Ancestral Trails 2016 » ROBERT BARHAM (± 1603-1683)

Personal data ROBERT BARHAM 

• He was born about 1603 in Wadhurst, Ticehurst, East Sussex.
• Profession: in the year 1639 Clothier in Hawkhurst.
• (Relationship) in 8 x Great Grandparent.
• (Admon) on June 19, 1683 in Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury.
• (Hearth Tax) in the year 1639 in Hawkhurst: Paid tax on two hearths.
• He died May 1683 in Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Kent.
• He is buried on May 25, 1683 in St Laurence, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Kent.Source 1
• A child of WILLIAM BARHAM and BARBARA GOULDSMITH

Household of ROBERT BARHAM

He has/had a relationship with ANNE GIBBONS.

Child(ren):

1. John BARHAM  1645-1673
2. Richard BARHAM  1653-1664
3. Robert BARHAM  1649-> 1683
4. Arthur BARHAM  1651-1723 
5. Mary BARHAM  1643-???? 
6. Sarah BARHAM  1646-????
7. Anne BARHAM  1641-????
8. FRANCIS BARHAM  1656-???? 

Notes about ROBERT BARHAM

Much is known about Robert Barham or Barrum. On 11th July 1639, he married Ann Gibbon at Hawkhurst in Kent. The couple baptised eight children at the same church, starting with Ann on
18th July 1641. Mary was baptised on 26th March 1643 and grew up to marry Brian Ley (24th December 1671). John - 29th June 1645 - was followed by Sarah, born on 24th June 1646 and baptised 4 days later. She married twice - first to Thomas Goffe in 1665 and then John ?Washland. Robert junior, born on 24th April 1649 was baptised on 6th May. Arthur was baptised on 26th January 1650 and Richard on 17th July 1653. He had a short life and was buried at Hawkhurst on 28th June 1664. Francis, the youngest child, was born on 5th August 1656 and baptised on 28th.

This was an era in which Christendom, and the Italian maritime states in particular, had lost control of the Mediterranean to the Turkish Empire, which not only dominated on land but encouraged piracy at sea. Consequently, money was often raised at parish level to ransom those unfortunates who had fallen into Turkish hands. Two entries in the Hawkhurst parish register exemplify this. The first is
undated, but was probably around 1671:
The charity of the parishioners of Hawkhurst in the county of Kent given and collected towards the ... put forth by his gracious Majesty for the raising of a certain sum of money in order to the ransoming of many of our poor Christian brethren that have been lately taken by Turkish pirates and kept in cruel slavery under them together with the contributors names as followeth … Mary Barham 4d
Robert Barham 6d

These are only two of a fairly long list of names. On August 2nd 1680, Robert made a further donation:
The collection of the parish of Hawkhurst for the distressed English taken captive by the Turkish pirates of Algier. Robert Barham 4d

Interestingly, Robert and his family were the focus of a case study of a clothier’s family carried out by Anthony Poole:
"Robert Barham of Hawkhurst married Ann Gibbon there in 1639. He was comfortably off without being a particularly prosperous man: he paid tax on two hearths, was referred to as a ‘clothier’ in his inventory, and left goods, chattels and personal estate to the value of £261.

The development of his family shows some familiar features and some which show a contrast. The delay of 24 months between marriage and first known baptism is longer than usual; it may have been a purely natural one or it may be that there was a rapid birth for which we have no evidence. The intervals between subsequent baptisms fall either side of two years throughout the family build-up, until, towards the end, the intervals become more extended, to 30 and then 37 months. The exception is the interval between the baptisms of John and Sarah, a mere 12 months, which implies the death of John within days of childbirth.

Robert and Ann proved successful in nurturing most of their family. Eight children are known, of whom John probably died an infant and Richard at the age of 10. Francis, born in the period of secular administration (1653-60), was not baptized until he was nine years old. Ann lived for 22 years after the birth of her last child, dying after nearly 40 years of marriage, and her husband survived her by five years. As a result they saw their children through to maturity and beyond. On
Robert’s death intestate, his eldest surviving son, Robert, acted as administrator of the estate. He divided the personal estate, at £39 each, between his sister Anne, the husbands of sisters Mary and Sarah, and his brothers Arthur and Francis; he kept the residue of £31 for himself.

The accompt of Robert Barham - naturall and lawfull sonne and administrator of the goods and chattels and credits of Robert Barham late of the parish of Hawkhurst in the county of Kent and
Archdeaconry of Canterbury deceased intestate, made and declared upon the administration in the same goods chattels and credits as followeth -
The charge
Imprimis this Accomptant (saving and excepting the .... hereinafter prayed) chargeth himself with all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the said Robert Barham deceased ..... in one inventory
thereof made and exhibited into this court amounting to the sum of _________ CCLxle xiiiis vd
Sum of the charge appeareth

Whereout this accountant prayeth to be allowed the several sums following by him necessarily paid and expended viz
The discharge
Imprimis paid for the funeral expenses of the said intestatate .... the sum of _____ iiiili xis viid
Item paid for the ..... of an Inventory taken of the said intestate’s goods, for the engrossing the inventory and all other necessary charges thereabouts, the sum of_____ xxiis viiid
Item paid to Arthur Barham naturall and lawfull sonne of the said intestate for his part or share in the personal estate of the said intestate, the sum of _____ xxxixli vis viiid
Item paid to Francis Barham another of the said intestates dau upon the same accompt the like sum of ______ xxxixli vis viiid
Item paid to John ?Washland/Nackland who married the daughter of the said intestate for his part or share of the said intestate’s estate in right of his said wife the sum of ______ xxxixli vis viiid
Item paid Anne Barham a daughter of the said intestate for her part or share of the said intestate’s said estate the sum of __xxxixli vis viiid
Item paid to Bryan Ley who married Mary the daughter of the said intestate for his said wife’s share or part of the said intestate’s estate the sum of ______ xxxixli vis viiid
Item paid for the drawing and passing of this accompt with the quietus .... thereupon under the ... of the court, allotment of the remainder and other necessary charges thereupon the sum of ___xxxvs

Item This accomptant declareth that whereas it is ..... and charged in the .... inventory that there was due to the said intestate in desperate debts upon bonds the sum of thirty pounds, he saith that the said debt is and was due of one Robert Smith late of Woodchurch deceased and that the same Smith at the time of the death of the said intestate and dyed insolvent and that he this accomptant never received any part of the said debt nor is he ever like to receive the same and thereof he
prayeth an allowance and .... for the said sum of _ xxxli
Item he prayeth to be allowed for his expenses of travel with sureties in coming to take the Administration aforesaid unto ... getting the goods apprized and other necessary charges thereby occasioned to him _

Sum of the Discharge is CCxxxli iis iiid
Sum remaining in this Accomptants hands is __ xxxli xvis xd
Duodecimo die July 1684 … Estim. Residue xxxli xvs xd

Robert had died in May 1683, and was buried at Hawkhurst on 25th of that month. As will be clear from the document above, he left no will, but his son Robert caused a full inventory to be taken:

An inventory of the goods chattels and personall estate of Robert Barham late of Hawkhurst in the county of Kent clothier deceased taken and appraised the twelfth day of June Anno Dom. 1683 by them whose names are hereunder written.

In the kitchen chamber
Imprimis his purse and money 00 05 00
Item his wearing Apparel woollen 01 15 00
Item his wearing Apparel linen 00 05 00
Item three yards and halfe of Kerzie 00 10 06
Item three pair of sheets and one sheet and two pillowcoates four tablecloths three towels and one ashcloth 01 10 00
Item one feather bed one feather bolster one coverlet one blanket one joyne bedstedde mat and cord one truckle .... and cord 03 10 00
Item three joyn chests three join boxes and two chairs And one sword and scabbard 01 01 00

In the hall chamber
Item one join bedstead matt and cord 00 13 04

In the outer chamber
Item one boarded bedstead one feather bed and bolster And one pillow one coverlet and one blankett 01 10 00

In the Garret
Item two axes one mattock one handbill and other lumber 00 11 06
Item one case of pistolls 00 06 00

In the kitchen
Item one table and cupboard one forme one joyn stoolle and three chairs 01 13 04
Item twenty pound of pewter one ?bedpan one one driping pan one brass kettle one brass pot two
skilletts one brass morter and pestle one warming pan one brass skimmer 01 13 04
Item two iron pots one iron kettle one iron skillet one gridiron on tosting iron one spitt one andiron two ?creepers one pair of tongs one.... one fire pan one pair of pothangers one pair of bellows 01 00 00
Item one one gun one saw one ?drawshare 00 13 04

In the brewhouse
Item one furnace one brewing tub one keeler one ducking tub one old tub three ?skalders one salt store four barrels and one ?funnel one bill and two forks 02 00 00

In the buttery
Item one cage eight truggs two bowls one butter platter one .... one cheese frame one table and frame one ... bailer one old tub and keeler and three .... 01 06 08

Item in bonds debts and ready money the some of 210 11 05

Desperate debts upon bonds 30 00 00

Item things out of sight and forgotten 00 03 00
Some is 260 18 09
John Chittenden
William Whatman
Ex... 19 die Junii 1683
Robert Barham filius et
Admon .....................

It is the only inventory I have seen which lists a case of pistols. Could this be a relic of service in the Civil War perhaps?

Thus far covers everything known indisputably about Robert Barham. No baptism has come to light, although all the surrounding Kent parishes, to a distance of nearly 10 miles have registers sufficiently ancient to have recorded such an event. However, the adjacent parish in Sussex, Ticehurst, while not providing a convenient baptism, does hold records for a Barham family that FitzGerald-Uniacke believes to have been Robert’s, and although the evidence is not wholly conclusive, it certainly seems the most likely scenario.

Given the order in which the children are named in the Court Book, it seems reasonable to assume that Robert was one of the younger children of the family, maybe born just before the Wadhurst register began in 1604. However, this would make him a very mature groom, marrying, as he did in 1639, and would imply that he was nearly 80 when he died. If he was a younger son, with a father who had died before his time, though, it would be feasible that he would have needed time to
establish himself in the world before taking a wife. As FitzGerald-Uniacke puts it: as the youngest surviving son of a large family, it is not surprising that he decided to seek his fortunes further afield. Hawkhurst is the adjoining parish to Ticehurst, and Robert Barham may have found employment in
the Southfrith Ironworks …. I think it more probable, however, that he was engaged in the Cloth-weaving trade, as were many of the younger sons of the gentry in the 16th, and 17th centuries, and this opinion is strengthened by his marriage with Anne Gibbon as the Gibbons of Rolvenden and
Hawkhurst were celebrated “Clothiers”…

His second speculation is, of course, confirmed by the probate inventory, and as he further says, Hawkhurst at the time was at the centre of woollen manufacture in Kent. He also suggests that the young Robert Barham may well have had kin in Hawkhurst who helped to set him up in his trade.

It is not possible to be 100% certain that the Robert Barham who married Ann Gibbon and fathered Arthur the blacksmith at Hawkhurst was the Robert Barham named as son of William and Barbara Barham of Ticehurst and Wadhurst, but in a homogenous area like the Weald, county boundaries meant little, and the progression of a family along the road from Wadhurst to Ticehurst to Hawkhurst
would be a natural one. The weight of evidence is strongly suggestive of them being the same person, especially as there seems to be no further reference to Robert in Sussex. Both families were of similar status, although following different occupations, and until evidence to the contrary comes to light I accept the link, especially as Arthur’s daughter Sarah eventually settled back over the border in Ticehurst, and her uncle Francis, Robert’s son, settled in Etchingham in Sussex, just
east of Ticehurst.

Once into 16th century Sussex, baptism registers cease to be of any use, and there are only a few marriage and burial records which shed light on this family. Instead, manorial records, wills and other land records are the main sources available, and these show William Barham of Ticehurst to be part of a large kinship web which included John Barham ‘iron maker’, a noted iron master who ran
Brookland and Ferrege forges near Frant and Bartley Mill, and Nicholas Barham ‘the Queen’s Sergeant’, a noted 16th century lawyer. However, exact relationships are hard to prove: FitzGerald-Uniacke believes both of these to have been cousins to William of Ticehurst’s father.

Whatever the exact relationship, all these branches do seem to have been related, sharing similar naming patterns and witnessing documents for each other
SOURCE: http://www.genealogycrank.co.uk/pdfs/from_shropshire_to_the_weald_part_3.pdf

6 Oct 1614 Robert was mentioned at the Court of the Manor of Robertsbridge, a minor at the time.

2 Apr 1621 - The Manor of Maxfield in Guestling & Westfield. Licence to alienate (letters patent) for £3 6s 8d - ref. AMS6270/31 - The crown to Robert Barham esq and his wife Ann.

1651 Witness to the will of George Gibbon, probably his brother in law.

1671 Assessed for Hearth Tax

1671 & 1680 Mentioned in the Churchwardens Accounts.

Do you have supplementary information, corrections or questions with regards to ROBERT BARHAM?
The author of this publication would love to hear from you!

Timeline ROBERT BARHAM

Click on the names for more info. Symbols used:  grandparents    parents    brothers/sisters    children