Pakeman

Christopher and Cicely Pakeman b. 1503

/ Kirstin Miller

Christopher and Cicely Pakeman 13th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Christopher Pakeman was born in 1503 in Wrabness, Essex, England, a tiny village on the River Stour in southeastern England, UK. Cicely was probably born in the same village, her last name is unknown. She and Christopher had 4 sons and 3 daughters. Christopher owned and rented lands named Butlers and Fullers, known as tenements in 1500s England.

Christopher’s will was read November 16, 1557. “My body to be buryed in the churche yeard of Wrabnas … Item I gyve to Cecely my wyff my tenne(men)t called fullers butlers … for the space off iii yeres aftere my deces … aftr I wyll that thomas my sonne have yt to hyme & to hys heyers of hys body lawfully begoten payyng out of the legaces that shal be reheresed hereaft(er)”. Cicely also had to “keep the children w(i)t(h) meat & drynke”. Thomas collected rent and shared that rent with his siblings Annis, Harry, John, Jone, Lawrence and Margaret.

Christopher died in 1557, Cicely lived a few years longer. They’re buried at All Saints’ Church, the oldest building in the Wrabness village, built around 1100. Their gravestones from the 1550s are long gone.

In the cemetery and churchyard is a bell cage with one church bell. There’s a local story about the bells at All Saints. “The churchyard at All Saints in Wrabness has a bell in a cage as a result of the Devil’s work. When the church tower with its five bells collapsed in the 17th century, the idea was to hang two bells in the wooden cage as a temporary measure. There is only one bell now, dated 1854, but the tower was never rebuilt. Legend, of course, says that every time the village tried to build a new tower, the Devil came along at night and blew it down.”

Sources

  • The American genealogist database at American Ancestors
  • Burgess, Mike. Hidden East Anglia, the devil and another church tower story

John Pakeman b. 1470

/ Kirstin Miller

John Pakeman 14th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree


Closeup snapshot, Wrabness is below the “L” in Suffolke

John Pakeman was born in Wrabness, Essex, England in 1470. Wrabness is about 60 miles northeast of London, a tiny village on the River Stour in southeastern England, UK. The oldest building in Wrabness is All Saints Church, built around 1100. The All Saints bell tower collapsed in the 1600s and the bell was moved to a “bell cage”, maybe with plans to fix, but this was never done, the bell in the cage is still there.

John was a landlord, he owned Butlers, a tenement [rental property]. He married, his wife’s name is unknown. John had 2 sons Cristofer and William and probably more children, they’re unknown.

John wrote his will August 18, 1524 and died in shortly after. “In the name of God Amen I John pakemen being in good mynd & memory make my will in this manr… to be buried in the church yard of Wrabness … I bequeath to Thomas Colyn my servaunt a calf … I bequethe to Cristofer my son my howse and my lands called butlers w[i]t{h] all the land[e]s & teneme[n]t(e)s thereto betongyng my dett(e)s paide and my body honestly brought home the residue of all my good(e)s.”

John Pakeman is probably buried at the All Saints cemetery, His gravestone from 1524 is long gone. His 2nd great granddaughter Susan Pakeman married Humphrey Wyeth [Wise] and they sailed to America in 1636. John’s 9th, Susan’s 6th great granddaughter Delia Angell went from Indiana to Iowa around 1856.

Sources