Robert Beville (abt. 1572 - 1634)

Born about 1572 in Chesterton, Huntingdonshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Coles) Beville — married after 18 Nov 1598 in England

Husband of Elizabeth (Hampson) Beville — married 1616 in Chesterton, Huntingdonshire, England

Descendants

Died 10 Dec 1634 at about age 62 in Chesterton, Huntingdonshire, England

Biography

NOTE: THIS MAN IS NOT THE FATHER OF WILLIAM BUEL. DO NOT ATTACH HIM TO WILLIAM BUEL-138.

Family and Education

bap. 28 Sept. 1572,^[1] 2nd but o. surv. s. of Robert Bevill† of Chesterton and Joan, da. of William Lawrence of St. Ives, Hunts. educ. G. Inn 1592. m. (1) c.1599, Mary (d. 19 Jan. 1611), da. and h. of Peter Coles of Preston Capes, Northants., wid. of Edward Knightley of Fawsley, Northants. and G. Inn, 3s. (1 d.v.p.) 3da.; (2) 20 Aug. 1617, Elizabeth (d. July 1647/Feb. 1648), da. of Sir Robert Hampson, Merchant Taylor and alderman of London, wid. of John Hewitt of Pishiobury, Sawbridgeworth, Herts. and Sir Gilbert Wakering of Rickmansworth, Herts., s.p. suc. fa. 1602; cr. KB 25 July 1604. d. 13 Dec. 1634. sig. Robert Bevill.^[2]

Descendancy

ROBERT BEVILL OF CHESTERTON, IN HUNTINGDONSHIRE COUNTY, knight, baptised September 28, 1572, married young widow Mary (Coles) Knightley;

Son of ROBERT BEVILL of Chesterton, Knight, born 1537, obit. 1602, married Johanna (Jane) Laurance of Lorance of Saint Ives;

Son of WILLIAM BEVILL of Chesterton, Knight, baptised 1511, married Margaret Bourman of the Isle of Wight, 1536;

Son of ROBERT BEVILL of Chesterton, Knight, obit 1518, married Elizabeth;

Son of WILLIAM BEVILL of Chesterton, GENTILLMAN, who made his will in 1487, obit. 1488, married Emma;

Son of WILLIAM BEVILL of Peterborough, Knight, who died in the First year of King Richard the Third (1483), married Margaret;

Son of RICHARD BEVILL of Walton, Knight, living 1460;

Son of THOMAS BEVILL of Wodewalton, Knight, obit, 1436, married Johanna;

^[3][4]

Preston Capes

The manor of Little Preston, from the Montacute family, descended to the St Clere’s and their descendants. In 1526 Thomas Chiprey of Northampton, sold a moiety of it to Sir Andrew Windsor, [later Lord Windsor]. In 1561, Peter Coles died, who had obtained ownership of the moiety from Edmund Forde of Harting, Sussex. Mary, granddaughter of Peter Coles brought it in marriage to Edward Knightley, who in turn purchased the manor of great Preston from Mr Butler.

Mary then married Sir Robert Bevill after the death of Edward Knightley, whose son – called Richard Knightley, sold it onto Sir Robert Bevill for £1000. In 1640, on the death of Sir Robert, it was divided between his 3 sisters and coheiresses. In 1701 Sir Henry Dryden possessed 2 parts of the estate, one of which descended lineally to him from Sir John Dryden, husband of Honor, one of the sisters of Sir Robert.^[5][6]

WALDESHEF or BEVILLE MANOR

Thomas was succeeded by William Beville, who died in 1487, and left a request in his will to be buried in the church of St. Michael of Chesterton 'before the altar of our Blessed Lady Seynt Mary the Virgin.' (fn. 23) He left two sons, William, who died childless in 1504; and Robert, who made a settlement of the manor on himself and Elizabeth his wife in 1513 and died in 1517. (fn. 24) William his son was a minor, and after he reached his majority obtained the greater part of Chesterton, including Beville's Manor. (fn. 25) He died in 1553 (fn. 26) and was succeeded by his son Robert (d. 1602); (fn. 27) grandson, Sir Robert Beville, K.B. (d. 1634), (fn. 28) and great-grandson, Sir Robert Beville, K.B. (fn. 29) The last named died in 1640 leaving no surviving children, and the manor was divided between John Hewett, son of his eldest sister Katharine; Thomas Elmes, son of his second sister Grace; and Honor, his youngest sister, the wife of Sir John Dryden, bart. (fn. 30) In 1647, Elmes sold his third part of Beville's manor to Sir John Dryden, (fn. 31) and thus two parts of the manor came into possession of the Dryden family.^[7]

Parliament

"Eighty Committees : Five of the Privy Council, Sir Ro. Phillippes, Sir Tho. Row, Lord Cavendish, Sir Francis Barnam, Sir H. Withrington, Sir Geor. Moore, Sir Francis Barrington, Mr. Jo. Murray, Sir Tho Wentworth, Sir Edw. Gyles, Sir O. Luke, Sir Tho. Jermyn, Lord Wriothesley, Sir Nath. Rich, Sir Ro. Moore, Sir Jerome Horsey, Sir Tho. Grantham, Sir Geor. Fane, Sir Geor. Manners, Lord Lisle, Mr. Crew, Chancellor of the Duchy, Sir Charles Morrison, Mr. Towerson, Mr. Freake, Sir Tho. Littleton, Mr. Mynn, Mr. Alford, Sir Tho. Barrington, Sir Charles Mountague, Sir Francis Seamor, Sir Edw. Cecill, Mr. Drake, Sir Jo. Jephson, Sir Francis Fane, Sir Peter Fretchwell, Sir H. Poole, Sir H. Portman, Lord Pawlett, Mr. Solicitor, Lord Clifford, Sir Ro. Bevill, Mr. Bateman, Sir James Perrott, Attorney of the Wards, Mr. Hopton, Sir Rich. Lovelace, Sir Tho. Trenchard, Sir W. Heale, Sir Gervase Clifton, Sir Walter Earle, Sir Jo. Bennett, Sir Ro. Verney, Sir Wm. Herberte, Sir Tho. Cheeke, Sir Clement Cottrell, Lord Compton, Sir H. Mildmay, Sir Tho. Grymes, Sir H. Williams, Sir Francis Popham, Sir Edw. Sands, Sir Christofer Hildyard, Sir Wm. Strowde, Sir H. Slingesby, Sir H. Fane, Sir Francis Darcy, Sir Wm. Udall, Sir Wm. Pittes, Mr. Jo. Arondell, Mr. Tho. Fanshaw, Sir R ich. Tichborne, Sir Edw. Rodney, Sir Rich. Yong, Sir Ro. Askew, Sir Wm. Bowyer."^[8]

"Sir Ro. Bevill, - against the Prohibition of foreign Tobacco. Whereupon, Resolved, That, though a Matter ordered in the House, upon Question, yet, if after the same Matter come in again, by Bill, any Member of the House may speak to this Matter, pro or contra, as his Opinion is ; and the said Question, formerly made and passed, concludeth him not."^[9]

"L. 2a. An Act for the Naturalizing of Sir Sam. Deligne, Knight. - Committed to Sir Geor. Moore, Sir H. Poole, Mr. Chancellor Duchy, Sir Ro. Bevill, Sir Jo. Walter, Sir Francis Barrington, Sir W. Earle, Sir Wm. Ermyn, Mr. Whatman, Mr. Fetherstone, Sir Edw. Mountague, Mr. Serjeant Davys, Mr. Drake, Sir Jerome Horsey, Sir Tho. Grantham, Sir Ro. Moore, Sir Ro. Crane : - Tomorrow Afternoon, in the Exchequer Chamber."^[10]

"Sir Ro. Bevill: - That no Man, that hath a Recusant to his Wife, shall be put into the Commission for the Subsidy."^[11]

Will

Sir Robert and second wife, Elizabeth Hampson, didn't seem to get along very well, and Sir John Hewet, his step-son/son-in-law, owed him some money. To them, he only left 10 shillings, each. To Catherine Byng nee Hewet, step-daughter, Sir Robert leaves all monies owed him by her brother, Sir John. Second son, William Bevill, apparently received the bulk of the estate, unless Sir John is being counted as first (step) son. If that's the case, then Robert Bevill III received the bulk of the estate.^[12]

From Chamber's Journal:

Here is an instance, from an old will, of those cases where, through the pressure of approaching death, or intentionally, the man of law was not assisting in the preparation of a will, leaving, consequently, an opportunity for the exhibition of the ruling passion strong in death.

Sir Robert Bevill, of Chesterton, Hunts, who died at the age of sixty-two years, was the representative of a very old family, and a courtier in James I.'s reign. The old knight, three weeks before his death in 1635, signed and published, in the presence of three witnesses, a will, afterwards proved, wherein he first bequeaths his soul, in the then customary fashion, into the hands of his Maker, 'stedfastlie believeing, in and bye the meritts of or Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to obteyne fre pardon and forgiveness of al my sinnes, and at the last day to have and receive a glorious resurrection.' Then, immediately reverting to the things of corruption, he says: 'Item I give and bequeth to Sir John Hewett Baronett' [his son-in-law] 'Tenn Shillings, and noe more, in respect hee stroake and causelessly fought with me;' and having arranged this satirical memento, he proceeds in the same vein: 'Item I give unto my wife tenn shillings, in respect she tooke her sonnes part ageynst me, and did anymate and comfort him afterwards. These will not be forgotten.' The testator reserves yet another mark of the memory of his wrong, by following with a bequest to some now undistinguished Katherine Byng, of 'all such monies as is due unto mee by Sir John Hewett' [the bellicose son-in-law],' by virtue of an order or Decre in the Chancery.' (Was this to keep the feud alive T) He then bequeaths all the residue of his large estates to his second son; and having in these ways finally confirmed, to the best of his ability, the family dissensions, he contentedly concludes his embittered testament by an exposure of his wife's desertion, as further apologetic of an ample provision for her not being made, 'she having taken all her own goods into her own possession, and disposed of them at her pleasure.'^[13]

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Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NRXZ-7V2 : 5 February 2023), Robertus Bevill, 1572.
2. ↑ The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629, ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010 [1]
3. ↑ Marian Buell Dye [2]
4. ↑ The visitation of the county of Huntingdon, 1613, pages 8-9 [3]
5. ↑ History, topography, and directory of Northamptonshire, by Francis Whellan and co [4]
6. ↑ ‘Preston Capes Through the Ages’ by Mrs H Gardner [5]
7. ↑ 'Parishes: Chesterton', in A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 3, ed. William Page, Granville Proby and S Inskip Ladds (London, 1936), pp. 139-144 [6]
8. ↑ 'House of Commons Journal Volume 1: 15 February 1621', in Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 1, 1547-1629 (London, 1802), pp. 521-523 [7].
9. ↑ 'House of Commons Journal Volume 1: 03 May 1621', in Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 1, 1547-1629 (London, 1802), pp. 605-606 [8].
10. ↑ 'House of Commons Journal Volume 1: 16 May 1621', in Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 1, 1547-1629 (London, 1802), pp. 621-623 [9].
11. ↑ 'House of Commons Journal Volume 1: 28 November 1621', in Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 1, 1547-1629 (London, 1802), pp. 649-650 [10].
12. ↑ 8 June 1635 Will of Sir Robert Bevill of Chesterton, Huntingdonshire, The National Archives, Kew [11]
13. ↑ Chambers's Journal [12]

• 1633 Lease by Robert Bevill to his son Robert of Manor of Chesterton[13]