John Grigsby married well by all accounts. Margaret was an heiress and a woman of means. So he was surely handsome and charming. And he was no slacker either, having worked for both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, queens of England.
So why on earth would he kill himself? According to official records, that's exactly what he did.
From the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London, there is a document written in Latin.
INQUISITION POST MORTEM
15 June 1550
KENT: INQUISITION indented taken at Ayssshetisford [Ashford] in the county aforesaid the fifth day of the month of June in the fourth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord Edward the Sixth [15 June 1550] by the grace of God of England France and Ireland King defender of the faith and on earth supreme head of the church in England and Ireland.
Before John Toke Esq escheator of the said lord the king in the county aforesaid by virtue of the office of Escheator aforesaid upon the oath of John Taylor of Shadockesherst, Laurence Colman, Nicholas Hawke, Simon Fagg, Thomas Marshall, Robert Gransden, Thomas Hall of Wye, William Igulden, Stephen Affryth, John Ayssherst of Bever, Robert Cavell, and John Smert, good and lawful men of the county aforesaid. Who say upon their oathes that a certain John Grygby of Mersham in the county aforesaid, GENTLEMAN who on the nineteenth day of the month of January in the 3rd year of the reign of the said Lord King [19 January 1550] at Wyllesberough in the county aforesaid, voluntarily and feloniously committed suicide by drowning himself on the said nineteenth day of January possessed as of his proper goods of and in diverse goods and catties and other utensils written below to the value of sixty pounds and more. That is to say, of four quarters of wheat, ten quarters of barley, seven carucates of hay, one horse, two geldings, eight heifers, twelve cows, one bull, twenty and four draught animals and bullocks, ten calves, nineteen lambs, eight pigs and ten piglets and four beds with their appurtenances. But of what other further cattle or utensils the said John had at the time of his drowning the jurors aforesaid are ignorant. In testimony of which thing to one part of this present inquisition indented remaining in the possession of the aforesaid escheator, the aforesaid jurors have put their seals to the other proper part to the same indented inquisition remaining with the aforesaid John Taylor, first juror, the aforesaid escheator has placed his seal, the day, place and year abovesaid.
Signatures: John Taylor, Robert Gransdyn, Thomas Hall, William Igulden,
various marks — [seals removed]
All property was confiscated by the Crown if one committed suicide, hence the inventory of his property, valued at 60 pounds or more. Luckily, Margaret's inheritance was not considered part of his goods, so she was able to live on in comfort for another 10 years or so. We know that Margaret was buried under the chancel of the church in Loose, which was an honor reserved for important people. So where was her husband John buried?
More in Part Four!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
The Grigsbys Part Two - Margaret
Leeds Castle has always been a haven. The Queens of Henry VIII came to escape the Plague and pestilence in London. With an outbreak of the 'sweating sickness, Cardinal Wolsey moved to the safety of the Castle.
Leeds Castle and park passed from Royal ownership in 1552, when the Royal treasury was depleted.
This fairystyle castle, dating from the 9th century, is built upon two small islands in a serene lake. Today it is open to the public to see the beautiful setting of a castle surrounded by water with the park, woods and pastures in the background. You may walk through the richly furnished apartments which include medieval tapestries and paintings and see the splendor once enjoyed by Royalty. There are adjoining aviaries, a duckery, grotto, maze, golf course and a small vineyard. You can view the "SEMINAR ROOM" where my ancestor, John Grigby, served the Queens as "Clerk of her Council and Registrar of her Chancery."
Let's pick up where we left off - when John married Margaret Sharp in 1525 in All Saints Church in Loose, Kent.
Margaret was an heiress to all the properties of her father, Alexander Sharpe, gentleman. Those lands were located in the Parishes of LOOSE, FRITTENDEN, FARLEY, BIDDENDEN, CRANBROOK, and BENNENDEN. What exactly is a "gentleman", and why is it important? A gentleman was the lowest rank of the English gentry, below an esquire, but above a yeoman. Because of that, stuff was written about them! Otherwise, this family history would have been impossible to trace back this far.
Margaret was also the sole heir from her mother, Johanna Brode whose grandfather, John Brode, Senior, gentleman, was of Smeath, Brabome and Mersham Parishes, Kent. He held the positions of Coroner and Under-sheriff of Kent County. This title and position was an appointment from the Crown.
Their home in Maidstone was evidently the property inherited from Margaret's grandparents, John Brode, gentleman, and his wife, Joanne. It is described as "a messuage (house), garden and orchard in the towne of Maydston."
The family was living here in 1542, which date covers the time period their six children were bom about 1527-1538. Soon afterwards, they moved to Mersham Parish.
Margaret inherited an estate in that Parish from her BRODE ANCESTORS, which lands extended into Brabome Parish. The Manor House was called "BOWE." She was living here when she made her will dated: 7 MAY 1560, and it was given to her son, Alexander Grygsby, as recorded in her will.
You will note that she gave equally to her four daughters, lands and estates, as well as her two sons. She was fair and generous when the law in England at this time recognized that the oldest son have all the inheritance. My 11th great-grandmother believed in women's rights! Margaret, along with her daughter Catherine, are buried in All Saints Church in Loose, under the chancel (right in front of the altar). According to the church's website, evidence still exists in the stone.
37. Chancel, under the E window, just north of centre. Ledger stone, head towards the west: [Catherine] LAMB wyf Xpo[pher LAMB] Gent a dafter of [Marga]ret GRIGSBY died [......] of Decembar 1590.
Important people and martyrs were buried inside the church, so Margaret was well respected (or filthy rich).
So whatever happened to John? We'll find out in Part Three!
Leeds Castle and park passed from Royal ownership in 1552, when the Royal treasury was depleted.
This fairystyle castle, dating from the 9th century, is built upon two small islands in a serene lake. Today it is open to the public to see the beautiful setting of a castle surrounded by water with the park, woods and pastures in the background. You may walk through the richly furnished apartments which include medieval tapestries and paintings and see the splendor once enjoyed by Royalty. There are adjoining aviaries, a duckery, grotto, maze, golf course and a small vineyard. You can view the "SEMINAR ROOM" where my ancestor, John Grigby, served the Queens as "Clerk of her Council and Registrar of her Chancery."
Let's pick up where we left off - when John married Margaret Sharp in 1525 in All Saints Church in Loose, Kent.
Margaret was an heiress to all the properties of her father, Alexander Sharpe, gentleman. Those lands were located in the Parishes of LOOSE, FRITTENDEN, FARLEY, BIDDENDEN, CRANBROOK, and BENNENDEN. What exactly is a "gentleman", and why is it important? A gentleman was the lowest rank of the English gentry, below an esquire, but above a yeoman. Because of that, stuff was written about them! Otherwise, this family history would have been impossible to trace back this far.
Margaret was also the sole heir from her mother, Johanna Brode whose grandfather, John Brode, Senior, gentleman, was of Smeath, Brabome and Mersham Parishes, Kent. He held the positions of Coroner and Under-sheriff of Kent County. This title and position was an appointment from the Crown.
Their home in Maidstone was evidently the property inherited from Margaret's grandparents, John Brode, gentleman, and his wife, Joanne. It is described as "a messuage (house), garden and orchard in the towne of Maydston."
The family was living here in 1542, which date covers the time period their six children were bom about 1527-1538. Soon afterwards, they moved to Mersham Parish.
Margaret inherited an estate in that Parish from her BRODE ANCESTORS, which lands extended into Brabome Parish. The Manor House was called "BOWE." She was living here when she made her will dated: 7 MAY 1560, and it was given to her son, Alexander Grygsby, as recorded in her will.
You will note that she gave equally to her four daughters, lands and estates, as well as her two sons. She was fair and generous when the law in England at this time recognized that the oldest son have all the inheritance. My 11th great-grandmother believed in women's rights! Margaret, along with her daughter Catherine, are buried in All Saints Church in Loose, under the chancel (right in front of the altar). According to the church's website, evidence still exists in the stone.
37. Chancel, under the E window, just north of centre. Ledger stone, head towards the west: [Catherine] LAMB wyf Xpo[pher LAMB] Gent a dafter of [Marga]ret GRIGSBY died [......] of Decembar 1590.
Important people and martyrs were buried inside the church, so Margaret was well respected (or filthy rich).
So whatever happened to John? We'll find out in Part Three!
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Grigsbys Part One
So let me tell you a story. A story about real people. My ancestors; the Grigsby line.
I could start with the Vikings from Denmark invading the British Isles since there is a general belief that's where we came from. "Bye" means closed settlement in Danish, where people usually lived that were related to each other. What we spell Grigsby now was spelled in many different ways back then; Grigsbye, Greagsby, Greaby, Grigby, Grebby.
The use of surnames is relatively new, and they certainly weren't in use when the Vikings invaded Lincolnshire, but there were many settlements in that area with variations on the Grigsby name, so it appears likely that the surname was chosen to indicate a place.
Henry VIII was the first to order that "marital births be recorded under the name of the father" in the mid 1500's, which is when we meet our first ancestor, John Grigby (1495-1550). John was in London when retained by Queen Catherine of Aragon (Henry VIII) "as clerk of her Council and Registrar of her Chancery." John was paid 5 pounds for his duties in 1529.
"King Henry VIII, with an entourage of many persons, set out from Greenwich Palace
near London on his way to a meeting called the FIELD of the CLOTH of GOLD-20 May
1520, reaching Leeds Castle the 22nd." Leeds Castle was one of the King's many "Summer Palaces", and I continue to use that name to reference my little camper in Detroit Lakes, MN.
In 1521, the Queen occupied her suite in Leeds Castle, located five miles southeast of Maidstone in Kent.
For all you history buffs or historical romance readers, Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's first wife. The daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand, yep, that Isabella and Ferdinand from your history books.
And when Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn, John went to work for her as well. In 1534 he again earned 5 pounds. John worked for Queen Anne until her death in 1536 (she was executed).
Maidstone is about 5 miles from Leeds Castle. Here he met and married Margaret Sharp about 1525. Margaret was from Loose, about 3 miles from Maidstone.
Maidstone, Loose, and Leeds Castle
More to come in Part Two!
I could start with the Vikings from Denmark invading the British Isles since there is a general belief that's where we came from. "Bye" means closed settlement in Danish, where people usually lived that were related to each other. What we spell Grigsby now was spelled in many different ways back then; Grigsbye, Greagsby, Greaby, Grigby, Grebby.
The use of surnames is relatively new, and they certainly weren't in use when the Vikings invaded Lincolnshire, but there were many settlements in that area with variations on the Grigsby name, so it appears likely that the surname was chosen to indicate a place.
Henry VIII was the first to order that "marital births be recorded under the name of the father" in the mid 1500's, which is when we meet our first ancestor, John Grigby (1495-1550). John was in London when retained by Queen Catherine of Aragon (Henry VIII) "as clerk of her Council and Registrar of her Chancery." John was paid 5 pounds for his duties in 1529.
"King Henry VIII, with an entourage of many persons, set out from Greenwich Palace
near London on his way to a meeting called the FIELD of the CLOTH of GOLD-20 May
1520, reaching Leeds Castle the 22nd." Leeds Castle was one of the King's many "Summer Palaces", and I continue to use that name to reference my little camper in Detroit Lakes, MN.
In 1521, the Queen occupied her suite in Leeds Castle, located five miles southeast of Maidstone in Kent.
For all you history buffs or historical romance readers, Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's first wife. The daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand, yep, that Isabella and Ferdinand from your history books.
And when Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn, John went to work for her as well. In 1534 he again earned 5 pounds. John worked for Queen Anne until her death in 1536 (she was executed).
Maidstone is about 5 miles from Leeds Castle. Here he met and married Margaret Sharp about 1525. Margaret was from Loose, about 3 miles from Maidstone.
Maidstone, Loose, and Leeds Castle
More to come in Part Two!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Sad Dream
Early this morning I dreamed that I had just come back from long travels and was now in a temporary place waiting to go home. I didn't have a home, so I was going to move in with Mom until my home could be built.
I felt the deep contentment of where I'd been, and the sweet anticipation of just going home again to rest somewhere where I could be quiet and know I was loved.
At the end of the dream, I remember that Mom was dead and I didn't have anywhere to go. I was alone. What woke me up was 4 knocks somewhere in the house, and a female voice saying something to me that I didn't understand. Grace (my cat) heard it too, or she reacted to me thinking I heard it. Of course there was no one there at 0630.
I know that my dreams are an attempt to reconcile the deep feelings that I have about leaving Texas and moving closer to family. My Mom used to ask almost every phone call "when are you coming home", meaning "when are you going to give up this silly dream of living away from North Dakota and move back in with me?". She gradually gave up the notion and celebrated every success that I had, and kept every postcard from exotic places I sent her.
So where am I in moving? We continue to take delays - insurance okayed a new roof, siding fix, and even some fence repair, but it has yet to be done. The siding has been discontinued, so we're fighting the insurance company to replace all of it so that the color matches.
And the sliding glass door hasn't been installed yet. My handyman got cold feet on me and confessed he wasn't sure he could do it. Then he thought that maybe he could, but got an emergency plumbing call. So hopefully today?
Here's some progress pics - sometimes I feel like I've done nothing and have to look at them to understand.
I felt the deep contentment of where I'd been, and the sweet anticipation of just going home again to rest somewhere where I could be quiet and know I was loved.
At the end of the dream, I remember that Mom was dead and I didn't have anywhere to go. I was alone. What woke me up was 4 knocks somewhere in the house, and a female voice saying something to me that I didn't understand. Grace (my cat) heard it too, or she reacted to me thinking I heard it. Of course there was no one there at 0630.
I know that my dreams are an attempt to reconcile the deep feelings that I have about leaving Texas and moving closer to family. My Mom used to ask almost every phone call "when are you coming home", meaning "when are you going to give up this silly dream of living away from North Dakota and move back in with me?". She gradually gave up the notion and celebrated every success that I had, and kept every postcard from exotic places I sent her.
So where am I in moving? We continue to take delays - insurance okayed a new roof, siding fix, and even some fence repair, but it has yet to be done. The siding has been discontinued, so we're fighting the insurance company to replace all of it so that the color matches.
And the sliding glass door hasn't been installed yet. My handyman got cold feet on me and confessed he wasn't sure he could do it. Then he thought that maybe he could, but got an emergency plumbing call. So hopefully today?
Here's some progress pics - sometimes I feel like I've done nothing and have to look at them to understand.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
It Could Be Worse, Right?
Baseboards are done, bedroom doors are replaced, the broken tile in the bathroom has been replaced and grouted, the old room electric heat controls have all been removed, and I have half hardheartedly started painting. The entry door has 2 coats of varnish on it (it looks fabulous by the way), and the new sliding glass door and new door to the garage will be delivered tomorrow morning.
And just as I suspected, the more work we do, the more we find to do. If I learned one lesson here, it's to not put off house maintenance! It's always seemed overwhelming to me, but if I had done one thing at a time, I'd be ready to put my house on the market.
Today was supposed to be tree day, but I got a call this morning saying that the owner had poison oak all over his body, and that he needed several days to recover. Bummer. I was really looking forward to the positive changes tree trimming and removal was going to make, especially to my backyard.
Next week the tub is getting refinished, hopefully the fence will get done, and siding repaired. Tonight I worked on a Pinterest project; picked up some trim molding and stained it with the stain I had leftover from the entry door. It'll be cut to "frame" the huge mirror in the downstairs bathroom. There's not enough room to actually frame it, so it will be glued to the mirror with Liquid Nails. The downstairs bathroom is the ugliest room in the house, so any little bit helps.
I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so I can finish my painting chores then if I don't finish them this weekend. I really hate painting.
And just as I suspected, the more work we do, the more we find to do. If I learned one lesson here, it's to not put off house maintenance! It's always seemed overwhelming to me, but if I had done one thing at a time, I'd be ready to put my house on the market.
Today was supposed to be tree day, but I got a call this morning saying that the owner had poison oak all over his body, and that he needed several days to recover. Bummer. I was really looking forward to the positive changes tree trimming and removal was going to make, especially to my backyard.
Next week the tub is getting refinished, hopefully the fence will get done, and siding repaired. Tonight I worked on a Pinterest project; picked up some trim molding and stained it with the stain I had leftover from the entry door. It'll be cut to "frame" the huge mirror in the downstairs bathroom. There's not enough room to actually frame it, so it will be glued to the mirror with Liquid Nails. The downstairs bathroom is the ugliest room in the house, so any little bit helps.
I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so I can finish my painting chores then if I don't finish them this weekend. I really hate painting.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Sweat Equity
I have a list of tasks that need to get done before I can put my house on the market. It seems like an awfully long list, but I know that once I get started it'll all be done before I know it. The list is separated by items I can do myself versus tasks I need others to do.
This weekend I have spray painted the gas fireplace surround (very successful), spray painted an old air intake vent (not so great), sanded and painted a patch my contractor left on the wall upstairs after fixing HIS plumbing mistake (bastard), and started work on my entry door.
When I first looked at the door, I thought for sure it would need to be replaced. The finish was peeling, and it squeaks when opening. But knowing that my budget is tight, I decided to see if I could refinish it instead. First I sanded off what varnish I could, then put paint stripper on the parts I couldn't get to. Then I put a coat of Gunstock stain on the door. It doesn't look half bad! I'll add a second coat in a couple of hours, let it dry overnight, then do a couple coats of varnish.
Lowes finally delivered my baseboard and bedroom doors this morning. They were supposed to be here Friday morning - they called Thursday afternoon and said that they didn't have a driver. I explained that I had already taken the day off and really needed the baseboards - she said they'd get them to me sometime on Friday. Friday night they called and said that the truck broke down, and could they please deliver on Saturday instead? I called bulls**t on that one; was the truck broke or did they not have a driver? Profuse apologies and waiving the delivery fee later, I hung up.
Saturday...all day...no Lowes truck and no phone call. By this point I was resigned to not getting my stuff until Monday. My handyman was waiting for the delivery so he could start, but he has a doctor's appointment on Monday, so now he can't start work until Tuesday.
This morning (Sunday) I got the phone call - Lowe's will be here in an hour. I didn't take my frustrations out on the drivers; I don't think they actually work for Lowes anyway. Since we're expecting another round of cold and rain Tuesday, I guess I'll be painting baseboards on my birthday (tomorrow). Good thing I took the day off to celebrate!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
All You Need to Do is Ask
I vowed that this winter was the year I was finally get my house fixed up and ready for sale. It's sometimes overwhelming the list of items that have to get done, and the list seems to get longer by the day.
I separated the list by what I could do and what I needed to hire out for, and went to Lowes for supplies for the jobs I could do myself. As I was pondering what brush would work for varnish (my entry door), a man behind me asked what I was going to paint. Assuming it was a Lowes employee, I answered before turning around, then discovered that it was just another shopper who saw the confused look on my face and stopped to help.
As we discussed the project, he gave me all sorts of helpful hints, and then as he was walking away offered up his card. He's a handyman! I hired him on the spot.
Today he came to the house and we discussed my projects. Some things, like the sliding glass door which I thought I'd have to replace, he said he can fix instead. We measured for doors and baseboards and then headed to Lowes for supplies.
Since the supplies won't be delivered until Friday, I got lunch at Taco Bell and headed home. My first bite of taco was interrupted by a knock on the door. I answered it, thinking my handyman forgot something. It was a man, probably a Gypsy, selling his services door to door. He offered to clean and seal my vinyl siding, and his price kept going lower and lower while I stood there and listened.
It's on my list to do. Okay, it's on my list to call someone to do if we want to be honest.
And I don't pay him until it's done to my satisfaction. And he'll do it right now and be done in less than 3 hours.
"Okay", I said. He and his wife are doing it now, and from what I see so far it looks a lot better than it did. The front porch looks all clean and shiny, even under the eaves.
One of the items on my list was one I felt I could tackle, even though it involved electrical. The switch on my old closet pull chain light had broken last fall, and the only way to turn the light on was to screw the light bulb in. To turn the light off? You guessed it; unscrew the light bulb. Before I left for Lowes I figured it would be good to measure the old fixture, so I climbed up on the step ladder to do just that. For grins and giggles, I pulled the cord too.
It fixed itself. Or my housekeeper fixed it this summer while I was gone. Or a miracle happened. Anyway, it was the first item I could cross off my list!
I got the hedges trimmed and a hinge fixed too. Three down, a million to go.
My point in all of this, is that sometimes when you truly have an intention, the universe puts people in front of you to help you. Instead of not answering the door like I normally would, I took a chance and there was someone willing to help me accomplish my goal. By striking up a conversation in a hardware store, I found a handyman who is already acting like a father to me, offering to show me what's wrong and how to fix stuff (like the leaky toilet flapper).
And Gypsies are cleaning my house as we speak. One more item off my list, and one more day closer to achieving my goal!
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