John Clarke, of Finningham

John1 Clarke. He was born about 1503 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. He was buried 3 March 1559 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. Occupation yeoman. Residence: Finningham, Suffolk, England.

Origins

Parents unknown; not the son of James Clerke, Gent., of Ford Hall. His son John was born 1517

Biography

The Clarke family was evidently from the landed gentry. According to the dispositions he made in his will, he held lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, and Gislingham. John Clarke was taxed £2 in lands at Finningham in the subsidy of 1523/4. He was taxed 12d and 10s. in goods at Finningham in the first and second payments of the subsidy of 1545/6, respectively. He left a will, dated 26 February 1558/9, proved 7 May 1559, calling himself yeoman of Finningham and mentioning his sons, Thomas and John (both under 24), his daughters, Agnes, Margaret, Ellen, and Joan (all under 24), and his wife, Margaret. He gave his lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, and Gislingham to his son, John Clarke, who was to take possession only at the age of 24, and if he died before that time, the lands were to go to his other son, Thomas Clarke.

Sources:

• G. A. Moriarty, "Clarke-Cooke (alias Carewe)-Kerrich," NEHGR, Vol. 75 (1921), pp. 273-301.
• G. A. Morrison, "The 'Clarke' Families of Rhode Island." Evening Post Printing House, New York, 1902, p. 13.

He married Margaret ------. She died after 1576 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. Residence: Finningham, Suffolk, England.

Margaret Clarke, widow, was taxed 10s. 8d. in lands valued at £4 at Finningham in the subsidy of 1562/3, 16d. in lands valued at 22s. at Finningham in 1565/6, and 2s. 8d. in lands valued at 20s. at Finningham in 1575/6. Sources: G. A. Moriarty, "Clarke-Cooke (alias Carewe)-Kerrich," NEHGR, Vol. 75 (1921), pp. 273-301.

They had the following children:

• 2 i. AGNES2 CLARKE. Born after 1534 in Finningham, Suffolk, England.
• 3 ii. MARGARET2 CLARKE. Born after 1534 in Finningham, Suffolk, England.
• 4 iii. ELLEN2 CLARKE. Born after 1534 in Finningham, Suffolk, England.
• 5 iv. JOAN2 CLARKE. Born after 1534 in Finningham, Suffolk, England.
• + 6 v. JOHN2 CLARKE. Baptized 11 February 1541/1542 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. Married Katherine Cooke.
• + 7 vi. THOMAS2 CLARKE. Baptized 4 January 1543/1544 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. Married Dorothy ------.

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Clarke of Suffolk, England, and Newport, RI John Clarke b abt 1503, of Finningham, Suffolk, England, d abt 2 Mar 1559, Suffolk, England. He md Margaret abt 1533, prob Finningham, Suffolk, England. She was b abt 1516, prob Suffolk, England.

Children of John Clarke and Margaret were:

   * Agnes Clarke b aft 1534, Suffolk, England.

   * Margaret Clarke b aft 1536, Suffolk, England.

   * Ellen Clarke b abt 1538, Suffolk, England.

   * Joan Clarke abt 1540, Suffolk, England.

   * John Clarke b bef 11 Feb 1541/42.

   * Thomas Clarke b bef 4 Jan 1543/44, of Finningham, Suffolk, England; md Dorothy.

http://www.geneajourney.com/clarkej.html

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Babcock and Allied Families, by De Forest, page 38.

Sources: The Clarke Families of Rhode Island by George Austin Morrison;

Colonial Families of the United States of America, Vol 4; Genealogies of Rhode Island Families, Vol. 1, page 197; Babcock and Allied Families by LouisE. De Forest; Ancestry of George P. Clarke of Newport, R.I., by G. Andrews Moriarty; C. Merton Babcock; Rhode Island Families, v2, p197, Bible records; One Hundred and Sixty Allied Families by John Osborne Austin; NEHGR, v75, p278; Witter Family History.

De Forest: John Clarke, the first of the family known, lived at Westhorpe, Suffolk, England; buried 3 March 1559.

C.M. Babcock: John Clarke (1503-1559) of Finningham, Suffolk, England; married Margaret _________.

RI Families: "John Clarke, my grandfather, was buried 3 March 1559." [Entry written by Thomas Clarke 3 (John 2, John 1).]

160 Families: John Clarke, died March 1559 and buried 3 March 1559, an old family Bible says.

NEHGR: John Clarke of Finningham, Suffolk, the testator of 1558-9, probably was born about 1503. Buried 3 March 1559. He married Margaret ________, who was taxed, with her son John, at Finningham in the subsidy of 1565-6. He was taxed at Finningham in the subsidy of 1523-4, and held lands in Westthorpe, Finningham and Gislingham, Suffolk.

Witter Family: John Clarke, born about 1503. Buried 3 March 1559 at Finningham, Suffolk, England. "Yeoman; of Finningham, Suffolk; held lands Westhorpe, Finningham, Gislingham; taxed by Henry VIII 1523/4."

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Residence: Westhrope, England

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Genealogy: Family Tree: Family Names

Please keep in mind:

Until 17th Cent, surnames were only common w/aristocracy. Commoners later adopted practice to appear more sophisticated. Titles, locations, parents, & physical descriptions gradually became surnames;

John of Argyle (John de Argyle), John the Tailor, John son of John, John who lives by the village Green, John the Tall man. Spelling was phonetic or spontaneous.

Some cultures use family names in front of given name. Below are derivations of selected family names. With so many people coming to this country to avoid persecution or begin new life, many chged their names to something completely different. Scribes often recorded name as they understood it. Translation into "foreign" languages may be literal (Schwartz becomes Black), phonetic, approximate (Houch becomes Hawk), abbreviated, or distorted into more acceptable form. Mbrs of same family, & individuals, used different names or spellings at different times. Rev John Clarke used or dropped "e" several different times in 1 document. Official or religious names were often quite different from name person went by every day; "Mary Elizabeth" might be known as Mae, Liz, Beth, Betty or even Sissy. And of course patronymics; Thomas' son John might be; John ap Thomas, John Thomasson, John fitz Thomas, etc. But Thomas' dtr would not be Jane Thomasson. She would have been Jane Thomasdottor or Thomasdatter (son, sen, or, & er spellings were specific to culture). Example from Broken Arrow: Gustafson is variation of Gustavsson, Swedish patronymic name that comes from Old Norse given name Gustaf or Gustav, which is composed of elements Gaut ( Geatas in Old English) + staf = staff. Gaut (or Geatus ) is tribe of Scandinavians to which Beowulf belonged, & term used by English to reference that race. Son of man named Gustaf was called Gustavsson, Gustafsson, Gustafson. Norwegians & Danes generally used single -s & -en rather than -sson of Swedes, ie. Gustafsen...Norman-French used prefix "Fitz" to mean child of...Many other cultures had their own prefixes to indicate of father('s name), including Scots ('Mac'Donald), Irish ('O'Brien), Dutch ('Van'Buren), French ('de'Gaulle), Germans ('Von'berger) Spanish/Italian ('Di'Tello) & Arab-speaking nations ('ibn'-Saud).

From: Surnames: What's in Name? Name Origins & Meanings, Broken Arrow Publishing.

John Clarke, b c1503 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng, bur 3 Mar 1559, Finningham, Suffolk, Eng. Occ: yeoman. Res: Finningham, Suffolk, Eng. Clarke family evidently from landed gentry. According to dispositions made in his will, he held lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, & Gislingham. John Clarke was taxed £2 in lands at Finningham in subsidy of 1523/4. He was taxed 12d & 10s. in goods at Finningham in 1st & 2nd payments of subsidy of 1545/6, respectively. He left will, dte 26 Feb 1558/9, proved 7 May 1559, calling himself yeoman of Finningham & mentioning sons, Thos & John (both under 24), dtrs, Agnes, Margaret, Ellen, & Joan (all under 24), & wife, Margaret. He gave lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, & Gislingham to son, John Clarke, to take possession only at age 24, & if he died bef that time, lands were to go to son, Thos Clarke.

Sources:

G A Moriarty, "Clarke-Cooke (alias Carewe)-Kerrich" NEHGR, Vol 75 (1921), p 273-301

G A Morrison, "'Clarke' Families of RI" Evening Post Printing House, NY, 1902, p 13

He m Margaret------. She d aft 1576 in Finningham, Suffolk, Eng. Res: Finningham, Suffolk, Eng. Margaret Clarke, widow, taxed 10s. 8d. in lands valued at £4 at Finningham in subsidy of 1562/3, 16d. in lands valued at 22s. at Finningham in 1565/6, & 2s. 8d. in lands valued at 20s. at Finningham in 1575/6.

Sources:

G A Moriarty, "Clarke-Cooke (alias Carewe)-Kerrich" NEHGR, Vol 75 (1921), p 273-301

They had following children:

i. Agnes Clarke, b aft 1534 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng

ii. Margaret Clarke, b aft 1534 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng

iii. Ellen Clarke, b aft 1534 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng

iv. Joan Clarke, b aft 1534 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng

v. John Clarke, chr 11 Feb 1541/1542 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng, m Katherine Cooke

vi. Thomas Clarke, chr 4 Jan 1543/1544 Finningham, Suffolk, Eng, m Dorothy------

John Clarke, IV is Queen Elizabeth II 11th great grandfather, through the Queen Mother.

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John CLARKE was born about 1509 in Westhorpe, Suffolk, England. He died on 3 May 1559 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. He was buried on 3 May 1559. John Clarke, of Finningham, Co., Suffolk, the testator of 1558/9, was born abt. His wife was taxed with her son John, at Finningham in subsidy of 1523-4, and held lands in Westhorp, Finningham, and Gislingham, County Suffolk.

ref "England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV" by William Richard Cutter, page 2243 - 2244

CLARKE - There is no name more numerously represented in the pioneer settlement of New England than this. The many families bearing it render distinctions somewhat confusing and uncertain. The name is undoubtedly derived from an occupation, and arose from the variations in pronunciation of early times. There were probably many who took the surname simultaneously, which arose from the occupation of clerk. It appears very early in the history of Rhode Island, and has been honorably associated with it down to the present time. The family herein noted originated, as far as known, at Westhorpe, in the county of Suffolk, England, a manor in the Hundred (township) of Hartismore, in the centre of the northern part of Suffolk.

(I) John Clarke, of the county of Suffolk, was buried March 3, 1559. He had sons, John and Thomas.

John CLARKE and Margaret \\ were married WFT Est 1525-1550.

Margaret \\ was born about 1513 in Westhorpe, Suffolk, England. She died in 1632 [??? - dkh] in Finningham, Suffolk, England. She was buried on 25 Nov 1632.

John CLARKE and Margaret \\ had the following children:

i. John CLARKE.

"Ancestors of Justin Tanner KNULL"

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John Clarke was probably born about 1503 in Finningham, Suffolk, England. The names of his parents are not known. His wife’s name was Margaret. They were probably married about 1530. They had six children. The Clarke family was evidently from the landed gentry. According to the dispositions he made in his will, he held lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, and Gislingham. John Clarke was taxed £2 in lands at Finningham in the subsidy of 1523/4. He was also taxed in the subsidy of 1545/6. He left a will, dated February 26, 1558/9, proved May 7, 1559, calling himself yeoman of Finningham and mentioning his sons, Thomas and John (both under 24), his daughters, Agnes, Margaret, Ellen, and Joan (all under 24), and his wife, Margaret. He gave his lands in Westhorpe, Finningham, and Gislingham to his son, John Clarke, who was to take possession only at the age of 24, and if he died before that time, the lands were to go to his other son, Thomas Clarke. John was buried in Finningham on March 3, 1559, in the churchyard of St. Bartholomew’s Church. His wife was still alive in 1566, when she was taxed, along with their son, in Finningham.

Bio provided by Ken Smith.

John Clarke and Margaret Sweet (Swete) were married on November 24, 1533 in Georgeham, Devonshire.

Children of John Clarke and Margaret Sweet (Swete) all believed to be born in Finningham, Suffolk:

1. Agnes Clarke born about 1539
2. John Clarke baptized February 11, 1541
3. Thomas Clarke born about 1544
4. Margaret Clarke born about 1546
5. Ellen Clarke born about 1548
6. Joan Clarke born about 1550

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Source:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/article166.html
History of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Biographical: NY: The American Historical Society, Inc. 1920

The surname Clarke is one of the most ancient of the early English patronymics. It signifies literally 'the clerk', who under the English ecclesiastical law of the feudal period was any one who had been admitted to the ecclesiastical state, and had taken tonsure. The application of the word in this sense gradually underwent a change and 'clerk' became more especially the term applied to those in minor orders. The word also developed a different sense. In medieval times the pursuit of letters and general learning was confined to the clergy, the only persons who could read and write, and who performed all notarial and secretarial work. In time the clerk was not necessarily a clergyman, but one who performed the duties of notary, accountant, or mere penman, etc. We therefore find the term widely applied, and the office well established at the beginning of the surname era, which accounts for the frequent recurrence of the surname in medieval registers, and for the fact that it ranks ninth among English surnames in point of popularity. Whether spelled Clark, Clarke, or Clerk, the pronunciation is identical, and is always with the broad 'a'.

The Clarke and Clark families of America descend from several progenitors. The Rhode Island family of the name has played a most distinguished part in the affairs of the Colony and State for over two hundred and fifty years. With the exception perhaps of Roger Williams, no man figured more vitally in the affairs of the infant colony than Dr. John Clarke. His brother, Joseph Clarke, first a resident of Newport, and later one of the early settlers of Westerly, also was active in the official life of the Colony; he was the progenitor of the Westerly Clarks, and the ancestor of the late Simeon Perry Clark, prominent manufacturer and well-known business man of Clark's Mills, R. I.

John Clark, the first of the direct line to whom it has been possible to trace, was of County Suffolk, England, where he was buried March 3, 1559.

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References

1. http://bonevich.com/clarke/clarkegen1.html cites
   1. G. A. Moriarty, "Clarke-Cooke (alias Carewe)-Kerrich," NEHGR, Vol. 75 (1921), pp. 273-301.
2. http://bonevich.com/clarke/clarkegen2.html