The following will clarify the Somerset Carpenter problem. Allow me firstly
to reintroduce
two Public Record Office abstracts concerning Somerset Carpenters:
"E 134/30Eliz/Hil19 Thomas Carpenter, Ann Carpenter (son and daughter of
Robert Carpenter). v. Robert Oland: Lease of the manor of Wellington
(Somerset), obtained by defendant and others, patentees, and their
composition and agreement with tenants of said manor, and grant of lease by
said patentees to John Berry, &c. 30 Eliz 1587
E 134/32Eliz/East10 Robt. Berry, Robt. Carpenter, John Arnold. v. Robert
Oland: Manor of Wellington (Somerset). [The names and possessions of John
Berry, John Welkes, a grant of the manor by late Queen Mary to Christopher
Baynham, John Parsons, Richd. Hayne, Wm. Giffard, Walter Andrews, Jas. 32
Eliz 1590 "
In light of the above other data has been found for the Thomas above from
wills in
the Prerogative Court of Canterbury:
"1619 Carpenter, Thomas, the elder, clothier, Taunton, Somerset 15 Parker"
"Carpenter, Thomas, clothier, Taunton, Soms. 1658 262, 314"
Thus we can see that the Somerset Carpenters were a family of clothiers in
Taunton with
a long history. A familiar pattern presents itself here of family members in
town in the production of cloth
with other members with connections to outlining towns i.e. Alice and her
sisters. The Arnolds were likewise clothiers. The question arise as to the
connection of Amesbury Richard Carpenter. Historically the Somerset
clothiers used a great deal of wool produced in Wiltshire due to
underproduction of Somerset wool.
Alexander Carpenter I suspect was intimately involved with family business,
which had a further connection
to London. All Somerset cloth was eventually sent to Blackwell Hall in
London for sale. Much of the sales involved
export to the Low Countries. The Somerset clothier Carpenters no doubt
knew the Wiltshire Carpenter wool
producers as well as the London export merchants. Alexander married his
daughters off (reluctantly) to middling clothiers
like William Bradford. Amesbury William Carpenter marries the daughter of a
Somerset Arnold cloth man.
BC