Sir John Norreys, Keeper of the Wardrobe

John Norreys (Keeper of the Wardrobe)

Sir John Norreys (c. 1400 – 1 September 1466) was a high ranking Lancastrian, and the head of the branch of the Norreys family who became prominent under the reign of the House of Tudor. He served as Keeper of the Wardrobe for King Henry VI of England.

John was the son of William Norreys (born c. 1375) Esquire of Ockwells Manor and Christina Stretch, daughter and heiress of William Stretch of Ruscombe. William Norreys was the son and heir of Roger Norreys of Bray. The Norreys family were descendants of the prominent le Norreys family, who are said to have come to England soon after the Norman Invasion.

John Norreys married (1st) before 1437 Alice (c. 1405 - c. 1450), daughter and heiress of Richard Merbrook (or Merbroke), Esq., of Yattendon, Berkshire. His wife, Alice, was made a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 1448 [see Beltz, Memorials of the Order of the Garter (1841): ccxxiv]. The couple had two sons:

• Sir William Norreys (1433 - 4 January 1507)
• John Norreys, living 1466.

After Alice's death, John Norreys married (2nd) Eleanor Clitherow, daughter and co-heiress of Roger Clitherow, of Goldston [in Ash], Kent, by his wife, Maud. She was living 1455. The couple had one son and one daughter.

• John Norreys, Esq. (of Goldston [in Ash], Kent), married Isabel/Elizabeth Wyfold, daughter and heiress of Nicholas Wyfold, Alderman, Citizen, and grocer of London, Mayor of London (1450–1).
• Anne Norreys, living 1495, married (1st) John Harcourt, Esq. (born c. 1450, died 1485), of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire; (2nd) before 1495 John Grey, Esq., of Bosworth, Leicestershire.

John Norreys married (3rd) in September 1459 Margaret Chedworth (1436–1494), widow of Nicholas Wyfold (died 1456), Alderman, Citizen, and grocer of London, Mayor of London (1450–1), and daughter of John Chedworth, Knt., civil lawyer, by his wife, Joan. The couple had one son and one daughter:

• William Norreys, living 1466.
• Lettice Norreys, living 1466.

His widow, Margaret Chedworth, married (3rd) before 22 Jan. 1467 John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk.

John began rebuilding the family home of Ockwells in 1446. The windows of its great hall still contain the fine stained glass he plaed there, showing the arms of his friends, including the King and Queen, the Bishop of Salisbury and the Dukes of Warwick, Somerset and Suffolk.

Through his first marriage, to Alice, John gained ownership of Yattendon Castle around 1440, then just a manor house. He received a Royal license to crenellate Yattendon Castle on 20 January 1448 and to empark some 600 acres (2.4 km2). In 1450 he purchased the manor of Hampstead Ferrers, which soon became renamed Hampstead Norreys. He then began buying many neighbouring estates, consolidating his extensive landholding in the county of Berkshire.

John made a life for himself at the royal court. He was a Knight of the Shire (MP) for Berkshire and Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire in 1442 and 1457. He was made a Yeoman of the King's Chamber by 1439, usher of the Chamber and then Esquire of the Body in 1441. From 1444 to 1446 he was Keeper of the wardrobe to King Henry VI and in 1447 was appointed, until 1452, Treasurer of the Chamber and master of the Queen's jewels.

He was later made a Knight of the Bath.

Sir John died on 1 September 1466. He was buried in the Norreys Chapel (of St. Nicholas) in Bray Church, in a marble tomb. His tomb has not survived, but the Norreys arms, which are carved in stone and located on the walls, still exist.

John's descendants all served at court. His great grandson Sir John Norreys served as Esquire of the body of King Henry VII, and later usher to King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Mary. Another of his great grandsons, Sir Henry Norreys served under King Henry VIII and was beheaded for his supposed adultery with Queen Anne Boleyn.

Great-great-grandson Sir Henry Norris was a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth's, serving as Ambassador to France, and eventually was made 1st Baron Norreys. Henry Norris' 6 sons all served with distinction in the military under Queen Elizabeth. One, Sir John Norreys, was considered the most acclaimed soldier of his time.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Norreys_(Keeper_of_the_Wardrobe)

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• John Norreys, Esq., Sheriff of Berkshire & Devonshire, Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber, Master of the Royal Wardrobe1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
• M, #47717, b. circa 1415, d. 1 September 1466
• Father William Norreys9 b. c 1390
• Mother Christina Stretche9 b. c 1392
• John Norreys, Esq., Sheriff of Berkshire & Devonshire, Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber, Master of the Royal Wardrobe was born circa 1415 at of Ockwells in Bray & Yattendon, Berkshire, England.1,3 He married Alice Merbrooke, daughter of Richard Merbrooke, Esq. and Ellen Montfort, before 1437; His 1st marriage. They had 1 son (Sir William).10,3,4,5,6,8,9 John Norreys, Esq., Sheriff of Berkshire & Devonshire, Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber, Master of the Royal Wardrobe married Eleanor Clitherow, daughter of Roger Clitherow and Katherine Oldcastle, circa 1445; They had 1 daughter (Anne, wife of John Harcourt, Esq.).9 John Norreys, Esq., Sheriff of Berkshire & Devonshire, Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber, Master of the Royal Wardrobe married Margaret Chedworth, daughter of Sir John Chedworth and Joan, before 20 September 1459; His 3rd wife. They had 1 son (William) & 1 daughter (Lettice).1,11,7,9 John Norreys, Esq., Sheriff of Berkshire & Devonshire, Treasurer of the Queen's Chamber, Master of the Royal Wardrobe died on 1 September 1466 at of Bray, Berkshire, England; Buried at Bray, Berkshire.1,2,11,7,9
• Family 1 Alice Merbrooke b. c 1417
• Child
  • Sir William Norreys, Sheriff of Berkshire & Oxfordshire+12,3,4,5,6,8,9 b. c 1441, d. c 10 Jan 1507
• Family 2 Eleanor Clitherow b. c 1421, d. b 20 Sep 1459
• Child
  • Anne Norris+13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,9 b. c 1446, d. a 1493
• Family 3 Margaret Chedworth b. c 1425, d. 1494
• Citations
• [S11568] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, by George Edward Cokayne, Vol. IX, p. 612, notes.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 236.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, p. 350-351.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 105-106.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 453-454.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. II, p. 487-488.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 333-334.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 393-394.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. IV, p. 267-268.
• [S61] Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, Family History Archives, SLC.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 412-413.
• [S11581] Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerages, p. 403.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 253.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 377-378.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, p. 309-310.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 20-21.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 348.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 2-3.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. I, p. 522-523.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. II, p. 376-377.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 211-212.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 539.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p1587.htm#... ________________
• Sir John Norreys1
• M, #434637, d. 1466
• Last Edited=12 Apr 2010
• Sir John Norreys was the son of William Norreys and Christian Sereth.1 He married, firstly, Alice Merbrooke, daughter of Richard Merbrooke.1 He married, secondly, Eleanor Clitherow, daughter of Roger Clitherow.1 He married, thirdly, Margaret Chedworth, daughter of Sir John Chedworth, before 20 September 1459.1 He died in 1466.1
• He held the office of Master of the Wardrobe to King Henry VI.1 He held the office of Sheriff of Devon.1 He held the office of Sheriff of Berkshire.1 He held the office of Esquire of the Body to King Edward IV.1 He lived at Bray, Berkshire, England.1 He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Bath (K.B.).1 He held the office of Usher of the Chamber.1 He lived at Pattenden, Berkshire, England.1
• Child of Sir John Norreys and Alice Merbrooke
  • Sir William Norreys+1
• Child of Sir John Norreys
  • Ann Norreys1 b. c 1450
• Citations
• [S37] BP2003 volume 2, page 2352. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
• From: http://www.thepeerage.com/p43464.htm#i434637 ____________________
• John NORREYS (Esq.)
• Died: 1 Sep 1466
• Notes: keeper of the great wardrobe to Henry VI. He acquired the manor of Yattendon through his first wife and bought many neighbouring estates.
• Father: William NORREYS
• Mother: Christian STRECH
• Married 1: Alice MERBROOKE (dau. of Richard Merbrook of Yattendon)
• Children:
  • 1. Anne NORREYS
  • 2. William NORREYS (Sir)
• Married 2: Margaret CHEDWORTH (D. Norfolk) (d. 1494 - bur. Stoke Neyland) (dau. of Sir John Chedworth) (w. of Nicholas Wyfold, Lord Mayor of London - m.3 John Howard, 1° D. Norfolk) AFT 1456
• From: http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/NORREYS.htm#John NORREYS (Esq.)1 __________________
• Sir John Norreys
• Birth: 1400
• Death: Sep. 1, 1466
• Knight of the Shire, Member of Parliament for Berkshire and Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire in 1442 and 1457. He worked at the Royal Court, largely in Westminster and Windsor. He became Usher of the Chamber and in 1445, Esquire of the Body and finally Master of the Wardrobe to King Henry VI. He was also made a Knight of the Bath and even gained enough celebrity to be mentioned as 'the Conduit' in a popular song of the day. He lived during the War of the Roses and witnessed numerous troop movements through the City of London and was expected to raise men for the Lancastrian cause. However, with the fall of King Henry VI in 1461, he found it convenient to move with the opinions of the party in power. He retained his office of Esquire to the Body of the new monarch, King Edward IV.
• Family links:
• Parents:
• William Norreys (____ - 1446)
• Spouses:
• Margaret Chedworth Howard (1436 - 1494)
• Alice Merbrooke Norreys*
• Alianor Clitheroe Norreys*
• Children:
  • William Norreys (1433 - 1507)*
• Burial: St Michael Churchyard, Bray, Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough, Berkshire, England
• Find A Grave Memorial# 38670163
• From: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38670163 __________________

Sir John Norreys of Bray & Patenden, Sheriff of Devon & Berkshire d 1466

• Keeper of the Great Wardrobe of Henry VI.
• Acquired manor of Yattendon through his first wife and bought up many neighboring estates.
• Knight of the Shire for Berkshire & Oxfordshire.
• m1 Alice Merbrooke dau of Richard Merbrooke of Yattenden
• m2 Eleanor Clitherow dau of Roger Clitherow of Colderstone
• m3. Margaret Chedworth dau of Sir John Chedworth

Links

• http://www.multiwords.de/genealogy/No18%20Norris.html
• https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Howard,_John_(1430%3F-1485)_(DNB00)

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