Christopher Ridout, miller and yeoman of Sherborne, son of John and Elizabeth Ridout (neé Oliver), was undoubtedly a descendant of William Ridout of Hyle but in decades of research by different individuals, it has been difficult to determine the exact lineage between William and Christopher. Genealogy often involves building up a hypothesis and then trying to shoot it down in flames – if the theory cannot be disproved then it stands, with provisos. This is my theory.

When William Ridout of Hyle died in 1621, two sons survived him: Thomas¹ who was baptised on 12^th April 1574 and William¹ who was baptised on the 11^th May 1577, both in Sherborne Abbey.

Thomas¹ married twice. By his first wife, Edith Oldish, he had five children – one of them was Thomas² (bp. 10^th October 1601) and another William² (bp. 28^th November 1599). William¹ also married twice. By his first wife, Margaret Pope, he had four children – one of them was William³ (bp. 13^th December 1602). So, there were two boys, first cousins, named William. On the 3^rd February 1622/3 in Sherborne Abbey, the Williams married two sisters in a double wedding. Thomas¹’s son William² married Julyan Toogood and William¹’s son, William³, married Ann Toogood! These unions cemented relations between the two families, which was probably very useful in terms of land and property, but a nightmare when it came to sorting out 17^th century baptisms! Sisters Julyan and Ann were daughters of William Toogood and his wife Joan (neé Cuff). Joan left a will in 1629 as did another daughter of hers, Magdalen. These and other documents helped me to slot the various Ridout families together, but it was a complex business.

In his appraisal of this family conundrum, genealogist Arthur George Ridout made a vital mistake. He had failed to observe proof that Ann Toogood’s husband William³ had died as a young man in July 1630 and that Ann had re-married, to Robert Parfitt, on the 3^rd May 1635. Arthur incorrectly ascribed lots of children to William³ which, over the years, probably diverted other family historians from the true picture, including me. Whilst it is certain that a daughter Ann was born (bp. 20^th June 1624) to this couple, other children baptised in Sherborne to ‘William Ridout’ including Thomas (bp. 1^st January 1623/4),  William (bp. 8^th April 1627) Julian (bp. 26^th Jul 1628) and Margaret (bp. 9^th February 1629/30) could have belonged to either of the Williams!

As soon as I found William³‘s death in 1630, it became clear that he wasn’t Christopher Ridout’s grandfather as I had previously thought because the only John baptised ‘son of William’ was in 1634! Christopher’s father John was, from various manorial records, apparently born in about 1632 and the only baptism that seems to fit the bill in Sherborne was on the 24^thFebruary 1631, ‘John, son of Thomas’. Although it cannot be proved conclusively, this was possibly Thomas² and his wife Eleanor. Hence Christopher was a great great grandson of William Ridout of Hyle. This hypothesis matches that of earlier Ridout researchers.

Documents consulted – there are many but they include:

• Sherborne manorial surveys, estates, contracts & leases (1677, 1709, 1712, 1716, 1720, 1726 and 1735).
• Wills from the Peculiar Court of the Dean of Sarum:

Christopher Oliver (26^th October 1687, probate 17^th May 1687)
Joanna Toogood (19^th October 1629, probate: 16^th June 1630)
John Ridout (19^th September 1678, probate 13^th December 1678)
John Ridout (15^th February 1671/2, probate 18^th May 1672)
Magdalen Toogood (9^th January 1637, probate 6^th May 1638)
William Ridout (admon 12^th January 1630/1)
William Ridout (10^th May 1682, proved 2^nd May 1683)
William Ridout (24^th December 1687, probate 6^th May 1690)
William Toogood (1^st January 1679, proved 8^th March 1683)

• Wills from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury:

Thomas Ridout (memorandum 13^th May 1668, probate 5^th December 1668)
Walter Ridout (11^th March 1653, probate 22^nd May 1654)

• Chancery proceedings (Court of Requests) numerous. Sherborne Manor Courts Leet & Baron (various).