John Tregonwell (abt. 1498 - 1565)

Born about 1498 in Cornwall, England

Husband of Elizabeth (Kelway) Tregonwell — married 25 Jun 1549 in Puddletown, Dorset, England

Descendants

Died 13 Jan 1565 at about age 67 in Milton Abbas, Dorset, England

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Biography

John Tregonwell became an influential lawyer during the reign of Henry V111 acting on his behalf during the divorce procedings against Katherine of Aragon and during the dissolution of the monasteries. In spite of this he was allowed to act as a court lawyer during the reign of the catholic Mary 1 and into the reign of Elizabeth 1. He eventually retired to his newly purchased estates in Milton Abbas

Birth

Sir John Tregonwell came from an obscure and probably a relatively humble background but became an influential lawyer and wealthy landowner. His birth date can only be estimated from his graduation date (see details of career) to have been around 1500.

Marriages and Children

John married twice, marrying

1 Elizabeth Bruce by whom he had children

• Thomas married twice, marrying 'Lady Villiers' and Anne Martyn but predeceased his father
• Anne married Sir Richred Rede
• Jane married Robert Thornhull

2 Elizabeth Kelloway (Kellway, Keilway), the widow of Robert Martin of Athelhampton. The marriage took place on 25th June 1549 at Puddletown. ^[1]

25 June 1549, Puddletown. .

Death, Burial and Will

Sir John died on 13 January 1564/5 He was buried at Milton Abbas .On the wall above his tomb is a brass memorial bearing the image of a figure wearing armour and a tabard, kneeling at a prayer desk. The inscription beneath it reads

• 'Here lyeth buried Syr John Tregonwell Knyght doctor of the Cyvill Lawes, and one of the maisters of the Chauncerye who dyed the xiii day of January in the yere of our Lorde 1565 of whose soule God have m'cy'.^[2][3]

Interestingly the burial date of Sir John Tregonwell, 'knight and doctor of civil law' is also recorded in the register for Puddletown (in Latin, the other entries on the page are in English) . ^[4]The register for Milton in this period is missing.

His long and detailed will (covering 19 pages) commences with a catholic commendation

• 'I commend my soule to almighty God my maker the father of heaven and to his only begotten sonne Jesus Chryste my Redemer and to the hollie Goste the equall and coeternall persone and our God Allmightie beseching the most glorious and blessed virgin marie and all the hollie company of heaven to praye for me unto his maiestie to [southesalve] to [ ] my most wretched and sinful soule unto his infinite mercie '(transcript H Ford)

This is followed with several bequests of money to the parishoners of Milton Abbas and the surrounding parishes 'to pray for his soule' The will contains a detailed account of his wishes over the supervision of his estate during his grandsons minority and also the provision for his widow. These provisions lead to interfamily feuding between his wife and his grand son. ^[5]The will also has a detailed inventory of his possessions. .^[6]

Notes on Order of wives as suggested in this profile

Several sources including Wikipedia( using the Dictionary of National Biography as a source and Burke suggest that John Tregonwell's first marriage was to Elizabeth Kelloway . Others including Gilbert, Prideaux and the History of the Houses of Parliament have Elizabeth Kelloway as the second wife. There are many strands of evidence that add support to her being the second wife

1. The overseers of Sir John's will included Elizabeth Kelloway's child Nicholas Martyn and her brother William Kelloway.
2. incidents and litigation following his death, involving , Dame Elizabeth Tregonwell, together with other members of the Martyn family in conflict with her grand son John Tregonwell.
3. In November 1577, Elizabeth Tregonwell's son, George Martyn was instrumental in the arrest of a recusant who visited his Catholic mother. He (Thomas Sherwood) was met one morning in Chancery Lane by one George Martin, son to the Lady Tregonwell, in Dorsetshire, which George had seen him divers times at his mother s house in the company of one Mr. Stampe, a priest; and so meeting him and calling for the constable, caused him to be apprehended ...He believed that mass was sometimes privately said in his mother s house ; and this, as he imagined, by the means of Mr. Sherwood^[7]
4. Dame Elizabeth in her will attempts to make provision for the relief of 'my poor and fatherless children, Thomas, George, James and Henry Martyn' Her eldest son Nicholas Martyn was executor of this will ^[8]

Career

It is suggested that he may have come from a Cornish family and went to grammar school in Crantock . ^[9] He became a student at Oxford's Broadgate Hall college graduating with a Bachelor of Civil law in 1516 and gained his doctorate in 1522. He afterwards became the principal of Vine Hall.(Peckwater Inn)^[10]

He left academia for a position at the Admiralty and his intelligence and detailed knowledge of law became invaluable in the litigious government of Henry VIII as he acquired wealth and status as a lawyer in the court of Henry VIII.

John Tregonwell took an important part in many of the events of the reign including the divorce proceedings against Katherine of Aragon. He travelled with Cranmer and others to European Universities seeking to influence learned opinions favourably towards the divorce. He then acted as Kings Counsel when the act of divorce was finally granted in 1533 and received for this a pension of 40s. He became the principal judge in the Admiralty and also Master of Chancery and then became involved in the Royal Visitations investigating the state of monasteries and other religious institutions prior to the Act of Suppression^[11]

He accompanied Layson on the Royal Visitation of Oxford in 1535. This visit was intended 'not to identify crimes or immoral living, but to reinforce the Royal Supremacy within the institution and to make major reforms of the syllabus.' Whilst there he was commissioned to make a visitation of the monasteries in the Southern part of the diocese of Lincoln. He reported on the leadership of each monastery, the learning of the monks and nuns, the repair of the buildings, the finances of the institution and whether there was evidence of sexual crimes. Alan Davidson ^[12] says that he has been called the 'most reliable and independent of the visitors' Examples given by Shaw in a doctoral thesis illustrate this. ^[13]

• 'At Godstow he noted that one nun had had a child, but qualified this by noting the birth occurred thirteen or fourteen years previously, and had been punished by the bishop of Lincoln who sent her to Godstow 'where now and ever since that time she has lived virtuously'.
• 'At Catesby he noted that the nuns were `(by as much as I can learn) without suspicion of incontinent living'
• 'the abbot 'as much as I can perceive by inquisition ... is chaste of his living and doth right well over look the reparations of his house'

His Visitation continued westwards into the diocese of Bath and Wells and then into Exeter. His role expanded to visiting Cathedrals and other non monastic churches and monastic hospitals. Above all he seems to have been concerned that these religious institutions truly upheld their role in the Church his motivation seems to have been of reform rather than surpression. He instituted fines for non attendance at service by the vicars choral and others at Wells but the abbott of Athelney in Somerset wrote that Tregonwell

• 'hath execute the act of Visitation for the reformation of good religion where he found (thanks be to God) the house in meetly good order as it will appear at his return

At Salisbury he issued a series of injunctions concerning the obedience to all statutes that complied with Holy writ, reading of the Scriptures and also about such matters as the payments to vicars choral and the nomination of canons. His visitation appears to have been finished by January 1536'^[14]

In spite of his apparent even handedness during the visitations, Tregonwell was not averse to benefitting from the closure of these institutions . He applied to rent Cleeve Abbey asking Cromwell if he could have it 'at a convenient rent whereby he may have some help towards his living and feeding of his wife and children' ^[15] He appears not to have been granted this. He also applied for and received a lease of the nunnery of St. Giles at Flamstead, Hertfordshire but then the manor was granted to another the following year. However, in 1540 he was allowed to buy the Abbey and manor of Milton for £1000 (a relatively high cost) together withthe loss of his 40s a year pension. He also was allowed to purchase further estates in Dorset in 1544. He further established himself in Dorset by marrying the widow of Robert Martyn of Athelhampton, in 1549 ^[16]

Tregonwell continued to work in government under Henry V111 as Master in Chancery and receiver of petitions. He was allowed to continue this role under Mary and it was in fact from her that he received his Knighthood on the day of her coronation on October 1 1553. He was also MP for Scarborough in Yorkshire during the Parliament of that year. After his Knighthood, Sir John seems to have become more involved in local government becoming Sheriff of Dorset in 1554 and a Justice of the peace in that county in the first year of Elizabeth's reign (1558/9). As the lord of the manor of Milton (Mylton, Myddleton), he occupied the Abbey buildings as a family house .He allowed the Abbey to be used as a parish church for the adjoining town. His descendants continued to lived at the Abbey for several generations The church continued as the Parish Church until the land was sold into new ownership in the 18th century

Sources

1. ↑ Puddletown Parish register PE/PUD: RE 1/1 repository Dorset History Centre, Dorchester
2. ↑ see image on page
3. ↑ W.de C Prideaux The Ancient Memorial Brasses of Dorset Dorset Natural History and Archaeological society, proceedings. vol 18 page 225ff Archive Books
4. ↑ Dorset History Centre, Dorchester, Puddletown Parish Register PE/PUD:RE1/1
5. ↑ For details see biography of his wife, Elizabeth Kelway
6. ↑ Will of Sir John Tregonwell probate granted 30 May 1565. National Archives PROB 11/48/167
7. ↑ Dom. Bede Camm, Lives of the English Martyrs declared blessed by Pope Leo V111 in 1886 and 1895 Edited p 236 Archive Books
8. ↑ Will of Elizabeth Tregonwell probate granted 15 May 1584 .National Archives Prob 11piece 67, Watson quire
9. ↑ Charles Sandoe Gilbert An Historical Survey of the County of Cornwall Vol 2 pt1 p284ff
10. ↑ Alumini Oxonienses, Originally published by University of Oxford, Oxford, 1891 British History online
11. ↑ Alan Davidson in The History of Parliament, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982 TREGONWELL, Sir John (by 1498-1565), of Milton Abbas, Dorset History of Parliament online
12. ↑ Alan Davidson The History of Parliament, op cit
13. ↑ Anthony N Shaw The Compendium Compertorum and the making of the Supression Act of 1536 Phd Thesis, Dept of History, University of Warwick 2003 http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1262/1/WRAP_THESIS_Shaw_2003.pdf
14. ↑ Shaw op cit
15. ↑ Victoria County History, Somerset 1911, House of Cistercian Monks, The Abbey of Cleeve. 115-118 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol2/pp115-118
16. ↑ Alan Davidson The History of Parliament