• General Notes

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  John D'Oyly, Esq. of Greenland House, co. Bucks, the eldest son and heir of Thomas, and his only son by his first wife, was more of a politician and of better abilities than his father. He received a legal education at Gray's Inn, and was admitted into that Society in 1532.[260] About 1540 he married Frances Edmonds, sister and eventually coheiress of Sir Christopher Edmonds, of Lewknor in Oxfordshire, Knt. and step-daughter of John Lord Williams of Thame (who evidently brought the marriage about), being daughter of Andrew Edmonds, Esq. of Cressing Temple in Essex, by Elizabeth his wife, daughter and coheir of Thomas Bledlow, esq. afterwards wife of the said John Lord Williams. D'Oyly's wife was thus half sister to Lady Wenman and Margery Baroness Norris of Ricote, and aunt of Francis Earl of Berkshire; and her mother, Elizabeth Bledlow, was grand-daughter paternally of Thomas Bledlow, Sheriff of London in 1472-3 (by his wife, a daughter of the house of Frowick), and grand-daughter and coheiress maternally of Sir Humphrey Starkey, Serjeant-at law in 1473, and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1486 (of the house of Starkey of Netherhall, in Stretton, co. Chester), whose mother was a coheir of Oldeton of Oldeton in Cheshire.[261] John D'Oyly was much in the Reformation interest, and during his father's life time, viz, in 1544-5, received, jointly with his kinsman Sir John Williams, a grant from Henry VIII. of tithes in Conmore parish, co. Berks;[262] and in the following year, the 37th Hen. VIII., John D'Oyly and others were appointed Commissioners[263] for taking the surrender of St. Frideswide's College, Oxford, and Oseney Abbey in that county (which had been founded by Robert D'Oyly four centuries before); which surrendered in May 1545, and out of whose possessions Christ Church Oxford was founded. In the same year John D'Oyly and John Scudamore, Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII., obtained large grants of abbey lands in Wilts, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bucks, Surrey, and Durham;[264] and in 1545 also, John D'Oyly succeeded his father in the family estates. He made Greenland House his chief seat, and certainly held an exalted position in his county. In 1st Edw. VI. he, Sir John Williams, and another, were appointed Commissioners for certifying the value of all colleges and religious houses in Oxfordshire.[265] About the same time John D'Oyly acquired from Sir John Williams the manor and rectory of Turville, co. Bucks.[266] He constantly occurs in the Pedes Finium of the period. In 5th Edw. VI. a fine was levied to him of Chislehampton manor and tenements in Stadhampton, co. Oxon., by Drugo Barentyne, esq. In 3d Eliz. 1560-1 he was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire;[267] and his name appears in a list of Oxfordshire freeholders about the same time.[268] In 5th Eliz. he was joined by Robert D'Oyly, Esq. in purchasing Chibenhurst manor, co. Oxon, of Paul Stretely and Frances his wife; and in the same year occurs in a family transaction of his connection Henry Norris.[269]—He made his will on his death bed, at Greenland House, co. Bucks, 14 Nov. 11th Eliz. 1569.[270] He desires sepulture in Hambleden church; leaves Greenland House, Turville, and his tenements in Hambleden, to his son Robert, and Chislehampton to Frances his wife for life, afterwards to his son Robert, and settles all on his heirs male in strict entail; to John D'Oyly his second son, he leaves Chibenhurst manor in Oxfordshire, and his lands in Bosmere and Fawley, co. Bucks, and settles them also in strict tail male; to each of his youngest three sons, he leaves an annual rent-charge of 10l. per annum out of Chibenhurst, and a legacy of 100l. each, chargeable on Chislehampton, and payable after their mother's death and their attainment of twenty years of age; 500 marks to each of his daughters Phillis and Elizabeth, payable at marriage or attaining twenty; bequests to his executors and others; and the remnant of his property, "if onnie there be," for the relief of poor indigent persons, and to other charitable uses at discretion of his executors, George D'Anvers of Banbury and Robert D'Oyly of Merton, and another, executors: and Sir Henry Norris and Sir Richard Wenman, overseers. He made a short unimportant codicil mentioning his daughter Dorothy, and died 30 Nov. 1569, æt. about 54; but the will was only proved, viz. in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 13 May 1572. On 17 April 1570, his inquis. post mort. was made. The jury sat at Wendover, and found that he died seised of the manor and rectory of Turville, Eweden manor, and of various other lands in Hambleden, &c., and that his son and heir was Robert D'Oyly, then æt. 28.[271] Frances his wife survived him, and married, secondly, Richard D'Anvers, esq.[272] younger brother of her deceased husband's brother-in-law, George D'Anvers of Colthorpe, near Banbury.[273] She lived to a great age, and was much at court during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.[274] She held Chislehampton, co. Oxon. in jointure, then valued at 600l. per annum; but at last, through the contrivance of her son Henry, who wanted his legacy paid, was induced to demise it to her son John, at the rent of 300l. per ann.[275] In 1597, by death, s.p. of her brother Sir Christopher Edmonds (who had been M.P. for Oxford temp. Edw. VI., for Walingford, co. Berks, 1585, and for Buckingham town the following year[276]) she became one of his coheiresses,[277] and, jointly with her husband D'Anvers, had a Chancery suit with Dame Dorothy his widow for the manor of North Weston, previously the estate of John Lord Williams of Thame. The arms of Edmonds were "Argent, on a cross engrailed sable, five cinquefoils or;" and the D'Oylys acquired with it several other quarterings.277 John D'Oyly's estates were valued at 1,200l.[278] per annum at his death, equivalent to about six times as much of the present money. He was an active man of business, of high station in his county, and had been employed in many of the political transactions of that eventful period. He had issue by Frances Edmonds,

Details of John's family with Frances Edmonds