Introduction
The following information provides an analysis of the data collected by Mrs. Herbert R. Gentry with the assistance of correspondents in Essex England between 1978 and 1987. It was first published in "Gentry Family Gazette and Genealogy Exchange", [GFG&GE] vol vi, p.135 (May 1987)<1>. The material consists of birth, marriage and burial records, records of wills and administration, and a limited number of other court records involving Gentrys during the 16th and 175h centuries. An earlier article in GFG&GE, vol 1, p.159-167 (Dec 1980) provides a transcription of the will of Simon Gentry of London (formerly of Kelvedon, Essex County). Additional new information has also been provided by transcripts of several wills that have been obtained by the author and which have not been available previously.

[Note. The present article consolidates in one place material previously published in two separate articles. The original of this article was published in the Journal as Issue A., April 2006. When additional source material became available, the information from that material was published as an addendum to Issue B of the Journal, June 2006. This addendum is being removed from a re-publication of the latter article and is incorporated herein].

For many years, Gentry family genealogists have attempted to identify some family in Great Britain, most particularly in Essex County, as being the source of the Nicholas and Samuel Gentry who emigrated to Virginia in the 17th century, Nicholas being the founder of the line from which most Gentrys in the United States descend. Our purpose is to organize and interpret the data available from Essex County to assist in this identification. We should say from the outset that all of the known references to Gentrys in that county between 1500 and 1700 are included in the source material at the end of this article, but there is no guarantee that additional references exist that were not found by Mrs. Herbert Gentry's correspondents. On the other hand, it is also significant in understanding the very small area of England in which these references were found, that none were found in the closely-adjoining county of Hertfordshire. In a succeeding article, we will evaluate this data and attempt to resolve some of the issues relating to the Essex County Gentrys connection to Samuel and Nicholas.

Geography
The locations in Essex County in which Gentry reference have been found, are divided for the most part into two major adjoining areas. One of these areas encompasses Great and Little Dunmow, Great Canfield, Great and Little Easton and Lindsell. We can include Thaxted in this area although it is involved only as the location for a marriage. Another, somewhat more wide-spread area includes Wethersfield, Bocking, Kelvedon and Witham. In each of these areas, there are accumulations of references that appear to involve close family groupings, particularly in Lindsell and in Bocking. A scattered number of references to Epping, South Weald, Heybridge and Widford form a third geographically separate area. Finally, there are Gentry references in a fourth area on or near the North Sea coast. These various locations are shown in the map displayed below.

A. The Gentrys of Essex County - Family of John Gentry
A family tree can be constructed from material found in the wills of John Gentry of Lindsell, his wife, Agnes, and a son Richard Gentry. By this information with other information taken from Essex County records, we can postulate portions of five generations of Gentrys that descended fromJohn Gentry. These generations are shown below. All locations refer to Essex County. Where the dates of birth of children are not confirmed, the order of children may be in error in some cases. Transcriptions of registry dates of birth, death, burial, marriage, wills etc. are shown in the tabular summary in reference 2. For purposes of comparison of this Gentry family with others of Essex County, we will use a rough generation scale as follows:

1.     First - born about 1500 to 1535
2.     Second - born about 1535 to 1570
3.     Third - born about 1570 to 1600
4.     Fourth - born about 1600 to 1635
5.     Fifth - born about 1635 to 1670

First Generation

1. John Gentry of Lindsell born probably in the vicinity of 1510, buried 27 Oct 1570, Lindsell, husbandman, left a will dated 1570. married Agnes [--?--]; buried 4 Mar 1571/2, Lindsell, left a will dated 1571. [It has been suggested that John, Agnes, and their children were all born in Lindsell, but there is no direct evidence to either support or disprove this. Because John was a husbandman (farmer), it is likely that he spent his entire life in Lindsell. If John was born elsewhere, there is no knowledge of when he might have moved to Lindsell.
		Children:
	i.	Agnes Gentry; married [--?--] Wood, children included Barbara Wood, Simon Wood and others.
	ii.	Joan Gentry; married Roger Conney, children included John, Ellen, Marie, and Agnes Conney.
	iii.	Katherine Gentry; married [--?--] Curtis, children included Peter and John Curtis..
	iv.	Richard Gentry, shoemaker, left a will dated 16 Mar 1580/81, Great Dunmow.
	v.	Thomas Gentry.
2.	vi.	Simon Gentry.
	vii.	Gilbert Gentry; buried 15 Mar 1592, Lindsell.

The wills of John, Agnes and Richard Gentry<3> appear to account for all the members of John's family. The will of John Gentry supports the order of birth of his sons, but has no indication of the relative dates of birth of his daughters -- either with respect to each other, or with respect to his sons. John specifically names Richard as his eldest son, Thomas as the second son, Simon as the third son and Gilbert as the fourth son. It is of interest that both John and Agnes mention by name all of their children, and Richard mentions the names of all of his siblings, providing cross-confirmation of these names. This latter circumstance indicates that all of the siblings were still alive at the time of Richard's death, and if not all living in Lindsell, were living close enough for the family to maintain easy contact with each other.

The spelling of the names used in this chart varied in the original documents from one will to another, and also within specific wills. The spelling has arbitrarily been given in modern form here, for example, "Joan" instead of "Johan", "Simon" instead of "Symon" and "Gilbert" instead of "Gylbert". For the married surnames of the daughters, one of the various alternate spellings has been adopted in each case, for example, "Curtis" instead of "Kurteis", "Curtes", and "Curteis".

John's will provides for gifts of money for the most part, and for the gift of a lamb to three of his grandchildren. There is no provision for passing on title to any land or a house. As a self-proclaimed husbandman (farmer), this strongly suggests that he was occupying copyhold land (as opposed to freehold land to which he might hold title and be able to pass on to his descendants)<4>. The gift of lambs by John and gifts of sheep, a bullock, a cow, a pig and poultry by Agnes indicate that John was strong on livestock rather than only raising crops.

Richard's will shows no evidence of having a wife or children, and there is no evidence in any of the wills of any wives or children for Thomas or Gilbert. In the case of the wills of John and Agnes, the mention of bequests for children of their daughters suggests that they were all older than the sons and thus had already started families. In the case of Richard's will, there is a bequest to his brother, Simon's unborn child. Simon's wife, Alice, was with child at the time of the will, and the child was to receive a gift of money when the child became eighteen or married, whichever occurred first. (Since this was the only mention of a child of Simon, it is probably safe to assume that the unborn child was Simon's first, namely Simon Junior.) Also, Alice was to receive a piece of furniture along with gifts of furniture for his sisters Agnes and Katherine and gifts of money to nephews and nieces. These gifts suggest that Richard's brothers (a) had no children, and (b) if they were married, their wives were in such a location that it would be impractical to give them furniture.

Thomas Gentry does not appear in any further Lindsell records, and is thought to have moved away. The presence of younger generations of Gentrys in the vicinity of Epping, Essex County, may represent descendants of Thomas. This is discussed further in the section below on fragmentary Gentry families. Gilbert remained in the vicinity of Lindsell and died there, but nothing is known about his family. There do not seem to be any local baptism or marriage records associated with possible children of either Thomas or Gilbert. The one exception is a Bridget Gentry who is discussed in the notes for Simon Gentry the Elder.

Second Generation

2. Simon Gentry the Elder of Lindsell born about 1549, probably in Lindsell; buried 22 Feb 1617/8, Lindsell, labourer, left a will dated 1618. married 6 Oct 1578, Felsted, to Alice Finch; (buried 17 May 1625, Lindsell).
		Children:
3	i.	Simon Gentry the Younger, born about 1581 (see Richard's will).
	ii.	Roger Gentry, died before father's will of 1618, son Francis Gentry born after 1603 and included in grandfather's will.
4	iii.	Samuel Gentry the Elder, born about 1585.
	iv. (?)	Breidget / Bridget Gentry; married Richard Warner, son Richard baptized 22 Jul 1604, Lindsell.

The elder Simon's date of burial and the date for the writing of his will is given in the reference abstracts as the year 1618/9, but the date of proving is given as April 1618 <2c,2e>. It is probable that there was an error by Mrs. Herbert Gentry's correspondent in recording the Julian date for the burial and the writing of the will, and it was actually 1617/8. In this will, Simon left his personal belongings and his cottage to his wife Alice. On her death, the personal effects were to be divided between his two sons Simon and Samuel. The cottage was to go to Simon and Samuel was to be recompensed for his share to the tune of £8. Three grandchildren, Roger son of Simon, Francis son of Roger, and Nathaniel son of Samuel, all under the age of fifteen, were given small sums of money. The will indicates a very modest estate for Simon, commensurate with his occupation, a small cottage being the major portion. Reading between the lines, Simon appears to have left his father's farm as did his brother Richard, and perhaps moved into town, starting the movement of the family from a farming one to a merchant-craftsman one. His son, Simon the Younger (see below) returned to farming and may have taken over his grandfather's farm.

Bridget Gentry, with a son baptized in 1604, was of an age approximating that of the elder Simon Gentry's sons. Because her home was in Lindsell, it is probable that she was part of the John Gentry extended family, but she could have been a daughter of Gilbert Gentry as well as of Simon Gentry, both of whom lived in the Lindsell area. Because she is not mentioned in Richard's will, she probably was not a daughter of his. It is unlikely that she was a daughter of Thomas Gentry since he is thought to have moved away.

Third Generation

3. Simon Gentry the Younger born about 1581, probably in Lindsell; buried 28 Jan 1635/6, Lindsell, husbandman, left a will dated 1635. married Anna [--?--] (buried 2 Nov 1638, Lindsell).
	Children of Simon and Anna:
	i.	Roger Gentry, born after 1603; married 1 May 1635, Lindsell, to Rebecca Wallis.
		Children of Roger and Rebecca:
		a.	Samuel Gentry, baptized 30 Nov 1635, Lindsell; married 1657, Great Dunmow, to Sara Eve.
		b.	John Gentry, baptized 16 Apr 1637, Lindsell.
	ii?.	possibly Francis Gentry, who was married 24 Jun 1635, Lindsell, to Thomas Wright.

We have no information in any of the Lindsell records of any other Gentrys who might be possible children of Simon the Younger, nor is there further information on the children of Roger.

4. Samuel Gentry the Elder born about 1585, probably in Lindsell. married 8 Sep 1616, Great Dunmow to Elizabeth Wade (baptized 26 Mar 1587, Thaxted, buried 16 Dec 1652, Great Dunmow).
		Children:<5>
5	i.	Nathaniel Gentry the Elder, baptized 14 Dec 1617, Great Dunmow
	ii.	Martha Gentry, baptized 6 Feb 1620, Great Dunmow; married 1648, Great Dunmow, to William Gray.
	iii.	Simon Gentry , baptized 25 Nov 1621, Great Dunmow.
	iv.	John Gentry, baptized 9 Oct 1625, Great Dunmow.
	v.	Josias Gentry, baptized 9 Oct 1625, Great Dunmow.
6	vi.	Samuel Gentry the Younger. baptized 16 Dec 1627, Great Dunmow.
	vii.	Margaret Gentry, baptized 13 Sep 1629, Great Dunmow.
	viii.	Richard Gentry,baptized 11 Dec 1631, Great Dunmow, moved to Witham?.
	ix.	Thomas Gentry, baptized 13 Oct 1633, Great Dunmow.
	x.	Frances Gentry, baptized 25 Mar 1635, Great Dunmow.

As one compares the locations where the second and third generation Gentrys and their children were born, married and buried, there is a pattern of scattering from Lindsell first to Great Dunmow in about the late 1630's, then further scattering to Kelvedon, Easton and Witham during the next dozen years. There was also a move from being a husbandman (farmer) and ordinary laborer to being involved in some trade. It is significant that all of the Gentrys were a step or two removed from being peasant farmers or tenants and had enough personal property for them to write wills disposing of that property.

Fourth Generation

5. Nathaniel Gentry the Elder(*) baptized 14 Dec 1617, Great Dunmow, innholder, Kelvedon. married (1) about 1642 or 1643, probably in Kelvedon, to Mary Raven; married (2), 1669, Kelvedon to Susan Kendall.
		Children of Nathaniel and Mary:
	i.	Mary Gentry (*), baptized 20 Sep 1644, Kelvedon; married [--?--] Webb.
7	ii.	Nathaniel Gentry the Younger (*), died 1721, Witham.
	iii.	Samuel Gentry, baptized 22 Jul 1649, Kelvedon.
	iv.	John Gentry (*), married 15 Apr 1679, London, to Levine Smith.
			Children of John and Levine:
		a.	John Gentry (*), (twin) baptized 29 Feb 1683/4, London.
		b.	Lavine Gentry, (twin) buried 29 Feb 1683/4, London
		c.	Nathaniel Gentry (*), baptized 7 Apr 1687, London.
	v.	Simon Gentry, baptized 14 Feb 1654/5, Kelvedon, died 16 Dec 1697, London, bachelor, left a will dated 15 Dec 1697, London.
		Children of Nathaniel and Susan:
	vi.	Richard Gentry (*).
	vii.	Samuel Gentry (*).

(*) Included in the will of Simon Gentry.

Nathaniel Gentry of Kelvedon (the Elder) is assumed to be the same grandson Nathaniel to whom Simon Gentry the Elder bequeathed money. Baptismal records of Nathaniel's children have only been found for Mary, the first Samuel and Simon, and are taken from a transcript of the original register of Kelvedon parish church with the notation that they were the children of Nathaniel and Mary Gentry. [The original register was not available to the correspondent with whom Mrs. Herbert Gentry was in contact, so may or may not have had additional entries.]

Most of the members of this family can be identified from the 1697 will of Simon Gentry, son of Nathaniel, who had moved from Kelvedon to London. The two children of Nathaniel's second wife are identified in Simon's will as "my brothers by the half blood". The naming of a second Samuel and the complete absence of the first Samuel from his brother Simon's will, leads one to the conclusion that the Samuel born in 1649 had died, or been lost to the family, by the time the second Samuel was born (presumably in the early 1670's).

Simon's final will, written on the day before he died, was a revision of one which he had prepared earlier. Changes that are known to have been made included replacing his brother Nathaniel Gentry and a friend, Simon Knight, as executors with a new executor, Nathaniel Junior's son, Simon Gentry. He also increased the amount of his bequest to his nephew James (another son of Nathaniel), a last minute addition of a bequest to "Natt Gentry, son of my brother Natt Gentry", and a bequest to his uncle Nicholas Raven and the latter's son John Raven. The added "Natt Gentry" was not mentioned earlier in the will when other sons of Nathaniel Jr. were listed. That may have been a deliberate omission, or simply an oversight that was corrected at the last moment. Simon's uncle, Nicholas Raven, could have been a brother of one of Nicholas Gentry's sisters but it was likely that he was a brother of Simon's mother, Mary, in which case her maiden name must have been Raven.

6. Samuel Gentry the Younger baptized 16 Dec 1627, Great Dunmow; buried 22 Oct 1695, Lindsell married (1) 22 Aug 1655, at Thaxted, to Margaret Draper of Easton (baptized 13 Aug 1621, Great Easton; buried 5 Mar 1681/2, Lindsell, daughter of Richard Draper). married (2) 16 May 1682, (as a "widower"), at Lindsell to Elizabeth Wilson (widow) of Great Bardfield (said to have died 22 Dec 1687, Lindsell).
		Children of Samuel and Margaret:
	i.	Susan Gentry, baptized 4 Aug 1657, Great Easton; married 28 Jun 1677, Lindsell, to Thomas Knightingale.
	ii.	Samuel Gentry, baptized 9 Aug 1663, Great Easton.
		Children of Samuel and Elizabeth:
	iii.	Samuel Gentry, baptized 13 Jan 1683/4, buried 27 Jan 1683/4, Lindsell.
	iv.	Roger Gentry, baptized 31 May 1685, buried Dec 1685, Lindsell.
	v.	John Gentry, baptized 27 Nov 1687.

This Samuel was living in "Easton" (presumably Great Easton) in 1655 when he was married in the parish church at Thaxted. Great Easton and Little Easton were only small villages while the church at Thaxted was a very large one which presumably served the two Eastons. The remainder of the references to Samuel and his family were in Lindsell where he settled after his marriage. It is interesting but probably coincidental that both Samuel and his brother, Nathaniel, re-used the name Samuel for a son after they married for a second time, apparently wanting to be sure that the name continued on after their deaths.

[Note. The transcription of the baptismal, marriage and burial records at Lindsell as reported to Mrs. Herbert Gentry appears to be in error as far as dates of the Julian calendar are concerned. One source gives Margaret Gentry as being buried in March 1682/3 (1683 by our calendar), while Samuel is listed as marrying again in May 1682. The second Samuel is listed as being baptized and buried in Jan 1684/5 (1685 by our calendar), while his younger brother Roger was baptized in May 1685 and died in the same year. It seems probable that there may have been some confusion in recording the original dates and then converting them from Julian to modern calendar years.]

Fifth Generation

7. Nathaniel Gentry the Younger (*) died 1721, Witham, innholder, left a will dated 26 Aug 1719; married Frances [--?--] (**)
		Children:
	i.	Simon Gentry (*)
	ii.	John Gentry (*)
	iii.	Judith Gentry (*)(**), married Thomas Raynor of London.
	iv.	Mary Gentry (*)(**)
	v.	Levine Gentry (*)(**), married Henry Shuttleworth of Much Baddow.
	vi.	Ann Gentry (*)(**), married William Brewer of Witham.
	vii.	Elizabeth Gentry (*)(**), married Edward Parsons of London.
	viii.	Frances Gentry (*)(**) of Witham.
	ix.	James Gentry (*)(**), married Susanna [--?--], innkeeper, will dated 1725, Witham.
	x.	Nathaniel Gentry (*)

(*) Included in the will of Nathaniel's brother Simon.
(**) Included in Nathaniel's will.

Although Nathaniel died in Witham, court records show him to have been living in Bocking in 1680, 1684 and 1686. He was also probably living there before 1666 when he was mentioned in the will of Henry Gentry of Bocking (see below). All of the members of his family were listed in the will of Nathaniel's brother Simon dated 1697. His daughters and his son James were listed in his own will dated 1721, but sons Simon, John and Nathaniel Jr. were not included for whatever reason.

 
B. The Gentrys of Essex County - John and Henry Gentry of Bocking
In addition to the descendants of John Gentry of Lindsell who lived in that community and then spread to Great Dunmow, Kelvedon and Witham, there was another group of Gentrys who lived in the community of Bocking, some seven miles as the crow flies from Lindsell. So far we have not found a direct connection between these two groups of Gentry, but the distance and the location of Bocking roughly midway between the parishes of Lindsell and Great Dunmow and those of Kelvedon and Witham, provides plenty of opportunity for interrelationship.

Almost all of the Gentrys who lived in and near Bocking appear to have belonged to a single extended family. Members of this family can be identified from the terms of the will of a Henry Gentry, a member of this family, who died without surviving children and left a will dated 1666. Henry was a weaver involved in the wool trade and rather well-to-do. He was the owner of at least three houses that were occupied by tenants at the time of his death in addition presumably to the house in which he lived and his shop. Ownership of these was to remain in the Gentry family after the death of his widow. We can speculate that he had inherited these from his father, presumably in line of primogeniture, which would imply that his father in turn had been the oldest son in his generation and had inherited them from Henry's grandfather. Henry's real estate, after the death of his widow, was bequeathed to family members, but monetary gifts were made to cousins, tenants, friends or co-workers, and servants. The identify of the father of Henry, and of Henry's grandfather (and father of Henry's uncle John) is not known, nor the connection of this family to the Lindsell family which surely must exist in some fashion.

Third Generation of Gentrys

Unknown Gentry
		Children:
1	i.	Unknown son, born probably about 1600.
2	ii.	John Gentry the Elder, born about 1600-1605.
	iii (?)	Rebecca Gentry (see notes below).

This unknown founder of the Bocking branch of the Gentry family may have been a son of a Henry Gentry who died in Wethersfield and left a will dated 1578. The approximate gap in years between successive generations and the correspondence of the name Henry support this possibility.

Fourth and Fifth Generations

1. Unknown Gentry
		Children:
	i.	Henry Gentry, born probably about 1625 to 1630, died Aug 1666, Bocking, weaver, will dated 8 Aug 1666; married Dorothy Hunt(?) (*) (died Aug - Sep 1666, Bocking).
2. John Gentry the Elder (*) born about 1600-1605 married 1629, Bocking to Frances Hagger.
		Children of John and Frances:
	i.	John Gentry the Younger (*), died 1681, Bocking, weaver, will dated 1681; married (1) Unknown; married (2) 1665, Braintree, to Mary Hunt.
			Children of John and Mary
		a.	Mary Gentry, baptized 23 Feb 1663/4, Bocking.
		b.	William Gentry, baptized 13 Jan 1666/7, Bocking.
	ii.	William Gentry (*), died 1683, Bocking, weaver, will dated 1684; married 19 Jul 1655, Bocking, to Susan Neal.
			Children of William and Susan:
		a.	Jane Gentry, married John Wilson/Willson; they had daughters Mary and Elizabeth Wilson (both less than age 21 in 1684).
	iii.	Edward/Edmund Gentry (*), married (1) 27 Jun 1657, Bocking, to Jane Manning; married (2) 23 May 1659, Bocking to Jane Parr.
			Children of Edward/Edmund:
		a.	Jane Gentry, buried 16 Jan 1659/60, Bocking.
		b.	Henry Gentry, baptized 8 Dec 1661, Bocking, died 1755, victualler; sons Henry, William, and John.
		c.	John Gentry, baptized 19 Nov 1665, Bocking, brickmaker.
		d.	Sara Gentry, baptized 2 Feb 1666/7, Bocking.
	iv.	Thomas Gentry (*), married (1) Unknown; married (2) 1675, Bocking, to Mary Coe.
			Children of Thomas:
		a.	Anne Gentry, baptized 1 Jun 1658, Bocking.
		b..	Margaret Gentry, baptized 7 May 1661, Bocking.

(*) Included in the will of Henry Gentry.

The will of Henry Gentry, written 8 Aug 1666 and proved 3 Sep 1666, provides a wealth of information concerning his family relations. First, we can say that he apparently had no living sons or daughters since there is no mention of such. A rough estimate of Henry's date of birth and age at death can be gained by comparison with the ages of cousins named in his will. Their ages in turn can be estimated from the dates of their marriages and births of their children, and the date of marriage of their father, John Gentry the Elder. It is apparent that Henry died in the prime of life and the fact that his wife died scarcely more than a couple of weeks of him suggests that both may have died of sudden illness. From Henry's will and from wills and estate proceedings relating to and subsequent to it we can surmise the following.

• The will mentions Henry's brother-in-law Roger Hunt. This could either be the brother of Henry's wife, Dorothy, or the husband of an unidentified sister. The will goes on to give bequests to two daughters of Roger but refers to them as his daughters, rather than children of Henry's sister or as his nieces. We can infer then that Roger was a brother of Dorothy and consequently Dorothy's maiden name was Hunt.
• Four cousins are named, John, William, Edward and Thomas. It is reasonable to suppose that these cousins were brothers, a supposition that is reinforced by the ages of their children and the dates of their marriages. Subsequent wills indicate that at least three of these cousins were also weavers. John Gentry is mentioned as "the younger", while elsewhere "John Gentry" and "John Gentry Sr." gave bond for the administration of Henry's deceased widow, Dorothy's estate. This combination indicates that the four cousins were all sons of John Gentry Sr., which further indicates the John Sr. was an uncle of Henry.
• John Gentry the elder was named to administer Henry's estate and in one document he was named as next of kin to Henry. Under the usual laws of intestacy, inheritance would pass from Henry's widow to his children if there were any. Lacking that, it would pass in order to (1) the parents of Henry, (2) siblings of Henry, and then (3) to siblings of Henry's parents. As a brother of Henry's father, John Gentry was in the line of succession ahead of his own children and ahead of Henry's grandparents or any of their siblings.
• The name "Edward" and "Edmund" appear in transcriptions of the Essex County records in a number of places. It is uncertain whether these spellings were indeed in the original documents and represented the same individual in spite of different spellings, or whether the difference lies in the reading of the document. The two names are very similar in appearance and could easily be mistaken in the reading of handwritten documents that are difficult to read to begin with. We have assumed that however they were written, the documents refer to the same individual.
• The identification of a Robert Gentry as a "kinsman" rather than "cousin" suggests that he was not a first cousin of Henry as were John's children, but perhaps a nephew, a first cousin once removed, or a second cousin, etc. Bocking marriage registers record:
        "Robert Gentry, widower, married 13 Sep 1660, to Grace Woolmer, widow".
  His age and the marriage in Bocking are consistent with the proposition that he may have been a cousin once removed of Henry, the son of a younger brother of John Sr. and of Henry's father. The Robert Gentry, who was separately identified as an apprentice of Henry most probably was a son of the first Robert. This apprenticeship does not seem to be one of a young man who has not reached his majority as he was bequeathed two houses as his share of the estate. We cannot tell the exact relationship of the Robert Gentrys from the known information and for our purposes it is not worth belaboring the point.
• In addition to direct family members above that were mentioned in Henry's will, he also made a bequest to the eldest son of Nathaniel Gentry and to a Judy Gentry. We can assume that this Nathaniel was Nathaniel Gentry Jr. who is known to have lived in Bocking for a number of years. Judy may have been Judith, Nathaniel's oldest daughter, though why she was mentioned by name and Nathaniel's son was not is not known. The bequests by Henry to this family suggests a close association between the two families, with a possible extended family relationship.

Before we leave the Gentrys of Bocking, there are two more Gentrys with ties to Bocking that cannot be definitely placed at this time. The Bocking marriage indexes show:

(a)	Rebecca Gentry, married 1633 to Richard Heath.
(b)	Rebecca Gentry, married 1639 to Nicholas Church.

Unless the Rebecca who married in 1633 lost her husband and resumed the name Gentry before marrying a second time, we must assume these are two different women. The older Rebecca was of an age such that she might well have been a sister of John Gentry the Elder and of Henry Gentry's father as we have shown above. The younger Rebecca could easily have been a daughter of Robert Gentry.

 
C. Fragmentary Gentry Families
In addition to the two extended families we have described above, Essex County records show the existence of a number of other Gentrys, all of whom were probably related in some fashion to those of Lindsell, Great Dunsmow and Bocking. One of these families was that of William Gentry of Great Canfield, a small community some four or so miles south of Great Dunsmow. (Today, this community is so small that it does not appear on most maps of Essex County.)

Second Generation of Gentrys

William Gentry born probably about 1545 to 1550, buried 6 Mar 1586/7, Great Canfield; married 28 Jul 1572, Great Canfield, to Johan/Joan Beade (widow) (buried 1 Jun 1630, Great Canfield).
		Children:
	i.	Thomas Gentry, baptized 14 Sep 1578, Great Canfield, buried 17 Mar 1608/9, Great Canfield; married 30 Jun 1601, Great Canfield, to Barbary (Barbara?) Chander.
			Children of Thomas and Barbara:
		a.	Mary Gentry, baptized 5 Nov 1601, Great Canfield, buried 20 Jul 1635, Great Canfield? [burial listed for 'Mary Gentre" rather than "Mary Taylor"]; married 25 Feb 1624/5, Great Canfield, to Thomas Taylor.
		b.	Joane/Joan Gentry, baptized 6 Nov 1603, Great Canfield; married 1629, High Roding, to Robert Cabbidge.
	ii.	Johan/Joan Gentry, baptized 11 Feb 1581/2, Great Canfield; married Oct 1600, Great Canfield, to William Ward/Wood.

William's death relatively soon after his marriage suggests that he had no other surviving children than these two. The lack of male descendants explains why there were no further records to Gentrys in Great Canfield. William's age, consistent with the second generation of Gentrys, places him in the same generation as the children of John Gentry of Lindsell. William's father could easily have been a brother of John.

Possible Descendants of Thomas Gentry of Lindsell
There are two marriage records for Gentrys in the parish of South Weald, well south of the Lindsell - Great Dunmow - Bocking - Great Canfield area. This parish is close enough, and the name, Gentry, was so comparatively uncommon, that it is no stretch of imagination to conjecture that the two individuals were related in some fashion to the northern Gentrys

(a)	Thomas Gentry, married 1634, South Weald, to Elizabeth Turner
(b)	Richard Gentry, married 1635, South Weald, to Sara Cole.

Thomas and Richard can be assumed to be brothers, born probably in the interval 1605-1615. With the repetition of the names Thomas and Richard, it would not be surprising if they were descended from the family of John Gentry of Lindsell, and more particularly that they were descended from John's son, Thomas. Their ages are such that there was likely a one-generation gap between them and this Thomas, placing them in the fourth generation of our Essex County scale. This implies an unknown father lying between the elder Thomas and the brothers Thomas and Richard. The younger Thomas in turn may have been the father or grandfather of John Gentry, Thomas Gentry, and Joseph Gentry who were involved in two court cases in 1689 and 1691 in the town of Epping.

One can also speculate that Thomas and Richard could have been sons of Simon Gentry the Younger of Lindsell. We know he had a son Samuel of about the same age as these two, but we know nothing further about Simon's family. The major difference between Thomas Gentry of Lindsell and Simon Gentry the Younger of Lindsell in considering such parentage is that there is the space of a full generation for descendants of Thomas to move the rather considerable distance from Lindsell south to the community of South Weald. By contrast, Simon Gentry the Younger was still living in Lindsell in 1635 when he died, and a move by the Thomas and Richard above would have to have occurred in early manhood, before they married.

Two other marriages, at Widford and at Heybridge (also in the southern part of Essex County) may have involved related Gentrys:

(a)	Robert Gentry, married 1668, at Heybridge, to Mary Goures
(b)	Mary Gentry, married 1674, at Widford, to Benjamin Clark

There is a reasonable probability that these two Gentrys were brother and sister. They were of an age to be part of the fifth generation, thus a generation younger than the two Gentrys above and very possibly were children of either Thomas or Richard.

 
Coastal Gentrys
Records of three Gentrys can be found in the extreme eastern part of Essex County, along or near the coast, namely:

(a)	Robert Gentry, husbandman, will filed in 1546, at Brightlingsea
(b)	Richard Gentry, married 1629, at West Mersea, to Elizabeth Spikernoll
(c)	Richard Gentry, married 1662, at Colchester, to Mary Goiment.

The date of the will of Robert Gentry is for an individual antedating all of the Gentrys we have discussed above and his place of residence was far from the cluster of next younger Gentrys at Lindsell, Great Canfield and Wethersfield. It is possible that he was the originator of the entire clan and may have moved to Essex County from overseas or from some other part of England and his children (possibly John of Lindsell, a hypothetical father of William of Great Canfield and a hypothetical father of Henry of Wethersfield) moved inland as a group about the time of Robert's death.

The Richard Gentry of West Mersea, though living in an area set off from most of the other Gentrys, was still close enough to places like Witham and Kelvedon that he could have been related to some one like Simon the Younger of Lindsell or descendants of William of Great Canfield, about whom we have no information. The Richard Gentry who was married at Colchester was probably a son of the older Richard.

 
D. Summary of Essex County Gentrys
By using a combination of generation of birth and location of residence we can construct a hypothetical outline of an extended family of Gentrys that lived in Essex County between 1500 and 1700. Considering the length of time involved, there were a relatively small number of Gentrys found in the records leading to the proposition that almost all of them were related in some fashion. Excluding the east-coast Gentrys for now, we can hypothesize a relationships at various generation levels as shown in the table below. A sequel to this article will evaluate all the information we have discussed here to present possible answers to the question, "Who were the parents and grandparents of Nicholas Gentry and Samuel Gentry, the original immigrants to America?". This article will also determine whether any of the current theories for this descent are impossible or unlikely.    

Generation 1	Generation 2	Generation 3	Generation 4	Generation 5&6
John (Lindsell)	--> Richard       (Gt Dunsmow)	--> ?
	--> Thomas       (Lindsell)	--> ?	Thomas ]--> ? Richard ]--> ?       (both S.Weald)	-->Robert       (Heybridge) --> Mary       (Widford) -->g-children in       Epping?
	--> Simon       (Lindsell)	--> Simon --> Roger --> Samuel       (all Lindsell)	--> Roger --> Francis       (both       Lindsell?) --> Nathaniel       (Kelvedon) --> Samuel       (Gt. Easton) --> and others	--> ? --> ? --> Nathaniel Jr       & others --> Samuel &       others --> ?
	--> Gilbert       (Lindsell)	--> ?
(brother of       John??)	--> William       (Gt. Canfield)	--> Thomas       (Gt. Canfield)	--> (daughters)
(brother of       John??)	--> Henry       (Wethersfield)	--> ? --> ?	]--> ?   --> John --> Robert ?	--> Henry       (Bocking) --> John & others       (Bocking) --> Robert

 

References to Gentrys in Essex, England
1. ,  "Gentry Family Gazette & Genealogy Exchange", Richard H. Gentry, editor, McLean, Virginia, published 1979 to 1997.

2. Mrs. Herbert R. Gentry, "The Hunt for the Missing Link: Research in England", Gentry Family Gazette and Genealogy Exchange, vol 6, p.135-152 (May 1987). Reference material published in this article has been reorganized and is reprinted here.

(a)     Baptismal Records

Date		Refr	Location	Child	Parents
1578	Sep 14	R	Great Canfield	Thomas	William Gentrye
1581/2	Feb 11	R	Great Canfield	Johan [dau]	William Gentrye
1601	Nov 5	R	Great Canfield	Mary	Thomas Gentry
1603	Nov 3	R	Great Canfield	Joane	Thomas Gentry
1604	Jul 22	R	Lindsell	Richard	Breidget Gentry and Richard Warner
1621	Aug 13	R	Great Easton	Margaret	Richard Draper
1635	Nov 30	R	Lindsell	Samuel	Roger and Rebecca Gentry
1637	Apr 16	R	Lindsell	John	Roger and Rebecca Gentry
1644	Sep 20	R	Kelvedon	Mary	Nathaniel & Mary Gentry
1649	Jul 22	R	Kelvedon	Samuel	Nathaniel & Mary Gentry
1654/5	Feb 14	R	Kelvedon	Simon	Nathaniel & Mary Gentry
1657	Aug 4	R	Great Easton	Susan	Samuel Gentry and [Margaret]
1658	Jun 1	R	Bocking	Anne	Thomas Gentree
1661	May 7	R	Bocking	Margaret	Thomas Gentree
1661	Dec 8	R	Bocking	Henry	Edmund Gentry
1663	Aug 9	R	Great Easton	Samuel	Samuel Gentry and wife
1663/4	Feb 23	R	Bocking	Mary	John Gentry
1665	Nov 19	R	Bocking	John	Edward Gentry
1666/7	Jan 13	R	Bocking	William	John Gentry senior
1666/7	Feb 2	R	Bocking	Sara	Edmund Gentry
1683/4	Feb 29	BI	London	John	John Gentry and Levine
1684/5	Jan 13	R	Lindsell	Samuel	Samuel and Elizabeth Gentry
1685	May 31	R	Lindsell	Roger	Samuel and Elizabeth Gentry
1687	Nov 27	R	Lindsell	John	Samuel and Elizabeth Gentry
1687	Apr 7	BI	London	Nathaniel	John Gentry and Levine

(b)     Marriages

Date		Refr	Location	Groom	Bride
1572	Jul 28	R	Great Canfield	William Gentrey	Johan Beade, widow
1600	Oct 19	R	Great Canfield	William Wood	Joan Gentrye
1601	Jun310	R	Great Canfield	Thomas Gentrye	Barbary Chander
1624/5	Feb 25	R	Great Canfield	Thomas Taylor	Mary Gentrye
1629		BM	West Mersea	Richard Gentry	Elizabeth Spikernoll
1629		BM	Bocking	John Gentry	Frances Hagger
1629		BM	High Roding	Robert Cabbidge	Joan Gentry
1633		BM	Bocking	Richard Heath	Rebecca Gentry
1634		BM	South Weald	Thomas Gentry	Elizabeth Turner
1635	May 1	R	Lindsell	Roger Gentry of Gt Easton	Rebecca Wallis
1635	Jun 24	R	Lindsell	Thomas Wright	Francis Gentry
1635		BM	Lindsell	Roger Gentry	Rebecca Wallis
1635		BM	South Weald	Richard Gentry	Sara Cole
1635		BM	Lindsell	Thomas Right	Frances Gentry
1639		BM	Bocking	Nicholas Church	Rebecca Gentry
1648		BM	Great Dunmow	William Gray	Martha Gentry
1655		BM	Great Dunmow	Philip Gentry	Joan Philpot
1655	Jul 19	R	Bocking	William Gentry, widower	Susan Neal, spinster
1655	Aug 22	R	Thaxted	Samuel Gentry, of Easton	Margaret Draper, of same
1657		BM	Great Dunmow	Samuel Gentry	Sara Eve
1657	Jun 27	R	Bocking	Edmund Gentry	Jane Manning
1659	May 23	R	Bocking	Edmund Gentry	Jane Parr/Par
1660	Sep 13	R	Bocking	Robert Gentry, widower	Grace Woolmer, widow
1662		BM	Colchester	Richard Gentry	Mary Goiment
1663		BM	vicar general	Dan/Dave? Gentry	Elz. Folly
1668		BM	Heybridge	Robert Gentry	Mary Goures
1669		BM	Kelvedon	Nathaniel Gentry	Susan Kendall
1674		BM	Widford	Benjamin Clark	Mary Gentry
1675		BM	Bocking	Thomas Gentry	Mary Coe
1675		BM	Bocking	Thomas Gentry	Ann Bredge (??)
1677	Jun 28	R	Lindsell	Thomas Knightingale	Susan Gentrey
[1679]	Apr 15	BI	London	John Gentry	Levine Smith
1682	May 16	R	Lindsell	Samuel Gentry, widower	Elizabeth Wison, of Great Bardfield

(c)     Burials

Date		Refr	Location
1570	Oct 27	R	Lindsell	John Gentry
1571	Mar 4	R	Lindsell	Agnes wife of John Gentry
1586/7	Mar 6	R	Great Canfield	William Gentrie
1592	Mar 15	R	Lindsell	Gilbert Gentry
1608/9	Mar 17	R	Great Canfield	Thomas Gentrye
1618/9	Feb 22	R	Lindsell	Simon Gentry the elder & father
1625	May 17	R	Lindsell	Alice Gentrie widow
1630	Jun 1	R	Great Canfield	Joan Gentrye
1635	Jul 20	R	Great Canfield	Mary Gentre
1635/6	Jan 28	R	Lindsell	Simon Gentry
1638	Nov 2	R	Lindsell	Anna Gentry widow
1659/60	Jun 16	R	Bocking	Jane, daughter of Edward Gentry
1682/3	Mar 5	R	Lindsell	Margaret wife of Samuel Gentry
1683/4	Feb 29	BI	London	[Levine Gentry]
1684/5	Jan 27	R	Lindsell	Samuel son of Samuel Gentry
1685	Dec --	R	Lindsell	Roger son of Samuel Gentry
1695	Oct 22	R	Lindsell	Samuel Gentry

Key to References:
    BI = Boyd's "Index to the Inhabitants of London"
    BM = Boyd's "Marriage Indexes (Essex)"
    R = Parish register

(d)     Wills
Proved at Chelmsford, Essex

Date	Refr	Location	Name	Occupation
1546	26BW21	Brightlingsea	Robert Gentry	husbandman
1570	96MR3	Lindsell	John Gentry	husbandman
1571/2	149BR4	Lindsell	Agnes Gentry	widow
1578	250BW16	Wethersfield	Henry Gentry
1580	304MR3	Great Dunmow	Richard Gentry	shoemaker
1618	16MW2	Lindsell	Simon Gentry	labourer
1635	181MW4	Lindsell	Simon Jentree	husbandman
1721	144CR13	Witham	Nathaniel Gentry	innholder
1725	268CR13	Witham	James Gentry	innholder
1745	178CR15	Messing	Mary Gentry	widow
1750	502BR23	Maldon	Catherine Gentry	widow
1751	64BR24	Thorrington	William Gentry	innkeeper
1760	145MR12	Netteswell	Thomas Gentry	tanner

(e)     Abstracts of Wills

Wills of Family and Descendants of Simon Gentry of Lindsell
1618	Apr	Will of Simon Gentry of Lindsell, labourer, written 16 Feb 1618/9 [sic], proved at Chelmsford, Essex
		Bequests to: Wife Alice - moveable goods and cottage Sons Simon and Samuel - moveable goods after the death of Alice, cottage to go to Simon who is to pay Samuel £8 Grandson Roger Gentry, son of Simon - 10s when he is 15 Grandson Francis Gentry, son of Roger - 10s when he is 15 Grandson Nathaniel Gentry, son of Samuel - 10s when he is 15
1697/8	21 Jan	Will of Simon Gentry of London, bachelor (died 16 Dec 1697), written 15 Dec 1697. Proved at London at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Published in: Emma Gene (Seale) Gentry, "The Will of Simon Gentry", Gentry Family Gazette and Genealogy, vol 1, p.159-167, (Dec 1980).
		Bequests: Father Nathaniel Gentry - 40s per annum to be paid quarterly or annually as he wishes>br? Sister Mary Webb (widow) - £20 (or children if dies within six months) Nephew Simon Gentry (son of brother Nathaniel) - £120 Nephew John Gentry (son of brother Nathaniel) - £100 Nephew John Gentry (son of brother John) - 1s Nephew Nathaniel Gentry (son of brother John) - 1s Nieces Judith, Mary, Levine, Ann, Elizabeth, Frances (daughters of brother Nathaniel) and nephew James Gentry (son of brother Nathaniel) - £5 each Brothers by the half blood, Richard and Samuel Gentry Brother John Gentry - 1s Brother Nathaniel Gentry - cloak Niece Mary Gentry (daughter of Nathaniel) - silver porringer and spoon and silver tankard Sister-in-law Frances Gentry (wife of Nathaniel) - ring of 20s price Elizabeth Booker - ring of 12s price Thomas Booker - ring of 12s price Simon Knight - ring of 15s price Charles Garrett - ring of 20s price Bernard Hills - ring of 20s price Madam Bradway (wife of Mr. Abraham) - ring of 12s price Peter, now Mr. Lane's man - ring of 12s price Nephews John, Simon and James Gentry - residue ot estate to be divided equally among them, Simon having the first choice.
		Nephew Simon Gentry named as executor
		Additions to will given in writing to Thomas Booker on 15 Dec 1697: Natt Gentry, son of my brother Natt Gentry - £5 James Gentry - £15 more than the £5 given before which makes £20 Uncle Nich. Raven and to John his son - to each a ring of 12s price
1721	Oct 18	Will of Nathaniel Gentry of Witham, innholder, written 26 Aug 1719, proved at Chelmsford, Essex
		Bequests to: Youngest daughter, Frances Gentry - my cottage Children Judith (wife of Thomas Rayner of London), Lavine (wife of Henry Shuttleworth of Much Baddow), Ann (wife of William Brewer of Witham), Elizabeth (wife of Edward Parsons), Frances Gentry and James Gentry
1725		Will of James Gentry of Witham, innholder, written 6 Jun 1725, proved at Chelmsford, Essex
		Bequests to: Wife Susanna - my house
Wills of Families of Henry and John Gentry of Bocking
1666	Sep 3	Will of Henry Gentry of Bocking, weaver, written 8 Aug 1666, proved at Peculiar Deanery of Bocking, Essex
		Bequests to: Wife Dorothy - household stuff, £10 and all my houses during her lifetime Kinsman Robert Gentry - my broad-loom John Gentry the Younger - house now occupied by Jonas Ansell, and in default of him, the next male heir of the Gentrys Robert Gentry, my apprentice - 2 houses now occupied by J. John Broocke and Widow Clark Brother-in-law Roger Hunt - £8 Daughters of Roger Hunt, Elizabeth and Judith - £3 each Cousin John Gentry - 40s Cousins Wm., Edward and Thomas Gentry - 20s each Eldest son of Nathaniel Gentry - 20s Judy Gentry - 20s John Dene the elder and John Dene the younger - 20s each My tenants - 10s each Henry Robenson - one load of wood My 3 servants, John Homenalles, Wm. Rope, and Mary Cruton - 20s each Henry Robenson the younger - 10s
		My wife to be my executrix. Witnessed by Thomas Foster and John Brocke. Administration of the will granted to John Gentry.
1666	Sep 3	Bond given by John Gentry of Bocking, weaver and Wm. Gentry of same, weaver. John Gentry the elder, next of kin, granted administration of will of Henry Gentry, dec'd who had named Dorothy Gentry his wife as executrix. She had died before proving the said will.
1681	May 19	Will of John Gentry [the younger] of Bocking, weaver, written 9 Nov 1680, proved at Bocking, Essex
		Bequest to: Wife Mary - all my moveable goods and she to be executrix
1683	Jun 1	Will of Wm Gentrey of Bocking, weaver, written 24 May 1683, proved at Chelmsford, Essex
		Bequests to: Daughter Jane, wife of John Willson - my messuage [homestead] in Bocking now occupied by Widow Ansell Grandchildren Mary Willson and Elizabeth Willson, daughters of Jane - £15 each by their mother when 21 or married Wife Sarah - 10s Daughter Jane - rest of my goods and she to be executrix

(f)     Records of the Quarter Sessions Court for the County of Essex

1650	Bocking	Henry Gentry failed to work on highway
1651	Kelvedon	Nathaniel Gentry - unlicensed alehouse
1661	Bocking	Henry Gentry, weaver - unlawful use of apprentice
1663	Kelvedon	Nathaniel Gentry - witness
1664	Kelvedon?	Nathaniel Gentry - work on highways
1669	Witham	Richard Gentry - work on highway
1680	Bocking	Nathaniel Gentry, victualer - good behaviour recognized
1684	Bocking	(ditto)
1686	Bocking	Nathaniel Gentry - sale of spirits at time of divine services
1687	Bocking	Henry Gentry and John Gentry, weavers - assault
1688	Kelvedon	Nathaniel Gentry, baker - sale of short measure
1689	Epping	John Gentry, brickmaker - assault
1689	Bocking	Henry Gentry, weaver - weaving trade issue
1690	Epping	Thomas Gentry and Joseph Gentry - stolen goods
1691	Witham	Martha Gentry, spinster - victim of assault

3.  Kirsty F. Wilkinson, (URL <www.myainfolk.com>, or <enquiries @ myainfolk.com>)
transcription and annotation of wills listed below. Photocopies of these wills were obtained from Chelmsford, Essex, England through the services of "British Ancestors", PO Box 69, Wellington, TF1 1WB, England, URL <www.britishancestors.com>. Spellings of names have been preserved, but dates have been corrected for "old" and "new" calendar.

This writer is greatly indebted to Kirsty Wilkinson for the transcription of the wills described below and for providing explanatory notes and modernized readings of the transcriptions. The wills provide information that is of great value in understanding the composition and circumstances of the John Gentry family.

Summaries of Wills of Family of John Gentry of Lindsell
1570	Nov 25	Will of John Gentrey of Lyndsel, husbandman, written 6 Oct 1570, proved at Braincketrey, [Essex]
		Bequests to: - Wife Agnes - residue of all moveable and unmoveable goods. - Eldest son Richard Gentrey - 40s to be paid at Easter feast next year - Second son Thomas Gentry - 40s to be paid at same feast - Third son Symon Gentry - 40s to be paid at same feast - Fourth son Gylberte Gentrey - 40s to be paid at same feast - Daughter Agnes - a cow to be delivered two years after my death if she does not miscarry in the mean time. - Grandchildren John Conye and Ellen Conye (children of Roger Conye) - a lamb each immediately after my death. - Grandson Peter Curtes (son of daughter Kattherine) - a lamb - Granddaughter Barbara Wode (daughter of my daughter Agnes) - 5s - Daughters Johane Conye, Kattherine Kurteis and Agnes Wode - 3s divided equally among them   Wife Agnes and son Symond appointed executors.
1570/1	Mar 19	Will of Agnis Jentree of Linesell, widow, written 1570, proved at Brancktrey, [Essex]
		Bequests to: - Son Richerd - [various items of furniture and utensils] - Sons Thomas and Simone - a great brass pot to be divided equally - Son Thomas - [household goods], a sheep, Agnes' bushel of corn [presumably the allotment of grain provided to widows on the death of a husband] - Son Simon - [household goods] and a sheep - Son Gilberd - [household goods] and 13s/4d - Daughter Joan ["Cunye"?] - [household goods and utensils] - Daughter Curtis - [household goods and utensils] -Daughter Agnis Wode - [household goods and clothing], my cow immediately after my death, my bullock for two years after my death. - Sons Simone and Gilberd - to have the bullock at the end of two years, [utensils], all my poultry, my pig. - Cousin Margare[t] Widhame - clothing, pillow, kettle, and 12d money. - [Grandson] Simond Wood - painted hutch - Female children - to divide equally all the rest of my money   Son Simond appointed executor and to receive all other moveable goods. If Simond at any time refuse, son Thomas [to serve as executor] but not otherwise.
1581	Apr 16	Will of Richard Gentrey of Muche Dunmowe, shoemaker, written 16 Mar 1580/1, proved at Dunmowe Magna [Essex].
		Bequests to: - Children of my sister Agnes Wood - 13s/4d each to be paid at age 18 or married whichever occurs first, and if any fail to survive, the others shall inherit that share - John Conney and Marie Conney, children of my sister Johan Conney - 13s/4d to be paid at age 18 or married as above and each to inherit from the other if one fail to survive - Agnes Conney, daughter of said Johan Conney - 20s - Brother Symon Gentrie - 20s which he owes me, [clothing] - Brother Thomas Gentry - 25s, [clothing] - Brother Gilberte Gentrie - 20s, [clothing] - Peter Curteis and John Curteis, sons of my sister Katherine Curteis - 20s each to be paid at age 18 or married whichever occurs first, and one shall inherit from the other - Sister Katherine Curteis - my feather bed - Sister-in-law [Alice], wife of Simon Gentry - 13s/4d to be paid to the child which she bears to be paid at the child's reaching age 18 or married whichever occurs first, or on failure to survive, money to go to child's mother, Alice - Sister-in-law Alice Gentrie - great chest - Sister Johan Conney - 6s/8d - Sister Joane Coney - 18s/4d which her husband Roger owes me - Sister Agnes Wood - 6s/8d - Barbara Wood, daughter of my sister Agnes Wood - lesser chest - Symonde Wood, son of my sister Agnes Wood - [clothing] - To the poor people of the parish of Muche Dunmowe - 6s/8d to be distributed at the discretion of executor within one week after my death - George Aylett of the Swanne of Muche Dunmowe - 10s - Children of George Aylet - 12d each - [Servants of George Aylet] - 12d each - Sister Katherine Curteies - residue of moveable and unmoveable goods.   George Aylet of the Swan of Muche Dunmowe to be executor

4.   The practice of "freehold" and "copyhold" had their roots in feudalism, and in Britain dated from the time of the Norman Conquest. Briefly, freehold land was land within the local manor which was held by the owner under terms protected by the Royal Courts and which could be conveyed by sale or inheritance. Copyhold land was held by the occupant at the pleasure of the lord of the manor. Originally such occupant had no protection against abuse and had many obligations and restrictions relating to the lord of the manor, but by the sixteenth century, he was protected by holding a "copy" of the manorial court rolls which specified certain rights and privileges and which also detailed duties of the copyholder to the lord of the manor. For more information see various treatises on manorial law, for example, at URL:
<http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/bedscc/sdcountyrec.nsf/web/thepage/Manorial+Records+3:+ Copyhold+Tenure>.

5.    David Lodge, Essex, England, private communication to the author. David has provided dates of baptism for all of the children of Samuel Gentry the Elder (Third Generation), as well as several other miscellaneous dates. David is a direct descendant of Susan Gentry, baptized 4 Aug 1657, Great Easton, Essex.

Revised 1/26/07

© 2007, W.M. Gentry - All rights reserved. This issue may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes provided that proper attribution (including authors and journal names) is included.