Ancestors of Captain Arthur Fenner
John Fenner
John Fenner was born ca. 1450, probably at Crawley Down, Sussex, son of Thomas at Fenne and Agnes Blast. In 1504 he was named in a suit against Elizabeth Cornwaleys. In 1506, a fine was levied against him and four other men by “Thomas Fulbourne & his wife Katharine & Anna Fulbourne in Lynkefelde, Eeygate & Gatton.”[1] He married Elizabeth Wodye, daughter of John Wodye of Ewhurst. He died 8 June 1513 at Crawley, Sussex. His will was written 28 May 1513 at Ifield, Sussex, England, proved 7 Sept. 1513. He left lands in Crawley, Ifield, and Worth to his daughter-in-law Anne and her two sons, both named John. He asked to be buried by the church of Saint John the Baptist in Crawley.
In the lineage recorded in the British Library, Harley MS 1562, it says Thomas Fenner m Elizabeth Wodye in the 39th year of Henry VI (1461) and had Thomas who m — Shorter. It’s possible Elizbeth married an older brother of John named Thomas as her first husband, who died young, then she married John as her second husband.
Thomas [b 1484; d 1513] of Crawley, m Anne Shorter [1480–1541] ca. 1504.
Richard [b ca. 1485; d 1525] of Crawley.
Johanne, m — Gratewyke.
Sources:
1. Frank B. Lewis, Pedes Finium; or, Fines Relating to the County of Surrey, Levied in the King’s Court, from the Seventh Year of Richard I to the End of the Reign of Henry VII (Guildford: Surrey Archaeological Society, p. 1894), p. 210: Archive.org
2. Information from the work of Jen Blyth on Ancestry.com
3. Thomas Benolt, et al., The Visitations of the County of Sussex (London: 1905), p. 107: Archive.org; in this tree, the husband of Elizabeth Wodye is Thomas Fenner.
4. Will of John Fenner, Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11, Piece 17, National Archives, Kew: PDF
In the name of God Amen The xxviij daye of May in the yere of oure Lorde God mdxiij and in the yere of the reign of Kyng Henry the viijth the vth [*] / I John Fenner of Crawley in the countie of Sussex of the dioc[ese] of Chichester beyng of hole mynd and of good and pfite memorie make and ordyne this my p[]t will and testament in man[er] and forme folowyng / Fyrst I bequeith my soule to Almyghty God to oure blessed Lady the Virgyn and all the seynts of hevyn and my body to be buried in the p[ar]ishe churche of Seynt John Baptist of Crawley aforeseid. Item. I bequeith to the highe Aulter of the same churche for tythes forgotten iijs iijd. Item. I bequeith to ev[r]y of the churches of Crawley Ifeld and Worth a torche to the value of vjs viijd. Item. I bequeith to the mother churche of Chichestre xxd. Item. I bequeyth to ev[r]y of my godchildren iiijd. Item. I bequeith to eayche of Johane Alice and Elizabeth the daughters of Thomas Fenner my sonne lately decessed xx£ of money to their marriages to be delyaed and paide to them and to ev[r]y of them by myn Executours at suche tyme as they shall happen to be maried by agrement of their mother yf she then be lyvyng / And yf they be not maried before they come to the age of xxth yeres than I will the same money be delyaed and paide to them when they come to the age of the seid xxth yeres / And yf any of them dye before they be maried or before they come to the age of xxth yeres than I will that her parte that so dyeth be evenly dvided to the other two that []lyve / And yf ij of them dye as is beforseid than I will the third that overlyveth shal have the hole some of lx£. And yf they all dye before the seid money be in man[er] and forme aboveseid paide than I will the seid some of lx£ be evenly devided and paid be my seid Executours to John Fenner the elder and John Fenner the yonger sonnes of the seid Thomas Fenner when they come to the age of xxj yeres / And yf one of the seid sonnes dye before he doth come to the age of xxj yeres than the other sonne that overlyveth shal have the seid hole some / And yf both the seid sonnes dye as is aforseid than I wille the seid hole some be devided and paide be myn Executours by their discretion amongst the children of Johane Gratewyke my daughter to the so[] and helpyng of the same children / The residue of all my goodes not bequeythen I gyve and bequeith to Anne Fenner late the wyff of Thomas Fenner and John Fynner the elder whom I make overseer of my seid testament and will. Item. I will that the seid John Fynner the yonger have for his labor and busynes in the p[]sses xxs / And for the disposicion of all my landes and t[enam]ents I will that Richard my sonne Immediatly after my decease have of the revenues of all my lands in Crawley Iffeld and Worth in the countie of Sussex iiij£ of laufull mony yerly duryng his lyff at my usuell termes of the yere by even porcions to be paide. Item. I will that after my decesse the seid Anne Fenner have all my mesuage or t[enam]ents [] [] in Crawley aforseid wherin I nowe Inhabite and dwell togider with c[er]ten lands called Reynolds Yongs Cobells[?] Tymber Hawes Edernches and c[er]ten lands late Rob[er]t Atwaters [] all and synguler th[] to her and to her and to her assignes for terme of her lyff. Item. I will that the seid Anne have all my lands and
[] [] and services with [] called Bonwyke and Westland in Iffeld afordseid summ[?]tyme William Bonwike and all my landes and t[enam]ents in Bolney called Costedyes[?] unto suche tyme as John Fenner her yonger sonne nowe beyng of the age of iiij yeres and more come to the full age of xxj yeres / And that when the same John cometh to the age of xxj yeres he to have all the lands and t[enam]ents called Bonwyke Westland and Costedyes with th[] to hym and to his heirs for ever / Item. I will that the seid Anne have the residue of all my landes and t[enam]ents rents and service[?] with th[] in the counties of Sur[ey] and Sussex unto the tyme that John Fenner her eldest sonne and myn heire apparannt nowe of th’age of vj yeres and more cometh to the full age of xxj yeres / He have all the seid residue of all my seid landes and t[enam]ents [] [] to hym and to his heires for ever / Item. I will that yf it happen any of the seid John and John sonnes of the seid Anne to dye before he come to the’age of xxi yeres that than the seid Anne have all the seid lands and t[enam]ents to hymn before assigned tyll the other sonne everlyvyng comyth to the age of xxj yeres / And yf it happen both the seid sonnes do dye before they come to th’age of xxj yeres than I will the seid Anne have all the seid landes and t[enam]ents [] []for terme of her lyff / And yf it happen the seid Anne to so dye before that her seid sonnes or any of them come to the age of xxj yeres that than I will my [?] have aswell the rule and [government] of all and synguler the seid landes and t[enam]ents as of all the children of the seid Anne unto suche tyme as the seid sonnes and any of them or the heire or heires of any of them come to the age of xxj yeres / And enploye and bestowst the re[] and proffits of all the seid landes and t[enam]ents aswell for the fyndyng and kepyng of all the seid children tyll they come to th’age as is aboveseid as other wyse by their discrecion to dispose for the weale of my soule and for the weale of the seid children In wytnesse wherof I have herto set my seale And with myn owne hande subscribed my name the daye and yere aboveseid.
Probatum . . . vij die Mensis September Anno Diij Millenio [1513].
[* 28 May 1513, in the 5th year of Henry VIII’s reign]