Sir James Croft, MP

CROFT, James (d.1624), of Weston, Oxon.

• Family and Education
• 3rd s. of Sir James Croft of Croft Castle, Herefs. by his 1st w.; bro. of Edward Croft and half-bro. of Thomas Wigmore. educ. G. Inn 1562 m. (1) 1580, Margaret (d.c.1588), da. of Thomas†, 1st Baron Wentworth, wid. of John†, Lord Williams of Thame, Oxon. and of Sir William Drury†, ld. deputy of Ireland. Kntd. 1603.1
• Offices Held
  • J.p.q. Oxon. by 1582-94; gent. pens. c.1588-d.2
• Biography
• Sent to Ireland as an envoy in 1578, Croft was given the rank of captain, and served on the staff of the lord deputy Sir William Drury at Waterford. He was an executor of Drury’s will, and soon after Drury’s death in October 1579, married his widow, who possessed, through her first marriage, an estate in Oxfordshire, at Weston-on-the-Green, near Bicester, to which the couple returned in the summer of 1580. Croft then settled down to his local commitments, being a j.p. by 1582 when he was summoned before the Privy Council on some minor charge. On his wife’s death Weston passed into the Norris family, but their decision to allow Croft to remain there was resisted—at first forcibly, and then in the Star Chamber—by the Earl of Lincoln, who claimed it as part of his wife’s jointure. The Norris party won and Croft remained at Weston.3
• His father, meanwhile, had not neglected Croft’s interests at court, and was no doubt instrumental in arranging Croft’s return to Parliament for Brackley through the 4th Earl of Derby. On 11 Nov. 1586 Croft was one of the large Commons committee which presented to the Queen a joint petition with the Lords for the execution of Mary Stuart. In 1588 Sir James took his son with him on his peace mission to the Netherlands, ‘both for the necessity I have of his service and that he may learn something in this time of treaty’. Although Croft was the joint grantee of the manor of Upton-on-Severn in Worcestershire in 1593, he appears to have done little to counter the decline of the family influence on the Welsh borders after the death of Sir James in 1590. Croft’s later career spent was at court. Knighted by James I, he was entrusted with the custody of Lady Arbella Stuart, whose escape brought him a spell in the Fleet prison. He was a pall bearer at the funeral of Queen Anne in 1619. He was still sufficiently active in 1622 to seek a licence to travel abroad for a year, but two years later he was dispensed by warrant from personal attendance upon the King in his role of gentleman pensioner. Chamberlain reported the death from fever of ‘our oldest pensioner about the court’, on 4 Sept. 1624. Croft’s will, proved 21 Jan. 1625, mentioned no goods or property, and named only two servants as beneficiaries. Lady Elizabeth Savage—perhaps a relative of Croft’s unknown second wife—was, as executrix, involved in a dispute over the administration with Croft’s nephew and namesake.4
• Ref Volumes: 1558-1603
• Author: H.G.O.
• Notes
• 1. Vis. Herefs. ed. Weaver, 21-2; CP; CSP Dom. 1623-5, p. 25; CSP Ire. 1574-85, p. 279.
• 2. E407/1/18, 19; Lord Herbert of Cherbury, ed. Lee, 82.
• 3. CSP Dom. 1611-18, p. 43; CSP Ire. 1574-85, pp. 138, 181, 279; VCH Oxon. vi. 348; APC, x. 245; xi. 264; xiii. 429, 434; xv. 153; xvi. 72, 107.
• 4. D’Ewes, 399; CSP For. 1588, p. 278; CSP Span. 1587-1603, p. 235; pat. rolls 35 Eliz.; P. H. Williams, Council in the Marches of Wales, 236-7, 241; Herbert, 82; APC, 1621-3, p. 308; CSP Dom. 1611-18, pp. 17, 19, 20, 24, 43; 1623-5, pp. 25, 160; Chamberlain Letters ed. McClure, ii. 579; PCC 10 Clarke.
• From: http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/cr... ______________________________
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 60
• Wentworth, Thomas (1501-1551) by Albert Frederick Pollard
• WENTWORTH, THOMAS, first Baron Wentworth of Nettlestead (1501–1551), was descended from an .... etc.
• Wentworth married, about 1520, Margaret, elder daughter of Sir Adrian Fortescue [q. v.], by his first wife, granddaughter and heir of John Neville, marquis of Montagu [q. v.] Sir Anthony Fortescue [q. v.] and Sir John Fortescue (1531?–1607) [q. v.] were her half-brothers, and Elizabeth, the wife of Sir Thomas Bromley (1530–1587) [q. v.], was her half-sister. Her daughters by Wentworth married equally well; Jane (d. 1614) became the wife of Henry, baron Cheney of Toddington; Margaret of first John, baron Williams of Thame [q. v.], secondly Sir William Drury [q. v.], and thirdly Sir James Crofts; and Dorothy of first Paul Withypole (d. 1579), secondly Martin Frobisher [q. v.], and thirdly Sir John Savile of Methley. Of the sons, Thomas succeeded as second baron, and is separately noticed; and John and James were lost with the Greyhound in March 1562–1563 (Machyn, pp. 304, 394). Wentworth had issue sixteen children in all.
• From: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wentworth,_Thomas_(1501-1551)_(DNB00) _______________________
• Sir James CROFT of Weston, Knight
• Died: 4 Sep 1624
• Father: James CROFT of Croft Castle (Sir Knight) (See his Biography)
• Mother: Alice WARNECOMBE
• Married 1: Margaret WENTWORTH 1580
• Married 2: ¿?
• The details in this biography come from the History of Parliament, a biographical dictionary of Members of the House of Commons.
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/JamesCroft2.htm _________________________________
• The Wentworth genealogy, comprising the origin of the name, the family in England, and a particular account of Elder William Wentworth, the emigrant, and of his descendants (1870)
• http://www.archive.org/stream/wentworthgenealo01inwent#page/n176/mo...
• .... etc.
• (18) Sir Thomas Wentworth, Kt., Lord Chamberlain of the Household; who, in 1529, was summoned to Parliament, by writ, as Baron Wentworth. He died on the 3d, and was buried on the 7 March, 1550-1, in Westminster Abbey. His wife, who survived him, was Margaret, daughter of Sir Adrian Fortescue, Kt. They had issue as follows:
  • 1. Sir Thomas, 2d Baron, of whom hereafter.
  • 2. Sir Henry (not 21 in 1544), who married his first cousin, Elizabeth Glemham. (See back to number (17-7) of this note.)
  • 3. Richard (not 21 in 1544), who married Margaret Royden.
  • 4. Philip (not 21 in 1544), who married a daughter of Sir Richard Corbet, Kt.
  • 5. John (not 21 in 1455), who perished at sea, in 1564.
  • 6. Edward (not 21 in 1544.)
  • 7. James (not 21 in 1544), who perished at sea in 1564.
  • 8. Roger (not 21 in 1544), who married, and had a daughter Katherine, who was buried at Stepney, Co. Middlesex, 14 July, 1577.
  • 9. Anne, living 1544; the wife of Sir John Poley, Kt., of Badley, Suffolk.
  • 10. Cicily (or Cecilia) married, after 1544, to Sir Robert Wingfield, Kt.
  • 11. Mary, who married, after 1544, William Cavendish, Esq., eldest son of Sir Richard Cavendish, Kt.
  • 12. Elizabeth, living 1544, unmarried.
  • 13. Margaret, who married, after 1544, 1st John Lord Williams; 2dly, Sir William Drury, Kt.; and 3dly, Sir John Crofts, Kt.
  • 14. Margery, living, 1544, unmarried.
  • 15. Jane, married, after 1544, to Sir Henry Cheyne, Kt., Lord Cheyne of Toddington, Co. Bedford, She died without issue, 16 April, 1614, and was buried at Toddington.
  • 16. Catherine, living, 1544, unmarried.
  • 17. Dorothy, married, after 1544, 1st, to Sir Wm. Widmerpoole, Kt.; 1dly, to Sir Martin Frobisher, Kt.; and 3dly, to Sir John Savile, Kt., one of the Barons of the Exchequer, who survived her and died 2 February, 1606-7.
• The line was continued by ____________________
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 61
• Williams, John (1500?-1559) by Albert Frederick Pollard
• WILLIAMS , JOHN, Baron Williams of Thame (1500?–1559), born about 1500, was the second son of Sir John Williams of Burfield, Buckinghamshire, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of Richard More of Burfield. His father sprang originally from Glamorganshire, and was a kinsman of Thomas Cromwell alias Williams, whose service John Williams entered .... etc.
• .... Williams married, secondly, Margaret, daughter of Thomas, first baron Wentworth [q. v.]; he left no issue by her, and she married, secondly, on 10 Oct. 1560, Sir William Drury [q. v.], and, thirdly, Sir James Crofts; she survived until 1588 (see Acts P. C. vols. xv–xvii. passim). .... etc.
• From: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Williams,_John_(1500%3F-1559)_(DNB00)
• https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati61stepuoft#page/412/mode... ___________________
• John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame (c.1500 – 14 October 1559) was Treasurer of the King's Jewels, Lord Chamberlain of England (1553–1557) and Lord President of the Council of the Welsh Marches. .... etc.
• Williams married secondly, on 19 April 1557, Margaret Wentworth (d.1587), the daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk. She survived him, and later married Sir William Drury, and James Croft of Weston, Oxfordshire.[5]
• Williams' three sons predeceased him, and the barony became extinct at his death on 14 October 1559.[6] His elder daughter, Isabel, inherited Thame, and his younger daughter, Margery, inherited Rycote.[7]
• From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams,_1st_Baron_Williams_of_T... _________________
• Sir William Drury (2 October 1527 – 13 October 1579) was the son of Sir Robert Drury (c.1503–1577) the grandson of Sir Robert Drury (c.1456–2 March 1535), Speaker of the House of Commons, and the nephew of Sir William Drury. .... etc.
• On 10 October 1560 at St Alphage London Wall Drury married Margaret Wentworth (d.1587), widow of John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame, and daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk, by whom he had three daughters:[3][4][5]
• .... etc.
• After Drury's death his widow married, in 1580, James Croft (d. September 4, 1624), the third son of Sir James Croft of Croft Castle, Herefordshire. Croft had served as a captain under Margaret's second husband, Sir William Drury, in 1578–9. The couple settled on property in Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire, which had come to Margaret through her first marriage.[9]
• From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Drury __________________
• Sir Thomas Wentworth
• Birth: 1500 Nettlestead, Mid Suffolk District, Suffolk, England
• Death: Mar. 3, 1551, England
• Baron Wentworth. 6th Lord Despenser, of Nettlestead, Suffolk. Knight of the Shire for Suffolk, Privy Councilor, Lord Chamberlain for the Household of King Edward VI.
• Son and heir to Sir Richard Wentworth and Anne Tyrrell, grandson of Sir Henry Wentworth, Lord Despenser and Anne Say, Sir James Tyrrell (executed for treason as an accomplice to Richard de la Pole) and Anne Arundel.
• Husband of Margaret Fortescue, daughter of Sir Adrian Fortescue (beheaded for refusing to take the oath of supremacy) and Anne Stonor. They were married about 1520 and had eight sons and nine daughters
  • Thomas
  • Henry
  • Richard
  • Philip
  • John
  • Edward
  • James
  • Roger
  • Anne, wife of John Poley
  • Cecily, wife of Sir Robert Wingfield
  • Mary, wife of William Cavendish
  • Elizabeth, wife of John Cock and Leonard Matthew
  • Margaret
  • Margery, wife of John Williams Lord Thame, Sir William Drury and Sir James Croft
  • Jane, wife of Lord Henry Cheney
  • Katherine
  • Dorothy, wife of Paul Withypoll, Sir Martin Frobisher and Sir John Savile
• Sir Thomas took part in the Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk's expedition to France in 1523, was created Lord Wentworth and admitted to the House of Lords 02 Dec 1529. He was also one of the peers to try Queen Anne Boleyn. Sir Thomas served with Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk at the Siege on Montreuil as one of his Council of War. Sir Thomas was granted the manors of Stepney, Hackney, and Cheney Gate, Westminster, Middlesex in 1550.
• Margaret was heir to her younger sister, Frances, the wife of Thomas FitzGerald, and Margaret died between 23 April 1546 and 12 May 1551.
• Sir Thomas died testate at the King's Palace at Westminster and was buried in the Westminster Abbey 07 March 1551.
• Family links:
• Parents:
• Richard Wentworth (1480 - 1528)
• Children:
  • Philip Wentworth (____ - 1583)*
  • Anne Wentworth Poley (1520 - 1575)*
• Burial: Westminster Abbey, Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England
• Plot: Chapel of St John the Evangelist
• Find A Grave Memorial# 109856403
• From http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=wentworth&GSf... __________________________
• Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, 2nd Edition ... By Douglas Richardson
• http://books.google.com/books?id=kjme027UeagC&printsec=frontcover&d...
• Pg.216
• 15. THOMAS WENTWORTH, Knt., de jure 6th Lord Despenser, of Nettlestead, Suffolk, Harston, Cambridgeshire, etc., Knight of the Shire for Suffolk, Privy Councillor, Lord Chamberlain of the Household to King Edward VI, son and heir, born about 1500 (age 28 in 1528). He married about 1520 MARGARET FORTESCUE, daughter of Adrian Fortescue, K.B., of Stonor (in Pyrton) and
• Pg.217
• Shirburn, Oxfordshire, and St. Clement Danes, London, by his 1st wife, Anne (descendant of Kind Edward III), daughter and heiress of William Stonor, Knt. [see STONOR 14 for her ancestry]. They had eight sons, Thomas [2nd Lord Wentworth], Henry, Richard, Philip, Gent., John, Edward, James, and Roger, and nine daughters, Anne, Cecily (wife of Robert Wingfield, Knt.), Mary wife of William Cavendish), Elizabeth (wife of John Cock and Leonard Matthew), Margaret, Margery (wife of John Williams [Lord Williams of Thame], William Drury, Knt., and James Croft, Knt.), Jane (wife of Henry Cheney [Lord Cheny]), Katherine, and Dorothy (wife of Paul Withypoll, and Martin Frobisher, Knt., John Savile, Knt.). He took part in the Duke of Suffolk's expedition to France in 1523. He was created Lord Wentworth and admitted to the House of Lords, 2 Dec. 1529. In 1530 he was one of the peers who tried Queen Anne Boleyn. His wife, Margaret, was heiress in 1540 to her younger sister Frances, wife of Thomas Fitz Gerald, 10th Earl of Kildare. In 1544 he served under the Duke of Norfolk as the Siege of Montreuil, being one of his Council of War. Margaret died between 23 April 1546 and 12 May 1551, presumably before her husband. He was granted the manor of Stepney, Hackney, and Cheyney Gate (now The Deanery), Westminster, all in Middlesex, in 1550. SIR THOMAS WENTWORTH, 1st Lord Wentworth, died at the King's Palace at Westminster 3 March 1550/1, and was buried 7 March 1550/1 in Westminster Abbey. He left a will proved 27 Nov. 1551 (P.C.C. 35 Bucke).
• .... etc. ___________________________
• Pedigrees of the county families of Yorkshire (1874) Vol. 2 Pg.n258
• http://www.archive.org/details/pedigreesofcount02fost
  • Pedigree of Wentworth, of Elmsall, Bretton and Baron Wentworth, of Nettlested.
• http://www.archive.org/stream/pedigreesofcount02fost#page/n265/mode...
• http://www.archive.org/stream/pedigreesofcount02fost#page/n266/mode...
• SEE DOCUMENTS OR SOURCES for IMAGES __________________