Joyce Jeffreys facts for kids

Joyce Jeffreys (around 1570 – 1650) was a single woman in 17th-century England who made her living as a moneylender. She spent most of her adult life in Hereford, England. However, she often had to move and stay with family because of the English Civil Wars.

Biography

Joyce Jeffreys kept a special account book between 1638 and 1648. In this book, she wrote down all her business deals and personal spending. This book still exists today and has been published, giving us a peek into the life of a woman from a well-off family in the West Midlands during a time that included the First English Civil War.

When Joyce Jeffreys passed away in 1648, she was buried in the church of Clifton-upon-Teme. Later, in 1857, Sir Thomas Winnington put up a brass plaque in the church to remember her.

Early Life

Joyce was born from her parents' second marriages. Her mother later married a third time. Her father was Henry Jefferies from Homme Castle in Worcestershire. Her mother, Anne, was a widow from Shropshire. Joyce's father had many important friends, which gave her good connections. Historians believe she also received a good inheritance from him, even though his will is now lost.

Her mother's next marriage gave Joyce connections to other important local families. When her mother died, Joyce also received some money. Joyce had two half-siblings, Katherine and Humphrey Coningsby, from her mother's earlier marriages. The three of them stayed very close throughout their lives. Humphrey never married and became quite rich as a travel writer. He left Joyce a yearly sum of money, plus interest and other items. He also chose her to manage his will, which shows how much he trusted her.

Joyce herself never married. This was unusual for a woman in the 17th century. However, because she had a family with good connections, she was able to live well and be respected in her community. Since she never married, Joyce was known as a "spinster."

Business

After her mother died, Joyce lived with her cousin, Sir Thomas Coningsby, at Hampton Court from 1617 to 1625. She was a "constant companion" for his wife, Philippa Coningsby. This time was very important for her career as a moneylender. Living with Sir Thomas helped her meet even more important people and probably improved her education. Sir Thomas left Joyce £10 a year from his property and his late wife's linen.

After Sir Thomas's death, Joyce lived on her own. The education and connections she gained from him directly helped her moneylending business. She built a network of people from several counties, including Herefordshire and Shropshire. After Sir Thomas died, Joyce moved to Hereford. We know she started lending money there because in 1634, she went to court to get back money someone owed her.

Being a moneylender was a common job for single women, and for many, it was their main way to earn money. In 1639, Joyce had £5,890 out on loan, which was likely her best year. Her only record was a diary of her business deals, with some personal notes, from 1638 to 1649. These notes show she was a very careful and organized person.

Later Life

Joyce's life was not typical for women in the 17th century. Most women worked with textiles, which was seen as a more suitable job for them. While it was common for women to work, they usually did so from home and under the name of their husband or father.

Because of her connections, Joyce was able to grow her moneylending business enough to support herself and a large household. After her cousin died, she wanted to live closer to her customers. Around 1638, she rented a house in Widmarsh Street in Hereford. Later, she bought a house and garden there from another single woman.

Joyce didn't live alone. Her goddaughter, Eliza Acton, lived with her until Eliza married in 1643. Joyce supported Eliza and even gave her a dowry of £800, which was a very large amount of money. Joyce also had a good-sized household, including a manservant named Matthias Rufford, who stayed with her for the rest of her life. She also always had three maidservants and a cook, and she provided them with clothes and even pocket money. She had quite a big household for a single woman in the 17th century.

End of Life

In her records, Joyce mentioned that Nurse Nott was taking care of her in her final days in March 1648. In her will, she left her servant, Elizabeth Newton, £100. Joyce wrote that this money was "a stock which I have raised and saved for her out of her wages and interest money."

When Joyce died, her nephew William calculated that her total worth was £1,408 14s 8d. This included money owed to her in 1650 and 1651. Her funds were much lower than they had been when her moneylending business was at its peak.

English Civil Wars

The English Civil Wars greatly affected Joyce's life. On September 21, 1642, she had to quickly leave Hereford because parliamentary troops were advancing. She stayed with many relatives who took her in, and sometimes she feared for her life. Even during these difficult times, she paid her own way and kept Rufford and several other servants with her.

She returned to Hereford on September 30 but had to leave again soon after. She managed to keep her moneylending business going in Hereford by having her servants run errands for her. In March 1643, she hired a mason named Anthony Alldridge to build her a house in Hereford. She lent him money for this, and her records show she didn't expect it back. The city surrendered to the parliamentary troops on April 24, 1643. Despite this, the house was finished, and she moved back into it in April 1644.

Joyce didn't stay long in Hereford that time. Later in April 1644, she stayed with relatives for the summer. She had to make hard choices about selling her property in Hereford because it was in danger of being lost or destroyed due to the fighting between the parliamentary and royal armies. Her property was in the way of the city's defenses. This included her new house, four other small rooms, and a shop. Because of an attack on the city, she stayed with some family in Horncastle from July to August.

Female Moneylenders

Joyce Jeffreys was a successful moneylender who had enough money to support herself and others. She was known for being very generous and often gave gifts. Interest rates were not very common back then, and hers never went above 8%, which was a fair price.

Her success wasn't just her own doing. Joyce was able to keep her moneylending business going because of her good inheritance. It took a lot of money to run a moneylending business. While she wasn't the only female moneylender, it was unusual for a single woman to be as financially secure as Joyce. She had good connections and a lot of property, which allowed her to keep her business and live comfortably.

Most women in the 17th century did not stay single like Joyce, as marriage usually offered women protection and financial stability. However, being a single woman gave Joyce much more financial freedom than a married woman, and in some ways, more freedom than even some men. Being single did not make Joyce an outcast. Her many friends and social groups show that the idea that single women were outcasts during this time is wrong.

She often borrowed money for her own lending business, which was a common practice back then. Her moneylending brought her over £500 in some years, though this amount changed. She might have been one of the more successful moneylenders, but she wasn't completely unique. Other single women also had large social groups and ran their own moneylending businesses. For example, Hester Pinney ran a moneylending business, invested in bonds and shares, and was also involved in her family's lace business. Like Joyce, many other single women made their wealth by lending money and earning interest. Women who were moneylenders often had inheritances that they could use to invest.

Works

The diary, which had parts printed in Archaeologia (1857), was later burned in a fire that destroyed the Winnington library. However, there is a modern version of the diary available today.