Maurice Johnson MP (abt. 1480 - 1551)

Born about 1480 in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England

Descendants

Died 19 Oct 1551 at about age 71 in Stamford, Cambridgeshire, England

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Please do not attach Ira Johnson and Abigail Furbush as Maurice's parents: see Research Notes

Biography

Birth

Maurice Johnson was born in about 1480.^[1] No information seems to have survived on his parentage.

Life

Maurice was apprenticed to one Geoffrey Hampton, a leading merchant of Stamford, Lincolnshire, and admitted as freeman of Stamford in 1500/1.^[1] He became one of the more prominent citizens of Stamford:

• in 1507/8 he was constable of Stamford^[1]
• in 1508/9 he was Chamberlain of Stamford^[1]
• from 1508 to 1512 he was member of the "second twelve"^[1]
• from 1512 he was a member of the "first twelve", the governing body of the town^[1]
• he was three times alderman (equivalent to mayor) of Stamford, in 1517/8, 1527/8 and 1538/9^[1]
• he represented Stamford in Parliament in 1523, 1539 and 1546^[1]

In his Will he describes himself as a dyer.^[1] Before the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536/9, he leased shops from Thorney Abbey.^[1] He may also have had a stake in a fishing business, as it is possible he is a Maurice Johnson recorded in 1521 as having nets at Scarborough, Yorkshire.^[1]

Marriage and Children

Maurice married Jane, daughter of Henry Lacy^[1][2][3] who was three times Member of Parliament for Stamford, Lincolnshire.^[4] Their children were, or included:

• Geoffrey^[5][6], mentioned in his will^[7]
• Robert^[2][6], mentioned in his will^[7]
• Margaret, mentioned in his will^[7]
• Beatrice, mentioned in his will^[7]

Death

Maurice died in 1551. His will (dated 20 February 1551^[1]) was proved on 19 October 1551.^[1][8] He requested burial at All Hallows, Stamford, Lincolnshire, and left lands both in Stamford and Shropshire.^[1] His first name was spelt "Morrice" in the will.^[8] In it he names his brother Robert, sons Geoffrey/Jeffrey and Robert, and daughters Margaret and Beatrice.^[7]

Research Notes

Mistakes about Parentage: not the Son of Ira Johnson and Abigail Furbush

As stated in the main part of the biography, information is lacking about who Maurice's parents were. But there is fairly widespread misinformation on the internet about this, suggesting that he was son of Ira Johnson and Abigail Furbush, and this misinformation was replicated in what was a duplicate profile for Maurice Johnson that has now been merged into this profile.

A Google search for "Ira Johnson Abigail Furbush" will throw up sites and family trees on the net where people of these names have been given as Maurice's parents. They are also shown as parents in two books which are really write-ups by people of (essentially unsourced) family trees: My Mother's Branch:The Lineage and Life of Carrie Viola Reeves and Her Family by Doyle W Williams^[9] and Campbell Tree by Harold Campbell.^[10] The latter also gives Ira Johnson's parents as Ira Johnson and Ambrosia Smith. One of the trees on the web^[11] gives as a source for Abigail Furbush a set of official documents from Maine, dated 1909 and relating to the estate of an Abigail Furbush.

These suggestions are wrong. The marriage of Ira Johnson and Abigail Furbush took place in Massachusetts in September 1784.^[12] There is no way they could have been parents of Maurice Johnson who died in 1551. Other confirmation that the suggestions are wrong comes from the set of first names (Ira, Abigail and Ambrosia), which is anachronistic for people born in the 1400s.

There is also a book, Ancestors and Descendants of Ira Johnson and Abigail (Furbush) Johnson From 1590-2003 by William A Blandin and Gerald G Johnson^[13], which makes it clear by its title that Ira and Abigail lived some time after 1590.^[14]

Children

The entry for Maurice’s son Robert in the original Dictionary of National Biography ascribes three sons to Maurice, with Robert being the youngest.^[15] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Robert says Robert was one of two sons.^[2] As indicated above, two sons, Geoffrey and Robert, are mentioned in Maurice’s will.

Some unsourced trees on the web ascribe other children to Maurice. In the past Henry has been shown as a child of Maurice in one of the profiles he has had on WikiTree: that relationship has been severed as there is no good source.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14} History of Parliament Online, entry for 'JOHNSON, Maurice (by 1480-1551), of Stamford, Lincs'
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Johnson, Robert (1540/41–1625)', 2004, revised online 2008, available online via some libraries
3. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011, Vol. II, pp. 524-525, LACY 10. See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
4. ↑ History of Parliament Online, entry for 'LACY, Henry (by 1491-1564/65), of Stamford, Lincs'
5. ↑ J A Venn. Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954, Ancestry.co.uk
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} The History of Stamford, printed by and for John Drakard, 1822, pp. 449-450, Google Books
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} Will of Maurice Johnson, Ancestry.co.uk
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} The National Archives, Kew, London, England, ref. PROB 11/34/402, The National Archives website
9. ↑ Viewable on Google Books
10. ↑ Viewable on Google Books
11. ↑ Davidson Family Tree, Ancestry.co.uk
12. ↑ Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, Familysearch and accompanying image of the marriage record
13. ↑ Heritage Books, 2009, Google Books
14. ↑ In the Library of Congress Catalog, there is a transcription error which can be found repeated on some other websites - in its record for earlier printings, it gives the starting date mentioned in the title as 1490 not 1590: Library of Congress catalog
15. ↑ Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, entry for 'Johnson, Robert (1540-1625)', Vol. 30, pp. 26-27, Wikisource

• History of Parliament Online, entry for 'JOHNSON, Maurice (by 1480-1551), of Stamford, Lincs'
• Wikipedia: Maurice Johnson (English politician) (c. 1480 – 1551)
• The History of Stamford, printed by and for John Drakard, 1822, pp. 449-450, Google Books