John Marsham

Born [date unknown] in England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1473 in England

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Biography

Wife's name was Agnes. This man is likely the first one to have used the arms later used by this family. (In the opinion of Walter Rye they may derive from a merchant's mark.)

Concerning his arms Burkes has a pedigree which seems largely based on Blomefield. This John's Marsham family has arms reported in the Rye visitation (p.196): Argent, crusily fitchee sable, a lion passant in bend gules between two bendlets azure, each charged with three crosses-crosslet or. Burkes and Blomefield have the lion not in bend. 1664 visitation has it specifically in bend. Edmund Farrer's observations of the real heraldry in churches in Norfolk shows many examples he describes as between two bendlets.^[1]

The following is from Blomefield, the historian of Norfolk^[2]:-

This Robert was alive in 1465, and

1, John Marsham was his son and heir, though he had in all four sons, viz. 2, Andrew Marsham of Marsham, who lived in 1473, and had issue sons and daughters, as had, 3, Robert Marsham, his brother.

Their brother Richard, in 1461, was monk in the priory of Norwich, and almoner of that monastery. (Vol. iii. p. 613.)

This John Marsham of Stratton Parva was the first of the family that I have met with that bare the present arms of,

Arg. crusuly fitchè sab. a lion passant gul. between two bendlets az. each charged with three croslets or.

By his will dated in 1473, 24 July (in Regr. Paynot.) 13 Edward IV. he gave 12 marks to new make and glaze a window on the north part of Little-Stratton church, (fn. 4) and ordered himself to be buried in the middle of the nave of St. Margaret's church there, by Agnes his wife; over them lies a stone with this on a brass plate now remaining,

Orate pro animabus Johannis Marsham, et Agnetis Consur' tis sue, quorum animabus propicietur Deus.

Besides a daughter Maud, who was living in 1473, he had a son, John, called in Evidences, senior, of Stratton; his will occurs in Regr. Spurling, fo. 53; he died in 1515, as did Ellen his wife, and are both interred in the nave of this church, with the following inscriptions on brass plates;

Orate pro anima Johannis Marsham, qui obijt xxo die Aprilis Ao Xi M. Vcxv. cuius anime propicietur Deus

Orate pro anima Ellene Marsham, quondam Uxoris Johannis Marsham, que obiit Ao Dni. Mo Uc rvo

They had several children, as Agnes, alive in 1473, &c. and 4 sons. 2d, James, grocer in Norwich, who died in 1544, leaving Cecily his widow, and John his son, &c. for whom see vol. iv. p. 84. 3d, Thomas Marsham. 4th, another brother, who died a factor abroad in 1510, see vol. ii. fo. 192.

Sources

1. ↑ Edmund Farrer, Church Heraldry in Norfolk https://archive.org/stream/churchheraldryn03farrgoog#page/n6/mode/2up
2. ↑ Francis Blomefield, 'Hundred of South Erpingham: Stratton', in An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 6 (London, 1807), pp. 330-340 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-hist-norfolk/vol6/pp330-340 [accessed 25 August 2015].