Jane (Aske) Lightfoot (abt. 1575 - 1649)

Born about 1575 in Less, London, England

Ancestors

Wife of Richard Lightfoot — married 7 Feb 1593 in London, England

Descendants

Died 20 Dec 1649 at about age 74 in England

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Biography

Jane (m Lightfoot) and Priscilla (m Jones) are the daughters of "Citizen of London and goldsmith" Robert Aske, Gent., the illegitimate son of Robert. Their mother is his second wife, Elizabeth Lacy. Robert and Elizabeth married in October 1574.^[1]

Jane Aske married the Reverend Richard Lightfoot on February 7, 1593 in London at St. Bartholomew the Less. Richard (born about 1562) was "ordained a deacon and priest 14 March 1582.... He was installed Rector of Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire 27 April 1601."^[1]

Jane and Richard had three sons and five daughters:^[1]

• John Lightfoot (baptized 9 April 1598), married Elizabeth Phillips^[1]
• Richard Lightfoot, Rector of Chadwell Kent^[1]
• Samuel Lightfoot^[1]
• Anna Lightfoot^[1]
• Sarah Lightfoot, married Robert Kingston^[1]
• Martha Lightfoot^[1]
• Rose Lightfoot^[1]
• Jane Lightfoot, married William Ashbie/Asbie^[1]

Richard died in 1625. Jane wrote her will on December 20, 1649 and it was recorded with the Church of England. A copy of the will is in the files of M. Shaver. Her husband was the long time rector of St. Mary the Virgin church in Stoke Bruerne, so she could be buried in the churchyard there, or possibly in Richard's tomb, with him.^[2][3]

Stoke Bruene, Northhamptonshire is located in the middle of England 118 miles north of London. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin on the hill above the village was begun by the Normans in 1066 and was completed with battlements in the 15th Century when the richly carved Cross was set above the east wall of the chancel. The Nave Arcades with four circular Clerestory Windows above are 14th Century. Beautifully lettered gravestones are all over the church and include the "Lightfoots". On the wall is a brass portrait of Richard Lightfoot with a pointed beard and wearing a ruff as he kneels at a prayer desk.^[2]

Lightfoot Wills

The following transcription is from Lyon G. Tyler's "The Lightfoot Family," which states that the she was Jane Jones,^[4] apparently on the basis of her husband Richard referring to Thomas Jones as his brother, which he was - as the husband of Jane's sister Priscilla (Aske) Jones.

Extracted from the District Registry attached to the Probate Division of her Majesty’s High Court of Justice at Northampton.

Will of Jane, widow of Richard Lightfoot, was written on 20 December 1649 at Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire, England.

In the name of God Amen I Jane Lightfoot of Stoake Bruen in the County of Northton Gentlewoman being weak in body yet in perfect mind and memory thanks be to God) do make this my last Will & Testament in manner & form following first I bequeath my soul into the hands of All Mighty God my Creator & of Jesus Christ, my only savior and my body I will be decently brought to the ground & buried in the Chancel of the said Stoake Bruen in sure & certain hope of resurrection to eternal life.

As for my worldly goods and chattels first I give to my son Richard Lightfoot one little cottage pot with one little brass pan, half my pewter in the pewter chest and the feather bed at Stoake Bruen to be delivered within one month after my decease being lawfully demanded.

Item – I give to my grandchild John Lightfoot the son of John Lightfoot the bigger silver bowl to be delivered as before.

Item – I give to my son-in-law Robert Kingstone my other silver bowl and my little silver spoon to be delivered as before.

Item – I give to my grandchild Sarah Kingstone one little feather bed with bedstead and all the other furniture belonging to it to be delivered as before.

Item – I give to Mr. Macham of the said Stoake Bruen one gold ring & one silver thimble to be delivered as before.

The rest of my goods and chattels unbequeathed I give to my well beloved daughter Jane of Hanslop in the County of Buckon the now wife of William Asbie whom I make the true and full executrix of this my last Will & Testament in writing

Robert Wickens Gentleman & Richard Plowman yeoman of the said parish of Stoake Bruen my loving neighbors to be the overseers of this my last Will & Testament and in witness hereof I have to these pents [sic] set to my hand & seal this twentieth day of December in the year of our Lord God (by computer of our Church of England) one thousand six hundred forty nine.

The mark of Jane x Lightfoot

Sealed & acknowledged in the presence of

Joseph Dayes

The mark of

Elizabeth X Dunkley

Tyler's article also included a transcription of Richard's will (also "Extracted from the District Registry attached to the Probate Division of her Majesty’s High Court of Justice at Northampton"), abstracted here:

Will of Richard Lightfoot, Clerke, Parson of Stoke Brewen in the County of Northton, dated 5 May 1625

• eldest sonne John Lightfoote
• sonne Richard Lightfoote
• [daugther] Sarah^[5]
• [daughter] Rose^[5]
• daughter Jane
• wellbeloved wife Jane Lightfoote (executrix)
• dearly beloved brother Thomas Jones Esq. (overseer)
• witnesses: Thomas Jones, John Winterborne, Thomas Marshe

Proved 6 December 1625

Tyler also includes a transcription of the 1647 will of their son John Lightfoote (proved March 24, 1648/9),^[4] which names many more brothers and sisters than indicated by either parent's will (apparently in-laws), as well as his mother Mrs. Jane Lightfoot and "my loving father & mother, Francis Phelps, Esq. & his wife" (who are presumably his wife Elizabeth's parents, and some of the Phelps brothers/sisters he names must be her siblings). He names his godmother as the wife of Robert Harrington, Esq. Identifiable as children (or grandchildren) of his parents:

• sister Jane Ashbie
• "the children of my late sister Rose" (40s. each)
• my brother Mr. Richard Lightfoote & his wife

Also listed is "my brother Leonard Dare, Esq., and my sister, his wife" (but the sister could be either a Phelps or Lightfoot).

He names Mr. Thomas Jones his loving cousin, and also (maybe) Mr. John Jones ("My friend Edward Bing, Esq: to have chamber lodging at Gray's Inne, wherein testator has an estate for life, & the life of his cousin, Mr. John Jones...")

Notes

This section is from Larry Cates' 2005 post.^[6]

Thomas Jones' monument in Lewisham explicitly states that he married the daughter of Robert Aske, Priscilla, and claims that Robert was lineally descended from the Askes of Aughton. Since that time, working directly and through the offices of hired researchers in London and the United States, have:

• (1) confirmed the marriage records of Priscilla Aske to Thomas Jones and Mary Aske to Richard Lightfoot, both in London.
• (2) found the will of Robert Aske of Lewisham, Kent(1604), warden of the London goldsmith's company and warden of London Bridge for a time, explicitly mentioning the Jones family.
• (3) discovered a manuscript pedigree written by Richard Mundy (MSS 1571) and cited in Joseph Foster's THE VISITATION OF YORKSHIRE (London, 1875) that states flatly that Robert Aske, goldsmith, of London, was an illegitimate son of Robert Aske of Aughton, Yorkshire, the son and heir of John Aske, esquire, and his wife Ellinor Ryther, daughter and coheiress of Ralph Ryther. (This was in addition to a legitimate son of Robert, also named Robert.)
• (4) discovered a mention of James Aske of London (son of the goldsmith Robert) in the will of John Aske (heir of Aughton, legitimate grandson of the goldsmith's natural father) in 1605, which calls James "cousin." Also discovered that the widow of John Aske requested that James be made her co-executor. So this is proof of Mundy's contention.
• (5) discovered the pedigree of the London Lightfoot family in the recently published 1687 Herald's Visitation, which states that Rev. Richard Lightfoot and Jane [sic] Aske were the parents of John Lightfoot, Esq., barrister at law and that John, who married Elizabeth Phillips was the father of, among many others: (a) "John Lightfoot a Capt. of one of his Maties. Ships died at Sea A o. 1682 aetat. circa 55 an. sine prole [married] Elizabeth dar. of John Tailor of Maidstone in Com. Cantii" (b) "Philip Lightfoot now in Virginia circ. 41 An."^[6]

Not Jane Jones

Jane Aske, not Jones. None of the parents attached to the profiles merged April 11, 2017 ([Jones-6931] & Aske-59) were hers and were detached:

• Thomas Jones (husband of Priscilla)
• Priscilla Aske
• Robert Aske, Esq. (legitimate son of Robert Aske, Esq.)
• Elizabeth Dawnay

From the merged profile of Jane Jones, who had been attached as the daughter of Thomas Jones & Priscilla Aske:

Jane Jones was baptized on 29 July 1571 at St Mary, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England.^{[citation needed]}

Thomas's wife Priscilla was born after 1574 (her parents Robert and Elizabeth married Oct. 31, 1574). So who is Jane Jones who was baptized on 29 July 1571 at St Mary, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England and what did the record actually say about parents/godparents?

Mary ~ Jane

Note: It seems the following information is from posts by Larry Cates in 2003 and 2005.^[7][6] Richardson, in his 2013 Royal Ancestry, includes the following line as the last in the ASKE section (Vol 1, pp 164-171):

"Special thanks goes to Larry W. Cates who generously shared his original research on the Lightfoot and Aske families with this author."

Richardson, however, makes no mention of "Mary", showing only wife Jane Aske, with the eight children listed as being hers by [Rev.] Richard Lightfoot (see list of children above). Dates given by Richardson support that.^[1]

Now, the only thing that is out of kilter here is the given name of Mrs. Richard Lightfoot, who was definitely named Mary in her marriage record. The date and location is the same as Richardson gives for Jane (Feb. 7, 1593, St. Bartholomew the Less). See this 2003 post by Larry Cates.^[7]

Jane, who was Richard's widow, was probably a second wife, and stepmother of most of the children, though sometimes referring to them as her children or grandchildren.^{[citation needed]}

There is no record of Mary Aske Lightfoot's death in London or of Richard's remarriage. In any case, the pedigree states flatly that the grandmother of the Virginia Lightfoots was an Aske, not a Jones, as has been stated elsewhere for many years.^{[citation needed]} Note that Jane is an Aske, not a Jones^[1] - this passage may be discussing Tyler's contention that Jane's maiden name was Jones, as previously noted (see note introducing Lightfoot Wills above).

Philip of Gloucester Co., VA, is explicitly identified as a son. This leaves John of New Kent somewhat up in the air, but I believe that he was the son of Capt. John Lightfoot of the above pedigree despite the "sine prole" notation.

Philip is not a son of Richard Lightfoot and Jane Aske, he is either a grandson (son of John and Elizabeth Phillips) or a great-grandson (son of John and Elizabeth Taylor). Richardson shows that Richard and Jane's son John Lightfoot married Elizabeth Phillips, by whom he had eight sons and five daughters, including Philip Lightfoot (born c1646, m Alice Corbin) and John Lightfoot (born c1627, m Elizabeth Taylor).^[1] The "sine prole notation" mentioned is given for John who married "Elizabeth dar. of John Tailor", but Richardson shows they had two sons, John and Philip. Richardson also shows that the John Lightfoot who married Elizabeth Taylor "died about 1682 apparently aboard a ship near Surinam", with administration of his estate granted in England.^[1] See additional information posted by Nathan Murphy in January 2017.^[8]

A record in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury granting administration of Captain Lightfoot's estate. The entry in the P.C.C. index of administrations [manuscript on microfilm] is the only one for Lightfoot recorded from 1682 to 1688 and states that administration for John Lightfoote who died in parts beyond the seas, was granted 31 March 1688. A marginal note in Latin records that on 7 Mar [1686/7] William Lightfoot, father's brother ("Patruo") of John Lightfoote and Philip Lightfoote, in parts across the seas, sons of John Lightfoote, late of Surinam, widower, deceased, was granted admnistration of the goods of the deceased during the sons' absence. Most likely, John of this list is John Lightfoot of New Kent, as he had close ties to Phillip of Gloucester. He actually made Philip the trustee of his wife, Ann Goodrich's, dower property from her father in 1681. Philip was probably John's uncle.^[9]

Additional information posted by Nathan Murphy in January 2017,^[8] and review of relevant WikiTree profiles, clarifies the relationships noted. William and John ("late of Surinam") were brothers, sons of John Lightfoot and Elizabeth Phillips.^[1] John's wife, Elizabeth (Taylor) Lightfoot, had predeceased him. The sons "in parts across the seas" were John Lightfoot (married Ann Goodrich in or before 1681) and Philip Lightfoot. John (m Ann) is said to have moved his family to New Kent County in 1686 (when the Vestry Book for St. Peter's Parish noted that he and his family be added to the survey).^[10] Philip of Gloucester could refer to his brother or his uncle, but given the role and the WikiTree dates, probably his uncle (Philip born 1646). In 1681, his brother Philip, born 1663, was not yet 21, and his cousin Philip (son of his uncle Philip) was not yet born (his cousin was also "of Sandy Point" not Gloucester).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15} Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City, Utah: the author, 2013), Vol I, pp 169-170, ASKE #17 Robert Aske, Esq., #18 Robert Aske, Gent., #19 Jane Aske, #20 John Lightfoot, Esq.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Excerpted from Lightfoot Family Association Newsletter by Karen J. Hancock-Harvey
3. ↑ Royal Ancestry by Douglas Richardson, Vol. I, p 170
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "The Lightfoot Family," Lyon G. Tyler, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct., 1893), pp. 91-97 (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; DOI: 10.2307/1920130). Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1920130
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "my said sonne . . . shall pay unto his two sisters Sarah and Rose . . . "
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} gen.medieval post, "Aske-Lightfoot Update..." by Larry Cates, 2 Dec. 2005
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} gen.medieval post, "Askes of Aughton/Askes of Lewisham" by Larry Cates, 3 May 2003
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} gen.medieval post, "RA Addition - John Lightfoot" by Nathan Murphy, 21 January 2017
9. ↑ http://soc.genealogy.medieval.narkive.com/sQfRJdIn/aske-lightfoot-update
10. ↑ St. Peter's Parish Vestry Book, transciption by Anne Baker

• FindAGrave
• Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Royal Ancestry series, 2nd edition, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City, Utah: the author, 2011)

See also:

• Genealogies of Virginia Families From the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Volume III, Heale - Muscoe, Baltimore, Geanealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1982, pp 413-414
• Lightfoot-L, "Rev. Richard Lightfoot (England)'s wife-- a new look" by Larry Cates, 24 Apr 2003
• Arrowood, Joe, The Relations of Joe Arrowood:Information about Jane Jones
• worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com has Jane Jones birthdate listed as abt 1565. 6/26/2014
• Descendants of RICHARD LIGHTFOOT, Michael P Shaver, Familytreemaker
• Ancestry.com UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, Memorial# 125185893
• Ancestry.com, London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1538-1812
• Ancestry.com, UK Extracted Probate Records
• Ancestry.com, Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1881 England Census
• Ancestry.com, Cheshire, England, Extracted Parish Records

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

Although Douglas Richardson's Magna Carta Ancestry does not list them as such, John and Philip Lightfoot are considered Gateway Ancestors because they immigrated to Virginia prior to 1700 and they are documented by Richardson in Royal Ancestry (vol. I, pages 164-171 ASKE) in a trail to Magna Carta Surety Baron Hugh le Bigod, whose father, Roger le Bigod, was also a surety baron. This profile appears on a trail from the Lightfoot Gateways to the Bigods and needs to be developed by the Magna Carta Project. The trail is set out in the Magna Carta Trails section of Philip Lightfoot's profile.

• Needs Development: This profile needs development against the project's checklist to ensure it meets current project standards. ~ Thiessen-117 18:09, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

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".