While researching the ancestry of Margaret Berney, wife of Edward
Paston of Appleton Hall (ancestors of Princess Diana), I made use of
the 2004 edition of Plantagenet Ancestry, which has 3 generations of
Margaret's Berney ancestors on page 412 (sub Jennings).
A little further research on my own showed that the Berney accounts in
PA3/RPA had quite a few errors & omissions, so I figured I'd take a
break from lines of descent and do one of my PA3/RPA Corrections
posts.
Let's start with the earliest Berney generation: Margaret Wentworth is
married, as his 2nd wife, to John Berney, son of John Berney of
Reedham, Norfolk & Elizabeth, dau of Osbert Mundeford of Hockford.
John Berney's first wife was Alice, dau of Richard Southwell of
Woodrising, and John died 27 October 1536. By 2nd wife Margaret
Wentworth he had 2 sons, and she was living in 1532. Almost
everything in the account contains error.
1) Terry Booth, in a post he made to the newsgroup last year, showed
that no daughter of Osbert Mountford married a John Berney but rather
Elizabeth, the widow of Thomas Berney (died 1441) married, as her 2nd
husband, Osbert Mountford. Nor was this Elizabeth the mother of the
John Berney who married Margaret Wentworh:
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.genealogy.medieval/msg/bf2373774085a0a5?hl=en
2) Alice Southwell was not the first wife of the John Berney who
married Margaret Wentworth (who appears to have been his sole wife),
but was rather his mother (or possibly step-mother). Per a well-
researched website on the Berneys, the IPM for John Berney of Reedham
(the father of the John who married Margaret Wentworth) was taken on
22 November 1506. John the father died on 6 January 1506, leaving a
wife Alice, and a son and heir John who was aged 21 and more (so born
by 1485):
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/l/Andrew-N-BOLS/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0126.html
The website has this Alice as Alice Southwell & the mother of John.
That may not be accurate, and further research is warranted. There
was a Sir Richard Southwell of Woodrising (1502-1564), who has a bio
in ODNB, and who was son of Francis Southwell of Wymondham (d. 1512).
It seems likely that Alice, the wife of John Berney of Reedham (d.
1506) was of the family of Francis Southwell, but I don't know how she
fits in exactly.
3) John Berney of Reedham (born by 1485), the husband of Margaret
Wentworth, did not die on 27 October 1536, but instead (per the Berney
website) on 22 October 1527:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/l/Andrew-N-BOLS/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0119.html
The 1527 date matches up to the account of Caston Hall manor in
Blomefield's Norfolk Volume 2, in which "in 1506, John Berney of
Redham left it to John, his son and heir, who held it with Barries
manor in Rockland-Tofts, Caston, and Thompson; and in 1527, left them
to John, his son and heir":
http://books.google.ca/books?id=bwUVAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA285&lpg=PA285&dq=John+Berney+died+1527&source=bl&ots=mrlw4AL5sa&sig=c15FT3so9SKJYnX4M1wtKLmPQL4&hl=en#v=onepage&q=John%20Berney%20died%201527&f=false
4) John Berney & Margaret Wentworth had more than just 2 sons. Per
the Berney website linked to above, they had 3 sons - John, Robert and
Richard - and 3 daughters - Elizabeth, Mary & Amy.
5) We know from the will of his son (see below), that John Berney of
Reedham (by1485-1527) was buried in St John the Baptist Church,
Reedham, Norfolk.
6) Margaret Wentworth Berney was not only alive in 1532, but had taken
a second husband by 1546, when he presented the new rector to the
church at West Tofts on her behalf, as Terry Booth noted in the same
post I linked to above. "1546, 6 Aug. John Bowgeon, on the death of
the last rector. John Harwarde, Gent. in right of his wife Margaret,
widow of John Berney, Esq.":
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78061
I believe Margaret's second husband John Harward was most likely the
John Harward of South Repps who was the father, by his (previous)
wife, --- Wotton (of the same family as the Marchioness of Dorset,
maybe?), of Gregory Harward of Gunton (d. 1552), who married Elizabeth
Berney, Margaret Wentworth's daughter:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=qkpFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Gregory+Harward+of+Gunton&source=bl&ots=oHFrorI1jP&sig=jCLyjcljuhbYvMT6SnnvcrKiXnA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=u09OUOqiJIiTiQKw-YCICA&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Gregory%20Harward%20of%20Gunton&f=false
I'm not familiar with the Harward family - this is the first I'm
encountering them. If someone who is more familiar with them can make
a better placement of Margaret's 2nd husband John Harward, please let
me know.
Finally, we know from the will of her son (see below), that Margaret
was still alive when he wrote it in 1553-54.
Moving along to the next Berney generation in PA3/RPA, we have John
Berney of Reedham, born about 1518 (aged 18 in 1536), and died testate
(P.C.C. 27 Mellershe) in 1560. He married 1st, Margaret, dau of
William Reade of Beccles, Suffolk & Margaret Tooley. She died 17 March
1548, having had 2 sons & 1 daughter. John married 2nd in 1552 Alice
Ferrer, widow of William Sydnor, and dau of Robert Ferrer. Almost all
of this (save the death date & parentage of John's 1st wife Margaret
Reade) contains error.
1) Since we now know John Berney's father died in 1527, not 1536, I'm
not sure if John's birthdate of about 1518 is still accurate. The
Berney website says he was born 1509. That seems somewhat too early,
with Margaret Wentworth's own mother Alice Tyrrell having been born in
1474. The correct birthdate likely is somewhere between those dates
of 1509 & 1518.
2) John Berney did not die in 1560, but rather on 27 April 1557, per
the Berney website, which lists "IPM. Series 11,Vol.115, at Norwich
22nd July, 5&6 Philip and Mary [1557-8]" as one of its sources for
John:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/l/Andrew-N-BOLS/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0110.html
I don't know which will "P.C.C. 27 Mellershe" is, but the Berney
website abstracts John's will, which was written between 22 July 1553
and 30 January 1554. Administration of John's estate was granted to
his son & heir Henry Berney on 9 May 1558.
3) John Berney (d. 1557) had more than 2 sons & 1 daughter with his
1st wife Margaret Reade. Per the Berney website, they had 4 sons -
Henry, Thomas, Robert & Richard - and 7 daughters - Anne, Margaret,
Mary, Thomasine, Elizabeth, Ursula & Ellen, most of whom are named in
John's will.
4) John Berney's second wife Alice was neither the daughter of a
Robert Ferrer, nor the widow of a William Sydnor. Instead, she was
Alice Jenour, daughter & heiress of Robert Jenour of Barnes, Kent
(whose will was proved 10 November 1536) & Margaret Heigham (whose
will was proved 1551). There is probably interesting ancestry behind
Margaret Heigham, but it wouldn't go back to Edward I, so I'll leave
it to someone else to unearth. Alice Jenour married 1st, Paul Sydnor
of Grays Inn (born 1507; died in London 16 December 1551), per this
well-researched website on the Sydnor family:
http://sydnor.org/fifth_generation.htm
Alice married 2ndly, 1552, John Berney of Reedham (d. 1557), survived
him, but not by much, and was buried 2 May 1558 at All Saints Church,
Ellough, Suffolk. Alice's son & heir by her 1st husband was William
Sydnor of Blundeston (born 22 June 1542; died 10 August, buried 13
August 1613, St Mary Church, Blundeston, Suffolk), who married
(licence 7 May 1558), as his 1st wife, his stepsister Ursula Berney
(buried 5 August 1568, All Saints Church, Ellough, Suffolk), daughter
of John Berney of Reedham & 1st wife Margaret Reade.
5) From the will of John Berney's son & heir (see below), we know he
was buried at St John the Baptist Church, Reedham, Norfolk.
The next Berney generation from PA3/RPA is the final one I examined:
Henry Berney of Park Hall (in Reedham) died testate in 1584. He
married Alice, dau of Roger Appleton of Dartford & Agnes Clarke, and
they had 3 sons - Thomas, Henry, John - and 3 daus, including Anne
(wife of Thomas Gybbon) and Margaret (wife of Edmund Paston). Both
Henry Berney & his wife Alice were buried at St John the Baptist
Church, Reedham, Suffolk. Thankfully, this generation contains much
less error, though it could do with some elaboration.
1) Henry Berney was born about 1533, per the Berney website, which may
have taken that date from his father's IPM. He died 4 March 1584/5,
and the website cites one of its sources for him as "Chancery IPM.,
11,Vol.206,no.10. At Norwich 8th July, 27 Elizabeth, 1584" [sic-July
in 27 Elizabeth was the year 1585]:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/l/Andrew-N-BOLS/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0309.html
The website also abstracts Henry's will, which was dated 3 March
1584/5, and proved 9 May 1585.
2) Henry Berney & Alice Appleton had a total of 4 sons - Thomas,
Henry, John & Richard - and 3 daughters - Anne, Margaret, Mary, all
named in Henry's will. Daughter Margaret did not marry "Edmund"
Paston, but rather Edward Paston of Appleton Hall (1550-1630).
There you have it. At least the Berney line of descent itself, as
presented in PA3/RPA, is accurate and doesn't require major revision,
as the Bevan one does.
Cheers, ---------Brad