The Lewes Family

Samuel Lewes

Married: Thamar Ball on 12 August 1617, in Little Horkesley, Essex, England

Children: Death: after 12 August 1617 (marriage date) and before 6 April 1624, when his wife Thamar remarried.

Notes: 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.

Sources:

Thamar (Lewes) Shaw

Father: Samuel Lewes

Mother: Thamar (Ball) Lewes

Married: 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


Children: Death: 13 January 1681

Buried: 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.

Notes:

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


Sources:
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