My Fowle Ancestors
I am indebted to William Green and his article on the Fowle
ancestry, which appeared in the March 2012 edition of the Sussex Family
History Group's journal. Thank you William for uncovering errors in
Catherine Pullein's account of the family, which I had previously taken as
read without actually doing the leg work for myself.
A 10x Great Grandmother was
Helen Fowle
or Ellener Fowle, who may have been born in about 1580-1600, was the
daughter of William Fowle of Lightlands, a gentleman of Frant. He married
3 times. Firstly to Elizabeth Pankhurst (Helen's mother), then Mary Whitton
and then Sybil Graye. Helen Fowle
married
David Barham (c1581-1644) in 1622 in Frant, as his second wife.
William Fowle sold, by deed dated
20 December 1611, the Shoesmiths estate in Wadhurst to
John Barham (c1587-1640) - the husband of his niece. (John Barham was a very distant
cousin of David Barham. Their 3x Great Grandparents
Richard Barham (c1425-bef 1480) and
Anna Busse
were their common ancestors.)
William Fowle received £1000 from
the sale of Shoesmiths, which included "All that Messuage called Shoesmiths
als old Shoesmiths, with two Barns, one Stable, two Watermills and
several parcells of Land Meadow pasture and Land covered with water ...
containing by Estimation one hundred and forty acres". This estate had
previously belonged to Thomas Whitfield, third son of Richard
Whitfield of Wadhurst and Agnes Giles, daughter of John Giles
of Biddenden, Kent. Thomas Whitfield died in 1553 and his
daughter Susan Whitfield was his co-heir. She married John
Clarke in 1563 and they conveyed Shoesmiths to Reginald Knight by
deed dated 10 July 1571. The following year the property passed to
Nicholas Fowle of Mayfield. (SAC vol. 56, page 149)
William Fowle was the son of
Nicholas Fowle of Riverhall and
Elizabeth Isted. Father and
son built the mansion at Riverhall in 1591, and another at Lightlands, with
the profits from their Iron Foundaries. William was mentioned in the
will
dated 18 January 1624/5 of his brother-in-law John Dunmoll.
William was buried in Wadhurst in 1634.
Nicholas and Elizabeth were
also the parents of
Dorothy Fowle, who married
John Dunmoll.
John and Dorothy's daughter
Elizabeth Dunmoll was born about 1590-1593, and she married the
John
Barham (c1587-1640) to whom her Uncle had sold Shoesmiths.
Nicholas's will was dated 24 October
1599 and proved on 8 November 1600. The IGI records that he was born
about 1532 or 1540 but he may have been born as early as 1522. He was the son of William Fowle and Margaret
Godyne.
John Dunmoll (?-c1625) and
Dorothy Fowle may also have been the Grandparents of
Joseph Dunmoll, who married
Helen Barham (1629-1651). Helen Barham was the daughter of
David Barham (c1581-1644) and
Helen Fowle.
John Barham (c1587-1640) and
Elizabeth Dunmoll (c1590-1638) (daughter of John Dunmoll and
Dorothy Fowle), had a Granddaughter
Elizabeth Barham (1649-?) who married
Nicholas Fowle (1634-?) of Riverhall, in 1666. Nicholas and
Elizabeth may have been the parents of
Catherine Fowle, who married
Nicholas Barham (1661-1710).
A Magnus Fowle of Mayfield left a
Will dated 1595, in which he mentioned
Robert Barham (c1545-?).
Tiz all a bit confusing! The Fowle's,
Barham's and Dunmoll's were well mixed, and there are still many missing
pieces to bring together.
