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The Ashbys of Tysoe

Steve Milton

Some Related Banburyshire Quakers

Burberows of Aynho, Beesleys of Banbury

According to Nicholas Cooper, "the Burberows had been in Aynho [Northants] from time immemorial". In 1642, at the start of the English Civil War, a Sir John Byron, leader of a group of Royalist forces, was being pursued by local Parliamentary forces. For safekeeping, he gave a packet of "writings" and other valuables to a servant to be hidden. The servant was captured by Parliamentarians at Croughton and the location of the items discovered. A man called Old Burborough", probably from Aynho, rode off and found the things that had been hidden - a Commision, some letters, money and some rich clothes. Old Burborough took charge of them and rode back in triumph, with the captured servant, through Aynho to Parliamentarian Banbury.

The Burberows were members of a sizeable community of Quakers in Aynho. They suffered the usual persecutions. In 1673, Timothy (1634-1717) had a cow and a calf taken for non-payment of tithes. Fines were all paid in the end, the richer Friends (who included Timothy) paying for the poorer.

In 1683 and 1684 the ecclesiastical authorities found that the Burberows (among others) had refused to take communion at Easter. Timothy was carried of to Northampton Gaol for not "sprinkling his children". A footnote in Alfred Beesley's History of Banbury states "The late Mr Timothy Burberow of Neithrop possessed the pillow which had been used in this manufacture [of 'Quaker laces'] by his grandfather Timothy Burberow of Aynho, during a confinement of more than 2 yrs continuance in Northampton Gaol.... In 1685, his neighbours at Aynho signed a certificate on behalf of him and two others; which certificate was presented to the justices assembled at the Quarter sessions. It stated that all three of them were imprisoned 'for no other cause but nonconformity', and that they were 'persons of a peacable and honest conversation, and not at any time, as we know, guilty of any disloyal practices against the government'... Towards the close of this year, the Quaker prisoners were set at liberty by virtue of the proclamation of James the Second".

The "late Mr Timothy Burberow of Neithrop" was probably Timothy Burberow (1730-1811), who was Alfred Beesley's great-uncle.

Timothy Burberow (1659-1718) was a baker in Aynho. His house in the square still bears his the initials of him and his wife, with the date 1696. He rather perversely left half of each of his two houses to two of his daughters, who naturally did an exchange as soon as they decently could.

The Quaker meeting house at South Newington, built in 1692, and now the village hall, has a plaque with a Latin inscription and three sets of initials. The first was "TB" for Timothy Berberow of Aynho.

Rebecca Burberow (1699-1761) was the mother of Mary Maulle, who married John Ashby (1732-1791). Her son Thomas Maulle married Ann Ashby of Plumpton, daughter of Stephen Ashby (1708-).

Ann Burberow (1731-1768) married Joshua Ashby. As described above, their orphaned daughter Ann was bought up in the family of her uncle Joseph Foord. In her will of 1826, her cousin Mary Beesley is a beneficiary. Both Ann and Mary's wills refer to property to which they entitled after the death of their aunt Lydia Fardon, wife of Thomas Fardon of Deddington, clock and watch maker. Thomas Fardon was Lydia Halford's second husband, her first being a Burberow, almost certainlyTimothy, as shown above; it would appear that Timothy must have stipulated that certain property must be passed to his nieces upon the death of his widow.

Mary Beesley's son Samuel was a baker in Banbury, famous for his Banbury cakes; he married Ann Fardon, daughter of Thomas Fardon and Jane Fardon (nee Ashby). Her son Alfred (who was briefly apprenticed to a clockmaker - presumably great-uncle Thomas Fardon) wrote a well-known history of Banbury (see above). Sarah Beesley (nee Rusher) was another Banbury writer; her autobiography was published as "My Life".

Gilkes of Sibford

Mr M. L. Dix-Hamilton has traced Gilkes in Sibford back to 1525; at the Lay Subsidy of 1525 two contemporary Thomas Gilkeses were assessed as freeholders.

Thomas Gilkes (1645-1699) joined the Society of Friends and it was thought that the first meeting was held at his house. Later, with Bray D'Oyley and Thomas Fardon of North Newington and others he founded the Sibford Gower Meeting House 1678-1681.

His eldest son Thomas "pioneered his clockmaking industry in north Oxfordshire villages, which his brother Quakers developed so successfully that in some villages they held the monopoly of this craft for over 150 years". Quakers and dissenters were barred from entering political and academic life, but after toleration were able to turn their talents to industry. Quakers dominated the trade because they always apprenticed members of their own faith. For example, one of Thomas's apprentices was the well-known John Fardon (1700-1743) of Deddington (grandfather to Thomas Fardon (1757-1838), second husband of Lydia Burberow, née Halford).

Sodens of Sibford

The Sodens were also a Quaker family. In 1689 and 1690 William Soden had corn and hay confiscated for non-payment of tithes. Thomas Soden (1730-) moved to Brailes, and has been mentioned above in relation to him getting into debt, a problem that overseer/elder Robert Ashby was assigned to investigate. From the Warwickshire South Monthly Meeting: "Whereas the conduct of Thomas Soden and his wife, late of Brailes, has been a great Blemish to the truth they have made profession in their conveying goods away which belonged to their creditors without their knowledge - and also removing themselves and their children contrary to repeated advice. Therefore we, the people called Quakers, have no longer unity with the said Thomas Soden and his wife until they, by amendment of life, do their evident demonstrations of sorrow for all their outgoings - which we earnestly desire"

Richard Soden (1771-1844), a Tysoe resident, was disowned following his marriage to Elizabeth Walker in 1796: Information being now given us that Richard Soden married by the priest to a person not in membership with us and his conduct in other aspects being inconsistent we therefore for the learning(?) of truth appoint Michael Pettipher and William Hemmings to draw up a testimony of disownment against him and to bring an account to the meeting for approbation."

Richard Soden (1805-) and Benjamin Soden (1809-) both emigrated to America, presumably as part of the "Tysoe exodus" of the 1820's. Richard is mention by William Mole in "A Tysoe emigrant writes home": please to tell mr soden that I have not seen Richard sins I rote in june as he lives 15 miles of me but I think he is well or I shold have heard of him".

Alice Hardiman had a number of illegitimate offspring before her marriage to John Soden. One of these is Hannah Hardiman (later Rouvray), who M.K. Ashby incorrectly refers to as Hannah Soden in "Joseph Ashby of Tysoe".

Fardons of Deddington

Thomas Fardon (1658-1731) was a baker and Malster in North Newington. It was probable he who co-founded the Sibford Meeting house with John Gilkes and others.

John Fardon (1700-1743) was apprenticed as a clockmaker to John Gilkes (see above), hence starting a dynasty of Fardon clockmakers.

The above diagram illustrated the inedequancy of using a "tree" to display inter-related Quaker families; it doesn't show that Jane Ashby(1772-1836) is, of course, daugher of Joseph Ashby (1734-1795). Also, Theodore Joseph Morris is the great-grandson of the same Joseph Ashby.