Oooh, a new lead!

[Merry]

Help!! I'm all of a jitter with a new lead after a decade or two of struggling on this line........

I've just been looking through the death duty indexes hoping to find an entry for Thomas Maynard.

He's difficult because all I know about him is this:

Parents William Maynard and Elizabeth Crawley who married in 1737 at St John's Bedford.

Thomas b some time between then (he's not the eldest child) and about 1750 when Elizabeth is supposed to have died.

Probably married around 1770-1775 - don't know his wife's name

Possibly had at least three children (based mostly on the 'fact' that these children don't seem to belong to anyone else!):

Leah about 1775/80-ish probably in Hertfordshire (she married and lived in Herts)
Levi similar dates place unknown (he emigrated to South Africa)
Another daughter who married someone called Millwood, probably by 1792.

I've no idea what happened to Thomas.

Anyway, today's breakthrough is that as I looked through the Death Duty indexes for all the Thomas Maynard entries to see if any of them felt like they might be him (given I don't know much about him or where he lived.), I found this entry:

Index to Death Duty register 1831
Testator: Maynard, Thomas
Executor: J Lavender, Redbourne, Herts
Court: Bedford (the index has another word or abbreviation in front)
Register 1 Folio 162 Number 6

J Lavender of Redbourn(e) is highly likely to be Thomas's grandson, John Lavender, son of his dau Leah. If Thomas isn't the Thomas I'm expecting then I'm sure he is going to be a close relative!!

So, can anyone find anything else about Thomas Maynard who probably died 1830/31 possibly in Herts or Beds and where do I get the will from?? (by yesterday! lol)

[Merry]

Assuming Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service would hold a will proved through Bedford court I'm just emailing them for a quote......

[Merry]

Court: Bedford (the index has another word or abbreviation in front)

Most of Bedfordshire was under the pre-1858 probate jurisdiction of the Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford.

Is Archdeaconry abbreviated to "Are"?? (EDIT: maybe it's Arc?)

[Merry]

Hmmmm, there's a burial in Rickmansworth Herts 16th Nov 1830 for a Thomas Maynard aged 48. So, if it turns out to be that Thomas he's more likely to be yet another brother rather than father of Leah etc

Can't find anything for Bedfordshire at the moment.

[Merry]

The only other Maynard burial I can see in Rickmansworth is Sophia Maynard in 1847 aged 74. Not old enough to be Thomas's mother, so possibly he was a toyboy?! I wonder if she wrote a will??

Checking 1841 census and wills stuff...

[Merry]

No will for Sophia, just administration (not until 1859) granted to her son Thomas (confirming that relationship) who I see was born in Portsea Hants about 1807.

I wonder if his father was Thomas jr (abt 1782-1830) and therefore Leah Lavender Maynard was his aunt?

Come on Bedford Archives!!! lol

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Merry

Hmmmm, there's a burial in Rickmansworth Herts 16th Nov 1830 for a Thomas Maynard aged 48. So, if it turns out to be that Thomas he's more likely to be yet another brother rather than father of Leah etc

Can't find anything for Bedfordshire at the moment.

On the same page of the Index to Death Duty Registers as the J Lavender entry (looks like Lavendon to me though), go down about a dozen lines and there is an entry for Maynard Thos, executor S Maynard, Rickmansworth.

[Merry]

Hmmm....there's a burial in Portsea for a Thomas Maynard in 1807 (might be the person I was originally looking for!) and a will in the death duty index for 1808 (which I saw this morning and ignored!).

I remember the death duty entry was indexed as 1809 when it said 1808 on the actual page, but there was no further info.

Is this therefore for the same entry? (from ancestry)

Name: Thomas Maynard
Residence Place: Portsea, Hampshire, England
Death Date: Abt 1809
Record Date: 29 Dec 1809
Record Location: Winchester, Hampshire, England
Notes: Occupation or Status: Superannuated Scavenger

and if so where does that info come from?

(may of course be a red herring!)

EDIT: Ah, TNA:

Abstract of Will of Thomas Maynard, Superannuated Scavenger of Portsea, Hampshire

So I could get that whilst I'm waiting (£3.30)

[kiterunner]

So is the Rickmansworth one this one on TNA site?


Will of Thomas Maynard of Chipping Wycombe , Buckinghamshire

Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers. Will of Thomas Maynard of Chipping Wycombe , Buckinghamshire.
Collection: Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
Date range: 08 October 1831

Apparently Chipping Wycombe is an old name for High Wycombe.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

On the same page of the Index to Death Duty Registers as the J Lavender entry (looks like Lavendon to me though), go down about a dozen lines and there is an entry for Maynard Thos, executor S Maynard, Rickmansworth.

Ah-ha!! Thanks Kate.

I didn't think to look forther once I found the first entry.

It's too much of a coincidence for J to be Lavendon