William Holbrooke

Yeoman. Born at Norton Malreward, then about 20 years at Compton Dando (c. 1578-1598) and 19 at Glastonbury (St John's parish), by his own deposition of 9 May 1617. Lessee with his brothers of the family's Compton Dando holdings: his father's will gave him "the park" there. Overseer and witness of his mother Edith's will (1592). Overseer of the will of Thomas Coles of Glastonbury (1602/3). "Of Edgerley in Glastonbury" in the subsidy of 1620.

At Compton Dando in March 1592/3, William Hollbrooke and Thomas Horsington were overseers and administrators of the will of William Horsington the elder (SHC D/D/cta/H/37, catalogue). The Horsington boy whose guardianship they paid for is the "cousin and godson" of Edith's will, made four months earlier.

Other Holbrookes were already in Glastonbury when he came: John Holbroke rented a St John's church cottage in 1574, and a John Holbrook was buried there in 1609. How they were related to him is unknown.

His will (11 Dec 1625, proved 1 Feb 1625/6) names sons Thomas, John "if he be livinge" and William the younger, daughter Basell, and grandsons Thomas Holbrook Jr., Edmund Tyly and Clement Weaver Jr. It gives his son Thomas two kyne in place of £7 10s he owed him, has his bay mare sold to pay 4 marks owed to his daughter Basill, and leaves 10s to each of his children, "men as well as women" (Davis 1945, p. 128). His ground at the Moor goes to his son John, or, if John was dead, to the three grandsons; the residue to his son William the younger, executor. The original survives (SHC D/D/ct/1/H/137) and would settle the overseers.

His daughter Rebecca and her husband Clement Weaver also emigrated and settled beside Thomas at Weymouth; Clement later lived at Newport, Rhode Island (compiled).

Children born before about 1598 were probably born at Compton Dando, where no register survives before 1602/3.

Open questions

• The overseers of his will: Clement Weaver Sr. and Thomas Tylye (Lord), or Thomas Holbrooke, Clement Weaver the elder and Thomas "Eyly" (Davis)? Read the original.
• Records that could raise his link to Thomas of Norton Malreward (about 85-90%) to the high 90s or settle the overseers: at the Somerset Heritage Centre, his original will (D/D/ct/1/H/137), a copy of the 1617 deposition (probably D/D/cd/50), the Holbrooke will abstracts (DD/X/HBS/1) and the Compton Dando deeds (DD/BR/su/6); at Bristol Archives, the Compton Dando surveys (AC/M/6, AC/M/11/13), which may list his holding before he left about 1598; and at the NEHGS library in Boston, Walter Goodwin Davis's typescript Holbrook Records, England 1544-1698 (G HOL 604) and Mss C 1374, which may make the Somerset abstracts unnecessary (the colonial tree's research case, Research cases from the Holbrook-Low Colonial Tree).