John (Chichley) Chichele (abt. 1390)

Born about 1390 in London, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Margery (Knollys) Chichley — married 15 Feb 1412 in London, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Biography

John Chichley was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

John Chichele, son of William Chicheley by Beatrice Barret,^[1] was born possibly about 1390 in London, England (see research note below). He married Margery Knollys, daughter of Sir Thomas Knollys, Lord Mayor of London and Jone on 15 February 1412.^[2]

John was a member of the Grocers of London Livery company. He was Chamberlain of London from 1434 to 1449. ^[3]

In 1439 he was noted in the will of his uncle Robert Chichele, citizen and grocer of London.^[4][5]

Chamberlain of London

"The office of Chamberlain, is an appointment of great trust; he is chosen annually on Midsummer-day, though he is never displaced unless some great cause of complaint appear against him. He is the city treasurer; he receives and pays all the money belonging to the corporation, for which he annually accounts to the proper auditors; and has the keeping of all bonds and securities taken by the city, with the counter parts of city leases: at his first election therefore he gives large security for the fidelity of his conduct. The chamberlain attends every morning at his office in Guildhall, to enroll and turn over apprentices, to decide all differences between them and their masters, and to admit all persons duly qualified into the freedom of the city." ^[6]

Research Notes

Birth date and place

This profile previously had birth date and location fields as

Born 15 Feb 1412 in Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England

but in the biography

John Chichele … was born at Well Hall, Eltham, Kent, England.

the latter citing Marlyn Lewis's Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors & Cousins, which cites no specific source for this fact.^[7]

This note is to demonstrate how both these statements were wrong and why they have been removed.

Date: John Chichele's second known son Thomas was appointed a prebend of St Pauls on 18 February 1429 and his seventh known son John was presented as vicar of Sawbridgeworth in 1432.^[8] These sons ought to have been of age by those dates, and probably quite a bit older to become a prebend, but nepotistic underage appointments as prebends by his uncle Archbishop Henry Chichele are well attested.^[9] Even so, a birth date for their father of 1412 making him the 17-year old father of a prebend is impossible. One published pedigree gives 15 February 1412 as his marriage date rather than his birth date.^[2] and another unsourced pedigree gives his wife a birth date of about 1390.^[10] That seems much more realistic for his birth date as well, 22 years before his marriage, though not directly attested.

Wimpole: The Visitation of Cambridgeshire 1619 describes John as 'of Wympell in Com. Cambridg.'^[11] This must, however, be an error as the house and estate at Wimpole were purchased by Archbishop Henry Chichele in 1428 and bestowed on John's son Henry in 1436.^[12][8] John was therefore neither 'of Wimpole' nor born there.

Well Hall, Eltham: The manor of Well Hall was purchased by John Chichele's father William towards the end of the reign of Richard the second^[13], who reigned 1377-1399. John inherited it and gave it as part of the dowry of his daughter Agnes.^[14] The purchase was most likely after John's birth, and makes this unlikely to be his birth place.

John's father owned multiple properties in London and the home counties, and his country house from 1390 onwards was at Stanwell, Middlesex.^[9] John's birth place is therefore uncertain, but more likely in London than anywhere else.

Sources

1. ↑ Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors & Cousins
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Howard, Joseph Jackson (editor) "Pedigree of the Family of Fletcher," Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica, new series, volume 4 (1884) page 258.
3. ↑ Notes on the aldermen, 1220-1400
4. ↑ 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.
5. ↑ Transcript of the Will of Robert Chichele 1439 trytel.
6. ↑ Book 2, Ch. 2: Summary of civil government pub 1773
7. ↑ John Chicheley, Chamberlain of London, in Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors & Cousins database online, compiled by Marlyn Lewis. Accessed 15 June 2023
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Buckler, Benjamin. Stemmata Chicheleana (Oxford Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1765) Pages x-xiv.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Rawcliffe, C "CHICHELE, William (d.1426/7), of London." in J S Roskell, L Clark, C Rawcliffe (editors) The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421. (Boydell & Brewer, 1993).
10. ↑ Chichley1 in Stirnet.com, database online.
11. ↑ Clay, John W The visitation of Cambridge made in Ao 1575 : continued and enlarged with the visitation of the same county made by Henry St. George, Richmond herald, marshall and deputy to Willm. Camden, Clarenceulx, in ao. 1619, with many other descents added therto. Harleian Society volume 41. (London, 1897.) Page 33.
12. ↑ Bolton, Diane K, Duncombe, G R, Dunning, R W, Kermode, Jennifer I, Rowland, A M, Stephens, W B, Wright, A P M. "Parishes: Wimpole," in C R Elrington (editor) A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 5. (London: Victoria County History, 1973.) Pages 263-272. British History Online, accessed 15 June 2023.
13. ↑ Edward Hasted. "Parishes: Eltham," in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1, (Canterbury: W Bristow, 1797), 455-491. British History Online, accessed 15 June 2023, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol1/pp455-491.
14. ↑ Philipot, Thomas Villare cantianum, or, Kent surveyed and illustrated …. (London: William Godbid, 1569; Ann Arbor: Text Creation Partnership.) Page 135.

• Alfred P Beaven, Notes on the aldermen, 1220-1400, in The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III - 1912 (London, 1908), pp. 405-408 Notes on the aldermen, 1220-1400 [accessed 18 September 2015].

• Alfred P Beaven, Aldermen of the City of London: Vintry ward, in The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III - 1912 (London, 1908), pp. 205-215 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-aldermen/hen3-1912/pp205-215 [accessed 20 September 2015].

• Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (Google eBook), 1884, 2014-05-07, amb

• Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors & Cousins database online, compiled by Mr. Marlyn Lewis, follows Douglas Richardson's Magna Carta Ancestry. It includes Magna Carta Surety Barons and many of their descendants. John Chicheley, Chamberlain of London, citing Wallop Family, p. 664, Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 369, Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry: 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 360, Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 157-158, page 366, Vol IV, page 544.

See also:

• John Noorthouck, Book 2, Ch. 2: Summary of civil government, in A New History of London Including Westminster and Southwark (London, 1773), pp. 533-541 Book 2, Ch. 2: Summary of civil government [accessed 16 September 2015].

• Buckler, Benjamin. Stemmata Chicheleana (Oxford Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1765) Page x