General Notes

Name Prefix:<NPFX> Sir
Although Richard is entered in the Visitation in Kent, in 1
619,
as Walter Colepeper's eldest son, this was not the case, a
s Sir John,
as the eldest son, inherited Hardreshull, co. Warwick, Bayh
all, co.
Kent, and Wigsell, co. Sussex.
It appears also from the same Visitation that this Sir John
married Agnes, daughter of John Bedgebury, but no mention w
hatever is
there made of the undoubted fact that some time before 146
0 he was the
husband of Agnes Gainsford, which is clearly proved by th
e Proceedings
in Chancery relating to the abduction of the two Wakehurs
t heiresses
by Sir John's brothers, Richard and Nicholas, where it is e
xpressly
stated that a sister of John and William Gainsford was wedd
ed to John
Culpepyr, and later on in the same suit mention is made o
f John
Culpeper and Agnes, his wife. The marriage is also allude
d to in De
Banco Roll, Trin., 5 Edward IV., m. 118d, and it explains t
he mention
of Ottewell and George Gainsford (grandsons of the above Jo
hn
Gainsford, who married Anne Wakehurst, aunt of the co-heire
sses, and
sons of Sir John Gainsford, by Anne, daughter of Ottewell W
orsley), as
cousins in the will Walter Colepeper, of Calais, 1514--1516
.
The question arises, therefore, as to whether the record o
f Sir
John's marriage with Agnes Bedgebury is not due to a mistak
e on the
part of the heralds. In their pedigree they certainly omi
t these two
important facts, viz., that before 1460 Sir John was the hu
sband of
Agnes Gainsford, and also that his father Walter's wife, o
f the same
Christian name, was the widow of John Bedgebury. It seems t
herefore
not improbable that these two marriages have been confused
; such,
indeed, must have been the case unless Sir John was twice m
arried, and
of this the Visitation affords no evidence whatever. Sir Jo
hn
Colepeper died 22nd December, 1480, and was buried at Goudh
erst.
Source: "The Sussex Colepepers"
and further in another section of the web-site:
[5521] Sheriff 1466-7; Commissioner of Array 1470. - From u
nidentified
pedigree. His two brothers, Richard and Nicholas, under som
ewhat
romantic circumstances, married Margaret and Elizabeth Wake
hurst,
(granddaughters and co-heiresses of Richard Wakehurst, sen.
, of
Wakehurst, in Ardingly). These two girls were confided by E
lizabeth,
their grandmother, to the care of John Colepeper and Agnes
, his wife.
For further deatils, see narrative for Nicholas. Sir John C
olepeper,
of Bedgbury, by Agnes, his wife, had two sons: (i.) Alexand
er,
progenitor of the senior line of Bedgbury, in Goudhurst, co
. Kent,and
(ii.) Walter, ancestor of the Wigsell branch of the family
. -
[5520] [S580] Sussex Colepepers-I
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