John Spencer (abt. 1505 - 1558)

Born about 1505 in Bedfordshire, England

Husband of Ann (Merrill) Spencer — married about 1530 in Edworth, Bedfordshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 9 Jun 1558 at about age 53 in Edworth, Bedfordshire, England

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Warning. This John who married Anne Merrill, both of whom were buried in Edworth, wasn't the son of John and Christian of South Mylls, who did have a son, John who married Anne Clarke. Neither is he anything to do with John Spencer of Althorp in Northampton.

Biography

John Spencer was born in Bedfordshire, England.

John Spencer, whose parents and birthplace have not been identified, was born probably within a few years after 1500 in Bedfordshire, probably in the village of Edworth.

He married Ann Merrill whose brothers lived in Biggleswade, 2 miles to the north.

They had the following three sons:

- Michael Spencer, probably born 1530-1535, possibly in Edworth. He married Agnes Limer at Edworth on 20 Jan 1555/6.^[1]

- John Spencer, unmarried, was buried at Edworth, Bedfordshire on 21 Apr 1560, as son of Ann Spencer, widow. ^[2]

- Gerard (Jarrat) Spencer, b. ca. 1543; ; m. at Edworth, 30 Jul 1568, Ellen Whyston;^[3] d. at Biggleswade, Beds, ca. 1577

John died and was buried at Edworth, on 9 June 1558, as John Spencer senior.; ^[4]

Research Notes

Feb 12, 2018 Update by Robert Spencer UEL, hope this clarifies things on the issue of the wife of John Spencer of Edworth, as new information eliminates Anne Clarke as a wife, she is named in a will of another John Spencer, who resided in London, with many children and was well documented in church records there. I'm not sure she's mentioned by name in any document!

Evidence in Support of Anne Merrill

The will of John Spencer's widow, dated 13 June 1560, proved 21 Apr 1561, includes the following: brother Edward's children, to have the £1 that he borrowed of her, and the barley he gave her sons to his children; Nicholas Merryll and John Merryll his brother, to have the barley their father gave her sons... "From the terms of the will, it would seem that Anne's brother was Edward Merryll or Merrill, and that this was her maiden name. A search of Merrill wills might confirm this conjecture."^[5]

The will of John Merell, husbandman of Biggleswade, made 12 Oct 1558, proved 5 Dec 1558, mentions his brother Edward Morell of Stratton; his sons Nicholas and John (compare with Ann Spencer's 1560 will), and just to confirm the hypothesis "To his brother Spenser's children at Edworth a quarter of barley each." which ties in with Anne's will "Nicholas Merryll and John Merryll his brother, to have the barley their father gave her sons..."^[6]

The other thing that strikes me about the Edworth family are the names - they don't fit the naming pattern of the Blunham/Eaton Socon Spencers who only named their sons John or Robert! eg Michael and Gerard Could this indicate they were of different Spencer stock?

John Spencer left no will that has been traced, but his widow did:

from Anne's will dated 13 Jun 1560, proved 21 Apr 1561, she mentioned her son Gerard (aged 17); son Michael to have the chest that was his brother John's; John Spencer, son Michael's child, to have £20. Jacobus ^[7] gained the impression that "our Spencer family at that period was of the yeoman class, and somewhat better off than the average village family of the time and place. Whether they were in origin a younger branch of an older gentry family, or a more humble clan which by industry and good fortune had improved its lot, we are not in a position to affirm. It would be necessary to prove the parentage and more remote ancestry of John Spencer, Sr., by documentary evidence, before claiming any specific connection with any other Spencer family in England." So Jacobus is saying that the parents of John who died in 1558 aren't known.

Findings of Rev John Holding

Rev John Holding, Vicar of Stotfold, wrote a book entitled The Spencers of Bedfordshire, published in 1903. His aim was to connect the various branches of the Bedfordshire Spencers and allied familes. The primary person of interest was John Spencer of Edworth, who despite many tantalizling connections identified by Rev Holding, remained, at the end, a brick wall: Holding makes no claim as to the parentage of John Spencer of Edworth. Nevertheless, his book is the place to start in researching the ancestry of this family. Donald Lines Jacobus, in his TAG article on the four Spencer brothers, devotes the first page to a discussion of Holding's book, noting, "Despite a lack of formal arrangement, the book is a mine of information." The principal success of Holding's book is to identify specific conections between the various Bedfordshire branches: Cople, South Mylls, Eaton Socum, and St Albans.

His principal claim with respect to John Spencer of Edworth is that he is likely the John Spencer of St. Albans who was one of the ten Burgesses named by Edward VI in the 12 May 1553 Charter of St Albans (note: the strongly Protestant Edward VI died within two months of the charter, on 6 Jul 1553 at age 15, and was suceeded by his strongly Roman Catholic sister Mary, "Bloody Mary").

Holding notes that the King's advisors would not appoint anyone to be a chief burgess or alderman unless they were of mature age, and so the John Spencer of St Albans in 1553 is about the right age to be John Spencer of Edworth who must have been born by about 1510, given the bounds on the ages of his children.

The Burgess appointment was for life. If vacated by reason of death, leaving town, or removal from office, a new Burgess was to be appointed within eight days by the Mayor and other Burgesses. Holding examined the parish registers of St Albans, which begin in 1558, and found that while most of John Spencer's colleagues named in the charter are later found in the burial register, John Spencer is not. Holding concludes that he must have left shortly after 1553. He adds:^[8]

It may be alleged that as the St Albans Register does not begin before 1558, this John Spencer may have died in the interval between that date and 1553. We think not. The unhappy reign of the persecuting Queen [Mary] occupied this whole period, and Popery was restored. The tenor of the wills of Anne [Spencer] and Gerard [Spencer] certainly leads us to the conviction that the family were strongly anti-Popish, and this may have been one great reason for his leaving St Albans, where Popery was fully restored. As one in favour of Reformation principles, as his nomination to his office under Edward VI denotes, he would find St Albans very unpleasant quarters for a man of his religious views. Besides this, [Edward] Bonner, the fiercest of the Popish persecutors, was the Bishop of London, in whose diocese St Albans then was, and burnt [at the stake] Protestants there — notably [George] Tankerfield in 1555.

Illustrative of the Spencer's Protestant leanings, Holding notes that Anne Spencer's will leaves a token for the repair of London Bridge, which had been broken down by Queen Mary in 1554 to stop the advance of 4,000 Kentish troops under the command of Protestant insurrectionist Sir Thomas Wyatt.

In examining the question of when John Spencer settled at Edworth, Holding notes that 21 years was the standard copyhold lease at the time. In Anne Spencer's will she states "I gyve to Mychaell my sonne my lease of my farme." Based on dates in the Stotfold parish register, Michael removed from Edworth to Stotfold ca 1575. That would mean that the copyhold lease was initiated by John Spencer in about 1554. The timing would accord with him being the John Spencer of St Albans in 1553, who left shortly after that time due to religous persecutions there and settled in Edworth.

Another link between the St Albans Spencers and those of Edworth, according to Holding, is the baptism at Edworth on 21 May 1565 of Richard Spencer, son of William "the traveler" Spencer. Holding notes that while "travelers" frequently occur in the burial registers, they rarely occur in the baptism registers. "No child could be baptised without properly credited sponsors to answer in the child's name and on its behalf, so that an absolute stranger would find himself in a difficulty about obtaining the god-parents necessary for the occasion." ^[9] Holding argues that William Spencer must have known the Spencers of Edworth. He further claims that William traveler was the William Spencer of St Albans who had many children baptised there and later became a Burgess and Mayor of that town. Holding felt strongly that William was likely a son of John Spencer of Edworth who remained in St Albans and came to Edworth to have his brother named as god-parent to his son. The claim that William is another son of John and Anne seems a bit strong to this writer, given that William is not mentioned in Anne Spencer's will. Nevertheless, he may have been a close relative.

From research made by Mr. Holding it appears that John Spencer occupied a farm of about 600 acres at Edworth, as lessee of Robert Parry of Ellington, who was then lord of the Manor. Writing of the will of Anne Spencer, Mr Holding says: "It is interesting as showing the position in life she occupied, and her kindly, thoughtful nature. The enumeration of stock and chattels, and her bequests certainly show that the family was at least that of a prosperous gentleman." "She nowhere makes mention of land or tenements belonging to her. There is only the lease of the farm which evidently refers to the ones of which she was then the tenant, and which is handed on to her oldest son Michael." Regarding the Edworth farm Mr Holding says: "Edworth is a parish on the borders of Hertfordshire, and is situated half way between Baldock and Biggleswade. There have always been two large farms in Edworth, comprising really the whole land in the parish, with the exception of about 8 acres glebeland attached to the rectory, giving a total of about 1122 acres." "So that the Spencer farm would cover about 600 acres in extent, a large farm even at that present time, and gave employment to half the laboring poor of the place. The Hall, where the Spencers resided, is still standing, although much modernized.^[10]

Visit of Herbert R. Spencer^[11]

In 1923, H.R. Spencer, author of the Spencers of East Haddam, visited Edworth. The old church is still standing, in the same shape as when John and Anne Spencer worshiped there. The old baptismal font is still in use - the same font at which the Spencer children were christened. The church register is still in a good state of preservation, and dates back several hundred years, prior to the time when John and Anne Spencer resided there. Original entries show the dates of christening of Michael Spencer's children, and the date of the burials of both John and Anne Spencer. There is nothing in the churchyard to indicate at what precise spot John and his wife are buried. On the interior wall of the church H.R. Spencer placed a brass tablet containing the words:
In Memoriam
John and Anne Spencer
1558       1560

Other John Spencers in Bedfordshire

Link to John Spencer of South Mylls and Bramfield who died in 1568.

Link to John Spencer of Pavenham who died in 1532.

Sources

1. ↑ "The Parish Register of Edworth 1552-1931" https://archive.org/details/bedfordshirepari02bedf/page/11
2. ↑ "The Parish Register of Edworth 1552-1931". https://archive.org/details/bedfordshirepari02bedf/page/14
3. ↑ "The Parish Register of Edworth 1552-1931" https://archive.org/details/bedfordshirepari02bedf/page/11
4. ↑ "The Parish Register of Edworth 1552-1931. https://archive.org/details/bedfordshirepari02bedf/page/14
5. ↑ Donald Lines Jacobus, "The Four Spencer Brothers," in The American Genealogist, 27 (1950):78-87.
6. ↑ Bedfordshire Archives online catalogue. http://bedsarchivescat.bedford.gov.uk/Details/archive/110149098
7. ↑ Donald Lines Jacobus, "The Four Spencer Brothers," in The American Genealogist, 27 (1950):78-87.
8. ↑ The Spencers of Bedfordshire, 1903, Rev. John Holding, p 31.
9. ↑ The Spencers of Bedfordshire, 1903, Rev. John Holding, p 33.
10. ↑ The Spencers of Bedfordshire, 1903, Rev. John Holding, p 17.
11. ↑ The Spencer Family of Bedfordshire, England and East Haddam, Conn.,by Herbert R. Spencer, undated typescript manuscript, p 12, available at Familysearch.org link.

See also:

1. George R. Spencer, Descendants of Amuary Raoul D'Albetot (date?)
2. Spencer, Jack Taif Spencer, Edith Woolley, "Spencers of the Great Migration," (1997), p. 59

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Acrossthepond.ged on 21 February 2011.
• WikiTree profile Spencer-2154 created through the import of Maltby master 08282011.GED on Aug 30, 2011 by Harry Maltby.
• WikiTree profile Spencer-1710 created through the import of Edwards Family Tree.ged on May 29, 2011 by Kennon Edwards.
• WikiTree profile Spencer-2582 created through the import of Spencer Family Tree 4 2002.GED on Nov 28, 2011 by Chet Spencer.
• Thanks to Robert Spencer for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Robert and others.
• Spencer-6930 was created by Mark Daly through the import of ancestors2.ged on Mar 16, 2014.