FAMILY GROUP RECORD OF
JUSTINYAN  HUNT  AND
ELIZABETH GARNER 

Justinyan Hunt was christened 10 April 1548 in Cropredy, the son of John and Jone Hunt. He married Elizabeth Garner 20 October 1585 in Wardington, Oxfordshire.

Elizabeth Garner or Gardner was born in about 1560, and was likely the daughter of Thomas and Mary Garner of Coton in Wardington.

Justinian was a husbandman, like his father, with 3 1/2 yardlands of property. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had nine children. Six of their children survived. Elizabeth passed away after the birth of their last son in 1599. “The youngest died and was buried with his mother Elizabeth in March 1599, leaving the father to cope with two boys and four girls. Staff had always been needed and he continued to manage in this way until his sudden death ten years later. Justinian had attended the sick widow Toms next door, and shortly after he had to ask the vicar, Thomas Wyatt the blacksmith, and the miller Cross to come and witness his own will.”  (The Town of Cropedy; Pamela Keegan)

Elizabeth was buried 31 March 1599 in Cropredy.

 

Justinyan died of the plague in 1609, leaving a will and inventory of his property.

"Justinyan had increased the house to include a chamber beneath the entry, an upper chamber over the entry, a hall with chimney, a kitchen, a chamber over the hall with a joyned bedstead, a chamber over the butterie, a kilne house with a loft over it, and a dea house. This was one of the top farms for the village in the turn of the 1600s. His property was worth 272 pounds. He grew barley and "pease", and had seven cows, four horses, 63 sheep, and swine. "The farmer Hunts lived on the Green. They had smaller yards behind, which was amazing how Hunts fitted in their Cowpen, grass yard and courtyard in which they had wooden buildings called hovells with standings, lofts, they built themselves and being moveable belonged to the tenant not the landlord. They put on the scaffold their peese haulm, wood or straw and renewed the roof the following autumn for by then the wood may have been used and the haulm fed to cattle and also the straw. They had a rare bullock yard. Because the farmers could only keep four cows per yardland they mostly kept milch cows, the calf going to market and the milk made into cheese or butter. The few calves left to replace the cows were kept to a minimum. They had not the land in the Open Field to accommodate beef cattle, so it is surprising that they did here. I can only think they had land elsewhere as well for rearing the beef, not mentioned in Inventorys as not moveable. They could of course have been butchers as well as farmers. No butcher has surfaced for late 16c or early 17c. Notice the rooms expanded between John and Justinian. The latter died when a plague of some sort carried off several of the villagers. As they went from one house to the other making wills and then inventories they seem to have caught the "bug". It will be noticed that they came straight in to do Justinian's Inventory. No doubt with so many dying, while they took their leave of him they dealt with his affairs. This was "not done" but I expect they had no alternative."  Pamela Keegan
 

Will of Justinian Hunt Husbandman of Cropredy

Made 4 April 1609

In the name of God Amen, the fowerth daye of Aprill 1609, I Justinian Hunte of Cropredye in the County of Oxford, husbandman, beinge sicke in bodye but pfect in remembrance thanks be unto God, doe ordeyne this my last will and testament in manner and forme following, first I bequeathe my soule unto Allmyghtye God having full assurance by faith to have pdon and forgiveness of all my sinnes only by ye deathe and passion of Jesus Christ, and my body to be buryed in the church yarde of Cropredye. I geve first amounge the poorest in Cropredye to be distributed by the discretion of my overseers ijs. Item, to the repare of the church xijd. I geve to the repare of the causwaye goeinge towards the Townfence Crosse xijd. I geve unto Alice Hunte my daughter ten pounds to be payd unto her within five yeares after my decease or att the time of her mariage whichever first shall come. I geve unto Jane my daughter ten pounds to be payd within five yeares after my decease or att the time of her mariage whichever first shall come. I geve unto Marye my daughter ten pounds to be payd within seaven yeares after my decease or att the time of her mariage whichever first shall come. I geve unto Joyce my daughter ten pounds to be payd unto her within eight yeares after my decease, or att the daye of her mariage whichever first shall come, also I geve amounge my sayd daughters the one halfe of all my linnen, to be equally devided amounge them after my decease by the discretion of my overseers; also my will and minde ys that my sayd daughters maye together be kepte upon this my liveinge att the charges wholly of my executor in meat, drinke and apparel until they maye be honestly provided for in decente and orderly service, which my desire ys they may be for provided with what convenient speede as maye be. I geve unto my sonne William ten pounds to be payd unto him when he shall accomplishe the age of twentye towe yeares. All the rest of my goods, chattells and cattells I geve wholly unto John Hunte my sonne, whome I make my sole and onlye executor. My overseers I make Thomas Hollowaye, Edward Lumbert and Thomas Wyatt to whome I geve xijd a peece. I doe will my sonne to provide for evrye of my daughters covennient coffer which I geve unto them.
Wytness hereunto Thomas Holloway, Thomas Wyatt & John Cross’

 

Extracts:

My body to be buried in the Cropredy Churchyard
 

Money left:

To the poorest in Cropredy

To the repaire of the Church

To the repaire of the causeway goeing towards the Town fence crosse (The "cup and saucer" town cross on the west bank of the Green. Here the people gathered to drink after cutting the meadows.)

To Alice Hunt my daughter £10 to be paid within 5 years after my decease or at her marriage

To Jane my daughter £10 to be paid 6 years after my decease or at her marriage

To Mary my daughter £10 to be paid 7 years after my decease or at her marriage

To Joyce my daughter £10 to be paid 8 years after my decease or at her marriage

Also to my daughters the one half of all my linnen divided by my overseers

To every of my daughters a coffer

That the daughters be kept in meat, drink, and apparell until honestly provided for in decent and orderly service at the charge of my Executors.

To my son William £10 at 22 years

To my son John Hunt the Rest and Residue. He to be sole Executor
 

Overseers: Thomas Hollowaye (Vicar)

Edward Lumbert (Neighbor farmer)

Thomas Wyatt (Neighbor blacksmith)
 
 

Witnessed by:

Thomas Holloway

 

Inventory Taken 6 April 1609 by Thomas Holwaye vicar, William Hall, Henry Broughton, Edward Lumbert, and Thomas Wyatt

 
 

Imprimis his wearinge Apparell

One cloke
 
 

In the chamber beneth the Entrye
 

One Presse

 
 

In the upper chamber above the same roome

one cheste one coffer one Boxe one corne trye

 

In the hall house

A table with a fframe two fformes one

 

In the kicsin (kitchen)

A head a mesh fat

 
 

In Chamber above the Hall

A Joynedbed a cubbert and Five coffers

 
 

Butterie

Ffive Barrels and a larme (vat) a tuning boule

 
 

In the Chamber over the butterie

three Bedsteads and furniture to two of the beds

 
 

In the Chamber over the Cutrie

the bed and furniture to the same (bedding)

 
 

A lofte over the Kilne house (Few had kilns for malting barley)

A fat (vat) a gige and Eight boards and a

 
 

In the Kilne House

A Mault Mill and old barrell
 
 

In the deahouse

A cheese presse one chese frame a kneeding

 
 

In the Rickyard

A worke hovell with a

 
John Hunt was only 24 years old at his father's death, and the other children ranged from 20 years to 12 years old. The younger children were left in John's care: "Justinian Hunt asked that "my said daughters maye together be kept uppon this my livinge att the charges wholly of my executor in meat drinke and apparrell until they maybe honestly provided for in decente and orderly service, wch my desire ys they may be soe provided wth what speede as maye be... to every of my daughters a convenient coffer wch I gave unto them." They had to leave Cropredy to find employment elsewhere,...but "with what speede" surely depended on the economical state of the market, the harvests and the brother's ability to cope, as well as his young wife's tolerance." (The Town of Cropredy)
 
   

Justinyan and Elizabeth had the following children:

 

1. Joanne, christened 7 November 1584 in Cropredy.

 

*2. John, christened 21 November 1585 in Cropredy; listed as a scholar from Cropredy at Williamscot School in 1598; married Elizabeth Gibbins 9 May 1610 in Cropredy; died 1641.

Baptism record for John Hunt in Cropredy: "Jhon Hunt the sonne of Justinian Hunt & Elizabeth his wife was christened the xxith of November"

 

3. Thomas, christened 13 August 1587 in Cropredy.

 

4. Alyce, christened 27 February 1588/9 in Cropredy.

 

5. Joanne, christened 10 October 1590 in Cropredy.

 

6. William, christened 16 August 1591 in Cropredy; married Ellin Pratt 30 December 1614 in Cropedy.

 

7. Mary, christened 8 February 1594/5 in Cropredy.

 

8. Joyce, christened 13 February 1596/7 in Cropredy.

 

9. John, born 31 March 1599 in Cropredy.
 
 

SOURCES: Cropredy parish register; The Town of Cropredy, Pamela Keegan; Wardington parish register; Will of Justinian Hunt of Cropredy, 1609.