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Alice SKIRRETT

Alice SKIRRETT

Female Est 1558 - 1632  (~ 74 years)    Has 5 ancestors and 516 descendants in this family tree.


 Set As Default Person    

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  • Name Alice SKIRRETT 
    Relationshipwith Teresa Ann GOATHAM
    Born Est 1558 
    • I suspect Alice was some years younger than her husband. Her last child was born about 1594, suggesting she was born no earlier than 1544. Dying in 1632 she could have been born that early, but given that I think an Edward who didn't die till 1640, and one of whose sons was baptised as late as 1624, was her brother I think it unlikely . Edward may have been some years younger than Alice, and / or could have had sons in old age, but that Alice was a younger wife is the more likely explanation.
    Gender Female 
    Residence From 1600 to 1608  Breage, Cornwall, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    • Lived in Breage with her second husband, Francis Godolphin. Clearly returned to Tavistock after his death, but I don't know when; I am guessing quite soon after.
    Miscellaneous Abt 1615  St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    Erected monument to her husband, Judge John Glanville 
    • Mrs. Bray describes the effigy of Alice thus:
      "In front of the Judge, but beneath the figure, kneels, in a praying attitude, the effigy of Dame Glanville. This, too, is so characteristic, that it must have been an excellent likeness. She is also noseless [like John]; but truly estimating her by what remains of her face, one would be led to fancy her husband had made, as many other wise men have done, rather an unfortunate choice in his partner for life. The forehead is low and mean; and the whole expression of the countenance conveys a strong idea of a proud, cross, disagreeable woman. And if the dress is correct, and there can be no doubt it is so, she must have been as fond of finery as good Queen Bess herself was known to be; and as proud of it as a peacock of his magnificent tail. Seneca described woman as "an animal fond of dress." This is rather severe upon the ladies, and ought to be confined to those of Dame Glanville's order; ... Her dress, then, is the most extravagant representation of the most formidable array of the days of Elizabeth. Her buckram waist, like armour, padded sleeves, ruff and farthingale, are all monstrous; and her double-linked gold chains are grand enough for the lord mayor. On the whole she looks so very formidable, that thus seen stationed before the Judge, she might be considered as representing Justice herself, but it would be in her severest mood."
      Although Mrs Bray refers to Alice as 'Dame Glanville' I have seen no evidence that she was a Dame before her marriage to Francis Godolphin. She was certainly Dame Godolphin by the time this monument was created.
      Regarding Mrs Bray's comments:
      1. While it is certainly true that Alice does look stern, unlike her jolly husband, this monument was not in memory of her as well as John, but rather erected by Alice in memory of John; surely it would have been inappropriate to portray the grieving widow looking happy?
      2. I do think Alice was a strong woman, especially considering the Chancery Cases with which she got involved as a widow. I would, though, think that it would have been good for John to have a strong, capable wife and that she may therefore have been a good choice. She would have had to run the household, and presumably been in sole charge during his absences in London for the law terms, and during the rest of the time his work must often have taken him away from home.
      3. I know little about Elizabethan / Stuart dress and am not in a position to judge Mrs Bray's comments; I will try to compare her costume of other similarly placed women in portraits and sculpture.
      4. Mrs Bray's writing about Alice was published in 1838, a time when the psuedo-science of phrenology was popular, that led Mrs Bray to the view which I'm sure seems to most of us ridiculous of equating a low forehead with meaness.
      5. It seems to me that it is showing the names of the spouses of each of her children i.e. the 'good' marriages that they had made, that shows her to be proud at least as much as the effigy of her.
      (more about the monument on John's page)
    Will 7 Apr 1631 
    Written 
    At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
    Died 2 Apr 1632 
    • Alice's IPM clearly shows the date of her death as 2 April ("obiit se[con]do die Aprilus ultimus").
      If 'vicesimo' were missing then the gap between death and burial would be more usual, though I have seen a reference to other burials of 'posh' people being some time after death - I need to find out more about this.
    Buried 26 Apr 1632  St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    • From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 25 Apr 2016)
      "26 The Right worshipfull the Lady Alce Goodolphen was Buried the 26 day being thursday" - under heading 'Aprill 1632'
      According to Vivian Alice's burial is also recorded in the PR for Breage, but checking the register (images on FamilySearch) there is no entry for this, or any mention of her burial, at least not on the pages covering 1632. I think Vivian must have accidentally recorded the wrong parish.

      In her will Alice had asked to be buried in the chancel of Tavistock Church, next to her first husband, so unless this wasn't discovered until too late it does seem most likely that this is where she was buried.
    The Glanville Memorial
    The inscriptions on the Glanville Memorial
    Location of the Memorial
    Probate 30 Apr 1632  Prerogative Court of Canterbury, London, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    Inquisition Post Mortem 23 Aug 1632  Okehampton, Devon, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    • Fairly unusually for a woman it would appear Alice held land direct from the crown, since an IPM was held to establish who the rightful heir was (and whether they were a minor).
      (I have photos of the two surviving copies, but have not yet attempted to transcribe or translate them). 
    Also known as Alice GODOLPHIN 
    Siblings 5 brothers and 3 sisters 
    Patriarch & Matriarch
    Thomas SKIRRETT,   b. Est 1495,   d. Aft 1524  (Age ~ 30 years)  (Grandfather) 
    Thomasine LANDERE,   b. Est 1530,   bur. Between 3 May 1594 and 3 May 1595, St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 64 years)  (Mother) 
    Person ID I19965  All | Teresa's direct ancestors
    Last Modified 15 Nov 2022 

    Father John SKIRRETT, Gent.,   b. Est 1525,   d. Bef 1572  (Age ~ 46 years) 
    Mother Thomasine LANDERE,   b. Est 1530,   bur. Between 3 May 1594 and 3 May 1595, St. Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, Devon, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 64 years)
    Other Partners: John GLANVILLE  m. Abt 1572  
    Married Bef 1560 
    • Thomasine had been married to John Skirrett before she married John Glanville (according to Chancery case of 1630 - TNA ref. C 2/ChasI/S55/8)

      A son of her son William Skirrett was born about 1584, so the marriage was unlikely to have been any later than 1560, given that William was her third son.
      Alumni oxonienses shows an age for William at matriculation suggesting he was born about 1562; her children are not likely to have been born closer than a year apart suggesting the oldest born no later than 1560, possibly a few years earlier.
    Offspring
    • Names and birth order of sons John, Edward and William recorded in answer in Chancery Court case, TNA ref: C 2/ChasI/S55/8. Thomas is not mentioned in that document (possibly because neither Thomas nor any descendants were livng, or at least had no claim to compete with those in the case), but he is in the Skirrett pedigree in Vivian (citing information provided by Edward for the 1620 visitation); the visitation however makes no mention of John or William so the order of all 4 sons is not clear. Son William named a son Anthony, and an Anthony married in Plymouth in 1598 - possibly Anthony was a son of John and Thomasine as well.

      Vivian shows 3 daughters of John and Thomasine. Alice clearly was their daughter from the Chancery case, the other two shown by Vivan, Margery and Loveday, are not mentioned in that Chancery case. The date of both marriages  would mean they were marrying relatively late in life, if they really were daughters of Thomasine and John. Whilst possible I think they are more likely the daughters of another John (if their father was named as 'John' in the marriage licence info that Vivian saw). Loveday at least appears to have had children both by her marriage to Henry and a subsequent marriage; if she had been the daughter of John and Thomasine as Vivian shows she would have been too old. (I suspect the marriage licence info does not name their father, and am guessing they were the daughters of John and Thomasine's son William - to be investigated further).

      In addition, Mary is described as a sister of Alice in an answer in a Star Chamber Case (see birth notes of Mary for details).
      The unnamed daughter is from a reference in a Chancery Court case deposition in which Edmund Dunriche claims he and 'Justice Glanvill' had married two sisters.
    Family ID F8369  Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Judge John GLANVILLE, M. P.,   b. Est 1542,   d. 27 Jul 1600  (Age ~ 58 years) 
    Married Est 1579 
    • Names of children (and their birth order) and their spouses from monument to John in Tavistock Church (erected by Alice)
    Children 7 children 
    Photos
    John and Alice Glanville and their (headless) children
    John and Alice Glanville and their (headless) children
    It is curious that the effigies of the children have been beheaded (5) and disappeared altogether (2), while John and Alice have remained more-or-less intact (some damage to their noses seems to have occurred but been repaired).
    Mrs Bray and others claim the damage was done by parliamentarian troops during the civil wars. While noting that there is no evidence given Gerry Woodcock notes that the "family ... at Kilworthy, provided ... the most prominent spokesmen in Tavistock of the royalist…
    Last Modified 4 Oct 2018 
    Family ID F7814  Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Sir Francis GODOLPHIN,   d. 23 Apr 1608, Breage, Cornwall, England See the place on a map and other information about it - if available (many more will be in time); also all individuals with events at this location 
    Other Partners: Margaret KILLIGREW 
    Married 25 Dec 1600 
    • Must have married between her 1st husband's death and the date on a lease assignment which refers to her as the wife of Sir Francis (i.e. bet 27 Jul 1600 and 20 Feb 1603/04)
      (I've only seen the catalogue entry, not the actual document)

      Date shown from Vivian (Cornwall Visitations), citing Enys MSS.
    Last Modified 20 Jun 2018 
    Family ID F7829  Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    Lady Alice Glanville (née Skerret)
    Lady Alice Glanville (née Skerret)
    As represented on the tomb she had erected in memory of her 1st husband in Tavistock Church. Notes by the tomb include a comment that the carvings were said to be good representations, I don't know the source of this comment and hence reliable this comment is.