compiled by Keith R.Collyer Page 10 - 11.
"The family of Richard (1682) Olney (Oaney) would have had similar experiences to his brother William (1676) Olney (Ouney), since Richard lived in Luton, Bedfordshire and William lived in Codicote, Hertfordshire only 7.7 miles away. Richard is the ancestor of Charles who was married to Martha Purser, the subjects of this book "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney", and the blogs.
"The family of Richard (1682) Olney (Oaney) would have had similar experiences to his brother William (1676) Olney (Ouney), since Richard lived in Luton, Bedfordshire and William lived in Codicote, Hertfordshire only 7.7 miles away. Richard is the ancestor of Charles who was married to Martha Purser, the subjects of this book "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney", and the blogs.
We continue our history
from the christening of Francis Olney, sourced from the 1851 Census at
Pulloxhill. The 1851 Census for the first time recorded birth places and
precise ages of English residents. This showed Francis Olney was born at
Harpenden, Hertfordshire in 1778.
His parents married at Enfield
St. Andrew, London
where the first four children were born.
In this same Parish register, a page
or two away from Francis' christening, there are a couple of interesting pages
titled: "List of ancient Customary Fees payable to the Clergyman of the
Parish of Harpenden". Not only the clergyman, but also the clerk and
sexton were provided for. Most of the charges are self-explanatory, but a word
on a couple that most of us may not be familiar with.
"Churching of
women". Childbirth in those days was fraught with danger, and mothers went
through a religious ceremony following the safe delivery
of a child. The wording is still contained in the Book of Common Prayer under "The thanksgiving of women after
child-birth": "The woman… after her delivery, shall come into the
Church decently apparelled, and there shall kneel down in some convenient place
as hath been accustomed..." and then follows a brief service of thanks.
We also notice that, contrary to the
usual idea of 'buried six feet under', the sexton's usual grave was three-and-a-half
feet deep. If ordered to dig deeper, then an additional shilling for every
additional foot".
The following Charts are from "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" compiled by Keith R.Collyer on Page 13 - 15.
.jpg) |
| Olney Family Tree from 1549, showing incorrect line on left and correct line on right |
THE CHILDREN OF WILLIAM OLNEY (OUNEY) AND SARAH BROWNSELL
WILLIAM OLNEY
(OUNEY)* (butcher and yeoman) son of
William Oney and EIizabeth Carter, chr. 7 December 1676, Luton.
buried 5 April 1752 Codicote, Hertfordshire. Married 25 April 1707, Codicote,
Hertfordshire to Sarah Brownsell, buried 12 April 1747, Codicote,
Hertfordshire aged 63 years
*
Recorded as Wm. Oney at Marriage
1.
SARAH
ONEY chr. 9 January 1707/8, Codicote,
married to George Crawley (died 2 January 1755)
1)
David Crawley chr. 19 September
1734, Codicote, Hertfordshire
2.
WILLIAM
ONEY chr. 15 March 1708/9 (butcher),
Codicote, Hertfordshire married to Joan Doards
1)
Oshea Olney
3. JUSTUS ONEY chr. 13
February 1710/11 (coachmaker), Codicote, married on 11 June 1751 at St Anne and
St. Agnes, Aldersgate, London
to Elizabeth Mobbs
4. JOHN OLNEY chr. 31 December
1712 (butcher), Codicote, Hertfordshire
5.
JAMES
OLNEY chr. 2l
October 1714, Codicote, Hertfordshire
6.
THOMAS
OLNEY chr. 7 January 1716/7, Codicote,
Hertfordshire
7. HENRY OLNEY chr. 2
February 1717/8, Codicote, Hertfordshire, buried 30 May 1740 at Codicote,
Hertfordshire
8. 
MARTHA OLNEY chr. 10 April 1720, Codicote,
Hertfordshire
MARTHA OLNEY chr. 10 April 1720, Codicote,
Hertfordshire
9. RACHEL OLNEY chr. 25
June 1722, Codicote, Hertfordshire, buried 12 April 1723 at Codicote,
Hertfordshire
10. SAMUEL OLNEY
chr. 3 July 1723 [butcher), Codicote, married on 11 January 1747, at Bedford, Beds. to Sarah
Folbigg of Dunton born 1724 died 1786
11. JOSHUA OLNEY chr. 3O
October 1727, Codicote, Hertfordshire, buried 22 January 1729/30 at Codicote,
Hertfordshire
12. JEMIMA
OLNEY chr. 6 November 1728, Codicote,
married on 21 June
1748 at Redboum, Hertfordshire to
Simon Folbigg
THE CHILDREN OF SAMUEL OLNEY AND SARAH FOLBIGG
1. JAMES
OLNEY chr. 6 February 1748, Codicote
married to Ann
1)
James Olney chr. 13 January
1771, St Sepulchre, London
2)
Ann Olney chr. 18 September
1775, St Sepulchre, London
3)
Mary Louisa Olney chr. 8 March
1778, St Sepulchre, London
4)
Sarah Olney chr. 9 January
1780, St Sepulchre, London
2.
WILLIAM OLNEY
chr. 29 July 1750, Codicote, Hertfordshire
3.
MARY OLNEY
chr. 3O September 1751, Codicote, Hertfordshire
4.
SARAH OLNEY
chr. 19 August 1753, Codicote, Hertfordshire
5.
ELIZABETH OLNEY
chr. 16 November 1755, Gravely, Hertfordshire
6.
JUSTUS OLNEY
chr. 11 July 1758, Gravely, Hertfordshire
7.
GUSTIVE OLNEY
chr. 6 January 1760, Gravely, Hertfordshire (chr. again as Justus, lO January
1760)
8.
SAMUEL OLNEY
chr. 12 October 1762, Gravely, Hertfordshire (chr. again 17 October 1762)
THE CHILDREN OF RICHARD OLNEY (OANEY) AND MARY CLARK
RICHARD OLNEY (OANEY) chr. 19 May 1682, married 8 April 1706 Luton Beds.to Mary Clarke buried 25 December 1754, Luton,
Beds
1. MARY OLNEY chr. 1 June 1707, Luton, Bedfordshire
2. ABRAHAM OLNEY buried 26 March 1708
3.
RICHARD
OLNEY
born Luton circa
1710, buried. 5 February 1789 at Luton,
married 22 April 1731 at Ayot St Peter, Herts (3km south of Codicote), Jane
Tomlin, chr. 24 June 1711 Wheathampstead, Herts, buried 25 November1790 at Luton, Bedfordshire
1)
John Olney chr. 17 March
1731/2, buried 6 February 1732/3
2)
John Olney chr. 29 March 1734
3)
Richard Olney chr. 25 April
1735
4)
Mary Olney chr. 14 July 1736
5)
Sarah Olney chr. 22 November
1738
6)
William Olney chr. 21 January
1739/40
7)
Ann Olney chr. 22 July 1741
8)
Elizabeth Olney chr. 28
November 1742
9)
Thomas Olney chr. 18 April 1744
10)
JAMES OLNEY
chr. 2 August 1745 at Luton St Mary, buried in 1819 at Clophill, married 15
November 1767 at Enfield St. Andrew, London
to Anne French chr. 24 February 1747/8 at Enfield St Andrew, buried in
1800 at Clophill, Bedfordshire
11)
Jane Olney chr. 3 October 1746
12)
Samuel Olney chr. 13 August
1749
13)
George Olney chr. 25 September
1751
4.
WILLIAM ONEY
married 7 October 1734, Luton Beds. to Sarah Clarke
5.
JANE OLNEY
married 5 January 1723/4, Luton Beds. to John Oakey/Oakley
6.
SARAH OLNEY
buried 18 September 1720, Luton
7.
THOMAS OLNEY
buried 15 May 1723, Luton
8.
ESTHER OLNEY
chr. 27 November 1717, Luton
9.
ANN OLNEY
chr. 17 September 1721, Luton
10.
ELIZABETH OLNEY
chr. 27 November 1726, Luton
11.
SARAH OLNEY
chr. 27 November 1726, Luton
12. male OLNEY buried 5 October 1729, Luton
THE CHILDREN OF JAMES OLNEY AND ANNE FRENCH
1.
JAMES OLNEY
chr. 10 January 1769 at Enfield St. Andrew, London
2.
JOSEPH OLNEY
chr. 30 December 1770 at Enfield St. Andrew, London
3.
JOHN OLNEY
chr. 21 October 1772 at Enfield St. Andrew, London
4.
WILLIAM OLNEY
chr. 28 December 1774 at Enfield St. Andrew, London
5.
THOMAS OLNEY
buried 18 November 1785 at Clophill, Bedfordshire
6.
FRANCIS OLNEY
born 16 August 1778 at Harpenden, chr. 6 September 1778, buried 24 October 1856
at Pulloxhill.
Married1.
12 October 1801, Elizabeth Irons, daughter of John and Elizabeth Irons,
chr. 12 January 1783 at Pulloxhill, buried. 1 February 1828,
Married2.
7 November 1835, Hannah Arnold, buried. 12 April 1873.
7.
JANE OLNEY
born 26 April 1780, chr. 21 May 1780 at Harpenden, buried 2 September 1783.
8. RICHARD
OLNEY born 20 February 1782, chr.10 March
1782 at Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Please note: Ross Olney was the keeper of the Olney family tree, but in 2020 he handed it over to myself. If you have information that needs to be corrected or added to please email Joy Olney at joyolney@gmail.com
You can order your own hard copy of "The Family of Charles and Martha Olney" by clicking on -
http://olneygenealogy.weebly.com
If you wish to contact the author of these Olney Family Archives blogs with corrections or further information please email Joy Olney - joyolney@gmail.com
These blogs have been written as another way of sharing the Olney family history with those interested. They do not cover all branches. My interest primarily is with the "David" Olney branch with parents Charles and Martha Olney.
Peter and Joy Olney were fortunate enough to visit England in 2007 and visited many of the churches, places, houses and villages written about in the books by Keith Collyer and A.Gordon Keys. More recent generations in Australia are also included in the Olney Family Archives blogs.
