Ancestral Trails 2016 » JOHN SMYTHE (-1538)

Persoonlijke gegevens JOHN SMYTHE 

• Hij is geboren op 24 februari 1499/00 in Corsham, Wiltshire.
• Beroepen:
• Yeoman and Clothier.
• juni 1536 Surveyor for Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife.Bron 1
• Assistant to King Henry VIII.
• High Sheriff of Essex.
• Hij is overleden in het jaar 1538 in Corsham, Wiltshire, hij was toen 38 jaar oud.
• Een kind van ROBERT SMYTHE en AGNES

Gezin van JOHN SMYTHE

Hij is getrouwd met JOHANE BROUNCKER.

Zij zijn getrouwd in het jaar 1517, hij was toen 17 jaar oud.

Kind(eren):

1. Robert SMYTHE  1526-> 1591
2. Richard SMYTHE  1530-????
3. Anne SMYTHE  1532-????
4. Jane SMYTHE  1534-????
5. Elizabeth B SMYTHE  1535-???? 
6. Henry SMYTHE  1524-> 1591 
7. THOMAS BROUNCKER SMYTHE  1522-1591 
8. John SMYTHE  1520-1563 

Notities over JOHN SMYTHE

Biography
By Steve Hunt

John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire was a beneficiary and co-executor of the will of his father, Robert Smyth, of Corsham, Wiltshire in 1513. He, along with his brother, Philip, were bequeathed leases, lands and mills. The mills were most likely situated on the By Brook, in and near Slaughterford, near Corsham. The mills would have been used for processing wool to make cloth.

The ownership of a mill or mills in this area is also evidenced in the will of John himself in 1538 and in the will of his eldest son, also John, the will made in 1563 and proved in 1570.

As John does not appear to be a minor in his father's will of 1513 then perhaps John was born before 1492. John Smyth married Joan Brouncker/Brunker of Melksham, perhaps around 1518.

John Smyth was recorded as a witness to the will of Philip Smyth of Corsham in 1530. Presumably this Philip was the brother of John.

John Smyth died sometime between April and November 1538 and, assuming his will was implemented, he was buried at the church of Saint Bartholomew in Corsham, Wiltshire.

John was recorded in the visitation of Kent 1619-1621 as John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, father of Thomas (Customer) Smythe and in the Horspoole pedigree in the visitation of London in 1568 as John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, father of Elizabeth, wife of Symon Horspoole.

On the memorial to his son in law, Simon Horspoole, at All Hallows Lombard Street, City of London he was noted as "John Smith of Cosham, in the County of Wiltshire, Gent".

The Will of John Smyth 1538
A summary of the will of John Smyth, 1538 by Steve Hunt

In his will made on 01 Apr 1538 and proved on 08 Nov 1538, John was described as John Smyth, Clothier of Cosseham (Corsham), Wiltshire. His will was to be buried in the churchyard of Saint Bartholomew in Corsham. He listed his children as John, Thomas, Henry, Robert, Richard, Anne, Jane and Elizabeth. He noted that his father in law, Robert Brunker, had given him eight score pounds for his children and he willed that this money should be given to his children.

He also noted that Robert Brunker had given him twenty pounds for Henry Ffryse and he willed that this money should be passed to Henry Ffryse, or if he should die, then to his brother Thomas Ffryse.

He bequeathed all his plate to his eldest son, John, but if John should die before marriage then it should pass to his second son, Thomas, followed by his third son, Henry etc. His wife Johane [Joan] was to be custodian of the plate until John should be married, and at the time of his marriage one moytie should be delivered to John and the other moytie remain with Johane during her widowhood.

He willed that his wife should keep the profits of his Weavers Mill in the parish of Slaughterford (for nine years, should she remain a widow for that time) and the profits of all his other stock and goods during her widowhood. Johane was to pay Henry Brunker of Melksham, his brother in law, twenty pounds per year for nine years to pay the sum of nine score pounds given to him by Robert Brunker.

Johane was requested to bring up the children using the profits of his mill, stock etc. If she should remarry then she would receive one hundred pounds on the condition that she released all her rights to the estate of her husband to their eldest son, John. If his son, John, should not marry then all his legacies were to be divided between the other children according to the discretion of Henry Brunker. His executors were named as his wife, Johane, and his son, John Smyth.

Other Notes
By Steve Hunt

The father of John Smyth has been ascribed by others (see below - 'Earlier Biography') as Richard Smith, a Merchant Tailor of London. This appears to be based on the Inquisition Post Mortem for Richard in London in 1529 (he died in 1527) in which his son and heir was a John Smith, and John’s wife was named Joan. This John Smith (who was also a Merchant Taylor of London) inherited various properties in London and there is no link at all with Corsham, Wiltshire. In the absence of any link with Corsham, Wiltshire, and, given the clear linkages between the wills of Robert Smyth of Corsham (1513) and John Smyth of Corsham (1538), it is clear that the Richard and John Smith of London are a completely different family to the Robert and John Smyth of Corsham.

Others have also linked the John Smith, Sheriff of Essex in 1532, with John Smyth of Corsham. However, the list of sheriffs reveals a John Smith as Sheriff of Essex both in 1532 and 1539. As it seems likely that it was the same John Smith in both 1532 and 1539, that would rule out John Smyth of Corsham as he died in 1538. Perhaps John Smyth (1498-1543) of Rivenhall, Essex and latterly Blackmore, Essex is a better candidate for Sheriff of Essex [see wikitree Smyth-469]. He was wealthy enough to acquire Blackmore priory and land in the area of Blackmore from the King for £563, property that had been previously owned by the monastery of Waltham, Holy Cross in Essex. The will of John Smyth of Corsham suggests he was a man of some local significance in the Corsham area but not one of substantial wealth and hence a very unlikely candidate to be a Sheriff of Essex.

As to whether John Smyth of Corsham was a knight of the realm, it would appear clear that he was not. He was simply referred to as John Smyth in his will of 1538, in the Horspoole pedigree in the visitation of London in 1568 and in the Smith pedigree in the visitation of Kent in 1619. On the memorial to his son in law, Simon Horspoole, he was recorded as John Smith, gent.

This is not the first time that Robert Smyth of Corsham has been indicated as the father of John Smyth of Corsham, a correspondent to the Gentleman’s magazine in 1830 having travelled this path before.

Earlier Biography
John Smyth was born the son of Richard Smyth and Isabella R. Smyth; he was born in 1495 in Corsham, Wiltshire, England. His father was called a "Yeoman," meaning an independent landowner and local notable but not a nobleman. In addition to owning land, Richard Smyth was a successful wool and cloth merchant at a time when Wiltshire was among England's primary wool-producing counties. He was also a clothes manufacturer (clothier) and associated with various merchant guilds in the City of London. He owned several London properties in addition to the family seat in Wiltshire.

Richard Smyth could trace his direct male ancestry back to several Members of Parliament (House of Commons) for Chippenham District (which included Corsham), the oldest being Edward Le Smyth, who served under King Edward II (1307-27).

In 1518, John Smyth married Joan, daughter of Robert Brouncker of Melksham, Wiltshire. They had 5 sons and 3 daughters: John, Thomas, Henry, Robert, Richard, Anne, Jane and Elizabeth. Joan was born ca. 1500 in Corsham, Wiltshire. Her mother was Ursula Gouldinge Brouncker

John took over his father's affairs on his death in 1527, expanding his wool manufacturing and cloth sales. He was well-known in the City of London and apparently introduced at the court of King Henry VIII who knighted him (Sir John then changed his name to Smythe to distinguish himself from the more-common Smiths or Smyths) and named him High Sheriff of Essex (ca. 1528). This was more an honorary position than one of actual governance and it demonstrates royal backing for Sir John Smythe and his family.[10]

Sir John Smythe died in September 1538 in Corsham, Wiltshire, and his Will was proven on October 8, 1538. He left his widow, Joan B. Smythe, a life interest in his woolen mills at Corsham, their ownership to revert to his oldest son John, on her passing. This Will demonstrates that between 1518 and 1538, John Smythe was married only to Joan who was the mother of all of his 8 children.

Sources
↑ Will of Robert Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire. 07 May 1513. PROB 11/17/374. National Archives.
↑ Will of John Smyth. Clothier of Corsham. 1538. PROB 11/27/357. National Archives.
↑ Will of John Smith of Cossham, Wiltshire. 1570. PROB 11/52/498. National Archives.
↑ Will of Philip Smyth of Cosham, Wiltshire. 26 Mar 1530. PROB 11/23/263. National Archives.
↑ The Visitation of Kent. Taken in the Years 1619-1621. The Publications of the Harleian Society Vol XLII. Edited by Robert Hovenden 1898.
↑ Visitation of London 1568. Publications of the Harleian Society 1869. Edited by Howard and Armytage.
↑ Seymour R esq (1733) A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, Borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent. London.
↑ The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, for the Year 1830. Volume 100. Article 13 Dec 1830. P 487.
↑ Debrett's Complete Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, http://books.google.com/books?id=Ru4UAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA611&l
↑ http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=smithh2&id=I14923 - includes sources & a transcription of Richard Smyth's Will of 1527, that gives John's age: 31+.
↑ http://www.geni.com/people/Sir-John-Smythe-High-Sheriff-of-Essex/6000000009677198940 - includes resume of Will.
↑ This eliminates Alice Townhende as a possible spouse. She was married to a John Smythe of West Yorkshire, not Wiltshire. No contemporary records list any other wife than Joan B. for Sir John Smythe. Note added by Chet Snow, January 23, 2015.
SOURCE: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smythe-19

'The family of Smithe, or Smythe, from which sprang the Lords Strangford, was settled at Corsham in Wilts in the time of Henry VIII. John Smythe, a substantial yeoman and clothier, who married a daughter of Thomas Brounker, died at Corsham in 1538 (another source has his death occurring in 1568 which seems more likely), leaving his wife a life interest in his mill, with the reversion of it to his son John, as well as his other property.

John Smythe's eldest son, named after his father, married a daughter of John Lygon of Richard Castle, Herefordshire, to whom a grant of arms was accorded.

To Thomas, his younger son, born in 1522, he left a farm in the Hundred of Amesbury, Wilts, of the value of £20 per annum. Thomas, who must have been about sixteen years of age at the time of his father's death, came up to London with the intention of seeking his fortune ... '
SOURCE:Introduction to THOMAS SMYTHE - COMMONLY CALLED CUSTOMER SMYTHE - written by J.F. Wadmore, A.R.I.B.A. Published in Archaeologia Cantiana, being Transactions of the Kent Archaeological Society vol. XVII, 1887, pp 193-208.

Knowing that John actually lived in Corsham, Wiltshire, England, it seems that he moved his business to the water ways of Bristol, England in order to facilitate the raw wool into a finished product as well as have a means of distribution. As the industry had a royal charter to operate, accompanied with John’s good name and reputation he could do most anything he wanted even to the extent of carrying goods into and out of the country secretly in order to avoid paying duties or taxes on the goods. Through some investigation by other Smythe researchers, we have discovered that
"...15 Bristol merchants from the 16th century recently identified as being involved in a smuggling ring, ten served as mayors, sheriffs or MPs of the city. Some were all three. Others included customs officers, a mayor of Gloucester and even senior officials in the navy. The Bristol men included some of the city's most important 16th century figures--including John Smyth, who founded the fortunes of the Smyth family...and Nicholas Thorn, a major Bristol benefactor and the son of Robert Thorn, the principal Bristol backer of Bristol's early voyages of discovery to North America.For such men, with power and wealth behind them, crime really did pay."

The researcher made a point to show that there was a John Smyth (of Ashton Court) and a John Smythe (of Corsham) also in on it. Personally, I believe they were one and the same. This research ties him into many things and reconfirms his being a sheriff. John was indeed a powerful and influential man of his day. It is believed that John lived until the age of 65 when he died about 1568. Some say he died in 1538. But how could that happen if he was granted arms in 1545 (unless it was granted to his first son, John, after his death, upon which I have found no record to prove or disprove) and given an estate by the crown in 1550. -- http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ja7smith/1500s_Direct.html5.

More about John Smythe:
John started out as a Yeoman and Clothier; otherwise, a merchant that took his father's company and made it grow. John added the "e" to the end of their name, most likely after obtaining the post of High Sheriff in order to help further distinguish himself as an up and coming Elite. In order to become a Sheriff, you must be in good favor with the Crown. To be anywhere near the crown, one must be of good stature within the country and people. It seems that his father, Richard, established a good business and did well for himself which propelled his son to an even greater standing within the community. John probably acquired a contract with the King and did well. And as a reward for his good service to the crown, he was given the title of Sheriff. The sheriff was a representative for the crown in a particular area to help govern the land. As John was no doubt of good standing with his people and now the crown, the title would seem fitting. We discovered John's age, based on the Inquisition of his father's will. Which help discover where he lived (Corsham, Wiltshire, England) or owned property. John married Ms. Joan Brouncker about 1521.

The following information on the Smythe branch was graciously provided by Paul and Dorothy Tobler ((XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)):

"After the death of the said Richard Smyth, the said Wm Wilforde & his co-feoffees were seised of the sd premises to the use of the sd John Smyth. ... "The sd John Smyth being so seised enfeoffed thereof Tho Crumwell, John Bylsdon, Rd Ryche, Guy Crafforde, Wm Gynkes, Rd Holte, John Bodnam, & John Stuk'ey: to hold to them and their heirs to the use of the sd John Smyth & Joan his wife, & the heirs of the sd John Smyth for ever" (Abstracts of IPM relating to the City of London returned into the Court of Chancery: Part I, I Henry VIII to 3 Eliz, 1485-1561 (124 Chancery Lane: British Record Society, Ltd., 1896). Hereinafter cited as London IPM 1.). Died in 1538. Probate on 8 Oct 1538 Wiltshire PCC 21 Dyngeley (Squibb, Visitation Pedigrees.).

There was also this following excerpt:

"Of 15 Bristol merchants from the 16th century recently identified as being involved in a smuggling ring, ten served as mayors, sheriffs or MPs of the city. Some were all three. Others included customs officers, a mayor of Gloucester and even senior officials in the navy. The Bristol men included some of the city's most important 16th century figures - including John Smyth, who founded the fortunes of the Smyth family of Ashton Court, and Nicholas Thorn, a major Bristol benefactor and the son of Robert Thorn, the principal Bristol backer of Bristol's early voyages of discovery to North America. For such men, with power and wealth behind them, crime really did pay." Year 1547: 1554 Mayor John Smyth, John Smyth Sheriff, Thomas Harris. Giles White Sheriff, William Tindall, John Cutt
SOURCE: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ja7smith/Genealogy_of_William_Smyth.html#GENERATION_I

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