possessed of considerable estate, having at one time,
it is said, no less a personage than Lord Conway as "game-keeper" over a
portion of his Warwickshire property. Probably the meaning was that his
lordship rented the shooting. Ultimately, although every branch of the
family were tolerably prolific, the bulk of the garnered wealth was
concentrated in the hands of William Jennings, bachelor, who died at
Acton Place in 1798, at the age of 98, though some have said he was 103.
His landed property was calculated to be worth L650,000; in Stock and
Shares he held L270,000; at his bankers, in cash and dividends due,
there were L247,000; while at his several houses, after his death, they
found close upon L20,000 in bank notes, and more than that in gold.
Dying intestate, his property was administered to by Lady Andover, and
William Lygon, Esq., who claimed to be next of kin descended from
Humphrey Jennings, of this town. Greatest part of the property was
claimed by these branches, and several noble families were enriched who,
it is said, were never entitled to anything. The Curzon family came in
for a share, and hence the connection of Earl Howe and others with this
town. The collaterals and their descendants have, for generations, been
fighting for shares, alleging all kinds of fraud and malfeasance on the
part of the present holders and their predecessors, but the claimants
have increased and multiplied to such an extent, that if it were
possible for them to recover the whole of the twelve million pounds they
say the property is now worth, it would, when divided, give but small
fortunes to any of them. A meeting of the little army of claimants was
held at the Temperance Hall, March 2, 1875, and there have been several
attempts, notwithstanding the many previous adverse decisions, to
re-open the battle for the pelf, no less than a quarter of a million, it
is believed, having already been uselessly spent in that way.

~Jennen's Row~ is named after the above family.

~Jewellery.~--See "_Trades_."

~Jews.~--The descendants of Israel were allowed to reside in this
country in 1079, but if we are to believe history their lot could not
have been a very pleasant one, the poorer classes of our countrymen
looking upon them with aversion, while the knights and squires of high
degree, though willing enough to use them when requiring loans for their
fierce forays, were equally ready to plunder and oppress on the
slightest chance. Still