The English ancestry of Reinold and Matthew Marvin of Hartford, Ct ...

82 The English Ancestry of
engaged in farming and sheep-raising ;
and from a very early
period the County of Essex was noted for its wool and
woollen manufactures.
Little Oakley is a seaboard Parish, south of Ramsey ; I
find only one Manor mentioned there, " Little Oakley Hall,"
which belonged to the Darcys in the time of Edward VI,
and later. It stands not far from the eastern end of the
the Parish Church, which is dedicated to St. Mary. This
was under the care of the Rev. Solomon W. S. Allen, Rec-
tor, in 1895 ; the living is given in the Clergy List for that
year as ^400 and a parsonage, and the population about
300. The building is quite old, the nave " of one pace with
the chancel," and all tiled ; in Morant's time there were four
bells in the tower ; it is built of stone. Wrabness station is
less than three miles away.
His Will is dated 14 October, 1561, but the date of pro-
bate does not appear. His widow was to have a life-interest
in the entire estate unless she should marry again, in which
case half the estate is to go at once to his son (who ulti-
mately is to have all the lands), while she is to take the
profits of the remainder during her life. She is made ex-
ecutrix, with her brother-in-law, Thomas Herde (husband of
Christian Marvin), as co-executor. Thomas and Barbara had
only one child, so far as known, who, as his father provides
that he shall be sent " continually to scoole and learnynge
by all the space of x yeares," was evidently a boy of tender
age when his father died. This was
45 i. Matthew, 6 b. ? about 1555.