Thomas White (abt. 1483 - 1556)

Ancestors Descendants

Date of birth is estimated based upon date of first known child

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Marriages 1.2 Children 1.3 Occupation 1.4 Opposition to Thomas Hancock, Protestant curate of Poole 1.5 Death 2 Research notes 3 Sources

Biography

Marriages

Thomas had two, known wives, but seems to have been been married three times

1. Unknown
2. Cecily Webbe, the daughter of William Webbe MP and Mayor of Salisbury.
3. Chrystian her surname at birth may perhaps have been Percye Some unsourced trees say Chrystian Pierce, The part of the will where it is mentioned , is very difficult to read ^[1]

Children

• Child of unknown mother

Elenor b 20 May, 1503 m John Mann in 1525 ^{[2] [3]}

• Children with Cecily Webb

Thomas b in abt 1517.

Edyth m James Mesurer

Johane m Thomas Santebarbe ^[4][5]

Occupation

Thomas White was a wealthy merchant from Poole in Dorset. He dealt in cloth primarily in woollen cloth and lead .

He was mayor of the borough of Poole in 1531, 1538 and 1545 ^[6]

(NB. there is also a William White Mayor in 1459, A Thomas White Mayor in 1504, 1510, 1511 and 1517; his father? The 1545 Mayor is referred to as senior. His son Thomas is thought to be the Thomas White junior in 1553)

Opposition to Thomas Hancock, Protestant curate of Poole

White was fervent in defence of his traditional (catholic beliefs) and led opposition to the preaching of Thomas Hancock .Hancock was a radical protestant with a licence to preach from Arch. Cranmer. In 1547, his sermon against the mass in Salisbury,preached in front of several high ranking clergymen, resulted in him being charged for offenses including calling the sacrament names like' round Robin, or Jack in the box'. Hancock was bound over to keep the peace until the next assizes . His patron, Edward Seymour KG (abt.1500-1552) (Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector) intervened but forbade him from preaching in Southampton because of the outrage he tended to provoke.

Poole however had a large number of Protestants who were more receptive than the citizens of Salis bury to Hancock's preaching and he was appointed curate of the Parish Church of St James in Poole .

In July 1547, Hancock preached on Idolatry, preaching against the elevation and reverence of the host during the mass. This was not received well by the Catholics in the congregation . Hancock described the altercation (spelling altered)

'Old Thomas Whyghtt, a great rich merchant and a ringleader of the papists rose out of his seat and went out of the church saying "come from him, good people; he came from the devil and teacheth unto you devilish doctrine" ^[7]

On All Saint's day (1st November) of the same year. White and others went to the parish Priest 'commanding' him to say prayers or laments (dierges) for the souls of the dead. Hancock in turn, commanded that the priest did no such thing. According to Hancock the catholics called him 'a knave and vile strumpet', threatening to 'draw his guts'. The mayor of Poole acted to keep the peace, locking Hancock in the choir of the church and the angry burghers out of the church. Hancock was subdequently driven out of town after this event but after appealing to his patron, Somerset for protection returned to Poole. Somerset fell from power in 1549 but Hancock continued his preaching at Poole for the duration of King Edward's reign.

In 1553, Mary Tudor, a Catholic, became queen. Hancock read her proclamation concerning her faith in church.

she did declare what religion she did profess in her youth, that she did continue in that same and that she minded to end her life in the same religion; willing all her loving subjects to embrace the same

The local Catholics were encouraged by this, wanting the immediate restoration of the Mass and other ceremonies . Hancock interpreted the proclamation very differently, saying that it meant that Mary was to be left alone with her own religion but that the law of the land had not changed. This infuriated Thomas White and the other Catholics who responded by trying to force the issue, setting up their own altar in the church and installing a 'French' Catholic priest, Sir Brysse Tayller . The town was however divided and Hancock had many Protestant townsfolk who supported him. The altar was pulled down and the priest forced to retreat from the church to Thomas White's mansion house.

the papists to build themselves an altar in old master Whyght's house

The Catholics now openly celebrated mass at the house whilst the Protestants 'heard the gospel' in the church. Relationships were tense . Thomas White's servant was 'to ring the bell' (presumably at the consecration ) but was threatened that if he rung the bell out of the window he might lose his arm. Whilst they celebrated mass at White's house, the catholics continued to attend services at the parish church . According to Hancock their purpose was not to hear the gospel but in order to find ammunition to 'trip up the preacher'

At the first Parliament of Mary's reign, the religious laws of Edward were repealed but a general pardon was granted. The Poole Catholics duly reported Hancock's offensive preaching . It was judged that Hancock's offense was so great that he was 'not thought worthy to enjoy the Queen's pardon' He was warned that his life was in danger and decided to flee, crossing to Normandy and from there to Geneva. ^[8]

Death

Thomas White died on 25th December, 1556. ^[9] Probate for his will was granted 6 July 1557

The introduction, written as it was during the Marian period, demonstrates Thomas's continued Catholic beliefs asking for intercessions from St Mary and the company of Heaven. He requested to be buried in the parish church of St James, Poole.

He left his son Thomas land in Dorset , Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. He left his house in Poole to his wife Chrystian ( leaving the use of for two rooms; a counting house and cellar to his son )

At the time of his death, it appears that his son Thomas had no male children.

His will names the three sons and two daughters of John Mann' whereby begat on my daughter ' These were Thomas Mann, Thomas Whites 'godsonne' , William Mann, John Mann, Agnes and Edith.( John Mann senior was 4 times Mayor of Poole between 1538 and 1559)

The will refers to the children of his daughter Edyth including Thomas Mesurer 'my godsonne', son of James Mesurer (another Mayor) and her five (unnamed ) daughters together with any more children 'by the said James Mesurer or any further husband after his death'

The will mentions the children of his daughter Johane Saintebarbe

In default of heirs by Thomas White (junior), the estate was to be divided between Thomas Mann and his heirs and Thomas Mesurer and his heirs and Thomas the son and heir of Thomas Saintebarbe.

^{[10][11] [12]}

Research notes

evidence for daughter Elenor as from a probable earlier marriage than that of White and Cecily Webbe

Elenor is not mentioned in the will of William Webbe (1523) as a daughter of his daughter Cecilie.

In his will Thomas White, mentions a daughter(she appears to have died) who had been the wife of John Mann. He mentions their children, Thomas Mann was a default heir to Thomas White

The household memoranda of John Mann* discussed below includes the following

• I John Man was marryed ye vj day of awgust an 25(1525), ye xvij yere of ye Reyn of Kyng harry, ye viij; unto Elenor Whytt ye dawter of thomas whytt; she bey'g of ye adge of xxij years, ye xx may last past ^[13]

John Mann's will mentions his children which are as stated in Thomas White's will

Her age at marriage suggests a birthdate of 20 May

1503, making her considerably older than her siblings, (Thomas White, the heir, was born in about 1517)

Burke (commoners) suggests that White married Cecily Webbe in 1504

• • Needles, Samuel HambletonRecord of the Man, Needles (Nedels) and Hambleton families...1495-1876 This purports to contain the transcript of a household book, written by John Mann and his son Edward and purportedly retained in the family in America .

The editor/transcriber of the book was obviously not familiar with West country place names and seems to make many transcription errors. Ironically, this may add to it's veracity since when the names are correctly deduced, it has been possible to confirm some details from parish registers. The dates for verifiable baptisms and marriages have so far been found to be correct. (ongoing research)

The children of Thomas White's daughter and John Mann are as mentioned in both Thomas White and John Mann's will, as are the daughter's married names .

The style of the household accounts is written in a similar to the style used for accounts from that date contained in the Poole town records

Future research

Dorset records office also contains an account book written by John Mann. It may be possible to compare the handwriting with the one photographic image of the household accounts contained in the book. DC-PL - POOLE BOROUGH. DA - FINANCE 2- Town Accounts Catalogue DC-PL/DA/2/2 Bailiffs accounts of John Man Date 1524 Coleman-5109 13:51, 28 June 2016 (EDT)

Sources

1. ↑ see http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/252620/can-any-16th-century-handwriting-experts-help
2. ↑ Pedigree included in a folder at the Poole local heritage centre includes daughter, Eleanor. This tree correctly records Eleanor as being the wife of John Mann, Edyth as the wife of James Mesurer and Johane as the wife of Thomas St Barbe
3. ↑ Needles, Samuel Hambleton Record of the Man, Needles (Nedels) and Hambleton families...1495-1876Digital images of original published: Philadelphia, Deacon pr. 1876. . 124+8 p. plates. https://archive.org/stream/recordofmanneedl00need#page/n119/mode/2up
4. ↑ Will of William Kellowe or William Webbe or Web, mercer or merchant of Salisbury, Wiltshire, probate date 14 August 1523, PROB 11/21/199 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D975568 [transcript freespace page]
5. ↑ National Archives Kew, PROB 11/39/278 Description: Will of Thomas White or Whitte, Merchant of Poole, Dorset Date: 09 July 1557
6. ↑ List of Mayors of Poole http://www.poolehistory.org.uk/sites/default/files/ChronologicalMayors2017.pdf
7. ↑ AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE OF THOMAS HANCOCK, MINISTER OF POOLE. [MS. Harl. 425, fol. 124.] in John Gough Nichols " Narrative of the days of the reformation, chiefly from the manuscripts of John Foxe the martyrologist" http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/john-gough-nichols/narrative-of-the-days-of-the-reformation-chiefly-from-the-manuscripts-of-john-f-hci/page-10-narrative-of-the-days-of-the-reformation-chiefly-from-the-manuscripts-of-john-f-hci.shtml :Original Text "' olde Thomas Whyghtt, a greate rvch marchantt, and a ringleader of the papistes, rose owtt off hys seate, and wentt owt: of the church, saying,

   Come from hym, good people; he came from the diuell, and teacheth wnto yow divlish doctrine

8. ↑ AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS HANCOCK op cit
9. ↑ Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries VOLUME XVI

   Thomas White, of Fittleford, died previously on 2Sth December, 4 Philip and Mary, seized of the manor of Fettleford held by socage and seven shillings rent of the manor

   https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsdorse16dors#page/66/mode/2up/search/white
10. ↑ M K DALE in The History of Parliament http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/white-thomas-iii-1517-90
11. ↑ Will of Thomas Whitte or White, Merchant of Poole National Archives, Kew. PROB 11/39/278 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D954766 transcription by Helen Ford Will of Thomas White or Whitte, Merchant of Poole, Dorset 1557
12. ↑ List of Mayors of Poole http://www.poolehistory.org.uk/node/326886
13. ↑ Needles, Samuel HambletonRecord of the Man, Needles (Nedels) and Hambleton families...1495-1876'