Lord John Heneage Esq. & Anne Cope

8244. Lord John Heneage Esq. & 8245. Anne Cope  

~1490, John born in Towes, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire, England, s/o 16488. John Heneage & 16489. Katherine Wymbish.

1501, Anne born in Northamptonshire, England, heiress & d/o 16490. Edward Cope & 16491. Mary Wodhull.

1510, Anne age 9, heir to her father.

7/17/1510, Anne’s wardship and marriage to William Lovett of Astwell, Northamptonshire; s/o Thomas & Elizabeth Botoler of Watton Woodhull; purchased by Thomas for his son William from the King.

12/3/1513, Anne age 12 at the death of her paternal grandmother was already married to William. [No children. (S) Genealogical memoirs of the extinct family of Chester of Chicheley, 1878, P56.]

By 1520, William Lovett died.

[––John & Anne––]

~1520, John “of Benniworth” married widow Anne.

1523, John elected a Member of Parliament for Grimsby. He agreed to bear his own expenses and to serve without wages.

1523, John again elected a Member of Parliament for Grimsby.

Aft. 1529, [at the fall from grace of Cardinal Wosley], John was named to the commission to inquire into the Cardinal’s possessions in Lincolnshire, an assignment which foreshadowed his later work as a surveyor for the suppression of the monasteries. Henry VIII sought to abolish the entire monastic system in order to add to the royal coffers and to break down opposition to royal supremacy. The Dissolution of the Monasteries (which term includes abbeys and convents), covers the four years between Apr 1536 and Apr 1540. In Apr 1536, there were over 800 monasteries, abbeys, nunneries and friaries that were home to over 10,000 monks, nuns, friars and canons. By April 1540 none were left. Much of the property was bought by or granted to landowners; monastery churches were sometimes converted to parish churches, while some buildings, such as Tintern Abbey, were left to ruin.

1526, “Parties: General Surveyors & John Hennage; Place or Subject: Saltfleetby (Saltfletby) and Stewton. County: Linc.” (S) UKNA.

1528, There was a rumour that the Prior of Spalding had died, and the abbot of Bardney wrote to John Heneage to solicit the cardinal in favour of one of his own monks. (S) Hist. of Lincoln, V2, 1906, Priory of Spalding.

Bef. 1530 when his father died, John served with his father on commissions in Lincolnshire.

1534, John and Ann leased for manor Deanshanger 31 years at a yearly rent of £5 17s. 5d. to John Coles of Deanshanger.

1536, John received a lease of the grange of Tows in Ludford, and of lands there and in East and West Wykeham in Lincolnshire.

1537, John received a lease of the rectories of Randby and Stainton in Lincolnshire.

10/2/1536, While John was at Louth, on the Bishop of Lincoln’s behalf, to conduct the election of the new town officers he was seized by an armed mob, mostly of displaced monks, which the shoemaker Nicholas Melton [‘Captain Cobbler’ in the Lincolnshire Rebellion] had assembled to prevent the expected surrender of their church’s treasures. John and others were compelled to take an oath to be true to the commons, but during the confusion caused by the arrival of further prisoners he managed to escape. (S) Hist. of Lincoln, V2, 1906, Abbey of Louth Park.

10/3/1536, The following day the insurgents had taken several gentlemen captive to Caistor, where they were forced to write a letter to the King begging a general pardon. This letter was given to John to carry to London.

10/4/1536, at about 9 AM, John arrived in London. He was immediately sent back to Lincolnshire by Cromwell in company with Sir Marmaduke Constable and Robert Tyrwhitt. John reached Stilton on Thursday morning and Sleaford by midnight, and then turned south for an all-night ride back to report. After the first days of the rebellion, John played only a minor role in the events that followed. [Multiple monks were tried for treason and executed.]

1538-44, “… Robert Gryffyn, yeoman, late bailiff to John Hennage, esquire, and Richard Nicolles, his successor.: Forcible ouster and damage on a tenement of the demise of the said Gryffyn, at Helmdon.: Northampton.” (S) UKNA.

1539, John again elected a Member of Parliament as knight of the shire for Lincolnshire. A fellow-Member was his kinsman Sir William Skipwith. John accompanied Dr. John London to take the surrenders of five monasteries in Lincolnshire, including the nunnery of Heynings which was committed to his charge as deputy for his brother Sir Thomas Heneage.

1539, John received a lease of West Torrington in Lincolnshire.

1540, John and Anne exchanged lands in Deanshanger, Puxley and Wicken, and Northamptonshire; and paid £100 for messuages in London, church lands in Lincolnshire, and the house and site of the White Friars, Hull; most of which he sold in the same year. (S) Hist. of Northampton, V5, 2002, Passenham.

1542, John took a lease of Willoughton preceptory, Lincolnshire, with a moiety [share] of its rectory and windmill.

1553, “John Rychardes v. John Hennage, esquire, and Anne his wife.: Messuages and land in Helmdon and elsewhere, late of Edmund Gossage, deceased, grandfather of complainant.: Northampton.” (S) UKNA.

1553-55, “John Hennage, esquire, v. Thomas Palframan and Elizabeth late the wife of Robert Palframan.: Parsonage of Edlington demised to complainant in succession to the said Robert by the abbot of Bardney.: Lincoln.” (S) UKNA.

1553-55, “David Bryan (Briane) of Lincoln v. John Hennage of Kirkby by Kingerby, gentleman, and Oliver Askerby of Asgarby, his servant.: Bargain of corn, and price of glass, belfries and gates [belonging to the priory of Elsham ?].: Lincoln.” (S) UKNA.

4/1557, John executor of his brother Thomas’ will.                             

5/16/1557, “Letter from Lady and John Heneage (from Haunton) to the Commissioners for Church Goods touching certain wood.” (S) UKNA.

7/2/1557, John wrote his will in Benniworth, Lincolnshire, England. (S) Magna Carta Ancestry.

7/21/1557, John died; buried at Hainton. He was survived by his wife, his sons George, William and John, and daughters not named in the will. By the time of his death he had concentrated all his lands in Lincolnshire, where he held about 10 properties between Louth and Market Rasen. (S) UKNA - Exchequer: King's Remembrancer: Escheators’ Files, Inquisitions Post Mortem, Series II.

[––Anne––]

1563, Anne sold her estate at Helmdon, Northhamptonshire.

2/5/1587, Anne died.

(S) Hist. of Parliament – a reference work describing the members, constituencies and activities of the Parliament of England and the United Kingdom. The volumes cover the House of Commons from 1386 to 1832 and the House of Lords from 1660 to 1832. (S) LPs, Maddison, 1903, P482.  (S) Magna Carta Ancestry, P128. (S) Hist. of Northampton, V5, 2002, Passenham.

Family notes:

·         At Hainton church in Lincolnshire where there is a monument to John and Anne with them in a kneeling position. Ann is cited as the d/o John. (S) Reports and Papers of the Architectural and Archaeological Societies of the Counties of Lincoln, V1-40, P169.

·         7/25/1547, “Will of John Henneage of Towes, Lincolnshire.” (S) UKNA.

Children of John and Anne:

i. John Heneage, born ~? in Benniworth, England.

John, of Kirkby, married Jane Wingfield, d/o Ludovick of the Isle of Wight.

1576-77, “Richard Bertie. Fulstow & F. marsh John Henneage auditor.” (S) UKNA, Lincolnshire Archives.

8/8/1584, John buried at Louth.

[They had 3 daughters.]

ii. Sir George Heneage, born ~1532 in Benniworth, England.

7/1539, young George received £7 for taking letters from Henry VIII to the Court of France and in the following May a similar sum for delivering letters.

George married 1st Elizabeth Southwell of Wood Rising, heiress of Sir Richard.

George 2nd married widow Olive Bretton, of Felmingham.

7/21/1557, George succeeded to the family estates on the death of his father.

Aft. 1558, “Thomas Curtis v Sir George Hennage and his brother William Hennage. Claim of reversion. Messuages and lands in Hamton, Lincolnshire, the inheritance of Nicholas Draper, plaintiff's grandfather, and by him demised to John Hennage.” (S) UKNA.

1576, George “of Hainton” Sheriff of Lincolnshire in reign of Queen Elizabeth.

1583, George was Knighted.

9/15/1594, in his will George after making provision for his second wife, left his lands, silver and plate to his brother William.

10/16/1595, George died, buried at Hainton.

iii. Mary Heneage, born ~? in Benniworth, England.

Mary 1st married Thomas Andrews of Charwelton.

Mary 2nd married Sir Robert Lane, Kt., of Horton.

iv. William Heneage (4122), born ~1534 in Benniworth, England.

iv. Katherine Heneage, born ~? in Benniworth, England.

Katherine 1st married Francis Holles.

Katherine 2nd married Sir John Hugford.

Child: Mary Huggeford, born ?. 1572, she married Richard Brent, s/o William of Admington. Bef. 8/20/1630, Mary died.