William Baynham (1463-c.1520)
William was born [at Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire?] in 1463.
He married Eleanor Amerys, the daughter of Richard Amerys, before 1488, when he was around 25 and she was around 21. They had at least one child, Joan in 1488.
William died around 1520, aged about 57.
William was born [at Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire?] in 1463.
He was educated at the Inns of Court in London and became a lawyer.
On 22nd July 1485 William (aged 22) was appointed co-steward of the Latimer lands: “Appointment of John Peke, esquire, and William Beynam, ‘gentilman’, as steward of the lordship of Wykewan, co. Gloucestewr, of the manor of Aure Etlowe Tokenhale Pyrton, and of the hundred of Blydeslowe, and of all other lands, in the said county, late of George, late lord Latymere, during the minority of Richard Nevile, lord Latymere, kinsman and heir of the said George; with such fees as Thomas Lymeryk took for the office”.
In 1486 he was appointed to his first Commission of the Peace for Gloucestershire on 27th February and similar appointments followed in each year until 1494 (except for 1491 and 1492, when there were no commissions for Gloucestershire); his father Thomas received similar appointments during those years.
In the same year he was appointed to his first Commission of Oyer and Terminer for Gloucestershire, again along with his father Thomas.
William married Eleanor Amerys. Their daughter Joan was born in 1488; she married Richard Thurston (1484-1541) in 1509 and had four children: Thomas (1510-1544), John (1512-1588), Robert (1514-1565) and Kateryn (1517- )
On 21st January 1488 he received a commission, along with seven others for Gloucester, “to assess and appoint collectors of the subsidy imposed by the commons in the parliament of 9th November last, with the advice and assent of the lords spiritual and temporal by authority of the king, upon all aliens”.
1488 – William Baynham and William Skay, both gents, were conveying land in Billow, Gloucestershire as feoffees.
[ Calendar of Inquisitions Henry VII ii p.14 ]
On 4th February 1489 William became a co-trustee of Westbury Manor when it was settled by his elder brother Sir Alexander on their father Thomas and half-brother Christopher to hold in trust for Alexander and his heirs.
On 20th October 1489 he received a commission, along with his father Thomas and eight others, to deliver the goal of Gloucester castle.
He was Recoverer in Somerset in 1490.
[ Calendar of IPMs. ii, 345 ]
In 1491 he was party to a deed between Henry Kegewyn, grocer of London and Robert Kegewyn, ‘dier’ of Shyppey [Sheppey] in Kent, sons of Henry Kegewyn late of Lydney in the forest of Dene, and William Beynam gentleman – dated 11th May, it was a release and quitclaim of
‘a moiety of a close called Grostefeld lying in the hundred of St. Briavell’s in Newlond parish, containing a hundred acres from Kybenale to the king’s highway and from Yarkeley to king’s forest, which the said William held with John Lawrence by feoffment of the said Robert Kegewyn by charter dated 10 February, 6 Henry VII : and of a messuage with curtilage in Lydney co. Gloucester, which William and Christopher Kegewyn held by gift of Henry Kegewyn the elder’.
Also in 1491, an indenture dated 4th September between Thomas Baynham and Morgan Thomas and his wife Lucy enfeoffed Thomas, Alexander and William Baynham, William and Reynold Hody and Thomas Basshe in various manors and other properties.
He was MP for Hindon in Wiltshire, 1491-1492.
[ WHP, p.53 ]
He was retained at an annual fee of 20s. by St. Augustine’s monastery in Bristol, 1491-1492.
[ 9 Bristol RS, 258 ]
On 23rd February 1492 he received a commission, along with Walter Roudon, mayor of Gloucester, and four others, to deliver the goal of the town of Gloucester.
On 8th March 1493 he received a commission with Thomas Morton, William Greville and the sheriff of Gloucester ‘to inquire by jury of that county of escapes of all felons and clerks, convicted or others from the prisons within the lordships of Landaff and Ogmore, in the marches of Wales’.
The writ for the inquisition is addressed to all four men, although the endorsement on the reverse refers to William Greville and William Baynham only.
Later that year the inquisition was held at Thornbury in Gloucestershire on 29th July before two Commissioners – William Greville and William Baynham. The text includes a list of 13 other men, beginning with his elder brother Sir Alexander Baynham.
Perhaps this is a list of jurors? (Robert King, Thomas Esa-en, Thomas Foster, F—- F—–, John Robyns, Thomas Shelley, E– Bay, Thomas Duke, John Booth, John —-, John —-, Thomas Baker).
William also appears, as Recoverer in Gloucestershire, alongside his elder half-brother Sir Alexander and his younger half-brother Christopher with Thomas Ferrers, William Greville and Roger Porter in an action in the Court of Common Pleas.
On 7th April 1494 the three brothers Alexander, Christopher and William (along with their father Thomas and others) were recorded as feoffees of the manor of Puplyngton and other lands in the IPM of Robert Russell Senior. Robert had previously agreed with Thomas that his son and heir Robert Russell the Younger would marry Thomas’ daughter Elizabeth and in consideration of a sum of money paid to Robert Senior by Thomas he enfeoffed the Baynhams and others to the use of Robert the Younger and Elizabeth, who by then was his wife.
On 10th July 1494 he received a repeat commission, along with John Caple, mayor of Gloucester, William Hody, knight, and four others, “to deliver the goal of the town of Gloucester”.
Another indenture, dated 12th February 1495 and made between John son of Walter Berewe and William Beynam gentleman, provided that ‘the said John will before Christmas next enfeoff by deed Sir Alexander Beynam, Reynold Hody, John Broke and William Beynam in such lands etc. whereof the said Walter Berewe was seised to his use in St. Briavellys, Ettelowe, Blakeney and Aure parish in the forest of Dene in fee simple, to the use of John Berewe and Agnes his wife, with remainder Joan sister of John and her heirs, as specified, to be entailed in the marriage indenture of John and Agnes Berewe, between Walter Berewe and John Haresfeld father of Agnes; and in default of issue to them, to the use of William Beynam and his heirs, who is to receive 4s. a year of the profits of the hall until he be contented of seven marks, should Joan have issue; or else, if John and Joan prefer to keep the money, William shall have fee simple of the premises; provided that, if John be not agreeable to perform the payments, Joan shall have no benefit of the covenant; with mutual bonds of 40l.’
William had further dealings with Morgan and Lucy Thomas – in 1496 an Indenture dated 18th March recorded that ‘Morgan Thomas esquire borrowed of William Baynham gentleman at three several times 18l. 6s. 8d and two obligations of four marks more: for which he promises that if he do not repay the same at the times fixed for repayment, he and Lucy his wife will ensure the manor of Charlecome co, Somerset to William by fine or recovery, Wiiliam to pay for the same within a yearsuch sums as are specified in the indentures: and in case of default Morgan and Lucy will pay 40l. by way of forfeit, the payment to be null unless discharged at the high altar of St. Thomas of Canterbury at Bristol, in which event William shall hold Carlcome [sic] manor without lett of them’. There is also a memorandum of acknowledgement dated 10th May.
On 28th October 1496, the three brother Alexander, Christopher and William (along with William Grevyle, Roger Porter and Thomas Ferrers) were again recorded as feoffees – this time of the manor of Great Teynton in Gloucestershire in the IPM of Richard Ferrers.
On 21st August 1497 William received another repeat commission, along with eight others, to deliver the goal of Gloucester castle.
On 12th June 1498 …… IPM of William Trye …..
1500 – IPM of Lucy Morgan …
On 20th July 1504 William appeared with William Froste, William Fisher and William Lynde as witness to an assignment of dower by Margaret Grey, daughter-in-law of Sir John Grey of Powis.
In late 1513, after the war in France, there is a record of payments by one Semper and a William Beynam to the masters of 14 Flemish hoys, as well as a list of them and the time they served.
He died in around 1520 and was possibly buried in the Temple Church in London. The will of John Jenour (died 1542) states that he desires to be buried “in the chauncell of the Temple churche next to William Baynhams stoon if I deceasse in London”, but there is no official Temple record of William having been buried there.
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Census and Burial Register extracts – www.ancestry.co.uk