RE: TWO Early Eltisley Will Abstracts. The following are two will abstracts from the 1986 Antecedents publication. These demonstrate that how you can go wrong when presuming too much from just ONE source of information only. During our debate I made it clear that we do NOT know exactly when Major General John Disbrowe may have taken over the lands at Eltisley under primogeniture. Was it before his marriage to Jane Cromwell in 1636? I would say that it was. This is because I now know that the James "junior" who is buried at Eltisley churchyard in 1634 and who would have been in line for this land-ownership under primogeniture is not, in fact, that OTHER James "junior" who was his father and also contemporary to James the "Elder." This James of the 1634 grave is likely to have been that James who was brother to the Major General (he could NOT have been that other "James" who was also a son of James the Elder, and older brother to "our" Thomas Disbrowe of 1625 Eltisley bp). So, what's the big deal? Many sources indicate that the Eltisley lands were owned by the Disbrowes long PRIOR to what we also see often on the record as the lease to Isaak Disbrowe from 1650 to 1653 of "Eltisley Manor" (the rectory or manor house which stands near the church is also known to have been built, it is believed from various village "records" including Sawyer's "olde notes," by James the "Elder" for his wife Elizabeth Marshall in 1612). While the famous general is also known to have bought this "manor" from Sir Francis Mannock in 1657, and the general then "devised it to his eldest surviving son, Valentine," who held the manor in 1706 but had been succeeded by a John Disbrowe by 1710. According to the Sawyer "olde notes" again only referred to for my convenience sake (also see Henry Waters, etc): "The manor is said to have been devised by John Disbrowe, by will dated 1741, to the two sons of his nephew, William Walford of Bocking, Essex" (curiously, BOCKING is exactly where Samuel Disbrow's own brother-in-law back in Connecticut, who is another of my own ancestors: Rev. James Fitch, came from back in olde as well: with both Fitch & Disbrowe marrying Whitfield daus. at the old stone house in Guilford, CT two years apart in 1640's!). Here is what we have in the very early will abstracts for the progenitor Disbrow gens (taken from Johnson/Disbrowe's 1986 "The Disbrowes of Canada & Their English Antecedents"): John Disborowe the Elder of Eltisley , Yoeman (1526?-1574) Will dated 14 September 1574, probated 24 September 1574, bequeathed (1) to son John Disbrow, the freehold lands at Eltisley, but if he dies before his heirs are twenty-one years old [note: isn't it interesting how these old traditions still bear-up with respect to 21 yrs as a designation even today!]., then other son Brunow Disborow is to be trustee of the land; John is to pay annually 40 shillings to John's mother Alice Disborow; (2) to son Bruno, the copyhold land in the manor of Eltisley and to pay a like sum to his mother; (3) to wife Alice, household goods in the manor house of Eltisley [note: "manor house"!], cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, and grain; (4) to daughter Johane, 40pds; (5) to James Disbrowe (relationship not given [NOTE: this fact is very unfortunate now for us 'moderns' in splitting up the families as we now have, since this demonstrates we cannot be sure of any absolutely obvious blood relation between the two divided-up families later listed under both James jun & sen!]). Sean? in the manor of Burrough [is this related to village of Burrough Green and the Burrowes families at Over also?] on payment of 20pds; (6) to son Bruno, Sean? of parsonage of Eltisley [NOTE: this demonstrates "advowson" also perhaps invvolved here above??]; (7) to every grandchild, 40 shillings; (8) son John, Sean of manor of Eltisley; (9) to sons John and Bruno, the residual; and (10) executors to be John and Bruno. IMPORTANT NOTE ON ABOVE WILL: I have a hand-written footnote at bottom of my abstract copy of above, & as written by a long respected/hard working Disbrow researcher who has indicated she believes that the James noted above so mysteriously also had a SON also named "James," bp c 1580, who had married our "Elizabeth Marshall". Please also note there is yet one more James who is son also to another JOHN, called "younger" in will abstract below! John Disborowe the Younger of Eltisley, Yoeman (c. 1550-1610) Will dated 27 August 1608, and probated on 23 June 1610 [NOTE: he shows up buried 24 May 1610 at Eltis.]; bequeathed (1) Manor of City Camps otherwise Shudy Camps (in Shudy Camps, Horseheath, and Bartlow) to wife Joan until second son Joseph Disbrow reaches 21 years or if he dies to third son Izhak Disborowe at 21 years or if he dies to fourth son Nathaniel Disborowe at 21 years [note: there is a "Joseph Disbrowe" I have from the Calendar of State Papers-Domestic , p. 586 for Comm For Advance of Money on 18 Aug 1645, who holds the Bull tavern owned by a Royalist soldier named Col Ed. Searle---I think this is the SAME "Joseph Disbrowe" since other Eltisley Disbrowes were also holding and "sequestering" the spoils of civil war, including both Isaac and James Disbrowe too!! NOTE #2: could Nath'l, above mentioned in will, also be that Nath'l noted at Over VR, who is clearly having babies well before the Nath'l of Eltisley, who is brother to famous Major General, could possibly have been of age??]; (2) lands in county of Hertford to wife and to son Nathaniel at 21 years; (3) cash legacies to Izhak and Nathaniel and to daughter Sara Disbrowe at marriage or 21 years; (4) cash legacies to children of Alice Pomfrett "my daughter" at 21 years [NOTE: most interestingly, there is this very same "Pomfret" surname among Saffron Walden clan of Hartford's Nicholas Disbrowe too, and also as mentioned in Rose Hobson Disbrowe's will of 1698, widow to Samuel Disbrowe]; to children of Francis Waspe my daughter" at 21 years; to children of eldest son James Disborowe at 21 years; and (5) executrix & residuary legates, wife Joan. Administration granted to wife Joan 2 June 1610.