Roger Britnell / Bricknell was born around 1528 in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, to parents Henry “Harry” Britnell / Bricknell (1486-1552) and Elene Corbett (1490-1552).
I have been unable to confirm his baptism as the register begins in 1566 online.
St Peter and St Paul, Tring, Hertfordshire
Roger married Joan around 1559 at Tring, Hertfordshire, England, just 10 miles from Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire.
Marriage parish registers begin at 1566 online for Tring.
Joan’s maiden name and parentage is unknown.
Roger and Joan had five children, with the father being recorded as “Roger Bricknell”, and Joan’s will of 1601 refers to only one son Christopher and one daughter Agnes, and two children of Christopher – Bennett and Elizabeth.
- Agnes b 1550 Tring d 1597 Wingrave, Bucks, marr Thomas Putnam 1574
- Toby b 1566 & d 1574 Tring, Hertfordshire – aged 8
- Christopher b 1568 Tring d 1630 Chinnor, Oxf, marr Anne Bennett, 3 children
- Zacharie b 1569 & d 1599 Tring – aged 30
- Thomas b 1573 & d 1574 Tring – 1 year
The children were all baptised at Tring, Hertfordshire.
Roger was 24 years old when his father Harry died in 1552. The will granted him 26 shillings 8 pence yearly until he comes of age, then £6-13-4d and one bed from the house, half of the implements from his father’s shop (blacksmiths), and if his mother remarried, her three 3.5-acre plots at Tring near Wilstone.
Roger was a blacksmith in Tring, like his father Harry.
Online trees have Roger Britnell’s death in 1599, but he definitely does not appear in the burial register in 1599, as his son Zacharie/y does. There is an entry in the Burials for 1600 in January that looks very much like Roger Britnell or is it Richard?
Tring Burial Register – Jan 1600
Joan was a widow when she wrote her will on 16 December 1601, and it was proved in 1602, after her death in May 1602 in Tring. Her daughter Agnes, then unmarried, was Joan’s executor and principal heir, presumably because Christopher had already inherited property and was independent.
Joan was recorded as “Mother Briknill” in the Tring Burial Register, and she was buried on the 26th day of May (last entry). The Bishops transcript of this entry records it as “widow Britnell”.
26 May 1602 Burials, Tring, Hertfordshire, England
There were a few other Britnell and variants that popped up while I was searching the Tring parish registers which are most likely related to this family –
Burials
Sarah Brutnell bur 5 Dec 1595
Nikolas Britnell bur 3 Dec 1601
Edward Britnill bur 28 May 1613
Joyce Brutnell, wife of Jaspar, bur 8 Mar 1642
Jespar Brutnell, bur 21 Jun 1644
Frances Brutnell, wife of Robert, bur 17 May 1650
Robert Brudnell, bur 16 Jan 1653
Baptisms
Mary Brudnell, dau of Robert and Mary, 10 Jul 1692
Robert Britnell, son of Robert and Mary, 28 Oct 1695
There is a Britnell website registered with the Guild of One Name Studies which also has lots of good Britnell information which can be found here.
Bob Britnell also has done an amazing job of connecting Britnell researchers around the world on his website – www.brudenell.net
Variants of the surname include – Bricknell, Bretnell, Brutnell, Bricknoll, Brudnell and Brudenell, Britnill and lots of other possible variations.
