Archive:The Ancestry of John Whitney, Chapter VIII, Part 1
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Melville, Henry, A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown, Massachusetts; the First of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority of the Whitneys Now Living in the United States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896).
CHAPTER VIII.
THE ANCESTRY OF JOHN WHITNEY.
Robert, third son of Sir Robert Whitney. Thomas Whitney of West-
minster, son of Robert; his marriage, children, death, and estate.
John Whitney, son of Thomas, shown to have been the emigrant by
the records of the Merchant Taylors Company. Life of John Whit-
ney, Puritan Emigrant.
CONTEMPORARIES.
Persons. Events.
Queen Elizabeth . . . . . 1558-1603 Settlement or Jamestown . . 1607
King James I. . . . . . . 1603-1625 Settlement of Plymouth . . 1620
King Charles I. . . . . . 1625-1649 First Newspaper in England 1622
The Commonwealth, Settlement of Boston . . . 1630
etc. . . . . . . . . 1649-1660 Battle of Edgehill . . . . 1642
King Charles II. . . . . 1660-1685 Battle of Marston Moor . . 1644
Raleigh. . . . . b. 1552, d. 1618 Battle of Naseby . . . . . 1646
Shakespeare. . . b. 1564, d. 1616 Execution of Charles I . . 1649
Bacon. . . . . . b. 1561, d. 1626 Battle of Worcester . . . . 1651
Cromwell. . . . . b. 1590, d. 1658 Plague in London . . . . . 1665
Milton. . . . . . .b. 1608, d. 1674 Great Fire in London . . . 1666
THE investigations made by the late Henry Aus-
tin Whitney of Boston, about twenty years ago
disclosed that John Whitney, the first of the name to
come to America, embarked at the port of London,
in the spring of 1635, with his wife Elinor and his
sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jona-
207
208 The Ancestry of John Whitney than. Also that the two elder children were born at Isleworth, a parish on the Thames just above London.1 It has also long been known that the emigrant from the start assumed a position of prominence in Watertown, where he settled, and filled acceptably for many years public offices, in connection with which he left documentary records which show him to have been a man of education. The conclusion naturally followed that his birth- place was in or near London and that he sprang from a family of good social position, but no definite informa- tion on either point has heretofore been obtainable. As it is believed that the records about to be cited will forever set at rest any question as to his origin, they will be discussed with considerable detail. The pedigree in the College of Arms mentions Robert, third son of the Sir Robert who died in 1567 and brother of Sir James and Eustace; and we have already seen that in an Inquisition, taken after his father's death, the jurors reported that "the said Robert Whitney, Knight, by his said Will, gave and bequeathed to one Robert Whitney, and then of his younger sons, a like annuity or annual rent of six pounds thirteen shillings and four pence a year, issu- ing out of the said Manor of Pencombe, to hold &c. to the said Robert Whitney, the younger, for the term of his life." If we had this will in full we would probably know where Robert, Jr., lived. As it is, we can only con- 1 See "A Brief Account of the Descendants of John and Elinor Whitney;" also "Memoranda relating to Families by the name of Whitney," etc., in library of New England Historical and Genealog- ical Society, Boston, Mass.
[Picture omitted]
AUTOGRAPH OF SIR ROBERT WHITNEY, KNIGHT, FEBRUARY 20, 1640(41).
Lay Subsidy Roll 116/470 in the Public Record Office, London.
The Ancestry of John Whitney 209
jecture that it was in Gloucestershire, from the fact
that the Heralds' Visitation of that county, in 1623,
found in Harleian Manuscript No.1041 (see Appen-
dix), gives his marriage and children as follows:
Robert Whitney = Sibill, d. to Sir James
Baskerville. |
___________|
|
Robert Whitney = Elizabeth, d. to Morgan ap
| Gwillims.
______________|____________________________
| | | | | |
William Thomas Richard Nicholas Margaret Anne
The same list of his sons and daughters is given in
the Visitation of London for 1634, printed in publi-
cations of the Harleian Society, Vol. XV, at page
157; in the printed Visitation of Herefordshire,
Weaver's Ed., at page 75; and in the Visitation of
Herefordshire, Harleian Manuscripts, in British Mu-
seum, No. 1159, folio 65; No.1140, folios 65, 66; and
No.1545, folios 68, 69.
Another of the Harleian Manuscripts, No. 1442
(see Appendix), gives a line of descent from this
Thomas Whitney as follows:
Folio 66.
Sr Robert Whitney of Whitney, Kt.
|
_________________|______
| | |
Sir James Eustace Robt. Whitney 3 sonn of
Sr Robert Whitney Kt.
|
Tho. Whitney of Westminster
|
Robert Whitney of Westminster
|
John Whitney
aet. 38, ano. 1676.
210 The Ancestry of John Whitney
Folio 67.
Robert Whitney 3 sonne of Sr Robert
Whitney, Kt.
|
Thomas Whitney of
Westminster, Gent.
|
Robert Whitney of Westminster
mar. Mary da. of John Towers
of Shropshire.
|
John Whitney, claimeth
to be heire male of the whole Family.
The fact that "Thomas Whitney, Gent." lived at
Westminster attracts our attention, for Westminster,
being part of what is now popularly known as the
city of London1 and close to Isleworth, is in the
neighborhood whore we may expect to get track of
the emigrant and the possible advantage of investi-
gating him appears greater from the fact that he had
a grandson "John," not the Watertown John,--for
it appears that this one was born in 1638, three years
after the emigration,--but possibly his namesake.
Turning to the available records relating to the
city of Thomas's residence, we find, first, a marriage
license, by the dean and chapter of Westminster, of
which the following is a translation:
The 10th day of the Month of May, 1583, there issued a
license for the solemnization of Matrimony between Thomas
Whitney of Lambeth Marsh, gentleman, with Mary Bray,
daughter of John Bray of Westminster, taylor, to be cele-
1 In the seventeenth century London and Westminster were distinct
municipalities lying side by side. Westminster Abbey was about two
miles from the Guildhall, London.
[Picture omitted]
PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MARGARET, WESTMINSTER.
Westminster Abbey in the background.
The Ancestry of John Whitney 211 brated at any time in the year, Lent expected, and a bond is drawn up. Lambeth Marsh is a name still applied to the re- gion at the south end of. Westminster Bridge. Here was and still is the Palace of the Archbishop of Can- terbury. The incumbent at that time was the one to whom, as we have seen, a John Whitney, in 1597, willed his "ring of gold set wth a turquoys." This has suggested to some the idea that his Grace may have been a patron of young Thomas. The marriage took place in St Margaret's Church, now under the charge of Archdeacon Farrar, which stands by the famous Abbey. The record in the register is: May 12 Dai 1583, Thomas Whiteney to Mary Bray. From the St. Margaret Registers, kept by the officiating clergyman, it appears that they had the following children: 1. Margaret, baptized October 18, 1584, and ap- parently named after an aunt. There is, in these registers, no record of her death, but the parish ac- counts for 1604-5, kept by the church wardens, state that money was received for "Margaret Whitney's grave." Inasmuch as these two classes of records as a rule agree, the indication is that she died in some other parish, where the funeral service was held, and was brought home afterward for interment. The register of Isleworth, seven miles from Westminster, has this among it's death records: January 12, 1604, 5, Margaret, ye daughter of Thomas Whitneye.
212 The Ancestry of John Whitney
As no such person was ever baptized at Isleworth
and not the slightest evidence can be found that any
Thomas Whitney lived there, it is pretty obvious that
we have, in the last-mentioned entry, an explanation
of the peculiarity of those at Westminster. The sug-
gested connection between Westminster and Isle-
worth is to be borne in mind in reading what follows.
2. Thomas, named for his father, baptized July 25,
1587; buried August 19, 1587.
3. Henry, baptized November 11, 1588; buried Jan-
uary 4, 1588-89.
4. Arnwaye, baptized February 2, 1589-90; buried
August 11, 1591. The origin of this peculiar name is
suggested by a monument to a person living at these
dates, still to be seen in St. Margaret's, inscribed:
Interred here in graue, doth Thomas Arnwaye Lye,
Who in his life tyme loued the Poore & in that loue did dye,
For what be left, to Helpe the Poore; HE did devise the same,
Not idlell Folke, but such as woulde them selfs to Goodness frame,
The Thriftie peopell by his will that in this parishe dwell
Fyue poundes for ther comforte may haue if yt they use it well
From yeare to yeare if carefullie they looke unto their charge,
Of such men as this Arnwaye was God make the number large.
5. JOHN, named probably for either his maternal
grandfather or the friend of the archbishop before
mentioned,--possibly for the archbishop himself,--
baptized July 20, 1592. This is about the date at
which we would naturally conclude a man was prob-
ably born who, like the emigrant, had a child in 1619.
[Picture omitted]
EXTRACT FROM THE PARISH REGISTER OF ST. MARGARET'S
CHURCH, WESTMINSTER.
Showing baptism of John Whitney.
The Ancestry of John Whitney 213 6. Nowell, baptized October 30, 1594; buried Feb- ruary 28, 1596-97. 7. Francis, baptized January 27, 1598-99, died in Westminster in August, 1643. 8. Mary, named for her mother, baptized August 2, 1600; buried August 8, 1600. 9. Robert, named for his paternal grandfather, baptized November 10, 1605. This was the Robert mentioned in the pedigrees above cited who, accord- ing to one of them, had the son John born in 1638. This enables us to identify him with the Robert Whitney mentioned in the registers of the parish of St. Peter's, Cornhill, London, who had a son John baptized there February 10, 1638, and other children, Thomas, Richard, Robert, and Margaret, and was buried there in 1662, the record of the last being 1662 Aprill 3. Robert Whitney, Marchaunt Taylor, pitt in the east yeard. All the children of Thomas of Westminster are thus accounted for, except John. Of Thomas's life little can be learned. In his day there was scarcely anything at Westminster except the abbey and the court. He was a "gentleman" and, as we shall see, in comfortable circumstances, so it is not unreasonable to suppose that he had some governmental position. He paid taxes, as appears from a certificate, made in 1611, of which the following is a copy: Certificates of residence (Bundle 16) letter W. Midd. Wee whose names are heere underwritten Comissionn' of or Sov'aigne Ld: the Kinges Matie wthin the cittie and libties of Westmins. and the Dutchie of Lanc, for the
214 The Ancestry of John Whitney taxinge levynge and collectinge of the second payment of one subsedye graunted by the laitie to the Kinges Matie at the pliament holden in the VIIth yeare of his highnes' Raigne, doe certifie to the right hoble the Ld. Trer and to the Barons of the Exchequier and to all other his Matie officers and Commission's to wbome it shall apptaine. That Thomas Whitney of the pishe of St. Margarett in Westmr. aforesayd was taxed and assessed at the second payment of the sayd subsidie in the sayd pishe of St Margarett in Westmr where he was most conv'sant and residant with his familie and houshold at the tyme of the taxaton and p'sentment of the sayd subsidie and for the most pte of the yeare next before and hath made payment accord- inglie as by the hand of the Collector heereunto doth ap- peare. In witnesse whereof wee the Comissionn' to this p'sent certificate have sette our handes and Seales the XIIth day of Maye 1611 in the IXth yeare or the Kinges Maties Raigne of England Fraunce and Ireland and of Scotland the XLIIIIth. Edw. Forsett. Ed: Doubledun. I have rec. of Thomas Whitney of St. Margarett in Westmr for the second and last paymt of one subsidy graunted to the Kinges Matie in the VIIth yeare of his highnes Reigne the somme of IIIs Ed: Dobbinsoun. Midd. Citas Westmr. Thomas Whitney in bon. III£ IIIs His father-in-law, John Bray, died in 1615, and in "Act Book III." folio 20, at Somerset House, there is a record, made December 6, 1615, of the probate of his will and the appointment of "Thomas Whitney and Mary his wife," executors. The will itself cannot be found, for all the registry books of that year are lost. Mrs. Whitney, according to the churchwardens' ac-
The Ancestry of John Whitney 215 counts, hired a part of a pew in St. Margaret's Church. She is on record, for example, as paying "IIIs IIIId" for it in 1605, and "IIIIs" in 1616 and 1621. The fact that the transaction was in her name and that a whole pew was not needed may indicate that Thomas was not particularly interested in such matters. A possible reason is that he had embraced Puritanism and become a nonconformist to the discipline of the Church of England. "Mrs. Mary Whitney" was buried September 25, 1629, and the churchwardens wrote down Of Mris Marie Whitney, for her graue VIs--VIIId " " " Cloathe IIs--VId " " " Bells VIs-- " Thomas died in 1637. The Register of Burials has 1637 Aprill 14. Mr. Whitney. The churchwardens complete the identification with the entry: Mr. Thomas Whitney for his Graue Vs--IIIId " Cloath IIs--VId " Bells VIs-- " And in another place say: Received of diuers other Inhabitants of the Parish, att the Buriall of their friends and children, as their Benevo- lence to the poore Hospitall Children appearing by their names and summes as followeth: At the Burial of * * * * Thomas Whitney XXs. He left no will, so on May 8, 1637, as appears from the records of the court of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, administration was taken out.
216 The Ancestry of John Whitney
TRANSLATION.
On the 22d day of the month aforesaid by the venerable
Thomas Eden, Doctor of law, the Commissary &c. adminis-
tration was granted of all and singular the goods, rights
credits and chattels of Thomas Whitney, late while he lived
of the parish of St. Margaret in the City of Westminster,
deceased, as is said, intestate, to Francis Whitney and Rob-
ert Whitney, natural and legitimate sons of the deceased,
to whom administration &c.
Subsequently the administrators charged them-
selves with an estate of two hundred and thirty-nine
pounds ten shillings--equivalent to somewhere from
six to ten thousand dollars at the present day, less
debts, one of which was,
To severall workemen, as Brickelayers, carpenters, glaz-
yers and other workmen for materials and other charges
touchinge the repayringe of the said deceased's dwelling
howse before his death the some of XL£
There is no record of the distribution of the estate
or further statement as to the next of kin.
His real estate, if any, passed directly to his heirs,
and that he had such property is suggested by both
the fact that, on one occasion, he was called a "yeo-
man," and by the sum just mentioned as laid out in
repairs on his residence, too large to have been ex-
pended on a hired house.
It will be noted that, though we have no reason to
suppose him dead, John, son of Thomas, in 1637,
did not receive administration, though older than
Francis and Robert.
If he was the one who went to Watertown in 1635
the explanation is apparent, and therefore we come
THE ANCESTRY OF JOHN WHITNEY
TURSTIN "the Fleming," = AGNES, dau. of Alrued de Mer- WILLIAM I., Duke of = MATILDA, dau. of Baldwin,
otherwise known as "Turs- | leberge. A Norman Baron, of Normandy, commonly | Earl of Flanders and grand-
tin de Wigmore," and prob- | Ewias Castle in the Marches of called "William the | daughter of Robert, King of
ably also as "Turstin the | Wales. Both mentioned in Conqueror." King of | France.
son of Rolf," and "Turstin | Domesday Book, A. D. 1086. England 1066-1087 |
the White." A follower of | ________________________|
William the Conqueror. | |
Mentioned in Domesday | HENRY I., b. 1068, d. 1135. = MATILDA, dau. of Malcolm III.,
Book, A., D. 1086, as an | King of England 1100- | King of Scotland, by Margaret,
extensive landholder in | 1135. | granddaughter of Edmund
Herefordshire and the | | Ironside, the last of the West
Marches of Wales. | | Saxon Kings.
______________________|________________ |_____
| | |
EUSTACE, a benefactor = TURSTIN, mentioned in deed given GEOFFREY PLANTAGENET = MATHILDA
of the Monastery of St. | by his brother and mother to Earl of Anjou. |
Peter in Gloucester, &c. | monastery of St. Peter. ______________|
He, or one of his imme- | |
diate descendants, took | HENRY II., b. 1333 = ELEANOR, dau. and heir of
the surname De Whit- | d. 1189. King of | William, Duke of Aquitaine,
ney, from Whitney on | England 1154-1189. | and divorced wife of Louis
the Wye, in the Mar- | | VII., King of France.
ches of Wales, where his | _________________|
principal castle was lo- | |
cated. | JOHN, b. 1167, d. 1216, = ISABELLA, dau. of Aymer
| King of England, | Count of Angouleme.
NOTE.-Three or four genera- | 1199-1216. |
tions cannot be stated with | ________________|
certainty. A Sir Baldwin | |
de Whitney probably had | HENRY III., b. 1207, = ELEANOR, dau. of the Count
one place in the line. | d. 1272, King of | of Provence.
_______________________| England, 1216-1272. |
| _____________________|
SIR ROBERT DE WHITNEY = |
of Whitney, &c., Knight. | MARGARET, dau. of Philip III., = EDWARD I., b. 1239, = ELEANOR, dau. of Ferdinand
Living in 1242. Mentioned | King of France. 2d wife. | d. 1307. King of | III., King of Castile. 1st wife.
in the "Testa de Nevill." | __________________________________________________| |
_______________________________| | |____
| EDMUND OF WOODSTOCK, = MARGARET, dau. of John, |
SIR EUSTACE DE WHITNEY = Earl of Kent, espoused the | Baron Wake. HUMPHREY de BOHUN, = ELIZABETH.
of Whitney, &c., Knight. About | cause of deposed | Earl of Hereford and Es- |
1280 gave deed to monastery of | and in consequence was be- | sex, Lord High Consta- |
St. Peter in Gloucester, refer- | headed at Winchester in the | ble. Killed at Battle of |
ring to and confirming deed of | early part of reign of Ed- | Boroughbridge, March 16, |
his ancestors above mentioned. | ward III. | 1321. |
Lord of Pencombe, Little Co- | |_____ |___
warn, and Whitney in 1281. | | |
Granted Free Warren by Ed- | THOMAS HOLLAND, = JOAN, "the Fair Maid of Kent," ROBERT de FERRERS, = AGNES.
ward I. in 1284. Summoned to | Knight of the Garter, | Lady of Wake, &c. mar. 1st 2nd Baron Ferrers, of |
military service beyond the | Captain General of Brit- | William de Montacute, Earl of Chartley, son of John, |
seas in 1297. Tenant of a part | tany, France, and Nor- | Salisbury. 1st Baron and grandson |
of the Manor of Huntington in | mandy; commander of | of Robert, 8th Earl of |
1299. Summoned to the Scotch | van of Prince Edward's | |
War in 1301. Possibly grand- | army at Cr cy. Died | ___________________|
son instead of son of Sir Robert. | 1360. | |
_____________________________| _____________________| JOHN de FERRERS, = ELIZABETH, dau. of Rolf, 1st
| | 3d Baron of Chartley. | Earl of Stafford, who had a
SIR EUSTACE DE WHITNEY = THOMAS HOLLAND, = ALICE FITZ ALLEN, dau. of In the Wars of Gas- | principal command in the van
of Whitney, &c., Knight. | Earl of Kent; Baron Hol- | Richard, Earl of Arundel. cony, 1350. Died, | at Cre'cy.
Knighted by Edward I. in 1306. | land, Woodstock, and | April 2, 1367. |
Member of Parliament for | Wake, &c. Died 1397. | |
Herefordshire in 1813 and 1352. | | ___________________|
______________________________| | |
| | ROBERT de FERRERS, = MARGARET, dau. of Edward,
SIR ROBERT DE WHITNEY = | 4th Baron of Chartley | Lord Le Despenser.
of Whitney, &c., Knight. One | | Died March 13, 1413. |
of 200 gentlement who in 1368 | ______________________| |
went to Milan in the retinue | | ______________________|
of the Duke of Clarence on the | EDMUND HOLLAND, = |
occastion of the latter's mar- | Earl of Kent, Duke of | EDMUND de FERRERS, = ELEANOR, dau. and coheir of
riage. Member of Parliament | Surrey, Baron Holland, | 5th Baron of Chartley. | Thomas, Lord Roche.
for Herefordshire in 1376, 1379, | Woodstock, and Wake. | A participant in most of |
and 1380; Sheriff of Hereford- | Earl Marshall, Lord | the great victories of |
shire in 1377. | Lieutenant of Ireland. | Henry V. Died 1436. |
_________________________| Together with Earl of | |
| Salisbury taken prisoner | ____________________|
SIR ROBERT DE WHITNEY = and beheaded at battle of | |
of Whitney, &c., Knight. | Cirencester in 1400, on | WILLIAM de FERRERS, = ELIZABETH, dau. of Sir Hamon
Sent abroad to negotiate | account of loyalty to his | 6th Baron of Chartley. | Belknap, Knight.
treaty with Count of | cousin, the deposed Rich- | Died 1450. |
Flanders in 1388. Member | ard II. |____ |
of Parliament for Here- | | |___
fordshire in 1391. Sent | JAMES TOUCHET, = ELEANOR, Posthumous child |
to France to deliver Castle | Baron Audley, killed | of Thomas Holland, SIR WALTER DEVEREUX, = ANNE,
and Town of Cherbourg | while leading Lancas- | Earl of Kent. Knight. Baron Ferrers in | only child.
to King of Navarre in | trian forces at battle | right of his wife. Killed at |
1393. Knight Marshal at | of Blore Heath, in | Bosworth Field, Aug. 22, 1485. |
the Court of Richard II. | 1359. | |
Sent on the King's busi- | | |____
ness to Ireland in 1394. | | |
Killed, together with his | | SIR JAMES BASKERVILLE = KATHERINE.
brother and most of his | | of Eardisley, Knight. Several |
relatives at the battle of | | times Sheriff of Hereford- |
Pilleth in 1402. | | shire. Knight Banneret on |
___________________________|____________________________________ | the battlefield of Stoke, 1487. |
| | | Knight of the Bath at corona- |
SIR ROBERT WHITNEY = THOMAS. One of the "lances" | tion of Henry VII. |
of Whitney, &c., Knight. | in the retinue of the Duke of | |
Granted Castle of Clifford | Gloucester at the battle of | __________________________|
and Lordships of Clifford | Agincourt in 1415. Granted an | |
and Glasbury by Henry | estate in France, for his ser- | SIR WALTER BASKERVILLE = ANNE, da. of Morgan ap
IV., in 1404, on account of | vices, by Henry V. in 1419. | of Eardisley, Knight. Sheriff | Jenkyn ap Phillip of
services of his father. | | of Herefordshire. Knight of | Pencoyd.
Sheriff of Herefordshire | | the Bath. 1501. |
in 1413, 1428, and 1433, and | SIR DAVID GAM, killed at battle | |
1437. Member of Parlia- | of Agincourt, 1415; had dau. | __________________|
ment in 1416 and 1422. Fought | Gladys. | |
in French War under | | | SIR JAMES BASKERVILLE = ELIZABETH, dau. and coheir
Henry V. Captain of Cas- | SIR ROGER VAUGHN, of Bredwar- | of Eardisley, Knight. | of John Beynton by Sybil,
tle and Town of Vire in | dine. Killed at battle of Agin- | | dau. and coheir of Simon
1420. Named as one of | court, 1415. Married Gladys, | | Milbourne.
the 5 knights in Hereford- | dau. of Sir David Gam, and had | |
shire in 1433. Died March | | | |
12, 1441. | THOMAS VAUGHN of Hergest. | |
___________________________| By wife Ellen Gethyn had | |
| | | |
SIR EUSTACE DE WHITNEY = JENNET, dau. of Sir Thomas | | |
of Whitney, &c., Knight. Born | Russell (some authorities say | | |
in 1411. Head of commission | Sir William Trussell), Knight, | | |
sent to Wales by Henry VI. in | by dau. of Sir John Ludlow, | | |
1455. Member of Parliament | Knight; and 2d, Jane, dau. of | | |
for Herefordshire in 1468. | Sir Robert Clifford, Knight. | | |
______________________| ____________________________| | |
| | | |
ROBERT WHITNEY of = ALICE, first wife. Died without | |
Whitney, &c. Probably male issue. | |
a knight. An active ____________________________________________________________________________| |
participant in the War | |
of the Roses. Attainted = CONSTANCE, second wife. |
as a Yorkist by Lancas- | Mother of Robert's children. |
trian Parliament in | |
1459. Probably at battle | |
of Mortimer's Cross in | |
1461. Subject of poem | |
by Lewis Glyn Cothi on | |
occasion of his marriage | |
to great-granddaughter | |
of Sir David Gam. | |
_____________________|_______________________________________________ |
| | |
JAMES WHITNEY, of = BLANCHE, dau. and one of the JOAN, mar. Sir Roger Vaughan of |
Whitney, &c. Appoin- | heirs of Simon Milbourne. Porthame in Talgarth, Knight. |
ted receiver of New- | Brought her husband the M. P., 1547, 1552, 1553, 1554, |
port, part of estate of | Manor of Icomb in Gloucester- 1558. |
Duke of Buckingham, | shire. She married, 2d, Sir |
confiscated by Henry | William Herbert, Knight, of |
VIII., in 1522. | Troy, Monmouthshire. |
_________________________|__________________________________________________________________________ |
| | | | |
ROBERT WHITNEY, of = MARGARET, dau. of Robert JAMES, Sewer at Court of Henry WATKIN, mar. Margaret, dau. and |
Icomb, placed in charge | Wye, of Gloucestershire. VIII. in 1516. Receiver Gen- heir of Jenkin Reese of Clyro, |
of Brecknock, Hay, and | eral, &c., numerous estates in Radnorshire. |
confiscated estates of | 1536. Died 1544. |
Duke of Buckingham, in | ELIZABETH, mar. Thomas Morgan |
1523. In commission of | of Arkelon, by whom had Anne, |
peace for Gloucester- | who mar. Henry Carey, Lord |
shire from 1524 till 1541. | Hunsdon. |
Sheriff of Gloucester- | |
shire 1527, 1528, 1529, and | |
1530. Nominated Knight | |
of the Bath by Henry | |
VIII. at coronation of | |
Anne Boleyn in 1533. | |
Granted part of income | |
of monastery of Bruerne | |
on its suppression in | |
1535. Furnished 40 men | |
for putting down rebel- | |
lion in 1536. Names "to | |
attend upon the King's | |
person." Died in 1541. | |
Will proved in Preroga- | |
tive Court of Canter- | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
bury, June 11, 1541. | |
___________________________|___ | ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | |
SIR ROBERT WHITNEY of = SYBIL. JOHN, the friend and bedfellow CHARLES. GEORGE. WILLIAM. JAMES. RICHARD. BLANCHE. MARY.
Whitney, &c., Knight. Dub- | of Roger Ascham, tutor to
bed in October, 1553, the day | Princess, afterward Queen
after Queen Mary's corona- | Elizabeth. Mentioned at length
tion. Summoned before the | in "The Ready Way to the Latin
Privy Council in 1536 and | Tongue."
1559. Member of Parlia- |
ment for Herefordshire in |
1559. Died August 5, 1567. |
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SIR JAMES WHITNEY of EUSTACE WHITNEY of Whitney, = MARGARET, dau. and coheir of ROBERT WHITNEY, of Whit- = ELIZABETH, dau. of BLANCHE, mar. Robert Greville.
Whitney, &c., Knight, Born &c., Sheriff of Herefordshire in | William Vaughn of Glasbury. ney, &c. Mentioned in will of | Morgan Guillims [or
in 1541. Knighted by 1596. Died in July, 1608. | Died in July, 1606. his father, Sir Robert, and also | Duglim]. ELIZABETH, mar. John Pryce.
Queen Elizabeth at Wind- _____________________________|__________________________________________ in inquisition taken after the |
sor in 1570. Sheriff of Here- | | | | latter's death. |
fordshire in 1574, 1576, and SIR ROBERT WHITNEY of Whit- = ANNE, dau. of Sir Thomas Lucy ELEANOR, married Sir Henry ______________________________|________________________________________
1587. A suitor, in 1581, for ney, &c., Knight. Born Sep- | of Charlcote, in Warwickshire. Williams. | | | | | |
the hand of Barbara Gamage, tember 15, 1591. Dubbed by | THOMAS WHITNEY, of West- = MARY, dau. of John BRAY of NICHOLAS.
who afterward became James I. in 1617. Sheriff of | JOAN, married John Wigmore. minster, Gentleman. Buried | Westminster. Buried in WILLIAM.
Countess of Leicester. Died Herefordshire in 1630. Fought | in St. Margaret's, April 14, | St. Margaret's, September RICHARD.
May 31, 1587. Will proved as officer of Cavaliers at Wor- | THOMAS, A. B. Oxford. Prob- 1637. | 25, 1629. MARGARET.
in Prerogative Court of cester in 1651. Died in Septem- | ably the Captain Whitney who | ANNE.
Canterbury, June 16, 1587. ber, 1653. | commanded whip "Encounter" |
Mentions as part of his Es- | in fleet of Sir Walter Raleigh. |
tate 10 manors, viz: 1, Whit- | |
ney; 2, Clifford; 3, Pen- | |
combe; 4, Ocle Pitchard; | |
5, King's Capell; 6, Bough- | |
rid; 7, Tremayne; 8. | |
Icomb; 9, Clifton; and 10, | |
Comwiche. | |
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CONSTANCE, died 1608. Subject LUCY, married 1st, William Small- ANNE, mar. Thomas Rodd. ANNE. SIR THOMAS WHITNEY, of Whit- JOHN WHITNEY, of = ELINOR MARGARET, b. 1584, d. 1604.
of monument in St. Giles with- man; 2d, Capt. John Booth. ELEANOR, mar. Dr. Wright. ROBERT. ney, &c. Knight of the Royal London, England, and Born in England in THOMAS, b. 1587, d. 1587.
out Cripplegate, London. Died in 1673. Subject of mon- SUSAN, mar. Henry Williams. FRANCIS. Oak. Mar. Elizabeth, dau. of Watertown, Massachu- 1599. Died in Water- HENRY, b. 1588, d. 1589.
ument in Hereford Cathedral. RICHARD. Col. William Cope, of Icomb. setts. Baptized July town, May 11, 1659. ARNWAYE, b. 1590, d. 1591.
ELIZABETH. Died in 1670 without issue. 20, 1592. Emigrated NOWELL, b. 1594, d. 1597.
BRIDGET. The last of the Whitneys of May, 1635. Died June FRANCIS, b. 1599, d. 1643.
WILLIAM. Whitney. 1, 1673. The first Whit- MARY, b. 1600, d. 1600.
(All died young.) ney in America. ROBERT, b. 1605, d. 1662.
The Ancestry of John Whitney 217 down to the question whether the John Whitney who lived at Isleworth and emigrated to Massachu- setts was identical with the John Whitney, son of Thomas and Mary, who was born at Westminster in 1592. The records of the Merchant Taylors Company, Threadneedle street, London, establish such identity. Under date of February 22, 1607, it is recorded that John Whitney, son of Thomas Whitney, of the city of Westminster, yeoman, was apprenticed to William Pring of the Old Bailey. March 13, 1614, John Whitney was made free by William Pring, his master. Nov. 8, 1624, "Robert Whitney, son of Thomas Whit- ney of the city of Westminster, Gentleman,1 was appren- ticed to John Whitney in2 Thistleworth." The whole proof is here in a nutshell, for This- tleworth" was just another spelling for Isleworth. "Kelly's Directory of Middlesex" for 1894 says "ISLEWORTH is a large parish on the left bank of the Thames, 9 miles from London * * it is a place of con- siderable antiquity, being mentioned in Domesday 1 There was no inconsistency in describing the same man in one place as a yeoman, and in another as a gentleman. Both terms were applicable to Thomas Whitney. The former indicated the possession of real property. "A yeoman is he that hath free land of (at least) forty shillings by the year; who was anciently thereby qualified to serve on juries, vote for knights of the shire and do any other act where the law requires one that is probus et legalis homo." (1 Black- stone's Commentaries," 406.) The latter indicated simply noble birth, "one who bears or is entitled to a coat of arms" (Sir Edward Coke). All the sons and grandsons of a knight were gentlemen. Strictly speaking the term "esquire" was applicable only to "the oldest suns of knights and their oldest sons in perpetual succession." (Camden). It was commonly applied to any possessor of a landed estate, not a knight, and to his heir apparent. 2 Manuscript illegible.
Copyright © 2004, 2006, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group
Categories:
- England
- London, England
- Westminster, Middlesex, England
- Middlesex, England
- Isleworth, Middlesex, England
- Herefordshire, England
- Pencombe, Herefordshire, England
- Gloucestershire, England
- Surrey, England
- Lambeth, Surrey, England
- Massachusetts
- Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- Heraldry
