Robert Knollys (abt. 1416 - aft. 1484)

Born about 1416 in North Mymms, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 1484 after about age 68 in North Mymms, Hertfordshire, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bob Scrivens [send private message]

Biography

Robert Knollys, son of Thomas and Isabell, was born some time before 1417 based on his age of 28 or above given at the Inquisition Post Mortem of his father Thomas in 1445.^[1]

In 1424 Robert and several of his siblings were named in a bond entered into by his father and grandfather. ^[2]

Robert was then named in the 1434 will of his grandfather Thomas Knolles ^[3] and then in the 1445 will of his father. ^[4] Soon after the death of his father, Robert entered into an agreement with his younger brother Richard that he would pay him 100 marks a year from the North Mymms estate in Hertfordshire which he had just inherited. ^[5] Attornment by Robert Knolles, esquire, son and heir of Thomas Knolles, late citizen and grocer of London, deceased, to Richard Knolles his brother, whom he has put in peaceable possession, by the payment of 1d. of a yearly rent of 100 marks issuing from the manor of North Mymmes. Nicholas Wotton, citizen and clothier of London, Richard Hardy, and Thomas Selowe, granted the said rent to John Fray, chief baron of the king's exchequer, and Gilbert Worthyngton, clerk, on 26 March, 24 Henry VI. and on 27 March of the same year, demised the said manor to the said manor to the said Robert in tail male, with remainder to his brother, Richard Knolles, in tail male; and the said John and Gilbert on 28 March of the same year, granted the said rent to the said Richard Knolles, in tail male: Herts. Dated: 29 March, 24 Henry VI. ^[6]

In about 1436 Robert married Elizabeth Seman, daughter of London goldbeater and Master of the King's Mint, Bartholomew Seman sometimes known as Bartholomew Goldbeter.^{[7] [8]} Elizabeth was named as a major beneficiary in the 1431 will of her father. ^[9]

As well as inheriting the North Mymms estate from his father, Robert and Elizabeth and their male heirs were bequeathed properties in All Hallows Honey Lane, London. ^[10]

It is possible that after the death of his first wife, Robert married Elizabeth Troutbeck of Dunham, Cheshire. See Research Notes for discussion about this.

Robert and Elizabeth reputedly had two daughters: Anne, who married Henry Frowick, and Elizabeth who married James Stracheley. ^[5] There are no sources that suggest they were the parents of Robert Knollys who resided at Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire.

In 1457 Robert did homage to Richard duke of York for the manor which he held of the honour of Clare by military service. ^[11]

In 1460, Robert was challenged for ownership of the North Mymms estate by Thomas Broket, Edmund Peryant and Ralph Grey in the Court of Common Pleas. The court found in favour of Robert. ^[12]

Between 1469 and 1480 Robert and his wife Elizabeth were named in property deals All Hallows Honey Lane. ^[13]

In 1483 he discharged to the feodary of Essex and Hertfordshire the suit due from North Mimms to the honour of Stamlorne, and in 1484 he paid 3s. 4d. to the feodary of the duchy of Lancaster in Essex and Hertfordshire, as suit of court to the honour of Mandeville. Further, in 1484 he paid 4s. 4d. due to the sheriff of Hertfordshire, to the gardener of the 'king's grenewey,' ^[11]

The date of Robert's death is not known for he did not leave a will and on the memorial inscription there is left a blank, suggesting that Robert's wife died before him. A translation of the inscription (in Latin) reads

Here lie Robert Knolles, esquire, who died [blank] day of the month [blank] the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred [blank] and Elizabeth his wife, who died the 28th day of the month of November, the year of our Lord four hundred and fifty eight : and their sons ; God have mercy on their souls. Amen^[5]

Robert died with no living male heirs ^[14] and the North Mimms manor went to his daughters Ann and Elizabeth and their respective husbands Henry Frowyck and James Stracheley. ^[11]

Research Notes

Initially Robert and Elizabeth Troutbeck were considered a separate couple, however the death of his wife Elizabeth Seman in 1458 is followed throughout the 1460-80s with mentions of Robert and his wife Elizabeth in multiple property transactions. This has lead me to believe that he married twice. At the moment there is only confirmation that he had a wife named Elizabeth, alive until at least 1480. She may, or may not, have been a Troutbeck. When Robert died, they had no living male heirs and the estate at North Mimms in Hertfordshire was inherited by his daughters. ^[15] Whether his daughters were children of his first or second wife is not known.

Alternatively it is possible that Robert and Elizabeth Seman had a son Robert who married Elizabeth Troutbeck and then they were the parents of the daughters Ann and Elizabeth who inherited the North Mimms estates. Greet-49 05:21, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Inq PM 24 Hen VI King's College London, 2014. | Mapping the Medieval Countryside online. Available at MMC Accessed: 14/7/2020
2. ↑ Philip E. Jones Calendar of Plea and Memoranda Rolls CUP Archive, 1961Google books
3. ↑ E.F. Jacob, ed. The Register of Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury 1414-1443, vol.2, Canterbury and York Society, no.42 (1937), 519-26, 564-68, 615-20. The wills and testaments of three London grocers Thomas Knolles Sen
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. UK, Extracted Probate Records, 1269-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Ancestry Record 1610 #1706265
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} North Mymms History Project A short history of the Knolles and Frowick families North Mymms
6. ↑ National Archives UK C 146/3493 Discovery
7. ↑ Douglas Richardson Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, 2011 Google Books
8. ↑ Sylvia L. Thrupp The Merchant Class of Medieval London, 1300-1500 University of Michigan Press, 1989 Google books
9. ↑ Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 3 Ancestry Record 5111 #869396
10. ↑ D J Keene and Vanessa Harding. "All Hallows Honey Lane 11/8," in Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire Cheapside; Parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary Le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane, (London: Centre for Metropolitan History, 1987), 48-78. British History Online, accessed June 28, 2020, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-gazetteer-pre-fire/pp48-78.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} "Parishes: North Mimms," in A History of the County of Hertford: Volume 2, ed. William Page (London: Victoria County History, 1908), 251-261. British History Online, accessed August 29, 2020, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol2/pp251-261.
12. ↑ TNA CP 40/796 Hilary 38 Henry VI Brockett
13. ↑ D J Keene and Vanessa Harding. "All Hallows Honey Lane 11/8," in Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire Cheapside; Parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary Le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane, (London: Centre for Metropolitan History, 1987), 48-78. British History Online, accessed June 28, 2020, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-gazetteer-pre-fire/pp48-78.
14. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Thomas Knollys," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Knollys&oldid=966574579 (accessed August 29, 2020).
15. ↑ "Parishes: North Mimms," in A History of the County of Hertford: Volume 2, ed. William Page (London: Victoria County History, 1908), 251-261. British History Online, accessed August 29, 2020, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol2/pp251-261.