William and English were 4th cousins at the time of their marriage and it is possible that their relationship had already been lost in the mists of time. They lived just two fields apart, William at Ruthdower and English at Crawle. They made their home at Crawle and upon his death William was recorded as William Ripper alias Cariohall.
In the Godolphin papers held at the county record office in Cornwall there is an entry recording a William Ripper amongst the tenants of the manor of Trenerth (GO/60). In later papers (GO/315) there is an entry of William Ripper conventionary tenant in 1703-09. It is possible that Trenerth is now known as Trenear, the modern day farm of which Crawle is now a part.
Line in Record @I454@ (RIN 282775) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
RESI
Robert is mentioned in the 1641 Protestation Roll which all men were required to sign in that year to prove that they were not members of the King's party. To sign it he had to be at least 16 years old.In the 1661 Poll Tax records Robert is shown as living in the parish of Breage, close to the main village and having an income of £10 per annum, upon which he was assessed for a payment of four shillings. There is also a Robert Ripper and wife listed at Mount Pasco with his wife. They were assessed for a payment of 1/=. This may be Robert and Jane's son, Robert.
In the 1664 Hearth Tax assessements, Robert is recorded as having 3 hearths and one which had been "stopped up".
The seating plan for Breage parish church dated 12th May 1666 shows "Rob Ripper" as occupying the second pew of the wall seats on the north wall of the nave. He shared this with John Archer and Thomas Pevrajia.
On December 18th 1672 a Ralph Ripper marries a Gertrude Porter in Portsmouth. This is the only incidence of the name Ralph I have come across. I have no evidence of Ralph in Cornwall beyond the baptism. It is possible that this is the same Ralph.
The IGI shows no children of the marriage. On the 9th of February 1673 (14 months later) Gertrude marries John James in the same church from which I assume Ralph is no longer living.
Phillimores Marriage Index records the marriage of a Ralph Ripper in Bodmin, but no date.
Benedict is mentioned in the 1641 Protestation Roll which all men were required to sign in that year to prove that they were not members of the King's party. To sign it he had to be at least 16 years old.
It is quite likely that her name is Chiverton, a more popular name in Cornwall. Chiwarton seems to be very shortlived on the IGI and is probably a transcription error.
Line in Record @I558@ (RIN 282879) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
BAPM
Wendy Taylor recorded the baptism as 8 May 1605.
Martin Ripper suggests that the name may be Nancia, not Maria. It is most likely that this is Mary, the local incumbent had a penchant for Latinising English names when recording them in the registers.
The Breage registers record the baptism of Ann the daughter of Hennerye Ripper & Jane, of Crohall on 11th January 1665.
The marriage of Hennerie Rippar to Jane Symon or Ryllie is recorded as being on 22nd January 1665 but is shown at the front of the Bodmin register and has been copied into the front of the Breage register. As yet I have not been able to verify this or explain it.
Their second daughter, Jane is recorded in Breage register as being baptised on 1st November 1668.
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OCCU a yeoman
Thomas is mentioned in the 1641 Protestation Roll which all men were required to sign in that year to prove that they were not members of the King's party. To sign it he had to be at least 16 years old, proving that he was born before 1624.Thomas was one of the last Ripper residents of Crawle.
A list of tenants of Crawle in 1640 shows the name of Thomas Ripper, but this has been crossed out, a usual indication of the lease having passed to the next life. This would, however, appear not to be the reason for the crossing out.
On 9 Oct 1640 Thomas Ripper and John Symon were nominated viewers of repairs by the court.
Further, on 30 Sep 1641 Thomas Ripper was presented to the court as a viewer of repairs and customary tenant, because he had not fulfilled his duties as viewer. The description of his status as a customary tenant can explain why his name was crossed out from the list of tenants in 1640. A customary tenant would not be one whose name was mentioned on the lease, indeed he lived there as a matter of custom rather than law. His grandfather, father and mother were the three names on the lease and all had died but Thomas continued to live there without legal status.
Whether this lack of status allowed the lord of the manor to bring pressure to bear upon him to undertake duties he may not have otherwise had to is uncertain, but he seems to have been regularly invited to take on positions within the community for which he seemed ill suited. It appears that the lease may have been extended at some time from an entry in 1657 which details Thomas and his wife as "mort" on the lease of Crawle.
In May 1642 he was again called before the court for non-attendance to his duties. Strangely, in 1642 he was appointed Reeve of the manor, in respect of his holding at Crohall. It seems that he didn't qualify on the grounds of application to duty, but then on 16th April 1644 he and John Simon were once again chosen as viewers of repairs. A Reeve is an official supervising a landowner's estate. In this context I would suggest that the viewer of repairs role and that of the reeve are one and the same.
On 30 Jul 1647 the court was held at Crohall again, Mr Douch reports the entry as:
"whereas there is a difference betwene Thomas Ripper, John Andrew, William Tremellinge and Jane Lanyon (widow) concerninge the pasture of one crought {croft} adjoining with Crohall Lane end, and whereas the saith Thomas Ripper hath now att this present beaten up parte of the said crought and doeth pritend to till the same, which is denyed by the said John, William and Jane, and is by them for the said tillage reserved unto mee, I doe therefore order that the said Thomas shall quietly (if hee please) till the same for two yeares and to paye yearely unto them the said John, William and Jane 6d, and farther to leave the said parcell of land in common as was before itt was att the end of two yeares. If the said Thomas shall make it appeere or prove that the said crought doeth solely belonge unto him that then they shall utterly disclayme the same and leave itt quietly and peaseably without any shere disturbance unto him the said Thomas ever hereafter."
In the 1667 poll tax returns the Andrew family lived at Treneere whilst at Tremelling lived the Treligo family.
On 26th September 1647 Thomas Ripper and William Tremellin were appointed as viewers and on 26th September 1648 Thomas Ripper was appointed Reeve of the manor.
On 28th March 1657 Thomas Ripper (69) (mort), English (his wife) (mort) and Edward (their son) (35) are listed in the Arundel Papers as tenants of Cariohall in the manor of Pengwedna. As mentioned before, it is probable that the indication (mort) means that these are the lives mentioned in the lease.
Thomas is recorded in the Poll Tax registers of 1661 as paying 8 shillings as his tax on being assessed as having £20 in available monies.
The last record of Thomas is his will. This does not mention Crawle by name but refers to his two sons Edward and Daniel. Oddly it doesn't mention his third son, Henry Ripper. It is possible that he had been away from the family for some time and had married in Bodmin, only returning home after the death of his father.
The will and associated papers read as follows:- the front page has four pieces of writing, the first is typical of the beginning of a probate inscription, the second is an address.
THOMAS RIPPER'S WILL - Breage 1661"In the name of God Amen I Thomas Ripper of the parish of Breage within the county of Cornwall yeoman do in consideration of my mortality make this my last will and testament in manner and form following
"First I commend my soule unto the hands of my blessed saviour Jesus Christ who hath redeemed it with his precious blood and my body to christian burial
"Item I give and bequeath unto the poor of the parish of Breage forty shillings
"Item I give unto Edward Ripper my eldest son the table board which is in the hall of my dwelling house
"Item I give unto every child of my said son Edward the sum of twenty shillings
"Item all the rest of my goods and chattels movable and immovable with all my bounds of tin and tin works and all things thereunto belonging or in anywise appurtaining I give and grant unto Daniell Ripper my son who I make and ordain to be my full whole and lawful executor of this my last will and testament
"Item I do reclaim recall and utterly disallow all former wills by me at any time formerly made in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seale yeoman the twentieth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and sixty one.
"The sign of Thomas Ripper
"Signed and sealed in the presence of
"Rich. Ffowler
"William Christopher
"Dextar Christopher"At the foot of the will there is this piece of writing in Latin which appears to be in a hand similar to that which wrote the address on the front page ...
"Testatum ...Curia Archinals Cornubrie 4th die ... Marty 1661. ... Daniel Ripper filio ... executor ... nominat primita ..."
This seems to refer to Daniel Ripper, the son of Daniel the executor to the estate of Thomas Ripper and is likely to be the proving of the probate.
It is usual for members of the Ripper family to compose their will soon before the onset of death. The 1666 listing of occupiers of pews in St Breaca, the parish church of Breage, does not show Thomas. It is most likely that he died during 1661. The burial records for this period do not survive.
ADDRESS PAGE OF THE WILL OF THOMAS RIPPER
"To the hono'rd John Sayntaubin Esq att his St Michaels Mount {the next line makes no sense to me but resembles "I his humbly Paul" as if it was part of the sender's address from the village of Paul}
"A copie of Thomas Ripper's will of the parish of Breage deceased"
A LETTER DATED 12TH FEBRUARY 1678 {this would seem to be addressed to John Sayntaubin Esq} ..."12th ffebruary 1678
"Honourable Sir
"According to your order I have sent you a true copy of the will of Thomas Ripper, with an abstract of the probate, which I have examined by the record. I humbly beg your leave to subscribe myself as I really am
"Honorable Sir your devoted and humble servant John Anstis" [the third page carries this narrative]
"Dated the 22th of June 1683
"Whereas John Anstis Register of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall at the special instance and request of me William Lampeter hath delivered into my hands the original will of Thomas Ripper late of the parish of Breage deceased to be made use of for evidence of a trial in the stannary court of Penwith & Kirrier on the behalf of John Sayntaubin Esq I do hereby promise to redeliver unto the said John Anstis the said original will safe and uncancelled on the 6th day of July next.
"Witness my hand
"Wm Lampeter
"Witnessed by
"Roger Landrye"The fact that this was presented in the stannary court on behalf of John Sayntaubin, the local landowner, suggests that there may have been some dispute over something which Thomas possessed. The effects of the will reveal little, but the occupancy of Crawle may have been the contentious point. Thomas' occupancy seems to have had little legal basis, beyond that of customary tenant and his son Daniel was probably in the same position.
The details of the legal action and its outcome have not survived the passage of time.
Angelicae is a Latinised version of English, a reasonably common name in Stuart and Jacobean Cornwall.
Temperance is noted in the parish register as the "illegitimate daughter of Jane". The IGI transcriber has misread this and records the parents as Eligehima and Hana.
Alexander is mentioned in the will of Richard Ripper (d1617) as the father of John, cousin of Richard Ripper as Sandrie.
Alexander is also referred to as Sandrie at the baptism of his son, John.
John is mentioned as a beneficiary in the will of Richard Ripper who died in 1617.
In the 1639 Muster Roll of Sir Nicholas Stanning's Regiment of Foot is listed a John Ripp of Breage. Whether or not it is this John has not been verified.
John is mentioned in the 1641 Protestation Roll which all men were required to sign in that year to prove that they were not members of the King's party. To sign it he had to be at least 16 years old.
During the English Civil War on the 8th February 1643 at Chagford in Devon, the Godolphin regiment were involved in a skirmish at which it is probable that John was either killed or more likely wounded, to return home to die in his native Breage.
Anna is recorded in 1660\1 Poll Tax rolls at Trew as a widow paying one shilling.
Mary's death in infancy is based upon the baptism of her younger sister, just five years later, also named Mary.
Mary is shown in the 1661 poll tax in Trew as paying one shilling, probably still living with her mother.
English is shown at her baptism as Anglicia.
She is shown in the 1661 poll tax in Trew as paying one shilling, probably still living with her mother.
John's baptismal entry records him as the son of Henry Ripper of "Lemezion", the staff at the Cornwall Record Office have no suggestion as to where this may be. It is possible that this is in the area of Trew, north of Breage, which is where the family home was recorded in 1661 Poll Tax records.
At the time of his marriage in 1677 Gulval he is recorded as John Ripper of Breage.
John named his first son Henry after his father.
John is the first of my line to leave the home village area of Breage in the 1670s.
In 1699 his wife, Ann died. Whether she predeceased John has not yet been established as John's burial has not yet been found.
If John had died before Ann then the family may have been left without a parent and were taken in by John's only brother, Benjamin who was living in Redruth. The possibility of John dying in Gulval in the period 1699 to 1705 could also lead to the children being take in by their uncle Benjamin. If John survived Ann it is possible that he moved to Redruth with his family to be closer to his brother and where there was a greater likelihood of work in the expanding tin mining industry around Redruth.
In order to establish which of these is the most likely scenario it is necessary to locate the date of John's burial in Gulval, Redruth or Helston.
The parish registers for Gulval commence in the 1590s. The earliest Cowles entry on the IGI in Gulval are baptisms in the 1650's but there is no entry for Ann's baptism. Other contemporary references of the Cowles name on the IGI are in parishes closer to the Devon border.
The fact that there are Cowles family members in the district is evidenced by the following will.
The will of Elizabeth Tresyse, spinster, of Newlyn - written: 28 Jun 1636; proved: 28 Apr 1637
mother-in-law: Wilmot Tresise
brother: Degory Tresise - £6
brother: John Tresise's son, John - 11 shillings
kinsman: Nicholas Williams of Bodmin - 10d
brother: David Tresise's son David - 2/6d
Pasha daughter of David Tresise - 2/6d
Thomas, Jone & Margerie children of John Cowls my brother-in-law 12d each
Elizabeth and Bridgett daughters of Nicholas Hodge of Bodmin 18d each
Dorothy and Lowdey daughters of Nicholas Hodge 12d each
Onner Hodge of Newlyn 2/6dbrother: John Tresise all the rest & executor
Elizabeth (x) Tresise
witnesses: Thomas Kestell John (x) Cowels
Inventory 30 November 1636 by Thomas Kestell & John Cowles - Gulval.
There is no record of any further life events for John. It is necessary to search the burial registers for Gulval and Redruth, or even Helston, to determine a burial date.