Ancestors of Mandy Willard

Giles THORPE (1577-1632)

and Rachell PARKER (c1581-1643)

Giles Thorpe and Rachell Parker were my 11x Great Grandparents.  (Click here to see their place in my pedigree chart.)  They married on 27 May 1600 in Worth, Sussex

Giles Thorpe was baptised on 19 May 1577 in East Grinstead, Sussex.  He was the son of John Thorpe (c1534-1609) and Alice Bowett (c1538-1594), although their names were not recorded in the baptism register.  Giles was baptised the same day as William Graie and again the names of his parents were not recorded.  At the time of Giles’s birth his father was an Iron Master operating of the Warren Furnace at Hedgecourt in Worth.  Hedgecourt was about 2-3 miles from East Grinstead Church and about 5 miles from Worth.  Giles was buried on 20 February 1631/2 in Ifield, Sussex when the burial register described him as a gentleman.  He left a will which was dated 13 February 1631/2 and proved on 5 March 1632.

The following is an extract from Sussex Coroners’ Inquest 1603-1688:

About 5am on 30 Sept [1619], when Eleanor Wood, maidservant of Giles Thorp of Ewhurst in Ifield, gent., intended to carry a bucket full of water ‘from the fishing pond’ at Ewhurst, by misadventure she fell into ‘the fyshponde’ where she was immediately drowned.

Rachell Parker may have been born about 1581.  She was appointed the sole executrix of her husband's 1632 will.  Rachel was buried on 29 June 1643 in Horsham, Sussex and it was noted in the burial register that she was Mrs. Rachell Thorpe a widow from Ifield.  Or she may have been buried on 29 June 1643 in Horsham as Rachell Thorpe.  The parish registers for Worth begin in 1558 and in the 1580’s there were 2 Parker couples living in Worth - see notes below.  The Ifield parish registers begin in 1568, but these have not been included in the IGI.  In April 1642 Rachell contributed 4 shillings to the relief of the Irish Protestants and at that time she was living in Ifield.

Giles Thorpe and Rachell Parker had 3 known children:

1. John Thorpe, my 10x Great Grandfather, was named as the eldest son in his father's will.  John married Joan (c1612-c1642) in about 1630.  (They have their own page.)

2. Alice Thorpe married ? Smallpiece before the death of her father.  Her 2 daughters were named in her father's will:

   1. Rachell Smallpiece was born before 1632.

   2. Sarah Smallpiece was born before 1632.

3. Richard Thorpe was mentioned in his father's will as the younger son.  He was also mentioned in the will after his sister Alice.

Notes

PARKER          THORPE