ABBOTT OF COLYTON

 In Medieval times it was common for properties to be called after their owners. The fact that the house is called Abbotts suggested that the people who lived there were called 'Abbott'. Sylvia's first search was to see if there were any people called Abbott in Colyton. She did not have to look very far:

Description Will of Allen Abbott, Mercer of Colyton, Devon

Date 27 April 1657

Catalogue reference PROB 11/263links to the Catalogue

Dept Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury

Notice that Allen Abbott was a Mercer - a wool merchant, which ties in with our belief that a trader originally owned the house. There may have been many earlier Abbotts in the house, but this was the earliest record Sylvia could find. A copy of the will can be found here, but a rough and very quick transcription reads:

"In the name of God Amen. This first day of March in the year of our Lord God One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Five, I Allen Abbott of Colyton in the County of Devon. Moreover, being weak of body but perfect and sound in memory . . . . . do make this my last will and Testament in the manner and form following. Firstly I give and bequeath my soul into the hands of Almighty God . .. ask forgiveness of all my sins and commit my body to Christian burial. I give unto John Abbott my son the sum of five pounds. I give to Allen Abbott the younger of my sons the sum of twenty shillings. I give to Mary Abbott my daughter the sum of one shilling. My will is that Mary my wife should hold and enjoy during her life, and no longer, the house, gardens and all of my land lying in Colyton. After her death it is to go to John my son and if he should die to the children of his body. I leave fifty pounds to be divided between all of the children which they shall be given upon marriage or upon attaining the age of twenty one. I make my wife Mary my sole executrix of this my last will etc.

Witnessed by Agnes Smith and Mary Loo."

It must be borne in mind that in 1657 one shilling was a small fortune - so to be wealthy enough to leave a legacy of £5.00 shows he was a wealthy man.

The next records show that the Abbott family thrived in Colyton for at least two hundred years. To understand what these records mean there are a couple of things you need to understand. In the 1600's no individuals owned land, it was all owned by the crown. The King leased the land to a handful of his favourites, and they in turn leased it to their friends and relatives. However, a lease was not usually a short term thing, it was for life and was passed down from father to son as part of an inheritance. Although the Abbotts didn't actually own their house, because the king owned it, they did own the lease and passed it down the generations of their family.

 In the record below you will see the lease was assigned by John Cally. In 1600 there was no recognised spelling system. Very few people could read and write and records at this date depended on a few religious clerics, whose literacy skill often left a great deal to be desired. The clerics wrote phonetically ie. they wrote what they heard and Calley is a common representation of Kayleway (Try saying it in a Devon accent and you will see what I mean!). The Callaway family has recorded over 400 variations in the spelling of their name. As I explained elsewhere, they were the rich and powerful family to whom the King leased the land, and the records below show that they in turn leased it to the Abbotts - this might imply a family connection, but a great deal more research would be needed to prove it. I think we can tentatively say they possibly related.

Folder icon [no title] 48/13/4/2/6 c.1680

 

 f.98 Edward Abbott (assignee of John Cally).; ½ tenement and several closes of ground.; Lease. Reversion to Edward Abbott.

Folder icon [no title or date] 48/13/4/2/7 1691

 

 f.84 Edward Abbott (assignee of Samuel Calley).; ½ Tenement, cottage and dwelling house in Colyton (heretofore in copyhold tenure of John Taylor); Lease.

 

 f.85 Reversion to said Edward Abbott. These may be leases for the Abbotts, and as can be seen Edward Abbott leased the property on a short term lease to John Taylor, but Edward Abbott kept overall ownership of it.

The Abbotts were still in Colyton in the 1800's, but in much reduced circumstances. From the Poor Law records we have:

 

 James Abbott, Mary his wife and Mary Ann 7, John 6, James 4½, William 2½ and Thomas 7 months their children to Seaton and Beer 3483 A/PO 22/95 1838.