Jane Sharpe

~The Visitations of Essex, 1558, pp. 100-101, Janne, daughter and coheire to Thomas Staunton, married John Sharpe of Maulden, son of Henry Sharpe and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir John Tey, Knight. Henry Sharpe is given as the son of Thomas Sharpe of Mauldon in Essex. Jane is given as the daughter of Thomas Stauton and his wife, Katherin, daughter and heire to John Fitz Simond. Thomas Stauton and Katherine Fitz Simons had another daughter named Katherine. 678

Biography

John Sharpe married Jane Staunton, daughter of Thomas Staunton and Katherine Fitz Simon, in 1421 in Coggeshall, Essex, England. (Jane Staunton was born in 1401 in Maldon, Essex, England.)

From Gen-Medieval Archives: Sharpe Ancestry of Bulkeleys . 193
From: J.C.B.Sharp<jcbs@obtfc.win-uk.net >
Subject: Re: Sharpe ancestry of Bulkeleys
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:27:51 GMT

Here is my version:

Arms: Argent, three eagles heads erased sable, a bordure of the second charged with eight bezants.

THOMAS SHARP had a son Henry.

HENRY SHARP married Margaret daughter of Sir John Tey Knight and had a son John.

JOHN SHARP married Janne daughter and coheir of Thomas Staunton of Essex and his wife Katherine.

Their children were:

• ?1. John of ?Malden?, gent., married Margarett daughter of William Scott.
• 2. Nicholas Sharp, esq. of Coggeshall, Duchy of Lancaster feodary in Wilts. Somerst & Dorset 1439-46, auditor of Queen Margaret, auditor of Eton and Kings Cambridge Oct 1446, one of the kings auditors 1452, J.P.Essex 1453-70, commissioner of array in Essex 1459, collector of customs at London 1460-65, Edward IV owed him 1030:8s:6d in 1467 and 570:6s:6d in 1471, steward of the liberty of Bury St.Edmunds 1468, Duchy of Lancaster receiver general 31 May 1455 succeeded by Kerver 1467 also attorney general until 1471 (Somerville 399) died 1473, married Agnes dau John Tirrell died 9 Sep 22 Richard 3 (1484) (ipm C 141/7 no 31).
• 3. Thomas, yeoman of the chamber, (a priest in visitation).
• 4. Christopher, of whom below.
• 5. Robert esq. of Whitefriars Norwich and Wickford Essex, Duchy of Lancaster clerk of the receipt in 1465 & 1466 (Somerville 400) died 3 Oct 1488 he left property in Wickford to Edward son of Christopher Sharp (PCC 17 & 22 Milles) (Cal i.p.m. i 520) his wife Anne or Jane survived him.
• 6. Stephen, clerk .
• 7. Janne, married Henry Clouville and had Henry, Thomas and William.

(Also: Olive Sharpe, who married Thomas Forster)

Notes

SHARP PRACTICE: AN EXPOSÉ OF THE SHARPE PEDIGREE FROM THE 1558 VISITATION OF ESSEX by Rosie Bevan1. Foundations (2020) 12: 55–88 © Copyright FMG and the author (document attached). Page 72-73.

The Stanton/Staunton Family

At the point in the Herald’s pedigree that marks the marriage between Jane Stanton/Staunton and John Sharpe, we can calculate a more specific timeline. According to Somerville, Nicholas Sharpe, was working on the feodary for the Duchy of Lancaster in 1439, so was presumably above the age of 20.111 This would put his birth before 1419. Thus, Jane would have been born towards the end of the fourteenth century.

For the Stanton heraldry we are given, “Sable eight martlets, three, two, two, one argent, in the centre a cinquefoil of the last”. Similarly described arms, Sa pd cinquefoil in orle of eight martlets Arg, appear in medieval heraldry in two rolls from the reign of Edward III—Thomas Jenyns Roll and Cookes Ordinary (1334-1340) belonging to Robert de Staunton and Sr de Staunton. Unfortunately, no further information is given, nor does the description of the heraldry match any other armigerous Staunton family.

The published version of the Visitation of Essex 1558 cross references to the Sharpe pedigree a four-generation pedigree of Staunton/Stanton of Wickham indicating that the third generation had recently come to Essex from Failand, Somerset, i.e. at the beginning of the sixteenth century, a century later than the Sharpe pedigree implied a marriage. Their arms, described as Sa, a cinquefoil within an orle of martlets argent, are remarkably similar, if not identical, to those of the Stauntons associated with the Sharpe pedigree, but the pedigree chart gives no placement for Jane or any indication that she was an heraldic heiress.112 Indeed the existence of a family bearing these arms would suggest that hypothetical Jane was not an heiress at all. The 1612 Visitation pedigree corrects several details of names and place names from the 1558 version but gives no additional insight.113 A search of deeds and documents placing an armigerous family named Staunton in Wickham, Essex has been unfruitful.

To find no contemporary evidence of one heraldic heiress, either from contemporary deeds, feudal succession or
heraldic documentation is rare, but to have this situation for three fourteenth century heraldic heiresses in succession (Bagot, Fitz Simon, Staunton) is unheard of. Inheritance leaves a tangible trail of documentation of land deeds - but in all these cases we have nothing.

Source: Sharp Practice: An Expose of The Sharpe Pedigree from the 1588 Visitation of Essex. (page 74) (document attached).

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References

1. https://cybergata.com/roots/3141.htm cites
   1. Beaumont, G.F. "History of Coggeshall in Essex", 1890
   2. Metcalfe, Walter C.(ed.) "The Visitations of Essex", Harleian Soc. vols 13 & 14, 1878
   3. Metcalfe, Walter C.(ed.) "The Visitations of Northampton", 1887
   4. Palmer, W.M.(ed.) "Monumental Inscriptions and Coats of Arms from Cambridgeshire", 1932
   5. Public Record Office "Calendar of Inquisitions post mortem, Henry VII", 3 vols, 1898-1955
   6. Somerville, Robert "The History of the Duchy of Lancaster", 1953
2. Academia.edu: Sharp Practice: An Exposé of the Sharpe Pedigree from the 1558 Visitation of Essex. Note: A copy of this paper is posted in Sources.
3. Metcalfe, Walter C. (Walter Charles), The visitations of Essex by Hawley, 1552; Hervey, 1558; Cooke, 1570; Raven, 1612; and Owen and Lilly, 1634 : to which are added miscellaneous Essex pedigrees from various Harleian manuscripts, and an appendix containing Berry's Essex pedigrees v.13. Archive.org p. 100-101.
4. https://cybergata.com/roots/4120.htm
5. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/FitzSimond-1
6. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Staunton-5
7. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sharpe-519