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Note: Robert Pympe (d.1532) was a son of John and Agnes Pyme. When he wrote his will on Oct 1st 1522, not probated until Jan. 25, 1532 (1533 by our calendar, since New Year's day was March 25 in England until 1752), he signed "Robert Pympe". Since he lived another ten years he was probably not seriously ill. Very likely the will was prompted by the death of Robert, the last of his uncles (John d.1506, Thomas d.l508, William at some unknown date, Robert in lS2l)f we do not know if cousins Alexander and Thomas were senior to Robert, but in view of the high death rates of the time they too could have been dead.
Robert could thus. have theorized that upon the death of the elderly Reginald Pympe without a son (he died in 1530), he (Robert) as the senior surviving male relative of John Pympe (d.1421) could inherit the valuable ex-Fremingham lands which had been entailed in the male line. His purpose in spelling his name as he did, in contrast to the practice of his parents, his uncle and his children, was consistent with his prospective claim.
However, Robert's knowledge of the terms of John de Fremingham's 1411 will must have been limited to family tradition; he would not have had an actual copy. Quite likely he did not know the details of the entail, which was in favour of the male heirs of John Pympe (d.142l), in the event of failure of that line to the male heirs of Roger Isley, then those of Thomas Salman, then those of Ralph Salman, and only upon failure of all these lines, the male heirs of Thomas Pympe, John's brother. Even if Robert was descended from that Thomas (of which we are not surey. he stood well down the list of claimants and in fact it was the Isleys who got possession in 1530. Robert's misapprehension gives us, if only by inference, the strongest argument for connecting the Pyms of Chilham to the Pympes.
To each of his daughters Agnes, Mildred and Mary Robert left 40s to be paid "the date of her marriage". Wife Julian got the use of all his land, moveables and unmoveables for life; afterward the properties to go to sons John, William and George,the last two being then under 22 years of age. Robert named 12 properties in all, including Cheysse, Middlefie].d and Brainefield, some of them having been obtained by purchase. They ranged from half an acre to 7 acres, the largest including "the tenement that I dwell in". This had very likely been his father's home, and if it was the 7 acres in Shottenden which come up time and again, was in family hands for some 300 years.
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