Individual Details
John Ferrers Senior
(Ca 1394 - 27 Feb. 1447/8)
From Visitations Hertfordshire, R. Cooke 1572, Sir R. St. George 1634 (Google Books) p. 141:
Ferrers of Punsborne [title of graphic tree]:
William, Lord Ferrers of Groby [father of:]
Sir Henry, Ferrers, Kt.
Sir Thomas Ferrers, Kt., a quo Ferrers of Tamworth.
John Ferrers, Esq. = Agatha, da. and heir of Alexander Breakspeare...
[Tree continues for several generations to Knighton Ferrers. Those entries appear in this database. The tree title was printed in an elaborate script. The location name at first appears to be "Dunsborne" but after comparison to other words it is likely Punsborne. I could find no Dunsborne in England on the internet. But there was a Ponsbourne Park east of St. Albans in Hertfordshire.]
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From Preface to Visitations Hertfordshire, R. Cooke 1572, Sir R. St. George 1634 (Google Books)
Copies of the Hertfordshire portion of the first Visitation are to be found in Harl. MSS. 1433, 1504, 1546, and 6147; and of the second in Harl. MSS. 1504 and 1547. These MSS. contain many additions to the Visitation Pedigrees, which are not repeated in these pages. Harl. MS. 6147 also contains the additional Hertfordshire Pedigrees which are given in Appendix I. ; a copy of this MS. is in the Library of Queen's College, Oxford, and has been erroneously called a Visitation of Hertfordshire in 1615 by CAMDEN.
Appendix II. contains Hertfordshire Pedigrees added to Harl. MS.1546 by E. MUNDY.
A few explanatory notes are given in brackets.
The third and last Visitation of Hertfordshire is that of 1669 by BYSSHE, D 28 at the College of Arms, of which no copy is known to exist elsewhere.
******************
From The Abbey of Saint Alban, Some Extracts from Its Early History, Rev. H.J.B. Nicholson (1887), p. 16:
It was probably in his time that Nicholas, son to a servant in the Abbey, Robert Breakespeare of Abbots Langley, a village near St. Albans, applied for admission into the monastery. In the Catalogue of Benefactors and of those admitted into the fraternity of the monastery of St. Albans (Cotton MSS. Nero, D 7), record is made of John Ferrers and Agatha his wife, coheiress of Adrian Brekespere of Langley—and also Bernard Brekespere, clerk, her uncle. There is a farm in this parish which still preserves the name of Breakspear ; and local tradition has always accounted it the place of the nativity of the only English Pope.
[A genealogy on p. 13 mentioned above has an abbot and a monk named Geoffrey in 1100's.]
*******************
The lineage by Palmer for John Ferrers is suspect since his purported mother Philippa Clifford (1374-1405) died years before he was born.
Palmer, Charles Ferrers Raymund (1819-1900), The History of the Town and Castle of Tamworth, p. 364 (in footnote)
Henry de Ferrers, 5th baron of Groby, b. Apr. 16th, 1357, summoned from Aug. 4th, 1377, to Dec. 17th. 1387. He m. Joan, dau. of lord Poynings ; by whom he had,
William Ferrers, 6th baron of Groby, 16 yrs. old at his father's death, summoned from Nov. 30th, 1386, to Dec. 3rd, 1441. He d. in 1444. By Philippa, dau. of Roger lord Clifford, he had,
i. Henry, who m. Isabell, 2nd dau. And coh. of Tho. Mobray, duke of Norfolk. He d. v. p. leaving an only dau., Elizabeth, of whom we shall immediately speak.
ii. Thomas, of whom presently.
ii. John; from whom descended the Ferrerses of Mercute, now extinct.
**************
See A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry, Vols. 1, J.B. Burke, 1852, p. 409
********************
From Ancient Tomb with Effigies St Leonard's Church Flamstead by Rev Fowler
St. Albans Architecutral & Acrchealogical Society, 1887. p. 84
http://www.stalbanshistory.org/documents/1887.09a_jl_.pdf
This altar-tomb, the oldest monument in the Church, is of considerable interest. Weever tells us that in his time there were three such tombs — "Here in this Church are three wondrous ancient monuments, whose inscriptions are quite perist, supposed by the inhabitants to be for certain noblemen, lords of this Manor."
...
The monument clearly commemorates a person of importance, and the most important lay personage in Flamstead, next to the lord of the manor, I conceive would be his Seneschal or Steward... The person represented is likely to have been the steward who managed the controversy with Prior John Woderove concerning the manorial rights on Redbourn Heath; the compact of settlement having been made in 1383, as we have heard. With regard to the chantry, we may infer that it was founded some time before 1412...
In the absence of inscription or heraldry it may not be possible to ascertain the name of the person commemorated, but it is worth while to note, as affording a possible clue, the connection of the family of Ferrars (or Ferrers) with Flamstead. Thomas de Beauchamp's Countess was Margaret de Ferrars [d.1407]. The name of her father, William de Ferrars, lord of Groby [1332-1371], was enrolled in the Obituary record of S. Alban's Abbey, at her request in 1382, (Lib. Ben. fol. 132). Some of her kindred were resident in S. Albans about the year 1400, or earlier; for the cognizance of Ferrars, a horse-shoe, is found in a stained glass window in S. Peter's church, the style of the glass being of about that date—the border of horse-shoes there denoting that the donor was a Ferrars, From an entry in the Liber Benefactorum, (fol. 116), we learn that John Ferrers, esquire, of S. Albans, had been Seneschal to Henry de Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, (grandson of Thomas de Beauchamp), who died in 1445.
*This John Ferrers married a daughter of Adrian Brekespere, of Langley, and possessed land in the parish of S. Peter, S. Albans. In 1455 he was appointed by Abbot John Wheathampstead his attorney in a certain law suit. (Regist. I. 207). As Seneschal he doubtless managed the manor of Flamstead for the Duke. We find other members of the family residing in S. Albans or the neighbourhood up to the middle of the sixteenth century.
In 1475, Ralph Ferrers, Doctor of Laws, was appointed Warden of the Hospital of S. Julian, S. Albans—(Regist. II. 120). In 1493, Thomas Ferrers, esquire, was Bailiff of the town of S. Albans: he married a daughter of William Westby, Hundreder of the Liberty, a person of considerable importance. (Lib. Ben. fol. 79). Another John Ferrers, esquire, was Bailiff of the Liberty some time between 1494 and 1505: he was admitted to the Fraternity of the Monastery at the petition of John Benestede, Prior of Tynmouth , brother of his wife Katherine, (fol. 117). In 1549 the manor of Flamstead, (which had come to the crown), was granted by Edward VI. to George Ferrers, of Markyate, son of Thomas Ferrers of S. Albans. He was buried in this church, 11th January, 1578. His son, Julius Ferrers, who succeeded to the manor, was also buried here, (30 Dec. 1596).—[see Cussans, vol. II , Hund. of Hertford, p. 143]. The name of Thomas de Beauchamp's Steward, is not to be found in the S. Alban's documents, but it is by no means improbable that he was a Ferrers, obtaining the appointment through the influence of the Countess of Warwick, (Margaret de Ferrers), his kinswoman. Possibly he may be the person who gave the glass in S. Peter's church.
For the etching of Flamstead church, which illustrates these papers, the Society is indebted to Mrs. H. Hine of S. Albans, who has most liberally presented the plate.
* The brass of a civilian on the floor of the chancel may perhaps commemorate this John Ferrers. The wife has the horned head-dress — date c. 1460.
*******************
From "The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary," Vol III (1899)
https://books.google.com/books?id=DtMKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=John+Ferrers+hertfordshire+st+albans+child&source=bl&ots=Rouu-WQlZ0&sig=G06SM84j60zj1XjdyRB4SCXcexg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiluabu0JLcAhXLjlQKHR--ArkQ6AEIODAC#v=onepage&q=John Ferrers hertfordshire st albans child&f=false
p. 239
Abstracts of Herts Wills
f. 53b. JOHN FERRERS senior of S' Albans. (Dat. 27 Feb. 1447).
Bur. at S' Peters; Legacies to the vicar of Abbots Walden, Dom. Edward Shenley monk of S' Albans, Dom. John Norhampton of Asrherugge, Dom. John canon of the house of S' Bartholomew, London, in Smythfeld; Grace dau. of Wm. Datys; Edward son of John my son; Wm. bro. of sd Edward; Grace sister of sd Edw. & Wm; Agnes Rose servant of my son John; Wm. servant of sd John; Four poor men viz: — John Pycard, Wm. Downer, Thos. Glasyer & Thos. Westwode; Joan Baylly fuller, formerly wife of John Baylly fuller; John Greyby; John Bokyngham; Son John Ferrers junior, John Barbor John Holond" & Wm. Est exors. (Pr. 7 Mch. 1447-8.)
*****************
"St. Alban's Cathedral and Abbey Church, a Guide," William Page (1898)
https://archive.org/stream/stalbanscathedra00pageuoft#page/n7/mode/2up
p. 60
In the Catalogue of Benefactors and of those admitted into the fraternity of the monastery of St. Albans (Cotton MSS. Nero, D7), record is made of John Ferrers and Agatha his wife, coheiress of Adrian Brekespere of Langley and also Bernard Brekespere, clerk, her uncle. There is a farm in this parish which still preserves the name of Breakspear; and local tradition has always accounted it the place of the nativity of the only English Pope.
Nicholas was refused admission by the Abbat on the ground of insufficiency of learning, upon which he went abroad to study in foreign schools; and by means of great natural abilities combined with diligence, he acquired a high reputation for learning. Eventually he was raised to the chair of St. Peter in 1155, under the name of Adrian IV.; and is the only Englishman who has attained that high dignity.
****************
John Wheathamstede
From Wikipedia,
John Whethamstede (died 20 January 1465) was an English abbot.
Life
He was a son of Hugh Bostock, and was born at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, owing his name, the Latin form of which is Frumenlarius, to this circumstance.
After early schooling at the Abbey School (now St Albans School) he entered St Albans Abbey when only sixteen. He was chosen abbot of this Benedictine monastery in 1420. In 1423, Whethamstede attended the Council of Siena. In the Kingdom of England, his time was mainly occupied with lawsuits, several of which he carried on to defend the property and enforce the rights of the abbey.
In 1440, he resigned his post but, in 1451, on the death of his successor John Stoke, he became abbot for the second time. He died on 20 January 1465, and his tomb may still be seen in the abbey church.
Whethamstede was an energetic and successful abbot. He greatly improved the buildings at St Albans, which suffered somewhat during his later years owing to the Wars of the Roses, the first open conflict of which was the First Battle of St Albans in 1455. He also did some building at Gloucester.
He was also closely, if clumsily, associated with the humanistic activities of Henry V's youngest brother, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who died in 1447 and was buried in St Albans Abbey, where he was honoured as a benefactor.
**************
From Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors
http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/index.htm
John Ferrers1
Last Edited 13 Aug 2004
M, #47738, b. circa 1394
Father Sir William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby, Vidame of Chartres1 b. 25 Apr 1372, d. 18 May 1445
Mother Philippe Clifford2,1 d. bt 4 Jul 1405 - 9 Aug 1416
John Ferrers was born circa 1394 at of Groby, Leicestershire, England.2
Citations
[S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 209.
[S11581] Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerages, p. 199.
Ferrers of Punsborne [title of graphic tree]:
William, Lord Ferrers of Groby [father of:]
Sir Henry, Ferrers, Kt.
Sir Thomas Ferrers, Kt., a quo Ferrers of Tamworth.
John Ferrers, Esq. = Agatha, da. and heir of Alexander Breakspeare...
[Tree continues for several generations to Knighton Ferrers. Those entries appear in this database. The tree title was printed in an elaborate script. The location name at first appears to be "Dunsborne" but after comparison to other words it is likely Punsborne. I could find no Dunsborne in England on the internet. But there was a Ponsbourne Park east of St. Albans in Hertfordshire.]
**************
From Preface to Visitations Hertfordshire, R. Cooke 1572, Sir R. St. George 1634 (Google Books)
Copies of the Hertfordshire portion of the first Visitation are to be found in Harl. MSS. 1433, 1504, 1546, and 6147; and of the second in Harl. MSS. 1504 and 1547. These MSS. contain many additions to the Visitation Pedigrees, which are not repeated in these pages. Harl. MS. 6147 also contains the additional Hertfordshire Pedigrees which are given in Appendix I. ; a copy of this MS. is in the Library of Queen's College, Oxford, and has been erroneously called a Visitation of Hertfordshire in 1615 by CAMDEN.
Appendix II. contains Hertfordshire Pedigrees added to Harl. MS.1546 by E. MUNDY.
A few explanatory notes are given in brackets.
The third and last Visitation of Hertfordshire is that of 1669 by BYSSHE, D 28 at the College of Arms, of which no copy is known to exist elsewhere.
******************
From The Abbey of Saint Alban, Some Extracts from Its Early History, Rev. H.J.B. Nicholson (1887), p. 16:
It was probably in his time that Nicholas, son to a servant in the Abbey, Robert Breakespeare of Abbots Langley, a village near St. Albans, applied for admission into the monastery. In the Catalogue of Benefactors and of those admitted into the fraternity of the monastery of St. Albans (Cotton MSS. Nero, D 7), record is made of John Ferrers and Agatha his wife, coheiress of Adrian Brekespere of Langley—and also Bernard Brekespere, clerk, her uncle. There is a farm in this parish which still preserves the name of Breakspear ; and local tradition has always accounted it the place of the nativity of the only English Pope.
[A genealogy on p. 13 mentioned above has an abbot and a monk named Geoffrey in 1100's.]
*******************
The lineage by Palmer for John Ferrers is suspect since his purported mother Philippa Clifford (1374-1405) died years before he was born.
Palmer, Charles Ferrers Raymund (1819-1900), The History of the Town and Castle of Tamworth, p. 364 (in footnote)
Henry de Ferrers, 5th baron of Groby, b. Apr. 16th, 1357, summoned from Aug. 4th, 1377, to Dec. 17th. 1387. He m. Joan, dau. of lord Poynings ; by whom he had,
William Ferrers, 6th baron of Groby, 16 yrs. old at his father's death, summoned from Nov. 30th, 1386, to Dec. 3rd, 1441. He d. in 1444. By Philippa, dau. of Roger lord Clifford, he had,
i. Henry, who m. Isabell, 2nd dau. And coh. of Tho. Mobray, duke of Norfolk. He d. v. p. leaving an only dau., Elizabeth, of whom we shall immediately speak.
ii. Thomas, of whom presently.
ii. John; from whom descended the Ferrerses of Mercute, now extinct.
**************
See A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry, Vols. 1, J.B. Burke, 1852, p. 409
********************
From Ancient Tomb with Effigies St Leonard's Church Flamstead by Rev Fowler
St. Albans Architecutral & Acrchealogical Society, 1887. p. 84
http://www.stalbanshistory.org/documents/1887.09a_jl_.pdf
This altar-tomb, the oldest monument in the Church, is of considerable interest. Weever tells us that in his time there were three such tombs — "Here in this Church are three wondrous ancient monuments, whose inscriptions are quite perist, supposed by the inhabitants to be for certain noblemen, lords of this Manor."
...
The monument clearly commemorates a person of importance, and the most important lay personage in Flamstead, next to the lord of the manor, I conceive would be his Seneschal or Steward... The person represented is likely to have been the steward who managed the controversy with Prior John Woderove concerning the manorial rights on Redbourn Heath; the compact of settlement having been made in 1383, as we have heard. With regard to the chantry, we may infer that it was founded some time before 1412...
In the absence of inscription or heraldry it may not be possible to ascertain the name of the person commemorated, but it is worth while to note, as affording a possible clue, the connection of the family of Ferrars (or Ferrers) with Flamstead. Thomas de Beauchamp's Countess was Margaret de Ferrars [d.1407]. The name of her father, William de Ferrars, lord of Groby [1332-1371], was enrolled in the Obituary record of S. Alban's Abbey, at her request in 1382, (Lib. Ben. fol. 132). Some of her kindred were resident in S. Albans about the year 1400, or earlier; for the cognizance of Ferrars, a horse-shoe, is found in a stained glass window in S. Peter's church, the style of the glass being of about that date—the border of horse-shoes there denoting that the donor was a Ferrars, From an entry in the Liber Benefactorum, (fol. 116), we learn that John Ferrers, esquire, of S. Albans, had been Seneschal to Henry de Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, (grandson of Thomas de Beauchamp), who died in 1445.
*This John Ferrers married a daughter of Adrian Brekespere, of Langley, and possessed land in the parish of S. Peter, S. Albans. In 1455 he was appointed by Abbot John Wheathampstead his attorney in a certain law suit. (Regist. I. 207). As Seneschal he doubtless managed the manor of Flamstead for the Duke. We find other members of the family residing in S. Albans or the neighbourhood up to the middle of the sixteenth century.
In 1475, Ralph Ferrers, Doctor of Laws, was appointed Warden of the Hospital of S. Julian, S. Albans—(Regist. II. 120). In 1493, Thomas Ferrers, esquire, was Bailiff of the town of S. Albans: he married a daughter of William Westby, Hundreder of the Liberty, a person of considerable importance. (Lib. Ben. fol. 79). Another John Ferrers, esquire, was Bailiff of the Liberty some time between 1494 and 1505: he was admitted to the Fraternity of the Monastery at the petition of John Benestede, Prior of Tynmouth , brother of his wife Katherine, (fol. 117). In 1549 the manor of Flamstead, (which had come to the crown), was granted by Edward VI. to George Ferrers, of Markyate, son of Thomas Ferrers of S. Albans. He was buried in this church, 11th January, 1578. His son, Julius Ferrers, who succeeded to the manor, was also buried here, (30 Dec. 1596).—[see Cussans, vol. II , Hund. of Hertford, p. 143]. The name of Thomas de Beauchamp's Steward, is not to be found in the S. Alban's documents, but it is by no means improbable that he was a Ferrers, obtaining the appointment through the influence of the Countess of Warwick, (Margaret de Ferrers), his kinswoman. Possibly he may be the person who gave the glass in S. Peter's church.
For the etching of Flamstead church, which illustrates these papers, the Society is indebted to Mrs. H. Hine of S. Albans, who has most liberally presented the plate.
* The brass of a civilian on the floor of the chancel may perhaps commemorate this John Ferrers. The wife has the horned head-dress — date c. 1460.
*******************
From "The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary," Vol III (1899)
https://books.google.com/books?id=DtMKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=John+Ferrers+hertfordshire+st+albans+child&source=bl&ots=Rouu-WQlZ0&sig=G06SM84j60zj1XjdyRB4SCXcexg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiluabu0JLcAhXLjlQKHR--ArkQ6AEIODAC#v=onepage&q=John Ferrers hertfordshire st albans child&f=false
p. 239
Abstracts of Herts Wills
f. 53b. JOHN FERRERS senior of S' Albans. (Dat. 27 Feb. 1447).
Bur. at S' Peters; Legacies to the vicar of Abbots Walden, Dom. Edward Shenley monk of S' Albans, Dom. John Norhampton of Asrherugge, Dom. John canon of the house of S' Bartholomew, London, in Smythfeld; Grace dau. of Wm. Datys; Edward son of John my son; Wm. bro. of sd Edward; Grace sister of sd Edw. & Wm; Agnes Rose servant of my son John; Wm. servant of sd John; Four poor men viz: — John Pycard, Wm. Downer, Thos. Glasyer & Thos. Westwode; Joan Baylly fuller, formerly wife of John Baylly fuller; John Greyby; John Bokyngham; Son John Ferrers junior, John Barbor John Holond" & Wm. Est exors. (Pr. 7 Mch. 1447-8.)
*****************
"St. Alban's Cathedral and Abbey Church, a Guide," William Page (1898)
https://archive.org/stream/stalbanscathedra00pageuoft#page/n7/mode/2up
p. 60
In the Catalogue of Benefactors and of those admitted into the fraternity of the monastery of St. Albans (Cotton MSS. Nero, D7), record is made of John Ferrers and Agatha his wife, coheiress of Adrian Brekespere of Langley and also Bernard Brekespere, clerk, her uncle. There is a farm in this parish which still preserves the name of Breakspear; and local tradition has always accounted it the place of the nativity of the only English Pope.
Nicholas was refused admission by the Abbat on the ground of insufficiency of learning, upon which he went abroad to study in foreign schools; and by means of great natural abilities combined with diligence, he acquired a high reputation for learning. Eventually he was raised to the chair of St. Peter in 1155, under the name of Adrian IV.; and is the only Englishman who has attained that high dignity.
****************
John Wheathamstede
From Wikipedia,
John Whethamstede (died 20 January 1465) was an English abbot.
Life
He was a son of Hugh Bostock, and was born at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, owing his name, the Latin form of which is Frumenlarius, to this circumstance.
After early schooling at the Abbey School (now St Albans School) he entered St Albans Abbey when only sixteen. He was chosen abbot of this Benedictine monastery in 1420. In 1423, Whethamstede attended the Council of Siena. In the Kingdom of England, his time was mainly occupied with lawsuits, several of which he carried on to defend the property and enforce the rights of the abbey.
In 1440, he resigned his post but, in 1451, on the death of his successor John Stoke, he became abbot for the second time. He died on 20 January 1465, and his tomb may still be seen in the abbey church.
Whethamstede was an energetic and successful abbot. He greatly improved the buildings at St Albans, which suffered somewhat during his later years owing to the Wars of the Roses, the first open conflict of which was the First Battle of St Albans in 1455. He also did some building at Gloucester.
He was also closely, if clumsily, associated with the humanistic activities of Henry V's youngest brother, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who died in 1447 and was buried in St Albans Abbey, where he was honoured as a benefactor.
**************
From Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors
http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/index.htm
John Ferrers1
Last Edited 13 Aug 2004
M, #47738, b. circa 1394
Father Sir William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby, Vidame of Chartres1 b. 25 Apr 1372, d. 18 May 1445
Mother Philippe Clifford2,1 d. bt 4 Jul 1405 - 9 Aug 1416
John Ferrers was born circa 1394 at of Groby, Leicestershire, England.2
Citations
[S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 209.
[S11581] Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerages, p. 199.
Events
| Birth | Ca 1394 |  | |||
| Miscellaneous | 1424 - 1445 | Seneschal (steward) to Henry de Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick | |||
| Will | 27 Feb 1447 | ||||
| Living | 1455 | Appointed as Abbot John Wheathampstead's attorney, | |||
| Occupation | Attorney | ||||
| Death | 27 Feb. 1447/8 |
Families
| Spouse | Agatha Brekespere ( - ) |
| Child | Sheriff John Ferris Junior (1418 - ) |
| Child | Edmond Ferrers (1422 - ) |
| Child | Thomas Ferris ( - ) |
| Father | Sir William Ferrers (1372 - 1445) |
| Mother | Philippa Clifford (1374 - 1405) |
| Sibling | Henry Ferrers (1390 - 1419) |
| Sibling | Sir Thomas Ferrers (1392 - 1459) |
| Sibling | Edmund Ferrers (1398 - ) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Ferrers (1401 - ) |
| Sibling | Margaret Ferrers (1403 - 1452) |
Endnotes
1. WikiTree.com: Descendants of Philippe (Clifford) Ferrers http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Clifford-Descendants-17.