William Becher (abt. 1555 - 1631)

Born about 1555 in London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Judith (Quarles) Becher — married 14 Apr 1578 in St Mary, Islington, London, Middlesex, England

Descendants

Died Oct 1631 at about age 76 in London, England

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Biography

Biography of William BECHER of 1548

William Becher was born in England.

William Becher was born 1555 in London, England, the son of Henry Becher Alice Heron.

William Becher is one of ten siblings:

• Elizabeth Becher, born 1540 married Clement Kelk and Thomas Harrison and passed away in 1612 in Finchampstead, Berkshire, England,
• Henry Becher, born 1542 in London, England, married Judithe Riche, had 8 children, and passed away in about 1608 in Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England
• Edward Becher, born 1544, in England, married Frances Brooke, had three children, worked as Esquire to the Bodyguard of Queen Elizabeth I and passed away about 1605.
• [[Becher-30|Fhane Becher], born 1546 who received a land grant in County Cork, Ireland from Queen Elizabeth I, and founded the town of Bandon in southwest Ireland.
• William Becher, born 1555 in London, England, married Judith/Judithe Quarles, had ten children including Sir William Becher, 1580-1651, Knight and MP, and passed away about October 1631 in London, Middlesex, England.
• Margaret Becher, born about 1551, married Sir Thomas D'Abridgecourt, had at least three children, and passed away October 21, 1621 in Hampshire, England.
• Mary Becher, born 1549, who married Chidiock Wardour, and passed away September 19, 1600.
• Bartholomew Becher, born 1550 in London, Middlesex, England, married Alice Miller, became an attorney, and passed away after 1580.
• Mabell Becher, born 1553, who married Sir Richard Norton, MP, and had children, including Sir Richard Norton, First Baronet Norton of Rotherfield, and passed away before 1594.
• Dorothy Becher, passed away April 1558

• William Becher as underage when his father wrote his will in 1568 [in a bill dated 1600 states that he was 16 when his father died].

• 1577 Was admitted to the Livery of the Haberdashers Company and (probably) made free by patrimony in 1577. He would have been at least 21, so a birthdate of 1555/6 fits. He became Renter Warden in 1589, Second Warden in 1594 and First Warden in 1596.

William Becher 1578 married Judith/Judithe Quarles, had ten children including Sir William Becher, Knight and MP 1578 Marriage licence by the Bishop of London, 12 April 1578, he is described as of "Old Jewry & she of Islington, dau of John Quarles."

• 1580 In 1551 Henry Becher bought Palmers/Pasmere [also called Tylehost] Manor in Croydon, Surrey from Nicholas and Eleanor Burton. In 1580 his sons William and Bartholomew Becher conveyed it to Robert Forth.

• 1582 1582 Subsidy Roll St Lawrence Parish, Cheap Ward - William Becher £100

• 1591 Acts of the Privy Council 1591

A warrant to the Customer, Controller and other officers of the Port of London and to everie of them. Whereas by our order Mr. William Beecher is to provide and convey over into the Low Counties a supplie of armes for the companies in her Majesty’s pay, these shalbe therefore to require you to permit the said William Beecher [or the bearer] hereof in his name to transport to the places abovesaid five hundred callivers, three hundred musquets and eight hundred pikes, with their several furnitures of flaskes, banderolles and rests, upon good band by the said Beecher to be entered into for the transportacion of the premises accordingly to the places afforsaid for her majesty’s services and to bring certificate of the receipt of the same from the Generals of the Field. And this shalbe your sufficient dischardge in that behalfe.

William Becher passed away in October 1631 in London, Middlesex, England. He was buried on 21st October 1631 at St Martin in the Fields as William Becher, Gentleman.

Notes

Thought by some to have been father of John Beecher, emigrant to New England. But research published in 2004 identified John Beecher as of St. Thomas, Lewes, Sussex, not of London. ^[1] William did have two sons named John Becher but both died as infants.

• http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/beecher-william-1580-1651

A younger son. Army contractor and paymaster for the forces in the Low Countries. Was bankrupted in 1596 and spent the rest of his life in and out of debtors’ prison. Married Judith Quarles. Children include

• Sir William Becher, b 1580, MP (clerk to the Privy Council)
• John Becher, bp 1594, not the immigrant
• Olive Becher

'NOTE: The sources below are online genealogies. If anyone has additional details on primary source documents, or photos thereof, please upload here.

Sources

• 1568 will of his father Henry Becher

• 1577 Records of the Haberdashers Guild

• 1578 Marriage licence by the Bishop of London, 12 April 1578, he is described as of "Old Jewry & she of Islington, dau of John Quarles."

• Chancery Case 1600

1. ↑ Patricia Law Hatcher, "English Origin of the Potter and Beecher Families of New Haven, Connecticut," in TAG, 79(2004):28

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p27163.htm

• Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. Burke's Irish Family Records. London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976.

• Rootsweb Freepages - Henry Becher & Alice Heron: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~becher/henry_becher%20and%20Alice%20Heron.htm

• Rootsweb World Connect - "Becher Family of Cork, England and Australia" - by J. Stiles http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=becher&id=I17

• Geni dot com - Becher Family Tree - https://www.geni.com/people/Henry-Becher/6000000010676771688

• http://fabpedigree.com/s004/f036067.htm

• Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, editor, Burke's Irish Family Records (London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976), Becher, page 100. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Irish Family Records

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beecher_(died_1651) Hist. Parl.