General Notes

He settled in St. Mary Cray which is but six miles north o
f Cowdham, his ancestral home.
The Visitation pedigree of the Manning family has him marri
ed to the aunt of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Althoug
h no documentary evidence of this marriage can be found, i
t is probably correct. She would have to have been one of t
he two Margarets, daughters of Sir William and Elizabeth Wi
ngfield Brandon. In later discussion with the author (Joh
n Thelfall) he no longer believes that this connection is l
ikely.
Hugh Manning died at Cray in 17 Henry VII (1502-3) accordin
g to the Visitation report.
He is also said to be of Kevington, St. Mary Cray.
He "was of St. Mary Cray and married the daughter of Sir Wi
lliam Brandon, knt. kinswoman to Charles, Duke of Suffolk
, by whom he had two sons, John, who settled at Downe, fro
m whom descended the Mannings of Downe, Halsted and Westerh
am - and Richard, who continued at St. Mary Cray, and had t
hree sons."
"Hugh Manning, who was of St. Mary Cray, and married the da
ughter of Sir William Brandon, kinswoman to Charles duke o
f Suffolk, by whom he had two sons, John, who settled at Do
wne, from whom descended the Mannings of Downe, Halsted, an
d Westrham; and Richard, who continued at St. Mary Cray, an
d had three sons".
"Hugo Manning, de Cray, Obit apud Cray, anno 17 Henry 7th
; married . . . filia . . . Brandon, amita Caroli Ducis suf
folk (husband of Mary Tudor, Queen Dowager of France).
(Research):Note:
Hugh Manning lived in Saint Mary's Cray, Kent, which is bu
t sex miles north of Cowdham, his ancestral home. The Visit
ation pedigree of the Manning family has him married to th
e aunt of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, that is, a daug
hter of Sir William Brandon. No documentary evidence of thi
s marriage or any relationship can be found. Probably ther
e was some more remote relationship that gave rise to the l
egend. If true, she would have to have been one of the tw
o Margarets, daughters of Sir William Brandon and Elizabet
h Wingfield, and there would have been a royal lineage thr
u the Wingfields. Hugh and his wife died early and that hel
ps explain the lack of records for them. St. Mary's Cray, w
ith its church dedicated to Saint Mary, lies five miles NN
E of Downe, Kent. Within this church lies Hugh Manning an
d his wife and several more generations of this family. The
re is a mural monument for one of the Mannings and a fine b
rass memorial to Richard Manning, and his wife Rachel, he t
he grandson of Richard, son of Hugh.
CHURCH AT ST. MARY'S CRAY.--"In the great chancel, within t
he rails of the altar, a mural monument for one of the Mann
ing family, the arms at the top are defaced; on the south s
ide, within the rails, an altar tomb, on which are the figu
res of a gentleman and lady finely engraved in brass, and o
ver them an inscription for Richard, son of John Manning, g
ent., who married Rachael, one of the daughters and coheir
s of William White of Hempsted, in Middlesex, with whom h
e lived thirty-nine years, and died in 1604, 't. 63, withou
t issue, leaving her surviving; above are the arms of Manni
ng, Gules, a cross potence between four cinquefoils flipt o
r, a cross for difference. On the north side, within the ra
ils, opposite the above, is an altar tomb with a brass plat
e, with an inscription for Richard, son of Tho. Manning, wh
o dwelt and died at Manning's Hall, the old homestead of th
e family. He died in 1605, 't. 72. On a gravestone withou
t the rails, a memorial for Edward, son of Edward Manning
, Esq., who married the only daughter of Sir Henry Onslow o
f Drungwick, in Sussex, by whom he had fifteen children, ni
ne of whom are here buried, and Thomas was then living. ob
. 1703, 't. 49; above are these arms, quarterly, 1st, Manni
ng, as above; 2d, a cross between twelve eroslets fitchee i
mpaling a fess between six rooks. A memorial for Edward, so
n of Edw. Manning, Esq., and Anne his w