Christopher Willoughby KB (abt. 1453 - bef. 1499)

Born about 1453 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret (Jenney) Willoughby — married before 28 Mar 1482 in Knotishall, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died before 13 Jul 1499 before about age 46 in Campsey, Suffolk, England

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Biography

Birth and Parents

Christopher was a younger son of Robert Willoughby and Cecil Welles.^[1][2] He was said to be 14 in 1467, when his brother Robert died,^[1] pointing to a birth date of about 1453. This approximate date is confirmed by his giving proof of age in 14 Edward IV (1474-5).^[3] His father had lands in Dorset, Suffolk and elsewhere, and Christopher's birth county in not known.^[4][5]

Marriage and Children

Before 1482 Christopher married Margaret Jenney, daughter of William Jenney of Knodishall, Suffolk^[2] and Elizabeth Cawse.^[1][4][5] They had the following children:

• William^[2][4][5]
• Christopher^[2][4][5]
• Robert, who became a priest^[4][5]
• George^[4][5]
• Richard,^[4][5] named in the Inquisition Post Mortem of Richard's wife Anne Conyers as son of Christopher^[6]
• Edmund^[4][5]
• Hugh^[4][5]
• John^[4][5]
• Thomas^[2][4][5]
• Katherine, who married John Heydon^[4][5]
• Margaret, who married Thomas Tyrrell^[4][5]
• Elizabeth, who married William Eure^[2][4][5]

Life

In 1474 Christopher had livery of the lands of his brother Robert.^[1]

In 1475 Christopher was heir to his cousin Joan Welles, 9th Baroness of Willoughby, but did not then inherit the title, due to the attainders of her father and brother.^[4][5]

In 1483 Christopher was made a Knight of the Bath for the coronation of Richard III.^[1][4][5][7]

In 1485, after the accession of Henry VII, the attainders on Joan Welles' father and brother were reversed. Christopher was strictly entitled then to become 10th Lord Willoughby, but it was decided that Joan's husband Richard Hastings should be styled Lord Willoughby, to Christopher's exclusion, and hold the associated lands, during the remainder of his life.^[1][4][5] Christopher died before Richard Hastings. Despite this, Christopher referred to himself as Lord Willoughby, and was described as such after his death^[1] in an Inquisiton Post Mortem for his daughter-in-law Ann Conyers, wife of his son Richard^[6] and in an official record of 1516.^[8] His own will describes himself as Lord of Eresby.^[9][10] He is also described as Lord Willoughby in legal proceedings of the 1490s^[11] and a land transaction of 1492.^[12]

In 1487 Christopher attended the coronation of Henry VII's wife Elizabeth of York.^[1][4][5] He served on various official commissions in Suffolk.^[1]

In 1499 Christopher was one of the heirs of his uncle John Welles.^[4][5]

Death

Christopher died before 13 July 1499, when his will (dated 1 November 1498) was proved.^[9][10] His wife survived him, dying in 1515/6.^[1][4][5] In his will, among other provisions, he:^[9]

• requested burial in the church of the nuns of Campsey, Suffolk
• left money for a tomb for his father
• named:
  • his oldest son William
  • his wife Margaret
  • his aunt Margery Mekylfield
  • his sister Hotoft
  • his daughter Katherine
  • young Henry Heydon and his sister Margery, and Christopher Heydon
  • his "brother" (meaning father-in-law of his daughter Katherine) Henry Heydon and Henry wife Ann
  • his nephew William Mekylfield
  • his godson William Jenney, presumably William Jenney-104

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} G E Cokayne. Complete Peerage, revised edition, Vol XII part 2, St Catherine Press, 1916, pp. 668-670, viewable on Familysearch
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} George William Marshall. The Visitations of the County of Nottingham on the years 1569 and 1614, with many other descents of the same county, Harleian Society, 1871, p. 184, Internet Archive
3. ↑ The National Archives, ref. C 140/50/48, Discovery Centre catalogue entry
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), Vol. IV, pp. 339-340, WILLOUGHBY 11
5. ↑ ^{5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), Vol. V, pp. 366-367, WILLOUGHBY 14
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Maskelyne and H. C. Maxwell Lyte, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry VII, Entries 351-400', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Series 2, Volume 2, Henry VII (London, 1915), pp. 223-251, British History Online, entry 359, accessed 18 July 2022M
7. ↑ W A Shaw. The Knights of England, Vol. I, Sherratt and Hughes, 1906, p. 141, Internet Archive
8. ↑ 'Henry VIII: June 1516, 11-20', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 2, 1515-1518, ed. J S Brewer (London, 1864), pp. 600-617, British History Online, entry 2032, accessed 18 July 2022
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Nicholas Harris Nicolas. Testamenta Vetusta, Vol. II, Nichols & Son, London, 1826, pp. 438-439, Internet Archive
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} The National Archives, ref. PROB 11/11/675, Discovery Centre catalogue entry
11. ↑ The National Archives, ref. C 1/228/47, Discovery Centre catalogue entry
12. ↑ The National Archives, ref. 2ANC1/26/34, Discovery Centre catalogue entry

• Egerton Brydges. Collins's Peerage of England, greatly augmented, Vol. VI, 1812, p. 610, Internet Archive
• Wikipedia: Christopher Willoughby, 10th Baron Willoughby de Eresby

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

This profile was re-reviewed for the Magna Carta Project by Michael Cayley on 18 July 2022.

Christopher Willoughby KB is in badged trails from the Alsop Gateway Ancestors (Timothy, Elizabeth and George) to Magna Carta Surety Barons Roger le Bigod, Hugh le Bigod, Saher de Quincy and Robert de Vere. These trails, are set out in the Magna Carta Trails section of Temperance Gilbert's profile.

Christopher Willoughby KB appears in trails identified by the Magna Carta Project from Gateway Ancestors Nehemiah Blakiston and George Blakiston to several Magna Carta Surety Barons. These trails, portions of which have not yet been developed on WikiTree, are set out here.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".