Mayor Charles Martel

Male, #8371, (688 - 22 Oct 741)
Father*Pepin Mayor of Herstal
Mother*Mistress of Pepin
Birth*688 Charles was born in 688. 
Death of Father16 Dec 714 His father Pepin Mayor of Herstal died on 16 Dec 714 at Jupille (near Liège), Belgium. 
Birth of Soncirca 714 His son King Pepin the Short was born circa 714. 
Death*22 Oct 741 He died at Quierzy-sur-Oise, France, on 22 Oct 741. 
Biography* Charles MARTEL, Latin CAROLUS MARTELLUS, German KARL MARTELL (b. c. 688--d. Oct. 22, 741, Quierzy-sur-Oise, France), mayor of the palace of Austrasia (the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom) from 715 to 741. He reunited and ruled the entire Frankish realm and stemmed the Muslim invasion at Poitiers in 732. His byname, Martel, means "the hammer." Charles was the illegitimate son of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace of Austrasia. By this period the Merovingian kings of the Frankish realm were rulers in name only. The burden of rule lay upon the mayors of the palace, who governed Austrasia, the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom, and Neustria, its western portion. Neustria bitterly resented its conquest and annexation in 687 by Pepin, who, acting in the name of the king, had reorganized and reunified the Frankish realm. The assassination of Pepin's only surviving legitimate son in 714 was followed a few months later by the death of Pepin himself. Pepin left as heirs three grandsons, and until they came of age, Plectrude, Pepin's widow, was to hold power. As an illegitimate son, Charles Martel was entirely neglected in the will. But he was young, strong, and determined, and an intense struggle for power at once broke out in the Frankish kingdom. Both Charles and Plectrude faced rebellion throughout the Frankish kingdom when Pepin's will was made known. The king, Chilperic II, was in the power of Ragenfrid, mayor of the palace of Neustria, who joined forces with the Frisians in Holland in order to eliminate Charles. Plectrude imprisoned Charles and tried to govern in the name of her grandchildren, but Charles escaped, gathered an army, and defeated the Neustrians in battles at Amblève near Liège (716) and at Vincy near Cambrai (717). His success made resistance by Plectrude and the Austrasians useless; they submitted, and by 719 Charles alone governed the Franks as mayor. Assured of Austrasia, Charles now attacked Neustria itself, finally subduing it in 724. This freed Charles to deal with hostile elements elsewhere. He attacked Aquitaine, whose ruler, Eudes (Odo), had been an ally of Ragenfrid, but Charles did not gain effective control of southern France until late in his reign. He also conducted long campaigns, some as late as the 730s, against the Frisians, Saxons, and Bavarians, whose brigandage endangered the eastern frontiers of his kingdom. In order to consolidate his military gains, Charles supported St. Boniface and other missionaries in their efforts to convert the German tribes on the eastern frontier to Christianity. Ever since their arrival in Spain from Africa in 711, the Muslims had raided Frankish territory, threatening Gaul and on one occasion (725) reaching Burgundy and sacking Autun. In 732 'Abd ar-Rahman, the governor of Córdoba, marched into Bordeaux and defeated Eudes. The Muslims then proceeded north across Aquitaine to the city of Poitiers. Eudes appealed to Charles for assistance, and Charles' cavalry managed to turn back the Muslim onslaught at the Battle of Poitiers. The battle itself may have been only a series of small engagements, but after it there were no more great Muslim invasions of Frankish territory. In 733 Charles began his campaigns to force Burgundy to yield to his rule. In 735 word arrived that Eudes was dead, and Charles marched rapidly across the Loire River in order to make his power felt around Bordeaux. By 739 he had completely subdued the petty chieftains of Burgundy, and he continued to fend off Muslim advances into Gaul during the decade. Charles' health began to fail in the late 730s, and in 741 he retired to his palace at Quierzy-sur-Oise, where he died soon after. Before his death he divided the Merovingian kingdom between his two legitimate sons, Pepin and Carloman. He continued to maintain the fiction of Merovingian rule, refraining from transferring the royal title to his own dynasty. Source: "Charles MARTEL" Britannica Online. [Accessed 10 February 1998]. 

Family
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited1 Jan 2012

Ansegisel

Male, #8372, (say 605 - )
Father*Saint Arnulf of Metz
Mother*Doda
Birth*say 605 Ansegisel was born say 605. 
Marriage* He married Begga. 
Birth of Soncirca 635 His son Pepin Mayor of Herstal was born circa 635. 

Family

Begga
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Charlemagne Emperor of The West

Male, #8373, (2 Apr 742 - 28 Jan 814)
Father*King Pepin the Short
Mother*Bertha
Birth*2 Apr 742 Charlemagne was born on 2 Apr 742. 
Death of Father24 Sep 768 His father King Pepin the Short died on 24 Sep 768 at Saint-Denis, Neustria, France. 
Marriage*circa 771 He married Hildegard circa 771. 
Birth of SonApr 773 His son King Pepin of Italy was born in Apr 773. 
Birth of Son778 His son Louis the Pious, Emperor of the West was born in 778 at Chasseneuil, near Poitiers, Aquitaine. 
Death of Spouse30 Apr 783 His wife Hildegard died on 30 Apr 783. 
Death of Son8 Jul 810 His son King Pepin of Italy died on 8 Jul 810. 
Biography* Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus, Charles the Great) as king of the Franks (768-814) conquered the Lombard kingdom in Italy, subdued the Saxons, annexed Bavaria to his kingdom, fought campaigns in Spain and Hungary, and, with the exception of the Kingdom of Asturias in Spain, southern Italy, and the British Isles, united in one superstate practically all the Christian lands of western Europe. In 800 he assumed the title of emperor. (He is reckoned as Charles I of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as Charles I of France.) Besides expanding its political power, he also brought about a cultural renaissance in his empire. Although this imperium survived its founder by only one generation, the medieval kingdoms of France and Germany derived all their constitutional traditions from Charles's monarchy. Throughout medieval Europe, the person of Charles was considered the prototype of a Christian king and emperor. Early Years. Charles was born probably in 742 (on April 2), the elder son of Pepin III, also called Pepin the Short. Pepin and his older brother, Carloman, had just jointly assumed the government of the Frankish kingdom as maior domus, or "mayor of the palace." The dynasty, later called Carolingian after Charlemagne, had originated in the Meuse-Moselle region on the borders of modern France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. In the course of a few generations, it had, as mayors of the palace to the Merovingians, gained control of the entire Frankish kingdom. Charlemagne's grandfather, Charles Martel, reconstituted a realm that had been on the point of breaking up, and, without infringing on the royal prerogatives of the otherwise powerless Merovingians, he had in effect bequeathed the empire to his sons, Pepin and Carloman, like a family inheritance. Charles grew to manhood while his father was engaged in acquiring sole sovereignty and the kingship. On Carloman's retirement to a monastery, Pepin eliminated the latter's sons from the government. Having thus prepared the way,he had himself proclaimed king in 751, after dethroning the Merovingians. An oracular response by Pope Zacharias furnished the ecclesiastical approbation for thus shunting aside the former reigning house, which had been held sacred. Zacharias' successor, Stephen II, arrived in the Frankish kingdom during the winter of 753-754, in order to seek help against the Lombards who were attacking Rome. As the reigning monarch's oldest son, Charles, then about 12 years of age, travelled ahead to welcome the Pope, who anointed him king, along with his father and his brother Carloman, thus sanctioning the new dynasty. The political alliance between the Franks and the Pope against the Lombards was affirmed on the same occasion. When his father subdued Aquitaine (France south of the Loire) in a series of yearly campaigns beginning in 760, reasserting the integrity of the Frankish kingdom all the way to the Pyrenees, Charles repeatedly accompanied the army. These youthful experiences probably contributed to the formation of Charles's character and to the formulation of his aims. He shared with his father an unbending will to power, a readiness to fight resolutely against external enemies and to increase his domains, and the determination to rule by himself even if it meant usurping the rights of close relatives. Charles early acknowledged the close connection between temporal power and the church; he had a high regard for the church and the king's duty to spread the Christian faith and, while asserting royal suzerainty over the church, considered himself accountable to God for the Christians entrusted to him. King of the Franks. In accordance with old Frankish custom, the kingdom was divided on Pepin's death in 768 between his two sons. It was not long, however, before a strong rivalry sprang up between the brothers: with his mother's support, Charles concluded, with the Lombard king Desiderius, whose daughter he married, and with his cousin Duke Tassilo of Bavaria, alliances directed against Carloman. On Carloman's sudden death in 771, Charles was able to make himself sole ruler of the kingdom, unopposed by his young nephews, whose rights he ignored. When Carloman's widow with her children and a few remaining supporters had fled to the Lombard court, and King Desiderius, breaking his alliance with Charles, put pressure on the Pope to anoint Carloman's sons as Frankish kings, Charles was forced to come to the aid of Pope Adrian I. He marched on the Lombard capital, Pavia, and after its fall made himself king of the Lombards. His brother's sons, who had fallen into his hands, disappeared. While the siege of Pavia was still in progress, Charles journeyed to Rome, where he celebrated Easter 774 with the Pope and reiterated, in St. Peter's Basilica, his father's promise to transfer to papal rule large sections of Italy. But he actually enlarged the Pope's lands only slightly, assuming for himself the sovereignty over the entire Lombard kingdom. Charles had fought the pagan Saxons, in what is now Lower Saxony and Westphalia, in retribution for their attacks on the lower Rhine region, as early as 772, before the first Italian campaign. From 775 on, however, it was his goal to subdue the whole Saxon tribe, converting it to Christianity and integrating it into his kingdom. This aim appeared to have been realized after several campaigns culminating in declarations of allegiance by the Saxon nobility and mass baptisms performed in 775-777. A diet held in 777 in Paderborn sealed the submission of the Saxons. Among those attending the diet had been some Arab emissaries from northern Spain who sought Charles's aid in their uprising against the Umayyad amir of Córdoba. In the summer of 778 Charles advanced into Spain and laid siege to Saragossa, without, however, being able to take the city. Retreating across the Pyrenees, the Frankish army was badly mauled by the Basques. Roland, warden of the Breton march, who died on this occasion, was later immortalized in legend and poetry. This defeat marks the end of the first period of Charles's rule, the period of vigorous expansion. Within a decade he had become the sole ruler of the Franks, conquered the Lombard kingdom, visited Rome, subdued the Saxons, invaded Spain. Henceforth he was concerned with defending and safeguarding his quickly won gains (which were to be extended only on the right bank of the Rhine), while consolidating the state internally and protecting cultural life and the rule of law. Not long after Charles's defeat in Spain, the Saxons rose up once more. The war against them became the longest and most cruel war fought by the Franks. In Charles's eyes, the resistance of this people that had undergone baptism and signed a treaty of allegiance amounted to political high treason and religious apostasy. These offenses called for severe punishment, and 4,500 Saxons were reported to have been executed en masse in 782. New outbreaks occurred after 792, and the last Saxons were not vanquished until 804. Between 772 and 804, Charles took the field against the Saxons no fewer than 18 times. In the end he carried out his aim of not only subjecting them to his rule but also incorporating them fully into his empire. Given the indissoluble tie between temporal power and the Christian faith, this meant they had to be converted. But the violent methods by which this missionary task was carried out had been unknown to the earlier Middle Ages, and the sanguinary punishment meted out to those who broke canon law or continued to engage in pagan practices called forth criticism in Charles's own circle, for example by Alcuin, his adviser and head of his palace school. When, in 788, Charles deposed his cousin Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria, who had acknowledged the Frankish kings as feudal lords, he in effect deprived of its independence the last of the German tribes beyond the Rhine. The Bavarians, who had long been Christians, were now directly integrated into the empire. The West Germanic tribes of the Alemanni, Bavarians, Saxons, and Thuringians thus found themselves for the first time gathered intoone political unit. Charles's conquests on the right bank of the Rhine were, however, not limited to the Germanic tribes. Making Ratisbon (Regensburg), the residence of the Bavarian dukes, his base, he conducted several campaigns, partly under his own command, against the Avar kingdom (in modern Hungary and Upper Austria). The remaining Avar principalities and the newly founded Slav states of the Danubian region drifted into a loose dependence on the Franks, whose sovereignty they more or less acknowledged. The gigantic expansion of the Frankish state, raising it far above the tribal states of the early Middle Ages, entailed qualitative as well as quantitative changes. Yet the idea of bestowing on Charles the Roman title of emperor arose only at a very late stage and out of a specific political constellation. While the Eastern, or Byzantine, Empire laid claim to universal recognition, the popes, constitutionally still subjects of Byzantium, were opposed to the iconoclastic religious policies of the Eastern emperors. Moreover, under the protection of Charles, Pope Adrian sought to erect an autonomous domain over central Italy, the more so as the Byzantines, abandoning for all practical purposes Rome and Ravenna, were asserting their rule only in Sicily and the southernmost edge of Italy. The papacy's desire for independence found a significant expression in the Donation of Constantine, a forgery dating probably from the first few years of Adrian's reign and purporting to legitimize these papal aims in the name of the first Christian emperor, Constantine I the Great. Charles paid a second visit to Rome in 781, when he had the Pope crown his young sons Pepin and Louis as kings of the Lombards and Aquitanians and gained de facto recognition of his Italian position from the Byzantine empress Irene, the mother of Constantine VI. The entente that existed between Charles and Byzantium came to an end after a Frankish attack on southern Italy in 787. Emperor of the West. In the end, local Roman conflicts brought about the clarification of the city's constitutional position. In May 799, Pope Leo III was waylaid in Rome by personal enemies. He took refuge at the court of Charles, who had him conducted back to the city and who in November 800 came to Rome himself, where he was received with imperial honours. Before Charles and a synod, Pope Leo cleared himself under oath of the charges made by his enemies. During Christmas mass in St. Peter's, the Romans acclaimed Charles emperor, whereupon the Pope crowned and perhaps anointed him. The imperial title was by nature a Roman dignity. While the acclamation represented the juridically conclusive act, it was the coronation at the hands of the Pope that, though of no constitutional importance, was to acquire for the Franks great significance. The Pope had been determined to make Charles emperor, deciding to a large extent the outward form; yet Charles was surely not surprised by these events. His famous statement quoted by one of his favourites, the Frankish historian Einhard, that he would not have set foot in church that Christmas if he had known the Pope's intention, implies a criticism of the ceremony initiated by the Pope, as well as a formal expression of humility. The crowning had been preceded by negotiations. While Charles's imperial rank was legally substantiated by the fact of his dominion over the western part of the old Roman Empire, the desire to counteract the petticoat rule of the empress Irene (who had dethroned and blinded her son in 797) also played a role. Residing in Rome four months and pronouncing sentence on the Pope's enemies as rebels guilty of lese majesty, Charles grasped the imperial reins with a firm hand. Likewise, after his return to Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), he promulgated laws in full consciousness of his rank as emperor. Byzantium braced itself for the usurper's attack, but Charles merely wished to see his new rank and his dominion over Rome recognized in negotiations; he gained his point in 812 when the emperor Michael I acknowledged him as emperor, though not as emperor of the Romans. While the imperial title did not bring Charles any additional powers, his control of Rome was now legitimized, and the estrangement of the papacy from Byzantium and its rapprochement with the Franks, a major historical event that had been initiated in 754, was rendered incontrovertible. A significant result of this development was the tradition to which Charles's assumption of the imperial title and function gave rise: all medieval concepts of empire and all the bonds between the constitutional traditions of the Franks and the later Holy Roman Empire with the Roman Empire founded by Augustus were based on the precedent of Charles's imperial title and position. Court and Administration. The creation of the empire was chiefly legitimized by Charles's efforts to raise its cultural level internally. When Charles came to power, the Frankish kingdom's cultural, administrative, and legal institutions were still relatively undeveloped. The Frankish king, for example, possessed no permanent residence. In the summer months he travelled about, deciding political issues and dispensing justice in assemblies of spiritual and temporal lords; above all, summer was the season for military campaigns. During the winter, from Christmas to Easter and sometimes longer, the king lived and held court at one of the imperial palaces. Charles especially favoured those situated in the Frankish heartland: only rarely did he spend the winter in one of the newly won territories, in encampment in Saxony, in Ratisbon, or in Rome. Not until 794 did Aachen, which the aging monarch liked because of its warm springs, become the court's abode, indeed almost a residence, during every winter and often even in summer. Here Charles built, partially with materials imported from Rome and Ravenna, the court church that is still standing, as well as the palace whose walls were incorporated into the 14th-century city hall. Charles's court consisted of his family, of the clergy in his personal service, who were called the king's capella, and of temporal officials, among them the count palatine, the seneschal, and the master of the royal household. These men were occasionally joined, on an informal basis, by other spiritual or temporal men of rank who spent some time in the ruler's presence. For Charles had the ambition to make his court the intellectual, as well as the political and administrative, centre of the realm and accordingly summoned prominent scholars from all parts of the empire and even from abroad. Among these the most important were Einhard and Alcuin. With the help of these and other literary men, Charles established a court library containing the works of the Church Fathers and those of ancient authors, and he founded a court academy for the education of young Frankish knights. Last but not least, he himself took part with his family and the learned and lay members of his entourage in a cultivated social life that afforded him entertainment no less than instruction. His mother tongue was an OldHigh German idiom, besides which he presumably understood the Old French dialect spoken by many Franks; as a grown man, he also learned Latin and some Greek, had historical and theological writings, including St. Augustine's City of God, read aloud to him, and acquired a rudimentary knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. The court's cultural interests, however, extended beyond the intellectual gratification of a small circle, such as the exchange of verses and letters. Efforts were also made to raise the level of religious observance, morality, and the process of justice throughout the empire. The clearest and most famous instance of this was the Epistula de litteris colendis, dating presumably from 784 to 785 and compiled in Charles's name by Alcuin. Its main argument lies in the assertion that the right faith--indeed, every right thought--must be clothed in the appropriate form and language, lest it be falsified; hence, the prescription of intensive study of Latin language and literature for all monastic and cathedral schools. The spiritual and literary movement called the " Carolingian renaissance" had many centres, especially in the empire's monasteries; but it cannot be evaluated without reference to Charles's court and to his endeavour to call on the best minds of the whole world, setting them to work in the education of the clergy and, in the final instance, of the whole people. The court's theological knowledge and intellectual self-confidence are reflected in the Libri Carolini, a comprehensive treatise written about 791 in Charles's name and directed against the Council of Nicaea (787), at which Greeks and papal plenipotentiaries had countenanced the practice of iconolatry; at the same time, the Libri Carolini did not spare the iconoclasts. Through this court, Charles ruled and administered his empire and dispensed justice. Once or twice a year at least, the court and the chief magistrates and nobles from all parts of the empire joined in a general assembly held either in the Frankish heartland or inone of the conquered territories. It is indicative of the unique structure of the Carolingian Empire that one cannot draw clear distinctions between an assembly of the armed forces, a constitutional assembly of the nobility, and a church synod: juridical, military, and ecclesiastical affairs were invariably discussed at one and the same time by the representatives of the nobility and the clergy. Above them all towered the figure of Charlemagne. On the local level the ruler was represented in every region by counts and bishops. Liaison between these personages and the court was maintained through royal messengers who travelled about at Charles's command, usually in pairs made up of a civil servant and a clerical dignitary. Royal commands did not have to be written out, although Charles's decrees (capitularies) increasingly came to be recorded in writing, at first rather imprecisely, in the last two decades of his reign; the forms coined by the "renaissance" gained ground only with time. Charles respected the traditional rights of the various peoples and tribes under his dominion as a matter of principle, and, after he became emperor, he had many of them recorded. The capitularies served partly as complements to tribal laws, partly as regulations applying to the most disparate aspects of public and private life, and in part also as specific instructions issued to royal messengers, counts, bishops, and others. Punitive decrees against highwaymen, dispositions concerning military levies, orders for the people to take an oath of allegiance to the emperor or to teach all Christians to recite the Lord's Prayer, are found intermingled in the capitularies with jurisdictional dispositions and regulations about the internal organization of monasteries; temporal and spiritual problems are rarely treated separately. Taken as a whole, the legal documents of Charles's reign bear witness to a great concern, born of profound moral and religious convictions, with the administration of justice and with public enlightenment, but they also show discrepancies between the ideal and reality. Limitations of His Rule. Charles's organization of the empire was, however, not without its defects and limitations. The sovereign's power was restricted only by theoretical principles of law and custom, not by institutions or countervailing forces. Significantly, the records report little about opposition movements and conspiracies, which, in fact, did exist. A rebellion that Thuringian counts launched against Charles in 786 can perhaps be explained as ethnic opposition to the centralism of the Franks. More ominous was an aristocratic conspiracy that in 792 attempted to place on the throne the hunchback Pepin, Charles's only son from his first marriage, which was later declared invalid; yet here, too, the political concepts and motives remain unknown. These events and, more clearly still, the history of the empire under Charles's successor, Louis, show the extent to which the political system had been designed for one person on whose outstanding abilities everything depended and with whose disappearance it threatened to collapse. Their self-confidence enhanced by Charles's educational policy, the clergy could not accept for all time his theocracy without opposing it with their own political and religious principles. The temporal nobility that had built the empire with the Carolingians could be firmly tied to the dynasty only as long as new conquests held out the prospect of new spoils and fiefs; if these failed to materialize, there remained only the care of one's properties in the different regions and the hope of gaining advantages from party strife. External expansion, however, could not advance substantially beyond the borders reached by 800; in fact, economic and technical resources were insufficient to hold together and administer what had already been won and to defend it against foreign enemies. Charles's empire lacked the means by which the Romans had preserved theirs: a money economy, a paid civil service, a standing army, a properly maintained network of roads and communications, a navy for coastal defense. Already in Charles's lifetime, the coasts were being threatened by the Normans. In 806 Charles planned a division of the empire between his sons, but after the death of the elder two he crowned Louis of Aquitaine his coemperor and sole successor at Aachen in 813. It was only a few months later that Charles himself died there on January 28, 814. Personality and Influence. Charlemagne's posthumous fame shone the more brightly as the following generations were unable to preserve the empire's internal peace, its unity, and its international position. Even after the Carolingian dynasty had become extinct, political tradition in the East Frankish (German) kingdom and empire, as well as in the West Frankish (French) kingdom, drew sustenance from the example set by Charlemagne. Under Otto I, Aachen became the city in which the rulers of Germany were crowned, and, at Frederick I Barbarossa's request, the antipope Paschal III canonized Charlemagne in 1165. In France the Capetians, beginning with Philip II Augustus, revived the traditions that had grown up around Charlemagne. The controversial question whether the Germans or the French were the true successors of Charlemagne was kept alive through the Middle Ages and into modern times. Napoleon called himself Charlemagne's successor; after the end of World War II, discussions of a united, Christian, "occidental" Europe invoked his model. Hand in hand with these political traditions went those in popular legend and poetry, culminating in the Roland epics. Nor did Charlemagne's fame stop at the boundaries of what was once his empire; some Slavic languages derived their term for "king" from his name (Czech král, Polish król, etc.) Charles left no biographical document; his personality can be constructed only from his deeds and the reports left by contemporaries. This is how Einhard, who lived at the court from about 795 on, described Charlemagne's character and appearance in his famous Vita Karoli Magni: "He had a broad and strong body of unusual height, but well-proportioned; for his height measured seven times his feet. His skull was round, the eyes were lively and rather large, the nose of more than average length, the hair gray but full, the face friendly and cheerful. Seated or standing, he thus made a dignified and stately impression even though he had a thick, short neck and a belly that protruded somewhat; but this was hidden by the good proportions of the rest of his figure. He strode with firm step and held himself like a man; he spoke with a higher voice than one would have expected of someone of his build. He enjoyed good health except for being repeatedly plagued by fevers four years before his death. Toward the end he dragged one foot." The strength of Charlemagne's personality was evidently rooted in the unbroken conviction of being at one with the divine will. Without inward contradiction, he was able to combine personal piety with enjoyment of life, a religious sense of missionwith a strong will to power, rough manners with a striving for intellectual growth, and intransigence against his enemies with rectitude. In his politically conditioned religiosity, the empire and the church grew into an institutional and spiritual unit. Although his empire survived him by only one generation, it contributed decisively to the eventual reconstitution, in the mind of a western Europe fragmented since the end of the Roman Empire, of a common intellectual, religious, and political inheritance on which later centuries could draw. Charlemagne did not create this inheritance single-handedly, but one would be hard put to imagine it without him. One of the poets at his court called him rex pater Europae--"King father of Europe." In truth, there is no other man who similarly left his mark on European history during the centuries of the Middle Ages. Source: "Charlemagne" Britannica Online. [Accessed 10 February 1998]. 
Death*28 Jan 814 He died on 28 Jan 814 at age 71. 

Family

Hildegard
Marriage*circa 771 He married Hildegard circa 771. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#1)
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#2)
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart (#1)
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart (#2)
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited26 Apr 2015

Pepin the Elder

Male, #8374, (580 - )
Birth*580 Pepin was born in 580. 
Biography* Pepin I, byname PEPIN OF LANDEN, or PEPIN THE ELDER, French PÉPIN DE LANDEN, or PÉPIN LE VIEUX (d. c. 640), councillor of the Merovingian king Chlotar II and mayor of the palace in Austrasia. Through the marriage of his daughter Begga with Ansegisel, son of Arnulf (d. 641; bishop of Metz), Pepin was the founder of the Carolingian dynasty. Deprived of his mayoralty at the accession (629) of Dagobert I, he regained power in Austrasia after that king's death (January 639) but did not long survive to enjoy it. Source: "Pepin I" Britannica Online. [Accessed 10 February 1998]. 

Family
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Count Herbert II of Vermandois

Male, #8375, (say 872 - )
Father*Count Herbert I of Vermandois
Mother*Bertha de Morvois
Birth*say 872 Herbert was born say 872. 
Marriage*say 892 He married Adela say 892. 

Family

Adela
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Adela

Female, #8376, (say 874 - )
Birth*say 874 Adela was born say 874. 
Marriage*say 892 She married Count Herbert II of Vermandois say 892. 

Family

Count Herbert II of Vermandois
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Count Herbert I of Vermandois

Male, #8377, (say 850 - )
Father*Count Pepin II of Peronne
Birth*say 850 Herbert was born say 850. 
Marriage*say 865 He married Bertha de Morvois say 865. 
Birth of Sonsay 872 His son Count Herbert II of Vermandois was born say 872. 

Family

Bertha de Morvois
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Bertha de Morvois

Female, #8378, (say 845 - )
Birth*say 845 Bertha was born say 845. 
Marriage*say 865 She married Count Herbert I of Vermandois say 865. 
Birth of Sonsay 872 Her son Count Herbert II of Vermandois was born say 872. 

Family

Count Herbert I of Vermandois
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Count Pepin II of Peronne

Male, #8379, (817 - after 845)
Father*King Bernard of Italy
Mother*Cunigunde
Birth*817 Pepin was born in 817. 
Death*after 845 He died after 845. 
Biography* Pepin II, the son of Pepin I of Aquitaine, he gained the throne about 845, after defeating the emperor Charles II the Bald in 844. War soon broke out again, however, and Charles slowly advanced through Aquitaine. Pepin took refuge with Sancho, duke of the Gascons, but in 852 was handed over to Charles, tonsured, and relegated to a monastery. Escaping in 854, he renewed the struggle, but in 859 the Aquitanians began to abandon him. Thereafter he became a wanderer, sometimes joining Viking raiders, with a band of whom he attacked Toulouse in 864. Captured soon afterward, he died during imprisonment at Senlis. Source: "Pepin II" Britannica Online. [Accessed 15 February 1998]. 
Birth of Sonsay 850 His son Count Herbert I of Vermandois was born say 850. 

Family
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

King Bernard of Italy

Male, #8380, (797 - 17 Aug 818)
Father*King Pepin of Italy
Mother*Bertha of Toulouse
Birth*797 Bernard was born in 797. 
Marriage* He married Cunigunde. 
Death of Father8 Jul 810 His father King Pepin of Italy died on 8 Jul 810. 
Birth of Son817 His son Count Pepin II of Peronne was born in 817. 
Death*17 Aug 818 He died on 17 Aug 818. 
Biography* Louis I confirmed Bernard, the son of his dead brother Pepin, as king of Italy, which position Charlemagne had allowed him to inherit in 813. But when Bernard revolted in 817, Louis had him blinded, and he died as a result of it. Louis sent his sisters and half sisters to nunneries and later put his three illegitimate half brothers--Drogo, Hugo, and Theodoric--into monasteries. Source: "Louis I" Britannica Online. [Accessed 10 February 1998]. 

Family

Cunigunde
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

King Pepin of Italy

Male, #8381, (Apr 773 - 8 Jul 810)
Father*Charlemagne Emperor of The West
Mother*Hildegard
Birth*Apr 773 Pepin was born in Apr 773. 
Death of Mother30 Apr 783 His mother Hildegard died on 30 Apr 783. 
Marriage*795 He married Bertha of Toulouse in 795. 
Birth of Son797 His son King Bernard of Italy was born in 797. 
Death*8 Jul 810 He died on 8 Jul 810 at age 37. 
Biography* King of Italy (781-810) and second son of the Frankish emperor Charlemagne. Given the title of king of Italy in 781, Pepin took part in campaigns against Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria from 787 and led an army against the Avars in 796. His Venetian campaign (809-810) enabled Charlemagne later to come to favourable terms with the Byzantine Empire. As early as 806 Charlemagne, in planning the division of his lands, had decided that on his death Pepin should inherit Italy, Bavaria, and the territory of the Alemanni, but Pepin predeceased his father by four years. Source: "Pepin" Britannica Online. [Accessed 10 February 1998]. 

Family

Bertha of Toulouse
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Cunigunde

Female, #8382, (say 797 - )
Birth*say 797 Cunigunde was born say 797. 
Marriage* She married King Bernard of Italy. 
Birth of Son817 Her son Count Pepin II of Peronne was born in 817. 

Family

King Bernard of Italy
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

Bertha of Toulouse

Female, #8383, (say 775 - )
Birth*say 775 Bertha was born say 775. 
Marriage*795 She married King Pepin of Italy in 795. 
Birth of Son797 Her son King Bernard of Italy was born in 797. 

Family

King Pepin of Italy
Child
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited8 Feb 2011

John Culpeper the Merchant1,2

Male, #8384, (circa 1606 - circa 1674)
Father*John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.
Mother*Ursula Woodcock
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name Variation He was also known as John Culpeper baptized at Harrietsham. 
Birth*circa 1606 John was born circa 1606. 
Baptism26 Oct 1606 He was baptized at Harrietsham, co. Kent, England, on 26 Oct 1606.  
Birthsay 1631  
Will14 Dec 1635 He is mentioned in the will of John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. on 14 Dec 1635.3 
Death of Fathercirca 16 Dec 1635 His father John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. died circa 16 Dec 1635 at Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England.3 
Research note He is referenced in a research note for Thomas Culpeper of Barbados.4 
Birthsay 1637  
Birth of Sonsay 1637 His son Dennis Culpeper of England and Virginia was born say 1637 at England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1639 His son James Culpeper of England and Virginia was born say 1639 at England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1641 His son Robert Culpeper of England and Virginia was born say 1641. 
Will30 Jan 1644 He is mentioned in the will of Sir Alexander Culpeper of Greenway Court, Knight on 30 Jan 1644.5,6 
Birth of Soncirca 1644 His son John Culpeper of Albemarle NC was born circa 1644.7 
Research note He is referenced in a research note for Peter Culpeper of Barbados.4 
Miscellaneous*1662/63 A Boston lawsuit—Ford and Gibbs v. Wood—centered on a trade dispute in 1662 and 1663 involving John Culpepper, who was described in court records as a merchant and part-owner of the ketch William. Traders John Ford and Robert Gibbs sued Captain Edward Wood of the William, for refusing to deliver their goods from the William to the barque Francis, and complaining that John Culpepper had "abused" Gibbs’ servant when he tried to take possession of the goods. Captain Wood’s defense was that he had received a letter from Boston in September 1662, purportedly from Ford and another man, instructing him to give the goods to "their friend" John Culpepper, who was traveling on the William, and then to follow Culpepper’s orders about the disposition of the goods. Wood also produced written instructions signed by Culpepper at Manhattan in May 1663, to sail from Manhattan to Boston and deliver the goods to a man named John Freake. Wood emphasized repeatedly that he was obliged to follow Culpepper’s orders "in all things." These court records did not indicate John Culpepper’s place of residence.8 
Death*circa 1674 He died at Virginia circa 1674.9 
Biography* John Culpeper, born in 1606, could be the ancestor of most American Culpeppers, but this is far from proven. Little is known about him for certain. Other than this John, and his brother Thomas Culpeper of the Middle Temple, there are no known Culpepers with ties to Virginia, old enough to have been the father of the first Henry Culpeper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA. From the research of Fairfax Harrison3, we know that although John was trained as a lawyer, he took up the career of a merchant instead, and that he was involved in trade between England and the American colonies. And so hereafter, I'll refer to him as John Culpeper the Merchant.

John the Merchant may have been the John Culpepper who served for a time as the sheriff of Northampton County, VA, and who died there in 1674. It at least seems likely that he was the John who appears in records in Isle of Wight and Northampton Counties beginning in the 1640's. So it might be logical to assume that he was the John Culpeper in records there in the 1670's as well.

Some, however, think that John the Merchant (born 1606) would have been too old to have served as Clerk of Court, and Sheriff of Northampton County in the early 1670's. By that time he would have been in his mid-60's. These researchers think it more likely that these later Northampton records refer to John Culpeper son of Thomas & Katherine, born 1633, who would have been almost 40 years old in the early 1670's. This John is also thought to have lived in Virginia. Like John the Merchant, few surviving records document his life.

There is no record that John, the sheriff of Northampton, left any descendants, as none are mentioned in his 1674 estate. Also, his one known land grant escheated (was returned by default) to the state of Virginia some 20 years after his death.

Those who think that John the Merchant was the one who died in 1674 offer various logical reasons why his land might have escheated back to Virginia, even though they think he did indeed leave descendants.

Others suggest that the 1674 estate was that of John Culpeper son of Thomas & Katherine, and that John the Merchant died somewhere else, perhaps even in Barbados or in England. Further research is needed to clarify these issues. It should be noted that early records in many southern Virginia counties have been lost. Had these records survived, they might have greatly expanded our knowledge of the various early John Culpepers in Virginia.

In addition to John Culpeper the Merchant, and John Culpeper the son of Thomas and Katherine, there was also a third contemporaneous John, John Culpeper of Albemarle NC, aka "the Rebel," probably born in the 1640's. This third John also seems to have been a merchant, and may possibly have been the son of John the Merchant.

It is difficult to sort out which of the various surviving records in early NC, Virginia, and New England, might pertain to each of these Johns, and no attempt will be made to do so, at this time, in this article.

Merchants in colonial America left few records which have survived until today, and our knowledge of John Culpeper the Merchant suffers as a result. But from what little we do know, it seems possible that John the Merchant and his sons may have worked as a agents, or "factors" in colonial trade. The following description of this sort of work is excerpted from Perry of London by Jacob M. Price, page 30:

     "There were hardly any towns in the seventeenth century Chesapeake except the ‘capitals' of Jamestown and St. Mary's City, and they were places of little commercial importance. Early trading ventures to the Chesapeake had often been entrusted to captains and supercargoes who could travel about and seek out business where settlers were to be found. The practice, however, was inefficient in its utilization of ship time and by mid-century had largely yielded to the factor system. The English merchant desiring to trade to the Chesapeake would either by himself or as part of an ad hoc syndicate or ‘adventure' send out an agent, usually known as a factor, who would sell goods and buy tobacco on the account of his principals, the metropolitan merchants, and receive in return a salary or a commission of ten percent (five percent for selling the trading goods and five percent for buying tobacco). The factor normally rented a room from a planter at a place convenient for keeping his goods; most of his time, however, was spent traveling about, meeting planters, arranging sales and purchases, and related details. He might be at his "store" as seldom as one day a week. Most of the factors appear to have remained in the colony only a few months... or at most a few years. But some settled permanently. As members of this last group accumulated capital of their own, they became the peddlers, country traders and even merchants of the colony...."

John Culpeper the Merchant's work may have taken him to Barbados, Virginia, Maryland, New England, and perhaps elsewhere. Much research remains to be done in order to construct a more accurate and complete picture of John's life and activities.

The following account of John Culpeper, the Merchant is taken from The Proprietors of the Northern Neck, Chapters of Culpeper Genealogy by Fairfax Harrison3:

     "He was baptised in Harrietsham, October 26, 1606, as ‘Johannes, filius Johannis Culpeper, arm;' and on May 7, 1621, was admitted 'specially' to the Middle Temple as ‘Mr. John, second son of John Culpeper of Astwood, Worc. esq.' (Hopwood, ii, 662). He did not pursue the law, but before 1633 had embarked in the Virginia trade, being recorded that year as part owner, with his elder brother, of a new ship, the Thomas and John, which was equipped with ordnance from the public stores in order to voyage to Virginia (Cal. State Papers, Dom., 1633-34, p. 223, and Hotten, Original Lists, p. 83). He was named in his father's will (1635) as 'my son John C;' on his father's MI. in Hollingbourne as 'Johannem' the third child; and in the will of Sir Alexander as 'my nephew John C. her (i. e., Cicely's) brother.'

     "His legacy under his father's will was a 'rent charge of £30, payable by Sir John [afterwards first Lord] Culpeper during my said son John's life.' When, in 1651, the Commonwealth was hearing claims upon the forfeited estate of Lord Culpeper, a John C. appeared and, describing himself as a merchant who had been 'beyond seas' during the Troubles, asserted his title to this rent charge, claiming that since 1645 he had received only £75 (Cal. Com. Compounding, 1643-60. v, 3277). That this was John there can be no doubt."

There is some evidence that this or some John was the father of Henry Culpepper, of Norfolk County, VA. Henry Culpepper appears in records of Lancaster County, VA prior to his arrival in Norfolk County, and a John Culpepper can be placed in Lancaster County about the same time. However, neither John nor Henry Colepeper or Culpeper appear in early Lancaster County, VA tithable records, indicating that they were not being taxed as landowners in Lancaster County, even though Henry was described as a "planter":

     Lancaster Co VA Deeds & Wills 1654-1661, Page 173 -- The P:sents Winesseth that I HENRY COLEPEPPER, Planter, in ye County of Lancaster in Virginia doe assigne unto JOHN EDWARDS, Surgeon, in ye same County his heirs or assignes one Cow Cale being brown ye right ear a peice taken out behind & a nick in ye forepart of ye sd ear ye left ear cropt & underkeeled with a nick in ye forepart thereof & do warrant ye sd Calfe from any p:son whatsoever unto him ye sd EDWARDS or his assignes forever, as Witnes my hand this 7th
day of December 1658. Witnes LEONARD CACOTT, HEN: COLEPEPPER p sig, THO: WILLIAMSON p sig (Edwards then assigns his interest in the heifer to Leonard Cacott.)

     Lancaster Co VA Deeds & Wills 1661-1702, Page 374 -- WHEREAS there was a meeting by the Parishoners of Lancaster Parish & the Parishoners of PIEANKITANCK for to the final ordering of all difference betwixt lhe 2 Pshes: oncerning the bounds of the sd Pshes: and it was then mutually agreed for the time to come that the bounds of thc Pshers: should be & extend according to an Order of the County Court bearing date the 10th day of Sept 1657, Provided the levys due from the LADY LUNSFORDs plantacon & other plantacons for the time past be paid to the use of the sd Lancastr: Psh: & this Agreemt. not to make invallid any Order of Court for the recovery of the sd Levys. In witnes whereof I HENRY CORBYN on behalfe of the Psh of Lancastr: set to my hand & seale this l4th of Sept: 1659 This Agreemt. to take place from this day JOHN COLEPEPER, HEN: CORBYN, JOHN RYNES, CUTH: POTTER. Recognit In Cur 9d Maii 1660 et record xxd p EDWD. DALE, Cl Cur

The area of discussion at the above meeting is the part of Lancaster County across the Rappahannock River in what is now Middlesex County. Middlesex County was originally part of Lancaster County. The Pianketank River divides present Middlesex County from Mathews County. Middlesex County has excellent records, including the Christ Church Parish records, which should be checked.

Also, a John and Henry were traveling on the same ship in 1664:

     The Complete Book of Emigrants 1661-1699, by Peter Wilson Coldham, page 64, the year 1664: "10 May - 30 June. Shippers by the Defence, Mr. John Webber, bound from London for New England: Benjamin Hewling, John Newell, Humphrey Hodges, Thomas Parris, James Fassett, John Fullerton, Sir William Peake, Robert Davies, Robert Knight, John Winder, HENRY CULPEPPER, JOHN CULPEPPER. (PRO: E190/50/1,50/2)

---------------------------------------------

From Bill Rusell4, May 2000, comes the following useful summary of John Culpeper, the Merchant:

First, John was clearly a ship owner with business interests throughtout the colonies. He had been away from England for some time when he returned to protect his brothers estate in 1651. Their interests were probably more entangled than just their common ownership of the 'Thomas and John'. It would appear that they may have owned a trading company with points of presence in England, Barbados, New England, and Virginia. Indeed, John probably had sons or sons-in-law in those places to carry out their trading business. I suspect that Hannah who married Edward Frisbie and Susannah who married Francis Lindley were both daughters. Edward Frisbie was from another prominent merchant trading family in Norfolk County, VA and removed to New England. Francis Lindley ended up in New Jersey after having lived in New England. I also believe the John Culpeper "the Carolina Rebel" was a son of John the merchant.

Second, John the Merchant was also John the lawyer, a fact we sometimes overlook and which may go some ways to unraveling some of the confusion over the various Johns. John the merchant was at the Middle Temple as was his brother Thomas. More importantly, he was there at the same time as Gov. Sir William Berkeley. I believe that it was John the merchant who represented the legal interests of Frances Culpeper Stephens Berkeley before the courts in North Carolina and who attested to Berkeley's signature on the deed to Roanoke Island in New England. Who better to entrust to such a job than the Governor's wife's uncle, a lawyer who ownd a ship able to travle to North Carolina and New England on short notice and who personally knew the Governor. He makes a more logical candidate for the job than the relative young "Carolina Rebel" who had no legal training and may not have even reached North Carolina by the time in question.

Third, John the merchant had known trading interests and presence in New England and Barbados. Charleston, SC was settled originally by groups from both places and it is possible the John the Rebel was his father's representative in those areas. Culpeper's Rebellion in North Carolina - really Albemarle -, was fomented by New England merchant traders. If John the merchant handled the sale of Roanoke Island for Governor Berkeley, it is clear that the Lamb family who purchased it were friends of Sarah Mayo, John the Rebel's wife. From the records it would appear that John the Rebel arrived in Albemarle after the John Culpeper who was in court in the sale of the property, yet the later buyers were well familiar with John the Rebel's family. The Lamb family who bought Roanoke Island were also New England
merchant traders who mainained a family presence in the Albemarle region of North Carolina.

The above is partly theory based upon available records. I believe that John the merchant was the father of Hannah and Susannah of New England, Henry of Virginia, and John the Rebel. He may also have been the father of some of the Barbados Culpepers.

-------------------------------------

It is impossible to connect Henry Culpepper of Lower Norfolk with John the Merchant through DNA evidence, since John's other plausible sons left no male descendants. And in particular, Henry Culpepper's DNA does not match the DNA of other known descendants of the Wigsell Culpepper branch of the family, such as the Culpepers of Barbados, or the Culpepers of India.10
 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for Thomas Culpeper of the Middle Temple.11 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for John Culpeper of Albemarle NC. 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for Henry Culpeper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA.9,10 
Research note He is referenced in a research note for John Culpeper of Accomack Co., VA.4 
Research note18 Aug 2011 He is referenced in a research note for Susanna Culpeper of Connecticut. 

Family
Children
ChartsThe 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited16 Jul 2015

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. E-mail written Mar 2006 to Warren Culpepper and Lew Griffin from Bob Ford, e-mail address.

    About 14 years ago, I found 35 records of a 1662-1663 lawsuit at the MA State Archives and made copies. The copies were enlarged to the extent that I had to paste the pages together. Now they are too large to copy. Also I lost the citation....
    The lawsuit involved John Ford, Robert Gibbs and John Freke (Frake), all of Boston, and Captain Edward Wood of the ship (a ketch named William.) One of the records was signed by John Culpepper in VA. I am unable to make out every word, but two of three documents containing his name are below. Notice that Culpepper sailed from Boston to VA in the first one that says:

    Order Capt Edward Wood
    ___ you having all your passengers with the necessareys aboard the Ketch William our desire is you would take first opportunity of wind and weather sayling for James River in Virginia where you are to attend the orders of our friend Mr. John Culpeper who goeth with you in the Katch delivering him what good of ours is in the Katch and likewise what freight is there due to the Katch conforming your self to his order as to the dispatch of our voyage home for New England and for all things ___ (possible "made") ___ (possible "before") you to him and desire you if possible to ___ send you to your ___ port and to return in ___ is the desire of your loving friend. (Signed) John Fford and John Ffreke

    The second says:
    Manafords(?) 10th May 1663
    Order Capt. Edward Wood
    ___ you are hereby desired to take the first opportunity of wind and weather to sail from this Port of ____ to the port of Boston in New England where you are to deliver what good are aboard the ketch William ___ ___ ___(possible "what") freight shall ___ there ___ to the Ketch in Mr. John ffrieke march to who ___ they are ___ and consigned and for ___ thins ___ you to him onley ___ to your descression and judgment for touching along the coast to ___ freight according to Mr. Fords letter to you to ___ in his ___ ___ send you to your desired port in Scfty(?) (Signed) John Culpeper.
  3. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.
  4. E-mail written 1999-2011 to Culpepper Connections from William A. 'Bill' Russell, Alexandria, VA, e-mail address (Sep 2011).
  5. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P. C. C. Rivers, 157.
    Image:http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/uk/wills/images/Alexander_of_Greenway_Court_1645-1.pdf.
  6. Public Records Office, National Archives, London.
    Image of will at: /archives/uk/wills/images/Alexander_of_Greenway_Court_1645-1.pdf.
  7. William S. Smith, Culpeper's Rebellion, New Data & Old Problems, Culpeper's Rebellion, Master's Thesis, 1990, http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/Rebellion/default.asp.
    p. 19.
  8. Diane Rapaport--Historical/Genealogical Consultant, Lexington, MA, e-mail address, http://www.quillpenhistorical.com
  9. Warren L. Culpepper (#1942), Former publisher of Culpepper Connections.
  10. Lewis W. Griffin Jr. (#47), Phoenix, AZ.
  11. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chapter 4: XIII Thomas Culpepper.

John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.1

Male, #8385, (1565 - circa 16 Dec 1635)
Father*John Culpeper of Wigsell
Mother*Elizabeth Sedley
Name Variation He was also known as John Culpeper of Greenway Court.2 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
AFN* His Ancestral File Number is AFN: G5PX-0T. 
Birth*1565 John was born at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, in 1565. 
Marriage*1600 He married Ursula Woodcock at Greenway Court, Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England, in 1600. 
Birth of Sonsay 1602 His son Thomas Culpeper of the Middle Temple was born say 1602 at Harrietsham, co. Kent, England. 
Will1 Oct 1605 He is mentioned in the will of Dr. Martin Culpeper of Feckenham in Astwood, co. Worc. on 1 Oct 1605.3 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for Dr. Martin Culpeper of Feckenham in Astwood, co. Worc.2 
Birth of Soncirca 1606 His son John Culpeper the Merchant was born circa 1606. 
Death of Father20 Oct 1612 His father John Culpeper of Wigsell died on 20 Oct 1612 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will16 Sep 1613 He is mentioned in the will of Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell on 16 Sep 1613.4 
Probate7 May 1614 He is mentioned in the probate of the estate of an unknown person at East Grinstead, co. Sussex, England, on 7 May 1614.5 
Marriage*say 1615 He married Elinor Norwood say 1615. 
Death of Mother16 May 1618 His mother Elizabeth Sedley died on 16 May 1618 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Death of SpouseFeb 1624 His wife Elinor Norwood died in Feb 1624. 
Marriage*say 1625 He married Anne (?) say 1625. 
Will*14 Dec 1635 He made a will on 14 Dec 1635.

P.C.C. Pile, 4
Will dated December 14, 1635
Proved January 23, 1635/6.

John Culpeper of Greenway Court, co. Kent, esq. To he bur. in the Chancel of the Church of Hollingbourne where Sir Thomas Culpepper (Sir Thomas Culpeper of Hollingbourne, the Elder, Knight) shall think fit. To my wife Ann C. (Anne Culpeper) bed in the wainscoat chamber, all debts owing to her as Admix. of her former husband, except the debt owing by the Lord Lambert and Lady Lambert; which I bequeath to my son Thomas C. (Thomas Culpeper of the Middle Temple), hereby confirming his actions for compounding sd. debt. To my son John C. (John Culpeper the Merchant), £30 Rent charge payable by Sir John Culpeper (John Lord Culpeper 1st Baron of Thoresway) during my son John's life. To my daur, Sicely C. (Cicely Culpeper), £300 & £20 [annuity]. To James Medlicote (James Medlicote of Feckenham, Co. Worc.) my son in law and Frances Medlicote (Frances Medlicote) my daur, 20s. each. My [eldest] son Thomas C. to be exer., and to him my personal estate. Witnesses: Tho. Culpeper [i. e., Sir Thomas of Hollingbourne], Alexander Culpeper (Sir Alexander Culpeper of Greenway Court, Knight), John Culpeper [i. e., Sir John, soon to be first Lord], William Cragge [i. e., the vicar of Hollingbourne]. Prov. by Thomas C., son & exer.2 
Death*circa 16 Dec 1635 He died at Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England, circa 16 Dec 1635.2 
Burial18 Dec 1635 His body was interred on 18 Dec 1635 at Hollingbourne Church Chancel, Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England. His brother Sir Alexander erected to his memory in the Culpeper Chapel of Hollingbourne church the following MI., which, it will be observed, contains several misstatements of fact, viz:

"Joh(ann)es Culpeper de Fakenharn in Com(itatu) Wigorn(ense) Ar(miger), filius secundus Johannis de Wigsell, vicesimo Decembris Anno D(omi)ni 1635, Aetatis 70. Corpus in cancello adjacente sepultum humo animam Creatori reddidit. Optimus vir et Cives, Juris admodum peritus, unde tantum, hoc pium sibi lucrum fecerit ut amicis jurisconsulti pacifici proximis officiurn praestaret.

"Uxorem duxit Ursulam Thomae Woodcock, Aldermanni Londinensis et Praetoris electi, filiam, per quam liberos quatuor Thomam, Cecil, Johannem, et Franciscum, paternae pietatis haeredes reliquit.".2 
Probate*23 Jan 1636 Probate action was taken on John's estate on 23 Jan 1636 at co. Kent, England.6 
Biography* Second surviving son of his generation, he makes his first appearance on the existing record as 'my brother John Colepipir's son, my godson,' in the 1581 will of his maternal uncle, John Sidley of Southfleet (P.C.C. Darcy, 31; Waters' Gleanings, ii, 969). In October, 1587, or soon after the death of his brother William, when, according to the later testimony of his tombstone, he would be 17 years of age, he was entered at the Middle Temple under the description 'late of New Inn, gent... second son of John Colepeper of Wigsell, Sussex, esq.' (Hopwood, i, 293). Unlike his eldest brother, whose record so far runs parallel, he had entered upon a professional career. Duly called to the bar, by 1595 he was having his youthful kinsmen 'bound' with him, and in 1599 is listed as a Bencher. Frequenting the household of his uncle Francis at Greenway Court, he there met and married his first wife, and after Francis' death established her at Greenway Court (then the property of his younger brother Alexander), as appears from the baptism of one of his children in Harrietsham; but later he occupied a house in Salehurst, as appears from his elder brother's inq. p.m. already cited.

That his law practice was profitable, despite his reputation, recorded on his MI., for composing more litigation that he fomented, appears from his ability to subscribe to the Virginia Company under the charter of 1609; and a year later, under the third charter, to make one of the largest individual subscriptions (£37, 10s. 6d.) to the 'supply' which saved the colony at Jamestown from death by inanition (Brown, Genesis, 218, 407, 546).

Having been designated, by the will of his uncle Martin, the contingent remainderman of Astwood in Feckenham, he removed his family to Astwood after the inheritance had become certain by the death without issue of his cousin Sir Stephen12; and there buried his first wife in June, 1612. This occupancy was by arrangement with Dr. Martin Culpeper's widow, who had a life estate but had meanwhile re-married and removed her residence elsewhere. In 1616 he bought out that aunt's interest, and then gave over his law practice to become a country gentleman. Being now 'of Feckenham,' he became a diligent presiding magistrate at quarter sessions; being included, a generation ahead of Sir Roger de Coverley, of the quorum in the Worcestershire commission from 1618-1628; again, like Sir Roger, in 1624 he served the office of Sheriff of that county 'with music before me, a feather in my hat and my horse well bitted' (Bund, Cal. Quarter Sessions Papers, Worcestershire, 1591-1643, 1900; Sheriff Lists in Fuller's Worthies).

But when he was nearly seventy years of age, for what reason does not appear, he sold Astwood to one Thomas Rich, and returned to Greenway Court to die. There, on December 14, 1635, he made his will and on December 18th following, as the parish register testifies, 'Mr. John Culpeper, Armiger,' was buried in the chancel of Hollingbourne church.2 
Will18 Nov 1824 He is mentioned in the will of John Spencer Colepeper (2) at co. Surrey, England, on 18 Nov 1824.7,8 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for Thomas Culpeper of the Middle Temple.9 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for John Culpeper of Albemarle NC. 

Family 1

Ursula Woodcock
Marriage*1600 He married Ursula Woodcock at Greenway Court, Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England, in 1600. 
Children

Family 2

Elinor Norwood
Marriage*say 1615 He married Elinor Norwood say 1615. 

Family 3

Anne (?)
Marriage*say 1625 He married Anne (?) say 1625. 
ChartsThe 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited16 May 2011

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.
  3. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Will of Dr. Martin Culpeper of Astwood in Feckingham; P.C.C. Hayes, 88; Will dated October 1, 1605; Proved December 12, 1605.
  4. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Extract from the Will of Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell, Esq.
  5. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 79 Capell Chancery Inq. P.M. 1614 No. 53.
  6. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 4 Pile.
  7. Public Records Office, National Archives, London.
    Will of John Spencer Culpeper, dated 18 Nov 1824, transcribed by Charles Andrew Grigsby. Image at: http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/uk/wills/images/John_Spencer_of%20Walterloo_1834.pdf.
  8. E-mail written 2007 to Warren Culpepper from Charles Andrew Grigsby, England, e-mail address.
  9. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chapter 4: XIII Thomas Culpepper.

Anne (?)

Female, #8386, (say 1590 - 1645)
Birth*say 1590 Anne was born say 1590. 
Marriagesay 1610 She married Hugh Goddard citizen and draper of London say 1610. 
Married Namesay 1610  As of say 1610, her married name was Goddard. 
Birth of Sonafter 1610 Her son Hugh Goddard was born after 1610. 
Marriage*say 1625 She married John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. say 1625. 
Married Namesay 1625  As of say 1625, her married name was Culpeper. 
Will14 Dec 1635 She is mentioned in the will of John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. on 14 Dec 1635.1 
Death of Spousecirca 16 Dec 1635 Her husband John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. died circa 16 Dec 1635 at Hollingbourne, co. Kent, England.1 
Death*1645 She died in 1645. 
Biography* She is named 'my wife Ann' in John Culpeper's will (1635) ; and survived him ten years, when her son Hugh Goddard administered upon her estate. See P.C.C. Admon. Act Book, 1645, where she is recited as 'Ann Culpeper, alias Goddard of St. Giles, Cripplegate. (Source: Fairfax Harrison, "The Proprietors of the Northern Neck.") 

Family 1

Hugh Goddard citizen and draper of London
Marriagesay 1610 She married Hugh Goddard citizen and draper of London say 1610. 
Child

Family 2

John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.
Marriage*say 1625 She married John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. say 1625. 
Last Edited1 Apr 2000

Citations

  1. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.

Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell1

Male, #8387, (say 1475 - 1514)
Father*John Culpeper of Bayhall, Hardreshull & Bedgebury
Mother*Agnes Gainsford
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*say 1475 Walter was born at England say 1475. 
Death of Father22 Dec 1480 His father John Culpeper of Bayhall, Hardreshull & Bedgebury died on 22 Dec 1480 at Goudhurst, co. Kent, England. 
Marriage*say 1498 He married Anne Aucher say 1498. 
Birth of Sonsay 1504 His son Thomas Culpeper was born say 1504. 
Birth of Sonsay 1506 His son Anthony Culpeper was born say 1506. 
Birth of Son1509 His son William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell was born in 1509 at Bedgebury, Goudhurst, co. Kent, England. 
Will*14 Sep 1514 He made a will on 14 Sep 1514.

I Walter Colepepir onder m'shall of the town of Calays. To be byried in the Resurreccon Chapell within Saint Nicholas Churche, to the whiche chapell my newe poleax and ij of my spere staffs myn Ermite and my swarde. To St George Chapell within the same Churche my cote of plate couered wt chamlet and myn old polleax. To Jhus (Jesus) Chapell wtin the seyd Churche my best Javelyn and a copyll of my spere stavys. Unto St John in the wall 6s Vnto the reparacons of the said Church of St Nicholas 10s. "I wyll that Anne my wyff (Anne Aucher) haue all my lands lying within the Shyre of Kent and Sussex, or in any other place within the Realme of England during hir lyff and after hir decesse to remayne to the heires of my body lawfully begotten after the course of the comen lawe of Ynglond and laudable customes of the seyd Shyres of Kent and Sussex where the lond lyeth. To my seruants that ar sworne in the Retynewe her onder me and in my petie wags ther brigandynes folds standards saletts and musteryn cotes stavys and saletts that they wer wont to were at the musterys." To Richard Payn myn old seruant my gowne of marble colour furred. To Henry hacuplaynt my veluet doblet, my blak jacket and oon sheff of arowes. To Richard Borne my blak cote of cloth bordered with Sarsenet and oon sheff of arowes. To the Churche of Newenden for the discharging of my consciens of such duties as I owe to the same 4 m'ks sterling. Church of Gowtherst 40d sterling. Church of Sevenoke 3s. If the next heires of Thomas Ratlyff of Newenden will pay to my wyff £5 sterling then they shall have the croft and house place that was Thomaseys ther fader to theym and their heirs. Margaret Swayne my seruant my blak gowne lyned wt Sarcenet. To Nanne the bedrede woman's daughter oon payr of myn old hoses and ij of my shirts. To my cosyn Otewell Gaynesford my blak damask cote. To my cosyn George Gaynesford my damask cote of white and grene. To my cosyn Lewes Clyfford my crossebowe and wenlasse and my gune wth her apparel. To Henry Tetle my bowe case of tymbre and one sheff of arowes. My galberdyne of scarlet bordered with veluet to my sone Thomas (R:2]). To my daughter Elizabeth Welford (Elizabeth Culpeper) my grete lewte and oon dosyn of fyne dyaper napkins. To my brodyr Alexander Colepepyr (Sir Alexander Culpeper of Bedgebury & Hardreshull, Knight) my white harnesse complete. Residue to Anne Colepepyr my wyff to se me honestly byried, and to se Anthony (Anthony Culpeper) and Willm (William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell) our sonnys founde to schole. She is to be executrix. Wrytyn wt myn own hand. Witnesses Henry hacupleynt, Richard Borne and Willm Annyley. In the presence of Robert Wyndebanke and of John Wyndebanke who have subscribed ther names with ther own hands. Robert Wyndebank pson of Colne. John Wyndbank solgyer of Calays. Proved at Lambith 28 Apr 1516 by Anne the relict and executrix.2,3 
Death*1514 He died in 1514. 
Probate*28 Apr 1516 Probate action was taken on Walter's estate on 28 Apr 1516 at Lambeth, co. Surrey, England,

P.C.C. 16 Holder. 
Biography* Walter Culpeper began life, like his grandfather, the squire of Agincourt for whom he was named, as a professional soldier; but, unlike his grandfather, he did not live to retire to his estates. The earliest record of him is on the page of national history, at the very end of his career.

The Chronicle of Calais (Camden Society, No. 35, p. 6) recites him in October, 1508 as under marshall of that town, present at the treaty for the marriage of Mary, daughter of Henry VII to the Duke of Burgundy, afterwards the emperor Charles V; and in that capacity there was assigned to him at the beginning of the next reign (July, 1509) a Crown tenement in Fisherstrete in Calais and an annuity of £20 out of the revenues of the town. Two years later, in November, 1511, being then recited a 'squire of the body' of Henry VIII, lie was granted also the post of bailiff of the Scavage of Calais and the isle of Colne (L. & P. Henry VIII, i, 47, 94, 298).

His crowding hour came in August, 1513, when his young master was engaged in the invasion of France to assert an outworn claim of inheritance of that realm, and it was Walter's fortune to be left for the moment in responsible command of the garrison of Calais. The chronicler Hall records (Holinshed iii, 580) that as the King lay before Therouanne on the Flemish border, the captain of Boulogue made a night foray on Calais seeking booty and to insult the invading English. Arriving with a thousand men at the bridge which defended the causey leading to the town, the Frenchman surprised the guard and captured the ordnance there mounted. Retaining 600 men at the bridge 'for a stale' he then dispatched the remaining 400 'into the marishes and meadows to fetch away the beasts and cattle which they should find there.' Some of these foragers approached so near the walls of Calais as to raise the alarm, whereupon:

"about five of the clocke in the morning the gate of Calis, called Bullongue gate, was opened, and by permission of the deputie one Culpeper, the under marshall, with two hundred archers under a banner of Saint George, issued forth,' and 'set so fiercelie on that finallie the Frenchmen were discomfited and four and twentie of them slaine, besides twelve score that were made prisoners and all the ordnance and bootie again recouered. These prisoners were brought to Calais and there sold in open market."
.
Walter died before June 24, 1515 (when he was recited dead on the appointment of Sir H. Banaster to his bailiffry, L. & P. Henry VIII', ii, 168), leaving a will which bristles with as many old world weapons as a modern museum. The will was as follows:

14 Sept 1514
P.C.C. 16 Holder
I Walter Colepepir onder m'shall of the town of Calays. To be byried in the Resurreccon Chapell within Saint Nicholas Churche, to the whiche chapell my newe poleax and ij of my spere staffs myn Ermite and my swarde. To St George Chapell within the same Churche my cote of plate couered wt chamlet and myn old polleax. To Jhus (Jesus) Chapell wtin the seyd Churche my best Javelyn and a copyll of my spere stavys. Unto St John in the wall 6s Vnto the reparacons of the said Church of St Nicholas 10s. "I wyll that Anne my wyff haue all my lands lying within the Shyre of Kent and Sussex, or in any other place within the Realme of England during hir lyff and after hir decesse to remayne to the heires of my body lawfully begotten after the course of the comen lawe of Ynglond and laudable customes of the seyd Shyres of Kent and Sussex where the lond lyeth. To my seruants that ar sworne in the Retynewe her onder me and in my petie wags ther brigandynes folds standards saletts and musteryn cotes stavys and saletts that they wer wont to were at the musterys." To Richard Payn myn old seruant my gowne of marble colour furred. To Henry hacuplaynt my veluet doblet, my blak jacket and oon sheff of arowes. To Richard Borne my blak cote of cloth bordered with Sarsenet and oon sheff of arowes. To the Churche of Newenden for the discharging of my consciens of such duties as I owe to the same 4 m'ks sterling. Church of Gowtherst 40d sterling. Church of Sevenoke 3s. If the next heires of Thomas Ratlyff of Newenden will pay to my wyff £5 sterling then they shall have the croft and house place that was Thomaseys ther fader to theym and their heirs. Margaret Swayne my seruant my blak gowne lyned wt Sarcenet. To Nanne the bedrede woman's daughter oon payr of myn old hoses and ij of my shirts. To my cosyn Otewell Gaynesford my blak damask cote. To my cosyn George Gaynesford my damask cote of white and grene. To my cosyn Lewes Clyfford my crossebowe and wenlasse and my gune wth her apparel. To Henry Tetle my bowe case of tymbre and one sheff of arowes. My galberdyne of scarlet bordered with veluet to my sone Thomas. To my daughter Elizabeth Welford my grete lewte and oon dosyn of fyne dyaper napkins. To my brodyr Alexander Colepepyr my white harnesse complete. Residue to Anne Colepepyr my wyff to se me honestly byried, and to se Anthony and Willm our sonnys founde to schole. She is to be executrix. Wrytyn wt myn own hand. Witnesses Henry hacupleynt, Richard Borne and Willm Annyley. In the presence of Robert Wyndebanke and of John Wyndebanke who have subscribed ther names with ther own hands. Robert Wyndebank pson of Colne. John Wyndbank solgyer of Calays. Proved at Lambith 28 April 1516 by Anne the relict and executrix.

Source: Fairfax Harrison, "The Proprietors of the Northern Neck." 
Will22 Sep 1516 He is mentioned in the will of Richard Culpeper of Wakehurst on 22 Sep 1516.4 

Family

Anne Aucher
Marriage*say 1498 He married Anne Aucher say 1498. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited5 Jun 2011

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
    Page 249.
  3. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).
  4. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part II", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVIII,65-98, (1905)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Pp 65-66.

William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell1

Male, #8388, (1509 - Nov 1559)
Father*Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell
Mother*Anne Aucher
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*1509 William was born at Bedgebury, Goudhurst, co. Kent, England, in 1509. 
Will14 Sep 1514 He is mentioned in the will of Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell on 14 Sep 1514.2,3 
Death of Father1514 His father Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell died in 1514. 
Gray's Inn*1530  In 1530,William was admitted to the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London.4 
Marriage*4 Jan 1530 He married Cicely Dingley Barrett at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 4 Jan 1530. 
Birth of Son1531 His son John Culpeper of Wigsell was born in 1531 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will4 Sep 1532 He is mentioned in the will of Anne Aucher at co. Kent, England, on 4 Sep 1532.5,6 
Death of Mothercirca 1533 His mother Anne Aucher died circa 1533. 
Birth of Son1538 His son Francis Culpeper of Greenway Court, co. Kent was born in 1538 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1540 His son Dr. Martin Culpeper of Feckenham in Astwood, co. Worc. was born in 1540 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1541 His son Walter Culpeper of Handborough was born say 1541 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1543 His son Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex was born in 1543 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Soncirca 1544 His son Canon Edmund Culpeper of Lincoln was born circa 1544 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1545 His son Richard Culpeper of Newton Longville, co. Bucks. was born in 1545 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Biography* William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell, born a youngest son, was named in his father's will (1514) as 'my sonne Willm,' with provision to be 'founde to schole.' That this injunction was carried out and that he was put through grammar school, and sent thence to London to reside at either Barnard's or Staple Inn, may be deduced from his admission to Grays Inn in 1530 (Foster, fo. 423).

This would be the year he came of age, when the deaths of his two elder brothers had already left him his father's heir. This appears both from the contemporary instrument (Harl. Charter, 76 H 12) which confirmed to William as 'son and heir' of his father the dispositions of the will of Sir John in favor of Walter; and from his mother's will two years later.

It may be that William Culpeper began life as a practising lawyer. The earliest public record of him is not in itself inconsistent with such an hypothesis. In 1538 he was included in the long list of gentlemen enrolled as 'servants' to Henry VIII's servant Thomas Cromwell, then Lord Privy Seal and at the dizzy height of his prosperity; for he was not part of the household, but one of those who were to attend only when called (L. & P. Henry V111, Xiii, pt. 2, p. 497). The patronage resulting from this service was part of the contemporary spoil of the monasteries. He had a grant of an annuity charged on the priory of Christ Church at Canterbury, and on March 10, 1538/9, the seizin of the lands of the dissolved priory of Losenham, which his Aucher ancestor had founded (ibid., xiv, pt. I, p. 224; xx, Pt. I, p. 324).

It is significant that in all these testimonies William appears only in relation to Kent. In his grant of the priory of Losenham he is, indeed, described as 'of Hunton,' while his second son was listed at Winchester College in 1553 (Kirby, Winchester Scholars, 1888, p. 132) by the same qualification. Thus it appears that on his marriage, which took place in 1530 as appears from the record of the family settlement of that year, William established himself, not at Wigsell, but in the midst of the Kentish weald, on the river Beult near its junction with the Medway. This was an eminently agreeable place of residence, but Hunton was not a Culpeper lordship. It was vested in the Wyatts of Allington (Hasted, ii, 229), a family which, like the Culpepers, later produced a Governor of Virginia.

In relation to the Wyatts, William Culpeper achieved also his next appearance in a public record: for when, in January, 1540/1, Sir Thomas Wyatt, the poet, was involved in Cromwell's downfall and for some weeks was held a prisoner in the Tower, William Culpeper was, on Wyatt's nomination, permitted by the Privy Council to have the custody of Allington Castle (L. & P. Henry V111, xvi, 229). He did not, however, persistently follow their fortunes. Whether, unlike his youthful kinsmen of Bedgebury and Aylesford, he remembered the check his family had had in the reign of Edward II, whether he had never accepted the break with Rome (three of his sons were named for saints), or whether it was merely his fortieth year which counselled prudence, William was loyal to Queen Mary's government in the crisis of 1553 and did not follow the poet's son into 'Wyatt's rebellion.' His record then was that of an active justice of the peace; at first in organizing police, and, after the danger had passed, charged with the custody of sequestered estates (Acts P. C., 1554-56) pp. 70, 85).

In the course of this last duty William moved his residence several times, which explains why his third son, Martin, was entered at Winchester (Kirby, supra) as 'of Barfriston' in east Kent. It follows that it was not until the very end of his life that William settled down at Wigsell, where he made his will.7 
Will*16 Nov 1559 He made a will on 16 Nov 1559.

I Willm Culpeper of Wigsell in the County of Sussex, Esquire. To be buried in the parish church of Salehurste, in the chapell where my good dere wife Cicely Culpeper (Cicely Dingley Barrett) doth lye. Poor householders of Bodyam 20s. £10 for a tome to sett on my grave. To reparation of Church of Newyndon £3. 6. 8. To William Grantham my seruant 20s. a yere for life. To Gybson's widow 10s. a yere for life. To Mr. Hyde scolemaster of Wynchester 30s. To Elizabeth Wilgosse (Elizabeth Culpeper) and Anne Edolf (Anne Culpeper) my daughters £5 each for a silver cup with my arms to be graven on it. To Edward Donck of Hawkherst my newe cloth gowne furred and to John Twysden my ffryce coot. Residuary legatee and Executor John Culpeper my eldest son (John Culpeper of Wigsell) and my nephew John Tufton of Hothfield Esq my overseer to whom my graye curtall geldynge. Witnesses Willm Grantham, Willm Lopham, John Webbe, George Pix, John Tufton, Marye Tufton, Symon Edolfe, Anne Edolfe, Rich. Lacheford.
     As to my lands in Sussex and Kent to John my son, my manors of Lossenham and Louedean in Kent, my m'she in Newynden called the ffryers m'she, my lands called Scotts in Sandherste and Newynden and and a yerely rent of £3 out of Walland marshe, also two parts of my manor of Wigsell in the county of Sussex in three partes divided, if the said John pay unto Fraunces Culpeper (Francis Culpeper of Greenway Court, co. Kent) my second son, Marten Culpeper (Dr. Martin Culpeper of Feckenham in Astwood, co. Worc.) my third son, Walter Culpeper (Walter Culpeper of Handborough) my fourth son, Thomas Culpeper (Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex) my fifth son Edmonde Culpeper (Canon Edmund Culpeper of Lincoln) my (sixth) son £5 a year each for life, and to Richard Culpeper (Richard Culpeper of Newton Longville, co. Bucks.) my (seventh) son an annuity of £6. 13. 4. --all the above with the right of entry in default of payment on the two parts of the manor of Wigsell. My manor of Heryngden in Kent to John my son to pay my debts and legacies and if he will not to Francis and Martin my sons. Proved 6 Dec 1559 by John Colepeper executor.3 
Death*Nov 1559 He died at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, in Nov 1559. 
Burial*Nov 1559 His body was interred in Nov 1559 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Probate6 Dec 1559 Probate action was taken on William's estate on 6 Dec 1559 at co. Kent, England,

P.C.C. 61 Chaynay. 
Biography He is referenced in a biographical note for Henry Culpeper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA.8,9 

Family

Cicely Dingley Barrett
Marriage*4 Jan 1530 He married Cicely Dingley Barrett at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 4 Jan 1530. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#1)
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#2)
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited1 Jan 2012

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
    Page 249.
  3. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).
  4. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Foster, fo. 423.
  5. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    C. Liber 15, No. 169.
  6. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chapter 2a.
  7. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chapter 2a, Wigsell.
  8. Warren L. Culpepper (#1942), Former publisher of Culpepper Connections.
  9. Lewis W. Griffin Jr. (#47), Phoenix, AZ.

Thomas Culpeper1

Male, #8389, (say 1504 - before 1532)
Father*Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell
Mother*Anne Aucher
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Birth*say 1504 Thomas was born say 1504. 
Will14 Sep 1514 He is mentioned in the will of Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell on 14 Sep 1514.2,3 
Death*before 1532 He died before 1532. 
Biography* Brothers, Thomas and Anthony, are both named in their father's will (1514) ; but not in that of their mother (1532), which treats the youngest son, William, as the heir. - Fairfax Harrison. 
ChartsThe 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited4 Jun 2011

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
    Page 249.
  3. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).

Cicely Dingley Barrett1

Female, #8390, (1512 - before 6 Dec 1559)
Father*John Barrett of Belhouse in Aveley, Essex
Mother*Phillipe Bardfeld
Birth*1512 Cicely was born at Belhouse, Alvethley, co. Essex, England, in 1512. 
Marriage*4 Jan 1530 She married William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 4 Jan 1530. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Married Name4 Jan 1530  As of 4 Jan 1530, her married name was Culpeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth of Son1531 Her son John Culpeper of Wigsell was born in 1531 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1538 Her son Francis Culpeper of Greenway Court, co. Kent was born in 1538 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1540 Her son Dr. Martin Culpeper of Feckenham in Astwood, co. Worc. was born in 1540 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1541 Her son Walter Culpeper of Handborough was born say 1541 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1543 Her son Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex was born in 1543 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Soncirca 1544 Her son Canon Edmund Culpeper of Lincoln was born circa 1544 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1545 Her son Richard Culpeper of Newton Longville, co. Bucks. was born in 1545 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will16 Nov 1559 She is mentioned in the will of William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell on 16 Nov 1559.2 
Death*before 6 Dec 1559 She died before 6 Dec 1559. 
Burial* Her body was interred at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Biography* The Culpeper family settlement of 4 January, 1529/30 (Harl. Chart., 76 H12, already cited) provided for the holding of Wigsell by trustees 'to the use of said Anne Colepepyr [widow of Walter[9] for life; remainder to said William Colepepyr and Cecele Barett, and the heirs of their bodies; in default to said William Colepepyr in tail, in default to the right heirs of said Sir Alexander Colepepyr [of Bedgebury].' This is testimony at once that on the date of the charter of 1530 the marriage had been arranged and was still to be consummated.
.
In the Culpeper pedigree returned at the Visitation of Kent, 1619, the bride is described only as 'Cecelia, filia... Barrett,' but the Barrett pedigree returned at the Visitation of Essex, 1612, which also certifies the marriage, identifies the bride's father.
.
The Barretts, descended from a companion of the Conqueror (see the Visitation of Essex, 1612, Harl. Pub., vol. xiii, 145), were long seated in Hawkhurst, co. Kent (Hasted, iii, 72), but in 1397 one of them married the heiress of the family of Belhouse in Essex and removed thither his residence (Morant, i, 78). His descendants were raised to the peerage by James I as barons Newburgh of Fife after an intermarriage with the Falkland Carys.
.
The John Barrett of Belhouse, whose daughter married William[10], but who died in 1526, before that marriage was celebrated, is described by Morant as 'applying himself to the study of the law, became eminent in that profession.' His contemporary, John Leland the antiquary, in his Encomia Illust. viror. (Works, 1774 ed., v, p. 107), vaunts his forensic eloquence in latin verse: 'Sic tua sollicitos facundia rara clientes Sublevet, et medio stet tua caussa foro.'
.
It would seem, therefore, that it must have been the tradition of this John Barrett, quite as much as the legal education of William Culpeper himself, which was the inspiration of the procession of the Wigsell Culpepers towards the Inns of Court.
.
Source of the preceding: Fairfax Harrison, "The Proprietors of the Northern Neck"
.
The following is from Jonathan Catton, Heritage & Museum Officer, Thurrock Museum (March 2000):
.
Thurrock Museum, which covers the Parish of Aveley, has a privately published family history of the Barrett-Lennards (as they became) c19th century, we also have relics from the house, internal photo's c 1920, painting of the house c1710, engravings c1830.
.
Aveley Parish Church has several burials of the Barret-Lennards.
.
Should any of your Culpepper researchers require help I would be happy to try and deal with local history enquiry at jcatton@Thurrock.gov.uk. 
Research note*21 Aug 2013  (an unknown value.)3 

Family

William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell
Marriage*4 Jan 1530 She married William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 4 Jan 1530. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#1)
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart (#2)
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
Last Edited23 Jan 2014

Citations

  1. 1612 Visitation, Essex.
  2. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).
  3. FamilySearch Community Trees.
    FamilySearch Community Trees http://histfam.familysearch.org/index.php
    Europe: Royal and Noble Houses of Europe

    S39] Medieval, royalty, nobility family group sheets (filmed 1996), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family History Department. Medieval Family History Unit, (Manuscript. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996), FHL film 1553977-1553985..

    [S76] #1008 Sussex Archaeological Collections: Illustrating History and Antiquities of the County (1848-), (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-), FHL book 942.25 B2ac., Colepeper of Wigsell and Hollingbourne Pedigree Chart.

    [S76] #1008 Sussex Archaeological Collections: Illustrating History and Antiquities of the County (1848-), (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-), FHL book 942.25 B2ac., vol. 47, p 62.

    [S55] Magna Carta Ancestry, Richardson, Douglas, (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., c2005), 942 D5rdm., p. 250.

    [S113] #1846 The Visitation of Kent, Taken in the Years 1619-1621 by John Philipot, Rouge Dragon, Marshall and Deputy to William Camden, Clarenceux (1898), Hovenden, Robert, (Publications of the Harleian Society: Visitations, volume 42. London: [Harleian Society], 1898), FHL book 942 B4h volume 42; FHL microfilm 162,069 ., p. 62.

    [S186] The Visitation of Kent, 1592, The Visitation of Kent, 1592, (The Publications of the Harleian Society, Estaablished A.D. MDCCCLXIX, Volume 75), p. 92.

    [S119] #1732 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... (1870), Metcalfe, Walter C. (Walter Charles), (Publications of the Harleian Society: Visitations, volumes 13-14. 2 volumes. London: [Harleian Society], 1870), FHL book 942 B4h volumes 13-14; FHL microfilm162,0., vol. 13 p. 146.

    [S20] Magna Carta Ancestry: A study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Richardson, Douglas, (Kimball G. Everingham, editor. 2nd edition, 2011), vol. 2 p. 13.

    [S52] #249 Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (1868-1938), Church of England. Parish Church of Shere (Surrey), (31 volumes. London: Hamilton, Adams, 1868-1938), FHL book 942 B2m., vol. 6 p. 84.

    [S197] Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Indexed by Robert Barnes, (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland), 975.5 D2gv., vol. 2, Claiborne-Fitzhugh p. 419.

    [S185] #3509 The Visitations of Kent, Taken in the Years 1530-1 by Thomas Benolte, and 1574 by Robert Cooke (1923), Bannerman, William Bruce, (Publications of the Harleian Society: Visitations, volumes 74-75. 2 volumes. London: [Harleian Society], 1923), FHL book 942 B4h volumes 74-75; FHL microfilm 162,., Part 1 p. 70.

    [S197] Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Indexed by Robert Barnes, (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland), 975.5 D2gv., vol. 2, Claiborne-Fitzhugh p. 417, 418, 419.

Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell1

Male, #8391, (1561 - before 19 Sep 1613)
Father*John Culpeper of Wigsell
Mother*Elizabeth Sedley
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*1561 Thomas was born at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, in 1561. 
Middle Temple*21 Apr 1583  On 21 Apr 1583, Thomas was admitted to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London.2 
Marriage*circa 1597 He married Anne Slaney circa 1597. 
Birth of Son31 Oct 1598 His son Slaney Culpeper was born on 31 Oct 1598.3 
Birth of Son7 Aug 1599 His son John Lord Culpeper 1st Baron of Thoresway was born on 7 Aug 1599 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will22 Oct 1602 John, Elizabeth, Thomas, Anthony, Henry, John, William and Elizabeth named as heir(s) in the will of Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex on 22 Oct 1602.4 
Marriage*say 1605 He married Mary Beeston say 1605. 
Birth of Soncirca Dec 1607 His son Thomas Culpeper was born circa Dec 1607. 
Biography* Thomas was probably born at Wigsell (his younger brother, Sir Alexander, testifies in his will that he was there born), but the evidence is lacking; the record of the surviving Salehurst register begins only with the burials of this generation. As a consequence, the proof of the date of his birth rests on his matriculation at Hart Hall. Oxford, in 1579, as 'of Sussex, aged 19' (Foster).
     He was admitted 'generally' to the Middle Temple, April 21, 1583, as 'son and heir of John Culpeper of Wigsoll, Sussex, esq.,' and in May, 1596, was still in residence; but, being then recorded after thirteen years as no more than an 'inner barrister,'32 it is apparent that he had not pursued the law with the intention of a professional career (Hopwood, i:260, 366).
     It was this Thomas who inaugurated his family's interest in Virginia. The explanation is patent. During the period of his residence at the Middle Temple that ancient college was a centre of the discussion, translated into action, of the voyages which lead to the English colonization in America. It suffices to cite the Middle Templars of this period whose names are on the American bead roll. Richard Hakluyt the elder, Sir John Popham, Walter Raleigh and his captains, Philip Amadas, Ralph Lane and Bartholomew Gosnold, were all members of the Society, as of a younger generation were George Percy, Richard Martin and the Ferrars (Bidwell). Our Thomas was undoubtedly in commons when Sir Francis Drake dined there in 1586 to be congratulated on his safe return from his voyage around the world, as he and his brother John must also have been in 1593 and 1594, when similar visits were paid by Frobisher and Hawkins.
     More than that, these Culpepers were members of the family connection of the sons of Archbishop Sandys who took the lead in the Virginia Company; while Thomas whetted his own appetite for colonial speculation by his marriage in 1597 with the daughter of a great London overseas merchant. It was against such a background that Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell and John Culpeper, later of Feckenham, became subscribers to and members of The Treasurer and Company for Virginia under the second charter of May 23, 1609 (Brown, Genesis, i, 218; ii, 869); and it was with those subscriptions, made forty years before the date of the first Northern Neck charter in which the subscriber's respective sons were to be named, that the history of the Northern Neck proprietary may be said to begin. There is no further public testimony for Thomas, but his personal record is amply documented.
     He died September 18th and was buried in Salehurst, September 19, 1613, as 'Tho. Colepeper, armiger,' leaving a will, followed by an inq. p. m.2 
Will*16 Sep 1613 He made a will on 16 Sep 1613.

I Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell in the Countie of Sussex Esquire. To be buried with littell adoe. To my welbeloved wife (Mary Beeston) the household stuff plate and linnen which she brought. Whereas I have received £500 for certain land which belonged to my wife in co Salop (Shropshire), sometime the Williames or one of them, although I have bin at the charges of above £72 I will a certain farm at Padian to my wife for her life and after her decease to the eldest son I shall beget of her body and for default of such issue to such daughters as I shall beget, remainder to the heirs male of my body, and if I have but one daughter by my now wife then £700 to such daughter at 18, but if she die before 18 then £500 to my wives son at 24, and if he die before then £100 to Elizabeth Mumford and to such children as shall be living if Elizabeth Mumford shall die. Wife shall have use of all jewells she hath, that is to say a border, a chayne of perle, a payer of bracelets, a cup of silver with the lyde thereto belonginge wch I bought, and certain gold wroth buttons which I bought wch she useth to were on her gowne some set wth stones and perle and some wth perle only during her lyfe and after her decease to such doughter or doughters as shall will them unto begotten by me and for all other Jewells wch her mother Baistone hath geaven I will absolutely to herselfe. All other goods and profits of my lands till my eldest sonne come to the age of 24 yeares to my executors to the good of all my children begotten by my now wife as of my children begotten by my first wife. My daughters portions to be paid at 18 and sons at 24. Executors my brother John Culpeper (John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.) and my brother Alexander Culpeper (Sir Alexander Culpeper of Greenway Court, Knight) to whom all lands parsonages, or leases which I have heretofore bought with authority to sell the same for payment of debts, and the residue to be bestowed among my children at their discretion. Dated 16 Sept. 1613. Witnesses Richard Relfe, John Sleep.

After this I added this much more 6 May 1612. To my dear wife Mary Culpeper a tankard of silver and such goodes as I shall have of her mother Bistone. 6 May 1612. Witness John Sleep. All lands I have by graunt discent or will from my father unto the said John Culpeper and Alexander Culpeper till my sonne Slaney Culpeper (Slaney Culpeper) is 21 and my debts paid, after which they shall convey the same to him. 16 Sep. 1613. Witnesses Richard Relfe, John Sleep. All timber on my mannor of Wigsell and on my mannor of Harrenden in Sandherst and Newenden in Kent to my executors for payment of my debts. And I intreate my executors to compound for the wardship of my eldest son and heir if any lands are held of the King in capite. 16 Sept. 1613. Witnesses Richard Relfe, John Sleep. Proved with codicils 25 Sept. 1613 by John Colepeper one of the executors, power being reserved for Alexander Culpeper, the other executor.5 
Burial19 Sep 1613 His body was interred on 19 Sep 1613 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Death*before 19 Sep 1613 He died before 19 Sep 1613. 
Probate*7 May 1614 Probate action was taken on Thomas's estate on 7 May 1614 at East Grinstead, co. Sussex, England,

Inquisition taken at East Grinstead co. Sussex 7 May 1614 ( 12 James I) before... , after death of Thomas Culpeper esq. dec., by oath of... who say that long before death of sd. T. C., one John Culpeper esq. (John Culpeper of Wigsell), his father was seised in fee of manor or farm of Wigsell containing 600 acres in pish. of Saleherst in sd. co. & of lands containing 12 acres in Saleherst & Bodyham in sd. co. in tenure of Thomas Dunke. So seised sd. J. C: by Indre dat. 16 May, 31 Eliz [1589]- conveyed sd lands to use of himself & Elizabeth his wife (Elizabeth Sedley) for lives; remainder to sd T. C. in tail male by Anne his wife (Anne Slaney); remr. to heirs male of sd. J. C; remainder to heirs male of William C_ dec. (William Culpeper of Sussex) father of sd John; remr to heirs of body of sd T. C. by sd Anne; remr. to right heirs of sd J. C. Afterwards sd Anne died on 20 Feb 1600/1. Sd John Culpeper died 20 Oct 1612. Sd Elizabeth his wife survives, & is seised of sd lands for life, & is living at Newenden co. Kent. Moreover sd T. C. was seised of lands containing 12 acres in Saleherst, in tenure of John Culpeper jun- (John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.); & of a messe in Robertsbridge, sd co., in tenure of Richard Greene; & of lands containing 7 acres in Ewherst in sd. co. in tenure of sd J. Culpeper jun; & of a mess & 2 acres in Westharn in sd co. Sd T. C. on 16 Sep. 1613 made his will as follows 'All lands I have bought to my sd exors. my brother John & my brother Alexander C. in fee on trust for legacies etc. & then among my children at discretion of my exors. All lands I have from my father to sd exors. to take profits until my son Slany C. be 21 ; & then exors. to convey same to him in fee.' Sd. T. C. died 18 Sept. last 16131 & Slany C. esq. is his son & heir by sd Amne & also son & heir of sd Thomas & was 14 years 10 months & 18 days at his father's death. Wigsell is held of Thomas Pelham, Bt. as of his castle of Hastings in sd co. by knights service (but by what part jurors know not) & is worth £10 a year. Sd 12 acres in Saleherst & Bodyharn are held of Ralph Bosvile knight & Thomas Levett gent., as of their manor of Bodyham, by fealty (but by what services jurors know not) & are worth 3s. 4d. a year. Sd. 12 acres in Saleh[erst [John Culpeper jun's] are held by Robert Tirwhitt esq. as of his manor of Etchingham by fealty (but by what etc.) & are worth 3s. 4d. a year. Sd premises in Robertsbridge are held of Robert, viscount Lisle as of his manor of Robertsbridge sd co. by fealty (but by what etc) & are worth 2s. Sd. 7 acres in Ewhurst sd co. are held of John Bromfeld gent. as of his manor of Ewhurst sd co. by fealty (but by what etc.) & are worth 6d. a year. Sd messe etc. in Westham sd co. are held of Thomas Baker knight as of his manor of Newe Pryorye sd co. in socage (but by what rent etc.) & are worth 5s. Sd T. C. held no other land in sd co.6 

Family 1

Anne Slaney
Marriage*circa 1597 He married Anne Slaney circa 1597. 
Children

Family 2

Mary Beeston
Marriage*say 1605 He married Mary Beeston say 1605. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited25 Mar 2012

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.
  3. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    He was 14 years, 10 months and 18 days old at his father's death on 18 Sep 1613.
  4. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Abstract of the Will of Thomas Culpeper, of Wilmington, from Lewes, A. 11, 218, and P.C.C., 102 Bolein.
  5. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Extract from the Will of Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell, Esq.
  6. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 79 Capell Chancery Inq. P.M. 1614 No. 53.
  7. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chanc. Inq. P. M. Ser. 11, 374: 104.

William Culpeper of Sussex

Male, #8392, (1562 - before 29 Jan 1587)
Father*John Culpeper of Wigsell
Mother*Elizabeth Sedley
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Birth*1562 William was born at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, in 1562. 
Burial*29 Jan 1587 His body was interred on 29 Jan 1587 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Death*before 29 Jan 1587 He died before 29 Jan 1587. 
Biography* He matriculated at Hart Hall, Oxon, 1579, as 'of Sussex, aged 17' (Foster), was admitted to the Middle Temple April 21, 1583, as '2d son of John Colepeper of Wigsell, esq.' and was there recorded in 1584 an 'inner barrister' (Hopwood, i, 260, 285). He was buried in Salehurst on January 29, 1586/7, as 'William the son of Mr. John Colepeper.' That he died unmarried is a deduction from the lack of reference to children by him in any of the succeeding family wills. - Fairfax Harrison.1 
Probate7 May 1614 He is mentioned in the probate of the estate of an unknown person at East Grinstead, co. Sussex, England, on 7 May 1614.2 
ChartsThe 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited13 Feb 2011

Citations

  1. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.
  2. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 79 Capell Chancery Inq. P.M. 1614 No. 53.

James Medlicote of Feckenham, Co. Worc.1

Male, #8393, (say 1605 - )
Birth*say 1605 James was born say 1605. 
Marriage*7 Jan 1626 He married Frances Culpeper on 7 Jan 1626. 
Will14 Dec 1635 He is mentioned in the will of John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. on 14 Dec 1635.2 

Family

Frances Culpeper
Last Edited27 Dec 1999

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm.

Anne Aucher1,2

Female, #8394, (say 1480 - circa 1533)
Father*Henry Aucher of Lossenham
Mother*Elizabeth Guildford
Birth*say 1480 Anne was born at Lossenham, Newenden, co. Kent, England, say 1480. 
Marriage*say 1498 She married Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell say 1498. 
Married Namesay 1498  As of say 1498, her married name was Culpeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Birth of Sonsay 1504 Her son Thomas Culpeper was born say 1504. 
Birth of Sonsay 1506 Her son Anthony Culpeper was born say 1506. 
Birth of Son1509 Her son William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell was born in 1509 at Bedgebury, Goudhurst, co. Kent, England. 
Will14 Sep 1514 She is mentioned in the will of Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell on 14 Sep 1514.3,4 
Death of Spouse1514 Her husband Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell died in 1514. 
Biography* The marriage of Walter and Anne is shown on both the Culpeper and Aucher pedigrees recorded at the Visitation of Kent, 1619, in Harl. Pub., x1ii, pp. 62, 181. Thereby it appears that the Losenham Auchers, here in question, were the senior stem of an ancient Kentish family, of which the junior and persisting branch, seated at Otterden (Hasted, ii, 501), also bad ties with America. One of them was the wife of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh; another, Sir Anthony Aucher, whose mother was a daughter of Archbishop Sandys, was a member of the Council for the Virginia Company (Brown; Genesis, ii, 818). Their blood was brought to the colony by the Lovelaces and Gorsuches (Va. Mag., xvii, 292; xxvi, 393; xxviii, 285).

Losenham lies near the Sussex border, a few miles southeast of Wigsell. It remained a Culpeper property from this marriage until 1628, when (Hasted, iii, 78) it was sold by Sir John13 (i.e., the first lord, not his grandfather as implied by Hasted). See: http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/uk/places/newenden.htm

'Anne my wyff’ named in the will of Walter completes her identification by the reference to her father and children in her will which is at Canterbury, and is dated 4 Sep 1532 (24 Henry VIII).5 
Will*4 Sep 1532 She made a will at co. Kent, England, on 4 Sep 1532.

Extracts from the Will of Anne Colepeper
     If I happen to dye at Canterbury then I wyll my body to be buryed at the frears there, and yf I happen to dye at Cranbroke then I wyll my body to be buryed at the frears of Lossenham besyde my ffather there buryed. To Wyllm my sone (William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell) my weddynge rynge and all my platte except my lyttle lowe salt wt the couer and vj my best sponys which I wylle to my daughtr Anne Tooke (Anne Culpeper). To my sone Wyllm Colepeper all my stoke at Lossenham. To every of the children of Elysabeth my daughter (Elizabeth Culpeper) xls. She mentions Francis, Anne, Constance, Katheryn and Mary the children of Thomas Wylford (Thomas Wilford of Hartridge in Cranbrooke, Kent), my goddaughters. To my daughter Culepeper ij of my best gownes. Executor and residuary legatee my son Wyllm. All my manors and lands in Newenden Rowynden and Biddenden to certain trustees to hold them to the use of my sone Wyllm and his heirs--in default to the right heirs of Harry Ager, Esq., my father (Henry Aucher of Lossenham).6,5 
Death*circa 1533 She died circa 1533. 

Family

Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell
Marriage*say 1498 She married Walter Culpeper of Calais and Wigsell say 1498. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Last Edited6 Jun 2011

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. 1574 Visitation, Kent, England.
  3. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
    Page 249.
  4. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).
  5. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Chapter 2a.
  6. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    C. Liber 15, No. 169.

John Culpeper of Wigsell1

Male, #8395, (1531 - 20 Oct 1612)
Father*William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell
Mother*Cicely Dingley Barrett
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*1531 John was born at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, in 1531. 
Will16 Nov 1559 He is mentioned in the will of William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell on 16 Nov 1559.2 
Death of FatherNov 1559 His father William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell died in Nov 1559 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Marriage*say 1560 He married Elizabeth Sedley at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, say 1560. 
Birth of Son1561 His son Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell was born in 1561 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1562 His son William Culpeper of Sussex was born in 1562 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1565 His son John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. was born in 1565 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1570 His son Sir Alexander Culpeper of Greenway Court, Knight was born in 1570 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will20 May 1590 He is mentioned in the will of Francis Culpeper of Greenway Court, co. Kent at co. Kent, England, on 20 May 1590.3 
Will22 Oct 1602 John, Elizabeth, Thomas, Anthony, Henry, John, William and Elizabeth named as heir(s) in the will of Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex on 22 Oct 1602.4 
Death*20 Oct 1612 He died at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 20 Oct 1612. 
Burial*21 Oct 1612 His body was interred on 21 Oct 1612 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Biography* He was named in his father's will (1559) as 'John Culpeper my eldest son,' and lived out a long and uneventful life at Wigsell. There is no record of his education. If he was not sent to Winchester like his younger brothers, he probably spent some years in residence at one of the inns of chancery: but he was not admitted to any of the Inns of Court. It is thus possible, by the process of elimination, to distinguish him from the other three Johns of his generation.
.
All the public testimonies for him are in the acts of Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council ranging from 1558 to 1592. These show him an active Justice of the Peace, included in the quorum of the Commission for the Rape of Lewes and the Cinq Ports of Sussex, in such periodical correspondence relating to the routine of local government as made up his father's public record also.
.
The inquisition taken in 1614, after the death of his eldest son (post), testifies that he made a settlement of his estate in 1589 in lieu of a will, and died on October 20, 1612. He was buried in Salehurst, October 21, 1612, as 'Johanes Colepeper, armiger, etatis 82,' whence it may be deducted that he was born the year after his parents' marriage. If there was an MI., it was destroyed in the desecration of Salehurst Church during the Commonwealth.
.
Source: Fairfax Harrison, "The Proprietors of the Northern Neck." 
Probate7 May 1614 He is mentioned in the probate of the estate of an unknown person at East Grinstead, co. Sussex, England, on 7 May 1614.5 

Family

Elizabeth Sedley
Marriage*say 1560 He married Elizabeth Sedley at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, say 1560. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
Charlemagne, 'Emperor of the West': Descendent Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited1 Jan 2012

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  2. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Colepepers of Wigsell, in Salehurst (pages 60-74).
  3. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 85 Sainberbe, Will dated May 20, 1590, Proved November 22, 1591.
  4. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Abstract of the Will of Thomas Culpeper, of Wilmington, from Lewes, A. 11, 218, and P.C.C., 102 Bolein.
  5. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 79 Capell Chancery Inq. P.M. 1614 No. 53.

Elizabeth Sedley1,2

Female, #8396, (say 1534 - 16 May 1618)
Father*William Sedley Esquire, of Southfleet, Kent
Mother*Anne Grove
AFN* Her Ancestral File Number is AFN:G5PW-WC. 
Birth*say 1534 Elizabeth was born at Southfleet, co. Kent, England, say 1534. 
Marriage*say 1560 She married John Culpeper of Wigsell at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, say 1560. 
Married Namesay 1560  As of say 1560, her married name was Culpeper. 
Birth of Son1561 Her son Thomas Culpeper of Wigsell was born in 1561 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1562 Her son William Culpeper of Sussex was born in 1562 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1565 Her son John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs. was born in 1565 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Birth of Son1570 Her son Sir Alexander Culpeper of Greenway Court, Knight was born in 1570 at Wigsell, Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Will22 Oct 1602 John, Elizabeth, Thomas, Anthony, Henry, John, William and Elizabeth named as heir(s) in the will of Thomas Culpeper of Wilmington, co. Sussex on 22 Oct 1602.3 
Death of Spouse20 Oct 1612 Her husband John Culpeper of Wigsell died on 20 Oct 1612 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Probate7 May 1614 She is mentioned in the probate of the estate of an unknown person at East Grinstead, co. Sussex, England, on 7 May 1614.4 
Death*16 May 1618 She died at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, on 16 May 1618. 
Burial*17 May 1618 Her body was interred on 17 May 1618 at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England. 
Biography* Before the Sydleys flowered at the last Stuart courts in the persons of Sir Charles Sedley the wit, and his historically well known dau., Catherine, Countess of Dorchester (entered by Berry as having married James II!), they had had a long history in Kent (Hasted, ii, 170). They rose to wealth, however, by the industry of a younger son temp. Henry VIII, and thereafter intermarried several times with the Culpepers. This particular marriage is shown on the Sydley pedigree, returned at the Visitation of Kent, 1619, but there is better evidence for it in the Sydley wills collected by Waters (Gleanings, ii, 961, ff.)
.
John Sydley, grandfather of Elizabeth Culpeper, described himself in his long and racy will of 1530 (P. C. C. Thower, 20) as 'oon of the Kinges Auditours in His Exchequer, and Citezein and Stacioner of the Citie of London and late Warden of the Crafte of Stacioners.' The son William named in that will left in turn a will dated November 28, 1553 (P. C. C. More, 37), by which he devised 'to Elizabeth Sydley my daughter all my lands, etc., in Frensbury, in Kent,' with a bequest of money and plate and the injunction 'to my daughter Elizabeth, she to marry at her pleasure, by the counsel of her aunt, my sister [i. e., Dorothy, described in her father's will, before the dissolution of the monasteries, as 'a Norme in Dertford Abbey'], and of John, my son, her brother, and to have meat, drink and lodging till she be married or else be found in a good service.' That the Elizabeth so named was married to a Culpeper prior to May 14, 1574, appears from the reference to her in the will bearing that date (P. C. C. Pyckering, 5) of her brother Nicholas Sydley as 'my sister Elizabeth Culpeper;' while the will of her brother John, whose counsel she was to take, dated March 29, 1581 (P. C. C. Darcy, 31), completes the identification, in a bequest 'to my natural sister, Elizabeth Colepepir, wife of the said Mr. John CoIepepir, to make her a ring, ten shillings.'
.
She survived her husband and her eldest son as well, living in Newenden, i.e., at Lossenharn (as shown by her son's inq. p. m.), and was buried in Salehurst, May 17, 1618, as 'Eliza, relict Johannes Culpeper, armiger.
.
Source: Fairfax Harrison, "The Proprietors of the Northern Neck." 
Research note*3 Jan 2014  (an unknown value.)5 

Family

John Culpeper of Wigsell
Marriage*say 1560 She married John Culpeper of Wigsell at Salehurst, co. Sussex, England, say 1560. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
Last Edited23 Jan 2014

Citations

  1. LDS Church, compiler, Ancestral File, Intellectual Reserve, Inc..
    http://www.familysearch.org
    AFN: G5PW-WC.
  2. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
  3. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    Abstract of the Will of Thomas Culpeper, of Wilmington, from Lewes, A. 11, 218, and P.C.C., 102 Bolein.
  4. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck - Chapters of Culpepper Genealogy, Richmond, VA: The Old Dominion Press (Privately printed), 1926, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN Film #929429. Transcription available online at: http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/nneck/default.htm
    P.C.C. 79 Capell Chancery Inq. P.M. 1614 No. 53.
  5. FamilySearch Community Trees.
    FamilySearch Community Trees http://histfam.familysearch.org/index.php
    Europe: Royal and Noble Houses of Europe

    [S76] #1008 Sussex Archaeological Collections: Illustrating History and Antiquities of the County (1848-), (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-), FHL book 942.25 B2ac., Colepeper of Wigsell and Hollingbourne Pedigree Chart.

    [S76] #1008 Sussex Archaeological Collections: Illustrating History and Antiquities of the County (1848-), (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-), FHL book 942.25 B2ac., vol. 47 p. 64.

    [S55] Magna Carta Ancestry, Richardson, Douglas, (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., c2005), 942 D5rdm., p. 250.

    [S197] Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Indexed by Robert Barnes, (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland), 975.5 D2gv., vol. 2, Claiborne-Fitzhugh p. 434.

    [S113] #1846 The Visitation of Kent, Taken in the Years 1619-1621 by John Philipot, Rouge Dragon, Marshall and Deputy to William Camden, Clarenceux (1898), Hovenden, Robert, (Publications of the Harleian Society: Visitations, volume 42. London: [Harleian Society], 1898), FHL book 942 B4h volume 42; FHL microfilm 162,069 ., p. 60, 62.

    [S189] #243 [2nd ed. 1844, reprint 1977] A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland (second edition, 1841, reprint 1977), Burke, John and John Bernard Burke, (Second edition, 1844. London: John Russell Smith, 4, Old Compton Street, Soho Square Reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1977), FHL book 942 D22bu 1977; FHL microfilm 994,038 ite., p. 482.

    [S185] #3509 The Visitations of Kent, Taken in the Years 1530-1 by Thomas Benolte, and 1574 by Robert Cooke (1923), Bannerman, William Bruce, (Publications of the Harleian Society: Visitations, volumes 74-75. 2 volumes. London: [Harleian Society], 1923), FHL book 942 B4h volumes 74-75; FHL microfilm 162,., vol. 75 p. 31.

    [S197] Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Indexed by Robert Barnes, (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland), 975.5 D2gv., vol. 2, Claiborne-Fitzhugh p. 424.

    [S197] Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Indexed by Robert Barnes, (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland), 975.5 D2gv., vol. 2, Claiborne-Fitzhugh p. 425.

    [S76] #1008 Sussex Archaeological Collections: Illustrating History and Antiquities of the County (1848-), (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-), FHL book 942.25 B2ac., vol. 47 p. 65.

Sir Thomas de Colepeper the Recognitor

Male, #8397, (say 1170 - )
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Birth*say 1170 Thomas was born at England say 1170. 
Biography* Thomas de Colepeper was a Recognitor of the Grand Assize. The Grand Assize was a judicial proceeding or inquiry, and the Recognitors, who were summoned on such a tribunal, were the jurors. Their function was to investigate all cases involving questions of right. As Recognitors were probably neighbors of the disputing parties, they were bound to "recognize" and speak the truth concerning the matter at issue.1 
Birth of Sonsay 1200 His son John Culpeper was born say 1200 at England. 

Family
Child
ChartsCatherine Howard (Fifth Queen of Henry VIII): Culpeper Ancestral Chart
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited3 Feb 2012

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Pp. 48-49.

John Culpeper

Male, #8398, (say 1200 - )
Father*Sir Thomas de Colepeper the Recognitor
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Birth*say 1200 John was born at England say 1200. 
Birth of Sonsay 1230 His son Sir Thomas Culpeper of Brenchley and Bayhall was born say 1230 at England. 
Biography* Most pedigrees agree in giving John as the Recognitor's son, followed by Sir Thomas as his grandson.1 

Family
Child
ChartsCatherine Howard (Fifth Queen of Henry VIII): Culpeper Ancestral Chart
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited24 May 2011

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Pp. 49.

Sir Thomas Culpeper of Brenchley and Bayhall

Male, #8399, (say 1230 - after 1309)
Father*John Culpeper
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*say 1230 Thomas was born at England say 1230. 
Birth of Sonsay 1260 His son Sir Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall in Pembury, co. Kent was born say 1260 at England. 
Birth of Soncirca 1262 His son John Culpeper of Lynleigh was born circa 1262 at England. 
Birth of Soncirca 1264 His son Nicholas Culpeper was born circa 1264 at England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1266 His son Walter Culpeper of Preston Hall was born say 1266 at England. 
Death*after 1309 He died after 1309. 
Biography* Most pedigrees agree in giving John as the Recognitor's son, followed by Sir Thomas as his grandson. If the pedigrees are correct then this Sir Thomas, of Bayhall, must have been an old man in 4 Edward II or 1310 (Note: the date convention used here is "regnal" dating in which the year is the number of years into the reign of the current monarch. Thus 4 Edward II would be the 4th year of the reign of King Edward II). Assuming that the grandfather was fifty years of age when he served as Recognitor, then the two generations succeding him must have covered a period of some eighty years. This would make Sir Thomas Colepeper, in 4 Edward II., when his son Thomas and Margery his wife purchased of him 50 acres in Foulsden, a fairly old man, and although, he indicted in 1305, with his son Thomas, for stealing the goods of the vicar of Ringmer, we can hardly believe that he took any active part in the matter. For this reason it was not probable that it was this Thomas who was porter or janitor of Leeds Castle in 1292; it was more likely his son of the same Christian name.
     In 1296 (25 Edward I) there is an important reference to Thomas Colepeper, sen; the executors of the will of Sir William de Montfort brought an action against Thomas Colepeper and John his son concerning the manor of Newenton, in Kent.
     From this it is clear that there was, besides his sons Thomas and Walter, who were executed, another son John, and there was doubtless another son named Nicholas. All four were implicated in the Earl of Lancaster's rebellion, but John and Nicholas evidently in a Iesser degree than Thomas and Walter. There was an order issued in 1322 to the Sheriff of York to receive John Colepeper and others into custody in York Castle. This looks as if John Colepeper took part in the Battle of Boroughbridge, and Weaver, in his Ancient Funeral Monuments, p. 272, speaks of Sir Thomas Colepeper siding with the Earl of Lancaster and being hanged, drawn and quartered at Winchelsea. The place fatal to the Earl was Pontefract, so it seems certain that both Thomas and John were with Lancaster's forces at Boroughbridge.
     After remaining a close prisoner during the remainder of the reign in the Castles of Berkhampstead and Gloucester, John Colepeper was released on the accession of Edward III., and in the restoration of confiscated lands which then took place those of John Colepeper, of Lynlegh, were included. He was alive eleven years later, when John Colepeper, of Lynlegh, with Johanna, his wife, appear as deforciants in a fine relating to 20 acres of land in Wythyhame.
With regard to the other two sons of Sir Thomas Colepeper, sen., Walter and Nicholas, they both suffered for their refusal to admit Queen Isabel to Leeds Castle. Walter "sticked not to tell him" (the Queen's marshal) "that neither the Queen nor any other should be lodged there without the commandement of his Lorde the owner." On the Queen coming to the gate in person "the Captaine most malapertly repulsed her, insomuch that shee complained grievously to the King," who besieged the place and eventually took it. "Then tooke he Captaine Colepeper and hoong him up." Captain Colepeper was doubtless Walter, as the release of Nicholas, his only brother yet unaccounted for, forms the subject of the following order issued in 1323 to Henry de Cobeham, Constable of Rochester Castle: "Whereas Nicholas Colepeper and others are imprisoned in Rochester Castle because they adhered to certain rebels who held the King's Castle of Ledes against him. The King, compassionating their estate, and being unwilling to detain them longer in prison, orders the Constable to release those of them whom he shall find by Inquisition to have no lands, and to cause those of them who have lands to come before the King within 15 days from Easter at their own cost and to do and to receive what the King's Court shall consider in the matter."
Of the four sons of Thomas Colepeper, grandson of the Recognitor, we can find no trace of John and Nicholas, while from Captain Walter Colepeper sprang the Colepepers of Oxenhoath and Aylesford.
The eldest son, Sir Thomas Culpeper, who was executed at Winchelsea in 1321, seems to have married Margery, a daughter of the Bayhall family, and either by this match, or by purchase, to have acquired their estates. This Thomas is called in 1306 "fil' Thom' Colepeper de Brenchesle."1 

Family
Children
ChartsCatherine Howard (Fifth Queen of Henry VIII): Culpeper Ancestral Chart
Diana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited2 Feb 2012

Citations

  1. Col. F.W.T. Attree R.E./F.S.A. & Rev. J.H.L. Booker M.A., "The Sussex Colepepers, Part I", Sussex Archaeological Collections, XLVII,47-81, (1904)http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/sussex/default.htm.
    Pp 49-51.

Sir Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall in Pembury, co. Kent

Male, #8400, (say 1260 - 1321)
Father*Sir Thomas Culpeper of Brenchley and Bayhall
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Culpepper. 
Name-AltSpell This surname is sometimes spelled Colepeper. 
Birth*say 1260 Thomas was born at England say 1260. 
Marriage*say 1299 He married Margery Bayhall say 1299. 
Birth of Sonsay 1303 His son Walter Culpeper was born say 1303. 
Birth of Sonsay 1305 His son Sir John Culpeper of Hardreshull and Bayhall was born say 1305 at England. 
Birth of Sonsay 1307 His son Richard Culpeper was born say 1307. 
Death*1321 He died in 1321. 
Biography* Sir Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall, who was executed at Winchelsea in 1321, seems to have married Margery, a daughter of the Bayhall family, and either by this match, or by purchase, to have acquired their estates. This Thomas is called in 1306 "fil' Thom' Colepeper de Brenchesle."
     Sir Thomas Colepeper, who "pro bono servicio in partibus Scotie" received a pardon in the 32nd year of Edward I. for breaking the park of the Prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, at Westwell, and the park of the Prior of Michelham, in the 29th year of that King's reign, took the side of the Earl of Lancaster against Edward II., and being Governor of Winchelsea, was there executed in 1321.
     Previous to this, however, by a fine levied in 1320, part of his estates, consisting of 2 messuages, 2 mills, 405 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 60 acres of pasture, 80 acres of wood and 20 shillings annual rental in Pepyngbery, Thonebregg and Teudele, were settled on himself and Margery his wife for life, with remainder to their sons Walter, John and Richard in succession.
     By Inquisition taken at Tunbridge 25th February, 1 Edward III. (1327), it was found that Thomas Colepeper died seized of Bayhalle, with lands in Pepyngbery, Thonebregg and Teudele, and that Walter was his son and heir, aged 22 years on the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary last past (2nd February, 1327). In the Inquisition de terris forisfactis, 17 Edward II., taken at Lamberhurst, mention is made of Thomas Colepeper's estate in Pepynbery, included in the fine levied in 1320, besides which it is stated that he had acquired 50 acres in ffoghelesdenne from Thomas Colepeper, senr., in 1310, 1 messuage and 1 carucate of land in Bernette and Ramherste from Richard Wych in 1320, 1 messuage and 60 acres of land in Bocstede from Ralph Marscot, 10 acres in Bayrugge from Michael de Bettesfield, and 40 acres in ffernth (i.e., Frant) from Roger de fferrugge. All these lands had been seized by the King on November the 6th, 1321, on account of the felony of the said Thomas, and for no other reason.
     It was not long, however, before all these estates were restored to the family. By deed bearing date 1st July, 17 Edward II, Margery, widow of Thomas Colepeper, agreed to grant the Pepinbury estate to the King for the term of her life on the payment of 12 marks per annum from the Exchequer. But apparently she soon repented of this bargain, and addressed a petition to the King praying that "le manoir de la Bayehalle" might be restored to her, the grounds for the request being tllat the King's ministers had not only neglected to pay the rent, but had let her houses go to ruin, "a g'nt damage de l'avantdite Marg'ie de xlli." On this the King issued a commission to Henry de Cobham and others to investigate the matters set forth in the petition, and the direct result of this enquiry was an order for the immediate restoration of all the, property. The outlying estates were to be restored unconditionally, and if lands had been "demised at ferm" the farmers were to be satisfied for their expenditure on the land , while with regard to Bayhall and the land included in the fine levied in 1320, there was this saving clause, viz., that this portion of the property was to revert to the King in case all the parties mentioned in the fine died without issue.
     From this order it appears that Thomas Colepeper acquired the Buxted property mentioned above in 7 Edward II., and in 13 Edward II. he purchased from Reginald, son of Reginald Burgeys, of Boxstede, 1 messuage and 50 acres in Boxstede and Marsefeld. The 40 acres in Fernth (Frant), co. Sussex, is supplemented in this order by 10 acres of wood bought in 10 Edward Il. from Roger, son of Richard de Ferrugge, while another 20 acres in the same town is stated to have been acquired from William son of John de Netteworth.1 
Biography The date at which iron-working was begun on Oldlands is unknown, but it was perhaps by the 14th century when the Culpepers of Bayhall in Pembury, Kent, who had iron works near by at Tudeley, owned it. Iron was certainly founded at Buxted in 1492. The frequent changes of ownership in the 16th and early 17th centuries suggest commercial activities connected with the iron industry, either from direct exploitation of the estate or, more likely, through letting it to tenants. The increase in the purchase price, from £563 in 1576 to £2200 in 1609, may indicate that such financial speculation was justified.
     In 1313 or 1314 Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall (Sir Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall in Pembury, co. Kent) and his wife Margery (Margery Bayhall) acquired a messuage and 60 acres of land in Buxted from Ralph Marescot and in 1319 or 1320 another messuage and 50 acres in Buxted and Maresfield from Reynold Burgess. Culpeper was appointed forester of Rotherfield in Tonbridge chase in 1315, and in 1318, at the request of his patron, Bartholomew de Badlesmere, and others, Edward II granted to him the forestership of Ashdown and the keeping of Maresfield park. He was involved with Badlesmere in the rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and was sentenced to death and executed at Winchelsea in 1322. His possessions were forfeited to the Crown, but the lands in Buxted and Maresfield were restored in 1324 to Margery, whose date of death is unknown. Their son and heir, Walter (Walter Culpeper), died childless between 14 July 1359 and 20 July 1364, and the estate descended under an entail to Walter’s younger brother Sir John Culpeper (Sir John Culpeper of Hardreshull and Bayhall). The John Culpeper, esquire, whom John of Gaunt appointed constable of Pevensey castle in 1372 and master forester of Ashdown chase in 1375, may have been a kinsman, possibly a younger son. By 1378 Sir John had been succeeded in the estate by his son Sir Thomas (Sir Thomas Culpeper of Bayhall, Hardreshull & Exton), who died late in 1428 or early in 1429. Sir Thomas devised it to a younger son Nicholas (Nicholas Culpeper), who died late in 1434 or early in 1435. From Nicholas it descended to his daughter Joyce (Joyce Culpeper) (d. 1486) and her husband Walter Lewknor (Walter Leuknor of Walberton, co. Sussex) (d. 1498), whose elder brother Richard Lewknor (d. 1503) held the manor of Buxted itself in 1483–4.
     Walter’s and Joyce’s son and heir Humphrey Lewknor (d. by 1531) sold Oldlands at an unknown date to George Nevill, Lord Abergavenny (d. 1535), who sold it in 1533 to Edmund Pope of Little Horsted...2 

Family

Margery Bayhall
Marriage*say 1299 He married Margery Bayhall say 1299. 
Children
ChartsDiana, Princess of Wales: Culpeper Ancestral Chart
John Culpeper the Merchant: Ancestral Chart
The 12th century Culpepers of England: Descendant Chart (16 generations, Males only)
Last Edited3 Jun 2011

Citations

  1. Sussex Archeological Collections, Vol. XLVIII, Volume XLVIII, Sussex, England: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1936-.
    pp 51-54.
  2. Sussex Archeological Collections, Sussex, England: Sussex Archaeological Society.
    Janet H. Stevenson, "Alexander Nesbitt, a Sussex antiquary, and the Oldlands estate", 1999, Volume 137, pages 163-164.