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John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, Gentleman
John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, was a beneficiary and co-executor of the will of his father Robert Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire in 1513.[1] John, along with his brother, Philip, were bequeathed leases, lands and mills. The will also noted another brother Robert, the Testator's wife Agnes, and the Testator's mother, Alice.
The mills in question were most likely situated on the By Brook, in and near Slaughterford, near Corsham. The mills would have been used for processing wool to make cloth. The ownership of a mill or mills in this area is also evidenced in the will of John himself in 1538[2] and in the will of his eldest son, also named John, the will made in 1563 and proved in 1570.[3]
John Smyth was recorded as a witness to the will of Philip Smyth of Corsham in 1530. Presumably this Philip was the brother of John.[4]
John Smyth married Joan Brounker/Brunker, daughter of Robert Brounker of Melksham, Wiltshire.[5][6] The date and place of the marriage are unknown but perhaps the marriage would have been around 1518.
The following children were noted in his will of 1538:[2][6][7]
John was recorded in the Smith pedigree in the Visitation of Kent as John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, the father of Thomas (Customer) Smythe.[13]
In the Horspoole pedigree in the Visitation of London[17] he was recorded as John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, father of Elizabeth, wife of Symon Horspoole, and in the Horspool pedigree in the Visitation of Kent[16] as John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, father of Elizabeth, wife of Symon Horspoole.
On the memorial to his son in law Simon Horspoole at All Hallows Lombard Street, City of London[19], he was noted as "John Smith of Cosham, in the County of Wiltshire, Gent".
John Smyth died sometime between April and November 1538[2] and assuming his will was implemented he was buried in the churchyard of Saint Bartholomew, Corsham, Wiltshire.
In his will made on 01 Apr 1538 and proved on 08 Nov 1538[2], he was described as John Smyth, Clothier of Cosseham (Corsham), Wiltshire. His will was to be buried in the churchyard of Saint Bartholomew in Corsham.
He listed his children as John, Thomas, Henry, Robert, Richard, Anne, Jane and Elizabeth. He noted that his father in law, Robert Brunker, had given him eight score pounds [£160] for his children and he willed that this money should be given to his children.
He also noted that Robert Brunker had given him twenty pounds for Henry Fryse and he willed that this money should be passed to Henry Fryse, or if he should die, then to his brother Thomas Fryse.
He bequeathed all his plate to his eldest son, John, but if John should die before marriage then it should pass to his second son, Thomas, followed by his third son, Henry etc. His wife Johane [Joan] was to be custodian of the plate until John should be married, and at the time of his marriage one moytie [half] should be delivered to John and the other moytie remain with Johane during her widowhood.
He willed that his wife should keep the profits of his Weavers Mill in the parish of Slaughterford (for nine years, should she remain a widow for that time) and the profits of all his other stock and goods during her widowhood. Johane was to pay Henry Brunker of Melksham, the Testator's brother in law, twenty pounds per year for nine years to pay the sum of nine score pounds given to him by Robert Brunker.
Johane was requested to bring up the children using the profits of his mill, stock etc. If she should remarry then she would receive one hundred pounds on the condition that she released all her rights to the estate of her husband to their eldest son, John. If his son, John, should not marry then all his legacies were to be divided between the other children according to the discretion of Henry Brunker. His Executors were named as his wife Johane and his son John Smyth.
The father of John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, had been ascribed by others (see below - 'Earlier Biography') as Richard Smythe, a Merchant Taylor of London. This appears to be based on the Inquisition Post Mortem for Richard Smythe in London in 1529 (he died in 1527) in which his son and heir was a John Smythe, and John’s wife was named Joan. Richard's son John (who was also a Merchant Taylor of London) inherited various properties in London including an interest in properties on Friday Street and Watling Street in the City of London. However, there is no evidence at all for a link with Corsham, Wiltshire. The John Smythe, Merchant Taylor, also inherited lands in Epping, Essex from his maternal line [Billesdon] and the will of his son, a John Smythe gent of Epping, described the lands in Epping and tenements in Watling Street, City of London, being passed to his son Nicholas Smythe. Given the above and given the clear linkage between the wills of Robert Smyth of Corsham (1513) and John Smyth of Corsham (1538), it is clear that the Richard and John Smythe of London and Epping are a completely different family to the Robert and John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire.
Others have also linked the John Smith, Sheriff of Essex in 1532, with John Smyth of Corsham. However, the list of sheriffs reveals a John Smith as Sheriff of Essex both in 1532 and 1539. The John Smith who was Sheriff in 1539 appears to be a John Smith of Saffron Walden, Essex. Perhaps he was also the Sheriff in 1532. Alternatively, John Smith of Rivenhall, Essex and latterly Blackmore, Essex, may be a candidate for the Sheriff of Essex in 1532. He was wealthy enough to acquire Blackmore Priory and land in the area of Blackmore [Essex] from the King for £563, property that had been owned previously by the Monastery of Waltham Holy Cross in Essex. The will of John Smyth of Corsham, Wiltshire, suggests he was a man of some local significance in the Corsham area but not one of substantial wealth, with no known links with Essex, and hence a very unlikely candidate to be a Sheriff of Essex.
It was also speculated that John Smyth of Corsham was knighted. However, it is clear that he was not. He was simply referred to as John Smyth in:
On the monument to his son in law, Simon Horspoole, he was recorded as John Smith, gent.
This is not the first time that Robert Smyth of Corsham has been indicated as the father of John Smyth of Corsham, a correspondent to the Gentleman’s Magazine in 1830 having travelled this path before.[7]
John Smyth was born the son of Richard Smyth and Isabella R. Smyth; he was born in 1495 in Corsham, Wiltshire, England. His father was called a "Yeoman," meaning an independent landowner and local notable but not a nobleman. In addition to owning land, Richard Smyth was a successful wool and cloth merchant at a time when Wiltshire was among England's primary wool-producing counties. He was also a clothes manufacturer (clothier) and associated with various merchant guilds in the City of London. He owned several London properties in addition to the family seat in Wiltshire.
Richard Smyth could trace his direct male ancestry back to several Members of Parliament (House of Commons) for Chippenham District (which included Corsham), the oldest being Edward Le Smyth, who served under King Edward II (1307-27).[20]
In 1518, John Smyth married Joan, daughter of Robert Brouncker of Melksham, Wiltshire. They had 5 sons and 3 daughters: John, Thomas, Henry, Robert, Richard, Anne, Jane and Elizabeth. Joan was born ca. 1500 in Corsham, Wiltshire. Her mother was Ursula Gouldinge Brouncker.
John took over his father's affairs on his death in 1527, expanding his wool manufacturing and cloth sales. He was well-known in the City of London and apparently introduced at the court of King Henry VIII who knighted him (Sir John then changed his name to Smythe to distinguish himself from the more-common Smiths or Smyths) and named him High Sheriff of Essex (ca. 1528). This was more an honorary position than one of actual governance and it demonstrates royal backing for Sir John Smythe and his family.[21]
Sir John Smythe died in September 1538 in Corsham, Wiltshire, and his Will was proven on October 8, 1538. He left his widow, Joan B. Smythe, a life interest in his woolen mills at Corsham, their ownership to revert to his oldest son John, on her passing. This Will demonstrates that between 1518 and 1538, John Smythe was married only to Joan who was the mother of all of his 8 children.
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Categories: Corsham, Wiltshire