Thomas Lunsford Esq. (abt. 1586 - 1637)

Born about 1586 in Sussex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Fludd) Lunsford — married 7 Mar 1603 in Bearsted, Kent, England

Descendants

Died 4 Nov 1637 at about age 51 in Greenwich, Kent, England

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Biography

Thomas Lunsford, Gent., was the son of John Lunsford.^[1][2]

Douglas Richardson says that his mother was his father's first wife, Barbara Lewknor.^[1][2] She died before 26 August 1577, when her husband entered into an indenture for his marriage to his second wife Anne Apsley.^[3] This appears to be based on a pedigree in the 1837 edition of Collectanea Topgraphica et Genealogica.^[4] Weis's Magna Carta Sureties names Anne Apsley as his mother.^[5] A Thomas Lunsford, son of John, was baptised at All Saints, Lewes, Sussex on 18 March 1585/6.^[6] The father of the Thomas of this profile also had a son called Moyses, whom Richardson also gives as son of Barbara Lewknor, with the same apparent 1837 source:^[1][2] there is a baptism record for a Moyses Lunsford son of John at Lewes on 24 January 1584/5.^[7] If, as is likely, these two baptisms records are for the Thomas of this profile and his brother, their mother will have almost certainly have been Anne Apsley.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography refers to him as "of East Hoathly, Sussex".^[8] Magna Carta Ancestry says he was "of Lunsford (in Etchingham) and Wilegh, Sussex".^[1] Wilegh (Whyly in modern spelling - various other spellings can be found in records) is the name of a house in the parish of East Hoathly, just outside the main village, which, though substantially reconstructed in Georgian times, still has some older features going back to medieval times.^[9][10][11]

He is said to have wasted the estate he inherited from his father.^[1]

On 3 June 1613 George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, adjudicated in what appears to have been a family dispute over lands involving Thomas's father, Thomas himself, and his half-sister Cecily: the manors of Lunsford, Wilegh and Woodknoll in Sussex were awarded to Thomas (who is described as Esq. in the record); Mottinsden to Thomas's half-brother Herbert; and some lands in Wilegh to Thomas's half-sister Cecily. Thomas is described as his father's oldest son and heir apparent, though this probably means the oldest surviving son.^[12]

Marriage and Children

Thomas married Katherine Fludd, daughter of Sir Thomas Fludd and his first wife Elizabeth Andrews, at Bearsted, Kent, England on 7 March 1602/3 (1603 in modern reckoning).^{[1][2][13][14][15]} Thomas and Katherine had at least seven children:

• Thomas:^[1][2][8] there is discussion of the issues relating to Thomas's birth year on his profile, and there is a possibility that there were two sons called Thomas - see especially the research notes
• William^[1][2]
• Probably John, baptised at Bearsted, Kent on 30 July 1610^[16][17]
• Henry,^[1][2] baptised at Framfield, Sussex on 29 September 1611^[18]
• Herbert^[1][2]
• Anne,^[1][2] baptised at East Hoathly, Sussex on 9 February 1606^[19]
• Sarah^[1][2]
• Lisle^[1][2]
• Cicely (possibly the same as Lisle - the name is hard to decipher on the parish register entries), baptised at Framfield, Sussex on 1 February 1606/7^[20] and buried at Framfield on 17 November 1610^[21]

Death

Thomas was buried at Greenwich, Kent, England on 4 November 1637.^[1][2]

Research Notes

Disambiguation: another Thomas Lunsford of this period

There was more than one Thomas Lunsford in Sussex in this period. There was also a Thomas son of William, baptised at Hastings, Sussex on 7 October 1561.^[22] This Thomas married "Bryget Coop" (possibly Cooper, first name transcribed as "Brigget" on Familysearch) on 1 February 1588/9).^[23] They were probably the parents of the following children:

• William, baptised at Hastings on 7 June 1590^[24] and buried there on 10 January 1594/5^[25]
• Joan, buried at Hastings on 2 March 1594^[26]
• Agnes, baptised at Hastings on 23 November 1595,^[27] who married Michael Stephens at Hastings on 30 November 1624^[28]
• Elizabeth, baptised at Hastings on 14 December 1606^[29]
• an unnamed daughter buried at Hastings on 18 November 1609^[30]

This Thomas may have been the Thomas buried at Hastings on 19 June 1632.^[31]

A Thomas Lunsford married Joane Rogers at Hastings on 5 September 1610.^[32] This may be the second marriage of the Thomas baptised in 1561, or it may be the marriage of a son or some other close relative.

A Thomas Lunsford married "Joane Middleton" at Hastings, Sussex on 30 November 1625.^[33] This may be same person as the Thomas who married in 1610. If so, Joan Middleton may be either the second or third wife of Thomas baptised in 1561, or the second wife of a son or close relative of his.

Traweek

The "Last Name at Birth" (LNAB) for this profile was changed from Traweek to Lunceford. See comments - no source was found that calls him Traweek. ~ Noland-165 16:12, 10 November 2018 (UTC)

Daughters

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for his son Thomas states that there were four daughters.^[8]

Marriage Year

Douglas Richardson and Familysearch give 1602 as his marriage year. FindMyPast has 1603, which is correct in modern reckoning. It was 7 March 1602/3, a date that was entered under 1602 in parish registers of the time.

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} 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), volume III, p. 85, LUNSFORD 14
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume III, p. 676, LUNSFORD 20
3. ↑ J G N. 'Pedigree of the Family of Lunsford, of Lunsford and Wilegh, Co. Sussex' in Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, Vol. IV, John Bowyer Nichols and Son, 1837, pp. 149-150, Internet Archive
4. ↑ J G N. 'Pedigree of the Family of Lunsford, of Lunsford and Wilegh, Co. Sussex' in Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, Vol. IV, p. 141, Internet Archive
5. ↑ Frederick Lewis Weis (with additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard Jr with William R Beall). The Magna Carta Sureties, 1215, 5th edition, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999, p.108, line 88A.17
6. ↑ Sussex : Lewes : All Saints : Parish Register : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5f966e8af493fd6a451ffc27 : viewed 5 Feb 2022) baptism Thomas Lunsford 18 Mar 1585/86
7. ↑ Sussex : Lewes : All Saints : Parish Register : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5f966e89f493fd6a451ffc06 : viewed 16 Jun 2021) baptism Moyses Lunsford 24 Jan 1584/85
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Lunsford, Sir Thomas', print and online 2004, available online via some libraries
9. ↑ Old Whyly website, accessed 25 October 2021
10. ↑ Historic England website, entry for Whyly, accessed 25 October 2021
11. ↑ Sir Thomas Lunsford: on the hunt for the 'Cannibal Cavalier', web, accessed 25 October 2021
12. ↑ J G N. 'Pedigree of the Family of Lunsford, of Lunsford and Wilegh, Co. Sussex' in Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, Vol. IV, John Bowyer Nichols and Son, 1837, p. 156, Internet Archive
13. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKR3-NWG
14. ↑ Kent Marriages and Banns, Canterbury Cathedral Archives, FindMyPast
15. ↑ The Tyler Collection, The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies; Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874, p. 51 (image 82), viewable on Ancestry
16. ↑ Archbishop’s transcripts of Bearsted Baptisms 1563-1847 at Kent Archives Office, Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone, Kent, England, ME14 1LQ; a transcription by Kent Family History Society is on FindMyPast
17. ↑ The Tyler Collection, The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies; Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874, p. 59 (image 90), viewable on Ancestry
18. ↑ England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KG82-3JR
19. ↑ Transcript of East Hoathly parish register on [hhttp://www.sussex-opc.org/index.php?n=Lunsfor*&t=baptism&k=145539&l=102 Sussex Online Parish Clerks website], accessed 26 January 2022
20. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KG82-3YN : 7 December 2017), Thomas Luncford in entry for Siscele Lunceford, 1606: the transcript on Family search gives the year as 1606; the accompanying image of the parish register makes it clear it was 1606/7, or 1607 in modern reckoning. The first name is transcribed as "Siscele" but the script is unclear in the original register and it could be something like "Lisele"; the burial record image looks like Lisle.
21. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KG82-QX9 : 7 December 2017), Thomas Lunsford in entry for Sisle Lunsford, 17 Nov 1610; citing Burial, Framfield, Sussex, England, 00059, The Keep, East Sussex Record Office; West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester
22. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGY-TRC : 7 December 2017), Thomas Lunsford, 1561, with accompanying image of the original parish register (image 785)
23. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGB-98M : 7 December 2017), Thomas Lamsford and Brigget Cooper, 1588 - the year is 1588/9, making it 1589 in modern reckoning
24. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3GJ-P5F : 19 March 2020), Thomas Lunsford in entry for William Lunsford, 1590
25. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGB-M4P : 7 December 2017), Tho Lunsford in entry for William Lunsford, 10 Jan 1594; citing Burial, St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England, 00816, The Keep, East Sussex Record Office; West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester
26. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGY-RYP : 7 December 2017), Tho Lunsford in entry for Joan Lunsford, 02 Mar 1593; citing Burial, St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England, 00816, The Keep, East Sussex Record Office; West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester - death year mis-transcribed as 1593 on Familysearch as at 31 August 2021
27. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGY-TDP : 7 December 2017), Agnes Lunsford, 1595
28. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGB-Q8Z : 7 December 2017), Michael Stephens and Agnes Lunsford, 1624
29. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ51-RVN : 10 April 2021), Tho. Lunsford in entry for Elizab. Lunsford, 1606
30. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGB-SZ3 : 7 December 2017), Thomas Lunsford in entry for Lunsford, 18 Nov 1609; citing Burial, St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England, 00831, The Keep, East Sussex Record Office; West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester.
31. ↑ "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFGB-47V : 7 December 2017), Thomas Lunsford, 19 Jun 1632; citing Burial, St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England, 00864, The Keep, East Sussex Record Office; West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester
32. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NV4G-HXQ : 13 March 2020), Thomas Lunsford, 1610
33. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NV4G-HXW : 13 March 2020), Thomas Lunsford, 1625

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

This profile was re-reviewed in Dec 2019 by Michael Cayley.

Thomas Lunsford Esq. appears in Magna Carta Ancestry in a Richardson-documented trail from Gateway Ancestor Thomas Lunsford to Magna Carta Surety Baron Geoffrey de Say (vol. III, pages 84-85 LUNSFORD). The trail to Say was badged by the Magna Carta Project in Feb 2015. This profile also appears in a badged trail from Gateway Thomas Lunsford to surety baron Richard de Clare that branches off the Say trail. See both trails in the Magna Carta Trails section of the Gateway's profile.

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".