- Excerpt from "Notices of an English Branch of the Malet Family", by Arthur Malet, published 1885, pp 54-55:
ARTHUR MALET OF ST. AUDRIES.
Arthur Malet was the son of Richard Malet and his wife Joan, the daughter of Richard Warre of Hestercombe. He was baptised January 18th, 1564, and was buried at St. Audries, October 16th, 1644, aged eighty. He married on the 8th October, 1583, Mary Coffin, by whom he had issue one child:
Arthur Malet, who died s.p., and was buried at St. Audries, October 16th, 1634.
Arthur Malet married secondly, Joan, whose surname I do not find mentioned; by her he had no issue, and from the terms of the will it would seem not improbable that she was not during his lifetime acknowledged as his wife. He survived his own son, who died in 1634, and his brother Michael, who died in 1630. His brother Gawen also died before him, as his daughter, Elizabeth Powlett, administered to her brother Alic Malet's will in 1642, in consequence of the previous decease of Gawen Malet.
The Ref. F. Brown thus summarises Arthur Malet's will;--"Joan whom I acknowledge as my lawful wife to enjoy all my lands mansions &c. for her life. At her death to go to my Cousins of Poyntington--my cousin John Malet &c. to be overseers" (Twisse, 63.) The will is dated September 15th, 1644, a month before his burial. Administration May 8th, 1646.
At this time Sir Thomas Malet of Poyntington was alive, so that he had the reversion of St. Audries after the death of Joan, Arthur's widow. He lived till 1665, but as I find no record of the date of Joan's death I do not know if he ever entered into possession; and as he lived on at Poyntington and was buried there, and in his will made no specific mention of St. Audries, I presume that Joan survived him, and that Arthur's bequest devolved on Sir Thomas's son John, who was the grandson of Malachias, who was the grandson of Baldwin, the first possessor of St. Audries separately from Enmore. It is not necessary to revert to John Malet of Wolley, the second son of this Baldwin, and through whom the descent comes.
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