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Smith/Smyth/Smythe of Essex - and the Cromwell family line which also connects to theTalmash/Tollemache family - Earls of Dysart and Manners kin of this Family Vault through Lord Henry Cromwell of Ockham. (See page base)

Ancestor Index

Sir Thomas Smythe (1513-1577) - of Hill Hall in Essex - was one of the most upright statesmen of his era.

Biography Page - Sir Thomas Smythe

He was born at Saffron Walden, Essex, 23 Dec 1513, the eldest son of John Smith (d. 1547) and Agnes Charnock (b. Lancashire; d, 1547).

His father, John Smith (Smythe) was wealthy; served as Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1538/9 and had the grant of arms confirmed to him in 1545.

His principal heir was his nephew William Smythe (died 1626), son of his brother George Smythe, a London draper. William Smythe had a son Thomas Smythe who was created Baronet in 1661, ancestor of the Baronets 'Smijth.'

For notes on connections between various geographical branches of the English and Irish branches of the Smith / Smyth / Smithe / Smythe family, click on the image of "Non-such" - the "Flower of Bristowe" (Bristol).

The Cromwell lineage below comes Courtesy of this source - tracing back to the 1100s. There are also many interesting biographies via this link. Jorge H. Castelli in Argentina has assembled a vast array of material from this era. Gratitude is expressed to him for permission to use and adapt elements of his work on this site.

See also this link where musician and music historian Brian Payne states, "Sir John Smith had a military career and was a kinsman of Sir William Smith of Essex who, in 1603, received a grant of the Launde estate formerly owned by Lord Edward Cromwell.

Sir William Smith married Brigide Fleetwood (lineage and connection may be seen via the Non-such link above) and was the nephew and heir of Sir Thomas Smith." A great deal of background information may be gleaned from this article and it tells in detail the Cromwell story.

The Smyth family of Ireland - see Thomas Smyth - (from Yorkshire via Durham) had marriage connections with the Cromwell family. The Cromwells held land in Ireland. Use this link to see comprehensive Smyth/e family details written by family historian, David Smyth of America.

Medieval Cromwell/Smythe connections leading to Tollemache and "The Hastings Legacy" - ancestry of this site.

Beginning with - Margaret CROMWELL
Born: ABT 1418, probably Nottinghamshire, England
Father: Robert CROMWELL
Mother: ?
Married: William SMYTHE ABT 1437, Nottinghamshire, England
Children:
1. William SMYTHE (b. ABT 1438)
2. Richard SMYTHE (b. ABT 1440- d. ABT 1472)
3. Joan SMYTHE (b. ABT 1442)

*
William CROMWELL
Born: ABT 1416, Narwali, Nottinghamshire, England
Father: Robert CROMWELL
Mother: ?
Married: Margaret SMYTHE ABT 1441, Nottinghamshire, England
Children:
1. John CROMWELL
*
John CROMWELL
Born: ABT 1444, probably Narwali, Nottinghamshire, England
Father: William CROMWELL
Mother: Margaret SMYTHE
Married: Joan SMYTHE ABT 1463, Putney, Surrey, England
Children:
1. Walter CROMWELL

*
Walter CROMWELL
Born: ABT 1463, Putney, Surrey, England
Died: ABT 1510
Father: John CROMWELL
Mother: Joan SMYTHE
Married: Dau. CLOSSOP (b. ABT 1457)

Tim Powys-Lybbe writing in an earlier RootsWeb Forum, states:

" ... the business of Walter Cromwell alias Smyth seems to be a change
of name, possibly because Walter got into some trouble and ended his
life on the bottle. Walter was, as far as can be established a Cromwell
by birth and came from a family who lived in Norwell, Notts; his
grandfather was granted a fulling mill (either Wandsworth or Wimbledon)
in 1452 by Archbishop Kempe. All this can be found in the British
Dictionary of National Biography entry for Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex.

The next question is how Walter chose the name Smyth. From some papers
I found, and partly photocopied, in the London Society of Genealogy, this
was the name of his mother, Joan Smyth and of his grandmother, Margaret Smyth
who was the aunt of Joan. And Walter's aunt Margaret Cromwell married
William Smyth, father of Joan and brother of Margaret Smyth.

These same papers, for a year now in the binding room to be re-bound and
thus unavailable, give a connection through to Fulker Cromwell, son of
Ralph ..."

Children:
1. Thomas CROMWELL (1° E. Essex)
2. Catherine CROMWELL
3. Elizabeth CROMWELL
4. Dau. CROMWELL

*
Thomas CROMWELL (1° E. Essex)
Born: ABT 1485, Putney, Surrey, England
Died: 28 Jul 1540, Tower Hill, London, England
Father: Walter CROMWELL
Mother: Dau. CLOSSOP
Married 1: Elizabeth WYKES (b. 1489 - d. 1527) ABT 1513

Children:
1. Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Married 2: Elizabeth PRIOR
Married 3: Anne WILLIAMS
*
Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Born: ABT 1514, Putney, Surrey, England
Died: 4 Jul 1551, Launde, Leicester, England
Buried: Launde Abbey, Launde, Leicestershire, England
Graduation: Cambridge University
Father: Thomas CROMWELL (1° E. Essex)
Mother: Elizabeth WYKES
Married: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham) BEF 1538, Wolfhall, Wiltshire, England
Children:
1. Henry CROMWELL (3° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
2. Frances CROMWELL
3. Catherine CROMWELL
4. Edward CROMWELL
5. Thomas CROMWELL (MP)
*
Frances CROMWELL
Born: ABT 1544
Died: 7 Feb 1561/62
Father: Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Mother: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Married: Edward STROUDE of Devonshire 3 Jan 1560/61 , Compton, co. Hants (settlement date)
Children:
1. William STROUDE
*
Catherine CROMWELL
Father: Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Mother: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Married: John STROUDE of Parnham (Sir)
*
Thomas CROMWELL (MP)
Born: 1552, Putney, England
Father: Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Mother: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Married: Anne ?
Children:
1. Elizabeth CROMWELL
*
Elizabeth CROMWELL
Born: 1577, Birmingham, Warwick, England
Father: Thomas CROMWELL (MP)
Mother: Anne ?
Married: Richard PRICE
Children:
1. Eleanor PRICE
*
Henry CROMWELL (3° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Born: BEF 1538
Died: 20 Nov 1592/3
Buried: Launde Abbey
Father: Gregory CROMWELL (2° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Mother: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Married: Mary PAULET (B. Cromwell of Oakham) BEF 1560
Children:
1. Catherine CROMWELL
2. Gregory CROMWELL (Sir)
3. Edward CROMWELL (4° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
*
Catherine CROMWELL
Died: 24 Mar 1620
Father: Lord Henry CROMWELL (3° B. Cromwell of Oakham)
Mother: Mary PAULET (B. Cromwell of Oakham)

Catherine Cromwell married: Lionel TOLLEMACHE (Bt.) (acceded 22 May 1611) (son of Sir Lionel Tollemache and Susan Jermyn) 10 Feb 1581, North Elmham

Children

1. Sir Lionel TOLLEMACHE Bt. (d. 06 Sep 1640) (m. Elizabeth Stanhope)
Use link to access "The Hastings Legacy" Part 1 - on this site

2. Anne TOLLEMACHE
3. Mary TOLLEMACHE
4. Catherine TOLLEMACHE

Question: was Mary Paulet who married Henry Cromwell, (3rd B. of Oakham) and whose daughter, Catherine Cromwell, married Lionel Tollemache a sister (or relative) of the Florence Poulet who married Thomas Smyth of Ashton Court, Bristol? If so, this would indicate a link between the Bristol Smyth and the Essex Smyth families - through the family of P(ou)aulet(t). Follow the Smyth of Bristol link, which will show some of the Bristol Smyth lineage.

In terms of Smyth/e family connectors, it should also be noted that William Smyth (an ancestor of the Irish Smyth line of Barbavilla) 1692-1769 married (1713) Barbara Ingoldsby (d.1738) - youngest daughter of Colonel Sir George Ingoldsby of Gortkilleen, Co. Limerick who was the sixth son of Sir Richard Ingoldsby of Lethenborough, Bucks and Elizabeth Cromwell, eldest daughter of Sir Oliver Cromwell, K.B. of Hinchinbrooke, and 1st cousin of the Lord Protector.)

Site Note: In an internet reference for the year 1627 (year of death?) may be found this note - "Henry Smyth - eccentric and vastly rich - of London".

Smith/Smyth/Smythe line of Berkshire

Information adapted from various sources but acknowledged principal source is Pat Patterson.

Thomas Smythe (elder) of Berkshire was Mayor of Abingdon in 1584; his son born there about 1556, was knighted at Greenwich in May 1603 - exactly one week after the knighting of Thomas, son of Thomas of the Wiltshire Smythe family and died 27 Nov 1609 at his residence later known as Peterborough House, Parsons Green, Fulham.

Thomas Smythe (younger) of Berkshire graduated M.A. in June 1578 from Christ Church, Oxford, and like the Thomas Smythe (elder) of Essex, after graduation, became a public orator.

He soon became secretary to Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex, and in 1587 became Clerk of the Privy Council. He was an M.P. in 1588/89 for Cricklade, in 1593 for Tamworth, and in 1597/98 for Aylesbury. He married Frances Brydges, daughter of the fourth Baron Chandos. Their only son died young and their only daughter, Margaret Smythe, married Thomas Carey. She lived until 1663 and took a second husband, Thomas Cecil, first Earl of Exeter.

The image - from a painting by Kneller - James Brydges, Ist Duke of Chandos and His Family, 1713.

Ancestor Index: Medieval Smyth Customer (Wiltshire) Smith/e-Smyth/e; Smyth (Durham and Yorkshire) of Ireland Essex Smyth/e; Smyth of Bristol Shropshire Smythe