John Seymour (died 1491)
Encyclopedia
John Seymour of Wulfhall
, of Stapleford
, of Stitchcombe and of Huish
, all in Wiltshire
(c. 1450 - 26 October 1491) was warden
of Savernake Forest
and a significant English
landowner
in the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset
.
He was the grandfather of Jane Seymour
, one of the queens of Henry VIII of England
, and thus great-grandfather of King Edward VI
.
(c. 1425–1463), who had been a Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire
and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
, by his marriage to Elizabeth (born about 1436), daughter of Sir Robert Coker of Lydeard St Lawrence
, Somerset. Seymour's father died in 1463 and he succeeded his grandfather, another John Seymour
, on his death in 1464.
As warden of Savernake Forest
, Seymour tried to restore the ancient boundaries of his bailiwick
. At the forest eyre
at Marlborough in 1464, and at the following eyre in 1477, he made wild claims. In June 1485 he was able to obtain letters patent
to establish "the bounds of the Forest of Savernake before the perambulation of Henry III", and at the eyre of 1491 he used this to claim that the Farm and West bailiwicks of the forest extended from the Ridgeway
and Pewsey
in the west to the edge of Hungerford
in the east.
In 1489, on the death of his cousin Margaret Coker, the wife of Sir Reynold Stourton, Seymour inherited the Somerset manor
s of West Bower in Bridgwater
, Moorland in North Petherton
, and Cokers in Wembdon
.
, Wiltshire, by his marriage to Margaret Stourton (born c. 1433), a daughter of John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton
, and of Margery or Marjory Wadham; and with her had four sons and four daughters:
Seymour married secondly a daughter of Robert Hardon and had one son, Roger Seymour (born c. 1480, died before 1509), of Andover
, Hampshire
.
Wulfhall
Wulfhall or Wolfhall is an early 17th century manor house and the site of a deserted medieval village in the civil parish of Burbage , on the edge of Savernake Forest, in the English county of Wiltshire...
, of Stapleford
Stapleford, Wiltshire
Stapleford is a village and civil parish about north of Wilton, Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Till just above its confluence with the River Wylye...
, of Stitchcombe and of Huish
Huish, Wiltshire
Huish is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.- Location :Huish is situated on the south-facing edge of the Marlborough Downs, where the downs adjoin the Vale of Pewsey.Position:...
, all in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
(c. 1450 - 26 October 1491) was warden
Warden
Warden may refer to:Officers: having care or custody of some institution; the word is related to guardian.* Warden , head of some University colleges and academic institutions...
of Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
and a significant English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
landowner
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
in the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
He was the grandfather of Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, one of the queens of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and thus great-grandfather of King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
.
Life
Seymour was the eldest of the three sons of John SeymourJohn Seymour (1425–1463)
John Seymour of Stapleford in Wilton, Wiltshire, and of Wulfhall in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.-Life:...
(c. 1425–1463), who had been a Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire
Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Wiltshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of England from 1290 to 1707, of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote...
and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
, by his marriage to Elizabeth (born about 1436), daughter of Sir Robert Coker of Lydeard St Lawrence
Lydeard St Lawrence
Lydeard St Lawrence or St Lawrence Lydiard is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 416...
, Somerset. Seymour's father died in 1463 and he succeeded his grandfather, another John Seymour
John Seymour (died 1464)
Sir John Seymour of Wulfhall in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, and of Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset was an English knight and member of parliament.-Life:He was the son of Roger Seymour Sir John Seymour of Wulfhall in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, and of Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset (c. 1395, c. 1400 or 1402...
, on his death in 1464.
As warden of Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
, Seymour tried to restore the ancient boundaries of his bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
. At the forest eyre
Eyre (legal term)
An Eyre or Iter was the name of a circuit traveled by an itinerant justice in medieval England, or the circuit court he presided over , or the right of the king to visit and inspect the holdings of any vassal...
at Marlborough in 1464, and at the following eyre in 1477, he made wild claims. In June 1485 he was able to obtain letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
to establish "the bounds of the Forest of Savernake before the perambulation of Henry III", and at the eyre of 1491 he used this to claim that the Farm and West bailiwicks of the forest extended from the Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
thumb|right|thumb|The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countrysideThe Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road...
and Pewsey
Pewsey
Pewsey is a large village, often considered a small town, at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire about west of London. It is well connected to London, the West Country and Wales being close to the M4 motorway and the A303. Also, the village is served by Pewsey railway station on the...
in the west to the edge of Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
in the east.
In 1489, on the death of his cousin Margaret Coker, the wife of Sir Reynold Stourton, Seymour inherited the Somerset manor
Manor
-Land tenure:*Manor, an estate in land of the mediaeval era in England*Manorialism, a system of land tenure and organization of the rural economy and society in parts of medieval Europe based on the manor*Manor house, the principal house of a manor...
s of West Bower in Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, Moorland in North Petherton
North Petherton
North Petherton is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the eastern foothills of the Quantocks, and close to the edge of the Somerset Levels.The town has a population of 5,189...
, and Cokers in Wembdon
Wembdon
Wembdon is a rural village near Bridgwater, in Somerset, England.Wembdon is now home to an Anglican church, a small shop , a pub, a small garage and a fruit juice processing and packaging plant.-History:...
.
Marriage and issue
Seymour married firstly Elizabeth Darrell (born c. 1451), daughter of Sir George Darrell (died c. 1474) of LittlecoteLittlecote House
Littlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire near to Hungerford. The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
, Wiltshire, by his marriage to Margaret Stourton (born c. 1433), a daughter of John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton
John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton
John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton was an English soldier and politician.-Life:He was born at Witham Friary, Somerset, the son of Sir William de Stourton , Speaker of the House of Commons, and Elizabeth Moigne.Stourton served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1426, 1433 and 1437, Somerset and Dorset...
, and of Margery or Marjory Wadham; and with her had four sons and four daughters:
- Margaret Seymour (born c. 1468), married Sir Nicholas Wadham and had two children, Jane and Nicholas Wadham
- Jane Seymour (born c. 1469), married John Huddlestone of CumberlandCumberlandCumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
- Elizabeth Seymour (born c. 1471), married John Crofts, EsquireEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
- Sir John Seymour (1474–1536), knighted in 1497 after the Battle of Deptford Bridge, the father of Jane SeymourJane SeymourJane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
(1508–1537). - Catherine Seymour, who died unmarried.
- Sir George SeymourSir George Seymour-Life:He was a younger son of John Seymour and Elizabeth Coker or Croker.He was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1498....
, High Sheriff of WiltshireHigh Sheriff of WiltshireThis is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in 1498 - Robert Seymour
- Sir William Seymour KBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(born c. 1478, died c. 1503), married Margaret Byconnyll
Seymour married secondly a daughter of Robert Hardon and had one son, Roger Seymour (born c. 1480, died before 1509), of Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.