Will of Richard Banting Woodstock 1627

Richard Banting of Woodstock 1627

Once again with grateful thanks to the voluntary transcribers of the Oxfordshire Family History Society who do such a brilliant job. Click on the link to see the transcription but here are just a few points.

This is the will of Richard Banting of Woodstock, who I think, is the brother of Robert (tanner Woodstock who died in 1598). His son Robert, I believe was the godson mentioned in Robert’s will. There are a number of interesting things to note about the will. Robert the son, gets very little money compared to the others

I Richard Banting of Olde Woodstock … tanner … weak in body …

• I give my son Robert Banting 5s.
• I give my daughter Elizabeth Kilbie 40s.
• I give my daughter Anne Greene 40s.
• I give Edward Kilbie and Anne Kilbie, the children of my daughter Elizabeth Kilbie, 10s each.
• I give Richard Greene, son of my daughter Anne Greene, 10s.
• All the above legacies are to be paid within one year after my decease.
• All the rest of my goods, my debts paid and my body honestly buried, I give to my wife Alice whom I appoint sole Executrix.

A number of points to think about

Richard Banting = Alice Unknown

Issue: Robert Banting

Elizabeth Banting = Unknown Kilbie

Anne Banting = Unknown Greene

Both Richard Banting and Robert Banting are tanners working in Woodstock Oxfordshire

Woodstock Economic History

A mine of information about Medieval Woodstock, it’s commerce and trade can be found at British History Online. Not a heavy read and sets the context for these Bantings working in the tanning industry. The town became a wool staple, hence the need for many tanners;

“Reference to Woodstock’s poverty in the mid 16th century was probably exaggerated, since townsmen were able to rebuild many of the former chantry houses granted to the corporation in 1565. The grant of additional markets and fairs in that year was followed by an Act in 1576 making Woodstock a staple town”

Woodstock: Economic history’, A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12: Wootton Hundred (South) including Woodstock (1990), pp. 360-372. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=1690 Date accessed: 03 November 2014.