Thomas SPENCER

Notes:

Name:
Thomas Spencer probably died soon after executing his will on 30 June 1493. he was certainly dead by 15 September 1496, when he was referred to as deceased in the will of his brother John Spencer. Thomas married MARGARET ?, a cousin of John Smyth of Wold (or Old). She is often called Margaret Smyth, but no proof of her surname has been found. She married second by about 1496-97, Edmund Belcher of Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, by whom she had sons Humphrey and John, both of whom died without issue. Humphrey, the oldest son and heir, was aged 4 in 1501. Margaret died on 29 Mar 1501. Edmund Belcher of Guilsborough died between 18 December 1528 and 26 April 1529, the dates of the execution and probate of his will.

Thomas and Margaret received the manor of Wold from Margaret's cousin John Smyth. The terms of the gift provided that Margaret's children were to receive the manor after the deaths of their parents. The Spencers were also to make an annuity of nine marks to Smyth during his lifetime. Additionally, upon Smyth's death Thomas and Margaret were to employ a priest in the church of Walgrave to celebrate mass for the souls of Smyth and his ancestors for the next fifty years, and the Spencers were to give security to Smyth for such service. Accordingly, Thomas and Margaret Spencer entered the premises, but Thomas was soon dissatisfied with the arrangement. Openly declaring the manor was not worth so great a charge, he failed to pay the rent or find security for a priest, and he apparently returned to Badby, where he died. After Thomas's death, Margaret refused to occupy the manor for the same reason, and Smyth reclaimed the property. upon her marriage to Edmund Belcher, a new agreement was made between Smyth and the Belchers with different terms. When Margaret died in 1501, the manor and advowson of Wold went to her son Humphrey, age 4, who died without heirs. At that time, the manor consisted of two messuages ad three virgates of land (about 90 acres) valued in the whole at L7 per annum. Eventually, the manor of Wold passed to William, the eldest son of Thomas and Margaret Spencer.

The will of Thomas Spencer of Badby, dated 30 June 1493, includes a request to be buried in the Badby churchyard. Small sums were given to several local churches, and L20 went to his wife Margaret. No children were mentioned, but, as will be shown below, he had as least four sons.

Family/Spouse: Margaret ?. Margaret died on 29 Mar 1501. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. William SPENCER was born in 1480 in of Badby, England; died on 20 Mar 1530/1 in Badly, England.
2. Nicholas SPENCER was born in of Badby; died after 6 May 1522.
3. Thomas SPENCER
4. John SPENCER

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Poss. the son of Thomas and Matilda Spencer

Notes:

Name:
Henry Spencer married ISABEL ? before 1444, when together they joined the Guild of the Holy Cross. Lee claimed she was the "daughter and coheir of Lincolne," but no proof of a Lincoln connection has yet been found. The 1619 herald's visitation of Warwickshire states she died in 18 Edward IV (1478/9).

Henry first of record on 12 November 1430, when he and five others bought a messuage and shop in Daventry from John Waundell of Killesby. The document proves Henry was born before 1410. The estimated ages of his children suggest he was probably a young man in 1430. The Lee pedigree has claims that Henry mad a will in 1476, but as previously mentioned, neither the will nor evidence of an estate have been found for him.

On 26 November 1439, Henry witnessed a quitclaim of lands and rents in Newnham from Robert Willenhale to Robert Catesby, Esq. Henry was a collector of taxes in Badby in 1442. Henry Spencer of Badby and his wife Isabel were admitted to Guild of the Holy Cross on the Monday after Ascension Day 22 henry VI (1444), paying fees of 22s 4d, which included 10s for the souls of Thomas Spencer and his wife Matilda, probably Henry;'s deceased parents. An additional 20d was paid for the placement of four candles before the altar of the guild chapel. Based in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Guild of the Holy Cross was a religious, social, and charitable association, popular among the social elite. In 1468, Henry Spencer of Badby and his wife Isabella joined the Guild of Knowle, another religious and charitable association, based in Knowle, Warwickshire. The last known record of Henry Spencer of Badby was dated 1 June 1469 when he and others sold land in Newnham to Letitia Catesby, John Newenham, and the latter's wife Matilda. Henry had been granted the land by John Newenham a few days earlier, 27 May 1469. Newnham borders Badby on the east.

While there is no proof that Henry and Isabel had any children, it is known that a generation later there were three Spencer brothers and two of more sisters living in and near Badby, with no other Spencer family of record in the parish than Henry and Isabel.

Henry married Isabel ? before 1444. Isabel died in 1478-79. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]