Another family note

 How did people meet one another in the past? There are some coincidences in Beddome's history that a descendant (by marriage) has noted. On the paternal side, we can go back to John Beddome, the Deputy Town Clerk of Stratford on Avon (c1587 – 1646) and also to Roger Barnard (c 1590 – 1661). From at least as early as 1615 up to 1620 Roger Barnard was living in Wootten Wawen, a village some 5 miles west of Stratford on Avon. On Beddome's mother's side we can go back to Benjamin Brandon, the tailor, whose mother was named in his will as Hester Jordan, widow of Woolvy, Warwickshire. However, Benjamin the tailor's wife was Katherine Court and she was a daughter of Henry Court and Fortune Hawthorn. Henry and Fortune were married on April 22 1612 at Wootten Warwen and, though Henry was identified in the registers as "de Henley" which we assume to be Henley in Arden which is just over a mile north west of Wootten Warwen, their children were baptised at the latter village up to 1623 when the family moved to Tanworth in Arden. Both Roger Barnard and Henry Court would seem to have been men of substance - both left property in wills - and they were living very close to each other for a number of years - does it not seem likely that the families knew each other back then? It is not entirely clear what significance that has to the later history of the family but all roads lead back to Warwickshire. Going back a bit further, Fortune Hawthorn's parents were William Hawthorn and Fortune Ussold and they were married at Stratford Holy Trinity on July 27, 1578.