Before going too far - what is needed to confirm that they are connected to the Earl?

It may be part of the problem is the surname varies so much, including Iliffe and Ilive.

I'm also wondering about the "Hamilton" which has the whiff of being either a mother's maiden name or even his birth name if Ayliffe is a later name, leaning towards the former.

Family Seach has a father, Abraham, but no relevant sources:

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/M8BT-K57

A will would be ideal, as he was an earl you'd imagine the paperwork would be pretty solid, but it may still be in an archive somewhere.

The Wikipedia entry suggests that there is a will for Thomas Ayliffe's father, so that'd be where the answer lies.

The Wikipedia entry also has the source: "'Mr Ayliffe, surgeon' and 'this ingenious lady': uncovering the origins of Thomas Hamilton Ayliffe and Elizabeth, the countess of Egremont" I assume that if the will is easy to find, it'd be mentioned in there. The fact that his parents aren't mentioned suggest it isn't.

The other source includes this older pamphlet which has a family tree showing their father was Francis a descendant of Sir George Ayliffe of Grittenham:

http://www.hamiltonewell.com.au/pdfs/The_Alyiffe_Family_as_collecte...

Which would be this one I believe:

Sir George Ayliffe

This seems to be his father's will:

https://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Brinkworth/Brinkworth%20-%20...

Seems to have got a mention in Who Do You Think You Are? magazine:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/soc.genealogy.medieval/qD580Z...

I also note in the pamphlet that Thomas and Elizabeth's grandparents are listed as James Thomas and Sophie Grand Duchess of Saxe Coburg, the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton. Which explains that bit. Although the text makes clear,a lot of claims are made about their ancestors - the identification comes from the Statement of Facts reprinted at the end of the document. The claim is that there was a disgrace which saw the family lose status and their children having to take the name Ilive, later Ayliffe. However, I can find no evidence of such an individual.

Thanks Bill Barnes I have been last night downloading wills to upload to the project https://www.geni.com/projects/Ayliffe-family-of-South-Australia-Ayl...

could you please request to join, I tried to add you but so many of you lol.

I have not seen a pamphlet that Thomas and Elizabeth's grandparents are listed as James Thomas and Sophie Grand Duchess of Saxe Coburg.
On the project I have listed about poor John Ayliffe married to Sarah, son John who was executed for de frauding the Henry Fox, but too early to be these peoples parents.

Jacob was imprisoned for printing blasphemies, and he also printed Lude and unencouraging material to abandone sexual morality, He as Masters family has resolved, is their Uncle, but this family is lowly, and I wonder how they would have gained the Earls interest. In this case, as a family of printers on both sides, I found an Archibald Hamilton, also London printer of the time.

The Earl was said to have 44 illegitimate children, I wonder if Thomas our pioneer was one of them, and why the son and heir to the Earl, also supposedly nephew to our Thomas, arranged for the families emigration and financed them for 3 generations.

Will upload more docs today when I am sure who to attach them to.

PS. the Earl changed his name to O'Brien, and I am working on the Baronets Ayloffe at present where Mary Ayliffe daughter of Bryan Ayliffe, of London married Jospeh Ayloffe and had the on Sir Joseph Ayloffe, 6th Baronet

Here is the little branch I have created for Abraham and co. Thomas Iliffe

The uncle of my ancestress Jane Brind (dau. of Thomas Brind, merchant, of London, 2nd son) was Nicholas Brind, eldest son and heir of John Brind of Wanborough and his wife Emme dau. of Nicholas Drewrie (Drury) of Cholsey, Berks. Nicholas married Margaret daughter of John Olive (Ayliffe) of Grittenham, Brinkworth, Wilts. (Visitation of Wiltshire, 1623, ed. Squibb, Harl. Soc. publ. 1954, vols 105 & 106 in one, Brind pedigree on pp. 28-29, Aileffe (Ayliffe ped. on pp. 1-2)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/soc.genealogy.medieval/qD580Z...

Add Olive/Hive/ to name searches

Bill Barnes If you can read well, would love some insight in to this. I really from the beginning after reading some of John Ayliife's case, he ended up being executed, that he deserves looking in to. AND now I have found the FOX connections.

John Ayliffe Esq, Late of London - executed for fraud 19 Nov 1759

John Ayliffe, of Blandford Forum, in the county of Dorset, Esquire who was a Steward.
This was a long and sad affair, all John wanted was to be with his beloved wife Sarah and little son John again. Honourable Henry Fox, his benefactor and William Clewer , Esq, charged him with defrauding papers re some real estate. I believe Fox's wife was Lady C.... (need to check her name from the transcripts). The property was Rusley Park in the parish of Bishopstone in the county of Wills. His wife was Sarah who was born in Redbourn, Hartfordshire, England. There is much to read in this case, accusations of being set up, having previously been swindled, and other cases brought to light. In all cases, poor John was not pardoned, merely chastised for his ungrateful accusations and behavior to Mr. Fox, who, kindly paid for a guard so John would not have to wear leg irons.

https://www.londonlives.org/search.jsp?_persNames_surname=Ayliffe&a...

City of London Sessions : Sessions Papers - Justices' Working Documents SL | PS, 10th August 1759 to be an Indenture of Lease from the Right Honourable Henry Fox to the said John Ayliffe of a Farm and Lands in the said County of Witts called Russley Parke.

https://www.londonlives.org/browse.jsp?id=LMSLPS15070_n219-9&di...

In 1541 the Crown granted the manor to John Ayliffe (knighted 1549, d. 1556) and his wife Elizabeth (fl. 1560). From the Ayliffes it passed in the direct male line to John (fn. 125) (d. 1579), John (fn. 126) (d. 1631), Sir George (fn. 127) (d. 1643), John (d. 1645), and George (fn. 128) (d. 1713). The manor passed with Foxley manor from George to his relict Judith (d. 1716), (fn. 129) to their son John (d. 1722), and to their daughter Judith (d. 1737), to Susanna Horner (d. 1758), and to Henry Fox. (fn. 130) From Henry Fox (cr. Baron Holland 1763, d. 1774) the manor passed from father to son with the Holland title to Stephen Fox (d. 1774), Henry Fox (d. 1840), who took the surname Vassall in 1800, and Henry Fox (d. 1859). The manor, c. 1,761 a. c. 1840, (fn. 131) passed with Foxley to Mary, Lady Holland (d. 1889), Leopold Fox-Powys (d. 1893), and Thomas Powys, Baron Lilford, (fn. 132) who sold it in 1895 to George Llewellen Palmer. (fn. 133) In the earlier 20th century Palmer sold the c. 11 farms of the manor separately, and each has descended separately. (fn. 134)

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol14/pp13-25

Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland of Foxley

Please see Susannah Strangways for her will and read John Ayliffe, Esq profile

Shaz

I have not looked into the Iliffe, Whyndham of Petworth, or spent any time at all researching this (just reading about it)

Just a question. Has any affiliation with France been discounted - it was the period 'of discontent' over there. So far, with the Ayliffes in Wilts and Glos, I cannot see any connection.

However, whilst browsing, I found below which I sent to another Ayliffe contact. This 'find' seems to confirm existence of an Ayliff line in Petworth at the time. Again - in my To Do mountain.
Quote
A very interesting find when I was browsing: Mary Ayliff, father John, bap 18 Nov 1571 Petworth Sussex. ... From a shaky memory, I think the Percy family lived there and were even restricted as Elizabeth 1 had doubts about supposed allegiances to the Catholics. Petworth also comes into my vision in 18th century re Wyndham and Thomas Hamilton Ayliffe – a first settler to South Australia.

https://www.familysearch.org/auth/familysearch/login?icid=hr-signin...