Second Generation

Jenitte Fretwell

Jenitte was born, probably in Cawthorne, sometime before 1653, and her death year is marked by her burial in the Cawthorne Parish Register in 1660.

JENITTE the daughter of PEETER FFRETWELL was buried May the 26^th

She would have been at least 7 years old when she died.

Francis Fretwell

Francis was probably born in Cawthorne before 1653, and died there around 1685. His wife, Elizabeth Crosland, was from Thornhill, some 13 miles from Cawthorne, where she was baptised, and where she was buried on 29 August, 1693 as recorded in the Thornhill Parish Register. They were married in Cawthorne in 1673, and the event is recorded Cawthorne Parish Register.

FRANCIS FRETWELL & ELIZABETH CROSLAND married Sep the 29

Despite a marriage lasting some 12 years, there is no record of any children being born to Francis and Elizabeth. It would appear that Elizabeth Crosland married Robert, following the death of his brother Francis at the age of 35 in 1685.

Robert Fretwell

Robert, second child of Peter and Mary, was born before 1653. He is cited in the Register of the Parish Church at Thornhill, which was 13 miles from his place of birth, and was his bride’s birthplace, as marrying Elizabeth Crosland on 5 October 1690, some 5 years after the death of his elder brother Francis. Their childless married life only lasted a short time, as Elizabeth’s burial, as noted above, took place just short of three years later.

Some time elapsed before Robert married again. By this time he was referred to as "Robert of Bretton in ye Parish of Silkstone". The parish town of Silkstone was only 2 miles, and the village of West Bretton only 3 miles or so from Cawthorne. Robert’s second wife, Susannah Helliwell hailed from Mirfield, a little further afield, being 9 miles north from Cawthorne. The wedding was held in Mirfield, on 30^th January 1711/12. Only one child is recorded from this marriage—Robert, baptised, according to the Silkstone Parish Register, on 28 July 1713. This would mean that Robert had to wait until he was in his 60s to produce an heir! It might also suggest that the birth date of before 1653 is brought into question.

Dorritthie Fretwell

There is no information for Dorritthie except for the two references to her birth and burial,  just before her 30th birthday, in the Cawthorne Parish Registers.

DORRITHIE the Daughter of Peeter FFRETWELL was borne July the 29^th
DORITHY FRETWELL buried July the 9

John Fretwell

John was born in 1658, and died, apparently a bachelor at the age of 34. Both events are documented in the Parish Register, the latter (taking account of the chronology) in November 1692.

JOHN the sonne of PEETER FRETWELL was borne July 22^nd
JOHN FRETWELL (no month shown) the 30^th

Thomas Fretwell

The Cawthorne Parish Register records the sad, short life of Thomas, the third son of Peter and Mary. He was baptised in 1661.

THOMAS the sonne of PETER FRETWELL was baptised July the 21^st

and around his 23^rd birthday, in 1684, he married Sara Dixon.

THO FRETWELL & SARA DIXON (per B.T Sara Dixson) maried no month shown the 12.

WEF has the month as July, but as there are no marriages recorded between June and November, the wedding may have taken place later than July.

Sara died and was buried on 24 April 1686, just before their second wedding anniversary. Thomas was a widower for just 15 months before he too died and was buried on 27 July 1687 aged only 25/26.

SARAH FRETWELL buried April the 24^th
THOMAS FRETWELL buried July the 27^th

There were no recorded children from the marriage.

Johannes Fretwell

The next born was Johannes (also known as John, but presumably only after his older brother of the same name had died). John was the fifth child of Peter and Mary, and of this generation of Fretwells is the person for whom we have the most information. As the first of his generation to produce male heirs, it is through John that the main Fretwell line is descended.

He spent his whole life at Cawthorne, having been born at there and baptised that same day at the Parish Church on 29 July 1664 and buried there, some 60 years later on 15 November 1724.

JOHANNES filius PETRI FRETWELL bapt: erat vicessimo nono die July (29^th July)
JOHN FRETWELL (per B.T Woodman) November the 15^th

John was referred to as John, Husbandman of Cinder Hill. Cinder Hill was a farm on the Spencer Estate and John would have been employed by the family to work on the farm. As we can see from the parish account he was a Woodman.

Location of Cinder Hill

Early historical accounts indicate that woodmanship was an ancient skill and remained an important element of land management and conservation. Wood was regarded as an economic asset for both fuel and, for some time, also dwellings and ship building. The bark was also required for tanning. Most woods were privately owned, often by the lord of the manor, but sometimes shared. The manorial woods were frequently subject to grazing rights on the commons for cattle and pigs.

Equally, the worth of a good husbandman was particularly valued. By the Elizabethan Statute of Artificers, Justices of the Peace were charged with setting the maximum levels of wages, and if by today’s standards, the wages paid to agricultural workers around the mid to late 17^th century seem paltry, they no doubt sufficed.

John married Ann(e) Woodhead on 3 December 1688, when he was 24 and she about 20 years of age in the Cawthorne Parish Church.

JOHN FRETWELL & ANN WOODHEAD married Decem’ the 3^d

There is some uncertainty as to where Ann was born. It was customary for women to be married in the parish of their birth, and she is referred to on marriage as “of this parish”, but no reference to Ann having been born or baptised in Cawthorne has been found. A further pointer to her being at least a resident of Cawthorne at the time of the marriage is that apparently no Licence was required, as would be the case of a bridge marrying ‘outside’ her own parish.

WEF researched this question and ruled out any connection with the Woodheads of Meltham, and no connection has been traced to the Woodheads of Adwalton. At this point, from WEF’s conjectures, the more likely provenance of Ann’s family is Flockton, a village which is about 5 miles north west of Cawthorne. This theory is based upon a listing in a Manor Roll of all those eligible to serve on the jury in the district. The names of Robert Fretwell and John Fretwell, are duly shown respectively under West Bretton and Cawthorne, together with the name of Johes (Johannes or John) Woodhead of Flockton. This Woodhead may well have been the father-in-law or brother-in-law of John Fretwell.

Over a ten year period John and Ann produced five children, all of whom lived to adulthood.