Elinor Holt (Jones)

One of our last glimpses of Walter’s contacts comes from the lawsuit brought against him by his son-in-law Ralph Holt, husband of Walter’s second daughter, Elinor. Ralph accused his father-in-law of trying to gain control of his lands, in the guise of saving Ralph from his debtors, and of selling the estate timber, valued at more than £2,000, to do so. Walter’s response was brisk – but detailed. In court he enumerated Ralph’s debts, denied the sale of timber, drew attention to the further loan Ralph had accepted, but which he had not mentioned, and described at length the several meetings held between the parties to seek resolution. It is clear that considerable pressure had been brought to bear on Ralph. Amongst those he had to answer to was his ‘uncle at law’ Hugh Fairclough, ‘an honest and learned divine’, and Charnell Petty, possibly a relation on the Jones side. The outcome is unknown, but Elinor and her younger son, Walter, both died at Chastleton several decades later.

"Walter Jones of Witney, Worcester, and Chastleton:Rewriting the Past" (2008) by Hilary L. Turner in Oxoniensia, LXXIII, pages 33-44.