The Lewes Family
Samuel Lewes
Thamar Ball on 12 August 1617, in Little
Horkesley, Essex, England
after 12 August 1617 (marriage date)
and before 6 April 1624, when his wife Thamar remarried.
Samuel was of Raydon, Suffolk, and of
"Yorkshire descent". The marriage settlement of his daughter and heir,
Thamar, describes him as being "Samuel Lewes, late of Raydon, Suffolk,
gentleman, deceased." and The history and antiquities of Colchester p145
(1789) describes Samuel as "Sam. Lewis, of Raydon in Suffolk, Esq." A visitation of the county of Essex 1664-1668
p82 (Bysshe, Edward, Sir, 1888) has "Samuell Lewis of Roydon in com.
Suffolk descended out of Yorkshire" and Le Neve's pedigrees of the knights made by King
Charles II., King James II., King William III. and Queen Mary, King
William alone, and Queen Anne p146 (Peter Le Neve, 1873) has
"Samuell Lewis of Reydon Suff. descended from Yorksh." There is no Roydon in
Suffolk, and Reydon is in the northern part of the county while Raydon is in
southern Suffolk, only about 10 miles from Colchester.
Thamar (Lewes) Shaw
Samuel Lewes
Thamar
(Ball) Lewes
John
Shaw in May 1643
Description of the marriage settlement held at Essex
Record
office D/DR T28/2:
Marriage settlement
(i) John Shaw, senior of Colchester, gentleman; (ii) Thomas Talcott of
Colchester, gentleman and William Blomefeild, senior of Little Stoneham,
Suffolk, gent.; (iii) John Shaw, junior of Lincoln's Inn, Middlesex,
gentleman (son and heir of John Shaw, senior) and Thamar Lewes (daughter
and heir of Samuel Lewes late of Raydon, Suffolk), gentleman, deceased.
Farm, lands, tenements and marshes called Goldanger alias Faltie alias
Pawtie (containing 170a.) in occupation of Thomas Huggins and William
Yellopp; messuage and 3 crofts of land called Pryers; salt marsh called
Pryers Marsh alias the Outmarsh (20a.); croft called Edencroft (3a.) in
occupation of John Reade; crofts called Ravens Croft (14a.); salt marsh
called Ravens Marsh with 2 parcels of land (10a.) in occupation of William
Garrard; common pasture for 25 sheep a year in Stockwell marshes and the
salt marshes; messuage in north part of Pitcroft Lane and a croft of land
called Cobbs Croft (2 and a half acres) in occupation of John Carlett with
common pasture for 30 sheep a year in the Common Marsh in Goldhanger;
messuage called Hunts and a croft of land (1 and a half acres) on west of
Hunts in occupation of Margaret Knight widow, all in Goldhanger and Great
and Little Totham. Messuage and crofts of land called Shottesland and 2
meadows (10a.) adjoining in occupation of Thomas Lawrence; field called
Brettland (5a.); parcel of meadow called Bennettes alias Lamberts near
Symines Brome; crofts of land called Green croft and Hobbs Loyte, in
occupation of [blank] Hutt; messuage called Nuges in occupation of Thomas
Huggins; land called Cokes alias Cookes (9a.); tenement and 'Wareland'
called Helders alias Holders (5a.), two parcels of land, one called
Parsonsmoore and the other Holders Meade (2 and a half acres), parcel of
land called Wheat Croft alias Wettfeild (6a.) adjacent to Holders, meadow
at Garnisheade called Bowsers Hope (1a.), meadow called Bridgeleys Mead
alias Bridge Meade (2a.), parcel of land called Bedleys Leigh, all in
occupation of [blank] Hutt, all in Langford and Ulting. Messuage and
garden in occupation of John Shaw, senior in All Saints, Colchester;
messuage and gate called the Burgate in occupation of Robert Gurney,
maltster, 2 tenements in Southgate Street in occupation of Leonard Crispe
and Christopher Barnard, in St. Botolph, Colchester. Messuage and land
(16a.) called Teles, croft of land called Hubbards Croft (2a.) in
occupation of [blank] Coleman in Great Totham. Messuages and lands called
Sturmares alias Sturmures and Paynes in occupation of [blank] Berrisford,
crofts of land called Spice Crabtrees, formerly Wellousland and Under
Houton in occupation of Thomas Barker, all in Witham. Customary tenement
and land (30a.) called Parmes, surrendered by John Shaw, senior, copyhold
of the manor of LittleTotham with Goldhanger.
Property in Goldhanger, Little Totham, Langford and Ulting to the use of
John Shaw junior and, after his death, to Thamar Lewes for life; the
remainder to their heirs or, in default of issue, to the heirs of John
Shaw, senior
Property in All Saints, and St. Botolph, Colchester, and Witham to the use
of John Shaw, junior for life with remainder to heirs of John Shaw, senior
13 January 1681
15 January 1681/2 (OS/NS) in the
chancel at Holy Trinity Church, Colchester, Essex, England
The parish register records that there is a "Hatchment in church to Lady TS,
wife of Sir John, dtr of Samuel Lewis of Royden, Suffolk.
The history and description of Colchester vol 2
p24 (1803):
On grave stones in
the chancel.
2. Here lyeth the body of the lady Thamar Shaw,
wife to sir John Shaw knight, serjeant at law, who died Jan. 13, Anno Dmi
1681.
The
Colchester Book of Days p25 (Simon Webb, 2013):
JANUARY
15TH
1681:
Lady Thamar Shaw, daughter of Samuel Lewis of Royden in Suffolk, died on
this day. Lady Shaw's connection with Colchester is an interesting one.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was the custom that
when an important person died, his or her coat of arms was painted in
oils and hung over the doorway of the house for a year, during the
official period of mourning. After that, it would be given to the church
where the person had worshipped, in order to be hung there. These
paintings were known as hatchments and were usually in a lozenge-shaped
frame.
Holy Trinity Church in Colchester contains five hatchments, one
of which is that of Lady Thamar Shaw. The arms were constructed in a
rigid and formal way, which enable many deductions to be made about the
circumstances of the deceased. For instance, in Lady Shaw's hatchment
the background of the Shaw side of the arms was white, indicating that
her husband was still alive when she died. We know this to be true in
any case, because, opposite Lady Shaw's hatchment, is that of her
husband, Sir John Shaw, Recorder of Colchester and MP from 1659-1661.
His date of death is recorded as being in 1690; almost a decade after
that of his wife.
In September 1642, Thomas Talcott, Thamar's stepfather, conveyed to her some
lands that he expected to inherit from his father. The conveyance would have
to be confirmed by the rightful heir of the land, Thomas's son, Robert, (the
half-brother of Thamar Lewes), when Robert turned 21. This deed connects
Thamar Lewes to the Thamar (Ball) Lewes who married Thomas Talcott on 1624.
Description of the deed held at Essex
Record
office D/DR T28/1:
Conveyance (Feoffment) [consideration not stated]
Thomas Talcott, gentleman to Thamer Lewes, spinster, both of Colchester.
Messuage, 2 parcels of meadow called Moores (containing 5a.) in occupation
of John Hawes, brewer; way leading from East Street through the meadow and
the lands belonging to the messuage, all in St. James, Colchester
Property should, by right, descend to Thomas Talcott on death of his
father, Robert
Lands called Overbennittes (20a.) in occupation of James Whiteman and
Robert Harling in Creeting St. Mary, Suffolk
Condition of the conveyance is that Robert (son of Thomas Talcott) should
confirm the transfer upon reaching the age of 21. If he should die before
doing so, Thomas, William, John and Charles (2nd,, 3rd. and 4th. sons of
Thomas Talcott), which of them should first reach the age of 21, should
confirm it.
Property in Suffolk to the use of Thamer Lewes's heirs, as named under her
Will.
Recites deed, 2 Feb.1618/19, Simon Rosier to Samuel Lewes, gentleman,
property in Suffolk
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