info@ianstanley.org.uk

John Clarke (1630-1701)
The son of John Clarke of Uffington. Around 1655 he married Elizabeth Wilding. They had seven children,

• John (1655),
• Richard (bef 1663),
• Richard (1668),
• James (abt 1669),
• Joseph (1674),
• Benjamin (1675)
• and William sometime later.

He is mentioned in the 1672 Hearth Tax Returns.
In fact I think he is mentioned three times as follows:

Uffington:
   John Clark for P(...)ley Mill [most likely Pimley Mill], 1 hearth, £0.2s

Dowton (sic):
   John Clarke, 5 hearths, £0.10s

Preston-of-ye-Boates:
   John Clarke, 2 hearths, £0.4s

A yeoman, in 1674 John was admitted as a Burgess of Shrewsbury. This is from the Burgess Admission Book:

John Clarke of Downton in County Salop, yeoman ,sons John, Richard and James. It then says that he is the son of John Clarke of Uffington County Salop, deceased and has sons John aged 18, Richard aged about 5 and James aged about 4 and was admitted as a free burgess of the said town and all liberties and privileges of the same town . Swears upon his oath he has no other lawfully begotten sons. Paid £10 fine and was sworn with three sons.
Translation from the original latin courtesy of the Shropshire Archives

Burgesses had the following rights:

• Free trade in town.
• Free education for sons at the Royal Free Grammar School, founded 1551.
• Pasturage on the Quarry and on Kingsland.
• Vote in elections.

We also know that in 1687 John had a lease of lands in the Haughmond demesne. He was buried at Upton Magna in 1701.