Thomas Melford (abt. 1524 - abt. 1602)

Born about 1524 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 9 Apr 1602 at about age 78 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England

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Magna Carta Surety Baron Descendant (see text). Join: Magna Carta Project Discuss: magna_carta

Thomas Melford is a descendant of a number of Surety Barons. See below.

Biography

Birth and Parentage

Thomas Melford, gentleman, of Arnold, Nottinghamshire, was born about 1524 and was of age in January 1546. He was the 2nd son of Ralph Melford, Esq, of Arnold, and his wife Anne Clifford, widow of Robert Clifton, Esq, of Clifton, Nottinghamshire, and daughter of Sir Henry Clifford known as the Shepherd Lord.^[1][2]

In his father's will, dated 6 Jan 1546 and proved 7 Oct 1546, Thomas was given his father's house and lands within “the lordeship of Arnehall,” (Arnold) along with implements and furnishings.^[2] Thomas was also appointed one of the will's executors.^[1][2]

Through his mother, Thomas was a half-brother of Sir Gervase Clifton, Knight, of Clifton, Nottinghamshire, who, in his will dated 15 Oct 1587 and proved 13 Mar 1587/8, gave “to my brother Thomas Melford £20."^[1][2]

Marriage and Issue

Thomas married, prior to 1565, DIONISE _____, whose maiden name is unknown. They had 8 children (presumably all born in Arnold, Nottinghamshire):^[1][2]

• Robert, d. aft. after 16 Mar 1638^[2]
• Gervase, d. bef. 9 May 1639^[2]
• George, d. aft. after 16 Mar 1638^[2]
• Elizabeth, m. _____ Charlesworth^[1][2]
• Winifred, m. _____ Haughton or Haulton^[1][2]
• Mary b. abt 1565,^[2] m. 15 May 1586, Humphrey Need, d. bef. 27 Jun 1631^[1]
• Ellen^[1]
• Joan^[1]

Death and Will

Thomas left a will dated 25 Mar 1602 and proved 28 Jan160,^[1] in which he gave five shillings apiece to his grandchildren Humfrye Neyd (Humphery Need) and Agnes Neyd (Need).^[2] He was buried at Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England on 09 Apr 1602.^[1][2]

Research Notes

The order of birth of Thomas' children is unknown at this time and the only year of birth roughly known is of his daughter Mary (1565). It is implied that Thomas married his wife DIONISE (Denise) some time before 1565.

It is curious that in his will Thomas only mentions 5 of his 8 children (Elizabeth Charlesworth, Winifred Haughton, George, Robert, and Gervase).^[2] While it is possible that Ellen and Joan may have been deceased at that time, Mary was alive and married to Humphrey Need for almost 16 years when he wrote his will on 25 Mar 1602. He did, however, mention Mary's children, his grandchildren, Humfrye (Humphrey) and Agnes. His third grandchild, Helen, had probably passed away prior to 25 Jul 1591 as she is not mentioned in her father's will dated that day.^[2]

Royal Ancestors

Through his mother Anne Clifford:
Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor^[3] - 25th great grandfather.
William I, "The Conqueror", King of England^[4] - 15th great grandfather.
Henry II, King of England^[5] - 12th great grandfather.
Philippe IV, King of France ^[6] - 9th great grandfather.
Edward I, "Longshanks", King of England^[7] - 9th great grandfather.
Edward III, King of England^[2] - 7th great grandfather.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume IV, pages 204-205 NEED 18-19. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15} Mahler, Leslie: "Samuel Levis, Quaker Immigrant to Pennsylvania", The Genealogist, Spring 1999, Vol 13, No 1, p. 30-36 (PDF download)
3. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume V, page 481 Appendix Line B and C. 8th great grandfather of Maud of Flanders, wife of William The Conqueror
4. ↑ Great grandfather of Henry II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror)
5. ↑ Great grandfather of Edward I (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England)
6. ↑ Maternal grandfather of Edward III of England (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_France)
7. ↑ Grandfather of Edward III (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England)

See also:

• Richardson, Douglas: Plantagenet Ancestry, 2nd edn. (2011), 3 vols, Volume 2, page 602.

Magna Carta Project

This profile was reviewed/approved for the Magna Carta project by Michael Cayley on 2 February 2020.

Thomas Melford appears in a Richardson-documented trail from from the Levis/Need Gateway Ancestors (Samuel Levis, Hannah (Levis) Blunston, Sarah (Levis) Bradshaw, Mary Need and Joseph Need) to Magna Carta Surety Barons Hugh le Bigod and Roger le Bigod (vol. II, pages 221-223 NEED). This profile is also in trails identified by the Magna Carta Project from the Levis/Need Gateways to surety barons Saher de Quincy, John de Lacy, Gilbert de Clare, Richard de Clare and John Fitz Robert. These trails were developed as part of the Samuel Levis trail to the Bigods by John Sigh and were badged in February 2020 by Michael Cayley. The trails can be seen in the Magna Carta Trails sections in the profiles of Samuel Levis and Mary Need.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".