Will of Dorothy Rotheram of Moulsoe, gentlewoman, 1637 (proved 1638)

TNA, PROB 11/176/461

In the name of God Amen I Dorothie Rotheram of Mulshoe in the County of Berks [sic] gentlewoman being sick in body but of sound and perfect memorie doe make this my last will & Testament \in forme/ as followeth Imprimis I geve & bequeath my Soule to Almightie God that gave it mee And my body to be buryed in the Chancell at Greate Linford And for those goodes which God hath enriched mee withall I dispose of them as followeth–

First I geve and bequeath unto the poore of the parish of Mulshoe Twentie shillings To the poore of the parish of Great Linford fortie shillings To the poore widowes of Winslow to bee disposed by Henry Pynne [Pym] and William Ilemister [Glenister] forty shillings

Item I geve unto ye Minister whoe shall preach at my funerall Twentie shillings 

I geve and bequeath to Edward Lone [Love? Loue?] my Godson Tenn poundes To William Lone Marchant now in Turky five poundes  To Marie Lone his Sister five poundes 

Item I geve to Robert Illinge sonne to Arthur Illinge of Mursly five poundes 

Item I geve to Anne Stoyte my Sisters daughter five poundes  To Hester Stoyte five poundes  To Thomas Stoyt five poundes  To John Stoyt five poundes  To Nicholas Stoyt five poundes 

All which money thus bequeathed And which I shall hereafter bequeath is in my Cousin \William/ Uvedalis hand Marchant in Turky  Item I geve to my goddaughter Marie Uvedale twoe silver spoones  To Richard the son of William Uvedale twoe silver spoones with their Grandfathers name on them 

Item I geve unto my mayde Twentie shillings 

Item I geve to my daughter Bearts my Tufftaffaty petticoate my blacke and gold quoif  To Anne Stoyt my Sisters daughter my riding suite  And all other my Apparell unbequeathed I geve unto my sister Elsabeth Stoyt  Item I geve to my sonn Bearts the ring with the Turky stone which I was wont to weare  Item I geve to my Cousin \William/ Uvedale Marchant the little hoope of gould I use to weare on my finger 

Item I geve to Marie Whitebread my Sister in law dwelling at Westoning Three poundes 

Item I geve to Jone Uvedale one flaxen sheete 

Item I geve a gravestone to bee layd for a remembraunce upon my deare daughter Dorothie Barnard with hir picture in brass upon it

[p.2] And all other my goodes and Howshold stuffe as they are in my Inventorie my desire is my daughter Bearte should have them during her life  And after her life ended I geve and bequeath them to her Child whom I make my sole Executor Provided always that if my said daughter have noe Child live to the age of fifteene yeeres That then my will is That Anne Stoyt my Sisters daughter shall have all my Christning Lynnen viz’ one Cambrick shute three Cambrick pillowbeeres and three holland A facecloth Twoe lawne Cubberd Clothes a lawne Cradlecloth a holland shirte a silver salt with a Cover a hatband of goldsmiths worke my silver Tankard pott my Trencher Salt my porringer and spoone my Cope worke Cushion half a dozen of silver spoones a flaxen [sic] Tablecloth a dozen of flaxen napkins And all other my goodes which are in my son Bearts Howse  I geve to the Child of my daughter Anne Bearte shee to have the use of them dureeinge her life 

And I make Mr Wallis parson of Gotehurst and Mr Caton Curate of Mulshoe Overseers of this my will  And I geve to either of them in token of my love Tenn shillings apiece 

[signed] Dorothy Rotheram  Wittnes Phillip Caton Richard Brandon

Whereas the within named Dorothy Rotheram deceased while shee lived being of perfect mynd and memorie made her last will & Testament within written And thereof appointed and named her daughter Bearts Child Executor her said daughter haveinge then noe Child borne And the said will is without date To supply which defects the wittnesses hereunder named declare that in the month of June 1637 the day of the month certainly they doe not remember Shee the said Testatrix signified to Phillipp Caton Clerke in ye p(re)sence of Richard Brandon That her daughter Anne Beart the wife of Thomas Beart gent was with Child And her intent was That that Child should be her Executor And Further declared her intent touching each particuler of her will And the said Mr Caton fortwith drewe according to the said direcc(i)on the will within written And that donne Read the same to her whoe in Testimony of her approbac(i)on thereof hath sett her hand thereto And published the same to be her last will & Testament in the p(re)sence of Phillipp Caton Richard Brandon

Further the wittnesses hereunder named declare that the said Anne Beart was on the Twenty nynth daie of July then following delivered of the said Child shee went withall at the makeing of the \said/ will which Child was shortly after Christened and named Ralph Beart Att whose Chrisining and oftentymes after that tyme shee the said Testatrix would and did say to this effect vizt That that Child was her Executor before hee was borne And that shee had lyved to see her Executor meaneing and speakeing of Ralph Beart the sonne of Anne Beart her daughter And in her sicknes shee declared That her will was made and her Executor thereof was Ralph Beart Att all w(hi)ch tymes the said Testatrix was of perfect mynd & memorie And shee spake to the effect above menc(i)oned in the p(re)sence of diverse Credible wittnesses diverse and severall tymes [signed] Phillip Caton Minister of Mulshoe The marke of Elizabeth Houghton The marke of Isabell Carter The wittnesses that have hereunto sett their handes did take their oath upon the Evangelist And did sweare the things Conteyned in the twoe Articles abovewritten to be true the sixteenth day of Aprill 1638 in the p(re)sence of us the comissioners Michael Bostocke George Page

[Latin] On 16th April 1638 came out a commission to Thomas Beart and Anne Beart his wife, natural and legitimate daughter of Dorothy Rotheram deceased having etc. to administer the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased according to the tenor and essence of the deceased’s own will during the minority of Ralph Beart, the deceased’s grandson by the daughter and executor named in the said will. (They were) sworn on God’s holy Gospels duly and faithfully to administer the same by force of the commission issued at another time in that matter.

Notes

Dorothy Rotheram was the daughter of John Uvedale of Great Linford. Her first husband was Ralph Alway of Westoning, Beds and Shenley, Herts, who owned extensive property in those two counties. He died in 1622 (his will is PROB 11/139/467) leaving three daughters. Dorothy then married George Rotheram. He was probably the son of the George Rotheram of Farley, Luton who died in December 1630 (PROB 11/159/179, Napier CASE71107). She was a widow by 1637 (TNA, C 6/50/90).

Brass commemorating Dorothy BarnardDorothy was a regular client of Dr Richard Napier of Great Linford, physician and astrologer (see https://casebooks-production.casebooks.lib.cam.ac.uk/). According to case 13126 she was born at Aspley Guise in 1580. He refers to her as "of our towne" in 1603 (CASE14174, name given as Alway), "now of this town" in 1615 (CASE41957) and "of this towne" in 1627 (CASE64974).

The three daughters of Dorothy and Ralph Alway were (some details from Visitation of Beds):

The reason for Dorothy Rotheram's bequest to the poor widows of Winslow must be connected to the fact that the brass for her daughter Dorothy Barnard, paid for under the terms of the will, is in Winslow church, presumably because the younger Dorothy died at Winslow. The will names two prominent Winslow men (possibly churchwardens at the time) who Dorothy Rotheram probably met. The text on the brass in the chancel reads:

Here lyeth buryed the corps of
Dorothey Barnard, daughter and coe-
heir of Raph Allwey late of Shenley
in the County of Hartford Esq who
departed this life ye 15th day of Aprill
Ao. Dni 1634, aetatis suae 26

Dorothy Barnard also consulted Dr Richard Napier. There are some cases concerning Mrs Barnard of Petsoe in 1628, which must mean Dorothy's future mother-in-law. On 21 Sep 1630 Napier took an astrological chart for "Mres Dorothy Alway Mres Rotherams daughter" (CASE23005) and she "brought her water" the next day. On 7 Aug 1632 he was asked "wheather it will p[ro]ve a good match ... Mres Always & Bernad". Mrs Dorothy Bernard consulted him on 27-28 May 1633; on the second occasion she was "present wth her mother & sister ill sinc christmas" (CASE77419, CASE77425). The last consultation was 5 Jan 1634 (CASE78704).

This leaves the question of why someone with no known local connection was buried at Winslow. The fact that she was buried in the chancel suggests a link to the vicar, Robert Mainwaring. He married his second wife Denise/Diones Whitbread at Luton in 1626. Dorothy Rotheram left £3 to "Marie Whitebread my Sister in law dwelling at Westoning". This was Ralph Alway's sister Mary. The Mainwarings are found acting with Dorothy Barnard's widower and two sisters in October 1634 (Beds Archives, GA723). The most likely (but so far unsubstantiated) explanation is that Dorothy Barnard came to Winslow in her final illness to be looked after by her relative the vicar's wife.

Copyright 30 September, 2026