Husband:
Francis Gell ( -1810)
Wife:
Ann Fox ( - )
Children:
Marriage:
6 Nov 1767
Westham, Sussex
Name:
Francis Gell
Sex:
Male
Father:
-
Mother:
-
Note:
Will of Francis Gell late of Applesham near Steyning and now of St Ann's in Lewes, Sussex, 3 Mar 1810
I appoint sons John Gell and Francis Gell and grandson Francis Harding Gell execs; to son John my wearing apparel and watch and annuity of £80 for life, and if his present wife Susannah should survive him I give her an annuity of £30 for life to be paid in equal half-yearly instalments; to son John £15 a year for each of his four youngest children Ann Catherine Ellen and Thomas to assist him in clothing them until age of 21; to son Francis my dwelling house, garden, stable and appurtenances in St Ann's Lewes; to execs all my personal estate, effects and property in the public funds, bonds, securities etc with all dividends and interest to pay funeral expenses and probate and the annuities herein directed; to son John £200; to Charlotte Gell £300; to Mary Gell £300; to Anne Gell £300 at 21; to Ellen Gell £300 at 21; to the sons of John Gell as under, to Francis Harding Gell £1,000, to Samuel Gell £500 at 21 and £300 more at 28, same for Thomas son of John; to the daughters and sons of James and Elizabeth Gell both deceased as under, to Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Catherine, Sarah, Jane and Harriott £100 each, to James, Francis George Humphrey, Thomas and John £400 at 28; to my son Francis £500; to Elizabeth his other daughter £500; to my nephew William Gell £20; to my niece Elizabeth Streeter £20; to Mrs Jenny Sloman if she be with me at my decease £20; to execs £10 apiece yearly for executing the trusts hereby vested in them. All annuities and legacies are payable in June 1829.
Witnesses: Richard Williams, John Boxall jun, John Strickmore
Proved at London 14 June 1810 to execs
Residence:
Formerly of Applesham, near Steyning, Sussex
Will:
3 Mar 1810
Date of Will (see notes)
Death:
1810
St Anne, Lewes, Sussex
Burial:
14 Apr 1810
St Anne, Lewes, Sussex
Probate:
14 Jun 1810
Probate to sons John Gell and Francis Gell and grandson Francis Harding Gell
Name:
Ann Fox
Sex:
Female
Father:
-
Mother:
-
Name:
John Gell
Sex:
Male
Spouse:
Children:
Occupation (1):
8 Oct 1787
Appointed Agent for Lewes for General Insurance Company (L.Gazette 9.10.1787)
Occupation (2):
21 Oct 1788
Linen draper, Lewes, bankrupt (L.Gazette 21.10.1788, p.512)
Occupation (3):
1791
Haberdasher & milliner, Lewes (Universal Directory of GB)
Will:
14 Jun 1810
Executor to father's will
Death:
aft 1810
Name:
Francis Gell
Sex:
Male
Spouse:
Catherine Jay (c. 1766-1847)
Children:
Francis Richard Gell (1786- )
Ann Gell (1789-1863)
Elizabeth Gell (1791-1820)
Note 1:
Since the late 18th century, the parish of Coombes (Sussex) has been almost continuously occupied by three families, the Gells (c. 1786-1836), the Hamptons (1837-c.1886) and the Passmores (since 1901). Under Francis Gell, the very enterprising farmer of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, arable land in the parish was greatly extended at the expense of pasture. A new river wall was constructed c.1792 outside the saltmarsh in the east part of the parish, which was thereby made cultivable. On the downs c.180 acres of pasture was broken up for leys in 6 large closes, the fertility of the land being increased by the application of raw chalk to counteract the acidity of the clay-with-flints soil. Two hill barns had been built by 1840, and three others were built during the next 35 years. The former saltmarsh was still being cropped in 1840, but later reverted to pasture. To the crops previously grown in the parish Gell added potatoes, clover, turnips, and sainfoin. More than 1,000 sheep were recorded in the parish at the beginning of the 19th century.
Source: 'Coombes', A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part) (1980), pp. 215-19. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18253
Note 2:
Will of Francis Gell of Applesham in the Parish of Combe, Sussex, farmer, 10 Jul 1829
To wife Catherine £156; to Richard Lidbetter £100 for performing trusts contained in will; to daughter Ann Gell and William Tyler of Petworth Gentleman and the said Richard Lidbetter of Magdalen Farm in the Parish of Bramber Yeoman, execs, £7,800 to be placed out at interest and apply the dividends as follows, one equal moiety in half-yearly payments to wife Catherine for life; the other moiety during my wife's life and after her decease the whole sum of £7,800 to be divided between my granddaughters Elizabeth Boghurst, Catherine Ann Boghurst and Laura Frances Boghurst for their maintenance and education until 21 and afterwards for life; to execs my freehold messuage in the Parish of St Anne Lewes, also my leasehold stable and coachhouse in Irelands Lane in the same parish, my freehold messuage in East Street in the town of New Shoreham and my three pieces of meadow land in the Parish of Wellesborough, Kent and all other real estate to be sold and the proceeds considered part of my personal estate and to be paid to my daughter Ann Gell.
Witnesses: James Challen, George Smith, Richard Gould jun., Petworth, clerks to Mr. Tyler
Codicil 22 Jan 1833. Instead of the sum of £7,800, the sum of £8,914, part of my stocks in the Bank of England, to be applied as in the original will.
Witnesses: John Gould, Petworth, clerk to Mr Tyler, Henry Humphrey, Brighton, bricklayer
Proved at London with Codicil 8 Jun 1836 to Ann Gell daughter and Richard Lidbetter, the surviving execs.
Birth:
14 Dec 1767
Westham, Sussex
Baptism:
11 Jan 1768 (age 0)
Westham, Sussex
Residence:
1805 (age 37-38)
Wouldham, Kent (gentleman)
Will (1):
14 Jun 1810 (age 42)
Executor to father's will
Will (2):
10 Jul 1829 (age 61)
Date of Will
Occupation:
1829 (age 61-62)
Farmer
Will (3):
22 Jan 1833 (age 65)
Codicil to will
Death:
3 May 1836 (age 68)
Applesham, Coombes, Sussex
Probate:
8 Jun 1836
Date of probate
Name:
James Gell
Sex:
Male
Spouse:
Children:
Birth:
1764
Westham, Sussex
Will (1):
14 May 1804 (age 39-40)
Date of Will
Death:
1804 (age 39-40)
Westham, Sussex
Burial:
7 Aug 1804
St Mary, Westham, Sussex
Will (2):
4 Feb 1805 (age 40-41)
Date of probate
Will of Francis Gell late of Applesham near Steyning and now of St Ann's in Lewes, Sussex, 3 Mar 1810
I appoint sons John Gell and Francis Gell and grandson Francis Harding Gell execs; to son John my wearing apparel and watch and annuity of £80 for life, and if his present wife Susannah should survive him I give her an annuity of £30 for life to be paid in equal half-yearly instalments; to son John £15 a year for each of his four youngest children Ann Catherine Ellen and Thomas to assist him in clothing them until age of 21; to son Francis my dwelling house, garden, stable and appurtenances in St Ann's Lewes; to execs all my personal estate, effects and property in the public funds, bonds, securities etc with all dividends and interest to pay funeral expenses and probate and the annuities herein directed; to son John £200; to Charlotte Gell £300; to Mary Gell £300; to Anne Gell £300 at 21; to Ellen Gell £300 at 21; to the sons of John Gell as under, to Francis Harding Gell £1,000, to Samuel Gell £500 at 21 and £300 more at 28, same for Thomas son of John; to the daughters and sons of James and Elizabeth Gell both deceased as under, to Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Catherine, Sarah, Jane and Harriott £100 each, to James, Francis George Humphrey, Thomas and John £400 at 28; to my son Francis £500; to Elizabeth his other daughter £500; to my nephew William Gell £20; to my niece Elizabeth Streeter £20; to Mrs Jenny Sloman if she be with me at my decease £20; to execs £10 apiece yearly for executing the trusts hereby vested in them. All annuities and legacies are payable in June 1829.
Witnesses: Richard Williams, John Boxall jun, John Strickmore
Proved at London 14 June 1810 to execs
Since the late 18th century, the parish of Coombes (Sussex) has been almost continuously occupied by three families, the Gells (c. 1786-1836), the Hamptons (1837-c.1886) and the Passmores (since 1901). Under Francis Gell, the very enterprising farmer of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, arable land in the parish was greatly extended at the expense of pasture. A new river wall was constructed c.1792 outside the saltmarsh in the east part of the parish, which was thereby made cultivable. On the downs c.180 acres of pasture was broken up for leys in 6 large closes, the fertility of the land being increased by the application of raw chalk to counteract the acidity of the clay-with-flints soil. Two hill barns had been built by 1840, and three others were built during the next 35 years. The former saltmarsh was still being cropped in 1840, but later reverted to pasture. To the crops previously grown in the parish Gell added potatoes, clover, turnips, and sainfoin. More than 1,000 sheep were recorded in the parish at the beginning of the 19th century.
Source: 'Coombes', A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part) (1980), pp. 215-19. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18253
Will of Francis Gell of Applesham in the Parish of Combe, Sussex, farmer, 10 Jul 1829
To wife Catherine £156; to Richard Lidbetter £100 for performing trusts contained in will; to daughter Ann Gell and William Tyler of Petworth Gentleman and the said Richard Lidbetter of Magdalen Farm in the Parish of Bramber Yeoman, execs, £7,800 to be placed out at interest and apply the dividends as follows, one equal moiety in half-yearly payments to wife Catherine for life; the other moiety during my wife's life and after her decease the whole sum of £7,800 to be divided between my granddaughters Elizabeth Boghurst, Catherine Ann Boghurst and Laura Frances Boghurst for their maintenance and education until 21 and afterwards for life; to execs my freehold messuage in the Parish of St Anne Lewes, also my leasehold stable and coachhouse in Irelands Lane in the same parish, my freehold messuage in East Street in the town of New Shoreham and my three pieces of meadow land in the Parish of Wellesborough, Kent and all other real estate to be sold and the proceeds considered part of my personal estate and to be paid to my daughter Ann Gell.
Witnesses: James Challen, George Smith, Richard Gould jun., Petworth, clerks to Mr. Tyler
Codicil 22 Jan 1833. Instead of the sum of £7,800, the sum of £8,914, part of my stocks in the Bank of England, to be applied as in the original will.
Witnesses: John Gould, Petworth, clerk to Mr Tyler, Henry Humphrey, Brighton, bricklayer
Proved at London with Codicil 8 Jun 1836 to Ann Gell daughter and Richard Lidbetter, the surviving execs.