Dominick Wheeler and Mercye Jellye

Their child:		Individuals in this page:		Their parents:
		Dominick Wheeler	{	No parents conclusively identified
John Wheeler	{	&
		Mercye Jellye	{	No parents conclusively identified

Dominick Wheeler may have been born in approximately 1565 ^{DA13, HO12}; his name was spelled “Dominicke” or “Dominik” in the baptismal and burial records of his children ^{EN4, EN5}. The parish register of St. Edmund’s Church in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England recorded that Dominick Wheeler married Mercye Jellye on June 3, 1588 ^{WI40, SA1}. His occupation, a shearman ^DA13,
HO12, meant that he sheared cloth or wool. For wool fabrics, shearmen finished the cloth-making process for woven and fulled cloth, which were two previous stages in this process ^OL2. John Oldland stated that shearmen were usually “highly skilled and trusted artisans” because if they did their job poorly, the cloth could be ruined, as would the efforts of all the other individuals who participated in the cloth-making process ^OL2. Shearmen usually used a dry shearing process ^OL2. They secured the cloth to a padded bench with havettes (clasps), applied a small amount of oil to the cloth, and then used teasels to gently raise the nap of the cloth and shears to reduce the nap ^OL2. A teasel is a plant; the conical, spiny top portion (the “head”) was dried and used as a brush on the fabric. Sometimes the cloth would be dyed (this was not done by the shearman) before it was sheared one more time, but after the shearing was finally complete, it would be pressed by the shearman ^OL2. John Oldland stated that in the early 1600s, the shearing process to complete three broadcloths would have required two weeks for two shearmen ^OL2. However, shearmen and weavers were paid much less than most other workers in the cloth-making industry, such as the fullers and dyers ^OL2.

Domny Wheller of New Sarum (in Salisbury) wrote his will on December 12, 1615 which named Mercy (his wife), John (his eldest son), Annes (his daughter-in-law and the wife of his son, John), and Edward and John (his grandsons and the sons of his eldest son, John) ^WI47. A transcription of his will follows ^WI47:

In the name of god Amen the 12^th daye of December 1615 That I Domny wheller of the Cittye of newe Sarume in the Countye of wiltes Sherma[n] beinge by the p[ro]videnc of god stricken Sick of body but of perfit & good memory thankes be unto god I do by this my laste will & Testament I will & give unto ~~the~~ ^my wife of mercy wheller all & Singular my goodes & Cattell both Reall & p[e]rsonall movabell & unmovabell duringe her naturall life & after her life her Endinge that then both thes thinges / afor Specefield to Come unto ~~the~~ John Wheller the Eldeste sonne of the forsaid Domny Wheller I will also & give unto my sonne John wheller alittell ~~Clock~~ [the previous word did look as though it had been crossed out] & aplater morover I will & give unto Annes ~~wheler~~ wheller the wife of John wheller five shillg^s or any thinge to the value therof I will & giue unto Edward wheller my sone John whellers Eldeste sone on silver Spone & to his brother John wheller 1 pottinger in witnis herof I have sett my hand the Date above writen

Sined Domny wheller

Sined John malyerd

Sined Will Couslip

Dominicke Wheeler was buried on January 12, 1615/16, according to the parish registry of St. Edmund’s Church in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England ^{WI40, EN5, DA13}. His will was proved on February 16, 1615/16 ^WI40. The inventory of his estate was conducted on February 5, 1615 (1615/16), and an attempt to transcribe this document follows ^WI40. However, this inventory was extremely challenging to read because the scribe used very unconventional spelling and did not write neatly. For this inventory, I have transcribed each line or grouping of items as they appeared in the document, while omitting the valuations as usual, but I have added my opinions about the meaning of the words in square brackets after each line. In some instances, I was unable to even guess at what the words meant. Some words could not be fully transcribed because they were illegible, but I transcribed the letters that I could read ^WI40:

A trewe Invtorye of the goodes of domnyke wheler desased as folouethe wrytne the 5 of februarye in the yer of our lord god 1615

30^l of peuter…

[30 pounds of pewter (various pewter items)]

9 holloware potes…

[the only word I am fairly certain of in the above item is the word “pots”; the number “9” is questionable and the word “holoware” is extremely questionable]

to brase Kndllstyckes & A Chaffinge dyshe…

[two brass candlesticks and a chafing dish]

to ketells one pot & 3 skeletes…

[two kettles one pot and 3 skillets]

one fethr bed to Covrledes & to p^r of shettes & to pilowes…

[one feather bed two coverlids (or coverlets) two pairs of sheets and two pillows]

one bedsted 3 Cos…ores & A letell Cobord & one bockt ould truncke…

[one bedstead 3… & A little Cupboard & one bucket (perhaps) old trunk]

to ould blankeats & to pelotyes…

[two old blankets and two pillow ties (perhaps)]

one p^r of Cotrikes & one p^r of pott hockes & one grdyor A skemer & A p^r of fleshe hockes & one kndlestycke…

[one pair of (the word “cotrikes” is unfamiliar to me, but this word was only marginally legible) and one pair of pot hooks and one grid iron (possibly) A skimmer & A pair of flesh hooks and one candlestick]

one tabell bord to stoles & one letell stoll one dowe kever one lenene torne one wostid torne one wolene torne one boc…inge Coule one ould tube…

[one table board two stools & one little stool… one… one linen… one worsted… one woolen… one… one old tub]

one bybell & one druping pane & 4 ould grayles one ould plank 3 ould beades & one stoll…

[one Bible and one dripping pan (perhaps) & 4 old… one old plank 3 old beds & one stool]

one ould Cloke & hose & doublet & one hat & one ould Cot & one ould p of stockinges & one p^r of showes & & [sic] 12^l of kndeles one fryene pame & one fend… A p^r of small doges fyer pane & tonges…

[one old Cloak and hose and doublet and one hat and one old Coat and one old pair of stockings and one pair of shoes & & 12 pounds of candles (perhaps) one frying pan & one… A pair of small dogs (these were probably iron dogs for the fireplace) fire pan & tongs]

Mercye Jellye was probably the mother of four sons who were named John Wheeler, as well as Jone Wheeler, Elisabeth Wheeler, and Robart Wheeler ^{WI40, EN5, DA13}.

The parish register of St. Edmund’s Church in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England recorded the baptisms and burials of four sons of Dominick Wheeler who were each named John ^WI40. John Wheeler, the son of Dominik Wheeler, was buried on December 8, 1588 ^WI40. John Wheeler, the son of Dominicke Wheeler, was buried on January 22, 1589/90 ^WI40. The baptism records for these two children were not located, but they likely died in infancy. John Wheeler, the son of Dominicke Wheeler, was christened on November 4, 1591 ^WI40. This was the man named John Whelyer who married Agnes Yeoman on December 1, 1611 ^WI40. Another person named John Wheeler, the son of Dominicke Wheeler, was christened on November 6, 1598 ^WI40. A burial record for John Wheeler, whose relationship anyone, including to Dominicke and Mercye Wheeler, was unstated, indicated that he was buried on November 7, 1598 in St. Edmund’s parish in Salisbury, Wiltshire ^WI40. This individual was probably the same child who was christened the previous day. Domicke and Mercye’s rationale for giving this child the name “John” when they already had a living son named John is unknown. Perhaps because they had already lost two sons with that name, they had low expectations that their third son would live to adulthood, so when Mercye gave birth to this son in 1598, they named him “John” in the event that that they lost John Number Three as a child. However, perhaps they did expect John Number Four to die and they gave him this name for other unknown reasons.

Jone Wheeler, the daughter of Dominicke Wheeler, was buried on February 15, 1593/4 in St. Edmund’s parish in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England ^WI40.

Elisabeth Wheeler, the daughter of Dominicke Wheeler, was christened on August 3, 1595 in St. Edmund’s parish in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England but Elizabethe, the daughter of Domanicke Wheeler, was buried on September 9, 1604, according to the records of St. Martin’s parish in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England ^WI40.

Robart Wheeler, the son of Dominicke Wheeler, was christened on October 12, 1599 in St. Edmund’s parish in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England ^WI40.