Richard BEVYS, 1541-1603, Exeter, Devon, England

Richard BEVYS, sometimes spelled Beaves, is my 11th great-grandfather on my maternal line [TERWILLIGER]. He was born approximately 1541 in Exeter, Devon, England.  The illustration on the right is from 1563, showing Exeter situated on the River Exe.

Richard was listed in the Exeter Parish records as a Freeman, a Merchant, on April 29, 1566. One week later, on May 6, 1566, he married Elizabeth PROWSE/Prouz, who apparently was almost 5 years older than him [birth year not yet verified]. She was born 1536 in Chagford, a small village 15miles due west of Exeter. The Prowse/Prouz family were also a well known respected family in the area. A Richard Prowse was Mayor of Exeter in 1568; his relationship to her is not yet clarified.

Richard remained in Exeter and seems to have been very prosperous as a woolen merchant, remarked in any records with the honorific "Mister." He also had several apprentice contracts with young men in the 1570s, according to local records.

Richard and his wife Elizabeth had the following children that I have been able to find records for; all were born in Exeter, some baptized in St Kerrian church (a very small church), and some in a slightly larger church nearby, St Mary Arches. Both are quite close to the very large Exeter Cathedral.  I still need to do more research on Richard's and Elizabeth's families, and also why they used different churches for baptisms of their children.

Children:
   1.   Alles [Alice], bap Jan 11, 1567, d. 1569 aged 2 yrs
   2.   Nichollas, bap Dec 5, 1567, d. Nov 14, 1612 aged 44yrs; married w. children
   3.   John, bap Jul 9, 1569, d. Apr 10, 1594 aged 24 yrs; no research done on him
   4.   Allas Alice [ancestor], bap Jun 7, 1572, d. Feb 1631 aged 58 yrs;
               m. Aug 30, 1595 to John MARSHALL in Exeter; 12 children
   5.   Peter, b. abt 1573/74; no further details found
   6.   Wilmott, bap Nov 22, 1574, d. Sep 26 1595, almost 21 yrs.
   7.   Richard, bap Mar 9, 1579; no further research done.
   8.   Elizabeth, bap 1580, d. Feb 5, 1587, aged 8 yrs.

From the gaps above, it is possible there were several other children born who may have died young. Elizabeth, his wife, died July 12th, 1585 aged 49 years.The following year, on May 16th, 1586 in Exeter, Richard married his second wife, Jane Hewish, about whom I have no information.

Richard BEVYS became High Sheriff in Exeter in 1591. And in 1594, was elected Governor of the Guild of Merchant Adventurers.  Finally, in 1602, he was made Lord Mayor of Exeter.

He died unexpectedly on August 26, 1603, while in office as Lord Mayor. Below is the Burial note in the Devon Burial Index for Exeter. Trust me, spelling did not count, and it actually states:

Richard Bevis being mayer, ye 28 of August ....... 1603

Although there is an index stating Richard has a a will, and that it was probated after his death, I have not yet found an image or transcription or abstract of this will. I also do not know if  his second wife Jane, was still alive at the time of his death.

An interesting connection: Richard's granddaughter (Elizabeth MARSHALL, b. 1602/03) married Thomas TROWBRIDGE (b. 1597/98), whose ancestry has been researched back to - Charlemagne. Although I do believe after so many generations, not much of that DNA is being carried in our current family! I loved the long scroll Who Do You Think You Are genealogists unrolled for Cindy Crawford on the show - Oh if only I could see that entire roll as well! Still, at least I know the research was done, and I should be able to find some of it, sooner or later.

If you have any further information about Richard BEVYS or his family, I would love to hear from you; contact through my email address at the very bottom of the blog page.  

Blooger has a glitch in it stopping me from replying to your comments, but please do know that I appreciate your comments very much. You make my day! Thanks so much for stopping by to read my family blog. 

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 47: Elizabeth MARSHALL 1602-1641

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes, although it seems not always relevant for me to use!  This week the theme is "Sporting" and yet again, I'm not using the theme. But I continue to write about the original settlers in New England, in my mother's family lines. Last week I wrote about Christopher ADAMS & Margaret HUNKING, who settled first in Braintree MA, then to Kittery, (which was officially in Massachusetts not Maine, at this early time).

Here is Elizabeth MARSHALL,the wife of well-known gentleman, Thomas TROWBRIDGE. She was the 5th of 12 children of John MARSHALL & Alice BEVYS, from Exeter, Devonshire, England. John MARSHALL was a well-known and wealthy merchant in Exeter, as were the Bevys family. Alice BEVYS' father, Richard, was Sheriff of Exeter in 1591, Governor of the Guild Merchant Adventurers (1594) [I love this name!], Mayor in 1602, dying later that same year.

Elizabeth was baptised 24 Mar 1602 in Exeter Cathedral, Exeter, Devonshire. Her parents are known to be John MARSHALL & Alice BEVYS.  However there is an apparent contradiction in the St. Mary Arches parish register of her 1627 marriage to Thomas Trobrige where she is called "the daughter of Mr. Alec Marshall widow".  This is a mis-transcribing of Alys Marshall (i.e., Mrs. Alice BEVYS Marshall), widowed several years prior to Elizabeth's marriage).

Elizabeth and Thomas had the following children, the first four born in Exeter, Devon, England:

1. Elizabeth, bap 6 Mar 1627/28, buried 10 May 1630
2. John, bap 5 Nov 1629, d. 1653 in Taunton, Eng.
3. Thomas, bap 11 Dec 1631, d. 22 Aug 1702 in New Haven CT; m. 24 Jun 1657 to Sarah Rutherford, 8 children; m. 2nd abt 1688 to Hannah Nash Ball, 1 dau.
4. William [direct ancestor], bap. 3 Sep 1633, d. Nov 1690 West Haven CT; m. 9 Mar 1654/55 in Milford CT to Elizabeth LAMBERTON Selivant [widow]; 10 children
5. James, b. 1636 in Dorchester MA, d. May 1717 

With sons Thomas and William, Elizabeth and Thomas immigrated to Dorchester Massachusetts in 1634.  They had their 5th child, James, in 1636. They moved to New Haven Connecticut in 1639. 

Elizabeth died unexpectedly in 1641 in New Haven CT.  

Thomas left soon afterwards, likely because of serious political unrest in England including around Taunton, leading to English Civil War, and seiges of Taunton. He left his three young sons, Thomas, William & James, in the care of a fellow Taunton immigrant, Sgt. Thomas Jeffries.  The house, goods, lots, estates and chattel were left in trust with his steward, Henry Gibbons. There were significant problems with the steward's care of the properties, and the three sons finally obtained power of attorney from their father in 1662 - making his property over to them, which gave them the power to lay suit for possession.  Thomas married a second time shortly after returning to Taunton, marrying a first cousin, Francis Godsall, in Feb 1642. 

Once again we know very little about Elizabeth, but have quite a lot of information on her wealthy merchant husband.  From the bequests of her father (1624) and her mother, Elizabeth seemed to be favoured with larger bequests than were provided to her sisters.  Some readers of these wills have made the assumption it was because she was unusually helpful, kind or generous.  

It is clear that these families -  MARSHALL, TROWBRIDGE, and BEVYS - were relatively wealthy merchants, with active political roles.  Histories of these families are relatively easy to find, and details from the NEHGS provide additional analysis and commentary on the immigrant, Thomas TROWBRIDGE. 

If any of you have watched the Who Do You Think You Are television show of model, Cindy Crawford, you would have seen her Trowbridge marvellous long detailed ancestral lines - or at least, you would have seen the small part shown on the show!  This is where she is seen to be related from Thomas TROWBRIDGE up through various gentility to various Counts/Dukes etc., up to the Emperor Charlemagne.  

If you know anything more about Elizabeth MARSHALL, I would be so pleased for more details. Contact me at my address at the bottom of the page, or in the Comments section.

Sometimes my Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments. Do know that I value your comments immensely. You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my personal genealogy posts.