In John Nichol's HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF LEICESTERSHIRE, Volume IV, page 580, Nichol mentions a Robert Choyce among the "Freeholders at Congerstone - 1630." Nichol spelled the surname Choyce. 1630 is too late for the progenitor of this chapter.

I cannot progress too far with this family's genealogy without digressing to introduce Mrs. Alexander Moretti, born Freda Jessie Holness, who prefers her second name, Jessie, and who will be referred to in this book as Jessie (Holness) Moretti. Jessie is a family genealogist. She has done most of the research for this family, and will be quoted extensively. The genealogical records which Jessie has supplied came from Parish Registers, Bishops' Transcripts, marriage bonds and wills, for the most part.

Although Robert Choysse's will was written in 1579, no death or burial record for him has been located. Jessie quotes excerpts from Robert's will:

Robert Choyce of Congerstone, 1579, (Husbandman) To be buried in the churchyard of Congerstone. Bequeath to Mother Church of Lincoln, 4d. To the poor box of Congerstone, 12d. Bequeaths to "Margaret, my wife, and John my son,"; "to Alys my daughter,"; "Jane, my daughter,";" the children of my daughter Elizabeth...to Margaret...Witnesses: Wm. Choysse (clarke) and Robert Wilkins.

The small letter "d" refers to an English pence. Jessie says the title "clarke" indicates a Vicar. It is possible that Robert had more children on whom he "settled" earlier, or who might have been dead at the time Robert wrote this will. I asked Jessie if she could explain the term, "Husbandman" as it would apply today. She replied in her letter of 15 Apr 1981:

Husbandman = farmer, usually in a small way, and usually rents his land. In the past, the lord often had the land of several villages and would not sell. Posher farmers, such as at Whittington Grange, had their farms leasehold. A gentleman farmer = farmer in a big way, and owned, or leased, his land. A yeoman was in-between, but owned his own land freehold. (They did not always describe their status very accurately.)

JOHN CHOYSSE, VICAR, OF SHACKERSTONE

The following excerpts, taken from the will of John Choysse, Vicar of Shackerstone, were forwarded by Jessie (Holness) Moretti. The parenthesis are hers.

John Choysse, Vicar of Shakerstone, 1565. To be buried in the churchyard of Shakerstone bequests money; a) "to the Mother Church of Lincoln" (4d) (there was no Leicester Diocese in those days); b) "to the poor man's box at Shakerston," (20d); c) "to the repairs of Shakerston Church (3s4d); d) to the poor man's box of Congerston Church" (12d); e) to every household within my parish"; f) "I bequeath to every one of my brother Robert's children, 1s8d; g) "I bequeath to Robert Choysse, William Choysse and John Choysse, every one of them" (11s8d); h) "I bequeath to John Cosbye, Thomas Cosbye either of them 11s8d; i) "I bequeath to Elizabeth Mayson 5s8 "; j) "I bequeath to John Mayson my godson one sheep"; k) "I bequeath to every other of my god-children 4d"; l) "I bequeath to John Bell 11s8d"; m) "The residue of all my goods unbequeathed, my debts paid, my legacies performed and my body brought to the ground, I give and bequeath to my brother, William Choysse clark ( i.e., vicar) whom I ordain and make my full and only executor..." Witnesses - John Ball, clarke, Robert Choysse and Thomas Ansor (perhaps Esnor, several in that part of Leics.) Probate 1569. (Note the discrepancy in spelling of surnames Bell and Ball. This will confirm that John, Robert and William are all brothers.)

Although John's will was dated 1565, he did not die until 1569, at Shackerstone. One source, referring to his death, says, "Jon Choyse, vicar...ye last day of December, 1570." The small letter "s" in the will refers to the British monetary unit of a shilling. The symbol " " refers to the British monetary unit of a pound. The question which now stands is; "Is Robert Choyce, Husbandman, of Congerstone, the brother to whom John refers?" We will proceed upon the assumption that the answer is "yes."

The John Choysse mentioned in the will of the Vicar may refer to the son of Robert Choyce, husbandman. When John, the vicar, referred to Elizabeth Mayson, and "John Mayson, my godson" perhaps he was referring to Elizabeth the daughter of John's brother, Robert, and one of her children. Hence, on the Family Chart, I have designated Elizabeth Mayson (Mason) as Robert's daughter. By the same token, I have speculated, also based on John's will, that either Robert's daughter, Alice, or his daughter, Jane, married a man named Cosbye.

John, the Vicar, does not mention wife or children for himself or his brother William, indicating they probably did not marry.

WILLIAM CHOYSSE, VICAR

The date and place of birth for William Choysse is not known, nor are the names of his parents. We know that he was the brother of John Choysse, Vicar, of Shackerstone. We assume he did not marry. We do not know what rank the brothers held in the family. A weak speculation could assume that since John died first, he was the eldest brother.

William Choysse was a Vicar, but the name of his parish is not known. Perhaps it was Congerstone, since his brother left money to
the poor of Congerstone. Or, perhaps Congerstone was the place of their birth? A search through archival documents of clergymen might prove fruitful. There was a Choyce family in the immediate Congerstone area a hundred and sixty years before John Choysse, the Vicar, died. Jessie (Holness) Moretti forwarded this information in her letter dated 11 Apr 1984:

...a man called Farnham (Lords of the Manor of Quorns since just after the Norman Conquest) has been through all the old rolls and accounts of courts, etc., for most villages in Leicestershire, and published 6 volumes of "Notes on Leicestershire Villages." I picked up one for Thornton (for my Goode family) but, being keggy (southpaw in your language), I opened the book from the back. It transpired that there was an Addendum, and my eye fell on the following:

Coram Rege (i.e. before the king) Roll 591, 10 Henry IV, (i.e., 10th year of the reign of Henry IV, 1409) m16 Leye (Leicester) John More (parson) of Shakerstone Church, V, William Choyce of Shakerstone, in a plea for trespass.

(I don't know the result.) This is quite the earliest reference to Choyce in Leicestershire and I have given the spelling as it was (i.e., not Choysse, as it seemed to be a century later.) So far I have looked for early reference at Sibson, Shenton, Sheepy, Twycross, Temple Hall, Orton, Normanton-le-Heath, Nailstone, Market Bosworth, Illston, Frisby, Congerstone, and Bagworth, all without result....

From this report, the depth of Jessie's research is evident. Congerstone and Shakerstone are only a stone's throw apart. See area maps in Appendix I at the end of this book. William Choyce of 1409, may well be a progenitor of this Congerstone family of Robert Choyce.