The data used to document and estimate the structure of Benjamin Vines family at Vines Farm, Grittenham, in the 1700s was obtained primarily from the wills of  his wife Elizabeth Holliday and himself, and from those of his parents, John (1667-1713) and Christian Vines. 

johnswill
christianswill
benswill
elizabethswill

Also the indexes of Brinkworth Parish BDM records made by Clive Henly henlysindex , other Wiltshire records in the Nimrod indexes from the Carter family of Swindon, nimrodindex,  and a professional researcher  commissioned by me during 2003. A small  and judicial use only was made of the LDS International Genealogical Index, familysearch ; early records in this index have many errors.

Benjamin Vines, son of John and Christian Vines, was baptised in the Brinkworth Parish 18th April 1689. His male siblings, noted in their parents wills, were Daniel, John and Charles. Their birth records need to be checked as they are not in the Brinkworth Parish index, but born apparently in the 1690s or first few years of 1700s. 
Benjamin married Elizabeth Holliday 7th March 1717 at Lydiard Tregoze (Nimrod Index). According to the wills and the Henly index his children were:
 

• Sarah b. 26th June 1718; m. John Sutton 12th Sep 1743 at Highworth. 
• John b. 4th Feb 1720
• Charles b. 6th Mar 1722; m. Mary Baker 30th Aug 1758 at Wootton Bassett. 
• Peter b. 24th Feb 1724
• Edward, birth estimated in latter half of 1725 to fit between Peter and Mary; m. Ann Henly 26th May 1756 at Brinkworth. 
• Mary b. 6th Mar 1727; m.   ? Holborrow 
• William 13th Feb 1729; m. Ruth ? 
• Elizabeth  26th April 1731; m. Henry Millard 9th Dec 1758 at Garsdon. 

On Benjamins death Charles became the executor of his will and took over the farm. It appears that Bens widow Elizabeth then moved to live with eldest daughter Sarah; her will bequeaths the debt owing to her by her grandson John Sutton in the words “sum of four guineas shall go to my said Daughter Sarah Sutton for paying for my Board.”

A surveyed plan of the Grittenham Manor was made about 1760 showing Benjamin Vines Tenement. This is held in the archives of the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office at Trowbridge, and a part can be seen here vinesfarm.

Sarahmarried John Sutton 12th Sep 1743 at Highworth.

• Sarah
• Mary
• Martha
• John
• Christian

John

• Sarah
• Mary
• Martha

• Joshua 31st May 1761
• Mary 19th Aug 1764
• Martha 12th Jan 1766
• John 11th Oct 1767

• Maria 18th Jan 1770
• Mirriam 14th Apr 1771
• Sarah 6th Oct 1772
• Isaac 1st July 1774
• Jacob 7th Nov 1776
• Christiana 12th Jul 1781
• Charles died at Grittenham 13th Feb 1797  aged 75 years.

Peter
 

Edward married Ann Henly 26th May 1756 at Brinkworth

• Jacob 17th Oct 1756
• James 14th May 1758
• David 2nd Mar 1760
• Mary 12th Sep 1762-'64
• Mary 9th Dec 1764-'68
• Edward 8th Mar 1767
• Benjamin 29th Jan 1769
• Mary 25th Aug 1771
• Ann 2nd Mar 1774
• Sarah 8th Sep 1776
• John ?
• Joseph ?
• Joshua ?

Mary married ? Holborrow 

William married Ruth ?

• Isaac 22nd Apr 1756
• Benjamin 26th Aug 1758
• Aron 26th Apr 1761-'64 twin
• Moses 26th Apr 1761     twin
• Charity 1st Jul 1764       twin, noted in Elizabeths will 1767
• Elizabeth 1st Jul 1764   twin,                         "
• Alice 21st Feb 1773

Elizabeth married Henry Millard 9th Dec 1758

• Samuel

An admon record in 1720 shows:
“The administration of the will of Charles Vines of Brinkworth was granted at Malmesbury on 25th June 1720 to Anne Vines, his widow and relict, and to Benjamin Vines.”
This may be the son Charles of John and Christian and brother to Benjamin. However Charles was probably born in the 1690s and thus must have died early in married life, not impossible but would seem to require further research to confirm. The alternative is Charles, son of John, born  22 May 1684. This would have to be a cousin of John 1667, with an estimated birth date not later than say 1663. 
Benjamins mother Christian, in her will in 1725, mentions sons John and Benjamin only though her husband in 1713 mentioned Daniel, John , Charles and Benjamin. 
It appears then that John 1667 is not an illogical candidate for being father of Benjamin.

The 1639 will of Thomas Vines of Tockenham may also have a bearing on the antecedents of Benjamin.
In 1616 Geoffrey Skull of Grittenham said in his will:
“Also I  give unto Agnes  Vynes my daughter  one cow. 
Also I  give unto Thomas Vynes my kinsman  one bullock of a  year old. 

Also  I give more unto Agnes Vynes my daughter  my table board and 
frame in the hall ….” 

Tockenham is about 2 miles from Grittenham. The 1639 will revealed the wife of Thomas at that time was Elizabeth Beckett, but the unmarried children included Thomas and Elizabeth. However the will named his eldest daughter and one of his granddaughters (daughter of John) as Agnes. It would not seem unreasonable, considering the nearness of Grittenham and Tockenham, and the  repetition of “Agnes”,  name of the wife in the 1616 will, to conclude that (1) the Thomas Vynes and Vines are the same person and (2) he was married twice. 

This tree based on the 1639 will, with estimated birth dates, shows a possible connection between Benjamins father and Thomas Vynes born in the 1590s. 

Thomas (c1590-1653) & Agnes Skull
        Robert (c1610-1676) & Jone
        William (c1612-1677)
        John (c1614 -  ) -----------------------------------------
        Agnes (1616-  )                                                       |
Thomas (c1590-1653) & Eliz Beckett                       Agnes c1634
        Thomas (c1620-1671)                                           Thomas c1636
        Elizabeth (c1622-  )                                                John c1638-------------------
                                                                                                                                         |
                                                                                                                                         John c1667

Yes there could have been 2 Thomas’s but the above inferences are logical and not unreasonable.
 

• It is claimed then that the family of Benjamin Vines is documented back to his father John born 1667 or earlier. There is circumstantial evidence for the family to be traceable to Thomas Vynes born about 1590 and Agnes Skull.