The Baynard family - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Baynards of Lackham
probably indicates that no marriage had taken place at this time
either. It is possible that James and Joan were married elsewhere
and moved out of the area - there is no record of Joan’s burial at
Lacock or for her daughter Anne, either.
James did exist, however; there is an Administration Bond 329
naming him which is dated 1638, when he was 27 330 . From this it is
possible to conclude that James died relatively young, didn’t leave a
will and that the inheritance concerned was not small. This doesn’t
give a great deal of information but it does mean that James died in
1638, which raises a problem; the Lacock burials register does not
show a James Baynard being buried in 1638, or indeed at any time
between 1630 and 1645. There is, however, a William Baynard who
was apparently buried at Lacock 22 nd June 1638. This was, however,
4 months after the date of the Administration Bond, which is
another puzzle. Possibly this is a different (and another unknown)
Baynard…..”
329 extract from an article by Mary Williams of the Bristol Record Office, at
http://www.bafhs.org.uk/research-room/projects/126-administrations
When a person died without leaving a Will, his next-of-kin, a close friend, or
a creditor (someone to whom the dead person owed money), might apply to the
Probate Court for the legal right to administer the estate. (In the majority of
cases, where the estate was small and there was no doubt as to who should
inherit, no application was made, and therefore no record survives.).
The process of Administration gave rise, in general, to three types of
documentation, namely Letters of Administration, Administration Act Registers,
and Administration Bonds.
Letters of Administration were granted to the applicant who had to swear that
there was no will, that he would pay funeral expenses and all debts, that he
would administer truly and submit a true inventory and account of his
stewardship…. When the Court granted the Letters, details of the
Administration would be entered into a Register. The Court might require the
Administrator to enter into a Bond to administer the estate faithfully. These
were, until 1733, written in Latin
330 W&SHC P3/B/398
Administration bond for John Power? For the “goods and chattels of James
Baynard late of Lackham in the parish of Lacock in the county of Wilts“ dated
27 Feb 1638
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