Who would a widow marry?

[Phoenix]

In his will made 27 October 1572 William Powell names his brother in law Jeffrey Babb, Nicholas Goodridge and Nicholas Heyman to be overseers of his will to help Jennet his executrix. He had two baby daughters, but is hopeful of more.

William was buried 1 April 1575. There were no more children.

I didn't really pay much attention to Nicholas Goodridge as I knew who he was.

Nicholas was the husband of Jennet, of course.

Nicholas married Jennet Powell 13 February 1575/6.

This gap is, of course, perfectly decorous as is the gap before Nicholas's first child is born

When Jennet's father made his own will, a couple of years later, he made Nicholas his executor, above the claims of other sons in law and his own brothers.

This was a firmly controlled world, where money and influence were of far more importance than affection (Jennet's father is driving me mad by omitting relationships just when it is most important) but I get the feeling that Jennet was turning naturally to Nicholas.

But William cannot have been setting up Nicholas as his successor years before he died, surely?

Do others have similar examples?

[kiterunner]

Could Nicholas have been a cousin or some such?

[Phoenix]

I am working my way through the various wills, to see if I can spot relationships. William refers to himself in the will as Ap Powell, so I assume he has only been in Devon for a generation or so. The registers only seem to start c 1558. Luckily, although the Devon wills went up in smoke, these people mainly went to the PCC, presumably because they were so flipping rich, and as merchants they may have had cargoes overseas.

[marquette]

I have a couple of widows who married men who were in the same trade (or closely related) as their late husband - perhaps a way of getting security for the widow and/or consolidating two businesses more easily, with someone she already knew through her late husbands business contacts.

Must have been difficult to meet another partner with equal social standing when you were a widow (or even widower) with small children. Finding one within your existing circle of contacts would have made life a lot easier.


Diane

[maryphil]

Can I but in here, am I right in thinking that ap Powell is Welsh?

[Phoenix]

If he were really Welsh, he would call himself Ap Howell, but to use it at all suggests that his family are relatively recent migrants.

[Nell]

None of my ex's Welsh family ever use "ap" but there are several females in the family called Jennet.

Perhaps Nicholas was chosen because he was known to be a reliable chap?