Will of Roger Parke

 

Matters are complicated due to the destruction of a large number of wills in Dublin.  Roger would probably have had a will proven in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury if he also held properties in England.

There does not appear to be an existing will in Ireland, or date of death, for Roger Parke (Betham’s ‘Pedigree Sketches’ do not indicate that there was a will for the ? Parke husband of Alice Jones)  and there is only one will (dated 1620) in the U.K. National Archives for anybody of this name.  Written in an early Secretary Hand, this record does not say where he is from and does not look like a “normal” will.  Unusually, it starts with a statement of debts owed to him:

Sample

Transcription

“  Debtes owinge unto Roger Parke, the Testator, as followeth:

Inprimio Ingardo Slipton of Smithwicke oweth me the amount viii(??) Pounds Sterling and Edward ?Lonsdale? my ?lessee? in land oweth me the amount of xiii(?) Pounds Sterling.  John Smith my ????? oweth me the amount of iii(?) Pounds Sterling.  John Floodes, of the wood ???? oweth me the amount of xvii(?) Pounds Sterling.  Elizabeth William oweth me the amount of xviii(?)Pounds Sterling.  George Robinson alias Mason oweth me the amount of xxvi(?) Pounds Sterling.  John Meeloy of Howbonne oweth me the amount of viii(?) Pounds Sterling.Thomas Hampton oweth me to be paid upon the ?th Anniversary  ????? next, or else to deliver the balance owed unto Roger Parke/Rorke  of ?Hollownare?  Head the amount of xiii ?shillings?  The Testator ???? and bequaetheth unto Roger Slipton the Sum and Amount of ? shillings or the Balance aforesaid paid, that Thomas Hampton, smith, together with and ?suffice? and one Tableboard in my Smithie????? that the Table Board in my Hall Hoty on and the former thereon standing ?Upon?  I give and bequeath unto Leonard Slipton and Thomas  Slipton, Ingarde Slipton, John Slipton and William Slipton to either of them Twenty Shillings a ?pound”.  Item I give and bequeath unto the two daughters of Edward Romsdale, Elizabete and Alice Romsdale? That parcille of goods and money as followeth: First to Elizabeth Forty Shillings in money, the ????? brass pott, the sideboard in the hall ?honfe?.  And unto Alice  forty shillings in money, the other sideboard together nott the joyned sideboard and craftednominated.  Item I give and bequeath unto the two sons of Edward Romsdale ?miller? and Edward Romsdale, to either of them Twenty Shillings.  Item I give and bequeath unto the poor of the parish of St Thomas in Duddeley ?Thousand Shillings.  Signed Roger Parke.

Executor Edward Romsdale, Ingardo Slipton his mark,  ??? Solomon Wilke his mark, Ingardo Slipton his mark, Leonard Romsdale, John Hemlocke ;  ?? oth??? “

We can see that there is no mention of Sligo, Ireland, any children etc.  We can assume that this Roger Parke lived in the parish of St Thomas of Duddeley, which was a ‘peculiar’ of the diocese of Worcester and was an “island” of land within Staffordshire (actually an isolated portion of the Hundred of Halfshire in Worcestershire, surrounded by Staffordshire).

Tantalisingly, Dudley is not too far (~30 miles) from Crackmarsh in Staffordshire, which is where the father of Roger Jones’ wife, Mary Smythe, is believed to have lived.

There is no further mention of Roger Parke in Sligo, so it is always a remote possibility that he is the person above, having returned to his place of origin nearing the time of his death.