or Elizabeth Smith, widow of William Smith 1580?

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Tompkins, M.L.

or Elizabeth Smith, widow of William Smith 1580?

Legg inn av Tompkins, M.L. » 27 feb 2006 19:29:01

Confusingly, the Great Horwood court rolls have an entry in which
Elizabeth Smith, former wife of Richard Williat, clerk, is stated to be
the wife of William Smith, who seems to be still living since he joins
with her in surrendering some land. Which suggests that although she
was definitely the widow of Richard Williat of Eton College who died in
1550, she may not be the same person as the Elizabeth Smith whose
husband Thomas Smith of Eton College died in 1572. Unless she had
re-married after Thomas Smith died in 1572, this time to a William
Smith.

Can anyone straighten this out?

Matt

-----Original Message-----
From: Tompkins, M.L. [mailto:mllt1@leicester.ac.uk]
Sent: 27 February 2006 17:18
To: GEN-MEDIEVAL-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: Elizabeth Smith, widow of Thomas Smith of Eton College 1572

I wonder if anyone knows when Elizabeth Smith, widow of two Fellows of
Eton College called Richard Williat and Thomas Smith, died? It was
sometime between 1584 and 1610.

Her first husband, Richard Williat, was born in Little Horwood in north
Buckinghamshire in 1513-14 to a yeoman family, was at Eton School
c1528-32, at King's College, Cambridge 1532-45 (ordained as a priest
1541) and then a Fellow at Eton College from 1545 until his death in
1550. In his will (proved at Eton, which had its own peculiar probate
jurisdiction) he left land in Great Horwood and elsewhere to his wife
Elizabeth for her life. (Their married life must have been short but
interesting - he was one of the first priests to marry after Edward
VI's's new protestant regime allowed clerical marriage in 1549 - if he
hadn't died in 1550 they'd have had to separate a few years later or
face Bloody Mary's fury - while his brothers and father had taken part
in the 1549 peasants' revolt - which in some regions was inspired by
dislike of the new protestant prayer book - and had hastily to buy
pardons after its suppression by royal troops.)

Some time later Elizabeth married Thomas Smith, another Eton Fellow (not
to be confused with Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary of State in the 1570s,
who was Provost of Eton in the late 1540s). He also had a degree from
King's and was Fellow at Eton from 1563 until his death in 1572, when
Elizabeth was his administratrix (the printed Calendar of Bucks Wills
suggests that it was she who died in 1572 but the Eton College archivist
tells me otherwise).

In 1552 Elizabeth appears in some Great Horwood records as 'Elizabeth
Crosse, formerly wife of Richard Williat', so it may be that Smith was
her third husband, though it is just possible that Crosse was her maiden
name.

I'm pretty sure she was still alive in 1584 and dead by 1610, but I
would like to know exactly when she died (I need to know when her life
interest in the Great Horwood properties ended). If anyone can tell me
I shall be very grateful, and would happily reciprocate with all the
information I have about her and her husbands.

Regards,

Matt Tompkins

john

Re:or Elizabeth Smith, widow of William Smith 1580?

Legg inn av john » 17 jan 2007 15:35:05

Sorry to bother you, I was searching for my family name and its variations
Williat(t) and I found this link.
I have traced my family tree with the notes from others and wills to the
Williatts of the horwood area around this time back to a Richard Williat dob
1475 and his sons.Although I havent yet got a direct link to this Richard
they must be connected. I was hoping you may know some of the Williat family
history and help a small group of Willetts around the world descover our
past.
I hope to hear from you, kind regards
John Willett

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