Thomas Hubbarde (abt. 1542 - bef. 1598)

Born about 1542 in Norfolk, England [uncertain]

Husband of Helena (Winsofer) Hubbarde — married 30 Jul 1569 in Snoring Magna, Norfolk, England

Descendants

Died before 17 Dec 1598 before about age 56 in Great Snoring, Norfolk, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Darlene Athey-Hill [send private message]

Biography

This is the profile for Thomas Hubbarde of Great Snoring (aka Snoring Magna) who was portrayed as the father of Edmund Hobart of Hingham in letters and documents sent in 1965-1966 by Ronald F. Kingsbury to Keith W. Hubbard. Since his existence is disputed, most of this profile consists of a discussion of the evidence for and against his existence.

Hubbard's Offer and Kingsbury's Claims

In 1965, Keith W. Hubbard offered a $150 reward for proof of the parentage of Edmund Hobart. In response to that offer, "Ronald F. Kingsbury, Director of Research, Genealogical Enterprises, Norwich, England," sent Hubbard a letter in January 1966 claiming the reward based on the following assertions:

• Boyd's Marriage Index and the Snoring Magna parish register contain an entry for the marriage of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena Winsofer on 30 July 1569.
• Thomas and Hellena had two sons: Andrew, who was baptised on 25 January 1572, and Edmund baptised on 1 January 1573.
• In his will dated 13 November 1598, Thomas Hubbarde left his land in Snoring Magna to his son Andrew, and his copyhold lands in Hingham to his son Edmund; the residuary part of his estate is left to his wife Hellena.
• After much difficulty, Kingsbury had locate the copyhold claim records in private hands. They revealed that Edmund Hubbarde, late of Snoring Magna, was admitted tenant to the copyhold lands formerly held by his father Thomas Hubbarde, on 10 June 1599.

Robert Kingsbury closed his letter with:

In view of the evidence given above, I would state that I am positive that I have established the parentage of Edmund Hobart conclusively, and in these circumstances enclose a statement of account for 150 dollars, this being the amount referred to by you in your letter of the 26th July 1965. I look forward to your remittance for this amount by return of post.^[1]

As a condition to paying the reward, Hubbard wrote back requesting certified copies of the evidence referenced by Kingsbury in his January 1966 letter. In response, in February 1966 Kingsbury sent Hubbard what he said were the following documents, certified by the then current Steward of the Manor of Hingham:

• Extracts from the evidences submitted in support of a claim for admission to copyhold tenancy in the Manor of Hingham, Norfolk consisting of:
  • Extract from the Register of the Parish Church of St. Andrews, Snoring Magna. Edmund s of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena, his w, baptized ye 1st day of January 1573.
  • Copy of the Will of Thomas Hubbarde of Snoring Magna, Norfolk. (Transcribed copy at this link: Thomas Hubbard's Will.)
• An extract from the the Manor Court Rolls of the Manor of Hingham, Norfolk consisting of an order confirming the copyhold claim. (Transcribed copy a this link: Hubbarde Copyhold Claim.^[1]

In his cover letter, Kingsbury also stated that, in order to complete the picture, he made further searches in the registers of Snoring Magna and obtained the following information:

Snoring Magna, Norfolk. Dedicated to St Andrews. Registers commence in 1560. July 30, 1569, Thomas Hubbard and Hellena Winsofer married; Jan 25, 1572, Andrew s of Thomas Hubbard and Hellena his w baptised; Jan 1, 1573, Edmund, s of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena his w baptized; Dec. 17, 1598, Thomas Hubbarde buried; May 9, 1603, Hellena Hubbard (widow) buried.

Kingsbury concluded his February 1966 letter with:

I look forward to receiving your remittance of 150 dollars by return as agreed in your letter of the 20th January, and hope you will be pleased with the result of my research.^[1]

Biography Based on Kingsbury's Claims

The following is a brief biography of Thomas Hubbard of Great Snoring as portrayed by Kingsbury.

Thomas Hubbarde was probably born sometime in 1540-1545, most likely in or near Great Snoring. His date of birth is estimated based on the date of his possible first marriage (1566) and the date of his marriage to Hellena Winsofer (1569). (There is no reason to believe that, even if Thomas existed as Kingsbury proposed, he was related to either Andrew Hobart of Monkes Illeigh/Ely, Suffolk or Thomas Hobart of Plumstead, Norfolk.)

Thomas married perhaps, first, Beatricia Pecker at Great Snoring on May 25, 1566.^[2][3][4] Beatricia died and was buried on December 9, 1568.^[5][6][7] There is no record of Thomas and Beatricia having any children. (Kingsbury did not mention this marriage but the marriage record and Beatricia's burial record make it quite possible that the Thomas Hubbarde who married Hellena Winsofer had previously married Beatricia.)

Thomas married, perhaps second, Hellena Winsofer in Great Snoring on July 30, 1569. Thomas and Hellena had two children: Andrew, who was baptized on January 25, 1572/3, and Edmund, who was baptized on January 1, 1573/4.

At some point, Thomas acquired a copyhold claim in Hingham.

Thomas made his will on November 18, 1598. In his will, he gave his properties in Great Snoring to his son Andrew, his copyhold in Hingham to his son Edmund, and all the remainder of his goods to his wife Hellena. Thomas died and was buried at Great Snoring on December 17, 1598. On June 10, 1599, his son Edmund had his copyhold in Hingham confirmed. Thomas's widow Hellena was buried at Great Snoring on May 9, 1603.

Doubts About Legitimacy of Kingsbury's Claims

A number of factors, however, suggest that evidence supporting the proposition that a Thomas Hubbarde of Great Snoring was Edmund Hobart of Hingham's father was fabricated and that the Thomas Hubbarde portrayed by that evidence (separate and apart from Thomas Hubberd of Great Snoring who made his will in 1576) never existed. Those factors include:

• The fact that, while there is a Great Snoring parish record for the marriage on July 30, 1569 of a Thomas Hubbarde and a Hellena Winsofer(?)^[8][3][4] (see attached image), that marriage record quite probably relates to the marriage of the Thomas Hubberd of Great Snoring who made his will in 1576 will and whose will (on file at the Norfolk Record Office) establishes that he was married to a woman named Helen (Hellena being a latinized version of Helen).
• The fact that, while there is a January 25, 1572/3 baptismal record in the Great Snoring parish register for an "Andrwee Hubbarde"^[9][10] (see attached image), the only other record that may relate to him that has been found (apart from the disputed will produced by Kingsbury) is a February 5, 1572/3 burial record for an "Andreas Hubbarde",^[11][6][7] which suggests that Andrew died shortly after birth.
• The fact that the January 1, 1573/4 baptismal record in the Great Snoring parish registers that Kingsbury claimed related to Edmund Hubbarde/Hobart,^[9][12] upon close examination fairly clearly turns out to be for an Edward Hubbarde.^[13] (See attached image.) That reading is supported by the fact that both findmypast.com^[12] and the Snoring Villages website^[14] index the baptism as "Edward", as well as the fact that there are records for an Edward Hubbarde who was married in Great Snoring in 1604 and had multiple children baptized there.
• The fact that, contrary to Kingsbury's descriptions of the baptismal records for Andrew Hubbarde and Edmund Hubbarde and the supposed certified extract from the Snoring Magna parish register produced by Kingsbury showing Edmund Hubbarde's baptism, the entries for Andrew and Edward/Edmund's baptisms in the Great Snoring parish register do not indicate who their parents were.^[9][14] (See attached images.)
• The fact that there is a March 1, 1577/8 burial record for an Ellen Huberde,^[6][7] which may well relate to the Hellena/Helen who married Thomas Hubbard in 1569.
• The fact that, contrary to the assertion in Kingsbury's February 1966 letter, the Great Snoring parish register does not include any entry for the burial of Thomas Hubbarde in 1598^[15][7] (see attached image) or for the burial of Hellena Hubbarde in 1603.^[16][7]
• The fact that records show that there were a fairly large number of Hubbards already living in Hingham by 1600, which suggests that it is probable that (i) Edmund Hubbard/Hobart originated from there and (ii) the lack of evidence of his origin there is due to the fact that there are no Hingham parish records prior to 1600.
• The inability of anyone in the 60+ years subsequent to Kingsbury to find either the will or the copyhold claim he produced.^[17]
• The fact that Kingsbury's "proof" of Edmund Hubbard/Hobart's parentage was produced in response to a reward of $150 (almost $1,200 in 2019 dollars), which provided a financial incentive for fraud. Kingsbury's strong desire to receive the reward comes through clearly in his letters to Keith W. Hubbard.

The suspicion is therefore that (1) Edmund Hubbard/Hobart probably originated in Hingham, but the lack of Hingham records prior to 1600 makes it impossible to establish his parentage, (2) faced with this problem but desirous of claiming the $150 reward, Robert Kingsbury scoured Norfolk records and found in the Great Snoring records what he thought was (or thought close enough to claim to be) a birth record for an Edward Hubbarde, the birth record of an Andrew Hubbarde, and the marriage record of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena Winsofer, (3) from those valid records, Kingsbury decided to make up a story of Edmund Hobart's parentage by based on the propositions (which, based on the discussion above, are probably incorrect) that Edward Hubbarde's baptismal record was actually for an Edmund Hubbarde, that Edmund Hubbarde was the son of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena Winsofer, and that Edmund Hubbarde had moved to Hingham, and (4) to create evidentiary support for that story which would allow him to claim the reward for proving Edmund Hobarts parentage, Kingsbury (i) created a fake extract from the Great Snoring baptismal records which stated that Edmund Hubbarde, the son of Thomas Hubbarde and Hellena his wife, was baptized on January 1, 1573/4 and (ii) fabricated Thomas Hubbarde's will and Edmund's Hingham copyhold claim to establish a connection between the invented Edmund Hubbarde of Great Snoring and Edmund Hobart of Hingham.

Based on the discussion above, unless and until either the will or copyhold claim produced by Robert Kingsbury can be verified as a legitimate document (e.g., by finding a copy of either from a source independent of Kingsbury) or other reliable evidence is found that supports his theory and rebuts the evidence against it, Kingsbury's "proof" that the father of Edmund Hubbard/Hobart of Hingham was Thomas Hubbarde of Great Snoring should be considered a probable fraud and that parentage, and the existence of this profile's Thomas Hubbarde (as distinct from the Thomas Hubberd of Great Snoring who made his will in 1576), should be considered highly questionable.

^{[15] [16] [1] [17] [14] [4] [7] [13] [3] [6] [11] [12] [10] [9] [8] [2] [5]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Hubbard, Keith W., "The parentage of Edmund Hubbard (1573-1646) : a report prepared as the result of research in seeking to determine the parents of Edmund Hubbard (Hobart, Hubbert, Hubbarde, etc.) who migrated to America in the year 1633 from Hingham, Norfolk, England", 1967, FHL film 547082, pp 1-4, 13-14, 16-17, 25, 26, 28, available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, reprinted in The Hubbard Family Genealogical Newsletter, No. 11, April 1974, pp 282-287. Link to pages of Hubbard Newsletter at Geneanet.org ($).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Marriages, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1, Page 27. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com. An image of this record is attached to this profile.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} "England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6M4S-GH1?cc=1416598&wc=4J8C-ZZ8%3A29637701%2C29358102%2C29672501 : 25 June 2014), Great Snoring > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials > 1560-1749 > image 63 of 139; Record Office, Norwich.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Parish "Register Transcriptions, Great Snoring, Marriages," www.the-snorings.co.uk.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Burials, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1, Page 29. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} "England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6M4S-L1S?cc=1416598&wc=4J8C-ZZ8%3A29637701%2C29358102%2C29672501 : 25 June 2014), Great Snoring > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials > 1560-1749 > image 91 of 139; Record Office, Norwich.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} Parish "Register Transcriptions, Great Snoring, Baptisms," www.the-snorings.co.uk.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Marriages, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1, Page 27. Link to image at findmypast.com. An image of this record is attached to this profile.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3} "England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6M4S-GF8?cc=1416598&wc=4J8C-ZZ8%3A29637701%2C29358102%2C29672501 : 25 June 2014), Great Snoring > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials > 1560-1749 > image 6 of 139; Record Office, Norwich.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Baptisms, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Burials, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1, Page 29. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Baptisms, Great Snoring, Archive reference PD 223/1. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} It seems fairly clear that the entry in the register is "Edwardi" (a latinized version of Edward) not Edmund, based on the similarity of the "ard" in "Edwardi" and "Hubbarde" and "Richardi" in the prior baptism, and the difference between the "w" in "Edwardi" and the "m" in "Baptism", "maria", "palmer" and "november".
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2} Parish "Register Transcriptions, Great Snoring, Baptisms," www.the-snorings.co.uk.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} "England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6M4S-K6F?cc=1416598&wc=4J8C-ZZ8%3A29637701%2C29358102%2C29672501 : 25 June 2014), Great Snoring > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials > 1560-1749 > image 93 of 139; Record Office, Norwich.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} "England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6M4S-LXL?cc=1416598&wc=4J8C-ZZ8%3A29637701%2C29358102%2C29672501 : 25 June 2014), Great Snoring > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials > 1560-1749 > image 94 of 139; Record Office, Norwich.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} According a response received in January 2019 from the Norfolk Records Officer, the NRO has no record of either the will or the copyhold claim. See "Determining parentage and issue of Thomas Hubbarde," www.wikitree.com/g2g.