The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.48 No.3 | December 2021

Member’s article

LOT VI Penbridges yard lands, late Isaac Gearles. The house and garden now in the occupation of the said Isaac Gearle, who is intitled to the same for life. A barn, stable, farm yard and orchard behind the barn and the small close of pasture under Broad Gate wall containing about 2 Rods etc LOT XI The 5 Bells alehouse Two good parlours, large kitchen, 3 good bedrooms, a newly erected brewhouse, cellar and stable all in good repair with a small garden and a little close of pasture adjoining held by copy of court roll under the Duke of Bolton for three lives, Sir Thomas Gatehouse, and his 2 sons, Alexander and William at the yearly rent of 2s payable at Michaelmass. The whole is estimated worth at least £10 per annum but let to Thomas Vernon from year to year only at a yearly rent of £8 -8s -0d. etc. Isaac mostly uses only Gearle as his surname from the mid-1750s and that seems to be the

name that he and his descendants identify with. We have not been able to find a suitable Isaac Gearle or Horlock birth, even though there are several Horlocks in Wiltshire. As for his mother, Martha, the earliest record is her marriage in 1722 when she would have been about 32 years old. She could easily have been married more than once before this and was about 27 or 28 years old when Isaac was born, so it is less likely that he was illegitimate. Martha seems to have ended up in Nether Wallop because of Richard Attneave’s land interests there, and her place of birth remains uncertain. And why Phillis Cowdry is a name on the original copyhold we do not know ……yet! It has taken a long time to find Isaac’s mother and alas we are no nearer finding his father or grandparents. This time the census is not going to help demolish this brick wall, so I think it is back to doing it the ‘old fashioned’ way by visiting the Record Offices and finding/reading non-electronic records. Barbara Dye (Member #1725)

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