Family:Whitney, James (s1500-1564)

James Whitney (Eustace, John, [possibly] Eustace, Robert, Robert, Robert, Eustace, Eustace, Robert, ...), of Clifford, Esq., born say 1500 (based on the fact he was the administrator of his father's will in 1525 indicating James had the legal capacity to act and thus must have been at least 20 to 24 years of age - ABB), son of Eustace Whitney, of Gorsington, Esq., and his wife ----- Vaughan, the daughter and heir of William Vaughan, the tyrant of Clifford. Eustace Whitney was the son of John Whitney, of Gorsington, Clifford Parish, Herefordshire. John inherited Gorsington from his wife ----- Walter, the daughter and heir of John Michael Walter, by the dau. and heir of Sir William Gorsington, of Gorsington, Knight.

James Whitney married firstly, Sibyl Parry, daughter of Henry and Alice (Milbourne) Parry of Newcourt. Henry was the son of Miles ap Harry and Jane Stradling (dau. of Sir Henry Stradling). Sibyl's sister was Blanche Parry, nursemaid to the Queen, who left a will dated 1589.

He married secondly, Margaret (-----) Bromwich, a widow, parentage, birth, and first husband's name unknown. She died in 1568.

James Whitney made his will on 18 May 1562 and it was probated 14 Nov 1564.

In the name of god amen xviii die mensis Maii Anno Domini 1562 I James Whitney of Clifford being sicke of body and in perfect remembrance praise be unto god doe make this my last will and testament in manner and fourme following, ffirst I commend my soule unto almightie god my maker and redemer and my body to be buried in the Church of Clifford / Item I doe give and bequeath unto the Cathe- drall church of Hereford iij s iiij d Item I doe give and bequeath unto Eustaige Whitney my sonne and heire six oxen and six kin__ / Also I doe give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Whitney my daughter for and towards her marriage forty poundes and one featherbed with appertenances Item I doe give and bequeath unto Blanch Whitney my daughter towards the preserment of her marriage forty poundes and one fetherbed with the appertenances / Item I doe give and be- queath unto Ellinor my Daughter forty poundes and one fetherbed with the appertenances / Item I doe give and bequeath unto Katherin my Daughter towards the preserment of her marriage forty poundes and one fetherbed with the appertenances Item I do give and bequeath unto Jane Whitney my Daughter towards the preserment of her marriage forty poundes and one featherbed with the appertenances Item I doe give and bequeath unto every one of my saide daughters iiij pewter disshes and eche of them one brasse pott and one brasse panne if there be so many over and besides my best pott and panne which I doe give unto Eustace my sonne aforesaid, yf there be not so many thenne do I will as many pottes and pannes as there be of myne shalbe distributed amongst my saide daughters by the discression of my executors Item I doe give and bequeath unto Myle Whitney and James Whitney my sonnes eche of them six poundes xiij s iiij d Item wheras Ricc Vaughan by a certaine writing obligatiory is indetted unto me in the somme of twenty poundes I will my executors shall doe their indevor to recover the same twenty poundes of the same Ric Vaughan and yf they be therof paied then _______ after suche _____ and payment thereof had I will that my saide executors shall paie the same unto Myle and James my sonnes aforesaid by even porcions to their owne use and as my gifte and legacy unto them Item I doe give unto Elizabeth and Katherin my daughters aforesaid all my flax and hempe now being sowen Item I doe give unto Eustaige Whitney my said sonne ij fetherbeds with their appurtenances Item I doe give and bequeath unto the said Eustage my sonne my black stoned horse Item I doe give unto my v Daughters before named all the woll nowe being in my house to be evenli distributed amongst them Item wheras I have six poundes xiij s iiij d in mortgaige uppon the landes of Richard Dayowe in Glasbury and six poundes thirtene shillings and iiij d uppon the landes of David ap John in Clirowe if the same monney by paid in redemption of the same landes Then due I give and bequeath the same severall sommes of money unto Thomas Whitney my sonne and in the meane tyme untill yt be redemed I doe give the same landes in Glasbury and Clirowe and all my estate tytle and interest therin unto the said Thomas Whitney my sonne and to his heires and assignes Item I doe give and bequeath unto the said Thomas my sonne tenne ___ which is in the handes of Harry Thomas ap John and in the handes of a sister of the saide Harry together with the hier of the saide tenne Kien(?) Item I doe give unto the saide Thomas Whitney my sonne my graye stoned horse with a saddell and a bridle Item if anny of my saide daughters happen to die before they shalbe married Thence I will her legacyes so dying shall r___ and be distribu- ted amongest the rest of my daughters then living / Item I doe give and bequeath unto Howell Penoyer my sonne in law two steres of my best steeres Item I do give my best gowne and Satten dublett unto Eustaige my saide sonne Item I doe give one other gowne to Thomas Whitney my saide sonne Item I doe give and bequeath unto Roberte my sonne tenne poundes Item I doe give unto William Whitney my sonne six poundes xiij s iiij d Item I doe give unto Eustaige my sonne my silver salte and twelve spoones of silver And of this my last will and testa ment I doe ordeine and make Richard Whitney my brother William Whitney my cosen Eustage Whitney and Thomas Whitney my saide sonnes my full and whole executors and my verry frende and cosen Sir Robert Whitney Knight and my sonne in lawe Howell Bennoydr my oversears These Being witnesses Edward Heyward Vicar of Clifford William Davis Lewis ap Yvan Watkin ap Rosse William Vaughan and Thomas ap Harry and others

He named a brother in his will, and listed William Whitney and Richard Whitney, but it isn't clear which he was naming his brother.

He named "frend and cosin S[ir] Robert Whitney Knightt" in his will.

Will of Margaret Whitneye, late the wife of James Whitneye Esquier Deceased, dated 20 Oct 1568.

"I bequeath my body to be buryed within my Parish Church of Norton" (Canon) --

"Item I give to the reparations of the said Church 6s|8d -- Item to the Poormens box there 2s|. Item to the Cathedral Church of Hereford 12s. Item to the Vicar of Norton 3s|4d" --

"Item to my son Thomas my best Gelding.

"Item to my daughter Elizabeth Broning 7 kyne & a bull my feather bed, coverlett bolster blanketts & pilows a silver spoune my best pott & panne 4 of platters 4 pottingers 4 oz sawsers a payer of hurden shets my best hanging & two Candlesticks of the beste a grey mare & a colte"

"Item I give to Elizabeth Phillipps two kyne a silver spone my seconde pott & panne & two platters" --

"Item I give to Jane Wallwen two Kyne a silver spone the third brasse potte a fether bedde a bolster two platters" &c

"Item to Margaret Fryr" -- similar bequests --

"Item to Margaret Hopley" -- similar bequests --

"Item I will that my Executors shallpay yerely to Syr William Skryven during his lyfe 16d|"

"Item I give to Anne Bull 2 kyne" &c

"Item I give to Richard Fryser 8 Bushels of Rye --

"Item I will that my Overseers of this my will shall provide lyghte and tydye gownes for 4 pore men and women & to ordayne everye thing decente and mete for my buriall & that the same pore people shall resorte once every quarter to the parish Church & to have every quarter --"

"Item I give unto Kataryn Helleye a corse gurdell with a buckell & pendante to the same doble gilte --

"Item I give to Thomas Frycer two heyfers to increase & make him a Stock

"Item I give to Anne Hopleye a heffer & a coverlett a bolster &c --

"Item I give to Sibyll Gybbens one heffer &c

"Item I will that my executors shall see my servants payd there wages yf they be behynde & to distribute amonge them for theire paynes takinge about me in syckines 2s|6d apece --

"Item I give to the oldwoman that tendethe me for her paynes an old cassocke and a hatte --

"Item I do will that John Gibbons my Cosyn shall have the coffers wherein my evidens where I have in my custodie concernings my former husbands landes be and he to see them to be sorted out truly and that he with one of my executors shall delyver the same evidence after my decease which belong to Sarnesfyld to my son Thomas and all the evidences of Leomynster -- concernynge John Morris landes to kepe the same or to deliver ytt to suche persons or person as my sonne in lawes shall agree to deliver yt unto to their uses and behoof for my dischardge as my trust is in him only & my said cosyn to have for his labour & paynes takeinges 1£.6s.8d to be paid & delyvered by my Executors. Also I give to thesaid John my best saddell brydell & all thinges belonginge to the same and 3 stone of wolle which is unsolde and to Phillippe his wife my best ring --

"Item I give to Anne Feycer a duble ribande of sylke with two pounds of sylver & gylte weyinge 10 oz --

"Item I geve & delyvr. to Johan Phillipps my daughter one payer of beds of blacke Jette with gawdes of sylver and doble gylte --

"Item I geve to Hughe Bull my sonne in lawe 8 Bushls. of Rye --

"Item I geve to Edward Drax my old servante 30 Busls. of Rye &c --

"Item I geve to Thomas Bromyard a blake cote & 4 Busls. of Rye &c

"Item I geve to Davyd Morrys & Richard Ap powell and to 6 Busls. of Rye between them

"Item I do hereby confesse before God & the world that I have received of Edwarde Drax my servante a perfect acompte of all my rents and all other receipts which he have resceaved from the beginnings of the world untill nowe to my use and behoffe & also have receaved of the said Edwarde & Thomas Grene all such somes of money as was due by them to paye unto me for their tacks of swyne &c"

"Item I doe further ordaine constitute & make John Strete of Leomynster gentylman & John Gibbons my cosyn to be my hole & sole executors of this my laste will & they to see all my legacys aforesd. to be performed & delivered to such uses as I have geven the same unto & that they to make restitution yf I have taken anye mans good wrongfullye & alsoe to see my debts in any wise to be payd unto suche persons as I doe justelye owe unto as alsoe to see me honestlye buryed whan God do call for me. And I doe further will that my executors and overseers shall make or cause to be made a true inventory of all my cattells goods moveable & unmoveable not before geven or bequeathed & the whole of my household stuffe &c the same to be prysed & to see my debts payed to Elizabeth and Katerin Bromwch. my daughters & my funerall chardges to be payed &c. And the overplus I will that my executors shall distribute as they shall thinke good according to the trust I have reposed in them satisfyinge themselves for theyre paynes & travell &c. And also my speyall truste is to see my neighbours & all those that have anye occupyinge of landes under me that they and every of them maye enjoye their bargayne & premyses which I have made unto them.

"Item I geve to my sister Barrett my great maser which is my coffer at Leomynster for her life and she to leave thesame to one of her brothers my late husbands children. Also I will that Edward Drax & my executors shall rewarde & geve to the poore fatherless wenche whiche is with me as shall seme good to theyre discrtions --

"Wytnes at the publishinge redeinge and" --

"The rest torn away."

This record probably applies to this James Whitney of Clifford, Gent.:

CP40/1154 pt2 image 2808f. (Easter Term 1553) mem. 887f. Herefordshire: Hugh Welshe of the City of Hereford, mercer, by his attorney, against James Whytney of Clyfford, gent., in a plea to pay him £20 owed and unjustly detained.

Children of James Whitney, birth order unknown:

i.	Eustace Whitney, Esquire, of Clifford; born say 1525, m. Constance Vaughan.
ii.	Elizabeth Whitney, unmarried in 1562, of Newcourt in Bacton at her death in 1583. Her will dated 10 Dec 1583 mentions father James Whitney, brothers James and Thomas Whitney, sister Katherine Whitney, base sister Jane Whitney, "cosin" (nephew?) Robert Vaughan, and niece Elizabeth Jones.
iii.	Blanche Whitney, unmarried in 1562, apparently the goddaughter of her Aunt Blanche Parry, mentioned in her will and the will of her brother Eustace in 1599.
iv.	Elinor Whitney, b. say 1550?, d. Mar 1596, m. 14 Oct 1571 St. Mary le Bow, London, Richard Bull, d. Deptford, Kent. She was buried at Deptford (greater London area) 19 Mar 1596. The Widow Mrs Eleanor Bull owned the house where playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe was slain by Ingram Frizer in 1593."
v.	Katherine Whitney, unmarried in 1562, and still in 1583.
vi.	Jane Whitney, unmarried in 1562.
vii.	Myles Whitney.
viii.	James Whitney, mentioned in his sister's will.
ix.	Thomas Whitney, m. Margaret (Thomas) Parry.
x.	Robert Whitney, Paul C. Reed stated "alive when mentioned in his father's will in 1562, and thus not Robert of Castleton in Clifford who died in 1555. He appears to have been still in school in 1562."
xi.	William Whitney. He appears to have still been in school in 1562.
xii.	Anne Whitney, "my base daughter".

References

1. Elwyn Ll. Evans, "The Whitneys of Clifford, Herefordshire: Forebears of the Duppa Family of Hollingbourne, Kent," typescript at Hereford County Record Office.

2. Whitney, Henry Austin, Memoranda Relating to Families of the Name of Whitney in England, (Boston: 1859).

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Copyright © 2006, Tim Doyle and the Whitney Research Group