Tracking Forward
Researchers 100 years ago did not have the ease of modern computers and archives to research their subjects. Because of this, I have found much of the prior Newburgh family research is unavoidably erroneous. All this may sound like a bold statement, but newly translated ancient records bear out new truths. And while none of us is immune to inaccuracy, original records may only tell parts of each story.
My first introduction into erroneous information began with Joseph Gardner Bartlett's Newberry Genealogy. As I consulted the original medieval documentation available, I also began to find the respected work of John Hutchins was, in some cases, also painfully incorrect. Often his editors left out whole family lines, attributed them to the wrong matriarch, or simply misunderstood their relationships. It is not hard to fathom, given our own MODERN definitions of certain words which can reflect different meanings as opposed to those used in the medieval period. It pays to check definitions carefully.
What I have found is that the prevalent and constant redundancy of forenames has proven to be a terrible snarl in Newburgh history. In just one generation from 1402 to 1485 there were no less than six John Newburghs to untangle. The first ancestor identified as John, (for whom most generational elder sons are named) must have been quite the warrior. He was b. 1250, d. 1308/9, knighted 22 May 1306 (Shaw, Knights of England, 144).
Newburgh land holdings spanned an incredible collective of land mass spanning the Isle of Purbeck, along with the counties of Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Kent, Gloucestershire and perhaps even Berkshire; yet the Newburghs were identified by some historians as "MINOR GENTRY". In my opinion, this is patently untrue given their associations and various relationships with barony and even the royals.
It has taken twelve years to accomplish untangling the 15th century John Newburghs. This couldn't have been accomplished without the help of a number of more experienced historians who have lent their expertise to my research. Most notable is Sally Thomson, my trusted friend, historian and translator.
Currently, my personal research is attempting to capture and untangle all the Roger Newburghs who seem to have existed between 1485 and 1530. The name Roger was taken from one of the earliest descendants of Henry Newburgh 1st earl of Warwick; but the name didn't return to popular use until end of the fifteenth century. Most of the patriarchs of this family were named Robert (early on) or John from 1250 with some interruption.
At the end of the Newburgh's 500 year reign, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk took control of Newburgh lands via his custodianship of Roger Newburgh's granddaughters. Roger Newburgh the last Lord of East Lulworth. Elizabeth and Katherine Marney were married off to his circle of family and associates. This Roger was celebrated as a knight, and regarded by most historians as the only man of this name living during this period. However, by untangling all of the Johns, we find there was more than one Roger Newburgh, and the varied arms carried during that period reflect two knights by that name.
By 1500 the East Lulworth line began its slow march toward extinction at the death of John Newburgh, Esq. Roger was the patriarch of the final line in Lulworth in 1514 when he left the Newburgh legacy to his daughter Christian who married John Marney. See partial pedigree below.
If you are interested in a discussion of the family via blog, please let me know by sending a comment via the contact form. If there is significant interest, I will begin a blog for new research, questions, etc.
THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY FAMILY
As Lord of East Lulworth, John Newburgh Esq. had an elder son John Jr. who was borne to his first wife Edith Attemoore c. 1431 or earlier. By May of 1471 the Esquire and John Jr. were at odds with one another, or perhaps before. The sad tale commenced in earnest four months after his step-brother William was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. John Jr. lost his customary primogeniture in September of 1471. William's death seems to have been the catalyst.
The record implies John fell out of favor with his father and step-mother over politics. Traditionally, the Newburghs were Lancastrians, but John Jr. broke with family allegiances to follow King Edward IV. John Jr. had two brothers, Robert and Thomas who were also sons of Edith Attemoore. Thomas inherited Berkeley, Somerset. Robert seems to have had a presence in the Isle of Wight, but is exceedingly obscure to the regional record.
Following the death of Edith c. 1448, the Esquire remarried Alice Carent Westbury (widow). Herein seems to lay the source of later problems. Because of the familial failings, John Jr. saw his legacy diverted by charter to his step nephews, sons of his deceased step-brother William. This occurred through the Esquire's powerful feoffees the FitzJames'.
THE PLAYERS
JOHN NEWBURGH JR. son of Edith AtteMoore
John Jr. was married in 1449 and lived in Swanage. He was steward at Corfe Castle for a time before shipping off to Caernarvon Castle (Wales) for more royal duty. His first wife died. In his middle age John Jr. remarried Isabel Courtenay perhaps as a second or third wife. He had no issue with her. John's later life was spent in obscurity at Tonerspuddle, where he was provided for by his father in his final years. It is thought John Jr. had a son called Roger of Warmwell, bc. 1456. Other siblings have not been recorded.
MOTHER AND SONS
Through a pitched battle of ongoing political strife, EDITH AtteMOORE'S eldest son lost his wife, friends and social standing. Spurned, the unimaginable forfeiture of his nobility poisoned and haunted his future existence. With his primogeniture removed, his life ended as a dependent of those he had forsaken. Going to battle, but losing the war had lasting repercussions, not only for himself but for his brothers as well. Sooner or later, victor or loser, history always has a way of settling the score.
FATHERS, SONS AND GRANDSONS
JOHN NEWBURGH Esq.’s will is full of rich detail. As benevolent patrons of the Catholic Church, his descendants continued to enrich St. Andrew at East Lulworth, St. Mary the Virgin at Glanvilles Wootton, (Dale, 1878, 11.) and the Church of the Holy Rood in Combe Keynes. His elder sons' primogeniture was erased by charter and bestowed upon his son William born to ALICE CARENT. At William's death, his son's took on the mantle as Lords of Lulworth.
The stained glass windows of St. Andrew at Lulworth and St. Mary’s at Glanville Wootton held the Newburgh’s heraldry until the 17th and 19th centuries respectively. Additionally, the Newburghs were founders and generational patrons of Bindon Abbey, Tarrant Abbey, and supporters of Salisbury (Sarum) Cathedral. (Ref: PROB/11/7/139) Their accumulated ancestral holdings included manors and castles in at least five known counties. The Esquire's legacy was inherited by his second wife (Alice's) grandsons. John and Roger Newburgh.
ROGER NEWBURGH son of John Jr. grandson of John the Esquire
John Jr.’s son Roger of Warmwell is relatively invisible, though he appears to be the steward of Milton Abbey in the early 16th century. See latest newsletters - April and August of 2019. As the Newburghs moved away from Lulworth to Devon and Somerset, his story becomes one of great interest and mystery with possible connections to the NEW ENGLAND emigration.
THOMAS NEWBURGH of Berkeley brother of John Jr.
John Jr.'s brother Thomas Newburgh raised his large family in Berkeley, Somerset. Court documents paint a colorful picture of family strife for this line which suffered extinction around 1680.
WILLIAM NEWBURGH the step-brother of John Jr. and Thomas
William Newburgh's sons, John and Roger, (grandson's of the Esquire) became the final Newburgh heir(s) to Lulworth. The line was extinguished in 1514/5 when Roger passed the family legacy to his daughter Christian who married Sir John Marney. Marney's daughters were taken into custody by the powerful 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard.
LESSER KNOWN and EARLY OFF SHOOTS
There are other earlier Newburghs (1290-1400) for which information is meager; but we are always seeking new clues for Gilbert, Ambrose, Gervase, William Newburgh and others whose families spread to other parts of Wessex. The forename 'John' is the most prevalent in the Newburgh family history flowing in abundance through all branches of the family.
OUR CURRENT GOAL . . .
is to track the Newburgh/Newberry clans occurring after 1400 and to connect families of Devon, Somerset, Wilts, West Dorset and Berks to the Lulworth Lords and their early cadet lines. Plotting families via parish records, wills and chancery suits etc., we hope to string all the pearls back to the main armigerous line.
**************************************
THE NEW ENGLAND ADVENTURERS in the SEVENTEEN CENTURY
NEW INFO August 2019:
Richard and Thomas were cousins. For more information see the Newsletters section and read the August 2019 issue. The research paper can be acquired for $11.25 at Gumroad.
These two 'planters' of the New World have been inadequately studied and misunderstood for over a century since Joseph Gardner Bartlett wrote The Newberry Genealogy in 1914. The College of Arms notified Bartlett of his inaccuracies. Unfortunately, he died before correcting the record which has led to continued confusion of Newberry history. We at WWNP have been studying this mistake and will, in the near future, publish corrections to Bartlett.
Care to join us? If you have documented information about your family lines in the UK and would like to engage, please contact us. If you would like to help fund the project, please see our campaign at GOFUNDME titled Mapping the Newburgh Family.
My first introduction into erroneous information began with Joseph Gardner Bartlett's Newberry Genealogy. As I consulted the original medieval documentation available, I also began to find the respected work of John Hutchins was, in some cases, also painfully incorrect. Often his editors left out whole family lines, attributed them to the wrong matriarch, or simply misunderstood their relationships. It is not hard to fathom, given our own MODERN definitions of certain words which can reflect different meanings as opposed to those used in the medieval period. It pays to check definitions carefully.
What I have found is that the prevalent and constant redundancy of forenames has proven to be a terrible snarl in Newburgh history. In just one generation from 1402 to 1485 there were no less than six John Newburghs to untangle. The first ancestor identified as John, (for whom most generational elder sons are named) must have been quite the warrior. He was b. 1250, d. 1308/9, knighted 22 May 1306 (Shaw, Knights of England, 144).
Newburgh land holdings spanned an incredible collective of land mass spanning the Isle of Purbeck, along with the counties of Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Kent, Gloucestershire and perhaps even Berkshire; yet the Newburghs were identified by some historians as "MINOR GENTRY". In my opinion, this is patently untrue given their associations and various relationships with barony and even the royals.
It has taken twelve years to accomplish untangling the 15th century John Newburghs. This couldn't have been accomplished without the help of a number of more experienced historians who have lent their expertise to my research. Most notable is Sally Thomson, my trusted friend, historian and translator.
Currently, my personal research is attempting to capture and untangle all the Roger Newburghs who seem to have existed between 1485 and 1530. The name Roger was taken from one of the earliest descendants of Henry Newburgh 1st earl of Warwick; but the name didn't return to popular use until end of the fifteenth century. Most of the patriarchs of this family were named Robert (early on) or John from 1250 with some interruption.
At the end of the Newburgh's 500 year reign, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk took control of Newburgh lands via his custodianship of Roger Newburgh's granddaughters. Roger Newburgh the last Lord of East Lulworth. Elizabeth and Katherine Marney were married off to his circle of family and associates. This Roger was celebrated as a knight, and regarded by most historians as the only man of this name living during this period. However, by untangling all of the Johns, we find there was more than one Roger Newburgh, and the varied arms carried during that period reflect two knights by that name.
By 1500 the East Lulworth line began its slow march toward extinction at the death of John Newburgh, Esq. Roger was the patriarch of the final line in Lulworth in 1514 when he left the Newburgh legacy to his daughter Christian who married John Marney. See partial pedigree below.
If you are interested in a discussion of the family via blog, please let me know by sending a comment via the contact form. If there is significant interest, I will begin a blog for new research, questions, etc.
THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY FAMILY
As Lord of East Lulworth, John Newburgh Esq. had an elder son John Jr. who was borne to his first wife Edith Attemoore c. 1431 or earlier. By May of 1471 the Esquire and John Jr. were at odds with one another, or perhaps before. The sad tale commenced in earnest four months after his step-brother William was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. John Jr. lost his customary primogeniture in September of 1471. William's death seems to have been the catalyst.
The record implies John fell out of favor with his father and step-mother over politics. Traditionally, the Newburghs were Lancastrians, but John Jr. broke with family allegiances to follow King Edward IV. John Jr. had two brothers, Robert and Thomas who were also sons of Edith Attemoore. Thomas inherited Berkeley, Somerset. Robert seems to have had a presence in the Isle of Wight, but is exceedingly obscure to the regional record.
Following the death of Edith c. 1448, the Esquire remarried Alice Carent Westbury (widow). Herein seems to lay the source of later problems. Because of the familial failings, John Jr. saw his legacy diverted by charter to his step nephews, sons of his deceased step-brother William. This occurred through the Esquire's powerful feoffees the FitzJames'.
THE PLAYERS
JOHN NEWBURGH JR. son of Edith AtteMoore
John Jr. was married in 1449 and lived in Swanage. He was steward at Corfe Castle for a time before shipping off to Caernarvon Castle (Wales) for more royal duty. His first wife died. In his middle age John Jr. remarried Isabel Courtenay perhaps as a second or third wife. He had no issue with her. John's later life was spent in obscurity at Tonerspuddle, where he was provided for by his father in his final years. It is thought John Jr. had a son called Roger of Warmwell, bc. 1456. Other siblings have not been recorded.
MOTHER AND SONS
Through a pitched battle of ongoing political strife, EDITH AtteMOORE'S eldest son lost his wife, friends and social standing. Spurned, the unimaginable forfeiture of his nobility poisoned and haunted his future existence. With his primogeniture removed, his life ended as a dependent of those he had forsaken. Going to battle, but losing the war had lasting repercussions, not only for himself but for his brothers as well. Sooner or later, victor or loser, history always has a way of settling the score.
FATHERS, SONS AND GRANDSONS
JOHN NEWBURGH Esq.’s will is full of rich detail. As benevolent patrons of the Catholic Church, his descendants continued to enrich St. Andrew at East Lulworth, St. Mary the Virgin at Glanvilles Wootton, (Dale, 1878, 11.) and the Church of the Holy Rood in Combe Keynes. His elder sons' primogeniture was erased by charter and bestowed upon his son William born to ALICE CARENT. At William's death, his son's took on the mantle as Lords of Lulworth.
The stained glass windows of St. Andrew at Lulworth and St. Mary’s at Glanville Wootton held the Newburgh’s heraldry until the 17th and 19th centuries respectively. Additionally, the Newburghs were founders and generational patrons of Bindon Abbey, Tarrant Abbey, and supporters of Salisbury (Sarum) Cathedral. (Ref: PROB/11/7/139) Their accumulated ancestral holdings included manors and castles in at least five known counties. The Esquire's legacy was inherited by his second wife (Alice's) grandsons. John and Roger Newburgh.
ROGER NEWBURGH son of John Jr. grandson of John the Esquire
John Jr.’s son Roger of Warmwell is relatively invisible, though he appears to be the steward of Milton Abbey in the early 16th century. See latest newsletters - April and August of 2019. As the Newburghs moved away from Lulworth to Devon and Somerset, his story becomes one of great interest and mystery with possible connections to the NEW ENGLAND emigration.
THOMAS NEWBURGH of Berkeley brother of John Jr.
John Jr.'s brother Thomas Newburgh raised his large family in Berkeley, Somerset. Court documents paint a colorful picture of family strife for this line which suffered extinction around 1680.
WILLIAM NEWBURGH the step-brother of John Jr. and Thomas
William Newburgh's sons, John and Roger, (grandson's of the Esquire) became the final Newburgh heir(s) to Lulworth. The line was extinguished in 1514/5 when Roger passed the family legacy to his daughter Christian who married Sir John Marney. Marney's daughters were taken into custody by the powerful 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard.
LESSER KNOWN and EARLY OFF SHOOTS
There are other earlier Newburghs (1290-1400) for which information is meager; but we are always seeking new clues for Gilbert, Ambrose, Gervase, William Newburgh and others whose families spread to other parts of Wessex. The forename 'John' is the most prevalent in the Newburgh family history flowing in abundance through all branches of the family.
OUR CURRENT GOAL . . .
is to track the Newburgh/Newberry clans occurring after 1400 and to connect families of Devon, Somerset, Wilts, West Dorset and Berks to the Lulworth Lords and their early cadet lines. Plotting families via parish records, wills and chancery suits etc., we hope to string all the pearls back to the main armigerous line.
**************************************
THE NEW ENGLAND ADVENTURERS in the SEVENTEEN CENTURY
NEW INFO August 2019:
Richard and Thomas were cousins. For more information see the Newsletters section and read the August 2019 issue. The research paper can be acquired for $11.25 at Gumroad.
These two 'planters' of the New World have been inadequately studied and misunderstood for over a century since Joseph Gardner Bartlett wrote The Newberry Genealogy in 1914. The College of Arms notified Bartlett of his inaccuracies. Unfortunately, he died before correcting the record which has led to continued confusion of Newberry history. We at WWNP have been studying this mistake and will, in the near future, publish corrections to Bartlett.
Care to join us? If you have documented information about your family lines in the UK and would like to engage, please contact us. If you would like to help fund the project, please see our campaign at GOFUNDME titled Mapping the Newburgh Family.
PEDIGREE 1402-1515
