Alice (Smythe) Harris (abt. 1564 - abt. 1615)

Born about 1564 in London, England

Ancestors

Wife of William Harris — married 6 May 1583 in St Gabriel Fenchurch, City of London, England

Descendants

Died about Nov 1615 at about age 51 in Cricksea, Essex, England [uncertain]

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Biography

Alice Smythe was the 5th daughter of Thomas (Customer) Smythe and Alice Judde.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

She was baptised Alice Smith on 21 Dec 1564 at All Hallows Lombard Street, City of London.^[8] No parents names were recorded with the baptism but it is one of a series of baptisms at All Hallows Lombard Street that align with the sequence of children of Thomas and Alice Smythe, who lived in the Parish of All Hallows Lombard Street in Langbourn Ward of the City of London.

Portraits of Alice Smythe and her brothers, sisters and parents were painted by Cornelis Ketel in 1579-1580^[9][10][11] and most (including the one of Alice) are now owned by the Skinners' Company of the City of London.

Marriage

Alice Smythe married William Harris alias Herris on 06 May 1583 at St Gabriel Fenchurch, City of London.^[12]

In the will of her father, the will made on 22 May 1591 and proved on 29 October 1591^[13] she was noted as the wife of William Herrys Esq. Her father bequeathed £250 to the children (not named) of Alice and William, the sum to be equally divided between them.

Alice was a beneficiary of the will of her mother Alice, the will made on 10 Jul 1592.^[14] The will referred to Alice's husband William Harris and their children Thomas, Arthur, Alice and Dorathie.

In the Harris Pedigree in the Visitation of Essex in 1612^[7] she was recorded as Alice, wife of Sir William Harris of Crixse, and the mother of four sons and four daughters. Her eldest son was Sir Arthur Harris, then followed William (2nd son) of Lincoln's Inn, Thomas (3rd son) and John (4th son). Her eldest daughter was Alice, wife of Sir Henry Mildmay, followed by Mary (2nd daughter) married to Gyles Browne esq., Frances (3rd daughter) and Elizabeth (4th daughter). Given that the will of her mother, Alice (Judde) Smythe indicates Alice had an elder son called Thomas and a daughter called Dorathie, both of whom presumably died as children, then there were at least ten children born to Alice and her husband Sir William Harris.

Children

The children of Alice Smythe and William Harris alias Herris:

• Thomas (born before Jul 1592)^[14], presumably died as a child after Jul 1592
• Arthur (born before Jul 1592)^[14], eldest surviving son^[7][15]
• Alice (born before Jul 1592)^[14], eldest surviving daughter, married Sir Henry Mildmay^[7]
• Dorathie (born before Jul 1592)^[6][14], presumably died as a child after Jul 1592
• William^[7], 2nd surviving son
• Thomas^[7], 3rd surviving son
• John^[7], 4th surviving son
• Mary^[7], 2nd surviving daughter, married Gyles Browne esq.^[16]
• Frances^[7], 3rd surviving daughter, married Ambrose Roope Esq. of Devon^[17][18][19]
• Elizabeth^[7], 4th surviving daughter

Other Bequests

In 1597 Alice, recorded as Mistress Harris, was granted a legacy of £50, following the death of her youngest brother Simon Smythe.^[20]

Alice was recorded in the will of her brother Robert Smythe of London, the will made on 01 Dec 1600 and proved on 28 Jan 1600/1601.^[21]

Death

The death of Lady Alice Harris was noted in the Visitation of Essex of 1612 as follows:^[7]

"Sir William Harris of Crixse where he and his ladye is buryed, he died in Novem. a° 1616, and she in November a° d'ni 1615".

In the will of her sister Lady Katherine (Smythe) Scott, the will made on 11 Jan 1616/1617, Alice was recorded as being deceased.^[22]

Sources

1. ↑ The Visitation of Kent. Taken in the Years 1619-1621. The Publications of the Harleian Society Vol XLII. Edited by Robert Hovenden, 1898. Smith Pedigree pp 113-114 Internet Archive.
2. ↑ Visitation of London 1568. Publications of the Harleian Society. Edited by Howard and Armytage. 1869. Smythe Pedigree p 69 Internet Archive.
3. ↑ Visitation of London, 1568: With Additional Pedigrees, 1569-90, the Arms of the City Companies, and a London Subsidy Roll, 1589. Publications of the Harleian Society. Vols 109-110. London H S and Rawlins S W. 1963. Smyth Pedigree pp 17-18.
4. ↑ Stocker, J J. Pedigrees of Smythes of Ostenhangar; Kent; of Smythes of Bidborough and Sutton-at-Hone; and of the Smythes of Viscount Strangford, of Dromore, Ireland. Archæologia Cantiana, being Transactions of the Kent Archæological Society. Vol. XX, 1893, pp 76-81 pdf.
5. ↑ Wadmore, J F. Thomas Smythe, of Westenhanger, Commonly Called Customer Smythe. Archæologia Cantiana, being Transactions of the Kent Archæological Society, vol. XVII, 1887, pp 193-208 pdf.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Buckler, Benjamin. Stemmata Chicheleana. Oxford Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1765. See No. 1 and No. 148 Internet Archive.
7. ↑ ^{7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10} The Visitations of Essex 1552-1636. Publications of the Harleian Society. Vol XIII. Edited by Walter C Metcalfe. Vol I, 1878. The Visitation of 1612. Harris Pedigree, p 213 Internet Archive.
8. ↑ All Hallows Lombard Street, City of London. Register. Accessed via Ancestry.
9. ↑ Hearn K (1995) Dynasties : painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530-1630. Tate Publishing.
10. ↑ Treasures of the Royal Courts. Tudors, Stuarts & the Russian Tsars. Dmitrieva O and Murdoch T (Eds). V&A Publishing, 2013.
11. ↑ A Set of Portraits of the Family of Thomas 'Customer' Smythe by Cornelis Ketel. Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. Expert's Statement. Arts Council, abt 2015.
12. ↑ St Gabriel Fenchurch, City of London. Register. Accessed via Ancestry.
13. ↑ Will of Thomas Smythe of London. 29 Oct 1591. PROB 11/78/226. The National Archives, kew.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4} Will of Alice Smythe, Widow of London. 11 May 1598. PROB 11/91/377. The National Archives, Kew.
15. ↑ Herrys (Harris), Sir Arthur (c.1587-1632), of Creeksea Place and Woodham Mortimer, Essex Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629, ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010 Internet Archive.
16. ↑ Marriage Settlement of Giles Browne esq. and Mary Herris. 01 Jun 1611. Ref: D/DHt T55/2. Essex Archives.
17. ↑ Devonshire Pedigrees Recorded in the Herald's Visitation of 1620. By John Tuckett. Parts 1-6 with Index. 1859. Roope Pedigree, p 182.
18. ↑ The Visitation of the County of Devon in 1620. By F T Colby. 1872. Roope Pedigree, p 246 Internet Archive.
19. ↑ The Visitations of the County of Devon comprising the Herald's Visitations of 1531, 1564, & 1620. With additions by J L Vivian. 1895. Roope of Dartmouth Pedigree p 658 HathiTrust.
20. ↑ Summary of receipts and payments made by the unnamed brother of Simon Smith, deceased, acting as executor. Jul 1597. E 192/1/4. The National Archives, Kew.
21. ↑ Will of Robert Smithe, Gentleman of London. 1601. PROB 11/97/37. The National Archives, Kew.
22. ↑ Will of Katherine Scott, late Wife of Nettlestead, Kent. 12 March 1617. PROB 11/129/289. The National Archives, Kew.

See also:

• Fanshawe, Herbert Charles. The history of the Fanshawe family. 1927. Pg. 92-4 Internet Archive.
• William Harris Wikipedia.
• http://www.ncgenweb.us/ncwarren/harris-book/Chapter_One.html
• http://www.ncgenweb.us/ncwarren/harris-book/Chapter_Six.html
• Find-a-Grave entry
• Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants. Volume II, Page 157.