Robert Knollys (bef. 1481 - aft. 1520)

Born before 1481 in Rotherfield Grey, Oxfordshire, England

Descendants

Died after Nov 1520 after age 39 in London Bishopsgate, Middlesex, England

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Biography

In 1488 Robert Knollys was one of Henry VII's henchmen, and he served in various royal household posts, including an appointment to wait on the King's eldest son Arthur. Following Arthur's death in 1502, Robert reverted to serving the monarch and then his successor Henry VIII. ^[1]

Robert Knollys married Letitia (or Lettice), daughter of Sir Thomas Penyston of Hawridge and Marshall of Buckhinghamshire. Between 1503 and 1514 Robert and Letitia held, albeit shakily, the manor of Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire. In 1514 an Inquisition was held to determine the ownership and the were eventually granted the occupation rights for the rent of one red rose to be paid at midsummer. They also received, conjointly, for their own lives and that of one successor, a grant of the manor and advowson of the church of Rotherfield Greys by Letter Patent dated 5 January 1517-18 ^[2] Robert was also granted Rookes Manor, Hampshire on 10 February 1511.^[1]

Robert Knollys and Lettice had at least four children:^[3]

• Sir Francis Knollys (1511/2-1596)
• Henry Knollys (d. c.1583), MP Reading 1563, Christchurch 1572.
• Mary Knollys
• Jane Knollys m. Sir Richard Wingfield of Kimbolton Castle

Robert died in 1521, his will dated 13 Nov 1520 was proved 19 June 1521. ^[3] He was buried in the church of St Helen, Bishopsgate, London. ^[4]

Summary of the Will of Robert Knollys Esquire

Robert Knollys, Esquire, Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber of the King, 13th November 1520. My body to be buried in the place where Elizabeth Knollys, my late mother, now lieth buried. To the Prioress and Convent of the monastery of St. Ellen's within Bishop's Gate, a suit of copes and xx l. ; Mary my daughter; Jane my daughter'; Francis and Henry my sons; Lettice: my wife; my lands in London, Henley-upon-Thames, and the manor of Rotherfield Gray. Proved 19th January 1521.^[5]

The full Will is held at the National Archives, Kew, London.^[3]

Research Notes

Previously, Robert Knollys, Usher of the Privy Chamber, was believed to be a son of Robert Knollys and Elizabeth Troutbeck. However no sources have yet turned up that confirm this relationship. Clearly he had a mother named Elizabeth but more research is needed to identify his father.Greet-49 08:27, 29 August 2020 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Nicola Tallis, Elizabeth's Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester Michael O'Mara Books, 2 Nov 2017 Google Books
2. ↑ Jones, Barry V GREYS COURT ROTHERFIELD GREYS OXFORDSHIRE VOLUME 2 THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES English Heritage Buildings and Landscapes Survey and Investigation Division Report Series B/002/2005 PDF
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 20. Robert Knolles. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Ancestry au Record 5111 #898892
4. ↑ Minnie Reddan and Alfred W Clapham. "St. Helen's Bishopsgate: Monuments now disappeared," in Survey of London: Volume 9, the Parish of St Helen, Bishopsgate, Part I, (London: London County Council, 1924), 94. British History Online, accessed July 13, 2020, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol9/pt1/p94.
5. ↑ Nicolas, N. H. Testamenta Vetusta. Parliament Street, London: Nichols and Son, 1826, Vol. II, p. 562. Robert Knollys

• Wallace T. MacCaffrey,‘Robert Knollys (d. 1520/21)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2015
• Sidney Lee, "Knollys, Francis". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900, online edn. DNBoo