Thomas BECON

Notes:

Baptised:
"Thomas sonn of Thomas & Dorothy Beacon baptized March 7th 1651."

Other Events:

• Chancery Court dispute: 1661, Mersham, Kent, England; Orator in a case
• Occupation: 1661, Canterbury, Kent, England; Yeoman
• Tax records: 1664, Borough of Granaker, Kent, England; Hearth tax
• Civic duty: 15 Jan 1666/67; Quarter Session Jury?
• Grant of Administration: 2 Dec 1686
• Probate Inventory: 3 Dec 1686, Fordwich, Kent, England

Notes:

Churchwarden in Waltham, 1662 (or earlier) to 1664 (names given in PRs in many years)

(Research):Two inventories exist for a Thomas Beacon, dated 1687. One is for Fordwich, Kent, which is clearly this Thomas's (not only was Thomas buried at Littlebourne was 'of Fordwich', and a Dorothy who fits as his wife was also buried there, but admn. was granted the day before the inventory to Dorothy, shown as his widow, a Nathaniel White, I guess a relation of Dorothy's, and a William Beacon of Tenterden, presumably his son).
The other was a Yeoman of Burmarsh, Kent. I did wonder if he had property in 2 parishes, listed separately, but I now believe the latter is for a different Thomas. I'm not sure who this is - could be the son of this Thomas, or the Thomas that the Burke's Landed Gentry item shows as the son of Basil.

Baptised:
From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 10 Feb 2013):
under "1626" - "Thom: Becon filius Tho: Novembr: i9"

Chancery Court dispute:
Accused his late brother William's fiancee(?) of preventing him from inheriting land he should have on William's death.

Occupation:
When he brought a bill of complaint in the Court of Chancery he described himself as "of the Citty of Canterbury yeoman".

Tax records:
A Thomas Beacon was chargeable for a house with 4 hearths. Of the 15 households listed in the borough 13 were chargeable, one with 6 hearths, all others besides Thomas had 3 (3), 2 (5) or 1 (3), so judging by the number of hearths Thomas was one of the most prosperous of this (small) group of households.

The Borough of Granaker was in the "Lower Halfe Hundred of Bridge & Petham", in the The Hundred of Bridge and Petham and in the Lath of St. Augustine.

Civic duty:
A "Thomas Beacon de Waltham gen." was listed on a document with Quarter Session information. The list seems to be to do with jury service.
Of the 8 in Bridge (hundred?) 4 have 'Jur' written next to them, 2 others are shown as dead ('mort'), and Thomas Beacon, along with Thomas Denn of Bishopsbourne are not shown as either.

I will try to understand this better and add more information ...

Grant of Administration:
"The Goods &c of Thomas Beacon late of Fordwich Co. Kent admon granted to Dorothy Beacon relict of deceased
Nathaniel White of Woodchurch, Yeoman
William Beacon of Tenterden, yeoman
bondsmen in £100"
Tyler's index of wills, A.Acl:40, 29 (image on Ancestry, viewed 17 Feb 2013)
(Burke's Landed Gentry also shows that admon. was granted on 2 Dec 1686)

Probate Inventory:
I am transcribing this and will be adding the details - but it's not easy to read!

Buried:
The register very clearly shows  him buried the 22 Dec. However, an inventory of his goods is dated the 3 Dec, and (according to Tyler) admon. was granted 2 Dec.
It looks like an error was made in the burial register. I guess the most likely is that it was written up from notes and the 'd' or 'nd' of 2(n)d was mistaken for a 2, but it's possible the month was wrong and the burial was 22 Nov.

Thomas married Dorothy on 25 Jun 1651 in St. Mary Bredin Church, Canterbury, Kent, England. Dorothy was born about 1626 in (possibly), Woodchurch, Kent, England; was buried on 8 Mar 1691/92 in St. Vincent’s Church, Littlebourne, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
I understand of Woodchurch when she married. However, there were no baptisms of a Dorothy between 1611 when KFHS transcripts start and the baptism of the Dorothy I believe was the granddaughter of this one (gap 1641-61).

Buried:
From KFHS CD 21 - Dorothy BEACON, Widow

Notes:

Married:
I haven't seen the PR entry for myself, and am not aware that it shows Dorothy as a widow but that was normal at the time; often the only clear evidence is the marriage licence.
However, I do think she was probably only a White by marriage, and previously the wife of Thomas WHITE. See notes on that marriage for more thought.

Other Events:

• Occupation: Mersham, Kent, England; Landowner
• Bequest: 1629; ‘Mr. Rogers Doctrine of faith, and some other good books’
• Will: 18 Dec 1659; Written
• Probate: 14 Apr 1660, London, England

Notes:

(from Rootsweb) Research and source notes: Deborah Sweet - 1) From Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952 op cit- "Of Waltham, assessed for subsidy, 1628."

Although Thomas was styled a gentleman, with at least 9 children surviving him, this could have reduced the wealth of the children, hence they did not remain gentry. Some families also suffered wealth-wise from the Civil War - I don't know of any evidence as to what side any of the family took.

Occupation:
Thomas is generally referred to as a gent., not a yeoman, but it is clear that he owned some land at some time.
In 1645/46 one Clement Court, yeoman of Waltham, sold some land in Mersham, and with it was included a passage to the land over land he had bought from Thomas Becon. (document in the West Sussex Record Office, ref. WISTON/4714)

I think he was also left land in Mersham by his father, though with the restriction that this went to his son's Theodore and William after his death.  

Bequest:
Thomas was a beneficiary in his cousin Anthony Becon's will, which included "Item I give to my uncle Beacons children Eighteene shillinge to buy each of them Mr. Rogers Doctrine of faith, and some other good books."

Buried:
From Tyler's index of PR entries (image on Ancestry, viewed 17 Feb 2013)The very poor image the CCA supplied to FMP means this entry is only partly legible, "Thomas [Be]con sen gent [was buried] December the [illegible]"

Thomas married Jane HALKE on 23 Jan 1624/25 in St. Mary’s Church, Brabourne, Kent, England. Jane (daughter of William HALKE and Elizabeth LYSTER) was christened on 27 Nov 1608 in St. Mary’s Church, Brabourne, Kent, England; was buried on 24 May 1639 in St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Christian name given as Jane in marriage record, in the one baptism of a child recorded in English. The entries in Latin give her name as Johannæ and Joannæ; this is usually considered the Latin form of Joan, but there is other evidence of Jane being translated into Latin in this form (instead of Jana)

(Research):Surname at marriage Hawke according to Tyler's index, Dawle according to the KFHS CD. Having seen an image of the page for myself it is very clearly Hawke.

Baptised:
From image of PR on microfilm viewed in CCA on 18 Sep 2014:
"Jane Daughter of Mr Hawke of Bircholt was baptized the 27 of November 1608"

Died:
Buried about a month after her last daughter was baptised, a baby who was buried 2 days after her baptism. It seems most likely that the birth was a difficult one and resulted in the death of child and mother.

Buried:
From PR image
"1639. Jone the wife of Thomas Becon gentelman was buried the 24th day of May"

Notes:

Married:
From image of PR on microfilm viewed at CCA on 17 Sep 2014:
"Januarii 23: Thomas Beaken: gent & Jane Hawke" - under heading 'Anno dni 1624'

Other Events:

• Occupation: Priest
• Alt. Baptism: Abt 1562
• Education: From 1574 to 1579, Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England
• Occupation: From 1587 to 1622, Warehorne, Kent, England; Rector
• Bequest: 1620; In the will of his brother Theodore
• Will: 10 Sep 1638; Written

Notes:

Map of places with which Basil had a link (made before I started using TNG)

There are a no. of Ecclesiastical Cause papers, mostly with Basil as plaintiff, some as Defendant, in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives (sometimes Becon, other times Beacon). (probably in Latin!)
(see http://family.jrank.org/pages/2408/ecclesiastical-courts.html) Indexed on A2A

Basil held 2 acres of land in Warehorne by 1612 - see p.158 in Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland (ed. Eddison, Gardiner and Long, 1998)

Baptised:
1558 Old Style - I've seen image of PR entry 
Church destroyed in the Fire of London

Thomas and Elizabeth may have had another Basil, not shown on the tree, who did not survive infancy, with this being his baptism, as on admission to King's College Cambridge on 27th August 1579 Basil was said to be aged 17 i.e. suggesting he was not born until some 3 years after this baptism.
This was sufficient to convince Bailey that there were probably 2 Basils, and to refer to Basil I and Basil II

However, the age given at his burial was 80, suggesting he was born about 1558.

Occupation:
(more about this elsewhere)

Snippets:

Registers in Waltham change to what I take to be Basil's handwriting in 1610 (between August and October). About the beginning of 1638 change from his to another.

When Basil became Rector of Waltham in 1602 it would appear there was one bell in the church, made by Joseph Hatch in 1602. During his time there, in 1631, 3 more bells were added, also made by Joseph Hatch. In 1800 Hasted mentioned the church had "having a low pointed tower between them, in which there is one bell." Clearly he was wrong but why? - this may indicate that only one of the bells was being used at that time. The four bells were rung until 1996 when they were condemned as unringable. Two new bells were added in 2000, and the old bells retuned, so the 4 bells with the deeper notes in my recording would have been heard by Basil, although sounding a little different. Given his father's views on music, I imagine he may not have approved of churches having more than a single bell; I suspect Basil was not of the same extreme views as his father (although I suspect his brother and nephew may have been)
Bells info: http://kent.lovesguide.com/waltham.htm
The casting of the new bells in 2000: http://www.pawnews.org/bells.htm  

In 1623 a marriage of Waltham yeoman James Harris and his bride Joan White took place in Petham because "because Mr. Beacon, who is minister of the parish of Waltham,
is not at home, neither bath he left any minister to marry them there. July 14, 1623." (recorded on the marriage licence and in Cowper "Canterbury Marriage Licences" (2nd series, p458; KFHS CD 18,  PDF p121).

Occupation:
Basil held more than one living at a time; this and the patchy survival of records mean we cannot be sure from records of his incummbencies when he was living where.
However, both the baptisms of most of his children between 1589 and 1610 suggest he was mainly present in Warehorne; in addition, in the depositions he gave concerning tithes on wood in the parish in 1630 he said he had lived in the parish for "Twenty yeares of thereabouts", having "knowne it above forty yeares", both of which agree with him living there about 1590-1610.

Will:
Basil wrote his last will and testament on 10 September 1638, less than 2 months before his death.
It is in Latin and I have not yet managed to translate it or have it translated.
I believe Basil had had 6 sons and 5 daughters, but 4 sons pre-deceased him, 3 in infancy, and his daughter Rachel who had been the wife of George Young, died some 2 years before her father. The two remaining sons were his eldest, Thomas (my ancestor) and a Basil.

In summary (I think - my very rusty Latin means I may have mis-understood this a bit):
after the usual committal of his body to the earth and his soul to God, Basil mentions his son-in-law Thomas Terrey.
He then makes a number of bequests to the poor in various places with which he was connected:
Poor of War[e]horne 40 solidos to be given by his executor to the overseers of the parish for them to divide the money between the poor within a month after Basil's death.
Poor of Waltham 40s
Poor of Hernehill 20s
Poor of Hawkeinge 10s
Poor of Snave 10s
all to be distributed similarly.

One Edward Browninge and his daughter Helina were then left a bequest

He then mentions 3 son-in-laws George Young, Henry Dunkin and Thomas Terry.

He left a bequest of property in Mersham to his son Basil.
He then left a bequest to Thomas son of his son Thomas, and another to Basil son of his son Thomas.
He then bequeathed all his lands in Mersham to his son Thomas, and after Thomas' death to his sons Theodore and William.

After Basil signed there is a sentence in English:
"This was Acknowledged by him for his last will and Testament in the presence of us." - but the names of the witnesses were not included in the registry copy.

Will reference: PRC 17 / 70 / 431

Died:
It seems clear that there is an error in the transcription of the memorial, concerning the date of Basil's death. The PR entry for his burial is clear.

Buried:
From PR image (p.54):
"[Re]vd Bassel Beacon was Buryed the 6 of November"

Fortunately the Monumental Inscriptions of Waltham Church were noted by the Rev. Bryan Faussett in 1757; because even then, only 118 years after Basil's death,  the wording was "almost gone", with the Rev. Faussett noting "The Inscription for Mr Beacon, I find, after much Pains, to be as follows: ..."

{Arg. 2 pales sa[ble]. each charged with 3 pins or.}. This Coat is on a Flat Stone in ye Middle of The Church, ye Inscription is *almost gone. But it appears to have been in Memory of one Basil BEACON who died in 1638. I find by ye Register, that he was Vicar of this Parish from ye Year 1610 to his Death. (*The Inscription for Mr Beacon, I find, after much Pains, to be as follows:
Here lyeth the Body of Mr Basil Beacon, a zealous Preacher of God's Word, here and elsewhere full 50 Years. And neere unto this Place lyeth his only Wife Ann: his Age 80 Years; hers 70. He died March 16 1638/9. She March 10 1637/8.
Thos His Age was long, his Strength near gone
His Grief most sharp scarce ceasing
Yet himself profest, he then was best
When in the Pulpit preaching.

Basil married Ann COALE on 2 Oct 1588 in St. Michael’s Church, Cornhill, London, England. Ann was born about 1568; died on 10 Mar 1637/38 in Waltham, Kent, England; was buried on 15 Mar 1637/38 in St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
bith yr from age on memorial stone

Died:
Place assumed.died 1637 OS, 1638 NS

Buried:
Transcription at http://www.hastingleigh.com/OPR/Waltham-Early-Burials.html
Record shows "widow of Basil"

Other Events:

• Property: 1609 or 1610, Brabourne, Kent, England; Depositions concerning three pieces of land
• Executor / Trustee: From 1625; For the will of his cousin Richard Halke
• Will: 15 Jul 1640; Written
• Probate: 1642, Archdeaconry Court, Canterbury, Kent, England

Notes:

(Research):

Birth:
There was an inquisition post mortem for William's father Sampson Halke; this gave William's age as 24, suggesting he was born in 1577 or 1578. If this was accurate clearly the baptism could not be his.

Baptised:
From PR entry (thanks to Tim Treml for obtaining image of this)
"Willm Hauke the sonne of Sampson Hauke the ixth daye of October"

This does not quite agree with the age in his father's Inquisition Post Mortem, but I've read that the ages in these documents could be a bit approximate.

Property:
There seems to have been some disagreement about whether three pieces of land, Lampland, about an acre and a half, Churchland, about six and a half acres and an acre and a half of meadow called either Landsmeed or Heddenborough 'belonged' to the Church or was land William Halke or one Sampson Barrow had the right to. Ultimately it must have been part of the Duchy of Lancaster, and so a series of questions were put by representatives of both the Attorney General of the Duchy and of William Halke to a number of local people.

These deponents included Richard Halke of Hastingleigh.

(Please note: while the above is a very brief summary of what I think the case is about, I am still in the process of transcribing and getting to understand the depositions so it may be slightly wrong)

The depositions can be seen at the National Archives, ref. DL 4/55/24. I am seeking permission to put my transcription of them on this website. 

Executor / Trustee:
Quite a bit of work seems to have been required in the execution of Richard's will. It seems to have led to a few disputes. With most of the documentation in Latin I haven't yet discovered what they were all about.

Buried:
From KFHS transcribed data on CD 23:
Mr William HAWKE of Bircholt(n.b. buried the same day as his son Norton)

William married Elizabeth LYSTER on 9 Oct 1599 in St. Mary’s Church, Brabourne, Kent, England. Elizabeth (daughter of William LYSTER and Susanne BARBOR) was christened on 24 Mar 1582/83 in St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Appledore, Kent, England; died after 15 Jul 1642. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
After 1578 as not yet 21 when her father wrote his will in 1599; named before her sister Agnes so probably older than her.

Baptised:
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHC on 4 Aug 2016):
"The 24 Daie of Marche was Christened Elizabethe Daughter of William Lyster & Susanne his wife" - under heading 'Christeninges' for year 15 Mar 1582/83 to xxi Jan 1583/84.

Died:
Wife Elizabeth was still alive when her husband wrote his last will

Notes:

Married:
From the Parish Register (m/f images, viewed at the CCA, July 2015)
"Willm Hawcke and elyzebethe Lister were maried the 9 of october a^o 1599"
These show that the bride's name for 2 consecutive entries is given as Elizabeth Lyster. 
Were there really 2 marriages running for an Elizabeth Lyster? I was at first suspicious that an error had been made, but it would seem there were.
Lyster was not a Brabourne name, but the marriage licence for the previous entry (for a marriage to a John Carpenter) shows that Elizabeth was a widow from Appledore.
I speculated that maybe the 2nd Elizabeth was a relation who met through the first marriage occuring. Now I have seen the will of a William Lyster of Appledore who died in 1599. He left a daughter and a widow Elizabeth; it seems these were the two Elizabeths who married in Brabourne. A note has been added alongside the probate statement for the will, dated 27 Nov 1600, which mentions William Halk, confirming a link between a William Halk and the Lysters in the will.
Further evidence is that Elizabeth Lyster of Appledore had a sister Agnes, who fits as the one who married Boys Ower, with references to the Halkes in their wills.  

Other Events:

• Heraldry: Arms
• Ordained: 25 May 1532; Exorcist and acolyte
• Ordained: 13 Mar 1533; Sub-deacon
• Ordained: 29 Mar 1533; Deacon
• Ordained: 12 Apr 1533; Priest
• Alt. Burial: Jul 1567, Brenzett, Kent, England

Notes:

Thomas Becon has been studied by various people over the years. Some biographical notes have acquired errors which have then been perpetuated by others.
A biography by Derrick Sherwin Bailey in 1952 corrects some of these including:

1. Born Suffolk - see birth notes.

2. Vicar of Brenzett, Kent - not only no evidence, but the information about who was Vicar during the period Thomas was in Kent (1541-3) survives (see the CCED database), and does not include Thomas Becon.

3. S.T.P. (Professor of Theology) or D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) - not only is there no firm evidence of either, but late in his life (in 1561) when Thomas had to submit his qualifications he showed himself simply as having a B.A. In addition, he is only ever referred to as "Mr Becon" and not "Dr Becon". Two drawings of him have the words S T P beneath them; Bailey notes but does not explain this. I wonder if this is due to the alternative meaning of professor i.e. simply teacher, as opposed to holding a University professorship. Not an English use, but this could stem from Thomas's time on the continent (though one picture predates that - but I don't know if the words were there originally).
John Ayer in his biography at the start of the first of the 3 Parker Society volumes of Thomas's work published in the 1840s does show Thomas as S.T.P. but without evidence for this.

4. Ordained in 1538 - this appears to have been calculated from Thomas's comment that he had been in 26 years in ministry. However, it is clear from Norwich Diocese ordination records, seen by Bailey, that he was ordained to minor orders in 1532 and as sub-deacon, then deacon and finally priest in March - April 1533. Thomas's comment must either reflect a mis-calculation or he must have omitted some years when he considered he was not exercising his ministry.       
Thomas presumably had an interest in the church father St. Basil, since he used the name in his pseudonym as well as giving it to one of his sons. The name continued to be used by his descendants into the C19th.

Birth:
Date from events and age given later in his life, place assumed from the following.
Some suggest Suffolk as a possibility but Bailey believes this may be due to some confusing him with his contemporary, John Becon who was from Suffolk. A pedigree by Thomas's son Theodore shows this Thomas's father as 'of Bretenham', so it was probably where this Thomas was born.

Heraldry:

Evidence for Arms

That the Becon family had a coat of arms is indicated by the memorial floor slab in memory of Thomas's son Basil, and by the will of his son Theodore. In addition, Harris's "History of Kent" (1719) describes the arms of "Beacon of Canterbury". I did enquire of the College of Arms (9 Aug 2011) what it would cost to learn about the arms described by Faussett as on Basil's memorial stone and who was granted them etc.; as I was quoted £750 I wouldn't be pursuing this! But I have also discovered since then that Thomas seems to have researched this as he noted that the College of Arms has no record of arms being granted or allowed to the family. Given that the arms were borne by both Basil and Theodore they would appear to have inherited them from their father.

How did Thomas become armigerous?

Whether Thomas had assumed them illegally or the necessary paperwork has not survived I know not, but think it must have been the latter.

In 1530 Henry VIII conferred on the College its duty of the heraldic visitation. The provincial Kings of Arms were commissioned under a royal warrant to enter all houses and churches and given authority to deface and destroy all arms unlawfully used by any knight, esquire, or gentleman. These visitations resulted in many individuals being charged and heavily fined for breaking the law of arms. Hundreds of these visitations were carried out well into the 17th century; the last being in 1686.
With Thomas frequently complaining of a lack of money it seems most improbable that he would have risked further penury and suffering to his family for such a vanity as displaying a coat of arms.

From the Wikipedia article about the College of Arms it is interesting to note that in 1805 it was written that the College "at no time since its establishment, was in higher estimation, nor in fuller employment, than in this reign." Henry VIII's fondness of pomp gave the heralds plenty to do, but that did not mean the King treated them well, and he having granted their chapter house to his mother they were forced to gather as a chapter in whichever palace the Royal Court was in at a given time, or any other convenient building - sometimes the home of one of them. Under such circumstances it is easy to imagine that the records of some grants could have gone missing. However, it seems highly improbable that Becon would have assumed arms at this time.  However, it was not until the reign of Mary that the College were granted a new house, by a charter of 1555. Thomas's closest links to the Royal family were in the reign of Edward VI, when he was chaplain to Protector Somerset's household. I think it most likely that it was at this time that he was granted arms.
The granting of coat of arms within the United Kingdom is the sole prerogative of the British monarch. Although this is delegated to the College of Arms (in England), arms can also be gained by a grant from the Crown - my guess is that this is what happened in Thomas's case.       

The Becon arms - appearance

Faussett records the arms on Basil's memorial as being "Arg[ent]. 2 pales sa[ble]. each charged with 3 pins or." - similar though not identical to the description provided by Harris "Argent two pales sable on each two palmer's staves or." Given that Faussett also noted that the inscription was "almost gone" it is easy to imagine that the palmer's staves had become sufficiently worn as to appear to be simple pins. The main question concerning the design of the arms then is whether there were 2 or 3 on each pale.

In addition a coat of arms consists of a shield with mantle, helmet, wreath and sometimes a crest and supporters.
All I believe we have for the Becon's is the description of the shield.

But to me a more interesting is to consider the meaning.

The Becon arms - meaning

The meaning in the arms is primarily in the design elements. In the case of the Becon's there are 2 main elements:
1. the pales (i.e. the two black vertical stripes)
Pales indicate military strength.

2. the palmer's (or pilgrim's) staves
The shepherd's watchfulness; Christian faith; pastoral authority; also, Episcopal jurisdiction and authority; often refers to early pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

But the colours used also have something to say. In the case of the Becon arms the background is argent (silver or white) - this indicates peace and sincerity; the pales are sable (black) - for constancy or grief and the staves or (gold) - for generosity and elevation of the mind.

Ordained:
(1532 Old Style date i.e. after ordination as exorcist and acolyte)

Ordained:
Only about 2 weeks after his ordination as a sub-deacon

Ordained:
Only 2 weeks after his ordination as a deacon (and 4 weeks after ordination as a sub-deacon)

Alt. Burial:
It is said that in his will Becon said he wanted to be buried at Brenzett - though there is no mention of either Brenzett or his burial in his last will, of which I have a photocopy. That will was a nuncupative will (i.e. he dictated his wishes on his death bed, which were recorded formally after his death), and probably as a result are brief; maybe his wishes concerning his burial was in an earlier will which although it would have not had any force, may still have been taken to express his desire and been carried out.
It is also said that his name does not appear in the burial records, but a curious upright burial found under the steeple is said to be his.
I am inclined to think, though, that this is as false a rumour as that he was at one time incumbent of Brenzett, although if true it maybe what gave rise to the rumour, or perhaps he spent some time in the parish - when hiding in Kent? - which may have led both to the myth he was incumbent and to his wish to be buried there.

Buried:
If not buried in the Cathedral, probably somewhere in Canterbury.
The Cathedral records only go back to 1570 which could explain the uncertainty.

Thomas married Elizabeth GODFREY between 1549 and 1552. Elizabeth (daughter of William GODFREY) was born est 1520 in (probably), Winchester, Hampshire, England; and died. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Elizabeth's son Theodore Becon in a pedigree for submitting to the College of Arms showed his mother as 'Elizabeth daughter of William Godfrey of Winchester in Hampshire marchant'

Birth:
Based on husbands date of birth and dates her children were baptised

Notes:

Married:
What is the evidence that Thomas's wife was one Elizabeth Godfrey? -

Theodore Becon, son of Thomas, in a pedigree for submitting to the College of Arms showed his mother to be 'Elizabeth, daughter of William Godfrey of Winchester in Hampshire marchant'.
Thanks to Lucy Beacon for pointing out that Thomas's wife is named in the Oxford DNB; following up a reference from that article led me to D. Bailey, 'Thomas Becon: some additional biographical notes', N&Q, 227 (1982), 402— 4, which has the information about the pedigree submitted to the College of Arms.

Evidence for the children of Thomas Becon
"A New Catechism", 1560 - "The preface of the author unto his children, Theodore and Basil, his two sons, and Rachel, his only daughter: grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and alone Saviour, through the mighty operation of the Holy Ghost, be with you, my dear children, both now and for ever. Amen.

After that it pleased the Lord my God to call me unto the holy state of honourable matrimony, and to bless me with the increase of you, not of you only, but also two more of your brethen, named Theodore and Christophile, which now rest in glory with our head Christ; ..."
(vol. 2 of the Parker Society 'Works of Thomas Becon', 1844, p.4)

Could Thomas have had more children after he wrote "A New Catechism"? The archivist of the King's School Canterbury has come across a Thomas who could be his son. I have been looking for more evidence of a son Thomas; whilst I haven't found any if he died young there quite likely wouldn't be any surviving.

With their first child probably born no later than 1552, Thomas and Elizabeth probably married between clerical marriage being sanctioned early in 1549 and 1552.

Other Events:

• Chancery Court dispute: Brabourne, Kent, England; For the discovery and performance of an agreement regarding land sold to John Bull
• Will: 16 Oct 1601; Written
• Probate: 14 Mar 1601/02, Archdeaconry Court, Canterbury, Kent, England
• Inquisition Post Mortem: 3 Jun 1602, Greenwich, Kent, England

Notes:

Another Sampson, of Wye, left a will in 1488 - this could be the great or 2x great grandfather of this Sampson, but I think was most likely the brother of this Sampson's great grandfather.

A Sampson Halke married in Eastry in 1597: "Julie 19. Sampson Hawke & Marye Gladwell[? - well part not clear in grainy img on FMP]". I suspect the marriage was not of this Sampson since he was married to a Jane when he died in 1601/2. Could it have been a son Sampson? Unlikely, since no wills seem to mention any son other than William.

A Sampson of Sandwich, quite likely the one who married in 1597, died in 1601 leaving a will which shows his wife was called Mary at the time of his death, so it probably was that one who married in Eastry in 1597.
He (or they) need not be closely related to this Sampson; the name may have reflected an old family name being used - see my Halke page for more information.

Birth:
From the age shown in his father's  inquisition post mortem.
I think it means he was aged about 24 when the inquisition was held in 1563, not when his father died in 1558 (if I am wrong about this he was born in about 1534).
I am working on transcribing and translating the IPM; the picture should be clearer once this is completed.

Chancery Court dispute:
John Bull had agreed as part of the sale to sell and convey a moiety thereof to Sampson, the plaintiff.

(TNA ref.: C 2/Eliz/H4/31)

Inquisition Post Mortem:
As expected, his son William is named as his son and heir.

This is held at the National Archives, document ref. C142/269/43.
I have photographed this and begun transcribing and translating it, and will be adding both transcript and translation to this website in time.

Buried:
From transcribed data on KFHS CD 23:
Sampson HAUKE of Bircholt

Sampson married Mistress Jane MUSCHAMP before 1566. Jane (daughter of John MUSCHAMP and Helen GAYNSFORD) was christened on 3 Aug 1548 in All Saints’ Church, Carshalton, Surrey, England; died in Jun 1618; was buried on 14 Jun 1618 in St. Mary’s Church, Brabourne, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Bequest: 1578; From her uncle Thomas Muschamp
• Will: 14 Oct 1617; Written
• Probate: 3 Jul 1618, Archdeaconry Court, Canterbury, Kent, England

Notes:

Baptised:
From FamilySearch,
Shows Jane Muschamp, daughter of John

Bequest:
"I give and bequeath unto my Cosin Margarett Hodgeson nowe the wief of [blank] Hodgeson of Wingham in the Countie of Kente and unto my Cosin [blank] Hawkes, nowe the wief of [blank] Hawkes of [blank] in the saide Countie of Kente, beinge twoo of the daughters of my saide brother John Muschampe Fourtie shillinges in money, viz To eyther of them Twentie shillinges".

Buried:
From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 8 May 2019)
"[1618:] Mastris Jane Haulk Buried Juni 14: 1618"

Notes:

Married:
Jane was described as 'Jane now wief of Sampson Hawke' when her aunt Mary Muschamp wrote her will, on 16 Oct 1566.
That Jane was a Muschamp was suggested by Sampson's will describing a sister of Jane's as Elizabeth Muschamp, wife of John Grey - the only reason for giving another surname for Elizabeth seemed to be to show the link to Jane. Hence I am confident that the reference in the will of Mary Muschamp is to the right Jane and Sampson Hawke.

Other Events:

• Misc.: Owned a Bible
• Also known as: William DeLYSTER
• Surname change: Abt 1580; Delyster → Lyster
• Bequest: 1598; In the will of Paschall Slowman
• Occupation: 1599, Appledore, Kent, England; Yeoman
• Will: 20 May 1599; Written
• Probate: 25 Jun 1599, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, London, England

Notes:

(Research):  "The Archdeaconry of Canterbury court was limited to the boundaries of the Archdeaconry. " In most dioceses there was more

Birth:
Based on approximate dobs of his daughters and estimate of marriage date.
Under 21 when his father wrote his will, so born no earlier than 1546.

Misc.:
Although it is not specifically mentioned in his will, and it seems a probate inventory has not survived, it seems clear that William owned a Bible from the will of his daughter Agnes. In her will one bequest is:
"I will and bee queath unto Boys Ower my sonne ... and my bybell which was my fathers".

Surname change:
William Delyster and William Lyster are clearly one and the same; not only did both live in Appledore, with similar surnames, but:
William Lyster mentions a sister Eleanor, wife of Edmund Watts of Harrietsham in his will, as well as a brother-in-law who I find was married to Christian Barbor.
William Delyster's father, in his will, mentions a daughter Eleanor wife of Edmund Watts of Harrietsham, and William Delyster married one Susanna Barbor.

He appears to have dropped the 'de' between the baptism of two of his daughters in Oct 1580 and the burial of his daughter Elizabeth in February 1581/82; entries in the ATs for Appledore are consistently Del[i/y]ster before this date, Lyster afterwards. Although the dropping or incorporation of prefixes such as 'de' and 'at' was common around the time by-names (names like surnames but not inherited) developed into inherited surnames, and some seem to have persisted for a few generations, before a change was made, this seems very late for such a change. What also happened with surnames is that those of immigrants were often Anglicized, and I wonder if that was happening here. There was a strong Dutch presence in the Appledore area and nearby towns, and it is possible William's surname was from a Dutch ancestor.

Bequest:
Paschall Slowman of Appledore wrote his will 4 Feb 1593/4, and it was proved in April 1594. In it he left a dublett to William:
"Item I give unto William Lyster my best Dublett"

Occupation:
At the time William wrote his will.

Will:
Several relations mentioned whose links I have yet to work out:

* kinswoman Gillian Marshall (previously wife of John Widowes [Widhouse - Woodhouse? of Brenzett])
* brother-in-law George Apsley (if I have the right George Apsley)

George was probably not the husband of a sister of William, as neither he nor his father mention such a sister / daughter in their wills. It is unlikely that neither would unless she was only the daughter of William's mother not father. It could be that George was William's 2nd wife's brother, or George's wife the sister of either wife.

Others mentioned in William's will, but with no mention of them being relations:

William Curtis, Jurat of Tenterden - appointed executor
The Canterbury Probate Records database lists the wills of 5 men of Tenterden with this name. Three died in the C18th so can't be William's executor; of the two who could be one died between 1625 and 1630 and the one died in 1631.

The Curtis family is well represented in monuments in the church and gravestones in the churchyard, one of the earliest monuments is to a Stephen who died in 1654, and who had been the Mayor. I suspect that William Lister was employing William Curtis to act as executor, rather than leaving the task to a family member, but this is just a guess. I will look at the 2 wills that could be of William the executor to see if any family of William Lister's are mentioned.

George Chute and the Slow(e)man family
When William died he was bound in Recognizannce to George Chute the elder esq. for £2000 for the paymente of legacies to John and Mathewe Sloweman, sons of the late John Sloweman of Breed, Sussex, due when each reached the age of 21, gifts of Pascall Sloweman late of Appledore.

I don't know whether William Lister was related to George Chute or the Slowmans; that there may be a link is suggested by William's brother in law George Apsley of Benenden (if I have identified the right George Apsley) naming a son Pascall. In addition, a Slowman (an uncommon surname) of Benenden had left a will early in the C16th, making a Slowman : Apsley link more likely. Also, Pascall Slowman also refers to a George Apsley as his brother-in-law in his will.

Died:
Between writing his will and it being proved.

Buried:
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHC on 4 Aug 2016):
"[?] therof [Maii] Wylla  Lyster a good ma[n] to the fatherles and wido" - under heading 'in 99' [1599]
(date hidden by fold in register; Tyler noted as 20th)

William married Susanne BARBOR on 14 Jan 1580 in St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Appledore, Kent, England. Susanne (daughter of BARBOR) was born est 1556; was buried on 11 Nov 1586 in St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Appledore, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Estimate from date of marriage and estimate of her husband's dob

Buried:
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHS on 4 Aug 2016):
"The 11 daie of November was buried Susanne wife of William Lyster" - under heading 'Burialles', under heading for period 28 May 1586 to Jan 1586/87.

Notes:

Married:
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHC on 4 Aug 2016):
"The 14 of Januarye Wyllm delyster and Susanne Barbor" - under heading 'Maryages' for year 27 May 1579 to 3 May 1580.

Notes:

I've seen a suggestion that a Thomas Becon of Brettenham, Norfolk may have been the father of the Thomas b c 1511, but I don't know what the evidence is for this.
He appears to have died young (unless he was an older father) as Thomas (b c 1511) had a step-father when a young man.

Thomas married [ - ? - ]. died after 1546. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

As a young man Thomas had a step father, so his mother must have remarried following his father's death. There is documentation of Thomas going to visit his mother after his step-father's death.

Died:
Was still living when her 2nd husband died

Other Events:

• Occupation: Winchester, Hampshire, England; Merchant

Notes:

William's grandson Theodore Becon in a pedigree for submitting to the College of Arms showed his maternal grandfather as 'William Godfrey of Winchester in Hampshire marchant'

Birth:
Very approximate - based on estimate of his daughter's date of birth

Other Events:

• Residence: Bircholt, Kent, England
• Occupation: Yeoman
• Overseer: 1531; To the execution of the will of William Payne
• Miscellaneous: 1552, Bircholt, Kent, England; The 1552 Church Inventory
• Will: 7 Nov 1558; Written
• Probate: 19 Apr 1559, Archdeaconry Court, Canterbury, Kent, England
• Inquisition Post Mortem: 1563

Notes:

The will of Wm Payne of Hastingleigh in 1531 mentions William Halke of Bircholt yeoman - presumably this William.
If this William was, as I think he probably was, the William who married Agnes Rose, then there is a connection to the Payne family since Agnes's sister Joan married Thomas Payne - is this how William came to be mentioned?
(of course there could be other Halke / Payne links - the same few relatively well-to-do families might well have intermarried a number of times)

(Research):Was William Joan's father?
Am I right in showing William the father of Richard, Christopher, Sampson and William as also the father of Joan?
Hasted (British History Online) shows that Joan's father William only left only Joan, daughter and heir.
A Court of Chancery case show that William who wrote his will in 1558 was father of Richard and son of another Richard; an inquisition post mortem for this William (i.e. who died in 1558) shows that he was the father of the four sons attached here.

Hasted also shows that Joan's father William died in the reign of Elizabeth I. If Hasted is right about this, and has not, for instance, muddled two Williams then he must be wrong about Joan being the only daughter and heir. If she was an only daughter and heir I think her father must have been another, earlier, William.

Hopefully William's will will clarify this.

Was William married to Agnes Rose? 
I think this probably was the William Halke who married Agnes Rose, daughter of Thomas. Both had sons called Richard, and 'the other' Richard seems to have been born between 1505 and 1527, which ties in very nicely with this William's son Richard. I would like some more confirmation before merging the two, though.

Even if I am right, and William was married to Agnes Rose, and I now suspect she was my 11 x great grandmother. When I only knewof William's children from his IPM his siblings had the large gap between them in age, but since seeing his and other wills I know there were other sons not mentioned. Also, William appears to have died a widower and to refer to his wife's grave as though he had only had one.

Further evidence that this William was the one married to Agnes Rose:
I think the best evidence may be by comparing the property that a Richard Halke inherited from his grandfather Thomas Rose (as specified in Thomas's will and subsequent Court of Chancery disputes) with property mentioned in the will of Richard of Wye of 1578 (brother of Sampson) and the Richard who died 1588 (a more distant relation). I now have copies of both wills but have not had time to study them.
   

Birth:
Based on when I think his eldest known child was born.

Residence:
From 'The Visitation of Kent, 1619' and William described himself as 'of Bircholt' in his will, although he was buried in Wye.

Occupation:
From his will and elsewhere.

Overseer:
When one William Payne died in 1531 he made his wife Margerye his executrix, but appointed two overseers, including William Halke of Bircholt (described as a yeoman). William was to receive 10 shillings for his pains.

I wonder if William Payne was the son of this William's sister-in-law Joan Rose and her husband Thomas Payne? They appear to have married after Joan's grandfather John wrote his will in 1501/2, so if he was their son William would not have been aged more than 30. His will seems to refer to sons (under the age of 17) and one or more daughters (under 16); aged 30 this would be possible.

Miscellaneous:
William was one of the two inhabitants named in the inventory ordered by Edward VI.

Will:
Shown in the Canterbury Probate Records Database with places Brabourne, Bircholt and Wye. (Ref: PRC/17/31/124)
This will is mentioned by his son Richard in a Court of Chancery Case in 1563 and is quoted from in William's inquisition post mortem, also in 1563.
Wills were often written shortly before someone died, but my reading of the PR entry for his burial and of his when his will was written show both the same day!

Buried:
Date from inquisition post mortem and from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 5 Aug 2015)
"Wyllym Hawke was buryed the vii day of Novebr A^o ut sup^a" - the year being given by the heading 'Buryalls in the fyft and syxt yeres of ow sov[e]rayne Lord & Lady kyng Phyllyp and Qwene Mary'
(the burials under this heading start in July and this is in the November of the same year)

William married Agnes ROSE between 1505 and 1511. Agnes (daughter of Thomas ROSE) was born est 1495; died before 1558. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Bequest: 1511; From her grandfather's wife, Agnes Rose

Notes:

I think that is was Agnes not an Alice who married a Halke from Christian name recorded in a Chancery case C1/1002/4-7 (but not yet transcribed and I may have mis-read it)

Birth:
Estimated from estimate of date of marriage, and taking into account dob of last known child (assuming her husband did have only the one wife). More likely a couple of years earlier if she had married by 1511.

Bequest:
Agnes' step-grandmother, widow of John Rose, left to an Agnes Halke "suentyme [sometime] my servant" who I think was probably this Agnes "myn old violett gown".

Died:
Her husband William requested being buried next to his 'wiff'.

Notes:

Married:
I did estimate 1517 from approximate dob of first known son - though there could be daughters or chidlren who didn't survive born earlier. Agnes was not married when her grandfather Thomas Rose wrote his will in 1505, but I suspect she was the 'Agnes Halke' named in the will of this Agnes's grandfather's wife, Agnes Rose (formerly Andrew). That will refers to 'Agnes Halke suentyme my s[er]vant' but I don't think being servant to Agnes wife of John Rose means she couldn't also have been her step-granddaughter.

Was it this William, i.e. the father of Sampson and his siblings, who died in 1558, who had been married to Agnes Rose?

Both Thomas Rose, father of Agnes, and the Richard Halke who died in 1546 left bequests to the children of William, namely Richard and Thomas. That points very strongly it being the William son of Richard who died in 1546 who married Agnes. 

Clearly this William was the son of a Richard, but was he the son of the Richard who died in 1546? Sampson who died in 1488 also left a son Richard, could he too have had a son William?
Having examined the wills there is nothing in that of Sampson (d. 1488) to suggest he owned anything outside of Wye. By contrast, the John who died in 1492 left property in Hastingleigh, Elmstead and Brabourne to his son Richard. And the Richard who died in 1546 left property in Hastingleigh and Elmstead to a godson (who I suspect was also a grandson). There is no mention of Brabourne - perhaps that land had already passed to his son William in his lifetime.

When Agnes's grandfather John ROSE wrote his will in 1505 he referred to 4 daughters of his son Thomas, all of whom were unmarried.
By the time Thomas wrote his will in 1526 she was married.
This points to William and Agnes marrying between 1505 and 1526, and to them having had 2 sons by the time Thomas wrote his will, so the marriage must have been at least a little before 1526.
This ties in with William whose IPM shows he had a son Richard, the oldest named in the document, born about 1518.

The more I look at the wills and other documents the more I think that it was my ancestor William who was married to Agnes Rose and that his father was the Richard who died in 1546.

For example, William's son Richard, clearly the son of this William since he mentions brothers John, Sampson and Christopher in his will, and sister Joan, etc., appears to have had the same servant as his probable grandfather Thomas Rose. He left bequests to Prowdes, relations of Agnes Rose's (though this alone would not be good evidence, since the way a certain social class intermarried it is quite possible they were also relations on his father's side).  

The large gaps in ages between the children named in William's inquisition post mortem could be due to them being from different marriages. The span, though, is not too great for one mother and it could simply be that there were children in the middle who pre-deceased their father or were female (and so not mentioned in in inquisition post mortem). Looking at William's will and other documents not only shows evidence of one or more daughters, but also of 2 sons living when he died but not named in the IPM.

The 's' at the end of a word can be hard to distinguish from a flourish in old hand-writing, but there is nothing after 'wiff' in the request in William's will (register copy) for him to be buried in Wye Church 'besides my wiff'. Since there was no bequest to a living wife, this does suggest William was only married once and Agnes was the mother of all of his children.
(Unless an 's' in the original will was mis-read as a flourish when the register copy was made; unfortunately the original will appears not to have survived).

Other Events:

• Residence: Mitcham, Croydon, Surrey, England

Notes:

Birth:
Shown in Surrey vis as 2nd son
Date given as 1509 in 'Mitcham Pedigrees' probably using Blanch or his source; this also shows 'place' as 'Mychan' - presumably Mitcham. I guess this reflects where he lived not where he was born.
Allport (1841) citing an old pedigree in the British Museum records:
"Itm. John my sone was borne the viij^th Daye of May the First yere of
kyng Henry the viij^th And his godfathers S^r John legh & Willm
polkyn & his godmother m^ris Scott."

Residence:
According to the Surrey vis. His older brother Ralph inherited the family property in Peckham.

Died:
Living when his brother Christopher Muschamp wrote his will in 1579.

Buried:
I think this is probably his burial. The description of him as 'Gentleman' fits his status as given elsewhere.(From the Greater London Burial index by Cliff Webb, on FMP, from the City of London Burials, 1538-1812, vol. 1), date given as 18 Jan 1587, not clear if OS or NS, but also in Boyd's burial index, with year as 1586, suggesting it was 1586/7.

John married Helen GAYNSFORD est 1538. Helen (daughter of Robert GAYNSFORD and Agnes BARKER) was born est 1520; and died. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Named in Surrey vis (p.41)

Birth:
Probably her father's youngest daughter at the time he died, as she was named after her sisters in his will.

Notes:

Married:
John was married more than once, and the Collectanea topographica et genealogica ('CTG') and The visitations of the county of Surrey ('Surrey vis') disagree about which wife was the mother of which children, each showing the reverse of the other!
The dates of baptisms of the children and the burial of John's wife Anne seem to point to the mother's being as shown here.
I hope there may be surviving wills for members of the wives' families which may confirm this.

Other Events:

• Will: 2 Dec 1566; Written
• Probate: 7 Jan 1567, Archdeaconry Court, Canterbury, Kent, England

Notes:

Died:
Between writing his will and being buried

Buried:
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHC on 4 Aug 2016):
"the xii day of Dessembar was buryed John delyster" - under heading for year 1566  to 1567.

John married Eleanor. Eleanor was buried on 30 Jun 1573 in St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Appledore, Kent, England. [Family Group Page] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
Living when her step-daughter Bennett wrote her will in October 1569.
The probate inventory survives for an 'Elinore Holnes or Holmes' of Appldore, dated 1574, so perhaps it is more likely that she died in 1574 than 1573.

Buried:
* I am not certain this is the right burial *
From AT entry (image on microfilm, viewed at London FHC on 4 Aug 2016):
"widdow holmes was buried the xxx^th Daye of June A^o 1573"
The burial was quite likely Eleanor's but I can't be sure. The existence of a probate inventory made the following year suggests she may have died then; this could be the burial of her brother-in-law John's widow.