Priscilla Goddard was born in the village of Cliffe Pypard and baptised at St Peter's Church in June 1765. The entry in the register reads:
Priscilla Daughter of Edward Goddard Esq & Joanna his Wife was born Sund: March 31.
The Goddard family acquired the Manor of Cliffe Pypard in 1530 when it was sold to John Goddard of Aldbourne. The story goes that the Goddard family acted as rector presented to the living, but that Edward (Priscilla's father) was so dissatisfied with the incumbent cleric that he took holy orders himself and in 1780 presented himself for the job.
Priscilla probably received an education appropriate for the daughter of the Lord of the Manor, either at home by a governess and then tutors or at a private school for young ladies. I can only guess at the events of Priscilla's life because - here I go again - there is no written evidence!
She probably received music lessons and painting lessons. She could probably play the piano and sing and no doubt she did a fair bit of sewing.
I'm assuming she would have corresponded with her sisters who married and moved away and with her legion of Goddard cousins dotted about Wiltshire and beyond. There may be a whole stash of letters squirrelled away somewhere, just waiting to be rediscovered.
She may have helped her father (and later her brother) with his parish duties. She might have acted as a secretary, keeping their list of engagements up to date.
Who knows!
The only document I can recover is her Will, made on April 14, 1835 while she was living with her brother Edward at Cliffe Pypard.
One thing we can be sure about is that she was very close to her brother Edward and his wife Annica and their children, all eleven of them, because she leaves numerous bequests in her Will.
To her sister in law Annica Susan Goddard she leaves 'my Cornelian Necklace earrings and broach' 'all my china, my gold Repeater watch with the chain and seals' and all my wearing apparel and other clothes and all my fans.' (So maybe she had a lively social life?)
Her niece Annica Werden Bradford receives £300 and 'my two diamond rings one set with an Emerald my gold watch with gold face with the chain and keys attached thereto.'
The youngest niece, Arabella Thring Goddard also receives £300 and 'my diamond Broach my large white faced gold watch and all other my trinkets which have not been disposed of.'
Nephew Horatio Nelson Goddard receives £100 and 'my very old fashioned gold embossed watch with the Locket attached thereto.'
Nephew and godson George Ashe Goddard received £100 and 'all my plate [silver] of which I may die possessed and also several table cloathes.'
Nephews Thomas, Francis and Septimus Goddard receive £100 but no personal bits and pieces, although she adds a codicil to her Will in 1841 and leaves them an additional £10 each.
In 1841, when census records were retained and not destroyed as previous ones had been, I find Priscilla living with her nephew George, by now the vicar at Cliffe Pypard, and his wife Catherine.
Priscilla died on July 18, 1850 aged 85 years at Moredon House, Rodbourne Cheney, the home of her widowed sister in law Annica. She was buried in the churchyard at St Peter's on July 23.
And in an additional Codicil to her Will she leaves a request to her Executors that they preserve and publish "An Account of the Life of Priscilla Goddard, Spinster." Nah - of course she didn't!
St Peter's Church, Cliffe Pypard
Memorial plaque to Susanna Webb, photograph published courtesy of Duncan and Mandy Ball.
Priscilla Daughter of Edward Goddard Esq & Joanna his Wife was born Sund: March 31.
The Goddard family acquired the Manor of Cliffe Pypard in 1530 when it was sold to John Goddard of Aldbourne. The story goes that the Goddard family acted as rector presented to the living, but that Edward (Priscilla's father) was so dissatisfied with the incumbent cleric that he took holy orders himself and in 1780 presented himself for the job.
Priscilla probably received an education appropriate for the daughter of the Lord of the Manor, either at home by a governess and then tutors or at a private school for young ladies. I can only guess at the events of Priscilla's life because - here I go again - there is no written evidence!
She probably received music lessons and painting lessons. She could probably play the piano and sing and no doubt she did a fair bit of sewing.
I'm assuming she would have corresponded with her sisters who married and moved away and with her legion of Goddard cousins dotted about Wiltshire and beyond. There may be a whole stash of letters squirrelled away somewhere, just waiting to be rediscovered.
She may have helped her father (and later her brother) with his parish duties. She might have acted as a secretary, keeping their list of engagements up to date.
Who knows!
The only document I can recover is her Will, made on April 14, 1835 while she was living with her brother Edward at Cliffe Pypard.
One thing we can be sure about is that she was very close to her brother Edward and his wife Annica and their children, all eleven of them, because she leaves numerous bequests in her Will.
To her sister in law Annica Susan Goddard she leaves 'my Cornelian Necklace earrings and broach' 'all my china, my gold Repeater watch with the chain and seals' and all my wearing apparel and other clothes and all my fans.' (So maybe she had a lively social life?)
Her niece Annica Werden Bradford receives £300 and 'my two diamond rings one set with an Emerald my gold watch with gold face with the chain and keys attached thereto.'
The youngest niece, Arabella Thring Goddard also receives £300 and 'my diamond Broach my large white faced gold watch and all other my trinkets which have not been disposed of.'
Nephew Horatio Nelson Goddard receives £100 and 'my very old fashioned gold embossed watch with the Locket attached thereto.'
Nephew and godson George Ashe Goddard received £100 and 'all my plate [silver] of which I may die possessed and also several table cloathes.'
Nephews Thomas, Francis and Septimus Goddard receive £100 but no personal bits and pieces, although she adds a codicil to her Will in 1841 and leaves them an additional £10 each.
In 1841, when census records were retained and not destroyed as previous ones had been, I find Priscilla living with her nephew George, by now the vicar at Cliffe Pypard, and his wife Catherine.
Priscilla died on July 18, 1850 aged 85 years at Moredon House, Rodbourne Cheney, the home of her widowed sister in law Annica. She was buried in the churchyard at St Peter's on July 23.
And in an additional Codicil to her Will she leaves a request to her Executors that they preserve and publish "An Account of the Life of Priscilla Goddard, Spinster." Nah - of course she didn't!
St Peter's Church, Cliffe Pypard
Memorial plaque to Susanna Webb, photograph published courtesy of Duncan and Mandy Ball.
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