Ancestors of Mandy Willard

John BROWNE (c1500-1546)

and Jone (?-?)

John Browne and Jone may have been my 13x Great Grandparents.

John Browne's date and place of birth/baptism are unknown, to me.  He made a Will on 30 April 1546, a transcript of which is below.  In 1524 he leased the Manor of West Hoathly in Sussex.  He was a Farmer and dug for Iron Ore to supply the furnace at Chiddingly.

Jone's date and place of birth/baptism are unknown, to me.

John Browne and Jone had 9 known children:

1. Thomas Browne would seem to have been the eldest son and was appointed executor of his father's 1546 Will.  He died in 1581.  He inherited the lease of the West Hoathly Manor, and on 21 January 1559/60 he purchased the freehold of the property.  He then lived at The Priest House in West Hoathly village.  He married Elizabeth.  (Was her maiden name Teynton or did her sister marry a Mr. Teynton?

   Thomas and Elizabeth had 9 known children:

   1. Thomas Browne was the eldest son and remained a Bachelor.  He was buried on 16 April 1627 in West Hoathly.  He was unbusiness like and left his brother Edward to maintain the family affairs.  Thomas did not leave a Will.

   2. Edward Browne was also a Bachelor and was buried in West Hoathly on 6 October 1627.  At the death of his father in 1581, he along with his brothers Thomas and George were working lands near to the village of West Hoathly and held the properties Whitestone, Webbes Mead and the Manor House opposite the Church.  After the death of his mother he inherited a third of the properties owned by his father.  It is most likely that Edward was involved with the Wealden Iron Industry, from which he became a wealthy man with a higher standard of living than his parents.  He left a Will in which he appointed his cousin Richard Teynton (vicar of West Hoathly from 1614-1643) and Joseph Browne of Coombe the overseers of his estate.  The main beneficiaries where his nephews John Browne and Nathaniel Browne who were to become joint Lords of the Manor.  He also mentioned, nephews Allan Browne and Thomas Browne who had just married Catherine Comber

   3. George Browne died in the Spring of 1613 after a long illness.  He married Sara.  They had 1 known son:

      1. Nathaniel Browne was born in the Autumn of 1612 and was 6 months old when his father died.  He was buried on 8 June 1687 in West Hoathly.  He was raised and cared for by his Bachelor Uncles Thomas and Edward, and Widowed Aunts Joanna and Bridget, at The Priest House.  His Uncle William Fieldwick was responsible for sending Nathaniel away to school and university.

      After George's death, his widow married Francis Lullingden of East Grinstead on 16 April 1616 in West Hoathly.  (They may have been my 11x Great Grandparents and will eventually have their own page.)

   4. Abel Browne was born about 1556 in West Hoathly.  He was buried on 18 September 1625 in West Hoathly.

   5. John Browne was born about 1562 in West Hoathly.  He was buried on 14 September 1608 in West Hoathly.  He married Mary.  They had 6 known children:

      1. Thomas Browne was born about 1588 in West Hoathly.

      2. John Browne was born about 1594 in West Hoathly.

      3. Mary Browne was born about 1695 in West Hoathly.

      4. Elizabeth Browne was born about 1598 in West Hoathly.

      5. Susan Browne was born about 1602 in West Hoathly.

      6. Allen Browne was born about 1607 in West Hoathly.  He was buried on 1 December 1683 in West Hoathly.

   6. Joanna Browne married Mr. Marten.  Under the terms of her brother Edward's 1627 Will she received £3 per year together with a lump sum of £30 and half the "household stuffe".  Her grandchildren John Easton and his sister Elizabeth Easton were also mentioned in her brother Edward's will.

   7. Bridget Browne married Mr. Watson.  Under the terms of her brother Edward's 1627 Will she received £3 per year together with a lump sum of £40 and the other half the "household stuffe".  They had 2 known sons:

      1. Jonathan Watson

      2. John Watson died in 1679.  He was of Horsham and Lewes.  He married Cordelia Infield on 1 June 1631 in West Hoathly.  She was the daughter of Richard Infield and Katherine Compton.

   8. Agnes Browne married William Fieldwick, son John Fieldwick, on 28 October 1606 in West Hoathly.  They had 5 known children:

      1. John Fieldwick married Anne Payne.  She was the daughter of Thomas Payne (1601-1628) of Stonelands in West Hoathly and Elizabeth Dungate.

      2. Mary Fieldwick

      3. Sara Fieldwick

      4. Frances Fieldwick

      5. Elizabeth Fieldwick

   9. Elizabeth Browne she married Mr. Phillips.

2. Nicholas Browne may have been over 21 in 1546.

3. Richard Browne may have been over 21 in 1546.

4. Henry Browne under 21 in 1546.

5. Andrew Browne was born about 1532.  His Will was dated 2 April 1597.  He lived at The Pendants in West Hoathly.  He married Agnes.  She was buried in West Hoathly on 15 August 1616.  The had 11 known children:

   1. Andrew Browne was born about 1560 in West Hoathly.

   2. Edward Browne was born about 1562 in West Hoathly.

   3. John Browne was born about 1564 in West Hoathly.

   4. Enoch Browne was born about 1566 in West Hoathly.  He was buried there on 8 May 1613.  He married Eleanor Grose.  They had 4 known children:

      1. Enoch Browne was born about 1592 in West Hoathly.  He was probably a West Hoathly village clerk in 1627.

      2. Andrew Browne was born about 1594 in West Hoathly.  He married Margaret Cripps on 3 May 1621 in West Hoathly.  She was buried there on 31 December 1634.

      3. Hanna Browne was born about 1596 in West Hoathly.

      4. Anna Browne was born about 1598 in West Hoathly.

   5. Joshua Browne was born about 1568 in West Hoathly.  He was buried there on 7 May 1633.

   6. Rose Browne was born about 1570 in West Hoathly.

   7. Mary Browne was born about 1572 in West Hoathly.

   8. Jane Browne was born about 1574 in West Hoathly.

   9. Julian Browne was born about 1576 in West Hoathly.

   10. Agnes Browne was born about 1578 in West Hoathly.

   11. Martha Browne was born about 1580 in West Hoathly.

6. William Browne was under 20 in 1546.  He may have been my 12x Great Grandfather, and he may have been baptised on 1 February 1534 in Horley, Surrey, and married Magdalene Elsick.  But at this time John and Jone were most probably living in West Hoathly, so why would William have been baptised in Horley?  I can not be certain that Horley William and William son of John and Jone, are one and the same.  (William and Magdalene have their own page.)

7. Katheryn Browne

8. Margaret Browne

9. Jone Browne

Notes

The following Will can be found in the Archives of the GEN-MEDIEVAL-L emailing list at RootsWeb.  I have reproduced it here simply for ease of reference.  My very greatful thanks to all those who have take the time to transcribe John's Will.

Will of John Browne of West Hoathly, Register A1, f. 143 [FHL #97,231]

In the name of god ame[n] [the] last day of Apreell 1546 in the 38 yere of the Reaygn of o[u]r sov[ereign] lord henry the viii by the grace & c I John Browne of Westhothle in the Count[y] of Sussex beyng seke of body & hole of mynd & good reme[m]brance thanks be to god do make & orden my pr[e]sent test[ament] first I bequeth my sole to almyghte god & to o[u]r blessed lady St Mary & all the holy co[m]pany of hevyn & my body to be buried in the church yerd of Westhothle It[em] I bequeth to the hye altar there iiij d It' I bequeth to o[u]r mother church of Chichester ij d It' I will have at my buryeng iij mass[e]s w't bread & drynke for poore people It' I bequeath to have at lyke wyse at my mo[n]ths day and twelvemo[n]ths day iij mass[e]s & bread & drynke for poore people It' I bequeth to Nicholas my son the stocke in Thom[a]s Haukyns [ot Hankyns] hands of Fletching w't the Newtyie Itm' I wyll to the same Nicholas v marks w't in one yere after the decease of Jone my wiff It' I bequeth to Ric' my son v l' w'tin one year aft[e]r the decease of Jone my wiff It' I bequeth to herry my son xl s to be paid when he is xix years old if he fayle before he is xix yers old to remayne to the exec' It' I bequeth to Will'm my son iiii marks to be paid to hym at the age of xx [sic] yers old if the said Will'm fayls before he is xx yers old to remayne to the exec' It' I bequeth to Katheryn my dowght[er] v marks to be paid to her mariage It' I bequeth to Margaret my dowght[er] v marks to be paid to her mariage It'[em] I bequeth to Jone my dowght[er] v marks to be paid to her mariage & if any of these my dowghters happen to fayle before they mary that then there porcions to remayne w't the exec' to dispose it at their pleasure It' I will to Jone my wiff her chamber & the hole howsehold stoff at her pleasure to dispose it The resydew of my goods unbequethed my detts paid the & my will fulfilled I give to Jone my wiff & Thom[a]s my son whom I orden & make my lawfull exec' It' I will & bequeth my farme that is to say my lease in the p[ar]sonage to Jone my wiff & Thom[a]s my son, if it happen that Jone my wiff doo dye before the lease shall be endyd then I gyve & bequeth the resydew of the yers of her p[ar]te to Andrew my son witnesse hereunto John bryan Walter feldwyke & Thom[a]s Wyllard w' other & the said John browne dyd write the wyll & s[u]bscribed his name
 

I also have a copy of "The Story of a Forest Village - West Hoathly", by Ursula Ridley, and am slowly extracting details.

BROWN