Alice [surname unknown] Garfield

Biography

Life summary. Alice Garfield was appointed administrator of her husband Edward’s estate in 1586. That responsibility placed her at the center of settling the affairs of their Hillmorton household. A burial in the same parish in February 1603/04 is probably hers, suggesting that she lived for many years after the appointment.

Alice Garfield had to deal with more than the loss of her husband. On September 27, 1586, she was appointed administrator of Edward’s estate at Hillmorton, now part of Rugby, Warwickshire. ^704-1

An administrator handled the estate through the probate process: accounting for its property, settling debts and answering for its administration. An inventory helped establish what was available to meet those obligations. Alice’s appointment made her responsible for that work; the surviving abstract does not show how she carried it out. ^704-1704-2

The inventory valued Edward’s estate at £35 14s. Four men—Thomas Perkins, Thomas Smyth, William Sawbridge and Richard Gumley—made the appraisal. Their valuation was part of the process Alice had to administer; it was not a statement that she personally inherited that sum. The total alone cannot tell us how much was tied up in goods or claims, or what resources would remain available to support her. ^704-1704-2

Hillmorton lay within the Lichfield probate jurisdiction, which included north Warwickshire. Alice’s responsibility therefore connected the affairs of her household with a church court beyond the parish. ^704-1704-2

Alice was probably the woman buried at Hillmorton on February 15, 1603/04. If that identification is correct, she lived for roughly seventeen and a half years after her appointment as administrator. ^704-3