Richard Branch^[1]

1496 - 1544  (48 years)

• Name	Richard Branch
  Birth	1496	Abingdon, Berkshire, England
  Gender	Male
  Death	26 Jul 1544	Abingdon, Berkshire, England
  Person ID	I46790	Master
  Last Modified	6 Nov 2022

  
  

  Father	John Branch\ Braunche ll,   b. 20 Mar 1466, Abingdon, Berkshire, England d. 25 Mar 1521, Abingdon, Berkshire, England (Age 55 years)
  Mother	Margaret Edwards,   b. 1480, Abingdon, Berkshire, England d. 1521, , , , England (Age 41 years)
  Family ID	F10630	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth Beauforest,   b. 1507, Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England d. 20 Jun 1556, Abingdon, Berkshire, England (Age 49 years)
  Children	+ 1. William Branch, Lord, Mayor Abington,   b. 1 Jun 1524, Abingdon, Berkshire, England d. 7 Feb 1601, Abingdon, Berkshire, England (Age 76 years)
  Family ID	F10641	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	5 Nov 2022

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1496 - Abingdon, Berkshire, England Death - 26 Jul 1544 - Abingdon, Berkshire, England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  Braunche Historic Property 55 East St Helen Street - No.55 with its neighbour No.51 are part of a timber framed row of rental properties built some time around 1500. They belonged to the Braunche family. Source: Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society, "Historic Buildings", http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/history/people/braunche-family Elizabeth, the widow of Richard Branch was deriving income from these properties at the time of her death.

  
  

• 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.

  
  

• Sources

  [S761] Yates Publishing, Ancestry Family Trees, (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.), Ancestry Family Tree.