Dear Bruce, Good Stuff! Below is what I have on Robert Carpenter's father. The will mentioned below that is at the Carpenter Museum had not been cataloged about 2 years ago. Does anyone know if it has been cataloged and made available? Several people have wondered! John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA INDIVIDUAL DATA RIN:14711 - --------------------------------------------------- Name:William CARPENTER of Marden Sex:M ID No: Birth:Abt 1520 Place:of,Wiltshire,England Chr: Place: Marr: Spouse:Elizabeth CARPENTER-14707 Marr: Spouse: Marr: Spouse: Death: 1587 Place:Marden,Wiltshire,England Burial: Place: Father:Robert CARPENTER-14706 Mother:Elizabeth-19787 Notes -------------------------------------------------- !WILL: His will mentions his wife, and arranged for the division of his estate amoung his grandchildren. His children mentioned were Robert, John, Richard, William, Alice, Dyke, and Maud Welling. The majority of the estate was left to Robert and a special bequest was made to Robert's oldest son, William, proving that this son (this William's grandson), William born in 1576, was older than his brother Richard Carpenter. The Late noted genealogist Donald Lines Jacobus of New Haven, CT, after studying the English Carpenter Wills (copies), now at the Carpenter Museum, praised the expert ability of Harry F. Rogers in interpreting those wills and concurred in his belief that Harry had found the correct family in England. end notes. Bruce E. Carpenter wrote: > > The following are two items, as they appear, from the REGISTER OF EXETER > COLLEGE, one of the various residential colleges of Oxford University. > > “John Batt, Dev. 1567, vac. By absense 1579; B.A. 24 Nov. 1570, M.A. 27 > June 1573. > Robert Carpenter, Sar. 1568, removed 30 June 1579 for absense in > Ireland; B.A. 22 Nov. 1571, M.A. 18 June 1575; 10 Nov.1575 allowed leave of > absence for 4 years to teach in a school or the like, because of his > poverty.” > > The expression “because of his poverty” has to be seen in historical > context, of a widespread economic downturn in Wilts, resulting in the > financial ruin and deprivation of many of the best area families. John Batt > and Robert Carpenter appear side by side in other Exeter documents > suggestion friendship association in a social setting of a limited number of > scholars. During a bad year of the plague Robert Carpenter ran Exeter > College. The identity of a John Batt from Devizes is well established in > Wiltshire history. He was a member of a very prominent cloth making family > whose members were mayor of the city. Their tax rates were at the same rate > as local gentry (A History of Wiltshire, Oxford, vol.10, pp. 253-255). There > must be some connection between the Devises Batts and the Salisbury Batts. > Someone might help with this. The interesting thing here is Robert Carpenter > from Sarum, whose dates exactly match the traditional Robert Carpenter, > grandfather of Rehoboth William Carpenter. An Oxford M.A. and sheep farming > are by no means incompatible in late 1500s Wilts. > Remember that Rehoboth William goes to America with a good quantity of > books. Odd for a house carpenter. > > Along with Robert at Exeter was another Carpenter, but no given name. He > seems to have been an undergraduate. Providence Williams father was also an > Exeter man, at a later date. His identity is without question because Susan > Traveleyan is mentioned. He had four different degrees, including a > doctorate! This Richard Carpenter was a minister among other things. See my > “For Prov. Carpenters” letter. > > If this Robert Carpenter were the one from our Rehoboth line, it would be > interesting if we knew more about his father. Where was he thought to live? > > Sincerely, > Bruce Carpenter