From various communications which have reached me, I gather that the "Chapter of Family History," relating to the Dowbiggins and some other old families in the Lunesdale district and compiled from original documents, was a source of much interest to many readers of the Observer; and that two or three more chapters in the same connection would not be unwelcome. Accordingly I now proceed to deal with other entries made in Thomas Dowbiggin's pocket-book about two hundred years ago, together with some made therein by his widow, and a number of further original documents having more or less reference to the same family. The additional references in Thomas Dowbiggin's own handwriting extend from the year 1681 to 1695, in which latter year he died, and these are as follows, the observations within brackets being my own additions:-

1681

Mem; that Mary Jaxon had 3d for paying for her showes [shoes] to James Walker of Wray ye 6 day of Feb. 1681. [The Walkers were pretty numberous at this time in the parishes of Melling and Tatham. Some lived at Salter, Upper or Over Salter, Mealbank, Greenbank Bottom and Thursgill¹. One James Walker, of Salter, died about 1703.]

Mem; John Jaxon was hired ye 12th of febr 1681 for a yeare, and is to have £1..10s..06d. for 4 days in ye weeke, and we are to have the forends of every weeke.

1682

Mem; that John Jaxon was hired ye 7 day of febr for 4 days in ye weeke for a yeare, and is to have £1..10s. and a horse for to lead 4 cartfull of manure, whereof he had when he was hired 0s.6d.

1683

Mary Jaxon was hired upon Tuesday the 3rd of July for a yeare and is to have for ye said service £1..4s. whereof she had as followeth:-

for a hatt	3	4
At Michaelmas and for ink	0	4
Oct. ye 27th for buying clothing	1	2
for a lace yt Margret Wrayton	0	3
for cloging a pair of clogs	0	2
for a coate cloth and furniture	5	0
for clogs and wascote mending	0	3
in money which she paid for smockes	3	0
coate and making and furniture for it and wascote and wascote cloth
in all comes to	15	4

Thomas Wilson was hired upon Wednesday the 4th July for a yeare, and is to have 17s. whereof he had as followeth:-

Imp's [imprimis] of earnest	0	6
for a cheese	0	2
for cloth for wastcote and making	0	7
in money upon St. John's day	1	6
T. Thos Berry for cloging	0	4
att Lancaster upon a Saturday	0	1
att Bentham fayre ye 4th June	0	1
att Midsumer in Money	2	0
for my gray coate	2	6

[Under date January 19, 1690, mention is made of a Thomas Wilson of Garstang, who died about four years later. Thomas Berry, of the parish of Melling, died about 1724.]

The following entry seems to have been made by Thomas Dowbiggin, in his pocket-book, about 1683 -- it may have been a year or two earlier or a year or two later:-

Remember to write to Lawrence att John Coultherst to see whether he can tell whether ye parishioners be willing yt he should come or not to bee theire schoolmaster, and what kinde, [that is] what will the place be worth in the yeare, as well as he can tell.

1684

December ye 15th. I then paid £15 to the Lord Morley for my admittance to be tenant of Winder and Haykatt Close, and my mother then sealed me a surrender. This is written by my Thomas Dowbiggin.
[Under date December 15, 1684, Elizabeth Dowbiggin, widow of High Winder, for the consideration of the sum of £190, surrendered to her eldest son Thomas, yeoman, of High Winder, her heir apparent, all the messuage and tenement of High Winder, and also her eight cow gates or cow grasses in and through the ground called and known by the name of Haylott Cow Close, which said messuage, tenement and cow gates were held jointly under the customary rent of £2. 4s. 7d. and according to the customs of the Manor of Hornby. This surrender the then tenant, Mrs. Elizabeth Dowbiggin, made on condition that she should enjoy one full half part of the messuage, lands, and tenements, for the term of her natural life, and render no account during the term of Thomas Dowbiggin. The surrender was witnessed at Hornby by Gilbert Thornton, Joan Croft, Oliver Thornton, and Ignatius Morley.]

December ye 22d. Received then of Christopher Townson ye sum of fouer shillings in full satisfaction for one yeares customary rent by me Tho. Dowbiggin.

December ye 24th. I bought of Thomas Brges [Thomas Briggs] of Lancaster 2 dozen of gloves and paid him 14s. 8d. for ym.
[In the same year Thomas Dowbiggin mentions William Foxcroft of Littledale, Henry Croft of Claughton, Edward Wildman of Scrambler², and Oliver Thornton, of the same locality. William Foxcroft died about 1694. Henry Croft no doubt sprang from the Crofts of Claughton Hall, for many years one of the leading families in Lunesdale. One Henry Croft, of Claughton, died about 1696; a namesake of the same place, about 1710. Edward Wildman of Roeburndale, who died about 1707, would probably be nearly related to Elizabeth Wildman, of Tatham, a member of the Society of Friends³, who, when a widow, was committed to Lancaster Castle by a writ 'de excommunicate capiendo,' at the suit of Thomas Sharp, vicar of Tatham in respect to the non-payment of tithes, and who died in the Castle after about nine month's imprisonment. This was not long prior to 1684. Oliver Thornton would be a relative of Thomas Dowbiggin's wife, herself one of the Thorntons of Harterbeck. He died about 1703. Christopher Townson died about some two years earlier.]

Webmaster's notes:
¹perhaps Thrushgill? -- Diane Main, June 2000
²This is most certainly meant to be Scambler. -- Diane Main, June 2000
³This means she was a Quaker, and therefore a nonconformist. -- Diane Main, June 2000

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