PART ONE

The Gloucestershire Main Line - 1485 to 1800

This is the first of four sections of the first Collett family line

Updated January 2012

The January 2012 update of this file is thanks to new information received from

Brian Gregory Collett (Ref. 1R45) from Cairns in Australia, Andrew Collett (Ref. 3Q14),

and Marilee Rylett Magder (Ref. 1P69) of Whitby in Ontario

The information used in previous updates to this file has been kindly

provided by Bob Rolfe (Ref. 1O61) and Dennis Collett

The starting point for this family has long been the subject of speculation that it most likely began at Kimble or Wendover to the south of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. What is known about that branch of the family is that Henry Colet, born circa 1360, was the brother of Thomas Colet who was the Rector of Little Kimble up to 1408. Whilst Henry married and had children, not such records have been found for Thomas. However, one of Henry’s grandchildren was a Thomas Colet born at Wendover circa 1430 and, although no such record has been found, he may have had a son who was also called Thomas. He would then have been around the right age to be the father of Thomas Colet of Over Slaughter who was born there in 1485. Having said all of this, it is also established from records at the British Library, relating to Buckinghamshire, that Thomas Colet left Little Kimble on 9^th October 1408, when he travelled to Gloucestershire, where he settled in the village of Barnsley near Cirencester.

Details of the Colet families of Kimble and Wendover can be found in

Part 18 – The Suffolk Line

1C1	Unknown COLLETT. The names of Thomas and Robert Colet were prevalent in the branches of the Colet family residing at Kimble and Wendover from 1360 onwards.
	1D1		THOMAS COLLETT								Born in 1485
	1D2		Robert Collett								Date of birth unknown
1D1	THOMAS COLLETT was born in 1485 at Over Slaughter in Gloucestershire and he married Alice. Thomas was Joint Lord of the Manor of Over Slaughter with Mr Venfield and was godfather to ten children. For other references to the name Venfield see Ref.1F9 and 1F11.
	Thomas died in 1538 and his Will of 24^th March 1538 was proved in 1539 (see Will in Legal Documents). It names wife Alice and son Henry Collett (below) as executors. The Will, like all of the Wills available to view on this website, has been translated into current day English. It is understood that Thomas Collett was buried in the south transept of Tewkesbury Cathedral.
	Alice died in 1557 and her Will dated 22^nd June 1557 (see Will in Legal Documents) included the names of all of her children, with the exception of eldest son William and eldest daughter Marian. The Will actually refers to her four daughters so it is possible that Marian may have died before reaching her fortieth birthday, although it is known that son William was alive at the time Alice made her Will.
	So it is curious why the two eldest children were excluded from the Will.
	1E1		Marian Collett								Born circa 1517
	1E2		William Collett								Born in 1518
	1E3		Henry Collett								Born in 1520
	1E4		Elizabeth Collett								Born in 1521
	1E5		Alice Collett								Born in 1522
	1E6		Joan Collett								Born in 1523
	1E7		Agnes Collett								Born in 1524
	1E8		JOHN COLLETT								Born in 1525
1D2	Robert Collett was born at Cutsdean in Gloucestershire. He died in 1544 and is referred to in the Will of 1538 of Thomas Collett (above) as ‘brother’.
1E1	Marian Collett may have been born around 1517 or before. To date no record has been found for her birth. However, the 1557 Will of her mother Alice Collett makes no reference to daughter Marion but does include a Robert Rooke who, with Anwin Matthews, received a sheep for ‘their pains’. Robert Rooke was also a witness at the signing of her Will.
	Almost twenty years earlier a Richard Rooke from Bourton-on-the-Water married a Marian Collett of Upper Slaughter at Upper Slaughter on 16^th January 1538. This would place her date of birth around 1517 or slightly earlier and could place her as the first born child of Thomas and Alice Collett.
	The later Will of Edith Collett, made in 1597, makes reference to Elizabeth the second daughter of Richard Rooke. Therefore it seems likely that Elizabeth was the daughter of Marian Collett and Richard Rooke. Edith Collett was the second wife of Marian’s brother Henry Collett (below).
1E2	William Collett was born around 1518 at Over Slaughter and he married (Anne) or Agnes Hanks on 26^th October 1542 at Upper Slaughter. It would seem rather curious that following the birth of the couple’s first child, that the next four children were born to William some thirty years later when Agnes would have been in her late fifties.
	The alternative, and perhaps more logical explanation, might be that William was married twice, first to Anne and later to an Agnes who may even have been Anne’s sister, since some of the birth records indicate the mother’s name as either Agnes or Anne Hanks.
	William Collett died in 1587 at Upper Slaughter after acting as sole executor of Agnes’ Will which was proved in 1587. (Over Slaughter and Upper Slaughter are different references for the same village).
	From this it might be concluded that William initially married Anne Hanks and later Agnes Hanks the daughter of Richard Hanks who was at Upper Slaughter around 1538. The records also show that all of the later four children were born at Upper Slaughter.
	The list of Gloucestershire Wills includes an entry for William Collett of Upper Slaughter, a shepherd, whose Will of 1587 has the reference number 1587/269.
	1F1		William Collett (later of Stanley)								Born in 1543
	1F2		Edmund Collett								Born in 1571 at Upper Slaughter
	1F3		Joan Collett								Born in 1577 at Upper Slaughter
	1F4		Robert Collett								Born in 1581 at Upper Slaughter
	1F5		Thomas Collett								Born in 1584 at Upper Slaughter
1E3	Henry Collett was born in 1520 at Over Slaughter where he married (1) Joan Hanks in 1540, the mother of all his children. After her death Henry married (2) Edith Arnold, a lady of some wealth, who was born in Cirencester in 1520 and who died in 1598.
	Henry was a Yeoman of Over Slaughter and Church Warden of the Parish. He was also the sole executor of the Will of his mother Alice Collett.
	Henry died in 1592 and was buried in the churchyard at Over Slaughter. His Will of 20^th August 1591 in the 33^rd year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, was proved in 1592 (see Will in Legal Documents).
	This named his eldest son Thomas Collett (below) as sole executor. All of his children, with the exception of Henry Collett the youngest son, were named in the Will with Thomas Collett the eldest son being allow to reside in one half of the house occupied by his stepmother Edith until her death, at which time it would become his property. It also stipulated that Edith would get nothing if she did not agree to this provision.
	In addition, Henry’s Will also provided for the following: £10 and the best bed in the house to wife Edith; ten shillings to the poor of the village; £3 of good and lawful money of England to each of seven of his eight children; and a plough and a pair of harrows to his son Anthony Collett (below).
	It seems likely that Joan Collett nee Hanks, Henry’s first wife, died during or just after the birth of Henry Collett (below) their last born child. And it is interesting to note that this child was not mentioned in his father’s Will.
	Henry’s second wife Edith Collett made a Will on 18^th November 1597 which was proved in 1598 (see Will in Legal Documents). In this she bequeathed nothing to any member of the Collett family. The only Collett named in her Will was ‘Thomas - a friend’ who, with Thomas Carter, was charged with overseeing the Will. This Thomas Collett (below), the eldest of her stepsons and this seems most likely as he was also sole executor to her husband’s Will.
	The bulk of her estate was shared amongst the members of her own Arnold family, although there is also reference to the Rooke, and Avro families. In addition, eight pence was bequeathed to every poor house and six pence to every resident of St Edwards Almshouse.
Will Notes	Of interest is the name Robert Rooke in the 1557 Will of Alice Collett the husband of Thomas Collett (Ref. 1D1) who was named as an overseer of her Will and who was witness to the signing thereof. This then raises the question, was Robert Rooke the father of Richard Rooke who married Marian Collett (Ref. 1E1) the daughter of Thomas and Alice Collett and whose daughter Elizabeth was referred to in the 1597 Will of Edith Collett.
	1F6		Alice Collett								Born in 1541
	1F7		Elizabeth Collett								Born in 1545
	1F8		Thomas Collett								Born in 1547
	1F9		John Collett								Born in 1548
	1F10		William Collett								Born in 1551
	1F11		Jane Collett								Born in 1553
	1F12		Anthony Collett								Born in 1554
	1F13		Henry Collett								Born in 1556
1E4	Elizabeth Collett was born in 1521 at Over Slaughter and was married there to John Bayliss on 19^th July 1546. John, and a Thomas Bayliss who may have been his father, were witnesses for the Will of Alice Collett, Elizabeth’s mother.
1E5	Alice Collett was born in 1522 at Over Slaughter and married David Anthony Taylor of Bourton on the Water. In the 1557 Will of her mother Alice Collett there is a clause specifically excluding the children of Anthony Taylor. However, later in the Will Eleanor Taylor who could be a daughter to Anthony and Alice was named as being bequeathed one sheep.
1E6 1E7	Joan Collett and Agnes Collett were born in 1523 and 1524 respectively at Over Slaughter and one of them married Thomas Hanks. An Elizabeth Hanks was bequeathed a sheep in the Will of their mother Alice Collett, so this may have been a daughter of the couple.
1E8	JOHN COLLETT was born in 1525 and he married Marion Jakes at Broadwell just north of Stow-on-the Wold on 15^th June 1547 or 16^th June 1547, where all of their children were born and baptised and where Marion Jakes was born around 1528.
	Under the terms of the 1538 Will of John’s father Thomas Collett, John and all of his sisters (above) but excluding Marian, were bequeathed twenty shillings and ten sheared sheep (see Will in Legal Documents).
	John Collett of Broadwell died in 1597 and his Will was proved that same year. It was originally believed that John‘s wife Marion died eleven years after her husband in 1607, but this has been disproved – see note below.
	The recent discovery of John’s Will (see Will in Legal Documents) has provided additional information about his wife and children at the time of his death which conflicts with the list of children credited to John and his wife Marion in an earlier version of this file.
	The Will also refers to John’s wife as Katherine who was previously Katherine Sanders who married John Collett at Broadwell on 1^st November 1582 or 11^th November 1582, Katherine having been born there in 1555. This means that John’s first wife Marion had died after the birth of their last child in 1558 and before 1582.
	John being married twice now makes sense of the statement in his Will about his sons ‘Henry Collett the elder’ and ‘Henry Collett the younger’ that is, one from each of his two marriages. Therefore the revised lists of his children from those two marriages are now reproduced below, in accordance with the details extracted from his Will.
	In addition to his own children, the Will also included the names of two grandsons, they being Thomas and John the sons of Henry Collett the elder. It is also interesting to note that the witnesses to the signing of the Will were ‘neighbour William Wright of Broadwell and John Collett of Naunton’. This John Collett (Ref 1F9) was the son of John’s older brother Henry Collett (above) who, at the time of his death in 1605, was referred to as John Collett of Naunton.
	Under the terms of the Will of John Collett, the church at Broadwell received twenty pence, and the poor of the town were to receive a strike of corn. Henry the younger son was to receive the great brass pan and iron bedstead in the nether chamber, while Anthony was to get the second best brass pan and iron bedstead from the upper chamber upon the death of his mother Katherine.
	Notable absentees from the Will were John’s daughter Francis and son Robert (both from his first marriage) and Philip and Anne (from his second marriage). No later records have been found for Philip and Anne, so it seems very likely that they both had died while still very young. However, the older two children did survive beyond childhood and their adult details are included later on.
	1F14		William Collett								Baptised on 08.01.1548
	1F15		Elizabeth Collett								Baptised on 06.04.1550
	1F16		Francis Collett (a daughter)								Baptised in April 1552
	1F17		Robert Collett								Baptised on 19.08.1554
	1F18		Henry Collett ‘the elder’								Baptised on 04.11.1558
	The five children above were the children of John and Marion Collett, and the five children below were the offspring of John and Katherine Collett. It seems highly likely that the earlier reference to John’s wife dying in 1607, ten years after he had passed away, was in all probability a reference to his second wife Katherine.
	1F19				Henry Collett ‘the younger’						Baptised on 31.08.1583
	1F20				Philip Collett						Born in 1584
	1F21				Anne Collett						Baptised on 28.08.1586
	1F22				Anthony Collett						Baptised on 07.03.1589
	1F23				William Collett					Date of birth after 1597
1F6	Alice Collett was born in 1541 at Over Slaughter and was the daughter of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. Alice later married Mr Humphries.
1F7	Elizabeth Collett was born in 1545 at Over Slaughter and was the daughter of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks and she later married Mr Haynes.
1F8	Thomas Collett was born in 1547 at Over Slaughter and was the eldest son of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. Thomas Collett married Edith with whom he had ten children as detailed in Pedigree 2 of Margaret Chadd’s book The Collett Saga published in 1987.
	Thomas Collett of Over Slaughter, together with his brother Anthony Collett (below) were overseers, with Nicholas Perratt, of the 1603 Will of John Hules of Over Slaughter who was the father-in-law of Anthony Collett who married Elizabeth Hules (see Will in Legal Documents).
	Thomas Collett died in 1620.
	Margaret Chadd and the complier of this website worked together during the years from 1992 to 1997 to assemble and eventually publish a supplement to The Collett Saga.
1F9	John Collett was born in 1548 at Over Slaughter and was the son of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks.
	He married Elizabeth Venfield of Naunton in 1583. In 1591 John Collett, with his brother Thomas Collett (above) and Richard Perratt are listed as Trustees of the Lands of Upper Slaughter which were purchased and conveyed for the repair of the church and the relief of the poor. John was Joint Lord of the Manor of Over Slaughter with Gyles Venfield, who was possibly John’s brother-in-law, being his wife’s brother.
	On a wall inside the Church of St Peter at Upper Slaughter is a plaque dated 1792 with the heading ‘Benefactors of this Parish’ that reads as follows:
	In 1594 certain land were purchased and conveyed to the trustee for the repair of the church and the relief of the poor. At the enclosure 56 acres were allotted in lieu of the said lands which are now upon lease at £56000.
	John Collett, Richard Perratt and Thomas Collett are the only surviving trustees. Several sums of money have at different times been given to the poor amounting in the whole £52 which is lent upon mortgage to the Trustees of the Church Estate.
	The interest is distributed annually. January 1789 the Reverend F T Travell conveyed by deed to the three Trustees vis the Rector of the Parish for the time being, John Collett and William Cook.
	William Cook was the brother-in-law of John Humphries whose Will was made in 1771. This also revealed that John Humphries’ daughter Mary Humphries married Thomas Collett (Ref 14K9). It is therefore very likely that the aforementioned trustee John Collett was Thomas’ brother (Ref. 14K7) who was known as John Collett of Upper Slaughter (see Will in Legal Documents).
	The John Collett here who was born at Over Slaughter in 1548 died at Naunton in 1605 and his Will was proved later that same year.
	Details of his children and the continuation of his line can be found in Part 2 - The Secondary Line from 1550 to 1775 commencing with the reference 1F9.
	This is also the family line of Gordon John Collett (Ref. 3Q5) of Boston in Lincolnshire and his son Martin who was living in Australia around the start of the 21^st Century
	From Part 2 the line continues to Part 32 – The Newfoundland Line as the family line of Max Collett, Bonnie Brown and Natasha Young of Placentia Bay
1F10	William Collett was born in 1551 at Over Slaughter and was the son of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. He was married by licence to Ann Harwood of Great Rissington in Gloucestershire on 9^th November 1576 at Upper Slaughter. Very little else is known about William and Ann, except that he died in 1633.
1F11	Jane Collett was born in 1553 at Over Slaughter and was the younger daughter of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. It was also at Over Slaughter where Jane married John Venfield of Naunton in 1573. John was the brother of Elizabeth Venfield who married Jane’s brother John Collett (above).
1F12	Anthony Collett was born in 1554 at Over Slaughter and was the son of Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. He married Elizabeth Hules of Upper Slaughter in 1593. The marriage produced four children for Anthony and Elizabeth as detailed in Pedigree 5 of The Collett Saga and as shown in Part 14 of this website.
	Anthony Collett died on 20^th May 1627 and his Will, which was made on 8^th April 1627, was proved on 5^th July 1627.
	For the continuation of this family line See Part 14 – The John Kyte Collett Line (Ref. 14F1)
1F13	Henry Collett was born in 1556 at Over Slaughter and was the last child born to Henry Collett and Joan Hanks. Sadly his mother died either during the birth or shortly thereafter.
1F14	William Collett was baptised on 8^th January 1548 at Broadwell and was the first born child of John Collett and Marion Jakes, and he later married Elizabeth Chegner at Broadwell on 29^th June 1579.
	His father John died in 1597 and, as the eldest son, the name of William Collett was the first of John’s children mentioned in his Will which was proved in 1597 (see Will in Legal Documents). However, under the terms of the Will he only received three pence.
	Thirty years later, under the terms of the 1627 Will of his cousin Anthony Collett (above), William was to be paid forty shillings each year during his life by his cousin’s son Henry Collett (Ref. 14G2).
1F15	Elizabeth Collett was baptised on 6^th April 1550 at Broadwell and was the second child of John Collett and Marion Jakes. She married William Collins on 30.07.1580 at Broadwell, and seventeen years later in 1597 she was a beneficiary under the terms of the Will of her father who had died in 1597.
	As Elizabeth Collins, she was to receive two strikes of corn and four pence for each of her children (see Will in Legal Documents).
1F16	Francis Collett was born in 1551 at Broadwell and was the daughter of John Collett and Marion Jakes. The name Francis, spelt this way, would usually indicate a male, but the 1606 Will of Robert Currier (see details under Ref. 1F19) clearly indicates this was a female by mentioning Francis Mason as the daughter of Francis Mason (see Will in Legal Documents).
	Francis Collett married Edmund Mason on 1^st October 1571 at Broadwell. Rather strangely there was no reference to daughter Francis in the 1597 Will of her father John Collett who died that year. This could mean that she had died by then, thus leaving a daughter Francis Mason who was the one referred to in the Will of Robert Currier ten years later.
	Furthermore the 1629 Will of John Currier (see also under Ref. 1F19) not only referred to the children of Francis Mason, but also to members of the Collett family including Francis’ half brother Henry Collett (Ref. 1F19) and his children, two of which were specifically named, they being Elizabeth Collett (Ref. 1G7) and Robert Collett (Ref. 1G9) (see Will in Legal Documents).
1F17	Robert Collett was baptised on 19^th August 1554 at Broadwell and was the son of John Collett and Marion Jakes. He too, like his sister Francis (above) who may have died, was not mentioned in his father’s Will of 1597, although it is clearly evident that he was alive long after his father passed away.
	Robert Collett married (1) Elizabeth but from which union no children were produced, before he married (2) Alice much later in his life. It was also later in his life that he was referred to as Robert Collett of Guiting Power. All four of his children were born and baptised at Guiting Power and all from his second marriage to Alice.
	The dates of birth of the children indicate that Alice must have been a very young bride compared to an aging Robert, perhaps even thirty to forty years younger than her husband.
	1G1		Elizabeth Collett				Baptised on 22.02.1625 at Guiting Power
	1G2		Alice Collett				Baptised on 20.01.1627 at Guiting Power
	1G3		Edmund Collett				Baptised on 29.08.1630 at Guiting Power
	1G4		Richard Collett				Baptised on 05.09.1633 at Guiting Power
1F18	Henry Collett (Henry the Elder) was baptised on 4^th November 1558 at Broadwell and was the last child presented to John Collett by his wife Marion Jakes prior to her death. Following the death of his mother, his father married Katherine Sanders and their first child together was also named Henry Collett (below). From that time on the two boys were referred to as Henry the elder and Henry the younger.
	Henry Collett was married by licence to (1) Elizabeth Insil at Upper Slaughter on 22^nd May 1593 and accordingly to the parish register Elizabeth Insil was the daughter of John Insil.
		This marriage produced two sons for Henry and Elizabeth and both were named in the 1597 Will of Henry’s father John Collett, as Thomas and John the sons of Henry Collett the elder. Sometime after the birth of the two boys it would appear that Elizabeth died leaving Henry to take a much younger second wife some years later, with whom he had a further five children who are listed in Part 4 – The Great Western Line.
	1G5				THOMAS COLLETT			Born in 1594
	1G6				John Collett			Born in 1596
		To avoid a major revision to the layout of this family line, and that of Part 4, the details of Henry Collett’s second marriage to Elizabeth Goodwin has been retained in Part 4 and it is in there that the family lines of two of their five children are extended.
	Henry Collett later married (2) Elizabeth Goodwin of Lower Dorsington in the Parish of Welford. He died in 1647 at Broadwell and his Will was proved in 1648.
	Details of the children from this marriage can be found in Part 4 - The Great Western Line from 1560 to 1950 commencing with the reference 4F1.
	This is the family line of Charles Benjamin Collett (Ref. 4N7), Chief Mechanical Engineer with the Great Western Railway who designed the Kings and Castles classes of locomotives at Swindon in the 1920s and 1930s.
1F19		Harry Collett (Henry the Younger), who was later referred to as Henry Collett of Westcote was baptised at Broadwell on 31^st August 1583 and was the first child born to John Collett and his second wife Katherine Sanders. Henry was also the half brother of Henry Collett (above) the last child of John Collett and Marion Jakes.
	In order to separately identify his two sons with the same name at the time of his death, John Collett referred to them in his Will as Henry Collett the elder and Henry Collett the younger. And it was the younger Henry, who with his brother Anthony (below) shared half of their father’s estate with the other have being left to Henry’s wife Katherine (see Will in Legal Documents).
	Henry Collett married Joan Currier of Kempsford in Gloucestershire on 19^th June 1609 at Charlton Kings in Gloucestershire. Joan was the daughter of Robert and Margaret Currier – see below. All of their children were born and baptised at Charlton Kings.
		Henry died in 1642 and his wife Joan was named as sole executor of his Will dated 3^rd November 1641 (see Will in Legal Documents). This refers to seven of their eleven children so an assumption has been made that the missing four children had already passed away by the time of their father’s death. Second surviving son Walter Collett was the main beneficiary, inheriting all of his father’s land purchased from William Hilton.
		The Will also states that eldest son Henry Collett had already had bestowed upon him his inheritance. For the remainder of his children: Elizabeth received all rents and profits from land at Westcote for the next five years; Walter Collett received the bedstead, furniture, ploughs and harrows and usage of the land for the next twelve years; while Joyce Collett, Sarah Collett, Joan Collett and Jane Collett each received an annual annuity for five years from the land at Westcote.
		The Will also set aside money to repair the church at Charlton Kings and there was a gift of three pence for each of the poor people of the village. Henry’s brother William Collett (below) and cousin Richard Wager were named as overseers of the Will.
		Henry Collett was buried at Charlton Kings on 13^th May 1642. In the book ‘Men & Armour of Gloucestershire in 1608' he was described as ‘husbandman of medium stature suitable for Musketeer'.
		Henry’s wife Joan died twelve years after her husband and her Will was proved on 22^nd August 1654. In this she was referred to as ‘Joan Collett widow of Charlton Kings’.
		This Henry and two of his children, Elizabeth Collett (below) and Robert Collett (below) were named in the 1629 Will of John Currier (see Will in Legal Documents) who was the brother of Joan’s father Robert Currier – see below.
		Robert Currier was married to Margaret and his Will of 1606 (see Will in Legal Documents) named Joan Collett (the wife of Henry) as his daughter and to whom he bequeathed: four sheep, one cow, a corn wagon, a dung wagon both with iron band wheels, a plough, a pair of harrows with small implements of husbandry. His step-daughter Isobel Gosling, his wife’s daughter from an earlier time, received: £40 to be paid out at the rate of £10 per year but starting in the sixth year after his death, one fallow heifer and two sheep.
		Robert’s brother John Currier was appointed as an overseer of his Will in which John’s son William was left free land while younger son John received one bushel of barley.
		Curiously the name of Richard Wager appears in all three Wills and is stated as ‘cousin’ in the Wills of both John Currier and Henry Collett.
		1G7		Elizabeth Collett		Born in 29.05.1610
		1G8		Henry Collett		Baptised on 13.09.1612
		1G9		Robert Collett		Baptised on 30.10.1614
		1G10		Walter Collett		Baptised on 14.03.1618
		1G11		Margaret Collett		Baptised on 02.04.1621
		1G12		Joyce Collett		Baptised on 24.08.1623
		1G13		Francis Collett		Baptised on 28.01.1625
		1G14		Sarah Collett		Baptised on 03.05.1628
		1G15		Francis Collett		Baptised on 12.07.1630
		1G16		Joan Collett		Date of birth unknown
		1G17		Jane Collett		Baptised on 16.11.1635
1F20		Philip Collett was born at Broadwell in 1584 and was the second of four children born to John Collett and his second wife Katherine Sanders.
	Curiously Philip and his sister Anne (below) were two of the four children of John and Katherine not to be mentioned in the Will of their father when he died in 1597. He would have been twelve years old at the time, and therefore it is highly likely that Philip had already died prior to this.
1F21	Anne Collett was baptised at Broadwell on 28^th August 1586, the daughter of John Collett and Katherine Sanders. Anne, like her brother Philip (above), possibly died before 1597 since she too was not mentioned in the Will of her father who died that year.
1F22		Anthony Collett was baptised at Broadwell on 7^th March 1589 and was child of John Collett and Katherine Sanders. His father died when Anthony was only eight years old and in his Will John Collett bequeathed that half of his estate should be divided between his two sons Henry the younger (above) and Anthony, but that is should remain in their mother’s hands until they reached the age of twenty-one. The other half of the estate went to John’s wife Katherine.
		Fourteen years later, when Anthony was reached the age of 21, he married Mary Perkes at Broadwell on 30^th January 1611, following which he received his inheritance. In the book ‘Men & Armour of Gloucestershire in 1608’ Anthony is listed as ‘husbandman of short stature suitable for Calyver’. The first child of the marriage was baptised at Broadwell, while the remainder were born / baptised at Bourton-on-Water.
		1G18		Ann Collett was born on 20.06.1617							Baptised on 09.07.1617 at Broadwell
		1G19		Anthony Collett							Baptised on 12.02.1618
		1G20		Richard Collett							Date of birth unknown
		1G21		Thomas Collett							Date of birth unknown
		1G22		Mary Collett							Date of birth unknown
1F23	William Collett, whose date on birth is not known, must have been born after 1597 and the death of his father John Collett due to his absence from the Will. His name is included here based solely on a reference to him as an overseer of the 1642 Will of his eldest brother Harry (Henry Collett the younger above) in which William is stated as being the brother of the deceased.
1G3		Edmund Collett was baptised at Guiting Power on 29^th August 1630 when he was confirmed as the son of Robert Collett. He attended Christ Church College at Oxford where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts on 28^th February 1659.
1G5		THOMAS COLLETT was born at Broadwell in 1594 and was only three years old when his grandfather John Collett died. In his grandfather’s Will of 1597 Thomas and his brother John (below) were listed as the sons of Henry Collett the elder and they were to receive half a guinea shared between them.
		Thomas Collett married Elizabeth Kingly around 1617 at Broadwell and all of the children from the marriage were born and baptised at Broadwell.
		1H1		William Collett							Baptised on 13.06.1619 at Broadwell
		1H2		Catherine Collett							Baptised on 15.07.1621 at Broadwell
		1H3		Philip Collett							Baptised on 09.06.1624 at Broadwell
		1H4		THOMAS COLLETT							Baptised on 28.10.1627 at Broadwell
		1H5		Maria Collett							Baptised on 02.12.1636 at Broadwell
		1H6		Elizabeth Collett							Baptised on 12.04.1638 at Broadwell
		1H7		John Collett							Baptised on 29.07.1640 at Broadwell
1G6		John Collett was born at Broadwell around 1596 and was named as a beneficiary under the terms of the 1597 Will of his grandfather John Collett. In this John and his brother Thomas (above) received a half guinea which was to be shared between the two boys.
		Within the Will, John and Thomas were described as being the sons of Henry Collett the elder, the deceased John Collett having another son named Henry from his second marriage.
		John Collett married Alice Marshall on 2^nd August 1633 at Guiting Power. He is believed to have died in 1690 and his Will as ‘John Collett Gentleman of Upper Slaughter’ was proved on 25^th November 1690.
1G7		Elizabeth Collett was born at Charlton Kings on 29^th May 1610 and it was there that she was baptised on 8^th June 1610. She was a beneficiary under the terms of the 1641 Will of her father Henry Collett, her mother Joan Collett nee Currier being the sole executor of the Will.
1G8		Henry Collett was born at Charlton Kings where he was baptised on 13^th September 1612, the son of Henry Collett and Joan Currier.
		Henry married Edith around 1634 at Charlton Kings and known as a Yeoman of Charlton Kings. All of Henry’s and Edith’s children were born and baptised at Charlton Kings. In his father’s Will of 1641 he was referred to as already having received his heritance prior to the death of his father Henry Collett.
		Henry died in 1669 and his Will dated 5^th January 1669 was proved in 1670 (see Will in Legal Documents). In the Will he names his best friend, John Collett of Cheltenham as an overseer of the Will. Henry’s wife Edith and his children Margaret Collett, Henry Collett and Robert Collett were all referred to in the Will. It is therefore assumed that the other two children had already passed away.
		The property was divided 50/50 between his wife Edith and his eldest daughter Margaret. Eldest son Henry Collett received the furniture, while youngest son Robert Collett received a one-plank bed with bed sheet, cushion and blankets.
		The aforementioned John Collett of Cheltenham appears in the 1672 Hearth Tax records as having seven hearths, indicating the ownership of a substantial property. In the year 1637 he was living at Charlton Kings where his son Robert Collett was baptised on 4^th January.
		1H8		Margaret Collett					Baptised on 29.09.1639
		1H9		Edith Collett					Baptised on 14.11.1641
		1H10		Henry Collett					Baptised on 06.11.1643
		1H11		Edward Collett					Baptised on 20.10.1646
		1H12		Robert Collett					Date of birth unknown
1G9		Robert Collett was born at Charlton Kings and was baptised there on 30^th October 1614, the son of Henry Collett and Joan Currier. It is assumed that he died before 1641 as he was not referred to in his father’s Will of that year. He was however mentioned in the 1629 Will of John Currier.
		It therefore seems likely that he died approaching his twenty-fifth birthday and was not even married before his death in 1639. The Will of ‘Robert Collett Yeoman of Westcote’ was proved on 4^th July 1639 which probably corresponds with Robert’s father Henry owning land at Westcote.
1G10		Walter Collett was born at Charlton Kings where he was baptised on 14^th March 1618, the son of Henry Collett and Joan Currier. Apart from his elder brother Henry, Walter was the only other surviving son of Henry Collett to be named in his Will of 1641.
1G11		Margaret Collett was born at Charlton Kings and baptised there on 2^nd April 1621, the daughter of Henry Collett and Joan Currier. The lack of any reference to Margaret in her father’s Will in 1641 probably indicates that she had died by then.
1G12		Joyce Collett was born at Charlton Kings and it was there that she was baptised on 24^th October 1623. She was one of the children of Henry Collett to be named in his Will of 1641.
1G13		Francis Collett was born at Charlton Kings where he was baptised on 28^th January 1625. The fact that the next child born to Henry Collett and Joan Currier was also named Francis probably indicates that this Francis suffered an infant death prior to 1630.
1G14		Sarah Collett was born at Charlton Kings where she was baptised on 3^rd May 1628 and was one of seven surviving children of Henry Collett and Joan Currier to be named in her father’s Will in 1641.
1G15		Francis Collett was born at Charlton Kings and it was there that he was baptised on 12^th July 1630. However, it would appear that he suffered a childhood death as he was not referred to in the 1641 Will of his father Henry Collett.
1G16		Joan Collett, whose date of birth is not known, and the daughter of Henry Collett and Joan Currier and was a beneficiary under the terms of her father’s Will in 1641.
1G17		Jane Collett was born at Charlton Kings where she was baptised on 16^th November 1635. She was one of seven surviving children of Henry Collett to be named in his Will of 1641.
1G19		Anthony Collett was baptised at Bourton-on-Water on 12^th February 1618. He married Mary of Great Dorsington around 1660. He died in 1686 and his Will was proved in 1687. The couple’s four known children were born and baptised at Dorsington near Welford-on-Avon.
		1H13		Dorothy Collett							Born in 1660
		1H14		Thomas Collett							Baptised on 11.10.1663
		1H15		Richard Collett							Baptised on 01.02.1666
		1H16		Mary Collett							Baptised on 03.07.1668 at Dorsington
1H4		THOMAS COLLETT was baptised on 28^th October 1627 at Broadwell and he married Elizabeth around 1660. It is understood that he moved to Westcote five miles south of Broadwell, once he was married, to manage the land there which had been owned by his great uncle Henry Collett (the younger).
		And it was at Westcote that all of the couple’s children were born and baptised. Thomas’ wife Elizabeth died in 1701, and was followed four years later by Thomas who was buried at Westcote following his death on 2^nd October 1705.
		1I1		FRANCIS COLLETT							Baptised on 21.09.1661 at Westcote
		1I2		Sarah Collett							Baptised on 21.02.1662 at Westcote
		1I3		Ann Collett							Baptised on 24.10.1667 at Westcote
		1I4		Margaret Collett							Born circa 1670 at Westcote
1H6		Elizabeth Collett was born at Broadwell where she was baptised on 12^th April 1638. It would appear that she never married and that she died in 1701.
1H7		John Collett was baptised on 29^th July 1640 at Broadwell. He married Aymer circa 1664. All of the children were born and baptised at Westcote.
		1I5		Richard Collett							Baptised on 28.03.1665 at Westcote
		1I6		Margaret Collett							Baptised on 05.10.1665 at Westcote
		1I7		Elizabeth Collett							Baptised on 05.10.1666 at Westcote
		1I8		Aymer Collett							Baptised on 17.09.1668 at Westcote
		1I9		Walter Collett							Baptised on 21.03.1670 at Westcote
		1I10		Joseph Collett							Baptised on 21.03.1672 at Westcote
1H8		Margaret Collett was born at Charlton Kings and was baptised there on 29^th September 1639. She was just one of three children to be named in her father’s Will of 1669.
1H9		Edith Collett was born at Charlton Kings and it was there that she was baptised on 14^th November 1641. However, she may have died prior to 1669 since there was no mention of her in her father’s Will produced that year.
1H10		Henry Collett was born at Charlton Kings and this may have taken place around 1639 from his stated age at the time of his death. What is known was that he was baptised at Charlton Kings near Cheltenham on 6^th November 1643, where he also later married Elizabeth on 20^th March 1669.
		Elizabeth was considerably younger than Henry having born in 1651 and she died on 17^th August 1724 aged 73. The couple’s three daughters were all born and baptised at Charlton Kings, as was Henry’s base-born son Henry, who was born two years before his marriage to Elizabeth.
		Henry Collett, who was known as a Gentleman of Tewkesbury, died on 29^th September 1712 aged 73 and was buried at St Catherine's Chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey. In his Will dated 14^th January 1712 (see Will in Legal Documents) he was referred to as Yeoman. The Will was drawn up in the tenth year of the reign of Our Sovereign Lady Anne Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland.
		The Will was proved on 26^th May 1716 and mentions his wife Elizabeth and their three daughters Joyce Collett, Elizabeth Collett and Sarah Goodrich nee Collett, but makes no mention of any sons or his two younger daughters.
		Details of his children and the continuation of his line can be found in Part 5 – The Tewkesbury Line from 1630 to 1960 commencing with Ref. 5I6
1H11		Edward Collett was born at Charlton Kings and was baptised there on 20^th October 1646. As they was no reference to him in his father’s Will of 1669 it has been assumed that Edward had died before then.
1H12		Robert Collett, who was born at Charlton Kings but whose date of birth is not known, was referred to as ‘Robert son of Henry Collett’ in his Will of 1669.
1H13		Dorothy Collett was born at Dorsington around 1660 where she married Thomas Hemming on 21^st October 1684.
1H14		Thomas Collett was baptised at Dorsington on 11^th October 1663 where he married Susanna Roberts on 12^th July 1687.
1H15		Richard Collett was baptised at Dorsington on 1^st February 1666 where he married Anne, and where all of their children were born and baptised.
		1I11		Thomas Collett							Baptised on 05.03.1702 at Dorsington
		1I12		Elizabeth Collett							Baptised on 03.04.1706 at Dorsington
		1I13		Anne Collett							Baptised on 23.10.1708 at Dorsington
		1I14		William Collett							Baptised on 06.06.1714 at Dorsington
1I1		FRANCIS COLLETT was baptised on 21^st September 1661 at Westcote. He married Susannah Sanders of Kempsford in 1685. His occupation was that of blacksmith working at The Old Forge In Kempsford. Susannah, his wife, was born at Kempsford on 17^th January 1654, the daughter of Edward and Sybil Sanders. She was buried at Kempsford on 4^th October 1728 followed by Francis who was buried there on 17^th December 1729. His Will of 19^th November 1729 was proved on 24^th May 1736.
		All of their children were born and baptised at Kempsford but only son James Collett and Leonard Collett, and daughter Sarah Collett were referred to in their father’s Will. It must therefore be assumed that daughter Deborah Collett had already died. Henry Collett, his only other son, is known to have died earlier in 1716.
		This particular Will is of vital importance to the continuation of this family tree because it verifies what was, before it’s discover, the missing link spanning between two generations. Within the Will the main beneficiary was Francis’ grandson Francis Collett (Ref. 1K10) - the son of Henry Collett (Ref. 1J2) - who was also named as the whole and sole executor of the Will.
		Grandson Francis was an orphan and had been taken in and brought up by his grandfather Francis Collett. This happened following the death of his father Henry Collett when he was only five years of age. His mother Mary Collett had already died shortly after his birth. Francis Collett (the grandfather) therefore taught the young Francis his trade as a blacksmith and hence it was logical that he should pass the business onto him.
		Through the Will the young Francis Collett, then aged 18 years, inherited the dwelling house, furniture, household goods, the blacksmith’s shop and tools, new and old iron, the penthouse, coal-house, Barn Garden and Backside (the backyard) which comprised The Old Forge at the corner of the High Street and Wharf Lane in Kempsford.
		The reason the Will took six and a half years to go through probate, probably stemmed from it being contested by the three surviving members of Francis’ family, all of whom received only a pittance. Each of them, sons James Collett and Leonard Collett, and daughter Sarah Newport nee Collett, received just one shilling of lawful money of Great Britain.
		The Will was signed by Francis before witnesses William Edwards, William Leveridge and Charles Cowley. On the day it was proved the following statement was added.
		This Will was proved the twenty-fourth day of May in the year of Our Lord 1736 before the worshipful Sir Henry Pomice, Knight Doctor of Law, Vicar General in Spirituals of the Right Reverend Father in God, Martin by Divine Permission Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Gloucester and of his Episcopal Convistory official principal Lawfully Constituted by Francis Collett sole executor and so forth to whom and so forth after having first sworn well and faithfully to administer to the said Will and also to exhibit an inventory and render an account and so forth.
		1J1		James Collett							Baptised on 21.10.1686 at Kempsford
		1J2		HENRY COLLETT							Baptised on 18.03.1688 at Kempsford
		1J3		Leonard Collett							Baptised on 22.06.1690 at Kempsford
		1J4		Sarah Collett							Baptised on 28.12.1692 at Kempsford
		1J5		Deborah Collett							Baptised on 11.03.1695 at Kempsford
1I4		Margaret Collett was born at Westcote around 1670. She died in childbirth in 1690 and was buried on 11^th April 1690 at Westcote. Margaret was never married and gave birth to a bastard son Thomas who was baptised on 14^th April 1690. He died before reaching his second birthday in 1692 and was buried on 11^th March 1692 at Westcote.
1J1		James Collett was born at Kempsford in September 1686 and was baptised there on 21^st October 1686. He married Elizabeth Haynes of Kempsford on 31^st March 1714 at Kempsford. Referred to as James of Whelford, he was buried at Kempsford on 3^rd October 1742. Elizabeth, his wife, was baptised on 20^th June 1687 at Kempsford and was buried there on 17^th January 1738. All of their children were baptised at Kempsford, although it is likely that they may have been born at Whelford, there being no church or chapel at Whelford until the latter part of the nineteenth century.
		1K1		Robert Collett							Born in 1715 at Whelford
		1K2		Mary Collett							Born in 1716 at Whelford
		1K3		a daughter							Baptised on 29.04.1718 at Kempsford
		1K4		James Collett							Born in 1719 at Whelford
		1K5		Dinah Collett							Born in 1721 at Whelford
		1K6		Elizabeth Collett							Born in 1722 at Whelford
		1K7		John Collett							Born in 1724 at Whelford
		1K8		Sarah Collett							Born in 1726 at Whelford
		1K9		Susannah Collett							Born in 1729 at Whelford
1J2		HENRY COLLETT was baptised on 18^th March 1688 at Kempsford, where he married Mary in 1709. Mary died shortly after giving birth to their only child and was buried at Kempsford on 27^th July 1711. Her husband Henry Collett died five years later during 1716.
		Once orphaned, their son Francis spent his early years living with his grandparents Francis and Susannah until their deaths in 1729 and 1728 at which time he inherited the family blacksmith business. More details on this can be found under Francis Collett (Ref. 1I1).
		1K10		FRANCIS COLLETT							Baptised on 08.07.1711 at Kempsford
1J3		Leonard Collett was baptised on 22^nd June 1690 at Kempsford and it was there that he married Susannah Wiggins on 29^th December 1715 and it was there that all of their children were baptised. Leonard died in 1751 and was buried at Kempsford on 17^th December 1751. His wife Susannah had died twelve years earlier and was also buried at Kempsford on 4^th August 1739.
		1K11		Jane Collett							Baptised on 06.02.1716 at Kempsford
		1K12		Mary Collett							Baptised on 10.10.1718 at Kempsford
		1K13		Elizabeth Collett							Baptised on 04.09.1720 at Kempsford
		1K14		Henry Collett							Baptised on 02.10.1722 at Kempsford
1J4		Sarah Collett was baptised on 28^th December 1692 at Kempsford. She married John Newport on 4^th October 1722 at Kempsford. All of their children were born/baptised at Kempsford.
		1K15		Elizabeth Newport							Baptised on 01.09.1723 at Kempsford
		1K16		Rachel Newport							Baptised on 17.09.1725 at Kempsford
		1K17		John Newport							Baptised on 13.11.1727 at Kempsford
		1K18		Susannah Newport							Baptised on 07.12.1729 at Kempsford
		1K19		John Newport							Baptised on 14.06.1733
1K1		Robert Collett was very likely born at Whelford, following which he was baptised at Kempsford on 13^th June 1715, the eldest child of James Collett of Whelford. And it was there that he was buried on 11^th August 1790. No record has been found to confirm whether or not he ever married. It seems possible that he did not, and that he shared his life with his unmarried sister Mary Collett (below).
1K2		Mary Collett was born at Whelford but was baptised at Kempsford on 25^th September 1716, the eldest daughter of James Collett of Whelford. She was 70 when she was buried at Kempsford on 6^th June 1786. The parish burial record noted that she was a ‘single woman of Whelford’.
1K4		James Collett was baptised on 10^th November 1719 at Kempsford and was buried there three months later on 12^th February 1720.
1K5		Dinah Collett was baptised on 12^th March 1721 at Kempsford. She later married John Holyoak at Fairford on 6^th July 1760.
1K6		Elizabeth Collett was baptised on 27^th November 1722 at Kempsford, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Collett. She never married and it was also at Kempsford where she died on 7^th March 1786 at the age of 63.
1K7		John Collett may have been born at Whelford or Kempsford during May 1724 and was baptised at Kempsford on 28^th June 1724. It was also at Kempsford that he married Mary in 1754, and was later buried there on 1^st May 1808. All of their children were baptised at Kempsford, although it is established that their son Robert was born at nearby Whelford.
		1L1		James Collett							Baptised on 06.06.1756 at Kempsford
		1L2		Elizabeth Collett							Baptised on 08.08.1762 at Kempsford
		1L3		Ann Collett							Baptised on 11.02.1764 at Kempsford
		1L4		Sarah Collett							Baptised on 09.02.1766 at Kempsford
		1L5		Robert Collett							Baptised on 12.04.1767 at Kempsford
		1L6		William Collett							Baptised on 25.01.1770 at Kempsford
		1L7		Martha Collett							Baptised on 19.05.1771 at Kempsford