Richard III Branch

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1585, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England

Notes:

Lionel Branch

Birth: Aug. 18, 1556
Berkshire, England
Death: 1605 London Greater London, England

Lionel Branch was born at Abingdon-on-Thames in Berkshire which claims to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with people having lived there for at least 6,000 years. He was the third son of William and Catherine (Jennings) Branch. On 02 Jul 1585, he matriculated Magdalen College of Oxford University as a commoner, and graduated 11 Feb 1590.

Lionel Branch and his wife, Valentina Sparke, were married 08 July 1596 at St. Martin, Ludgate, in the city of London ("Leonell Branch of London gent. and Valentia Sparke of St. Martin Ludgate said city, spinster, daughter of "____ " Sparke late of said city, draper, deceased, gen. lic., 7 Jul 1596."). Their only child was Christopher Branch (b. Abt. 1602 Greater London, Middlesex, England, d. 1680 Henrico VA). Valentina Sparke was born circa 1575 in London, Middlesex, England and died circa 1610 of unspecified causes.

After his marriage, he and his wife returned to Abingdon and all trace of him was lost. He died intestate.

From all accounts, Lionel was the "black sheep" of the family. Called "my unthrifty and disobedient son" in his father's (William Branch) will and bequeathed merely "my black gown". Obviously, no love was lost between Lionel and his older brother, Thomas, either. Thus when Thomas made his will in 1603 he bequeathed nothing to Lionel and willed the valuable Bull Inn property of Abingdon to his brother-in-law, Robert Payne. William Branch, the younger brother of Lionel still at Oxford, felt that the natural male heirs of William Branch should inherit the Bull Inn and accordingly brought suit to upset the will, the cause being decided in favor of Robert Payne in February of 1603-4.

Christopher Branch, the only son of Lionel Branch, returned briefly from his home in Henrico, Co., VA to Abingdon in 1632 with the same goal of having the ownership of the Bull Inn of Abingdon invalidated by a court suit. He was also unsuccessful.

LIONEL BRANCH (WILLIAM4, RICHARD3, JOHN2, JOHN1) was born 18 August 1566 in St. Helens Church Abington, Berkshire, England1, and died 1605 in London, England. He married VALENTIA SPARK/E/S 08 July 1596 in Ludgate, London, England2, daughter of LUDGATE SPARKS. She was born Abt. 1576, and died in England.

Notes for LIONEL BRANCH:
Lionel Branch was born in 1566 in London and died 1605 in England. He married Valentia Sparkes July 7, 1596 in St. Martins, Ludgate, London, England.

Lionel Branch was baptized at St. Helen Church on August 18, 1566. That he was something of a black sheep or, more charitable, a prodigal son, is evident from the terms of his father's will, in which he is castigated as "my unthrifty and disobedient sonne," to whom only a black gown and his father's best cloak was left.

Lionel entered Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1585, as a commoner, matriculating on July 2 in that year, proceeded to his B.A. on February 11, 1590/1, and was a demy of Magdalen between 1585 and 1593, after which he must have gone to London. Lionel must have prospered, for on July 8, 1596, at St Martin, Ludgate, in the City of London, distinguished by the status of "gentleman," he married Valentia Sparkes, the daughter of ______ Sparkes, deceased, formerly a draper, of the City of London. By her, apparently, he had only one son, Christopher, who was provided for in his grandfather's will by a bequest of five marks on his attaining eighteen years of age. Lionel appears never to have returned to his native town and after his marriage, all trace of him is lost. Neither record of his burial nor of his will have been found.

(Branch of Abingdon: A Revision by Peter Walne, Genealogies of Virginia Families -From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 1, p. 219)
Child of LIONEL BRANCH and VALENTIA SPARK/E/S is:
2. i. CHRISTOPHER6 BRANCH, b. 02 September 1602, Kent Co. England; d. Bef. 20 February 1681/82, Henrico Co., VA.



Leonell Branch (Braunch), of Berks, pleb. Magdalen Coll.., matric. 2 July 1585, aged 17; demy 1585-93; B.A. II Feb, 1590-1

Oxford University Alumni 1500-1886

Wills of William and Thomas Branch and Bull Inn.

Thomas Branch bought the Bull Inn from Robert Forman at some date between 1554 and 1565 based upon the Amyce survey of 1554. However, the title deeds are not now extant.

Under the terms of an agreement made on the same day as his will, Thomas' father granted all his property and posessions (except for those bequeathed by his will to others) to Thomas. By virtue of this deed and the terms of the will of his namesake uncle, Thomas, he obtained posession of the Bull Inn, which, in his will dated January 22, 1602/3 and proved April 22, 1603, he bequeathed to his brother-in-law, Robert Payne, husband of his sister, Martha. His will also discloses that Thomas held certain copyhold land in the neighboring parish of Drayton, upon which an encumbrance of 80 pounds, due to the Lord of the Manor, Sir Francis Stonor, was laid, which encumberance he doubted his wife would properly discharge.

After his death, his will was the subject of litigation in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, when his brother, William, brought an action against Robert Payne, Thomas' brother-in-law and executor, to test the validity of the will. On February 13, 1603/4, the Court declared a definistive sentence, upholding its validity in favor of the executor. This decision confirmed Payne in his ownership of the Bull Inn.

This account was written by Peter Walne, author of "Branch of Abingdon," appearing in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 67, 1959. page 92

On page 95, Walne picks up the story of the Bull Inn with regards to Christopher William Branch (1602-1681), William's grandson. "In his written pleadings in the case in Chancery over the ownership of the Bull Inn in 1632, Christopher says his father (Lionel) had died 27 years previously (i.e., in 1605), at which time he himself was but 2 or 3 years old, placing his birth in 1602 or 1603. In 1632, (Christopher) returned briefly to England (from his new home in the Virginia colony) for the purpose, amongst other things no doubt, of trying to gain posession of the Bull Inn, which he claimed ought, by rights, to be his, but of which he had been cheated by his uncle Robert Payne." See Public Record Office, Chancery Proceedings, Charles I, Bundle B 21, no. 34. The validity of Christopher's claim rested solely on the interpretation of the wording of the relevant section of the will.

Christopher's case was that, by the terms of his great-uncle Thomas' will of 1565, the Bull Inn after descending to his grandfather, William, and to his uncle, William's eldest son, Thomas, should have descended to Christopher's father, Lionel, as heir at law of the younger Thomas, and so to Christopher on Lionel's death. The devise of the Bull Inn by the younger Thomas to his brother-in-law, Robert Payne, was, according to Christopher, unlawful. Whilst no decree of the court has been found, Christopher's plea was successfully resisted by Richard Payne, Robert's son, to whom the property was conveyed in 1624 as part of the settlement on his marriage. Shortly after the hearing of this case, Richard Payne must have conveyed the Bull Inn to Christ's Hospital, for numerous leases by the Hospital dating from 1644 to 1856 exist amongst the Hospital muniments.

Note that the Hospital sold the Bull Inn (then called the Black Bull) in 1905 hence the absence of any title deeds other than these leases, in the Hospital's own archives.

Birth: Aug. 18, 1556
Berkshire, England
Death: 1605
London
Greater London, England

Lionel Branch was born at Abingdon-on-Thames in Berkshire which claims to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with people having lived there for at least 6,000 years. He was the third son of William and Catherine (Jennings) Branch. On 02 Jul 1585, he matriculated Magdalen College of Oxford University as a commoner, and graduated 11 Feb 1590.

Lionel Branch and his wife, Valentina Sparke, were married 08 July 1596 at St. Martin, Ludgate, in the city of London ("Leonell Branch of London gent. and Valentia Sparke of St. Martin Ludgate said city, spinster, daughter of "____ " Sparke late of said city, draper, deceased, gen. lic., 7 Jul 1596."). Their only child was Christopher Branch (b. Abt. 1602 Greater London, Middlesex, England, d. 1680 Henrico VA). Valentina Sparke was born circa 1575 in London, Middlesex, England and died circa 1610 of unspecified causes.

After his marriage, he and his wife returned to Abingdon and all trace of him was lost. He died intestate.

From all accounts, Lionel was the "black sheep" of the family. Called "my unthrifty and disobedient son" in his father's (William Branch) will and bequeathed merely "my black gown". Obviously, no love was lost between Lionel and his older brother, Thomas, either. Thus when Thomas made his will in 1603 he bequeathed nothing to Lionel and willed the valuable Bull Inn property of Abingdon to his brother-in-law, Robert Payne. William Branch, the younger brother of Lionel still at Oxford, felt that the natural male heirs of William Branch should inherit the Bull Inn and accordingly brought suit to upset the will, the cause being decided in favor of Robert Payne in February of 1603-4.

Christopher Branch, the only son of Lionel Branch, returned briefly from his home in Henrico, Co., VA to Abingdon in 1632 with the same goal of having the ownership of the Bull Inn of Abingdon invalidated by a court suit. He was also unsuccessful.

Lionel Branch's parents:

Father: William Branch b. Aft. 1524 at Abingdon, Berkshire, d. Bef. 24 Apr 1602. Served as Mayor of Abingdon.

Mother: Catherine Jennings b. c1532, bur. 25 Aug 1597 at St. Helen's Church, Abingdon. Her lineage is proven to Charlemagne through King William I (the Conqueror).

Family links:
Parents:
William Braunch (1524 - 1601)
Katherine Jennings Braunch (1524 - 1587)

Children:
Christopher Branch (1598 - 1682)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Unknown

Created by: Gresham Farrar

Lionel married Valentia Sparkes on 8 Jul 1596 in St Martin, Ludgate, London, England. Valentia (daughter of Sir William Sparrowhawk Sparkes and Lady Elizabeth Ann Martin Wayne Sparke) was born on 18 Aug 1566 in St Martin, Ludgate, London, England; died on 4 October 1605 in London, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Katherine Barbara Jennings, (Magna Charta line). Katherine (daughter of Sir William Jennnings and Joan Bostock) was born in 1524 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England; died on 25 Aug 1597 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sir married Lady Elizabeth Ann Martin Wayne Sparke on 25 Sep 1569 in Little Saxham, Suffolk, England. Lady (daughter of Sir Nicholas Sparke of Bridford and Lady Elizabeth Sparke (Aiffer)) was born in 1552 in Brent Pelham, Hertfordshire, England; died on 1 Mar 1615 in Halstead, Hertfordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Richard Branch was a master woolen draper. He was the grandson of John Branch, the Master Carpenter who may have designed the Hammer Beam ceiling of the chapel of All Soul's College at Oxford University. The following is from The Abingdon Archaelogical and Historical Society:

"Their grandson Richard (about 1503−1544), who prospered as a woollen draper, was a master of the Guild. At the time of Amyce’s survey in 1554, Richard’s widow Elizabeth (about 1507−1556) was living in the Bury near the end of Lombard Street and deriving income from three adjoining properties in East St Helen Street, two of which, the present Nos. 55 and 51, still exist."

Source: Abingdon Archaelogical and Historical Society, "The Braunche Family", http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/history/people/braunche-family

Richard Braunch
Gender: Male
Birth: circa 1500 Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Death: 11 Sep 1544 (40-48) Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Burial: 16 Sep 1544 center Jesus aisle, St. Helen's Church, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Immediate Family:
Son of John Braunche, III and Margaret Braunche
Husband of Elizabeth Braunche; Margaret Braunche and Juliana Braunch
Father of William Braunche, Sr.; Thomas Branch; Amy Branch; John Branch; Mary Branch/Braunche
Brother of Thomas Braunche and William Braunche

Will of Richard Branch:
In the name off god Amen the 27 daye of August yn the yere off our lorde god 1544 and in the yere of our soveren and most drade lorde Henry the viij by the grace of god of England fraunce & Irelande kinge of the faithe defensor and in the erthe next under god of the church of England & Ireland supreme hede the xxxvjy Richarde Branche of Abendon in the dyocese of Sarum wollen draper being hole of mynde and perfyt of memorye (thankes be unto Jhesu) never the lesse sycke in bodye do ordeyne and make this to be my last will and testament as hereafter foloweth that is to saye I bequethe my solle unto almighty god my only Saviour and redemer desirynge my soll to be assosiat and in cumpenye withe the virgyn marye and all thelect people of god and my bodye to be buryede in Saynct Elens churche of Abendon in Saynct Kateryns yle nyghe unto the bodyes of my late wyves Julyan and Margrett.
Item y bequeth unto the highe awlter in Saynct Elens Churche ijs to be prayed for.
Item y bequeth unto Thomas Branche my eldest sonne a federbed a bolster a coverynge with a myter upon it and a peyre off scheetes and xs [ten shillings] in moneye.
Item y bequethe unto my sonne William Branche my gowne that hadde off Mastre Wodwarde and xs in moneye.
Item y bequethe unto Thomas Branche my yongest sonne xxs in moneye.
Item y bequethe unto my sunne John Branche a black gown lyned with saynct Thomas wolsted and xs in moneye.
Item y bequethe unto Mergerye my dowghter a gyrdell with a dymycent of sylver and gyelt a sylverne spone withall her graunfathers bequest unto her a great brasse pott a platter a pottenger and a sawcer of the new fassyon a bell candlestycke & xxs in moneye.
Item y bequethe unto Maryon my dowghter a great brasse potte a brasse pan a peyre of Jett bedis with sylver gandes a sylverne spone besydes the spone that Wodwarde gave unto her a platter a potenger a sawcer of the new facyon a bell candlestycke & xxs in moneye.
And yff it shall cum to passe by godes provysyon that anye off my fore named chyldern shall departe this transitorye lyeff before they cum unto yeris of dyscretion then y will that his or their partes of the bequestes above mentioned so discessed shalbe indifferently distrybuted amongst my chyldern that then shalbe on lyve.
Item the residew of all mye goodes unbequethed (my detes payed my funeralls dishcarged and my legaces fulfylled) I geve and bequethe unto Elysabeth Braunche my wyffe she to pay all the dettes that ye owe and to receve all such dettes as be owinge unto me whom also y make my full and sole executrice she to cause my soll to be prayed for as god shall put her in mynd.
Item y do make Humffrey Bostocke and Thomas Erle the overseers of this my last will and testament to be performed in whome y putt my full trust above all other mortall men to se unto the gydynge of my wyffe and my childern untyll the tyme that god provyde for them unto whome also y do geve for the paynes takynge vjs viijd equallye betwyxt them to be devydyd.
Witnesses hereunto Sir William Druet brotherhed preist Richard Mayot Humffreye Bostocke and Thomas Erle with other moe."

John Braunch's second son, Richard, born before 1521, had two early marriages, Juliana and Margaret by neither of whom did he have children and both of them must have died early. In 1523 he married Elizabeth Beauforest, daughter of Thomas Beauforest of Cornwall and Margaret Bassett. Elizabeth was born about 1506/07 in Abdingdon, Berkshire Co., England, died 20 June 1556 and on the same day was buried in St. Helen's Church. Children of Richard and Elizabeth follow:
(1) Thomas (of London) b. about 1529 m. Elizabeth North No issue. Will proved 20 Oct.,1565 in Perogative Ct., of Canterbury
(2) William of Abdingdon b. After 1524 in Abdingdon Married Katherine Jennings, date unknown and d. Feb., 1601/02. Was buried in St Helen's Church & Feb 1601/02. Katherine b. About 1524, d. 25 Aug., 1587,and buried 25 Aug., 1587 in St. Helen's Church
(3) John (of Kent)
(4) Margery b. 1539 d, 1545/46 Buried 16 Mar., 1545/46
(5) Marion b. about 1541 d. March 1545/46
(6) Amy d. May have died before Sept 1544 as she is not in her father's will
(7) Thomas, fourth son d. 1545/46

Richard was a Woolen draper like his father before him; and was associated to Fraternity of the Holy Cross, Master of Fraternity. He was married three times with no children by his first two wives. All his children were by his third wife, Elizabeth Beauforest of Dorchester, dau. of Thomas Beauforest, of Dorchester, Oxfordshire, and Margaret Bassett, and by her had seven possibly eight children. He was of greater prominence in the town's affairs than his father or grandfather before him; but was to be surpassed in prominence and importance by his second son William in due time. Continuing his family's connection with the Fraternity of the Holy Cross, Richard became one of the Masters of the Fraternity and so remained to his death in 1544. Another pointer to Richard's position is afforded by the Grant on October 17, 1537 to Richard, Gilbert Freman, and John Marlow of the right of next presentation to the parish church of Marcham near Abingdon by Thomas Pentecost, last Abbot of Abingdon. The living had not fallen vacant by the time the Abbey was suppressed in 1538 and the three grantees appeared before the newly-formed Court of Augmentations, created by Henry VIII to control and dispose of the vast wealth of monastic lands fallen into royal hands after the Dissolution, in defence of their valuable privilege. On November 26, 1538, the Chancellor and Council of the Court confirmed the three men in the enjoyment of their privilege, which they doubtless soon exercised although no record of this has been found.

Richard's widow, Elizabeth, survived him by twelve years, being buried near her husband on June 20, 1556, in St. Helen's church. In October 1554, a detailed survey of all houses and land in Abingdon was made which shows that he left his estate to his widow. Richard bequeathed to Elizabeth three houses lying side by side on the west side of East St. Helen's Street. She lived in a house in the street called The Bury, the modern High Street, which she rented from James Braybrooke, and in which she probably died.

Richard married Elizabeth Beauforest. Elizabeth was born in 1507 in Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England; died on 20 Jun 1556 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sir married Joan Bostock on 1 Jun 1495 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. Joan was born in 1470 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England; died on 1 Jun 1540 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sir married Lady Elizabeth Anne Lodge on 18 Oct 1551 in St Martin, Ludgate, London, England. Lady was born on 27 Dec 1528 in Brent Pelham, Hertfordshire, England; died on 20 Sep 1608 in Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sir married Lady Elizabeth Sparke (Aiffer) on 2 Aug 1562 in , Norfolk, England. Lady was born in 1515 in Bridford, Devon, England; died about 1578 in Westmoreland, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name: John Braunche
Sex: M
Birth: ABT. 1466 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Death: AFT. 25 MAR 1521 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Occupation: Carpenter
Note:
This second John Apparently married Margaret Edwards and was still alive in 1521 when his two sons Thomas and Richard are mentioned with him. After 1521, no further reference to the second John Branch is known. On May 16, 1488 John and his mother Avis, granted the annual sum of 4 shillings to the Fraternity of the Holy Cross in Abingdon.
Father: John Braunche b: BEF. 20 MAR 1437/38 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Mother: Avise ? b: 1447 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Marriage 1 Margaret Edwards b: ABT. 1488 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England

Children
1. Has Children Thomas Braunche b: ABT. 1514
2. Has Children Richard Braunche b: ABT. 1503 in Abdingdon, Berkshire, England
3. Has No Children William Braunche

John Braunche was a Carpenter and lived at West Saint Helen's Street, Abingdon, England

He had the following children:

i Richard Branch
ii William Branch was born about 1520 in Abingdon, Berkshire,England. He died in Abingdon, Berkshire,England.

[Source: Abingdon Area Archeaological & History Society at: http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/history/people/braunche-family]
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The Braunche Family
The Braunches were a leading family in Abingdon through several generations. A John Branch (d. 1488) worked from 1438 as a master carpenter on the building of All Souls College in Oxford. He was responsible for selecting and preparing the timber to be felled, and he may have been the designer of the hammer-beam roof in the chapel. Although his pay was only fractionally above that of the more skilled of the half dozen or so other carpenters employed, he was paid by the week and they by the day, so his income was probably more steady than theirs. He was almost certainly the John Braunche who leased property in 1438 from men whom we can recognise as leaders of the Fraternity or Guild of the Holy Cross, at that time not yet a chartered corporation. In 1440, John Braunche and his wife Avise (died 1490) took a house in West St Helen Street. The family’s connection with the Fraternity continued. Their son John (died 1521) carried on the carpentry business and was a Fraternity member. Their grandson Richard (about 1503−1544), who prospered as a woollen draper, was a master of the Guild. At the time of Amyce’s survey in 1554, Richard’s widow Elizabeth (about 1507−1556) was living in the Bury near the end of Lombard Street and deriving income from three adjoining properties in East St Helen Street, two of which, the present Nos. 55 and 51, still exist.

Richard’s elder son Thomas owned the Bull Inn on the corner of Littlebury Street (about where the NatWest Bank is now) but he died in 1565 and left it to his brother William (before 1538−1602), a woollen draper like his father but also a maltster. William continued the family tradition, becoming a governor of Christ’s Hospital, which had been established in 1553 to replace the old Fraternity. He was master four times between 1572 and 1593, as well as being mayor of Abingdon four times between 1563 and 1588. He also represented the town in the short-lived parliament of 1593.

It was in William’s time that factional conflict broke out in both the Corporation and in Christ’s Hospital, and he played a major role in it. This resulted in his oldest son Thomas (1557−1603) having his entry to these bodies delayed, so that he never achieved great distinction in them. Another son, Richard (1560−before 1602), became a clergyman and was rector of Hinton Waldrist and Longworth, while a third, Lionel (1566-1605), moved to London. In the next generation, the name of Braunche no longer appears among Corporation members and Hospital governors. Their position in Abingdon politics was taken up by a son-in-law, Robert Payne, who also inherited the Bull Inn. There was a John Braunche, saddler, who was active in Abingdon in 1637 but is not known to have taken any part in public affairs. Lionel’s offspring emigrated to Virginia and started an American branch of the family.

The second John Braunche was a feoffee of the Fraternity of the Holy Cross and in 1489 was party, with his co-feoffees, to a conveyance of some Fraternity property. He was alive in 1497, when he appears in a rental of Fraternity properties as paying an annual sum of twenty shillings in respect of his house in West St. Helen's Street, which was on the north of a house belonging to or occupied by Margaret Edwards. John's brother, William, appears as party or witness to various conveyances between 1479 and 1487, but little else is known about him.

On March 25, 1521, John Braynch (a varieant spelling of Braunche), a carpenter, conveyed the house in which he lived and his father before him from 1440 onwards, to Mrs. Margery Harcourt, widow, Oliver Wellesbourne, gentleman, and Richard Edwardes alias Braynche, draper. On April 4, 1521, Richard and Thomas jointly released any rights they might have on the house to the three persons named in the earlier conveyance. This mention of Richard Edwardes alias Braynche in the first conveyence presents a problem to which the records give no answer. He may have been the stepson of John after a marriage to his neighbor, the widow Edwardes, sometime after 1497, or possibly the illegitimate offspring of the two neighbours. Whatever the fact, it is clear that this Richard was neither the lawful son and heir to John, nor blood brother to Richard and Thomas. After 1521 no further reference to the second John Braunche is known.

John married Margaret Edwards. Margaret was born in 1480 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England; died in 1521 in , , , England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sir married Lady Susannah Matilda Cobbold. Lady was born in 1505 in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England; died in 1575 in Brent Pelham, Hertfordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]