Site Note Like so many family trees, there are names missing from this one. For example, Matthew Smyth and Jane Tewther had another daughter, Elizabeth Smyth/e - unless there was another Matthew Smythe of Bristol on the scene at this time or unless Ann, mentioned above, was also called Elizabeth - who married Thomas Phelips. Information from Strong Family records has this to say: "Thomas Phelips, son of Richard Phelips, was born c. 1500-1510 d. 1590. He married Elizabeth Smythe, daughter of Matthew Smythe of Bristol. He was returned MP, 1545-1558. On 3 January 1538, during the
events commonly referred to as the Dissolution
of the Monasteries, Thomas and his
father Richard Phelips, were witnesses to the surrender
of the impoverished Benedictine Abbey of Muchelney. The
monks were pensioned off and disprersed .... Richard
Phelips was placed in charge of the Abbey site. [Ref.:
Suppression of the Monasteries in the West Country, by
J.H.Betty, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1989, p. 78]. The
Prior, at what was formerly a Clunic House, in Montacute,
however, resisted the King's commissioners a little
longer. In early 1539, Hugh Pollard and William Petre
[father of Dorothy, wife of Sir Nicholas Wadham, and
founders Wadham College, Oxford] wrote to Thomas Cromwell
complaining of the stubborness of the prior of Montacute.
In March of 1539, these same two commissioners were
complaining once again; they wrote to Thomas Cromwell
asking for instructions. The Priory was finally
surrendered on 20 March 1539 to John Tregonwell, the
prior having been granted a handsome pension of 80 pounds
per annum. [Ref.: Ibid pp. 86-87]. In 1587, Thomas gave his Montacute property to his youngest son Edward and Edward's first wife Margaret. Thomas died leaving a will dated 25 September 1588. Effigies of Thomas and Elizabeth (Smythe) are still existant in the north transcept of St. Catherine's Montacute." It is significant (see Smyth of Durham and Yorkshire pages) that the Smyth family of 'William Smithdike' was granted the lease of the Rosedale Abbey estates in Yorkshire at this same time and must have been in a position of favour to benefit in this way. There is also earlier detail about the Phelips family available via the Strong family site linked above. Their son, Edward Phelips was the builder of the present Montacute House and was also a subscriber to the Third Charter of the Virginia Company of London in 1612 - as was the Smyth/e family of Kent - Sir Thomas Smythe - along with other Smyh/e family members.
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