Quarterman's-main's

Researched by Rita Trafford.

Written by Sydney Leonard Quarterman.

Introduction

This information was given to me by Rita Trafford who at the time was one of the curators of Rycote Chapel. Thame. Oxfordshire. She gave me this information as she was researching the Quartermain family of the area. As far as I no it is as accurate as you can be with what records are available. The big question is did the name originally come from France, or is it Saxon. An Y chromosome test would tell us. Did the name start with William Knight to the bishop of Lincoln. There are others that have researched the name and have come to a similar conclusion. What do you think?

During the late eleventh and early twelfth century Rycote and North Weston (which is the land adjacent to Rycote) was removed from the See of Dorchester and given to the Bishop of Lincoln to form part of the See of Lincoln, which is does to this very day.

The Bishop of Lincoln appointed 37 Knights in the area, and the Knight he appointed at North Weston was known simply as William Knight of Bishop of Lincoln. However his successor is named specifically as being Herbert Quatermain's 1^st of North Weston, near Thame.

This Herbert Quatermain's was the original founder of all the Quartermain, man etc. family trees. Unfortunately he was married twice. His second wife was the daughter of Richard Fowett of Chalgrove. With her he had a son named William who was left property in Chalgrove from his grandfather on the maternal side. His father and his elder stepbrothers witnessed this will (NO 49 in the Oxford Charters). When Herbert eventually died the North Weston estate went to his oldest son Herbert Quatremain II.

William was married by this time and had claimed his inheritance at Chalgrove, so the family split-up into what is known as the “Senior Branch” and the “Younger Branch” of the Quatremain's.

The ancestor of this “Younger Branch” was undoubtedly William Quatremain and it seems probable that he married someone with the name of Agnes. They had one son called William who was also named as his heir. He must have been born late on in Agnes's life because he could not have been born earlier than 1257-8 and was still a minor when he inherited hid father's estate.

This family are the ancestors to all the Quartermain's and its variants alive today. The main branch died out in 1477 when Richard Quatreman of Rycote and North Weston died without issue.

The following is a copy of information particular to the Eynsham offshoot of the family.

Ralfe Quartermain of Chalgrove died possibly 2^nd Nov 1593. According to his will he had 7 children, the eldest being James (who was known as John), he had one daughter Mary who was less than 24yrs and unmarried in Nov 1593. His other children were John, William, Andrew, Francis, Samuel, and Roger.

I do have information that the Quartermain-man family married into the De Lutterton, Spencer, and Talbot families.

I don't know if you're Quarterman- main family has had a natural process of family control like mine has, I mean in the way of not marrying, not having sons or just not reaching adolescence.