The last will and testament of family members back in the past can reveal a lot of genealogical information. They are signed and dated by the testator and so are first hand evidence. Transcriptions used here were made from copies of wills obtained from Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office at Trowbridge, Wilts, UK.

Baptisms: 
9 February ?1558/9 (exact year uncertain), Robert Vine 
26 February 1563/4, Jelyan Vyne 
18 February 1564/5, Joan Vyne (in the Latin form Joanna) 
18 March 1582/3, Margery Vynar alias Woodrooffe, annotated with the letter B 
(probably means base-born, i.e. illegitimate) 
25 January 1584/5, Nathanall Vyner alias Hancocke, B (see above) 
26 September 1596, John son of John Vynar 
2 October 1602, Joyse daughter of Edward Vinarde alias Phillips 

Burials: 
4 November 1563, William Vyne 
5 June 1585, Thomas Vyner alias Phyllips 
30 October 1586, Nathanaell Vyner alias Hancock 
9 October 1592, Mawtilda wife of Robert Vynar alias Phylips 
7 February 1596/7, John son of John Vynar 
1597 (exact date to be checked), Robert Venar alias Phylips 
18 March 1604/5, Elyzabethe Veynarde 
27 July 1606, Edwarde Vinarde alias Phillipps 
27 June 1610, Joyce Vinarde alias Phillips 
 
Nearly all church preserved records of births, marriages and deaths for Wiltshire date from 1653, during the political upheaval of the Civil War, and after most of the military action. These were written in ink with a quill, and their legibility depends greatly on the care and skill of the writer, and the storage conditions against weather, fire, pests, aging of the document materials, vandalism etc. Henry VIII had encouraged the use of written English to replace Latin so documents from 1600 onwards are generally in English. 
The last will and testament of various Vines yeomen (yeoman = a farmer of his own or leased land) have been shown as among the most reliable of documents for family history. They are signed and dated personally by the testator and so are first hand evidence. 

The earliest documentary evidence for Vines in the Grittenham area is from the will of Geoffrey Skull of Grittenham dated 25th November 1616. 
     "Also I give unto Agnes Vynes my daughter one cowe. Also I give unto Thomas Vynes my kinsman one bullock of a yere olde."
Later he states: 
     "Also I give more unto Agnes Vynes my daughter my table board and frame in the hall savinge that I will the said Margery my wife shall have the use of the said table board and frame during her naturall life if she remayne unmarried."

A full transcription of this and early wills for other Brinkworth Parish names transcribed by Clive Henly may be seen at:
   http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/WIL/Brinkworth/ 
Henly's indexes for Brinkworth baptisms, marriages and deaths are also at this address.

In the Nimrod marriage index for Wilts are found the following very early entries: 

DATE: 01 FEB 1608/09 PLACE: Wootton Bassett 
GROOM: VINES           Roger 
BRIDE: HENDLY          Anne 

DATE: 24 JLY 1609    PLACE: Christian Malford 
GROOM: VINES           William 
BRIDE: LIPYETT         Mary 

It would appear likely that both Roger and William were either brothers or cousins of Thomas, and they all married at about the same time. This would make their birth dates very probably in the 1580s. Note that Wootton Bassett is about 2-3 miles or an hours walk from Grittenham while Christian Malford is about 6-7 miles away. 

The earliest Vines will is for Thomas Vines of Tockenham, dated 30th April 1639 and proved 6th July 1653. (Open that page and toggle between that and this with the Back and Forward buttons at top left.)

Note the recurrence of names "Agnes" twice and "Thomas" twice in Thomas's children and grand children. It is hypothesised as follows, that: 

• Thomas1 Vines of Tockenham (1639 will) was the Thomas Vynes mentioned in the 1616 will of Geoffrey Skull of Grittenham. Tockenham is only 2 or 3 miles from Grittenham.
• Agnes1 Skull was his first wife, for whom his eldest daughter Agnes2 was named. His grand daughter, by his son John1, was also named Agnes3.
• He mentions several grandchildren but none for son Thomas2, so the latter was probably unmarried and the youngest son.
• His wife in the 1639 will was Elizabeth1 and his youngest daughter was named Elizabeth2 for her. He mentions his "well beloved brother in law John Beckett", so his 2nd wife was Elizabeth Beckett. 
• It would seem reasonable to assume that Thomas2 and Elizabeth2 were children of the second marriage.
• He bequeathed his broadlooms to his son William1, so it is likely that this is the "William Vines of Pirton (Purton) in the County of Wilts, broadweaver" who signed his will in 1677. 

 The hypothesised family in 1639 could have been:                                                                         Will Ref 

Thomas1 Vines c1590-1653	1616, '39
& Agnes Skull   |	1616
Robert2 c1610	1639
Daniel1 c1636	1639
Thomas3 c1638	1639
William1 c1612-77	1639, '77
William2 c1633	1639
John1 c1614	1639
Agnes3 c1634	1639
Thomas4 c1636	1639
John2 c1638	1639
Agnes2 c1616	1639
& Elizabeth1 Beckett   |	1639
Thomas2 c1620	1639
Elizabeth2 c1622	1639

The following analysis of data from the wills, Henlys index of Brinkworth baptisms, and Carter's Nimrod indexes, is based on the above family tree of Thomas Vines and Agnes Skull. Unless otherwise noted dates are estimated from the order of names in wills and are expected to be within 5 years of the actual dates. It is to some extent speculative.

The will of Robert Vines of Grittenham 1674 holds much information. This Robert is almost certainly the eldest son in the 1639 will for Thomas of Tockenham.
He died in 1676.

• He was a yeoman, the head of a farming family. In 1674 he still had brothers William and Thomas.  All his brothers are mentioned except John though family who had left home and were set up in life were often ignored in wills. A John Vines witnessed the will though this might have been son of his brother William.
• His brother William was made one of the will overseers. 
• Brother William also had three sons as did William of Purton, and one of these was named William. In 1653 William inherited his father Thomas's looms. William the broad weaver of Purton didn't die until 1677.
• He bequeathed "unto Thomas Vines my sonn, my house and grounde lying and being in Tockenham." 

His son Daniel was made executor of the will, probably the elder of he and Thomas. 

Henly's index shows the birth of "John Vines, son of John", on 24th March 1667. This is apparently John Vines of Grittenham who married Christian. Their wills were signed in 1713 and 1725. John's father must then have been John2 whose birth is estimated about 1638.
John's and Christian's wills both have their son Benjamin appointed as executor, so he was apparently the eldest son, the others named being Daniel, John and Charles. Henly's index doesn't show their baptism dates so this may have occurred in another parish.

Daniel Vines, born about 1636, to Robert Vines, died in 1689. His will named two children, John and Daniel and wife Jane. He made his brother Thomas of Marriage Park near Little Somerford the executor of his will. It appears that Daniel married late in life or that Jane was his second wife. See notes at end of the 1689 will, regarding Jane & her subsequent family.
Thomas, born c1638, prospered as a farmer at Marriage Park, leaving an inventory of 678 pounds. He had a dairy herd of 36 cows, many other cattle, horses and pigs and 168 sheep,. The inventory includes 52 hundreds of cheese, about 2.6 tonnes. He probably employed farm hands to assist him and his sons at times for milking, ploughing, planting crops and harvesting.