Humphrey Style (abt. 1501 - 1552)

Born about 1501 in London, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Bridget (Baldry) Style — married 1536 in London, England

Husband of Elizabeth (Peryente) Style — married 1549 in England

Descendants

Died 9 Apr 1552 at about age 51 in Beckenham, Kent, England

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Biography

Humphrey Style was born in the City of London, England.

Humphrey Style was the only surviving son of John Stile and his wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir Guy Wolston. He was almost certainly born in London, where his father was a member of the Mercers Guild in the last years of the fifteenth century.
At the time of his father's death in September 1505, Humphrey was his son and heir, and at a further inquisition held in 1507, his mother Elizabeth had remarried to Sir James Yarford and Humphrey was said to be six years old, giving him a birth year of about 1501. ^[1] James Yarford was another Mercer and would be a future Mayor of the City of London.

John Style's will of 1501 mentioned a son and heir John, and daughters Bridget and Margaret. He also asked to be buried near two of his children in the church of St Thomas of Acres, London. Humphrey was born in that year and followed by a sister Florence.
John the younger must have died before his father for Humphrey to be the heir. Margaret did not survive to adulthood, but it is not clear whether she outlived her father.

At the time of Humphrey's mother's marriage to James Yarford, there were three or perhaps four surviving children. There were no further surviving children from the marriage of Elizabeth Style to James Yarford.

Humphrey would have reached his majority in around 1522, and come into his inheritance of his land and property which had probably been managed on his behalf by his stepfather or Thomas Baldrey, his future father in law and executor of his father's will.

In 1529, Humphrey was the defendant in a case in Chancery regarding a claim upon some land in Addington, Kent. ^[2].

In 1529, Humphrey petitioned Sir Thomas Wriothesley, garter principal king at arms, reciting, that he did not desire to bear arms in prejudice to the other branches of his family. He wished for his own coat of arms, with a proper difference, which was granted: Sable, a fess or engrailed between three fleurs de lys, within a bordure or, the fess fretted of the field.

Style Coat of Arms

Humphrey was one of the esquires of the body to King Henry VIII^[3].

In 1533, Humphrey is sued by the Monastery of St Martin's-le-Grand in the Court of Chancery over rents from property in the City of London ^[4].

He is also involved in 1533 in a case over a mortgage in Beckenham^[5].

Marriage to Bridget Baldry

Humphrey married twice and both of his wives are commemorated on his tomb brass at the church of St George, Beckenham, Kent. (see below)

He married Bridget Baldry, daughter of Sir Thomas Baldry, MP and Mayor of the City London after 1534 (the year Sir Thomas wrote his will and did not mention his daughter Elizabeth being married). Thomas Baldry had been one of the executors of Humphrey's father's will.
The brass shows that Humphrey and Bridget had nine children, 6 sons and 3 daughters. All the children are shown kneeling and all are depicted as around the same age.

• eldest surviving son Edmund was said to have been born 27 March 1538 from the Style pedigree in the 1618 Visitation of Kent. He may not have been the first child born to Humphrey and Bridget. ^[6] The baptism registers for Beckenham are extant from this year onward.
• Bridget baptised at Beckenham, Kent on 4 March 1538/9. She was buried at Beckenham on 6 April 1542 aged 3. ^[7]
• John baptised at Beckenham on 24 December 1540. ^[7]
• Oliver baptised at Beckenham on 25 December 1542. ^[7]
• Nicholas baptised at Beckenham on 12 January 1545/6. ^[7] His birth year has erroneously been given as 1542 in the 1618 Visitation of Kent ^[6]
• Edward baptised at Beckenham on 21 January 1546/7. He died and was buried at Beckenham on 23 August 1556 aged 9 years. ^[7]

Three children are unaccounted for, one son, and two daughters. ^[8]
Dame Bridget Style died on 5 June 1548 (by the inscription on the memorial brass) and was buried at Beckenham on 9 June 1548. ^[7] She probably died of the complications of childbirth, as in the Will of Dame Elizabeth Yarford (Humphrey's mother) written 16 May 1548, there is a bequest for "the child she now goes with". ^[9]

Marriage to Elizabeth Perynte

Sir Humphrey remarried in 1549 to Elizabeth Peryente, daughter of George Peryente of Hertfordshire. ^[6] Humphrey's memorial brass shows two children kneeling behind Elizabeth, one son, one daughter:

• Humphrey baptised at Beckenham on 11 June 1550. He died and was buried at Beckenham on 9 April 1555 aged nearly 5 years. ^[7] The Visitation of Kent 1618 erroneously names him as Edward. ^[6]
• Mary or Maria was born on 18 March 1550 (1550/1) - the date is recorded in her father's will written on 1 May 1551. She is the only child he named in the will, and he gave her a marriage portion of £133 6s 8d over and above her child's portion of his estate. Mary was baptised at Beckenham on 19 March 1551/2. ^[7]

In 1538, Humphrey was sued in the Court of Chancery over the inheritance of his father-in-law, Sir Thomas Baldry^[10].

Humphrey was knighted on 1 October 1544. The citation refers to him as "Humphrey Stile, Sheriff of Kent". It does not note the location of the event nor who performed it, but it may well have been the King who had knighted seven men on the previous day at Bologne after the capture of the town. ^[11] Sir Humphrey was sheriff of Kent in the 35th year of the reign of Henry VIII (1544-45). ^[12]. At the end of this period there is a Court of Augmentations document between Sir Humphrey and the king^[13]. Presumably Sir Humphrey was acquiring former monastery property.

Sir Humphrey also procured, with others, an act of parliament in 1549 (the 3rd year of Edward VI) for the disgavelling of his lands in the county of Kent^[14]. Under Kent's gavelkind system of inheritence all land had to be equally split between all sons. This act exempted him from following this rule.

Sir Humphrey died on 9 April, 1552 in Langley Manor. He was buried in Beckenham church and there is a table tomb and a brass engraving marking him and his family.

Brass commemorating Sir Humphrey Style

Here under lyethe buryed the Right Worshypfull Syr humfrey Style + dame Bridgett his first wyff
Daughter unto S[ir] Thomas Bauldry sometyme maior of the cite of London, leaving behind hyme alyve his second
Wyff Dame Elizabeth daughter unto George Peryn Esquire, W[hich] S[ir] Humfrey deceffyd the 7 day of April A[nn]o d[o]m[ini] 1552
And ye faid dame Bridgett deceffyd the V day of June A[nn]o d[o]m[ini] 1548. [Illegible to end.]

Will

Humphrey's will was proved on 21 April 1552 at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury at London. ^[15] His executor was Nicholas Rokewood. A full transcript is here.

Humphrey did not name his children except for his last born child Mary who was born while his will was being written.

Sources

1. ↑ Inquisition Post Mortem for John Style of London, Mercer Cyril Flower, M. C. B. Dawes and A. C. Wood, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry VII, Entries 351-400', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Series 2, Volume 3, Henry VII (London, 1955), pp. 209-250. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/series2-vol3/pp209-250 [accessed 25 May 2021].
   JOHN STYLE, late of London, ‘mercer.’
   Commission of concealments &c., 20 October , inquisition 30 October, 23 Henry VII.[1507]
   He died 28 September, 21 Henry VII [1505], seised in fee, inter alia, of the under-mentioned lands &c. in Bekenham. Humphrey Style, aged 6 years and more, is his son and heir.
   On 29 September, 21 Henry VII [1505], Elizabeth, his widow, entered into the premises and all the lands late of the said John and intruded upon the king’s possession, and took the issues and profits thereof from the said 28 September until Midsummer day following, since when James Jarford, alias Yarford, late of London, ‘mercer,’ and the said Elizabeth, his wife, have intruded upon the said lands and taken the issues and profits thereof.
   KENT. 160a. land, meadow, pasture and wood in Bekenham, late of Robert Symson, worth 8l., held of the king by a rent of 5d. yearly, but by what tenure or by what other services the jurors know not.
   C. Series II. Vol. 21. (15.)
2. ↑ Wood v Style. Chancery 1529-1532 C 1/692/32 The National Archives, Kew National Archives Catalogue
   Plaintiffs: William Wood and Johane, his wife, and Rose Bordell, widow, daughters of John Brongar.
   Defendants: Humphrey, son and heir of John Style, citizen and mercer of London.
   Subject: Detention of deeds relating to a messuage, orchard, gardens and land in Addington, which complainants claim upon the death of their father and of Henry, his son and heir.
3. ↑ Hasted, Edward. The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. W. Bristow, 1797 https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol1/pp527-550
4. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7484367
5. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7481282
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Pedigrees of the Families in the County of Kent by William Berry pub. Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper, Paternoster Row,1830 The Weald of Kent.org
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7} Beckenham, Kent Parish register extracts for the Style family in Daniel Lysons, 'County of Kent: Beckenham', in The Environs of London: Volume 4, Counties of Herts, Essex and Kent (London, 1796), pp. 291-306. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-environs/vol4/pp291-306 [accessed 25 May 2021].
8. ↑ Their names may be in the Beckenham register and not extracted, or they may have been baptised in other parishes.
9. ↑ Will of Dame Elizabeth Yarford in Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills, Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11;Piece: 32 Populwell (1548-1549) The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England. page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 Accessed on Ancestry 25 May 2021
10. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7487016
11. ↑ Knighthood of Humphrey Stile in: The Knights of England. A complete record from the earliest time to the present day Shaw, William Arthur, Vol. 2 page 56. pub. 1906 London, England. Internet Archive Accessed 25 May 2021
12. ↑ Villare Cantianum : or, Kent surveyed and illustrated by Thomas Philpott p31 Google books
13. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4049971
14. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/f13fa607-a21c-4d61-b2d0-56b569c892ac
15. ↑ Will of Humfrey Style in: Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 35: Powell (1552) The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England. Accessed on Ancestry 29 May 2021 free viewing images Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

• The visitations of Hertfordshire : made by Robert Cooke, esq.,Clarencieux, in 1572, and Sir Richard St. George, kt., Clarencieux, in 1634, with Hertfordshire pedigrees from Harleian mss. 6147 and 1546 by Cooke, Robert, d. 1592; Philipot, John, 1589?-1645; Metcalfe, Walter C. (Walter Charles); College of Arms (Great Britain) Page 156: Perient of Digswell
• https://ia800308.us.archive.org/21/items/visitationoflond01cook/visitationoflond01cook.pdf
• Villare Cantianum : or, Kent surveyed and illustrated / by Thomas Philpott
• Edward Hasted, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent (2nd edition, 1797-1801)
• Pedigrees of the Families in the County of Kent by William Berry (pg 412 http://www.theweald.org/B10.asp?bookid=WBK412&v=0&xid=S&xnm=1&pd=1)
• Bacon's History of the Reign of King Henry VII https://archive.org/details/baconshistoryre00lumbgoog/page/n222
• The Stiles family in America. Genealogies of the Connecticut family. Descendants of John Stiles, of Windsor, Conn., and of Mr. Francis Stiles, of Windsor and Stratford, Conn., 1635-1894; also the Connecticut New Jersey families, 1720-1894 (pg.703-705 There seems to be an error in generation number for Humphrey Style on page 703. He is listed as generation [6] with the children of Sir John Stiles [5], but is listed as generation [7] later on the page. With this error, another Sir John Stiles was entered as generation [6].)http://www.archive.org/details/stilesfamilyinam00stil
• John Burke, Sir Bernard Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland, J. R. Smith, 1844, p. 512

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Robert Stiles, Orinda Spence and Gordon Simpkinson for creating this WikiTree profile through the import of .ged files.