Robert Tyrwhit

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1430, of Kettleby, Lincolnshire, England
• Alternate death: Between 1457 and 1458

Family/Spouse: Jane Waterton. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. William Tyrwhit was born about 1456 in of Kettleby, Lincolnshire, England; died on 9 Apr 1522; was buried in Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

Adam married Elizabeth Lumley. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1398
• Alternate death: 7 Oct 1451

Notes:

Fought at Agincourt, 25 Oct 1415. Knight of the shire for Lincolnshire in March 1416, 1423, and 1426; sheriff of Yorkshire 7 Nov 1435 to 8 Nov 1436. Knighted by 22 Jul 1418.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article about his father Robert Tyrwhit states that Robert's son and heir William was "thirty years old at his father's death", which would mean William was born about 1398. But this creates chronological problems both for William's first marriage and for the life of his son and heir Adam.

The History of Parliament has William marrying Constance "by Nov. 1410", and furthermore says that William "died [...] on 7 Oct. 1451, leaving a son named Adam as his next heir. The latter did not live long enough to derive much benefit from his inheritance, and within the year he was succeeded by his own 22-year-old son, Robert."

It seems to us more likely that the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article is deriving William's age at his father Robert's death from some document (such as an inquisition post mortem) that states that William was at least thirty years old when Robert died -- IPMs often seem to entail "at least" statements of that sort -- and that William could well have been born much earlier, say around 1390. While the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography gives no birth date for William's father Robert Tyrwhit, it does say that he "appears in chancery records as a JP and commissioner in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire from the early 1390s", and, later, that William was his eldest son and heir. So a circa-1390 birthdate for William is entirely plausible.

This would mean that William married Constance by 1410 at age twenty or so; that his son and heir Adam was born in 1411 or 1412; and that Adam was old enough by 1430 or so to father his own heir Robert, which accords with the History of Parliament statement that Adam died "within the year" of his father William's 7 Oct 1451 death, and was succeeded by his 22-year-old son Robert.

From the History of Parliament:

The Tirwhits owed much of their importance in Lincolnshire to the successful career of Robert Tirwhit, the distinguished lawyer, who became a King's serjeant in 1399 and a justice of the king's bench nine years later, being also then retained as a councillor for the duchy of Lancaster. That he was in a position greatly to advance his own son's interests seems certain, for at the time of the latter's first return to Parliament in 1416, he was active on the bench in both Kesteven and Lindsey (as well as elsewhere) and thus probably played no small part in influencing the electors. William Tirwhit was, however, already a figure of some consequence in his own right, notwithstanding his early involvement in the unsuccessful rebellion led by the Percys against Henry IV in 1403. Royal letters of pardon had been granted to him two years later (probably through the intercession of his father), and, somewhat chastened by the experience, he returned to live quietly for a while at Kettleby, acting occasionally as a witness and feoffee for local landowners, including Sir George Monbourcher and his wife Elizabeth, the heir of Gilbert Umfraville, titular earl of Angus. It was during this period that he married his first wife, Constance, and received from his father an estate in the Yorkshire village of Thorngumbald. Despite the mediation of his maternal uncle, Roger Kelk, a dispute with one of his neighbours led, in November 1410, to a violent affray, as a result of which the judge himself went to law, claiming damages of £40 from his son's assailants. The case never reached a verdict, presumably because pressure was brought on the defendants to settle out of court; and in April 1412 William was confirmed in possession of these holdings, together with the manor of Wrawby in Lincolnshire, which also appears to have been settled upon him when he married. It is uncertain whether William took part in his father's celebrated attack upon William, Lord Roos, which incurred the wrath of the 1411 Parliament and led to the public humiliation of the judge, but he may well have been one of the armed men who attempted to ambush Roos 'in manner of war.' His rather belligerent temperament found a more legitimate outlet once Henry V's plans for an invasion of France got under way, and in April 1415 he was retained by the King to serve with three archers for the forthcoming campaign.

Shortly after his return from France, Tirwhit entered Parliament for the first time. A year later, in the spring of 1417, he and Sir Richard Hansard (who was one of Justice Tirwhit's leading supporters in his dispute with Lord Roos) were arraigned at Lincoln on an assize of novel disseisin, but they managed to avoid appearing in court. The prospect of foreign conquests took him abroad once more in the following July as a member of King Henry's second expedition to Normandy. On this occasion he served with one mounted lance and three archers in the retinue of Robert, Lord Willoughby, for whom he was later to act as a trustee. The next four years were spent in France where he distinguished himself sufficiently to receive a knighthood and be made captain of three captured enemy castles. He apparently relinquished his command soon after the death of Henry V, and was back in England by September 1423, when he once again stood for Parliament, along with his old friend, Sir Richard. Although he was returned for the third (and last) time in 1426, Tirwhit clearly remained somewhat under the shadow of his father, and it was not until the latter's death, while still in office, that he came to occupy a dominant position in the county community. This was largely because of the dramatic improvement in both his finances and his territorial influence which followed his succession to the remaining family estates.

William married Constance St. Quintin before Nov 1410. Constance (daughter of Anselm St. Quintin) was born in of Brandsburton, Yorkshire, England; died before 1 Sep 1431. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1361, of Lumley in Little Lumley, Durham, England
• Alternate birth: 1362

Notes:

Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Obtained license to crenelate his manor-house at Lumley. Taken prisoner by the Scots at the battle of Otterburn, 19 Aug 1388, but subsequently freed.

"[T]ook part 1399 in attempt by the Earl of Huntingdon to restore Richard II (his half-brother) and was beheaded by the citizens of Cirencester Jan 1399/1400, being posthumously attainted and his peerage forfeited." [Burke's Peerage]

Summoned to Parliament by writs, 28 Sep 1384 to 30 Sep 1399.

Ralph married Eleanor Neville about 1380. Eleanor (daughter of John de Neville and Maud Percy) died after 1441. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 16 Jul 1447

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 6 Jan 1428

Notes:

Justice of the King's Bench from 1408 to his death.

"The Tirwhits owed much of their importance in Lincolnshire to the successful career of Robert Tirwhit, the distinguished lawyer, who became a King’s serjeant in 1399 and a justice of the king's bench nine years later, being also then retained as a councillor for the duchy of Lancaster." [History of Parliament]

From the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography:

He was brought up to the law, and appears in chancery records as a JP and commissioner in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire from the early 1390s. He was created a serjeant-at-law in the 'call' of serjeants in 1396 and was appointed a king's serjeant in 1398. From 1398 to 1411 he acted as a justice of assize on the midland circuit. On 9 October 1398 he was one of those who were given power of attorney by Henry, earl of Derby (afterwards Henry IV), on his banishment, and he was also a member of the council of the duchy of Lancaster. On Henry's accession in 1399 Tyrwhitt was reappointed king's serjeant, and in 1403 was required to lend the king £100 to enable him to resist the Welsh and Scottish rebels. As a serjeant, Tyrwhitt was retained by many magnates and institutions, including John, duke of Lancaster, Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, the towns of Beverley and Grimsby, the dean and chapter of Lincoln, and Selby Abbey. On 4 May 1408 he was appointed a justice of king's bench and knighted. From January 1410 until his death he acted as a trier of petitions in parliament.

In 1411 a dispute broke out between Tyrwhitt and the tenants of William, Lord Ros of Helmsley, about a right of pasture at Melton Ross, near Wrawby, Lincolnshire. It was agreed to submit the quarrel to the arbitration of Sir William Gascoigne (d. 1419) at Melton Ross; but on the day appointed Tyrwhitt, in spite of his judicial position, appeared at the head of 500 armed men, denied that he had ever agreed to arbitrate, and drove off Lord Ros's adherents. Tyrwhitt was summoned before parliament, where he was made to accept the award of arbitrators nominated by Ros, who determined that he should publicly apologize to Ros, and provide two fat oxen, two tuns of Gascon wine, and twelve fat sheep for consumption by the latter's tenants. Tyrwhitt nevertheless retained his position on the bench. He was, however, transferred as justice of assize from the midland circuit (which included Lincolnshire) to the northern circuit in 1412, possibly as a result of the Ros dispute. At the accession of Henry V and Henry VI he was reappointed justice of king's bench, an office he retained until his death.

Robert married Isabell Kelke. Isabell (daughter of William Kelke and Isabel Monson) was born in of Barnetby-le-Wold, Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Douglas Richardson (citation details below) calls the mother of Katherine Tyrwhit "Alice, daughter of Roger Kelke, Knt." But John Higgins has pointed out (on soc.genealogy.medieval, 10 Jun 2017) that the Tywrwhit and Kelke pedigrees in Maddison's Lincolnshire Pedigrees differ as to the Kelke wife and father-in-law of Robert Tyrwhit the justice, and that "[a]ll the usual accounts of the Tyrwhit family--including HOP, ODNB, and the 1862 book by Robert Philip Tyrwhitt cited earlier in this thread--appear to have relied solely on the Tyrwhit pedigree while overlooking the Kelke pedigree." Higgins notes that the Kelke pedigree, showing Robert Tyrwhit's wife as Isabell, daughter of William Kelke of Barnetby-le-Wold, "offers a solution which is chronologically satisfactory." The Kelke ancestry given here is largely based on Maddison's Kelke pedigree; the usual caveats about vistation-derived pedigrees apply.

Notes:

Justice in Northumberland, 1346. Assumed the arms of Thweng.

Marmaduke married Margaret de Holand before 1354. Margaret (daughter of Robert de Holand and Elizabeth) was born in of Hawes, Brackley, Northamptonshire, England; died after 26 Sep 1365. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Richardson gives her as a "possible daughter" of Robert de Holand and Elizabeth.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1331
• Alternate birth: Between 1337 and 1340

Notes:

"John (de Neville), Lord Neville, son and heir (a), had writs of livery of his father's lands in England and Scotland, after doing homage, October 1367. He was a captain under his father at the battle of Nevill's Cross, 17 October 1346, and was knighted about April 1360. His life of public service was as active as his father's. He served in Aquitaine, 1366 and the following years, and numerous commissions issued to him, December 1367 onwards. In 1368 (September, October) he was joint ambassador to France. K.G. 1369. In 1369 and 1371 trier of petitions in Parliament; Admiral of the North, July 1370, and in November following joint commissioner to treat with Genoa; steward of the King's household, 1372. In July 1372 he sailed for Brittany on an expedition protracted for want of reinforcements. He was then for several years engaged in Scotland and the Marches. In December 1377 he had a patent of the keepership of Bamburgh Castle for life; and in 1378 licence to castellate Raby and Sheriff Hutton in 1382. He was made keeper of Fronsac Castle, on the Dordogne, 3 June, and Seneschal of Gascony in June 1378. Returning to England, he became Warden of the Marches (as above), and in 1381 conservator of the peace, co. Durham and Sedbergh; joint commissioner to treat of peace with Scotland, May 1383 and March 1386/7. In July 1385 he was under orders to accompany the King to Scotland." [Complete Peerage]

"He was presumably of age when a recognizance was made to him in January 1351/2. His age of 40 and more at his mother's death on 13 Jan. 1373/4 supports this conclusion." [The Ancestry of Charles II, citation details below.]

John de Neville and Maud Percy were great-grandparents of Edward IV and Richard III, making them the most recent common ancestors of TNH and Elizabeth II:

John de Neville (1330-1388) = Maud Percy (d. 1379)
Ralph de Neville (1364-1425) = Joan Beaufort (1379-1440)
Cecily Neville (1415-1495) = Richard of York (1411-1460)
Edward IV (1442-1483) = Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492)
Elizabeth of York (1466-1503) = Henry VII (1457-1509)
Margaret Tudor (1489)-1541) = James IV (1473-1513)
James V (1512-1542) = Mary of Guise (1515-1560)
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) = Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567)
James VI and I (1566-1625) = Anne of Denmark (1574-1619)
Elizabeth of Bohemia (1596-1662) = Frederick V of the Palatine (1596-1632)
Sophia of Hanover (1630-1714) = Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneberg (1629-1698)
George I (1660-1727) = Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666-1726)
George II (1683-1760) = Caroline of Ansbach (1683-1737)
Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-1751) = Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719-1772)
George III (1738-1820) = Charlotte of Mecklenburg (1744-1818)
Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820) = Victoria of Saxe-Coburg (1786-1861)
Victoria (1819-1901) = Albert of Saxe-Coburg (1819-1861)
Edward VII (1841-1910) = Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925)
George V (1865-1936) = Mary of Teck (1867-1953)
George VI (1895-1952) = Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002)
Elizabeth II (1926- )

boldface: monarchs of England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom
italic: monarchs of Scotland
boldface & italic: James IV and I, king of both

TNH is therefore 19th cousin once removed to Elizabeth II, no doubt sharing that distinction with literally hundreds of millions of other people.

John married Maud Percy before 1362. Maud (daughter of Henry de Percy and Idoine de Clifford) was born about 1345 in Alnwick, Northumberland, England; died before 18 Feb 1379; was buried in Durham Cathedral, Durham, Durham, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 18 Feb 1379

Notes:

Richardson's RA has them married "before 1362." The Ancestry of Charles II says their marriage contract was dated July 1344.