William Alley (abt. 1483 - 1570)

Born about 1483 in Buckinghamshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Sybil (Bodleigh) Alley — married 1534 in England

Descendants

Died 15 Apr 1570 at about age 87 in London, England

Biography

This person was created through the import of Smith-Hunter.ged on 10 March 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.

Name

Name: William /Alley/

Text: Birth date: Great Wycombe, about 1512Birth place:

Text: Death date: Apr. 15, 1570

Birth

Birth:

Date: Great Wycombe, about 1512

Place: parish, Buckinghamshire, , England

Death

Death:

Date: 15 Apr 1570

Place: London, parish, England

Notes

Note: Diary of the life of William Alley, Bishop of Exeter 1560--1570

born c1510 died 1570

provided to us by Ray Alley of Middlesex England

July 30, 2001

1510 William Alley born at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.

c1524 Enrolled as a King's scholar at Eton College Berkshire, (Henry vi made provision for 70 scholars to receive free

education and were known as King's scholars.) (i)

1527 Roughly cut his name on a window shutter(i). Found in the lower school at Eton college

on the 15th shutter from the left, just above the top hinge.

1528 12th Aug. admitted to King's College Cambridge at the age of 17.(i)

c1531 B.A. at Cambridge (i)

1531-34 Fellow of Kings college Cambridge (i)

1534 Retired to Oxford for study. (i)

c1534 About this time, aged 24, he must have married. (ii)

1534 4th April Ordained Deacon at Lincoln Cathedral in Lincolnshire. (i)

1535 Birth of his son Roger (iii) (Achdeacon of Cornwall 13th October 1563, ob 1610)

1540 Possible birth of a son Jerome (v)

1544 Rector of Oakford Devon. (i)

1547 Death of King Henry viii. His son Edward succeeds to the throne.

1549 Rector of Croscombe Somerset. (i)

1550--c1553 Vicar of Doddington in Lincolnshire. (i)

1553 Death of Edward vi Mary succeeds th the throne.

c1553-c1558 As a reformer and married, he would not have been in Mary's favour. so he

left the parish and travelled in northern England teaching and practising medicine. (i)

1558 Death of Mary. Elizabeth 1st succeeds Mary.

1559 Now back in favour he was made a Prebendary of St. Pauls Cathedral in the city

of London (i) (iv)

1560 27th April, Elizabeth desirers William to be Bishop of Exeter.

1560 5th may, Proclamation delivered to Chancellor Levison.

1560 14th July, Consecrated Bishop of Exeter, at Lambeth Palace London by the Archbishop of

Canterbury, Mathew Parker, assisted by Edmond Bishop of London and Gilbert, Bishop of

Bath and Wells, in the presence of John Incent public notary and other witnesses.

c1560 The revenues of the See and of his chapter were very low. To allow him a living "the

Rectory at Honiton Devon was given to the Bishop towards the better maintainance of his

rank, where he held several ordinations in the parish church and rectory house. (v)

1561 Made Doctor of Divinity at Oxford. (i)

1561 Jan. 1st Queen Elizabeth gave him a silver cup for the respect she held him in.

>From then on gave him a gift of a silver cup each new year.

c1561-62 It is just possible that about this time he married for the second time (ii)

1563 Birth of a daughter Jane or Joan ( see IGI Devon England)

1563 13th Oct. his son Roger collated to the Archdeaconry of Cornwall. Later rector of Pyworthy, Devon

in the summer of 1581

1564 Possible birth of a son Peter

1565 Birth of a son Austin. An entryin the register of the parish of St Mary Major Exeter states

'1565 xxiii daye of september was christened Austin Alleye, the son of the Right Worshipfull

my Lord William Alleye, Bisshoppe of Exeter by his wife Sybil' (iv)

1565 With others translated the book of Deuteronomy in the bible, and was author of 'Poor Mans Library'

1570 1st April made his last will and testament.

1570 Died 15th April aged 60. He was burried in the Cathedral near his Choir. There is no

plaque or mention of him in the Cathedral except an embroidered cushion, and a wooden

board listing the Bishops of Exeter (ix)

Notes;-

(i) From the Eton College register

(ii) It is clear that Williams wife was Sybil. Her maiden name is not so clear. In Alley Anc. it is shown as

Bodleigh. Records at Exeter and from (i) show it as Honacott, daughter of a man by that name from

Landket in Devon. There must also be some doubt as to Sybil being Williams first wife. A gap of 30 years

between son Roger and son Austin, although quite possible, leaves some doubt. Jane or Joan was

followed quickly by (possibly)Peter and certaily Austin. Sybil would have been at least in her late fourties

when she had these three children in as many years.

(iii) From 'Alley Ancestors' page Eng-7 by Gene Alley of Udall, USA. printed in the USA by The Gregarth

Publishing co.

(iv) Sybil Honacott is shown in a card index to have married twice, 1 William Alley 2. Richard Dillon of

Chimwell, Bratton Fleming, a member of an Irish family. (from the Westcountry Studies Library, Exeter)

The Irish connection might have started with Ric. Dillon. Did he take Sybil and her young family to Ireland?

in (iii) Gene records Sybils name as Bodleigh, if her name was in fact Honacott, then she must have married

before William. This might explain in his will, why he described Christopher Bodleigh as his son in law.

He did not have a daughter old enough to be married. This son in law might be his stepson, and sybils son by a

previous marriage

Gene (iii) records a son Jerome 1540-1635 and a note that he was a 'Matric of Oxon' later moving to Ireland.

No record of his birth marriage or death survives, there is however a record of a Jerome of Christchurch Devon

matric 27th nov. 1581 age 22. In Devon & Cornwall notes & queries vol 19 p. 35 is the following 'Jerome Alley

and several descendents of W.Alley are said to have been clergymen in Ireland. Jerome is described

as a DD and MD a freeman of New Ross co. Wexford 30th May 1679 and Peter Alley rector of Dunamore

Queens co., for 73 years. Died 22 Aug 1763 at 110 years, had 3 wives and 33 children.

Sources