Genealogy Chat

On my 6 x great grandfathers, marriage licence 1731, he is described as Yeoman. He has signed his name .

His wife's (my 6 x great gra ndmother)father signed for her as she was underage, and he was also a Yeoman.

Believe they were Farmers, in Essex villages,

Can anyone tell me what a Yeoman is?

Google it and look at the Wikipedia entry

Thanks Potty will do that.

I was a Yeoman in the Royal Navy (basically a glorified senior Radio Operator) Colin

I´ve just finished research on my early ancestors who were Yeoman Farmers. The following may help.


Evidently Yeoman Farmers were a class of landholding farmers in the late 14th to the 18th century. Many Yeoman Farmers were wealthy, mixed with the gentry and some even rented land to gentleman landowners. Some were entitled to be classed as gentlemen. They shared the heritage and ancestry of their ancestors.

Yeoman Farmers were called upon to serve their King and country, and even in the 1700s there existed still the Yeomanry Cavalry. Most Yeoman Farmers had servants and workers but were very much personally involved themselves with the land. The term Yeoman Farmer was used to distinguish them from the Gentlemen Farmers who “didn´t get their hands dirty”.

Some Yeomen had more wealth than the Gentry, but remained classed as Yeomen by choice rather than necessity. Often it was difficult to distinguish the Gentry from the more affluent Yeoman. It is written that “a Yeoman would not normally have less than 100 acres and in social status is one step down from the Gentry, but above a husbandman”. He could also serve on juries and vote for the Knight of the Shire. And of course be called upon to serve his King and country as the existence of the Yeomanry Cavalry into the 1700s confirms.

Thank you all for your help.

One of my 6 x great grandfather's sons from his first marriage(I am descended from second marriage) paid £200 to the Bishop of London to marry in 1748,. So maybe as Daisy Chain said, they had wealth.

Seems with all the children they had, this did not come down to my lot.

This 'two hundred pounds of english money' was a surety to ensure that the marriage was legitimate. It was the sum that they could forfeit if they told untruths in the allegation. Marriage by licence avoided delays that posting the Banns could bring. In some situations, speed was of the essence.

Teddys,

A yeoman could be someone as simple as having a few chickens in the back yard. Yes, it meant someone with some land, but that land could be not a lot. Don't get over-excited about it.

Margaret

Margaret - I am not over excited about it, as I said before, no money come down to my branch.

All I know is that later on, in early 1800's all boys had jobs other than farming, my 2 x gg was a cordwainer, and had a Shoemakers business in London, where he had apprentices. All his sons were tradesmen. My great grandfather, and his sons (one being my grandfafher) had a Stonemasons business,

Clive- Yes you have answered my question, as fhis son married a widow, who I believe had land, as on a deed I see them buying more land.

I suppose this was to ensure, he did not get her money and run away from her.

Thank you everyone, for years I have puzzled over these questions, and now have the answers.

So thank you once again.