Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
NameJohn Coster 
GeneralFarmer and malster of West Dean, Wiltshire.
Spouses
Marriage17 Feb 1778, Flitwick, Bedfordshire [21, Marriage at Flitwick on 17 Feb 1778]
ChildrenThomas (ca1781-1856)
Notes for John Coster
m. (1) N.N., (2) Sarah Oliver.
His marriage to Sarah Oliver was first found on Robert Hale’s lovely web-site at <http://www.ourgenealogy.co.uk/tng/getperson.php?personID=I01852&tree=Hale>;.
No other record can be found for him, no baptism and no first marriage and no burial and no will. I think the baptism of Oliver in May 1789 was indeed his son, so he was alive a few months earlier than that. Then in 1811 his wife Sarah wrote a will in which she described herself as a widow. So he died between 1788 and 1811 inclusive.
_______________
One other area of curiosity is about his widower status at marriage to Sarah Oliver:
(a) Who was his first wife and did they have any children?
(b) How did he meet up with Sarah; I can see no connection and wonder if some marriage broking service was involved?
______________
From the pages of the surviving registers Mandy Blake has sent me a photo of John’s son Thomas’s baptism and a list of relevant other entries in the register:
Baptisms:
Date Child Parent/s Notes
8 Jul 1737 Mary, daur of John & Joan Coster
30 Oct 1739 Thomas, son of John & Joan Coster
10 Jun 1741 Hanah, daur of John & Joan Coster
28 Aug 1745 James, son of John & Joan Coster
26 Dec 1761 Alice, daur of John & Elizabeth Of East Dean
COSTAR
28 Dec 1778 John, son of John & Sarah Coster
5 Jun 1785 ames, son of John & Sarah Coster
13 Mar 1789 Oliver, son of John & Sarah Coster
8 Oct 1802 John Webb, son John Coster & Sarah Age 1yr 8m of formerly Webb
8 Oct 1802 Charles, son of John Coster & Sarah Age 3m 3w
formerly Webb
Marriages:
Date Groom Bride
27 Apr 1753 Thomas PLOWMAN Betty COSTER
Burials:
Date Name/age/cause of death Notes
1 Jun 1780 Mary Coster, age 42, Daur of John & Joan
consumption formerly Cooper
31 Dec 1781 Joan Coster, age 73 Widow of John [no burial
found for him]
20 May 1789 John Coster, age 52 Son of John & Joan, buried
in the church, under the
West window
6 Jul 1803 Charles Coster, age 1yr 1m Son of John Coster & Sarah
formerly Webb, buried in
the church, under the
Gallery
28 Sep 1807 Sarah Coster, age 27 Wife of John Coster of East
Dean, buried in the church,
under the Gallery
5 Dec 1821 James COSTAR, age 77 Of Marchwood
24 Jun 1836 Sarah Coster, age 81 Of Marchwood
_______________
An interpretation of the above is that this John and Sarah Oliver were parents of:
John, bapt 28 Dec 1778
Thomas, bapt 12 Oct 1781
James, bapt 5 Jun 1785
Oliver, bapt 13 nar 1789
There is a transcript from the register which says that Oliver was buried on 3 Jun 1819.
Sarah, in her will mentions, John, Thomas and James (but not Oliver as he had recently died).
Sarah’s brother James died in 1844 and in his will listed John, Thomas and James Coster, his nephews, appointing Thomas, the successful merchant, one of the executors, the other two being Oliver nephews.
I think the order of John and Sarah’s children was definitely John, Thomas then James. It looks like John inherited the farm (lease?) and Thomas and James went to London to make some money. Some of the notices about Thomas’ trading in the papers include a James Coster; possibly they were in partnership.
____________________
For John himself it looks possible that he was the John who was buried on 20 May 1789. The only odd thing about that is that a fortnight later Sarah was up at Flitwick, her parents’ place, getting a very late baptism there and that Oliver had only been born two months before his father’s death.
(How dis Sarah get to Flitwick? Walk? With a child in her arms?)
I am inclined to the view that this John’s death was an accident which accounts for the lack of a will, the common practice being to wait for a serious illness before dictating or writing the Last Will and Testament.
If this is accepted, then John is the son of John and Jane and he was born around 1737.
____________________
His marriage to Sarah Oliver was first found on Robert Hale’s lovely web-site at <http://www.ourgenealogy.co.uk/tng/getperson.php?personID=I01852&tree=Hale>;.
No other record can be found for him, no baptism and no first marriage and no burial and no will. I think the baptism of Oliver in May 1789 was indeed his son, so he was alive a few months earlier than that. Then in 1811 his wife Sarah wrote a will in which she described herself as a widow. So he died between 1788 and 1811 inclusive.
_______________
One other area of curiosity is about his widower status at marriage to Sarah Oliver:
(a) Who was his first wife and did they have any children?
(b) How did he meet up with Sarah; I can see no connection and wonder if some marriage broking service was involved?
______________
From the pages of the surviving registers Mandy Blake has sent me a photo of John’s son Thomas’s baptism and a list of relevant other entries in the register:
Baptisms:
Date Child Parent/s Notes
8 Jul 1737 Mary, daur of John & Joan Coster
30 Oct 1739 Thomas, son of John & Joan Coster
10 Jun 1741 Hanah, daur of John & Joan Coster
28 Aug 1745 James, son of John & Joan Coster
26 Dec 1761 Alice, daur of John & Elizabeth Of East Dean
COSTAR
28 Dec 1778 John, son of John & Sarah Coster
5 Jun 1785 ames, son of John & Sarah Coster
13 Mar 1789 Oliver, son of John & Sarah Coster
8 Oct 1802 John Webb, son John Coster & Sarah Age 1yr 8m of formerly Webb
8 Oct 1802 Charles, son of John Coster & Sarah Age 3m 3w
formerly Webb
Marriages:
Date Groom Bride
27 Apr 1753 Thomas PLOWMAN Betty COSTER
Burials:
Date Name/age/cause of death Notes
1 Jun 1780 Mary Coster, age 42, Daur of John & Joan
consumption formerly Cooper
31 Dec 1781 Joan Coster, age 73 Widow of John [no burial
found for him]
20 May 1789 John Coster, age 52 Son of John & Joan, buried
in the church, under the
West window
6 Jul 1803 Charles Coster, age 1yr 1m Son of John Coster & Sarah
formerly Webb, buried in
the church, under the
Gallery
28 Sep 1807 Sarah Coster, age 27 Wife of John Coster of East
Dean, buried in the church,
under the Gallery
5 Dec 1821 James COSTAR, age 77 Of Marchwood
24 Jun 1836 Sarah Coster, age 81 Of Marchwood
_______________
An interpretation of the above is that this John and Sarah Oliver were parents of:
John, bapt 28 Dec 1778
Thomas, bapt 12 Oct 1781
James, bapt 5 Jun 1785
Oliver, bapt 13 nar 1789
There is a transcript from the register which says that Oliver was buried on 3 Jun 1819.
Sarah, in her will mentions, John, Thomas and James (but not Oliver as he had recently died).
Sarah’s brother James died in 1844 and in his will listed John, Thomas and James Coster, his nephews, appointing Thomas, the successful merchant, one of the executors, the other two being Oliver nephews.
I think the order of John and Sarah’s children was definitely John, Thomas then James. It looks like John inherited the farm (lease?) and Thomas and James went to London to make some money. Some of the notices about Thomas’ trading in the papers include a James Coster; possibly they were in partnership.
____________________
For John himself it looks possible that he was the John who was buried on 20 May 1789. The only odd thing about that is that a fortnight later Sarah was up at Flitwick, her parents’ place, getting a very late baptism there and that Oliver had only been born two months before his father’s death.
(How dis Sarah get to Flitwick? Walk? With a child in her arms?)
I am inclined to the view that this John’s death was an accident which accounts for the lack of a will, the common practice being to wait for a serious illness before dictating or writing the Last Will and Testament.
If this is accepted, then John is the son of John and Jane and he was born around 1737.
____________________
Armorial Blazon notes for John Coster
NA
Notes for John & Sarah (Family)
The scant info on FamilySearch:
Name Jn Coster
Spouse's Name Sarah Oliver
Event Date 17 Feb 1778
Event Place Flitwick, Bedford, England
The marriage is said to be by licence and on the marriage register it is reported that he was from “West Dean, Wiltshire, widower”. The register copy is to be obtained and I hope to find the marriage licence too.
_________________
The photocopy of the Flitwick marriage register entry reads:
“John Coster of the Parish of West dean Wilts, Widower and Sarah Oliver of this parish spinster were married in this Church by Licence this seventeenth Day of febriary in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and seventy eight by me John Hawkins Vicar.
The marriage was solemnized between US [signed[ John Coster Sarah Oliver.
In the presence of [signed] Geg Wilkins Wm Oliver.”
_________________
The marriage licence (place of issue not known)
“Feb 16th 1778
“On which Day appeared Personally John Coster of the parish of West Dean in the County of Wilts and Diocese of Winchester and being sworn on the Holy Evangelist Alledged and made oath as follows: That he is of Age twenty one years & upward and intends to marry Sarah Oliver of Flitwick in the County of bedford aged twenty one years and upward.
“ Not knowing or believing any lawful Let or Impediment by reason of any precontract entered into before the 25th Day of march 1754, Consanguinity, Affinity, or any other cause whatsoever, to hinder the said intended Marriage. AND he prayed a Licence to Solemnize the said Marriage in the Church of Flitwick aforesaid, in which said Parish of Flitwick the said Sarah Oliver hath her usual abode for the space of four Weeks last past
“[signed] John Coster
“The said John Coster was Sworn the day and Year first above beofre me [signed] John Hawkins, Surrogate.”
_____________________
There is also a marriage bond singed by John Coster and Wm Oliver and, again, John Hawkins in which William Weare was the bond holder for (the large sum of) £100.
_____________________
Name Jn Coster
Spouse's Name Sarah Oliver
Event Date 17 Feb 1778
Event Place Flitwick, Bedford, England
The marriage is said to be by licence and on the marriage register it is reported that he was from “West Dean, Wiltshire, widower”. The register copy is to be obtained and I hope to find the marriage licence too.
_________________
The photocopy of the Flitwick marriage register entry reads:
“John Coster of the Parish of West dean Wilts, Widower and Sarah Oliver of this parish spinster were married in this Church by Licence this seventeenth Day of febriary in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and seventy eight by me John Hawkins Vicar.
The marriage was solemnized between US [signed[ John Coster Sarah Oliver.
In the presence of [signed] Geg Wilkins Wm Oliver.”
_________________
The marriage licence (place of issue not known)
“Feb 16th 1778
“On which Day appeared Personally John Coster of the parish of West Dean in the County of Wilts and Diocese of Winchester and being sworn on the Holy Evangelist Alledged and made oath as follows: That he is of Age twenty one years & upward and intends to marry Sarah Oliver of Flitwick in the County of bedford aged twenty one years and upward.
“ Not knowing or believing any lawful Let or Impediment by reason of any precontract entered into before the 25th Day of march 1754, Consanguinity, Affinity, or any other cause whatsoever, to hinder the said intended Marriage. AND he prayed a Licence to Solemnize the said Marriage in the Church of Flitwick aforesaid, in which said Parish of Flitwick the said Sarah Oliver hath her usual abode for the space of four Weeks last past
“[signed] John Coster
“The said John Coster was Sworn the day and Year first above beofre me [signed] John Hawkins, Surrogate.”
_____________________
There is also a marriage bond singed by John Coster and Wm Oliver and, again, John Hawkins in which William Weare was the bond holder for (the large sum of) £100.
_____________________