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All Saints, Lolworth, Cambridgeshire. |
Francis Byckley was christened in February 1582/3 in the village of Lolworth, county of Cambridgeshire, England.[1]
He was the son of Francis Bickley and Amy Mayers who were married 13 December 1573 in Lolworth, Cambridgeshire, England.[2]
Fraunces Byckley, aged 32, married Mary Parsons, aged 17, on 15 May 1615. They were married at St Lawrence Jewry, London, England.[3][4] The church in which they were married was burnt down during the Great Fire of London but fortunately the parish register appears to have survived. The church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren between 1670 and 1687.
According to the inscription on Frauncis' burial vault (refer Death & Memorial below), three daughters, and one son, were living at the time of his burial. He died on 11 August 1670 at nearly 90 years of age. Three daughters were mentioned in his Will, dated 28 June 1670, Anne Edisbury, Mary Eyton and Elizabeth Beale, and one son Frauncis (refer Will & Probate below).[5]
Francis and Mary had 10 childrlen:
The Drapers' Company
The Drapers' Company has it's origins back to the early 1300s with its first Royal charter granted by Edward III in 1364. They came to set standards for the trade, such as pricing and the "Drapers’ ell", or standard measure, by which all cloth was sold; and oversaw the training of draper apprentices thus ensuring there was no unfair competition. By the 16th century, the Drapers’ Company, and many of its members, had gained significant power and wealth in the City in large brought about by the flourishing cloth trade, with many members (and some non-members) entrusting their charitable trusts to the Company to provide for the poor of London. It was ranked third out of the twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London lending it's members to social and political advantage.[6]
Francis became a senior member of the Drapers' Company. He served as an Apprentice to Henry Jay and was made a Freeman on 11 January 1608.[7] He was admitted to the Drapers' Company as a member of the Livery from 1614-1631 and was admitted as a member of the Court from 163-until his death. He became a Master in 1646.[8][9]
He bound twelve Apprentices according to the Drapers' Company:[9]
Year | Name | Year | Name |
---|---|---|---|
1611 | Thomas Jurden[1] | 1623 | John Bickley[2]Freedom[3] |
1612 | William Wike[10] | 1627 | Francis Hopkins[10] |
1612 | John Grove[10] | 1628 | Thomas Underwood[4]Freedom[5] |
1615 | Richard Hunton[6] | 1631 | William Greene, Freedom[7] |
1618 | Mathew Wise[8] | 1638 | David Hanmer[9] |
1619 | Daniel Shacklock[10] | 1638 | Thomas Mayes[10] |
City of London
According to "The history of the Worshipful Company of the Drapers of London" Francis was appointed Sherriff on 6 August 1639 but did not serve. Perhaps, like many others of the time, he refused to take the Sacrament which by 1661 had become a law, the Corporation Act, prohibiting abstainers from taking public office. Or perhaps he was simply not interested in public office outside of the Drapers' Company. He possibly paid a fine in order not to serve - however, no record of this has been found yet.[11]
Based on the "Aldermen of the City of London: Cornhill ward" Francis was appointed Alderman of Cornhill Ward in 1649 but was discharged 5 days later with a fine of £500.[12][13][9] To date no reason for his discharge has been uncovered.
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Bickley Coat of Arms from The Visitation of London. |
Frauncis first presented his Arms to the Richmond Herald, Sr. Henry St. George, kt., for the "The visitation of London, anno Domini 1633, 1634, and 1635". He was recorded as being of the Cordwainer Ward and is said to have been living at Budge Row and at Halston in Hackney, County Middlesex, at the time.[14]
Thomas Wotton described the Arms in his book 'The English Baronetge' in 1741:[15]
In addition to usage within his own family line (Richard Bickley (1582-1667)), these Arms, with cadency and differencing, can also be seen in use by Thomas Bickley DD (abt.1518-1596), The Bishop of Chichester, and by descendants of Henry Bickley (abt.1503-aft.1570) of Chidham, Sussex.
The use of similar arms across these family groups indicates a familial tie which is currently unresolved and being researched. Who the original Armiger was is currently unknown.
'Sir' Francis was created Baronet on 3 September 1661. The title is presumed to have become extinct on the death of the fifth Baronet in 1754.[16][17][15][18][19]
In 1653 (Cokayne) or 1657 (Wotton/Burke) he purchased Attleborough Hall from John Ratcliff esq.[17][15][18] The Norfolk Heritage Explorer describes Attleborough Hall as; A medieval moated site with a post medieval house on the internal platform. The moat is revetted with a medieval flint wall and the surviving bridge may date to the 16th or 17th centuries, as could the fishponds to the southeast. The Hall has a timber frame with some possibly 15th century beams, a 17th-century façade, 17th-century panelling and a summerhouse that contains medieval stonework. In the mid 19th century seven medieval gold coins were found on the site. The moat surrounding the hall and some of the fishponds to the southeast are visible on aerial photographs, along with cropmarks and earthworks of other possible features surrounding the hall.[20]
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Location of Attleborough Hall, Attleborough, Norfolk. |
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Attleborough Hall driveway. Now cut through by the Attleborough by-pass. |
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Attleborough Hall. Gate House. |
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Attleborough Hall. |
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Attleborough Hall. Medieval Moat. |
According to the Jamestowne Society, Sir Francis is a Member of the Jamestowne Society having invested in the establishment of Jamestowne, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.[21]
Evidence of shareholding can be found in "The records of the Virginia company of London". On 22 February 1622/3, the records show Mr Viner to Mr Francis Bickly... 01 Share.[22]
"Mr Viner" is presumed to be Lord Mayor of London from 1653-1654, the husband of Frauncis' sister-in-law, Anne Parsons who he married in 1618.
According to Musgrave's Obituaries[23][24], and Neve's Monumenta Anglicana[25], Sir Franciscus died on 11 August 1670 and was buried in the Attilborow Church in Norfolk.
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St Mary's Church, Attleborough. |
Jonathan Tyers Barrett's Memorials of the parochial church, the collegiate chantry, and the chapel of st. Mary ... in the parish of Attleborough shows there is a memorial for Sir Francis in the Chapel of Sir William Mortimer[26] in the Church of St Mary, Attleborough.[27] Gloria Jahoda provides a translation of the latin memorial in her The Bickleys of Virginia article:
Sir Francis Bickley, Baronet, almost ninety years of age, of one son and three daughters now living and of thirty grandchildren and great-grandchildren the father, grand-father, and great-grandfather. When he foresaw the approach of death, he had this burial vault dug while he was still alive. In it his surviving son, Sir Francis Bickley, Baronet, placed his remains, by his father’s orders, in pious hope of resurrection. He died on the 11th day of August 1670.[28]
The Will of Sir Francis Bickley of Attleborough, Norfolk, dated 28 June 1670, was proved on 7 December 1670.[29]
Click here to read the transcription of Francis' Will
Spelling Variations: Byckley, Bickley.
Birth Location: The original birth location for this Francis was recorded on WikiTree to be Dalston, Middlesex, England, 1582. This has been updated to be Feb 1582, Lolworth, Cambridgeshire, England based on the birth record found, which aligns to the parents he is attached to. His year of birth has been variously recorded around the internet as 1580 or 1582. No evidence for birth in Dalston, Middlesex in either 1580 or 1582 has been found and the mentions elsewhere have not been sourced. As the record for 1582 Lolworth, Cambridgeshire birth has been found and matches up with his attached parents, it has been updated accordingly. The reference to Dalston is most likely simply because this is where he was noted to be living later in life.[17] In addition, the original birth year of 1582 in this WikiTree profile was noted as a guess.
Profiles to research/create/link to:
Image:Sir Francis Bickley Free Space-1.pdf |
Click the link above to access a PDF copy of the information. |
With thanks to Jo Fitz-Henry for Frauncis' Will Transcription.
This week's featured connections are Redheads: Francis is 12 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 19 degrees from Clara Bow, 26 degrees from Julia Gillard, 15 degrees from Nancy Hart, 16 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 15 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 19 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 16 degrees from Rose Leslie, 18 degrees from Damian Lewis, 14 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 25 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 28 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
B > Byckley | B > Bickley > Frauncis (Byckley) Bickley Bt
Categories: Sheriffs of London | Aldermen of the City of London | Cornhill, London | St Mary Churchyard, Attleborough, Norfolk | Drapers' Company, City of London | Attleborough, Norfolk | Lolworth, Cambridgeshire | St Lawrence Jewry Church, City of London | Baronets Bickley of Attleborough | Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors
Jo, England Project Managed Profiles team
Apparently a Qualifying Ancestor, but the birth details are different.