General Notes

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William French was a Lowestoft merchant. Mansfield French states* that William had two younger brothers (or one brother and a nephew), one of who was Churchwarden of St. Mary's, Kelsale but church records clearly show that the Churchwarden was
Robert French, born 1545 to Thomas, William's brother or nephew. Mansfield further states that William's father was born c.1450 and died c.1520, and that his will is filed in Somerset House, London. My 1993 visit to Somerset House revealed that
no wills are stored there, nor did a close search of the Public Records Office, where such records are indeed kept, produce any such document (although I did locate the will of another William French d.1535, apparently a collateral relative).
For William's father to have lived 1450-1520, he would have to have been at least 50 when he married and to have survived her son, William's mother would have to have been in her 90's in 1593 and therefore young enough to be her husband's
granddaughter.
# Note:
It seems more likely that, as both William's wife Christian and his sister Margaret had grandchildren (and were thus probably at least 40), his godson William Wright was married, and his mother was still living when he died, William was
probably born between 1520-1540. If this is so, William's father would probably have been born between 1480-1520 and thus is clearly not the William French, Mansfield suggests and the John (d.1561) and Thomas (d. 1567) whom Mansfield lists as
William's brothers could instead have been his uncles. Mansfield lists a Margaret, bapt. 1548, as one of Thomas's children. William's will names his sister, Margaret, who would have been born about this time. Could Thomas be William's father?
# Note:
In any case, William and Christian apparently had no living issue. He thus left much of his estate, a good portion of which he owned outright (rather than leasehold) to his sister Margaret's son Thomas Goddard and to his wife's son by her first
marriage, Matthew Fullwood who himself had a young daughter at the time of William's death. William's mother Agnes, who had been widowed for a second time just previously, survived her son.
# Note:
He was clearly interested in education, as he also directed that Christian "bring up or Cause to be brought up" Richard Mighael [sic], a fatherless minor, and send him to school so that he might learn his grammar "and other things necessary,"
and like his late stepfather provided an income for a schoolmaster. He also provided for housing "for two poor people to dwell in so long as the world standeth" and extended his late stepfather's bequest to the poor.
# Note: records furnished by Richard Grosvenor Bartelot FSA,
# Note: Editor Somerset & Dorset Notes & Queries.
# Change Date: 3 OCT 2002