Primary Sources

Inquisitions Post Mortem for Joan who was wife of Thomas Brook, knight, Writ. 30 November 1442.

She died on 24 November last [1442]. Edward Brook, knight, is her son and next heir, aged 30 and more.

Other Sources

• 'Proceedings ([n.d.])
• http://www.archive.org/details/proceedings43socigoog
• http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n128/mode/...
• V.— Thomasde Brook. He granted, 31 Edw. Ill (1358), "to Thomas Waryn and his heirs a certain yearly rent of twenty pounds, payable out of his lands and tenements in la Broke juxta Ivelchester, and in the town of Ivelchester." He married Constance, the daughter of . . . . Markensfeld, died 41 Edw. Ill (1368), leaving a son Thomas. The arms of Markenfield, of York, are given as Argent, on a bend sable, three bezants.
  • VI.— Thomas de Brook. He is included by Pole among "the men of best worth in Devon," during the reigns of Rich. II, Henry IV, and Henry V (1377-1413), and styles him Sir Thomas Brooke, de Holditch, Knt. In him we reach the most important member of the family while resident in the west, owing in large measure to his marriage with the wealthy widow of Robert Chedder, which gave him considerable influence in the counties of Somerset and Devon.
  • He was Sheriff of Somerset (1389) ; Sheriff of Devon, 17 Rich. II (1394), 4 Henry IV (1403) ; Knight of the Shire, for Somerset, 10, 11, 15, 20, and 21 Rich. II (1388-98), 1, 3, 5, and 11 Henry IV (1400-11), and 1 and 5 Henry V (1414-19).
  • Sir Thomas Brook married Johanna, second daughter and coheiress of Simon Hanap, or Hanham, of Gloucestershire (according to Hutchins so denominated from a place of that name, situate a short distance east of Bristol) and widow of Robert Chedder, Mayor of that city in 1360-1, who died 1382-4 ; and by whom she had four sons. She held in dower extensive landed possessions, and several advowsons, in Somerset, Gloucester, and Dorset, which passed at her death to Thomas Chedder, her only surviving son by this marriage. This family of Chedder will be further referred to.*
  • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n129/mode/...
  • By her second husband, Sir Thomas Brook, she appears to have had two sons, Thomas and MichaeL
  • Between the years 1395 and 9 Henry IV ( 1407), Sir Thomas purchased the manor of Weycroft, ...
  • An important event was now about to happen which raised the family of Brook to their highest position, and withdrew them soon after from their pleasant squire-built residence in this Devonshire valley, to the grand associations of baronial Cobham, in the fertile plains of Kent.
  • ' This was the marriage of Thomas Brook, their eldest son, bom about 1391, with Joan Bray broke, the daughter, only surviving child, and sole heiress of Joan de la Pole, Lady of Cobham, in Kent, by her second husband Sir Nicholas Braybroke.
  • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n130/mode/1up
  • The death of Sir Thomas, according to the inscription on the brass is placed as occurring on the 23rd January, 1419, 5 Henry I V ; but the year is probably an error, as the probate of his will was granted 5th February, 1417-8.
  • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n133/mode/...
  • Lady Johanna Brook survived her second husband just twenty years, and died on 10th April, 1437, and they were both buried at the east end of the north aisle of Thorncombe old church, where two fine brass effigies were placed to their memory on a stone in the pavement, with a ledger inscription and four shields.
    • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n134/mode/...
    • ' VII.— Sir Thomas Brook, the son of Sir Thomas Brook and the Lady Johanna, was born about 1391, he being twenty- six years of age at the death of his father, 23rd January, 1417-8. He was Knight of the Shire for Dorset, 1 Henry V (1413-4) : for the county of Somerset, 8 Henry V (1420-1),
    • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n135/mode/...
    • 'and 1 and 5 Henry VI (1422-3 and 1426-7), and was knighted between 1416 and 1422.
    • ' His marriage with Joan, only surviving child and sole heiress of Joan de la Pole, Lady of Cobham, by her second husband Sir Reginald Braybroke, took place in 1409-10, and she proved a prolific mother, bringing him ten sons and four daughters. Of the sons (1) Edward, eldest son and heir was summoned to Parliament as a Baron by writs from 13th January, 1444-5 (23 Henry VI), to 28th February, 1462-3 (2 Edw. IV), as Edward Broke de Cobham, Chivalier.' He was a strong adherent of the House of York, and as previously related, had his mansion at Olditch sacked by the Lancastrian Earl of Ormond ; was present at the first battle of St. Alban's, 23rd May, 1455 ; took part in the solemn procession to St. Paul's, London ; and commanded the left wing of the Yorkshire men at the battle of Northampton, 10th July, 1460, He married Elizabeth, daughter of James Touchet, Lord Audley, and died in 1464. (2) Reginald, was of Aspall, in Suffolk, with descent still in existence. (3) Hugh : he married Petronel .... and his descendants settled in Somerset. John, his son, Sergeant-at-law to Henry VIII, married a daughter of Mericke, of Bristol, and had three sons : Thomas, married Joan Speke, and had issue ; Hugh, of Long Ashton ; Arthur, whose son Edward, was of Barrow-Gumey, and he had issue Hugh, who married Dorothy Preston, of Glastonbury, ; Thomas, also of Glastonbury Abbey (1623), who married Rebecca, daughter and co-heir of John Wyke, of Ninehead, ; and Sir Davy or David Brook, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Knighted 1 Mary (1553), who married Catherine, sister of John Bridges, Lord Chandois — this descent is given in the Somerset Visitation for 1623. (4) Thomas; (5) John; (6) Robert ; (7) Peter ; (8) Christopher ; (9) Henry ; (10) Morgan ; all died without issue. Of the daughters: (1) Margaret; (2) Christian, died without issue; (3) Joan, or query Isabel, married John Carrant ; (4) Elizabeth, John St, Maure, whose
    • http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedings43socigoog#page/n136/mode/...
    • 'daughter Joan married John Blewitt, of Holcombe-Rogus, whose son Nicholas, ob. 22nd August, 1523.
    • ' Although his wife styled herself Lady of Cobham, her husband was never summoned to Parliament as a Baron — the title remaining in abeyance thirty-two years, from 22nd March, 1413, temp. Sir John Oldcastle, until Sir Thomas Brook's son, Sir Edward Brook, had summons, 13th January, 1445. He survived his mother seven years, his mother-in-law five years only, and died in 1429. A continuation of the descent of Brook, will be given.
• _________________
• QUANTOCK, later QUANTOCK DURBOROUGH, was held in 1066 by Alwig Banneson and in 1086 by Robert of Alfred d'Epaignes. (fn. 90) John Durburgh held it of Spaxton manor in 1328, probably in succession to his father Walter (d. by 1313), (fn. 91) and the land descended in the Durburgh family with Stogursey Hadley manor (fn. 92) until 1384 or later. (fn. 93) By 1412 and probably by 1399 it was held by Sir Thomas Brooke. (fn. 94) Sir Thomas died in 1418 and his widow Joan in 1437. Their son 'Sir Thomas (d. 1439) (fn. 95) was succeeded by his son' Edward, Lord Cobham (d. 1464). Edward probably settled the manor on his daughter Elizabeth for her marriage to Robert Tanfield. Elizabeth (d. 1502) (fn. 96) was followed in turn by her grandson William Tanfield (d. 1529) (fn. 97) and by her great-grandson Francis Tanfield (d. 1558). Francis left two young sons, John and Clement, both of whom probably died childless. Clement's widow Anne was in possession in 1588, (fn. 98) and there is no further reference to lordship. The land had become part of the Enmore estate by 1720 (fn. 99) and some was absorbed into Enmore park.
• In 1384 Sir Hugh Durburgh gave rents and reversions to William Taillour of Dunster. (fn. 1) The estate came to be called Little Quantock, and by 1476 it had been acquired by William Dodesham. (fn. 2) In 1560 it was held by one of his heirs, Joan Coombe, and from her passed to the Halswell family. They held it until 1754 (fn. 3) when it was sold to John Perceval, earl of Egmont, and was absorbed into the Enmore estate. (fn. 4) A small holding at Quantock Durborough formed part of Williton Hadley manor by 1542 (fn. 5) and descended like that manor in the Wyndham family. Before 1763 Charles Wyndham, earl of Egremont (d. 1763), sold it to the earl of Egmont. (fn. 6) There is no record of a manor house at Quantock Durborough.
• From: 'Spaxton: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6: Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes) (1992), pp. 113-118. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18589 Date accessed: 27 March 2011.
• From: Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: Cobham', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 3 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 404-442. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol3/pp404-442 [accessed 27 May 2021]. .... She [Joan Cobham] was then the wife of John Harpden, (fn. 10) who, if he was then living, did not possess this or any of her estates after her death, for her only daughter and heir Joane, by her second husband, Sir Gerard Braybrooke above mentioned, then entitled her husband, Sir Thomas Brooke, of Somersetshire, to them, who, though he was in his wife's right baron of Cobham, yet he never had summons to parliament. He died in the 17th year of king Henry VI. having had by her ten sons and four daughters. The family of Brooke was seated at the manor De la Brooke, near Ilchester, in that county, in the reign of king Edward I. (fn. 11) and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cheveron argent, a lion rampant sable, langued and unguled gules, crowned or. Of the surviving sons of Sir Thomas Brooke, Edward was the eldest; Reginald, esq. was of Aspal, in Suffolk; and Hugh was ancestor of the Brookes of Glastonbury abbey and Barrow-grove, in Somersetshire. Sir Edward succeeded his father in title and in his estates at Cobham and elsewhere; he received summons to parliament by the title of Edward Brooke de Cobham, chl. (fn. 12) and was a firm friend to the house of York; (fn. 12) he died possessed of this manor in the 4th year of king Edward IV. His direct descendant, Sir George Brooke, lord Cobham, procured his lands to be disgavelled by the act of the 31st of king Henry VIII. ...