See also
| Husband: | Thomas TILLER (bur.1795) | |
| Wife: | Sarah MILES (1712-1788) | |
| Marriage | 9 Jul 1758 | Heyshott |
| Name: | Thomas TILLER | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Burial | 25 Mar 1795 | Heyshott |
| Name: | Sarah MILES | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | George MILES ( - ) | |
| Mother: | Sarah (?) ( - ) | |
| Birth | 1 Apr 1712 | Heyshott |
| Death | Jul 1788 (age 76) | |
| Burial | 2 Aug 1788 | Heyshott |
1. More information on the Tiller family of Heyshott can be found at http://www.allan.dorothy.btinternet.co.uk/tiller.htm
2 Thomas Tiller wrote a will in 1794 for which probate was granted in 1795 with the estate valued at under £600. A transcript of the will can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/WillTT_01.htm.
In it he mentions his sons John and Thomas and his daughter Elizabeth the wife of Richard Lee. It seems that Thomas is already dead as there is no specific bequest to him. There is specific provision for his grandson William, the son of Thomas. There is no mention at all of the family of his second wife Sarah Miles.
His main element of his estate appears to be his freehold Blacksmiths shop with outbuildings, gardens and parcel of land at Hoyle in the parish of Heyshott, then in the occupation of his son John and his son-in-law Richard Lee.
1. The record of her marriage to William Luff describes her as Sarah Miles of Easeborne.
2. The marriage of Sarah Luff to Thomas Tiller was by publication of banns. Both were able to sign their names. At the time of their marriage Sarah owned property which she had inherited from the will of her first husband William Luff. In order to prevent this property falling exclusively into the hands of Thomas Tiller they made an agreement to put it into the hands of a trustee. A transcript of this agreement can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Prenup_01.htm. See Note 4 below for further explanation.
3. Sarah Tiller (as she then was) wrote a will in 1782, which I summarise below. Note that her husband Thomas Tiller is still alive and the preamble explains that she owns property independently of him. A transcript of the will can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/WillST_01.htm.
A summary of the will, with some explanatory notes, is given below.
i. A silver spoon marked JAM to 'my daughter the wife of Richard Faith otherwise called Sarah Scutt'.
ii. £10 to my husband's daughter Elizabeth, now the wife of Richard Lee.
iii. 1 guinea to each of my husband's sons Thomas and John.
iv. £5 each to my daughter's children, namely Richard Faith (the younger), Sarah Faith (the younger) and Mary Faith.
v. £30 to provide for my daughter's son John Scutt during his apprenticeship.
vi. All Real estate given to Executors in trust for the maintenance of Sarah Scutt and her children, with the note that this is independent of the control of her husband or any future husband. If Sarah Scutt should die before Richard Scutt then Richard may be given money for the benefit of the children. After the death of Sarah Scutt and after all children have reached the age of 21, all property is to be sold and the money divided equally between Richard Scutt (if he is still alive) and all the surviving children.
A codicil was added in 1788 which gave £6 per year to her loving husband Thomas Tiller for the rest of his life.
The real estate in point (vi) consists of
a) A freehold property of 1 acre in the Common Meadow, known as Ambersham Mead in Ambersham.
b) Various leasehold closes or parcels of arable land or meadow totalling 20 acres in Graffham.
(NB. This is clearly much the same land as appears in the will of her first husband William Luff. We are now told that all the land both (a) and (b) is let to Thomas Philp).
Note 1 : The really interesting bit is in point (i) above where she is careful to say that her daughter is NOT married to Richard Scutt (in contradiction to their apparent marriage in Heyshott in 1768). The implication is that her first husband Richard Faith is still alive.
Note 2 : By 1782 there were several other Scutt children in addition to John Scutt. Why aren't these mentioned explicitely ? Maybe the reason is that they were living in Graffham and everyone would know who they were, whereas the Faiths were probably living in Denton, Kent.
4. A really interesting document is Lavington Ms.556 dated 18th July 1758. This reads entirely as if it were a 'pre-nuptial agreement' before the second marriage of Sarah Luff (nee Miles) to Thomas Tiller and specifically mentions this intended marriage. It is a tripartite indenture between a) Sarah Luff, (b) Thomas Tiller and (c) Thomas Heather of Midhurst, Gent. It begins by reciting Sarah Luff's title to various real estate, a mortgage and a bond, and that this title is hers independently of any future marriage. It then seems to place all these affairs under the management of Thomas Heather, and after every provision there is explicit mention that Thomas Tiller agrees to this.
In fact the only reason for Thomas Tiller to be party to the contract is for him to agree to everything ! It includes provision for what Sarah Luff may do during her marriage - "... and all such moneys as Sarah Luff shall by her care and industry save from the rents and profits she may dispose for her sole and separate use in the purchase of some freehold estate if the said Sarah Luff shall think fit". I would even guess that an important reason for the contract is that, by putting all her affairs in the hands of Thomas Heather, she is keeping her property at arms length from her future husband !
The document also gives details of one earlier transaction. This was an indenture of 21/1/1756 between Wm Luff (her first husband) and John Hounsome of Liss, yeoman. Wm Luff aquires "a dwelling house called Crouch Readens together with the Barn Gateroom Lands Orchard thereunto adjoining together with the closes of arable meadow pasture lands thereunto belonging containing 12 acres situate in Liss late in the tenure of Joseph Budd together with all and singular houses, outhouses, trees, woods, commons, common pasture, ... profits, priveleges .. ". This is for a term of 1000 years and for the sum of £90, but with the provision that the property could be bought back by payment of £91/10/- "on a day mentioned to me and now since past". "And wheras the said sum of £91/10/- was not paid on the day limited, interest by the said William Luff in the said mortgages became absolute in Law".
Another point to note is that it mentions the bond of 1756 by which Richard Faith of Climping borrowed £40 from Wm Luff, and makes clear that this bond was not repaid on the due date. It then appoints Thomas Heather as "true and lawful Attorney irrevocable to demand sue for recovery of and from Richard Faith every such sum of money as now is or may become due". Remember of course, that Richard Faith is by now the son-in-law of Sarah Luff so one might have thought that the debt would be 'forgotten', but clearly it hasn't been. Clearly Richard Faith remains in Heyshott until at least 1761 when his third child is born, but has left by 1768 when his wife marries (bigamously ?) Richard Scutt. Maybe this debt is an important reason why he left home and turned up in Denton in Kent.