Bruce wrote: > The Pembryg co.is Pembridge co. in > our parlance. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear that there is no Pembridge Co. in Great Britain. The phrase used in the text was Staunton beside Pembryg, co. Hereford, which would be Staunton (near Pembridge), Herefordshire. As it happens, there is another Staunton only a few miles away, so it is necessary to make the distinction. > Was William a priest? 1480 is well before the Reformation.What > does 'vicar' imply? Yes. The term "vicar" connotes a stand-in (for the "real" ecclesiastical authority), but the job is, in practice, almost always permanent, as it was for William. Thus, the vicar is the pastor of his parish. > Notice the "feoffment" applies to both Willy > and Johnny. This means we are dealing with Carpenter family > assets and not church assets. That goes without saying. A mere vicar would not be the land holder of record for the Church's property. > in the document is that the property in question > was cloth manufacture related. That is a rather wild extrapolation from very limited data. > "Feoffment by John Dey of Nuneton and Agnes his wife, Notice that both John and his wife joined in the deed. Because of the wife's rights of dower, a married man could not alienate property without her consent. > William Carpenter, perpetual vicar of the parish church of Staunton beside > Pembryg, co. Hereford, John Carpenter, brother of the said William, Thomas > Shepey of Nuneton, and Nicholas Dalton, otherwise called > Tayler, of Kynges, co. Warwick The relationship among the four feoffees is not made clear here. Although William evidently lived in Staunton, and Nicholas Dalton/Taylor lived in Kings, the property was in the borough of Nuneton. > of a burgage and a half-burgage in Nuneton Note that the term "burgage" does not imply any particular size of property, but rather the form of tenure -- the property was within a borough. > which they had by the gift of Richard George, Maud his wife, > and John Freman of Coventre, Note, again, the inclusion of Richard's wife in the previous transfer. As long as we are making wild speculations, it would be appropriate here to wonder if Richard was the father of John Dey's wife Agnes. > who had the same by the feoffment of John Thorp > late of Coventre, 'weaver' Note that the only mention of weaving is as the occupation of a three- times removed previous holder of the property! > to them and the heirs and assigns of the said > William and John Carpenter. I wonder why the other two feoffees' heirs and assigns are not mentioned here... John Chandler