The Hissem-Montague Family

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The Bowes family were originally from Northern England, in Northumbria and what later became Yorkshire. Very early it contained learned men who were either lawyers or, later, merchants. The main branches became quite wealthy in the coal business. The lines I've tracked so far are the aristocratic Bowes families of Bradley Hall, Streatlam Castle, Elford, Great Bromley, and Thornton Hall. There are also lesser families of Angram Grange and Brompton Grange. See Bowes Family of Brompton, Northallerton for an exhaustive study of the many branches of this ancient family. From that page - "There are other Bowes families mentioned by Robert Surtees in his "History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham" (1816-1840) in which he states: "that there were various sprinklings of the ancient name of Bowes, hesitating between gentry and yeomanry, that occur in wills and registers throughout Allertonshire and Richmondshire. The families established at Ellerbeck and at Angram Grange, held considerable landed property for several descents.""

Oddly, despite the fame of the family, there are significant strays. I have a Francis Bowes who, in 1632, had been Sheriff [of Yorkshire?] and was knighted. He was a member of Parliament in 1644-1645, yet I don't know how he relates to the family, any more than I do how Sir Francis Bowes of America does. The family continued to live in the north of England after our Francis emigrated. There is a Bowes Museum and Bowes Castle in Durham. The Queen Mother, now deceased, was a Bowes-Lyon.

William is the traditional forebear of the family, but probably a mythological one. "There is a tradition recorded in a MS. which belonged to the monastery of St. Mary, York, and related in the Bowes pedigree, that Alan Niger, Earl of Richmond, in defence of the honor against the men of Cumberland and Westmoreland, who rebelled against the Conqueror, and with Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, adhered to the King of Scots, built for himself the tower of Bowes, and placed therein his cousin William with 500 archers, and gave him a shield with the arms of Brittany, and three bows over them; and a bundle of arrows for his crest, whence this William was afterwards called William de Arcubus. This done into English is Bowes (bows) which became the surname of his descendants. Unfortunately for the truth of the tradition, there is a glaring anachronism. Crests and coats of arms did not come into use in England till long after the time of Earl Alan." - from "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890." William was the great-great-grandfather of Adam Bowes according to Burke's "Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland."

Geoffrey Tobin writes,

"On your website, with reference to Alan III of Richmond, you make the statement "Crests and coats of arms did not come into use in England till long after the time of Earl Alan".

This is not entirely true. Insignia of this sort derive from the Roman practice of identifying military units by patterns on their shields. This practice continued through the medieval era.

As proof, witness the shields depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, where the rank of an officer corresponds to the number of spots on their shield. For example, senior commanders such as Alan Rufus and Duke William of Normandy have twelve spots of rank. Bretons in particular are consistently identified by white shields with black spots: these insignia, although not represented in high detail, do resemble the ermine spot emblem of Brittany which is so familiar to us from subsequent centuries.

The bigger issue occurs with the earlier part of the account of Bowes, as attributed to records of St Mary's Abbey York, to wit:

"Alan Niger, Earl of Richmond, in defence of the honor against the men of Cumberland and Westmoreland, who rebelled against the Conqueror, and with Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, adhered to the King of Scots, built for himself the tower of Bowes, and placed therein his cousin William with 500 archers".

There are multiple problems with this.

Firstly, Alan III of Richmond, regarded by historians as the First Earl of Richmond, was not a contemporary of the Conqueror. Of the lordships of Richmond, only that of Alan Rufus (Alan I of Richmond) intersected with the reign of William the First.

Secondly, Cumberland and Westmoreland entered the realm of England only in the 1090s, during the reign of William II, son of William the Conqueror.

Thirdly, William the First removed Gospatric as Earl of Northumbria in 1072 due to Gospatric's support of the invasion by Scots, Danes and Englishmen under Edgar Atheling.

Fourthly, historians have not found any documentary evidence that Alan III of Richmond (before 1100 – 15 September 1146) was ever called "Alan the Black". That epithet belongs to a (half-?) brother of Alan Rufus (c1040 – 4 August 1093/4), namely Alan II of Richmond who was identified as "Alan Niger" both by St Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and by the Register of the Honour of Richmond.

A plausible resolution of this matter is that the account is a compressed retrospective of events that occurred during the period 1072 to 1100.

It is known that Alan Rufus, the "constructor" (master builder) of Richmond Castle and St Mary's Abbey, delegated various duties to his siblings and friends. Since the archaeological evidence is that many castles were built in Richmondshire during his governorship, it is plausible that Bowes was built during his time, on his orders, but supervised locally by his brother Alan Niger, just as the first Middleham Castle was built for (or by) his half-brother Ribald.

As to the reference to the title of Earl, both St Mary's Abbey York and Bury St. Edmunds Abbey in Suffolk use that title for Alan Rufus (as Earl of Richmond and as Earl of East Anglia, respectively).

The outstanding question is whether the first holder of Bowes Castle was truly a William Bowes, cousin of Alan Niger, and whether he was also a cousin of Alan Rufus, or a kinsman through Alan Niger's mother, assuming her not to be Alan Rufus's mother Orguen of Kernev."

One site gives the following descent from William de Arcubus, assuming Adam Bowes, below, as generation (1):
(-5) John Bowes
(-4) John Bowes
(-3) Henry Bowes
(-2) Stephen Bowes
(-1) Stephen Bowes

An alternative descent was derived from the previously mentioned "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890." Note that until I figure out how Sir Francis Bowes of Trenton, New Jersey fits into the descent, the generation numbers are based on Adam Bowes, below, as generation (1). Note that this descent at least agrees with (-1) Stephen Bowes.

The father of Osbert.

"Osbert, son of Fulco de Bowes, was one of the King's commissioners for superintending the erection of the [Bowes] castle [1171-1187], and this appears to have been the only connection the family had with the fortress. They were, however, possessed of lands in [the village of] Bowes at an early period, but it is from this Fulco de Bowes, rather than the traditional William de Arcubus, that their pedigree is to be traced." - from "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890."

Adam, was his fourth son.

Of Richmond. Either the descendant of the William de Arcubus or fourth in descent from Fulco de Bowes. Sir Adam Bowes, knight, was a man "learned in the lawes." A lawyer and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in the fifth of Edward III, 1331/2, and also Bailiff of Richmond from 1332 to 1334. Seneschal to the Bishop of Durham. He married Alice Trayne in about 1310. She was the daughter and sole heir of John Trayne [Trayner], knight lord of Steatlam, and Agnes de la Hay, heiress of Ralph de La Hay, Lord Percy, of Stainton le Strata. Adam obtained Streatlam Castle through this marriage. This was the main family seat until the 19th century and was 3 miles north east of Barnard Castle. Adam became the Lord of Streatlam in right of his wife. He probably died in 1356.

Streatlam Castle Streatlam Castle, "Newcastle" in some records, existed in the late 13th century. It was named for its location on a Roman street. It was rebuilt in the 15th century and again rebuilt, on the old foundations, between 1718 and the mid-19th century. It is now a complete ruin. Some walls, particularly at west end, have a very thick core of rubble masonry but there are no other traces of antiquity. Streatlam was the seat of the Bowes family, and later the Bowes-Lyon, Earls of Strathmore, and fronted an older building rebuilt by Sir William Bowes around 1450. The building was gutted in 1927 and demolished in 1959 as part of a Territorial Army exercise.

Who d.s.p.

The successor of Sir Adam Bowes as knight lord of Streatlam. He was born in about 1310. He married first Unknown and had a son, Robert. Second he married Elizabeth de Lilburne [Leyburne], the daughter of Sir John Lilburne, of Lilburne, in Northumberland. They had 4 children, Thomas, William, Margaret, and Alice.

A Robert and a William de Bowes were mentioned in the rolls of Edward III as having a coat of arms, ermine, three long bows "tenduz" gules. No arms, however, have ever been registered with the College of Arms in London. The Bowes-Lyon family of the Queen mother uses arms quartering with the Bowes arms viz, ermine three bows, strings palewise, proper. These are what is known as "punning" arms, i.e. bows for Bowes.

The eldest son of Robert. In the 29th year of the reign of Edward III [1359] the elder Robert entailed all his estates upon his issue male [that is, Robert Jr.], but [he] dying without issue, his possessions descended to his brother, William.

His brother's successor. He was created a Knight Banneret for his gallantry at the battle of Poitiers in 1346 [so says Burke's Commoners, but the battle actually took place in 1356]. Note that William would have been the squire of some older knight at the beginning of the battle.

William married Maude De Dalden, the sole heir of Jordan Dawden [Robert de Dalden], and with her acquired Dawden, Seaham, Ryhope, Seaton, and other properties. Their children were, Robert, Thomas, Roger, William, Adam, Ralph, John, Elizabeth, and Idones.

He succeeded his father, Sir William Bowes. He married Jane [Joan] Conyers, the daughter of Sir Robert Conyers [Coigniers], of Sockburn and Ormesby, in Cleveland, and Alianna de Cotam. He was created a Knight Banneret at the seige of Rouen, Normandy in 1419. He was subsequently slain with Thomas, Duke of Clarence, at the disaster at Bangey [Baugy] Bridge in 1421 [?].

"Old Sir William." He succeeded his father, Sir Robert Bowes. The "sole surviving heir of the whole family." - from "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890" by George Bulmer. I assume that means that all of his brothers died sine prole. He was born in 1389 in Durham. He married Joan [Jane], the daughter of Ralph Lord Greystock, in about 1415 and acquired the manor of Newton, in Durham. She was the daughter of Ralph Lord Greystoke and Elizabeth FitzHugh. She died within the year, however, leaving him an infant son. Sir William mourned her loss by living a widower for the rest of his life.

He was knighted at the battle of Vernoile [Verneuil] in 1424.

William was Chamberlain to John Duke of Bedford, the younger brother of Henry V, while he was Regent of France. He was also Governor of Galliard Castle, in Normandy. He served in France for 20 years. Back in England, he was Warden of the Middle March and Governor of Berwick castle. He also rebuilt Streatlam Castle, having made plans for its restoration while still in France. William resided at Streatlam so long that he became known as "old Sir William Bowes." He died in 1465 at Streatlam at the age of 86.

He succeeded his father, Sir William Bowes. He was born in about 1446 at Steatlam Castle. He was High Sheriff of Northumberland and Warden of the Middle March against Scotland. He married Maude FitzHugh, the daughter of William [Henry?] Lord FitzHugh, Baron of Ravensworth, and Margaret Willoughby. Their children were William, Ralph, Robert [a lawyer, Master of the Rolls, Privy Counselor to Henry VII, s.p], Thomas [s.p.], Henry, John [?, Knight, Speaker of the House of Commons 1436, s.p.], Margery (she married William Hilton, of Hilton), Elizabeth (she married Sir R. Bulmer, of Witton), Catherine (she married Sir Richard Conyers), Margaret (she married Sir Humphrye L'Isle), Isabel (she married Sir John Swinowes), and Anne (she married Ralph Wycliffe).

He succeeded his father, William Bowes. Knight. He married Isabel Clifton, the niece of Lawrence Booth, the bishop of Durham, but died without issue on 7 October 1474. The family estates devolved upon his brother, Ralph.

He was born on 1 September 1468 at Streatlam Castle, Durham, England. He succeeded his brother, William Bowes.

He married Margery Conyers, the daughter and co-heir of Sir Richard Conyers, of South Cowton, and Alice Wycliffe, in about 1475 [?]. She was born in South Cowton. Note that Margery Conyers' brother, Richard, married Ralph's sister, Catherine. Ralph's children were Ralph, Robert (successor to his nephew), Richard, John, and Margery. He died before 3 July 1482 in Steatlam.

He succeeded his father, Sir Ralph Bowes. He was born in South Cowton. Of Streatlam and Dalden. The High Sheriff of Durham for 30 years. He fought at the battle of Flodden Field in 1509 and was there knighted. He married Elizabeth Clifford, the sister of Henry Clifford, the first Earl of Cumberland. Their children were George, his only son, Margery [Muriel] (she married Ralph Eure), and Anne. Ralph died in April 1516.

He succeeded his father, Sir Ralph Bowes. Of Dawden. He was born in 1517 [?]. He died in 1546. He married Muriel Eure, the grand-daughter of Lord William Eure, of Witton, in 1534. Her brother married Margery Bowes. Sir George Bowes took part in border warfare. He went with the Earl of Hereford on his devastating raid in 1544 and was knighted in May of that year at Leith. So highly were his services esteemed that the King announced his plans to confer a barony upon him, though this never happened. He returned from Scotland and died in 1556 [or 1546] with no surviving male heir. Their children were Ralph (who apparently died young), Elizabeth (she was the 2nd wife of John Blakiston), Anne (she married Robert Bowes, the son of Richard Bowes and Elizabeth Aske] and Dorothy (she married Sir Cuthbert Collingwood, of Eslinton). Sir George was succeeded by his uncle, Sir Robert Bowes, Knight, below.

He married Tabba Sadler.

He succeeded his nephew, Sir George Bowes. He was born in 1495. A distinguished courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was Warden of the Middle March [also referred to as Warden of West March and East March]. He took part in the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. Robert Aske, the son of Sir Robert Aske of Aughton near Selby, was their leader. Robert Bowes was allowed to travel to Windsor to put their case before Henry VIII, though unsucsessfully. The following is from a dissertation, "Sollom MOss - 1542" by James R. Bell.

"By August 1542, both English and Scottish Borderers were being incited by their respective Governments to wreak as much havoc as possible on the opposite side as a forerunner to the now inevitable war. In reprisal for a particularly effective Scottish Reivers raid, Robert Bowes, the English East March Warden raided and devastated Teviotdale and the surrounding area; whilst returning with the plunder and livestock, the English were ambushed by the Earl of Huntly at Haddon Rig. The English force included Reivers from Tynedale and Redesdale, who realising the overwhelming odds, deserted Bowes and vanished into the hills with the plunder. The remaining English were badly defeated and fled, with Robert Bowes being taken prisoner. Henry VIII was furious and decided to settle the matter once and for all by force."

Robert Bowes married Dorothy Metcalfe [or Alice Medcalfe?], the daughter of Sir James Metcalfe. They had 4 sons but they all died young. He died in 1554 - conveniently or at the hands of Mary? The family estates devolved upon his brother, Richard.

He succeeded his brother, Sir Robert Bowes. He was born in about 1498 in Seaham Manor, Durham, England. He married Elizabeth Aske, the daughter and co-heir of Sir Roger Aske, of Aske, and Margaret Wycliffe. She was born in 1505 in Aske, Richmond, Yorkshire, England. He was the Captain of Norham in 1550. Richard died on 10 November 1558 in Durham. Elizabeth died on 10 April 1558 in Durham. Their children were George, Robert, Ralph, Francis, Christopher, Bridget, Elizabeth, Anne, Muriel, Margery, Margaret, Mary, Lucy, Jane, and Agnes.

Of Aske. The younger brother of Sir George Bowes. He matriculated from Queen's College, Cambridge on Michelmas 1547. He married Eleanor Musgrave, the daughter of Sir Richard Musgrave, of Hartley, and Anne Wharton. Another source claims that he married his cousin, Ann Bowes, the daughter of (9) Sir George Bowes, above. Member of Parliament for Knaresborough in 1563, for Carlisle in 1571, for Appleby in 1572, and for the county of Cumberland in 1584 and 1588. Sheriff of Durham in 1569 (another Rober Bowes, also of Queens College, 1545, was his Deputy Sheriff).

A supporter of Elizabeth 1 at the time of The Rising of the North in 1569, he was the sworn enemy of the Percy's, Neville's, and Dacre's. He, and his brother Sir George Bowes, occuppied and defended Barnard Castle against the Earls during the Rising, though their home at Streatlam was destroyed. The family was rewarded with the title of "Master and Keeper of the forests and chases within the Lordship of Barnard Castle." Sir Robert Bowes of Aske, esquire, was Elizabeth I's Ambassador to Scotland from 1577 to 1583. It appears that his brother, George, also served as an ambassador to Scotland. He died at Berwick on 15 November 1597. Eleanor died d.s.p. on 25 July 1623.

Or Margery. She married John Knox, the Scottish reformer. Her father opposed the match, both because he felt it beneath his family's position and because he was inclined to "popery." Knox attempted to have Margery's uncle, Sir Robert Bowes, intervene, but he also opposed the match.

He succeeded his father, Richard Bowes, as heir-general of the family, and to him descended the Dawdon estates, with other possessions in the eastern part of the county of Durham. He was born in about 1529 [1527?], of Steatlam, Durham. Sheriff of Yorkshire. He was knighted in 1558 and appointed Governor of Barnard Castle. In 1568 he escorted Mary Queen of Scots from Carlisle to Bolton Castle. Later Mary had a grateful remembrance of his kindness and wrote to him as a friend. He was made Knight Marshall North of the Trent by special commission, for his signal services to Queen Elizabeth, "an office which gave him an opportunity of wreaking his vengeance on the enemies of the queen and himself, and which he is said to have exercised with great severity."

Marshal Knight of Berwick and a supporter of Elizabeth 1 at the time of The Rising of the North in 1569. When the Earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland reared the Standard of revolt in the North, Sir George was the only person of great influence that opposed the insurgents, having, for that purpose, fortified himself in Barnard Castle. He, and his brother, Robert, occuppied and defended Barnard Castle against the Earls during the Rising, though his home at Streatlam was destroyed. The family was rewarded with the title of "Master and Keeper of the forests and chases within the Lordship of Barnard Castle." He was in many commissions for treaties with Scotland, and had other marks of confidence and trust.

It was in 1569 that the Bowes family was granted Bradley Hall.

He first married Dorothy Mallory, the daughter of Sir William Mallory, of Studley, near Ripon, in Yorkshire. Their children were William, Robert, George, Elizabeth (she married Sir Charles Wandesford, of Kirtlington), and Anne (she married Sir John Conyers).

Second he married Jane [Joan] Talbot, the daughter of Sir John Talbot, of Albrighton, in Salop, and Frances Giffard. "By a strange will or entail made by Sir George about the year 1590 , the estate of Streatlam , with the great bulk of his property, passed to Sir Talbot Bowes , his son by the second marriage; and thus his eldest son, by his former wife, was deprived of his birthright, and only inherited from his father the estate and lordship of Bradley Hall which had been acquired by a grant from the crown 14th of Elizabeth. The younger branch, having in this manner become possessed of the immense estates of Sir George , continued for a long time to be one of the most considerable families of the county palatine . . ." - from Burke's "Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland." It is through this line that the Bowes-Lyons family of the late Queen Mother emerges.

The children of Jane Talbot were Francis, Talbot, Richard, Thomas, John, Anne, Elizabeth, and Jane. Sir George Bowes died in 1580.

The following are the children of Sir George Bowes and his first wife, Dorothy Mallory.

Arms: 1st for Bowes .-Ermine, three bows strung in pale gu. 2nd for Trayne .-Arg. a cross flory, between four martlets az. 3rd for De la Hay .-Arg. a fess between six martlets gu. 4th for Dawden .-Arg. three fesses az. a border eng. gu. 5th for Conyers of Boulby .-Az. a maunch or, debruised by a bendlet checky ermine and or. 6th for Fitz Hugh .-Az. a chief and three chevronells conjoined in base or. 7th for Grey .-Gu. a lion rampant within a border eng. arg. 8th for Conyers of South Cowton .-Az. a maunch or. 9th for Aske .-Az. four fesses or. 10th.-As first.

Crest-A sheaf of arrows or, bound in a girdle az. surmounted with the motto-Sans variance et mon droit.

Motto-In multis-in magnis-in bonis expertus.

Estate-Bradley Hall, in the parish of Wolsingham, in the county of Durham, acquired, by grant from the crown, as part of the forfeited possession of the Earl of Westmoreland, temp. Elizabeth. Seat-Bradley Hall, Durham.

Bradley Hall

The son of Sir George's first marriage to Dorothy Mallory, he succeeded his father, but only to the Bradley Hall and its estates. He was born in Durham. He matriculated from St. John's College, Cambridge on Lent 1564-5. M.A. 1594-5 on accompanying the Earl of Essex to Cambridge. He served under his father in Scotland and in the Northern rebellion. Knighted in 1586. Member of Parliament for Westmorland in 1593. He was frequently employed in embassies to Scotland and was Treasurer of Berwick-upon-Tweed in the reign of James I. He married Mary Scrope, the daughter of Henry, the ninth Lord Scrope, of Bolton, and upon the decease of her uncle, Emanuel, the Earl of Sunderland, was heir to that Barony. By this lady he had an only daughter, Mary, who married Sir William Eure. He died at Walton, Derbyshire on 30 October 1611.

Next he married Isabel Wray, the daughter of Judge Wray, and relict of Godfrey Foljambe, esq., but had no further issue. Sir William was succeeded by his nephew, Sir George Bowes.

The son of Sir George's first marriage to Dorothy Mallory. He was killed in the Keswick mines in 1610,

The son of Sir George's first marriage to Dorothy Mallory. Of Biddick, of Biddie-Waterville, county Durham. He married Magdalen [Margaret] Bray, the daughter of Sir Edward Bray and had issue. His first son, George, succeeded his uncle William in the Bradley estates.

He was baptized 25 Ocotber 1600. Of Hexham. The son of George Bowes of Biddick, county Durham. He married Dorothy Errington at St. Margaret's, Durham on 11 December 1629. They had seven children, all girls.

The second son, not succeeding. Of Beddick. He married Joan Hutton, of Marske, the daughter of Robert Hutton, D.D., Prebendary of Durham in 1620 and had several children. Joan was born in 1600. Robert and Joan had a daughter, Catherine, who married Christopher Hutton, of Marske, a merchant of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Christopher was the third son of Robert Hutton Jr., son and heir of of the Prebendary of Durham and the nephew of Joan [!!!].

He succeeded his Uncle, Sir William Bowes. Knight. Sometime of Biddick and of Cleatlam and afterwards of Bradley. Called the "heir-general to all the family" in Burke's Commoners, that is of all the Bowes of Bradley Hall family. He married Mary De La Val, the eldest daughter of Sir Ralph De La Val [Delaval, Deleval], of Seaton De La Val.

"Mary, widow of Sir George Bowes . . . 1650, July 5. Her petition is that Sir Geo. Bowes, knt., her late husband and father of Ralph Bowes and her seven other children, being born to a very fair estate was obliged to sell the best part of the same and of petitioner's right thereto inorder to release himself from other entanglements. In the fear that little would be left for herself and children she was advised that some new estate should be bought in the name of friends, over which Sir Geo. should have no disposing power. Accordingly in 1637 Bradley Manor, Y.V., 103l. above the rent payable to the Exchequer, was bought in the names of Tobit Bowes of Harrington, and John Hilton of Hilton, gent., in trust for them . . ." - from "Records of Committees for Compounding, Etc., with Delinquent Royalists in Durham . . ."

On 8 August 1659 a Sir George Bowes and Francis Bowes, gentleman, were restored to their former freedoms of Newcastle - from the archives of Parliament. Was this our George and was this related to the Civil War? Who was Francis? A possible brother? I have a Francis Bowes who was born on 24 August 1597 in Bishopwearmouth, Durham. Wearmouth is now known as Sunderland. Sir George acknowledged, see below, that Sir Francis Bowes, was a member of the "Bowes" family and had a right to wear its arms.

George's daughter, Ann, married Sir Francis Blakiston. Sir Francis' only daughter and heiress of Gibside, Elizabeth Blakiston, married Sir William Bowes, of Streatlam, on 17 August 1691 at Tanfield.

He was baptized on 12 September 1627. Esquire, of Bradley Hall. He married Margaret Cradock on 229 January 1649. She was the second daughter of Sir Joseph Cradock of Richmond, knight.

Importantly for our story, Ralph Bowe's sister, Anne, married Sir Francis Blakiston. Francis Blakiston emigrated to Maryland in 1668 where Francis Bowes later showed up. Francis Blakiston's brother, William, married Mary Calvert, the daughter of Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore and proprietor of the Maryland colony, in 1650. Nehemiah Blakiston was Governor of Maryland 1691-1692. A relative of his, Nathaniel Blakiston, the great-grandson of George Bowes of Streatlam Castle, was appointed Governor of Maryland in 1698. After his return to England Nathaniel was appointed the colony's agent in London.

Esquire, of Bradley Hall. The son of Ralph Bowes and Margaret Craddock, born circa 1650. He married Sarah Baker. George Bowes died in 1729. They had six sons and two daughters.

Esquire, of Bradley Hall, county Durham. He married Elizabeth Pickering, the daughter of John Pickering, esquire of Hedley Hall. His chidren were George, Robert, Sarah and Jane - from "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying..." by John Burke. Written into this book is "Lancelot (merchant of Durham)" as another son.

Esquire, of Bradley Hall. He died without issue.

Or Ralph? He succeeded his brother, George. Esquire, of Bradley Hall. He married Ann Clement, the only daughter and heiress of Ralph Clement, esquire. Burke's Commoners, to the contrary, shows that George was succeeded by his son, Thomas, who was succeeded by his son, Thomas, below. Another source says he was known as Ralph (or Robert?) Blakiston Bowes.

"Thomas Bowes, esq. of Bradley Hall, in the county of Durham, born 29 Jun 1758." - from Burke's Commoners. He succeeded his father, Robert Bowes. Of Bradley Hall. He was the last male representative in name and descent of the Bowes family of Streatlam. The Bowes-Lyon family now holds that estate.

The following are the children of Sir George Bowes and his second wife, Jane Talbot. They continue the line that ended with the Bowes-Lyon connection to the royal family.

Of Streatlam and of Aske. The eldest son of the second marriage of Sir George Bowes to Jane Talbot. He succeeded, "by a strange will or entail made by Sir George about the year 1590," to the Streatlam estate. He married Agnes Warcop. Note that Talbot's brother, Thomas, married Agnes' sister, Anne. Member of Parliament for Richmond.

In 1607 the name of Talbot Bowes, then of Chelsea, Middlesex, Esq., Agnes, his wife, and his brother, Thomas, were on a number of leases, including for Cote House, which was eventually sold, in 1735, to George Bowes of Steatlam, Esq. An indenture document of 7 October 1611 is "From Talbot Bowes of Richmond, Esq., and Thomas Bowes of the same, his brother, to Michael Langstaffe of Mickleton and others." He died in 1637 and the estate devolved to his eldest surviving brother, Thomas.

He sold Aske Hall to Philip, Lord Wharton.

He was born circa 1581 per LDS database. He married Joan Headlam, the daughter of William Hedlam, in 1554. Their children were William (b1589), Robert (b1590), Toby (b1592), Francis (b1594 in Barnes, Durham), Richard (b1595), George (b1597), Joan, Thomas (b1599), Eleanor, Joan, Anne and Ralph (b1606).

She married Ralph Bowes. I don't know what part of the family he came from.

Matriculated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1588. Admitted at Gray's Inn on3 November 1587. He died in 1599, apparently d.s.p. He was buried at Richmond, Yorkshire on 31 August 1599. Brother of John (1591).

The youngest brother. He matriculated from St. John's College, Cambridge circa 1591. Admitted at Gray's Inn on 22 October 1595. He married Ursula Davel, the daughter of Chrisopher Deyvill, of Cuckwold, Yorkshire. Their children were Jane and Eleanor. Living in 1606. Brother of Richard (1588) and Thomas (1591).

Questionable as a son of Sir George. He married Elizabeth Clifford in about 1509. Their daughter, Margery, married Ralph Eure.

She married Sir Timothy Hutton, of Marske. The son of the Archbishop of York, he was a graduate of Trinity College. Knighted 1605/6. High Sheriff of York. Elizabeth and Timothy left a will which identifies her surviving siblings, Sir Talbot, Thomas, John, and Jane.

Of Gray's Inn. He married Anne Warcop, the sister of Agnes, above, the wife of Talbot. He matriculated from St. John's College, Cambridge circa 1591. Admitted at Gray's Inn on 22 October 1595. Of Chelsea, 1607; also of Streatlam Castle. He died in 1654, at about the same time as his brother, Talbot. I have another source that says he was buried at Barnard Castle on 12 June 1636. His children were Talbot, Thomas, William, and Anne.

Of Streatlam Castle. He probably succeeded his uncle, Talbot Bowes and/or his father, Thomas. He was born on 29 May 1603 in Streatlam. A Talbot Bowes sold the Aske estate to Philip, Lord Wharton. There is a Talbot Bowes in the reign of Charles I in 1642. He died on 6 December 1654. I don't show a marriage or any children for Talbot. Another source makes it clear that he died unmarried.

Of Streatlam Castle. He was baptized on 23 December 1607. He succeeded his brother, Talbot, at Streatlam. He was born in 1607. He married Anne Maxton, the daughter and co-heir of Anthony Maxton, prebendary of Durham and chaplain of Charles I. Their children were Talbot, Thomas, Anthony, William, John, George, Anne, Maxton, Jane, and Dorothy. He died in 1661.

He was was born in 1649, christened on 27 January 1650 in Barnard Castle, Durham, and died the same year.

He was born in 1653. He died in 1673.

He was born in 1655. I have an Anthony, "perhaps" the son of Thomas of Streatham, who was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 8 May 1669, who died young. May not be our Anthony because he supposedly died in 1657.

He may be the twin brother of George. He was educated in Durham and was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 29 August 1676. Son of Thomas Bowes of Steatlam Castle, Durham. He attended Durham school. Matriculated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1676. Scholar 1679. B.A. 1680-1. M.A. 1684. Doctor of Divinity 1698. Incorporated at Oxford in 1704. Probably ordained deacon in Durham on 21 September 1684. Rector of Wycliffe, Yorkshire 1691-7. Prebend of Durham in 1696. Rector of Elwick, Durham, 1701-15. Rector of Bishop Wearmouth 1715-21. He died in 1721 and was buried in Durham Cathedral on 16 January 1721/2. The Brother of George (1676) and William (1672). John Bowes grandfather on his mother's side was the famous Anthony Maxton, D.D. who became Chaplain to the ill-fated King Charles I.

He never married.

D.C.L. Admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 29 August 1676. The third son of Thomas Bowes of Durham. Admitted at the Middle Temple on 15 May 1677. Solicitor-general to Lord Crewe, Bishop of Durham in 1694. Recorder of the City of Durham in 1706. He married Mary, or Anne, Salvin, the daughter of Anthony Salvin, esquire, of Sunderland Bridge.

George died without issue on 14 May 1724 at the age of 65. He was buried at St Mary-le-Bow. The Brother of John (admitted 1676) and William (admitted 1676).

Perhaps the second son of Thomas Bowes, of Streatlam Castle. He probably succeeded his father, Thomas Bowes. He was born in 1656/7. Of Streatlam Castle. Admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 26 May 1672. M.A. in 1675. Admitted at Gray's Inn on 4 June 1672. Of Barnhard Castle, Durham. Member of Parliament for Durham 1679-81-85, 1695-8, 1702-5. Knighted on 13 April 1684.

He married Elizabeth Blakiston, the heiress of Gibside, near Gateshead, on 17 August 1691 at Tanfield. She was the daughter of Sir Francis Blakiston and Ann Bowes, the daughter of Sir George Bowes of Bradley Hall. From this marriage came much of the wealth of the Bowes family as the Gibside estates lay over rich coal seams and he had a hand in developing the iron works at Blaydon. He died on 16 January 1706/7 and was bured at Barnard Castle. Their children were William Blakiston, Thomas (d1722), George, Anne, Elizabeth, Jane and Margaret.

One surviving symbol of their wealth is a the Bowes cup, a two handled gold cup created during the reign of Charles II. It is engraved with the arms and motto of Sir William Bowes. The cup was probably a race prize. In 1695 Sir William, a successful breeder of race horses, proposed to the Bishop of Durham that money be raised to buy trophies and plate to be raced for on Durham Moor. A cup of gold with the Bowes arms and crest would have been a lavish but appropriate prize, perhaps won at a race meeting in County Durham.

The male representative of this line vested eventually in Thomas Bowes, of Bradley Hall, county Durham. The Earl of Strathmore descends in the female line through John Lyon who married the daughter of George Bowes.

The eldest son of Sir William of Streatlam Castle. He was born in Westminster on 1 January 1696-7 and baptized at Whickham. He attended school in Durham. He was admitted at Trinity College, Cambridge on 25 September 1707. He died in 1721, unmarried, but during his life went a long way towards rebuilding Streatlam Castle. He was buried at Barnard Castle on 17 October 1721. Brother of Thomas (Cambridge 1718).

Son of Sir William Bowes of Streatlam Castle. He attended Kensington school, London. Admitted at Trinity College, Cambridge on 13 September 1718. He was buried at Kensington in 1722.

He was born on 21 August 1701 in Streatham Castle. The third of four sons, he inherited upon his brothers' deaths. He was the Member of Parliament for County Durham in 1727-34-41-47-54. Of Streatlam and Gibside. He married Eleanor Verney in October 1724. She died in 1725 and he secondly married Mary Gilbert in 1746. He died on 17 September 1760 and was buried as WHickham.

See also Bowes and Strathmores.

The daughter and only child of Sir George Bowes. She was born on 24 February 1749. She became the heiress to the Bowes wealth, the estates and a fortune of more than a million pounds. She married John Lyon, 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He brought Glamis castle into the family. A condition of the marriage settlement was that the name of the family would henceforth be Bowes. It became Bowes-Lyon later. From this marriage is descended the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth, and her daughter Elizabeth II, Queen of England.

John Lyon Bowes died in 1776. They had five children, John (the 10th Earl), George (1771-1806 d.s.p.), Thomas (the 11th Earl), Maria Jane, and Anna Maria.

Mary Eleanor, the Countess of Strathmore, next married Andrew Robinson Stoney, esquire, of the King's county, who likewise assumed the name of Bowes. This marriage was a disaster as "Stoney Bowes" treated Mary disgracefully. She obtained a divorce in 1789 and Stoney spent the last 20 years of his life in prison, dying there in 1810. It is from his name that we get the phrase "stoney broke" for hopelessly in debt.

He succeeded as the 10th Earl of Strathmore. A Representative Peer, that is a Member of Parliament, he was also given the title of Lord Bowes which entitled him to a seat in the House of Lords without election. He was enrolled among the peers of the United Kingdom by the title of Baron Bowes of Streatlam Castle on 18 Jul 1815. He took the name of Bowes and later the surname Lyon was reincorporated to form the present name of Bowes-Lyon. He also quartered the arms of Bowes with his own.

On his deathbed John married Mary Milner, of Staindrop, on 2 July 1820 in an unsuccessful attempt to legitimize his natural son, John, who had been born in 1811. The Earl died on the day after his nuptials, on 3 July 1820, and the Scottish peerage devolved upon his brother, Thomas. The Barony expired with him.

An illegitmate son in English law even though the old Earl did acknowledge him as his son and heir. The principal part of Earl John's fortune, including Streatlam, passed by will to his son, John Bowes, esquire, who unsuccessfully claimed the family honors. Those were usurped by his uncle, Thomas. John Bowes subsequently became a Liberal Member of Parliament. He resided at Streatlam Castle and carried out an extensive coal mining business. A noted philanthropist. He had a passion for racehorsing and won four Derbys. In 1852 he married a French actress and artist, Josephine Benoite-Coffin-Chevalier, the Countess of Montalbo. They built a French-style chateau in the village of Barnard Castle to house their vast art collection. This became the Bowes Museum. John Bowes died childless 1885; his wife followed in 1874. After his death Streatlam castle reverted to the Bowes-Lyon family. In 1927 it was sold, in its derelict state to Dr. Edleston for salvage.

He was born in 1771. He married Mary Thornhill in 1805. He died in 1806.

The 11th Earl of Strathmore. He claimed the Earldom on the ground's of John's illegitimacy. He was born on 3 May 1773. He married Mary Carpenter. He died on 27 August 1846.

Lord Glamis. He was born on 6 February 1801. He married Charlotte Grinstead. He died on 27 January 1834 in his father's lifetime.

He was born on 28 September 1822. The 12th Earl of Strathmore. An officer in the First Life Guards and a Representative Peer. He married Charlotte Maria Keppel, eldest daughter of William Keppel, sixth Viscount Barrington, on 30 April 1850. He d.s.p. At right is Streatlam Castle in 1840.

He was born on 21 July 1824. The 13th Earl of Strathmore. An officer in the Second Life Guards. He married Francis Dora Smith.

The 14th Earl of Strathmore. Lieutenant in the Second Life Guards. He married Nina Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinick.

The Queen Mother. She was the youngest daughter of the 14th Earl. She married Prince Albert, the Duke of York. He was to become George VI. Their children were:

This line of the family begins with a marriage to the Huddleston heiress. "Thus began the line of the Bowes/Howard family at Elford which lasted up until the 1930s. Henry Bowes [Henry Howard, he assumed the Bowes name from his mother, Mary Bowes, wife of George Bowes. His children used the Howard name.], who became Earl of Berkshire and Suffolk, built a new Hall on the site of the old one in about 1725. Several of the cottages in the village date back to this time."

I have a John Bowes, gentleman, esquire, of the manor of Oakley, Elford, Staffordshire. He began to lease this manor in 1530 and appears to have purchased it in 1532. Also of Hackney, in London, Middlesex. He had a wife, Dorothy, and son, John. He set up a house in Tamworth to maintain a priest to say mass in the local church. He died in 1564/5.

Brother of John.

Knight. He sold the Oakley manor to William Kooper [Kiper] in 1571/2. John married Anne Huddleston, one of the Huddleston heirs, and gained the manor of Elford. His second wife was Susannah Cave and their daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir Nicholas Heveningham. "John Bowes came of a race, which for some generations had been connected with Staffordshire. One John Bowes owned lands in Tipton, Stafford, Gnosall, Tamworth and Oakley in the reign of Edward V1 1547 1553. Little is known of Sir John Bowes beyond the appalling rows he had with his neighbour William Skeffington of Fisherwick. They fought over land and fishing rights in a most un-neighbourly and unchristian way. He is known to have been the father of a son Richard and a daughter Elizabeth, the latter born in 1580." - from "Miss Mary Dyott's Speech."

Of Elforde [sic], Staffordshire. Esquire. His wife was Joan. "Revocation by Richard Bowes of Elford co. Staff., esq., son of John Bowes, knt., deceased, of a bargain and sale to Sir Jerome Bowes of the parish of St. Martin in the Field co. Middlesex, the manor of Elford co. Staff. with all lands rights, courts and appurtenances. Creation dates: 13 May 1609."

I should also mention that during the Elizabethan period a Sir Jerome Bowes was ambassador to Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. His trip there was apparently quite the voyage of exploration. He had a famous interview with the Tsar in which he so vigorously defended his queen that he enraged the Tsar, who then banished him. The Tsar, however, reflected that he wished he had councillor's who would so defend him, and called back Sir Jerome. He was also an author. He was given the patent monopoly for the production of Venetian glass in England. He married Elizabeth Garneys [Garnish], the daughter of Robert Garnish of Kenton, Suffolk. A "zealous" Protestant. A foe of the Earl of Leicester, for which he was banished from the court in 1577. I don't know how he is related. There is a full length portrait of him which I haven't yet seen. He died in 1616. His father may have been Ralph Bowes of Aldbrough manor. This might be the son of (9) Sir George Bowes (1529) of Streatlam castle.

During the civil War, Richard Bowes was a parliamentarian and protected the church, with the help of his Rector, Thomas Dowley, from being damaged by Cromwell's troops.

"Many years passed away and at the end of 1656 the last male heir of the race of Bowes of Elford died he was George Bowes who had married Mary Burdett of Bramcote near Polesworth. The union was not a long one, he died at the age of 36 and his widow survived him by 44 years. Their one and only son dying 4 years after his father at the age of 14. Mary Bowes born Burdett (known in Elford as old madam Bowes) was a remarkable woman. She had sound Christian principles, excellent judgement, shrewd foresight, masculine resolution, a kind heart and generous hand. She produced results most beneficial to the Elford Estates. She had one small daughter who was only 6 when her father died and she became heiress to the Elford Estates. Mary as she was christened married in 1683 Craven Howard but continued to live in Elford for the 17 years of her married life." - from "Miss Mary Dyott's Speech."

This Bowes' family included a Lord Mayor of London. Much of the following is based on Bulmer's "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890." Note that Frances is not a family name in this descent.

Of York. I base his date of birth on the assumption that at the time of his first stint as Lord Mayor of York, below, he must have been a mature man, say 40 years old. He was successively Sheriff in 1402, Lord Mayor in 1417, and Member of Parliament for York in the first half of the 15th century. "William Bowes became Lord Mayor of York in 1417 and again in 1428." This probably means that he was a merchant, not a Lord. A Lord might be a Member of Parliament, but not the Lord Mayor, who came out of the ranks of the Aldermen. His house, known today as the Old Black Swan pub, on Peasholme Green, in York was the residence of the Bowes family in the 15th and 16th century.

Note that at about this same time Sir William Bowes of Streatlam Castle, who was born in 1389, succeeded his father, Sir Robert Bowes. He was noted to be the "sole surviving heir of the whole family." If these two Bowes' family's were related, then the split occurred very early. Sir Robert Bowes's line is: (1) Sir Adam Bowes (c1280) (2) Robert Bowes (c1310) (3) William Bowes (c1330). In this family's context, the surname may relate to "as coming from the village/region of Bowes."

Of York. Sir William had a son, named William, who was also Sheriff, M.P., and Lord Mayor of York.

Of York. The fourth son of William. He married Johanna. He had a son, Sir Martin Bowes.

"Sir Martin Bowes [a native of York] established himself as a goldsmith in the City of London during the reign of Henry VII in 1545 [his maker's mark was probably a sheaf of arrows] and later rose to the position of jeweller to Queen Elizabeth. Whilst Lord Mayor of London in 1545 he interceded with the York authorities to preserve St. Cuthbert's Church. Bowes cherished fond memories his early days in the parish, near to his family home. His plea for the church to be preserved was successful and with gratitude he gave to the city a sword decorated with pearls and precious stones. Some of these were stolen in the 17th century, but Martin Bowes' sword later replenished with aquamarines and Scotch crystals still remains in the York civic possessions."

Said to be the most wealthy and powerful goldsmith of his time. He was thirteen times the Prime Warden. I believe this refers to the Goldsmith's company, a guild. They had four wardens, who were the company's executive committee. Their head was known as the Prime Warden. Martin was presented with a gold cup, now known as the "Bowes cup," by Elizabeth I after her cornonation banquet in 1558.

Elected Alderman of Milborne in 1536. Of Aldgate ward 1536-50, Castle Baynard 1540-2, Farringdon Within 1542-5, and Langbourn 1545-66. Auditor in 1536. Master of the Royal Mint from 1533 to 1544. Sheriff of London from 1540 to 1541. He was knighted on 18 March 1541 as a Knight of the Bath. Lord Mayor of London from 1545 to 1546. Under-Treasurer of the Mint from 1544 to 1551. Treasurer St. Bartholomew's Hospital in 1547. Comptroller-General of Hospitals from 1557 to 1566. Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths company for 13 terms, from 1559 to 1562. He was also a Member of Parliament for London in 1535, 1539 and from 1547 to 1554.

Sir Martin Bowes chose for a crest to his coat of arms, a lion rampant Gules clutching a sheaf of arrows Or. There is a Martin Bowes Road in the borough of Greenwich. He married Cicely Elyot [Cecilia Elliot] of London. Note that a Sir Thomas Elyot (1490-1546) was Clerk of the Privy Council. He is remembered especially for his sensible and well-written treatise on the education of statesmen, "The Book Named the Governour," dedicated to Henry VIII. Thomas was not a lord, receiving his knighthood for his services, and his sister or daughter might have made a good wife for Martin.

Martin died on 4 August 1566 and was buried at Staplehurst. Noted to be the "Sonne of Thomas (Martine) Bowes gentillman of the citie of London." His will, dated 29 July 1566, was proved on 21 January 1567. He left issue by his first wife, Cecilia. From the eldest son were descended the Bowes of Brumby Hall [Bromley Hall?], Essex, below. His second wife was Ann Barrett, whom he probably married in 1519 at St. Mary, Woolnoth, London. His third wife was Elizabeth Harlow [Harding, Herding?]. I have a grant deed of 2 November 1569 that identifies an Elizabeth Bowes, "late the wife of Martin Bowes, knight." She had subsequently married Christopher Lawrence [Lawrens].

A passionate bigot per Catholic Martyr web sites. Sir Martin had a daughter, Frances, who was the third wife of Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York. Note that the grand-daughter of Matthew's older brother married Robert Bowes of the Bradley Hall line.

The first son?

Sir Martin's second son was Martin Bowes - Bulmer's "Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890." He was born in about 1522 [?] at St. Mary Woolnoth.

Martin married Frances Clopton of Fore Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk in 1567/8. She was the daughter of William Clopton of Groton, who was the son of Richard Clopton, armiger, Lord of Castlings Manor. An armiger is an archaic term meaning a bearer of armor for a knight, that is, a squire. The term here, however, refers to a man entitled to bear arms. Martin was a goldsmith like his father. "A History of the County of York East Riding, Volume III", 1976, indicates that she may have been, in fact, the daughter of Richard Scrope.

His mark as a goldsmith was probably an 'M beneath a bow' device found on spoons for 1552/3 and on other plate 1548-1557/8. He worked from 1544 to 1573. His wife remarried in 1582, but then died in 1585. Their children were Cordelia, Frances [female], Richard Bowes Esquire of Babthorpe, and Sir Thomas Bowes of London. Martin's wife may have married next Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York. The Archbishop's will bequeths a sum to his wive's son, Richard Bowes, and to Thomas Bowes.

An interesting note, the wife of William Bradford, the Governor of the Pilgrim's Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, was Dorothy May. She was a descendant of Frances Clopton and Martin Bowes. Dorothy's place in history was assured the day she fell into the Cape Cod Harbor from the MAYFLOWER and drowned while her husband was absent exploring on shore. Whether it was an accident, or suicide, or murder, no one has ever known.

Of London. I suspect his son was Thomas of Great Bromley, below. Sr [Sir or Senior?].

Of Darlington. He was the Lord of the manors of Hagthorpe, Babthorpe, and Bowthorpe [also referred to as Boythorp & Bugthorpe], and Justice of the Peace for the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire.

Hagthorpe - A farm of 166 acres. In 1612 Archbishop Matthew Hutton's son, Sir Timothy Hutton, sold the Hagthorpe manor to Richard Bowes, the son of Matthew's Hutton's wife, Frances Clopton Bowes, by a previous marriage. The Bowes family retained it until 1665, when Charles Bowes the younger sold it to James Strangeways. The profits of the manor were, however, enjoyed from 1668 to 1692 by Edward Kirlew and later by his son-in-law John Fenton, in satisfaction of the debts of Charles Bowes the elder.

Babthorpe - A farm of 270 acres. There is a medieval manor-house around which the remains of a moat are still evident. A gothic lodge stands on the main road at the entrance of the estate. In 1621 the manor of Babthorpe was conveyed by Sir William Babthorpe to Richard Bowes. The family also sold it circa 1665 to James Strangeways.

Bowthorpe - A farm with 2 houses.

Barlby - Barlby was sold by Sir William Babthorpe to Richard Bowes in 1621 . The family also sold it circa 1665 to James Strangeways.

Richard died in 1655, having had issue five sons and seven daughters.

The eldest son, he married Susannah Anlaby, the daughter of Thomas Anlaby, Esq., of Etton. He died in 1648, predeceasing his father, Richard, leaving three sons and one daughter. His widow later married Charles Fenwick.

He succeeded his grandfather, Richard Bowes. Charles Bowes "the younger" sold Hagthorpe, Babthorpe and Barlby manors in 1665 to satisfy his father's debts.

Perhaps a son of Charles who married Margaret Gregorie in 1641 [sic].

The third son of Charles Bowes.

He held a government appointment at South Shields, where he died in 1729.

Esquire, of Darlington, he married Martha Maria Bellasyse in January 1740/1 in Cleasby York. She was born on 8 March 1721, the only daughter and heiress of Thomas Belasyse, of Haughton-le-Skerne, the last male heir of the Belasyses, of Murton House. Martha died in July 1767.

Esquire, of Darlington. The second and surviving son of Richard. He married Dorothy Stephenson on 8 February 1776. He was the chief magistrate and bailiff of that town from 1816 to 1846, and was the grandfather of the present owner of Monkend. I have a Thomas Bowes, solicitor, Darlington, Durhanm in the British National Archives, 1782-1880. I assume a descendent. Also, dated 25 July 1787 is an assignment by Thomas Bowes of Darlington, gentleman, of mortgage tolls of his grandfather, Thomas Bellasyse of Haughton, gentleman, of whose estate he was the administrator. I assume this means the old man had the right to certain tolls, which had been mortgaged, then given to John Clement. He died in 1806.

Esquire.

The son of Thomas Bowes, Esq., of Darlington per Terry Soucy. He was born on 23 February 1777. He married Elizabeth Crawford on 31 December 1807. He was the chief bailiff of Darlington. He died on 3 October 1846. Thomas had a daughter, Isabella, who married the Reverend John Topham. His children included Thomas, Richard, George, Dorothy, Catherine and Elizabeth.

He married Hester Le Forester.

He was Thomas Bowes II's eldest son.

A modern, he may be a generation or two later.

Great Bromley [Brumby Hall? Much Bromley?] is in Essex, just east of Colchester. They are descended from the eldest son of Sir Martin Bowes, goldsmith of London.

From above. Said to be "of London."

Of Great Bromley, Essex. Knight. He was born in about 1606 in Much Bromley, Essex. He married Mary D'Ewes on 12 April 1616. She was born on 27 June 1608 in Coxden, Dorset. The D'Ewes family, Baronets of Stowlantoft, had married into the Clopton family in the previous generation. Thomas' brother, Martin Bowes, was to marry a Clopton as well, above. Thomas died after 1670. Their children were Bridgett, Thomas, Paul, Richard, Ciscillia and Matin. It was said of him that he was "a notorious witch-persecutor."

Esquire. The son and heir of Sir Thomas, of Great Bromley. He was christened on 24 January 1627 in Great BromlEy. Admitted Trinity College, Cambridge 23 July 1646. Brother of Paul (1650), Richard (1658-9), and William (1664). He married Elizabeth Harlakenden on 23 October 1661 in Colne, England. He was buried at Great Bromley on 28 December 1680. Their children were Thomas Harlakenden Bowes (b1662, he married Elisabeth Smith) and Mary Bowes.

The son of Sir Thomas Bowes, of Great Bromley. Of Essex. He was born in 1633 in Great Bromley and christened on 5 February 1634. Gentleman. Attended Moulton, Norfolk school. Admitted at St. John's College, Cambridge on 21 December 1650. Admitted at the Middle Temple on 12 May 1654. Called to the Bar in 1661. A bencher. He married Bridget Sturges. The Father of Martin (1686) and brother of Richard (1658-9). Perhaps brother of Thomas (1646) and William (1663). He edited and published the manuscript work of his g-grandfather, Sir Simonds [Symonds] D'Ewes, "The Journals of all the Parliaments during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, both of the House of Lords and House of Commons in 1682.

He died in June 1702 and was buried on 8 July 1702 in St. Dunstans in the West, Fleet street. His children were Martin (b1670), Thomas (b1675), Richard (1676), Bridgett, Anne, and Francis.

Esquire. The son of Paul Bowes, gentleman. He was born on 24 May 1670 in London. He attended the Hatton Garden school. Admitted at St. John's College, Cambrige on 16 April 1686, but left without taking a degree. Admitted at the Middle Tempe on 22 June 1686. He took the Grand Tour and later became a London barrister and fellow of the Royal Society. He had a considerable library for the time including books on art, architecture and Roman antiquities. Guide books to Paris (item 14), Italy (item 107), Rome (items 40, 92), and Venice (item 79), of which the most recent carries a 1700 publication date, chart the course of his European travels. He married Elizabeth Thurland on 9 August 1706. He died on 5 September 1726 in Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk. His children were Elizabeth, Ann and Isabella.

He was christened on 2 November 1675 in St. Bride Fleet street, London.

He was christened on 23 February 1676 in St. Bride Fleet street, London.

He was christened on 24 June 1678 at St Bride street London. A Francis Bowes, born in London, was buried in London on 29 December 1693?

The son of Sir Thomas Bowes, of Great Bromley. He was born in Essex in 1639 and christened on 22 January 1639 in Great Bromley. He attended Dedham school. Admitted at Caius College, Cambridge on 7 January 1658-9. B.A. 1661. Ordained a priest at Lincoln on 22 December 1661. Rector of Great Bromley, Essex 1661. Rector of Stowlangtoft, Suffolk 1668. Lecturer at St. James, Bury St. Edmunds 1685. Perhaps M.A. from Corpus Christi 1674. He married Elizabeth Salter on 23 April 1663 in Great Bromley. He died on 14 October 1715 in Suffolk. The brother of Thomas (1646) and Paul (1650). His children were Thomas (b1665).

The son of Sir Thomas Bowes, of Great Bromley. Of Middlesex. Admitted at Emmanuel College, Cambridge on 20 June 1663. B.A. 1665-6. M.A. 1669. Incorporated at Oxford in 1669. Ordained a deacon and priest at Lincoln on 17 May 1668. Rector of Tendring, Essex 1668. Great Bromley is in the Tendring Hundred. He was buried at Bromley on 19 April 1670. He predeceased his father and his effects were transferred to his father on 2 May 1670.

This family apparently originated with a Miles Bowes of the township of Angram Grange, Coxwold parish, Yorkshire. He died in Welbury, a village near Brompton, in 1489. In the 16th century the family moved to a farm just outside Brompton. See . They are not able to link to the main Bowes' families, above.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

"Venerable Hugh Taylor, English martyr, born at Durham; hanged, drawn, and quartered at York, 25 (not 26) November, 1585. He arrived at Reims on 2 May, 1582, and having been ordained a priest was sent thence on the mission on 27 March, 1585. He was the first to suffer under the Statute 27 Eliz. c. 2. lately passed. On 26 November, Marmaduke Bowes, a married gentleman, was hanged for having harboured him. Bowes is described by Challoner as of Angram Grange near Appleton in Cleveland, but is not mentioned in the will of Christopher Bowes of Angram Grange, proved on 30 Sept., 1568, nor in the 1612 pedigree. The sole evidence against him was that of a former tutor to his children, an apostate Catholic. Having been previously imprisoned at York with his wife, he was under bond to appear at the Assizes which, began on 23 November at York, and on his arrival found that Taylor was about to be arraigned. Bowes, though always a Catholic at heart, had outwardly conformed to the Established Church. "Before his death he was made a member of the Catholic Church the which he boldly confessed with great alacrity of mind".

See Angram.

See Bowes Family of Brompton, Northallerton for an exhaustive study of the many branches of this ancient family. Brompton Grange, at the right, was the home of this Bowes family until the 1830's. The following is from that site.

He was born on 23 March 1716 in Brompton. He married Ann Kirkby. Their children were Ann, George and Elizabeth. A farmer, he built Brompton Grange. He died in 1790 in Brompton.

He was born on 5 May 1752 in Brompton. He married Margaret Harker on 11 October 1787 in Great Langton. Only one child, William, survived to adulthood. In the Land Tax return for Brompton in 1810 George Bowes was shown as being assessed at:
£ 17. 15. 5 for the property in which he resides
£ 0. 3 .2. on land occupied by George Fawcett,
£ 2 . 9 10 1/2 on land occupied by George Walker,
£ 0. 0. 9 1/2 pence on land occupied by Miss Sidgwick,
£ 0. 6. 9 on and occupied by sundry others.
In that year he is one of the largest Land Tax payers in Brompton and presumably therefore one of the largest landowners. Six years later in 1816 his liability was:
£ 18.12. 1 for property in which he resides.
£ 3.17. 7 for property occupied by Mrs Simmerthwaite
£ 6. 4 by John Wilson
£ 3. 2 by George Fawcett
£ 1.2 by George Wilson
£ 1.7 by George Wilson jnr
£ 9 by John Neesam
£ 1.7 by Sam Atkinson and others.
Again he is the largest Tax payer. George's son, William, appears on the role of 1816 and is assessed at:
£ 8. 14. 2.

After the Napoleonic wars George fell into financial difficulties and was forced to sell much of his property. He continued to farm at Brompton until the 1820s, however his financial difficulties were becoming great. In 1821 the position had dramatically changed and his liability was reduced to:
£ 1. 3. 9 His assigness for Elgus Mortgage. This was assessed and exonerated.

He and his son, William, left Brompton and moved to Sunderland. He died on 30 January 1841 in Brompton.

He was born on 29 April 1789 in Brompton. He married Ann Cooper. A Gentleman Farmer, he appeared in the Brompton rate assessment of 1818 paying £6.10.0. In the 1823 Barnes Directory he was referred to as William Harker Bowes, Gent. He appears in the 1838 Tithe Assessment as a fairly substantial property owner much of which he rents out, mainly houses and workshops. In 1842 he acquired part of the Church Glebe land in the village.

William signed the Obligation to declare his late father George's effects on 9th Oct 1843. In which document he is described as a Miller of Southwick in the County of Durham. His son William also signs as of Southwick, Miller

William appears in the "Parties Index" for 1843 "William Bowes formerly of Brompton since of West Bolden in the County of Durham, farmer, since of Southwick Sunderland in the same County, Miller.

William Bowes was assigning rent charges on land to Directors of Sunderland Bank and others on 28th May 1844, 27th December 1843 and 16th Feb 1843 where he is described as of Rock Lodge, Monkswearmouth. Clearly by 1844 he was in financial difficulties. He must have failed in business about 1845 and 1851.

He moved to Sunderland in order to set up a business which appears in the records of Sunderland as "William Bowes and son, Corn millers, lime burners" and "William Bowes Junior, Corn miller, Low Southwick". In the 1851 census he is living at Front Street, Southwick, described as a retired miller and farmer, living with wife Ann aged 56, son John George aged 14, and given as having been born in Bishopswearmouth, Sunderland, and daughter Hannah aged 12 who was to die a tragic death. The 1851 census all the Bowes had left Brompton except for an M.H.Bowes, a woman aged 17 and born at West Bowlden. She was staying with a John Wilford as a guest on the night of the census. She was Mary Harker Bowes, William's daughter. William was a widower by 1861 census as was his son, John George.

He was engaged as a Party with land and rent transfers during the 1840s and in some cases the other parties were the Directors of the Sunderland Joint Stock Bank which suggests that he was in financial difficulties by then. In the 1861 Census however he still refers to him self as a Farmer of 113 acres of land employing one man, one boy, and two women. He went to South Africa, his daughter Margaret and her husband John Lowden having gone there previously. His son John George Bowes went with him and founded the South African branch of the family.

Thomas, William's grandson, states" I remember him well, a venerable looking man with snow white hair, a thorough English gentleman. He kept a farm at Southwick near Sunderland when I was a boy and used to ride a black horse. He was a good man and bore his misfortunes with Christian fortitude. He was lay Rector of Brompton. He died on 12 May 1867 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

He was born on 21 June 1838 in Brompton. He married Mary Jane Swalwell on 8 October 1859 in Monkswearmouth [!]. John George Bowes left Sunderland after the death of his wife in childbirth. With his one surviving child, William, he and his father arrived in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1846. They set up as butchers in Port Elizabeth and prospered greatly. Eventually his son William was taken into partnership and they victualled the ships anchoring at Port Elizabeth. He next married Caroline Sophia Henrietta Holland on 16 December 1866 in Port Elizabeth. They had no children. With his new wealth he bought land and on his death in 1910 handed over his wealth to his only child, William.

He was born on 29 February 1860 in Sunderland, England. William married Edith Jane Wedderburn on 24 April 1889 in Grahamstown, South Africa. There were 4 children, John Hamilton, William Victor, Baron Batchelor, and Ruby Elizabeth. From these children are descended the present Bowes of South Africa. William died on 17 February 1926 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

This Francis Bowes may be a precursor. A possible younger brother of Sir George Bowes of Bradley Hall. He was born on 24 August 1597 in Bishopwearmouth, Durham. Note that Thornton Hall was located in the parish of Bishopwearmouth and John Bowes, of the Streatlam Castle line, was Rector of the place from 1715 to 1721.

"Sir Francis Bowes, received in 1639, a grant of the old Bowes arms, with the addition of "three torteauxes in chief, for a difference," from Sir John Borough, garter, in consequence of a certificate from Sir George Bowes, of Bradley, whereby he acknowledged Francis Bowes [of Thornton county, Durham] to be a member of his family." - from "Wills and Inventories Illustrative of the History, Manners, etc."

Was he an heir of the ancient Francis Bowes of Newcastle? "Hen. Bowes of Newcastle and Thornton Hall, merchant, who died during his shrievalty of Newcastle in the summer of 1624, was compounder's [Sir Francis Bowes] father, his mother being Anne, dau. of Fran. Anderson of Newcastle, merchant. Sir Fran. married (1) Eleanor, dau. of Hen. [and Elizabeth] Maddison of Newcastle (she died in Apr. 1636.) and (2) Margt. dau. of Robt. Delaval of Cowpen, who died in childbed at the age of 33, Aug. 5, 1652. He was sheriff of Newcastle in the municipal year 1632-33. and dying Apr. 23, 1677, aged 66, was buried at Coniscliffe, where his son Sir Fran. (No. 2), mourning the loss of his father, mohter, wife and children,set up a marble monument upon which is recorded his sorrows." - from "Records of the Committees for Compounding, Etc. with Delinquent Royalists in Durham . . ."

The son and heir of Henry Bowes of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Of Newcastle, knight. He was born in about 1621 in Thornton, Durham. A knight, of Thornton, Durham. He married Margaret De La Val in about 1647 in Thornton. Note that Sir George Bowes of Bradley Hall married Mary De La Val a generation earlier. She was the eldest daughter of Sir Ralph De la Val, of Seaton De la Val. I don't know how Margaret relates.

"The Mayor and Burgesses of the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne got the "Grand Lease" of the manors of Whickham and Gateshead in 1600 and for the next two centuries maintained a firm hold on the coal trade and on mining along the Tyne, especially in North Durham through the Guild of the Company of Hostmen . . . Sir Francis Bowes, who had a share in the Grand Lease Colliery, was as his father had been before him a Newcastle merchant but not a Hostman, fortunately for him both his mother and his wife were daughters of Hostmen." - from Alistair Mills.

Was Francis the son of Sir George Bowes and a Hostman via his mother, a De La Val, and his wife, a De La Val also? (10) Sir John De La Val of Dissington (c1577) marrried Elizabeth Selby, whose father was part of the inner-circle of Hostmen that ran the coal trade in Durham. Perhaps Sir Francis was actually of generation (11).

"Francis Bowes of Thornton, county Durham, cousin of the Whiggish Delavals of Seaton Delaval." - from "The House of Commons 1690-1715"

If Sir George were Francis' father, then (12) Ralph Bowes (c1620) was his elder brother who inherited the estates. How then do we explain "his father had been before him a Newcastle merchant?" Could Sir George be considered a merchant because of his coal trade? Note also that Sir George had a daughter, Ann, who married Sir Francis Blakiston. The Blakiston's may have figured prominently in (14) Francis Bowes (1684) move to Maryland.

Another possibility is that Sir George was his uncle. On 8 August 1659 Sir George Bowes and Francis Bowes, gentleman, were restored to their former freedoms of Newcastle - from the archives of Parliament. Was this Francis a brother or son of Sir George?

A lawyer and an Alderman of the city, he was in a pack-a-trouble in 1644/5 [or was this the senior Francis Bowes?]. On 19 November 1644 he and a Major Ralph Bowes were mentioned in a list presented to Parliament on 19 November 1644 of who were "delinquents" in regard to the collection of customs in the city by the Scots army. He was awfully young to be so prominently involved. Note again the brother, Ralph, who may be the Ralph Bowes who inherited Bradley Hall.

On 19 November the Parliament also considered how a new Mayor and Aldermen would be chosen for the city. On 5 December they agreed to the establishement of martial law and,

"Resolved, &c. That Sir John Marley Knight, the present Mayor, be forthwith disabled from being Mayor and Alderman, and brought to condign Punishment, for his notorious Rebellions against the Parliament: And that Sir George Baker Knight, Recorder, Sir Nicholas Cole Baronet, Thomas Liddell Esquire, newly made Baronet, Sir Francis Bowes Knight, Ralph Cole, and Ralph Cock, Aldermen of that Town, James Cole Sheriff, be displaced and removed from their Offices, and disabled and disfranchised; and likewise the rest of the Aldermen and other Officers there, who have been in Rebellion against the Parliament, as they shall be presented to the House, be displaced and removed from their Offices." - from House of Commons Journal Volume 3 5 December 1644

Francis Bowes position had clearly been high in the Royalist camp. Parliament directed his arrest in a motion of 13 December 1644,

"Ordered, That Sir Wm. Riddell be committed Prisoner to the Tower; Mr. James Cole, Henry Rowcastle, Sir George Baker, and Sir Francis Bowes, to the Compter in Southwark; Edward Scott, and Thomas Blinkishop, to Winchester House; Captain Rippen, and Henry Marley, to Peter House; John Marley, and Wm. Marley, to Ely House; Mr. Cole, and Mr. Robson, to London House; Mr. Ralph Cock, and Mr. George Cock, to Lambeth House; for levying actual War against the Parliament." - from House of Commons Journal Volume 3 13 December 1644

"Forasmuch as the Town of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the County thereof, hath, by a malignant and wicked Party, ill-affected to the King and Parliament, and the true Protestant Religion, been brought to great Extremity and Misery; and for that the said Town cannot be reduced to due Obedience, and well governed, except the Delinquents therein be removed from the Offices and Places of Trust which formerly they held and enjoyed there, and have abused to the great Prejudice and almost Ruin of the said Town; and that others, of Fidelity to the King and Parliament, be put into their Rooms and Places; the which cannot be so speedily effected, in the ordinary and usual Way of Elections, by and according to the Charters of the said Town, as Necessity requireth: It is therefore Ordered and Ordained, by the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, That Sir John Marley Knight, the present Mayor of the said Town, be forthwith displaced, disabled, and disfranchised, and be removed from being Mayor, Alderman, and Freeman of the said Town . . . And it is further Ordained, by the said Lords and Commons, that Sir George Baker Knight, Recorder of the said Town, for his notorious Delinquency, be displaced and removed; and that Edmond Wright, of Greyes Inn, Esquire, be Recorder of the said Town; and that Sir Nicholas Cole Baronet, Thomas Lidell Esquire, Sir Francis Bowes Knight, Ralph Cole, and Ralph Cocke, Esquires, Aldermen of the said Town, and notorious Delinquents against the King and Parliament, be displaced, disabled, and disfranchised, and be removed from being Aldermen and Freemen of the said Town . . ." - from: "House of Lords Journal," Volume 7, 26 May 1645.

I have a reference, in the Index Nominum to the Royalist Composition Papers, to a General Francis Bowes. After the Restoration he may have been High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1681.

The eldest son of Sir Francis Bowes, Knight, of Thornton, per "Cambridge Universtiy Alumni, 1261-1900." Young Francis was born in 1648. Of county Durham. He attended the Coniscliffe school, in Darlington, county Durham. Admitted to Cambridge Univestiy, Christ's College at the age of 16 on 14 April 1664. Admitted at Gray's Inn on 29 April 1669. I have a Francis Bowes esquire who was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1681. He died and was buried on 11 September 1697. Brother of Robert (1665).

"Francis Bowes of Thornton, county Durham, son of Sir Francis Bowes of the same place, married Lucy, uterine sister of Sir Henry Fletcher, by whom he had, with other children who died in infancy, four daughters." - from "Six North County Diaries."

Son of Sir Francis Knight, of Thornton, Durham per "Cambridge Universtiy Alumni, 1261-1900." He attended the Coniscliffe school. Admitted to Christs College, Cambridge on 1 February 1665/6 at the age of 16. Admitted at Gray's Inn on 2 April 1668. He succeeded his brother, Francis, in 1697. He was buried on 4 April 1734. We can assume that Francis had no sons, since Robert succeeded him. Robert, then, is a conceivable father for "our" Francis, below. While this doesn't get me close to the Bowes of Streatlam Castle, I like this possible link, especially because Robert was a lawyer, like his "son."

Note that I also have a George-Wanley Bowes, esquire of Thornton, in the county of York, who married Anne Hutton of Marske [there's that Hutton connection again]. They had three daughters, their father's co-heirs, per Burke's Commoners. The Durham Library has the "plan of estate at Crawcrook belonging to George Wanley Bowes, Esq." The Wanley's were a Thornton area family. George may have had a lease on the Cowpen and Crowcrook colllieries. This brings him closer to the Streatlam family.

There is also a reference to a Colonel Francis Bowes in 1714. The British archives have the will of a Francis Bowes, dated 24 May 1720, Lieutenant Colonel in the Honorable Colonel Stanhope Cottens Regiment of Foot of Gibraltar.

He was born in 1684 in England - based on his year of death and age as recorded on his tombstone. He emigrated to America and, as such, I assume he was not a first son. I don't know who his father was nor from what part of the family he came, but I propose it was the main line depicted above as the Bradley Hall or Streatlam Castle families. I have the following reasons for believing that. The following are organized from the least appealing to the most.
- 1st, his name was Francis. Not a strong point, but it is important to recognize that certain names run in families. The Streatlam/Bradley line favors William, George, Ralph, and Francis. From Jan Strum's page about Francis, "One "authority say Sir Francis was a cadet of this house [Bowes of Streatlam Castle]."

- 2nd, he was well educated and had read law. That is, he wasn't a country yokel.

- 3rd, he became a Judge of the Royal court in Hunterdon county, Trenton. In that era it took more than education and ability to get such a job, it took preferment.

- 4th, he had been knighted. While I acknowledge that fake titles are a staple of American history and lore, the two frauds from Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" leap to mind, Francis was in too exposed a position as a Royal judge to pull this off. Francis' family in America was pretty proud of their father. His daughter Mary named her son Francis Bowes Sayre. Another daughter, Esther, had no sons, but her daughters named their sons Francis Bowes Stevens and Francis Bowes Stockton. Of course I should also point out that many people of diverse backgrounds were knighted. In Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" one of Mr. Bingley's sisters says to the other, in what is supposed to be a stinging comment, that "He probably ran a kind of shop before being elevated to the knighthood." Now that I've so thoroughly weakened this point, on to . . .

- 5th, George Blakiston, the Sheriff of Durham in 1656, emigrated to Maryland in about 1668. While this appears to be a non sequitur, the Blakiston family was closely associated with the Bowes family. They married into that family three times:

-- 1st, Elizabeth Bowes, the daughter of (9) Sir George Bowes (1517) of Streatlam Castle, was the second wife of Sir John Blakiston.

-- 2nd, Anne Bowes, the daughter of (11) Sir George Bowes (c1590) of Bradley Hall married Sir Francis Blakiston, of Gibside. He died on 8 October 1713 and his Baronetcy became extinct. However, his estates descended to his only surviving child and heir, Elizabeth Blakiston.
---- By the way, Francis Blakiston's brother, William, had married Mary Calvert, a daughter of Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore and proprietor of the Maryland colony, in 1650. However, William died childless and Francis inherited his estates.

-- 3rd, (12) Sir William Bowes (1656) of Streatlam Castle married Elizabeth Blakiston in 1693. She was the daughter of Sir Francis Blakiston and Anne Bowes, above, and brought with her the Gibside estates that "made" the Bowes family. Their son was Sir George Bowes.

So, in my theory the Blakiston's established the link with Maryland, through the patronage of their Calvert kin, when George Blakiston settled there in 1668. Also important to Sir Francis' move, I believe, was Nathaniel Blakiston, the great-grandson of Elizabeth Bowes. In 1698 he was appointed Governor of Maryland. Illness forced him to return to England in 1702, but before he left he was appointed the agent in London for the colony, in which capacity he served 1702-09 and 1713-1721. He was also the agent for Virginia at some point. Note, as the colonial agent he was in an excellent position to both recommend the colony to Sir Francis and to secure him a position there. I think Francis may have bee a cousin or nephew of Nathaniel Blakiston.

I recently received the following email from Jan Strum, from who I quoted above,

Any chance you know what 'page about Francis' you got it from? It's not in my current database notes, nor have I tracked it down in old research documents. I just found the Christ Church headstone readings in Jan 2003, so that note could be older. (I started the hunt in 1978, so I've gone through several family tree programs & computers. To say nothing of bad habits regarding sources!)

Francis Bowes' headstone reading from Christ Episcopal Church, Philadelphia: In memory of Francis Bowes who departed this Life Dec'r y'e 3rd 1749 Aged about 65 years. Also Mary his Wife who departed this life Oct'r y'e 20th 1725 Aged 26 years & 11 months. [So, with my Family Tree Maker calculation, her birth date was 20 Nov 1698]

Their daughter's headstone: I found her headstone inscription at Ancestry.com on 17 Jan 2003. It's on page 65 (image 33 of 34) from "Record of the Inscriptions in the Tablets and Gravestones in the Burial-Grounds of Christ Church, Philadelphia" Section A, LXXXIV. In memory of THEODOSIA the wife of Andrew Reed who departed this life the 19th of March 1753 Aged 32 years. Live's maze I've trod; I've met th' appointed Day; And here in Dust now sleeps my breathless clay. The Blow how sudden; how severe the Dart; How early levelled at my tender Heart. But stop, kind reader; cease to view me here; Know where I dwell, above the starry sphere. Would you, secure, the threats of Death defy, Like me religious live; like me serenely die. Her age (32) places her birth between Apr 1720 and Mar 1721.

In my estimation, MARY must be Theodosia's mother, NOT Anne Anthony, whom Francis married 18 Nov 1728. Some researchers DO have Anna Maria "Mary" Anthony - but 1725 death & 1728 marriage do NOT make it likely Mary & Anne are the same person. I just found a couple researchers have Anna Anthony, with parents Nicholas Anthony & Enjeltje Schoonmaker, b 1700 NJ, d 1725 PA. This'll take some digging! Some list 1719 marriage, some 1728 EVEN with 1725 death! Yikes! Bowes, Francis / (Hunterdon) / [N/A] Anthony, Anne / (Hunterdon) / [N/A] NJ / 18-Nov 1728 N/A Vol. XXII of the Archives of the State of New Jersey page 29.

Another day... Can I use your research/sources for increasing my tree when I work on these lines? Thanks for posting it!!

Jan Strum

Sir Francis Bowes married Mary in about 1718, though I don't know what evidence there is behind this date. The only evidence I have for her existence is her name, age and date of death, on her husband's tombstone in Philadelphia. This does not mean that she either was born, lived or died in that city, only that she was memorialized there. She was born in 1698.

There was a Francis Bowes living in Annapolis, Maryland as early as 1721. Note that this was while Nathaniel Blakiston was still the colonial agent for the colony. Maryland was the proprietory colony of Charles Calvert, the 5th Lord Baltimore, and a refuge for Catholics. Was is possible that Francis was a Catholic like so many of his Blakiston relatives? It would not be out of character for someone from the conservative north of England. There are a number of references to Francis in the Archives of Maryland in the period 1721 to 1725, the first of which titles him the Speaker of the Upper House of the Assembly. Importantly, in 1720 Charles Calvert commissioned his cousin, Captain Charles Calvert, to govern the colony and he did so from October 1720 to July 1727. Was Francis one of his chosen men who he took with him from England? The population of Catholic gentlemen in England was small so the choice of Francis may not be so extraordinary.

From the Archives of Maryland, volume 34, Oct. 1720-Oct. 1723, "Jul. 18-Aug. 5, 1721 Upper House,"

- 1 August 1721: "Coll Addison from the Upper House Delivers Mr. Speaker Franics Bowes account amounting to Nineteen pounds ten Shillings for Entertaining Sundry Indians by order of the Governour and Councill thus Endorst Viz:
By the Upper House of Assembly August the 1st 1721.
The within Indians (among which was Towena a Great man of the Sinequas & the King of the Tuskeroras) for which the within Account was Charged were sent to the within Francis Bowes by Order of the Governour and Councill; they the said Indians having Come to wait on the Governour to make a Treaty of Peace with him toward a Reconciliation of Some Differences with some of the Inhabitants of Prince Georges County. Wherefore We Referr the said Bowes to your House for an Allowance of the within Account."

- 1 August 1721: "The Account of Francis Bowes for Entertainmt to Severall Indians and their Interpreters by Order of his Honour the Governour and Councill amounting in the whole to 19: 10: 0 being read is Order'd to be thus Endorst."

-1 August 1721: "By the Upper House of Assembly
Gentlemen. The Within Indians (amongst which Was Towena a Grean man of Sinequas & the King of the Tuskeroras) for which the within Account was Charged was Sent to the within Franics Bowes by Order of the Governour and Councill, they the said Indians having Come to Waite on the Governour to make a Treaty of Peace with hm towards a reconciliation of Some Difference with Some of the Inhabitants of Prince Georges County. Where We referr the said Bowes to your house for an Allowance of the within Account."

- 7 October 1723: "At a Conference held at the House of Mr Francis Bowes at the City of Annapolis on Monday the Seventh day of Octobr Anno Domini 1723 to Examine into the Indians Lands upon Nanticoke and Choptank Rivers."

- 17 October 1723: "At a Conference held at the House of Mr. Francis Bowes on Thursday the 17th Day of October 1723 to confer about the Allowances to be made to his Ldps Honorable Council of State."

- 20 February 1724/5: A proclamation was released after a meeting "At a Council held at the House of Mr. Francis Bowes in the City of Annapolis on Saturday the 20th day of February in the tenth year of his Lordships Domminion &c AD 1724/5."

- 9 October 1724: "At a Conference held at the City of Annapolis at the House of Mr Francis Bowes on Friday October 9th 1724 . . ."

I've found no records of Francis from November 1725 to 1728 when he got a position in the New Jersey colony. This aligns remarkably well with Charles Calvert's governorship, from 1721 to 1727, and may indicate a date and a reason that Francis moved - when his patron left, so did Francis. Captain Calvert had had only moderate success in administering the colony and was to be replaced by the Fifth Lord Baltimore's younger brother, Benedict Leonard Calvert, and, though probably not hostile to him, Benedict had his own men to promote. Benedict had also brought along another brother, Edward Henry, to assist him and this may have left little room for Francis.

By 1728 Francis had moved to Trenton, New Jersey where he was made a Judge of Hunterdon County, New Jersey in that same year. He married Anne [Anna] Anthony, of Hunterdon coutny, New Jersey, on 18 November 1728 - from Volume XXII of the Archives of the State of New Jersey, page 29. She was probably born in about 1700. Interestingly, it appears that their daughter, Theodosia, was born just one month later, in December 1728.

Francis was admitted as a counsellor [i.e. to the bar as a practicing lawyer] in 1731 and was noted to be a partner of Trenton's first lawyer, James Gould. As a lawyer his name appears in advertisements in connection with the sale of land. I think the following refers to an indentured servant whose "master" had died without a will. Francis held the bond as legal administrator for the estate.

7 September 1736. Thomas Hannah, of Trenton, Hunterdon Co., laborer. Int. [intestate, i.e. of a person dying without a will] Bond of Francis Bowes, of Trenton, Esquire, as administrator. Samuel Bustill, of Burlington, Esquire, surety. Witnesses : Sarah Ann Bustill and Joseph Rose. Hunterdon Wills, 111 J. - from "Calendar of New Jersey Wills," Volume I, 1670-1730

At some point Anna Anthony died and Francis remarried. There was an 11-year hiatus between the birth of Theodosia in 1728 and Mary, his next child, in 1739, making it likely that Francis remarried in 1738 or 1739, though I have a source that claims this occurred in 1735, which also works. Also about this time he must have moved to New York City. Francis' second wife was Rachel Le Chevalier, the daughter of Jean Le Chevalier, a furniture maker or "joiner" of New York, and Maria Delaplaine, the daughter of another prominent New York joiner, Nicholas De La Plaine. Jean was born in Bretagne, France. A Huguenot, he emigrated to New York before 1692. Jean and Marie married on 27 June 1692 in New York City. Rachel was born on 16 February 1708 [or was it as early as 1693?]] in New York City and was baptized at the French Church. See for more about Jean Le Chevalier. Note that in records of John Cox of Bloomsbury, who married Francis' daughter, Esther Bowes, was a mention of "the Demoiselles Chevalier, the French aunts of Mrs. John Cox" who tended the roses of their garden.

Francis lived on Broad Street in New York City where he was the next door neighbor of John and Esther (Stillwell) Sayre.

Francis was a member of the Court of Justices & Freeholders in Trenton in 1739. The next year another daughter, Esther, was born, also in Trenton. In the 1741 census of Trenton township, Hunterdon county, New Jersey as Francis Bowes. His address at this time was given variously as Trenton, Christiana Bridge, in New Castle county, Delaware, and Philadelphia.

After 1741 he moved down river to Philadelphia. Francis' only son, John, was born in Philadelphia on 11 April 1742.

In 1747 Francis Bowes was listed as an attorney of Salem, New Jersey. In the same year, in New Castle county, Delaware, Francis Bowes was chosen as the guardian by Mary (born 1726) and Agnes Shannon. Their father, John Shannon, had died in 1745. John Shannon was a merchant with business interests in Jamaica. Francis was most likely his lawyer.

"In 1748 an iron works near Bordentown were advertised for sale. This was an extensive plant for that day, located on Black Creek, about a half a mile from "Burden's town. The creek was navigable for boats up to the works, and these works included three fires, with hammers, anvils, bellos and all appliances, also a dwelling-house and two dwellings for workment, stables, storehouses and various conveniences. The land covered twenty acres, or thereabouts, lying on both sides of the creek, with a small orchard of some forty well-grown apple trees. The owners, beside Mr. Reed [Andrew Reed, the husband of Theodosia], were Joseph Yard, David Davis and Francis Bowes, the latter, Mr. Reed's father-in-law, who was then residing in Philadelphia." - from "Maryland Genealogical and Memorial Encyclopedia."

Francis Bowes died on 3 December 1749 in Philadlephia and was buried at Christ Church, near to Captain William Heysham. The tombstone inscription reads:

"In memory of
Francis Bowes
who departed this Life December 3rd
1749 Aged about 65 years.

Also Mary his Wife
who departed this life October 29th 1725
Aged 26 years & 11 months"

"Bowes, Francis. City of Philadelphia. Merchant.
Signed: January 27, 1747/8. Proved: December 12, 1749. J.203.
Wife: Rachel. Children: John, Theodosia Reed, Sarah, Mary and Ester.
Exec: Thomas Lawrence, John Kinsey, Peter Delage, Andrew Read[Reed], Rachel Bowes.
Wit: Ann Mullan, Elizh. Griffin, Ann Lindsay."

"Hans Zimmerman (John Carpenter) and wife Sallome to Exers. of Francis Bowes, Dec'd. for 442 acres on Cocalico Creek [in Lancaster county]. Sarah Bowes, Mary Bowes, Esther Bowes, John Bowes, infants under 21 were children of Francis Bowes. Executors of Francis Bowes were Thomas Lawrence, Peter Delage, Andrew Reed & Rachel Bowes, she being the widow of Francis. 17 May 1750."

On 8 April 1751 at Christ Church, Philadelphia Francis Bowes's widow, Rachel, married John Sayre, whose wife, Esther Stillwell, had also recently died. For that part of the story see the Sayre and Heysham-Sayre pages.

The daugher of Anna Anthony, Franics Bowes second wife, she was born in December 1728, just one month after her parents married. She married Andrew Reed on 22 August 1740. Andrew was born in about 1716 and died in 1769 in New Jersey. His father was Joseph Reed, a Scots-Irish who emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland. After accumulating considerable capital in the West Indies trade the elder Reed decided to settle his sons in America and, as early as 1700, was located in what is now Trenton, New Jersey.

Andrew, an active and prominent citizen of the community, was by turn postmaster, commissioner of the loan office, and one of the burgesses of Trenton. In 1749 he was commissioned one of the judges of the courts of Hunterdon county. He was a co-owner of the Bordentown iron works and of a 20-acre parcel of land with Francis Bowes of Philadelphia, his father-in-law. Andrew made Theodosia Bowes his second wife.

Andrew was a cousin and heir of James Logan in 1752. James Logan was truly one of the greats of early Philadelphia. William Penn made him "the Clerk of the Council, the Secretary of the Province, the Commissioner of Property, and the person responsible for the Indians' well being." Logan was wildly successful in the fur-trade, becoming one of the richest men in America. A Scots-Irish Quaker, he died in 1751. Andrew was also an heir and executor of the estate of Stephen Williams, gentleman of Philadelphia, in 1762.

In 1749 Andrew moved his family to Philadelphia and opened a general merchandise store with his friend, John Petit, as Reed & Petit. After 10 successful years he moved back to Trenton. Reading the history of his son, Joseph, it is clear that, despite his inheritances, there was a bankruptcy around 1765 that forced Joseph to support the family.

Andrew and Sarah had six children, but their only surving sons were Bowes and Joseph. Bowes Reed was trained as a lawyer, but never practiced. He was a Revolutionary leader, a Colonel in the militia, and the mayor of Burlington, New Jersey. Joseph Reed was a lawyer and became famous as one of the leaders during the Revolutionary period. He was an aide-de-camp to General Washington, held the rank of Colonel in the Army, and saw service at the battles of Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. He was elected President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He would have been an acquaintance of Captain William Heysham. A daughter, Sarah, married Charles Pettit, son of Andrew's business partner, John Pettit. John Pettit was an Assistant Quarter Master General of the American Army serving under Nathaniel Greene and a close friend of John Cox, who married Theodosia's young sister, Esther.

Theodosia died on 19 March 1753. Her tombstone, in the Christ Church burial ground, lies between those of her sister's sons-in-law, J.H. Gibbon and Francis Bowes Sayre, reads:

"In memory of
Theodosia
the wife of Andrew Reed
who departed this life
the 19th of March 1753
Aged 32 years
Live's maze I've trod; I've met th' appointed Day;
And here in Dust now sleeps my breathless clay.
The Blow how sudden; how severe the Dart;
How early levelled at my tender Heart.
But stop, kind reader; cease to view me here;
Know where I dwell, above the starry sphere.
Would you, secure, the threat of Death defy,
Like me religious live; like me serenely die.

I believe that Mary, and subsequent, are the children of Rachel Le Chevalier. Mary was born on 5 March 1739 in Trenton, New Jersey. She was ten years old when her father died and twelve when her mother married John Sayre. She married John Sayre Jr., her adoptive step-brother, and was the mother of, among others, Francis Bowes Sayre. She died on 11 January 1789 at Bloomsbury, the home of her sister, Esther Bowes Cox, in Trenton, New Jersey. For more about her life see the Sayre Family and the Heysham-Sayre pages.

(20) Esther Bowes (1740)

She was born on 6 January 1740 in Trenton, New Jersey. She married John Cox on 16 November 1760 in Christ Church in Philadelphia. She died on 10 February 1814 in Philadelphia. For more about her life, her husband, and her relationship with Francis Bowes Sayre, see the Heysham-Sayre page.

(20) Sarah Bowes (c1741)

I think she died in childhood, sometime after 1749, perhaps at the same time as her brother, John, below.

(20) John Bowes (1742)

He was born on 11 April 1742 in Philadelphia. He died on 29 March 1751.

Steve Hissem
San Diego, California