Cromwell, Mirfyn et al (LONG)
Reedpcgen
The Mirfyn ancestry of the Cromwells and Lord North is not by any means a new
discovery, but it is perhaps not very well known. I'll just add a few things
that may be helpful (I've been out of town for the last week, so have not had
the opportunity to check things before now).
Sir Richard Williams, who adopted the alias Cromwell about 1531, was born by
1512 and died 20 October 1544. He was son of Morgan Williams (living 1495 and
1517) by his wife Katherine Cromwell, sister of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex
(executed 28 July 1540). Richard was thus Thomas's nephew, and had served in
Cromwell's household. In his will (PCC 20 Alen) he styled himself 'one of the
gentlemen of the King's privy Chamber.' Sir Richard Williams alias Cromwell
married Frances Mirfyn, daughter of Thomas Mirfyn (definitely before 8 May
1534) but she predeceased him, probably in childbirth, having born two sons.
She was buried at Stepney 20 February 1533 according to Rev. John Edmund Cox,
The Annals of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, London (London, 1876), 243, but VCH
Hunt. 2:67 says their son and heir Sir Henry was born in 1537. Henry is stated
to be seven years of age at his father's death, and not admitted to Lincoln's
Inn until 1557. See The Victoria History of the County of Huntingdon
2:(London, 1932)67, 69; and S. T. Bindoff, The House of Commons 1509-1559
1(London, 1982)734-5. There is also information about these people and their
associates in the Camden Society's edition (NS 11) of Charles Wriothesley's A
chronicle of England during the reigns of the Turdors, from A. D. 1485 to 1559.
A number of sources, including Boyd's "Citizens of London" (no. 16,682), state
that Thomas Mirfyn was son of George Mirfyn of Ely, Cambridgeshire. His wife
is given as Alice Squire, daughter of Oliver Squire, of Southley, Hampshire,
but this informantion is incomplete and partly inaccurate. William Camden's
The Visitation of the County of Huntingdon... [1613], ed. by SIr Henry Ellis
(Camden Society, 43 [1849]), 79-80, shows that Thomas Myryn, miles [knight]
married Elizabeth Squyer and had a son named Edward, but it was by his marriage
to Elizabeth Don, daughter and heir of Sir Angell Don, knight, alderman of
London (his wife is stated to be a Hawardine of Cheshire), that Thomas Myrfyn
was father of Frances Myrfyn, wife of Richard Cromwell alias WIlliams. The
account in the visitation is carried down to Oliver Cromwell, of Hinchinbrooke
in 1613, and the arms of Don and Myrfyn are quartered with Cromwell and others.
Elizabeth Don then married SIr Thomas Dennys and by her was mother of SIr
Robert Dennys, knight, who married Mary Blount, daughter of John Blunt, Lord
Mountjoy. This is generally followed by William Berry's County Genealogies.
Pedigrees of the families in the County of Kent... (London, 1830), 39. Berry
States that Edward Mirfine, the son of Sir Thomas Mirfine and Elizabeth Squire,
married Alice, daughter of Oliver Squyer, wife of Edward North, Lord North.
Berry shows that Sir Thomas was father of three daughters and coheirs (his son
Edward is stated to have died without issue, but in any event the daughters
would be coheirs of their mother), (1) Margaret Mirfine, who married Roger
Halle of London, (2) Mary Mirfine, who married Sir Andrew Judde, knight, and
(3) Frances Mirfine, who married SIr RIchard Cromwell. Now Berry and Camden's
Vis. have their faults, but the attribution of the daughters to Elizabeth Don
seem to be correct.
The Complete Peerage 9:651, shows that Lord North married (1) about 1528,
Alice, widow of Edward Mirfyn of London
{{Citizen and skinner, son of Sir Thomas Myrfyn, Lord Mayor of London 1518-19,
by Alice his wife. His will, made in Mar. 1527/8, when his son Edward was yet
unborn, was pr. 11 May 1528 (P. C. C. 31 Porch). There is a M. I. at Kirtling
(see Lysons' Cambridgeshire, p. 225) to Edward the son, b. in London, a great
traveller, who d. 1553, in his 27th year [?].}},
and before that of John Brigandine of Hants., and da. of Oliver Squire of
Southby, near Portsmouth. With her he acquired considerable property. She was
bur. 22 Aug. 1560, at Kirtling afsd.
So if CP is correct, the Alices who married the Mirfyns would seem to have been
confused [note that the Vis. Camb. calls Thomas's wife Elizabeth Squire,
whereas the younger girl was named Alice Squire]. It was Sir Thomas's son
Edward who married Alice Squire, daughter of Oliver Squire. The parentage of
Sir Thomas Mirfyn's wife is as yet unclear, though the pedigrees make her too
to be a Squire. This means that Elizabeth Donn/Dunn was Thomas Mirfyn's first
wife, as Edward Mirfyn, son of Elizabeth Squire, was as yet unborn when his
father made his will [I have not checked this original will yet].
Thomas Mirfyn, skinner, was an alderman of London for Bishopsgate Ward 6 March
1508/9. He had been nominated by Aldermen Tate and Knewseworth and Sheriff
Smyth. See Rev. Alfred B. Beaven, The Aldermen of The City of London...
1(London, 1908):35, 2:(London, 1913), 22, 168. Mirfyn was auditor 1516-18,
Master of the Skinners 1509, 1510, 1512, 1515 and 1516. He died Sep. 1523.
Thomas Mirfyn had married (1) Elizabeth Donn/Dunn, daughter and eventual heir
of Angell Dunn, a wealthy London merchant. "Aungel" Don/Dun. grocer, was
Alderman for Bassishaw on 3 March 1505/6, ibid. 2:21. He died in 1506, leaving
a will dated 21 October 1505 and proved 9 December 1506 (PCC 13 Adeane [FHL
#91,905]). In his will he describes himself not only as a citizen and grocer,
but also as a merchant of the Staple of Calais. He desired to be buried in our
Lady Chapel, St. Margaret Patens, London, where he had his large house, but
also left 200 marks to found a chapel for St. John in the churchyard, whence
his body was to be removed. As was the tradition of London, he gave his wife
Anne Dune [sic] one-third of his estate, plus an additional 100 pounds and
household stuff. He gave another third (again, tradition) to his minor children
Edward, Francis and Elizabeth Dun. The two sons were also given an additional
100 pounds. Later on in his will he left his son Gabriell ten pounds to be
used to school him at Cambridge or Oxford. That he was not included with the
other children indicates that Gabriell might be illegitimate. Angell Dun
mentioned many others in his long will, including his mother Agnes Breten (his
father was already deceased), his mother-in-law Alice Stanford, his
brother-in-law William Breten, sister Johanne Effington, sister Dame Juliane
Ailiner, sister Elizabeth Geny, brother-in-law WIlliam Cruell, cousin Piers
Starkey, draper, and brother Wililam Butler, grocer. He also mentioned a
charity at Southampton that had something to do with his father John Dun's
will.
Gabriell Dunn proved to be quite interesting, if not despicable to some. He
became a Cistercian monk, and was admitted to St. Bernard's College, Oxford, a
house for student monks of that order. He later entered the Cistercian house
of Stratford Langthorne, co. Essex. He was a student at Louvain, rea or
possibly feigned, in 1535, then went to Antwerp in disguise as a servant of
Henry Phillips, the two of whom planned the arrest of William Tyndale, which
they did there on 23 or 24 May 1535 ("the man who betrayed William Tyndale to
his death"). Gabriell also assisted in preparing Tyndale's case. At his
return to England, he was appointed abbot of the richly endowed Cistercian
house at Buckfast, Devonshire, through the ifluence of (then) secretary of
state Cromwell. At the dissolution of monasteries, he surrendered the abbey
and its lands to Henry VIII. He was rewarded with a pension of 120 pounds per
annum which he received until his death. The site of the Abbey was granted to
Sir Thomas Dennys, of Holcombe Burnell, Devonshire, Gabriell's brother-in-law.
We learn from Gabriell's will that he had actually lent Dennys 100 pounds to
make that purchase. Gabriell had been appointed prebendary of a number of
places, and was instituted to the sinecure rectory of Stepney, co. Middlesex,
25 October 1544. In September 1549, he was appointed one of the canons
residentiary of St. Paul's [Cathedral]. Archbishiop Cranmer made him his
official and keeper of the spiritualities, to exercise all manner of episcopal
jurisdiction in the city and diocese of London from the deprivation of Bishop
Bonner until the institution of Bishop Ridley in 1550. Gabriel died 5
December 1558 and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral near the high alter on the
9th. See DNB, Le Neve, Register of the University of Oxford, etc.
Gabriell Donne's will was dated 5 February 1557/8 and proved 14 December 1508.
A few clauses may be of interest. He gave "Mr. Henry Cromwell one ringe of
twentie shillings", gave "unto ffrauncys Cromwell als Will'ms twentie poundes
to be delyvered to him at xxj yeres of age". Mr. Anthony Huse, esquire, was to
have the education of the said Francis [Sir RIchard Williams alias Cromwell
died in 1544, leaving two sons, Sir Henry, b. 1537, and Francis. Francis
Cromwell alias Williams was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1561.]. His house in
Ive Lane, Stepney, was to be sold for 300 pounds. Books were to go to Barnard
COllege, Oxford. Sir Thomas Dennys, knight, of Devonshire, was to pay the 100
pounds he owed Gabriell which Gabriell lent him to buy land of King Henry VIII,
which 100 pounds "I give to my ladie Dennys his wife and my sister". He also
mentioned his godson Gabriell Dennys, and his goddaughter, his cousin [nephew]
Robert Denny's daughter. SIr Andrew Judd was to have 40 shillings which
Gabriell owed him. Mr. Anthony Huse, esquire, and Mr. Doctor Henrie Harvie
were Gabriell's executors. A codicil was made 5 December 1558 which mentioned
the Cromwells and others.
Elizabeth Donne/Dunn, daughter and apparently eventuall heir of Angell Donne
and his wife Anne Hawardine married Sir Thomas Dennys after Thomas Mirfyn's
death. Their marriage bond (Bishop of London) was dated 14 July 1524. Sir
Thomas Denys, knight, "Mag. Camerar. Regis de legate" sojourning in the new
Temple, London, was to wed Dame Elizabeth Myrfyn, widow, of Stanway
[Middlesex], at Stanway. The will of Sir Thomas was PCC 20 Loftes, and that of
Lady Elizabeth Dennys was PCC 26 Loftes.
As to earlier ancestry, it is stated that Gabriel Donne belonged to the family
of Donne/Dunn seated at Ralph Donue, Devonshire (DNB). He was called a Devon
native. Perhaps he was conceived in Devonshire before his father moved to
London. I have not tried to trace the ancestry earlier. Though Sir Thomas
Mirfyn's father George was stated to be of Ely, Cambridgeshire, I question
this. There was no Merfyn/Mirfyn/Murfyn/Myrfyn probate record proved in either
the Consistory or Archdeaconry Courts of Ely, a strange fact if that were
really the family's origin. I suspect London might be a better place to look.
The following PCC wills might be valuable to check:
1473 John Mirfyn, gent., of St. Paul, Holy Trinity the little, London, and
Henham, etc., Essex, 9 Wattys
1502 Cecily Myrfyn, of Holy Trinity litill, London, 18 & 19 Blamyr
1523 Thomas Mirfyn, of St. Paul and St. Antonye, London, and Hausted, Essex,
34 Bucke
1528 Edward Myrfyn, of St. Powlys, London, Freknam, Suffolk, and Haveryng,
Essex, 31 Porch
As Sir Thomas apparently bore arms, he may have come from gentry. Testators
with land in more than one diocese (London and elsewhere) would have to have
their wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
So that's my two cents worth. Hope it is of some use.
pcr
Reedpcgen
P. S. As Francis Cromwell alias Williams was still under age twenty-one when
Gabriell Donne made his will 5 February 1557/8, he could not have been born
earlier than 1537, which agrees with Henry Cromwell alias William's birthdate
of 1537, being aged seven at his father's death. So their mother Frances
Mirfyn could not have died in 1533, but between 1538 and 1544. Perhaps it was
a typo for 1543 (as parish registers should not have begun until 1538). I have
not checked the Stepney PR or MI. This makes the chronology easier and the
descent through Elizabeth Dunn/Donne acceptable.
It may be of interest that Sir Henry Cromwell alias WIlliam's daughter Joan was
first wife of Sir Francis Barrington, Baronet, whose daughter Joan Barrington
was first wife of Sir Richard Everard, Baronet. Their great-grandson Richard
was Governor of North Carolina. I think his daughter Susanna married David
Meade from whence Bishop William Meade of Virginia.
pcr