John Howland of Newport at the Ponde, co. Essex

Parents seen as Richard Howland & Isabella Howland with no supporting evidence. The family locations seem quite different from each other. Disconnected March 2018

Howland Branch of Essex. Its origin was Newport Pond, Essex.

John Howland (abt. 1481 – 1550) of Newport is not identical to John Howland (1497 – bef. 1547) at Stone of Wicken, even though Wicken Bonhunt and Newport is about one mile apart in Essex County.

Marriage

John Howland of Newport married Annes "Agnete" at some point before 1547.[2]

Her husband's will was dated November 8, 1547, and was proved on April 12, 1550, by his son, John Howland.[2] The last paragraph in his will was written in Latin, and the Latin name for John Howland's wife was Agnete.[2] However, John Howland wrote his will in English, and he called her Annes.[2] She was alive when her husband's will was dated in 1547 and was chosen as his executrix. However, she passed away before the will was proved on April 12, 1550, leading to her son, John Howland, being selected as an executor to carry out the will.[1][2]

Issue

John Howland and his wife Annes had only one known son, John Howland. The son's name and status as the heir were disclosed in his will in 1547, while any other children they may have had remain unknown.

Identifying their son, John Howland, was challenging due to the involvement of two different individuals named John. However, which one of two individuals survived and went on to inherit his father's estate?

One of them was John Howland (abt. 1511–1570) from Newport, who married Agnes Greenway. Some genealogists referred to him as "John Howland the elder." His pedigree was initially known as the Howland branch of Essex, later becoming the Howland branch of Surrey.

The other individual was John Howland (died 1567) from Stone of Wicken, who married Elizabeth. Some genealogists referred to him as "John Howland the younger." His pedigree was initially known as the Howland branch of Hertfordshire.

The presence of distinct pedigrees for these two branches added complexity to the claims of their descendants about their lineage. Newport and Wicken Bonhunt, the origins of the two individuals, are nearly a mile apart in the same area. It is unclear whether John and Annes Howland bestowed identical or distinct names upon their children while they were alive. For example, if they had two children, they could give identical names to two children. Here is a perfect example: John Howland (circa 1511–1570), who married Agnes Greenway, named two sons William but distinguished them by referring to one as the elder and the other as the younger. Could it be comparable to John and Annes Howland having two sons bearing the same name? Although John Howland's will did not provide a direct answer, its contents could reveal which of the two individuals from different places inherited his father's estate in 1550.

In 1547, John Howland referenced all his house and land situated in Newport and Widdington in his will. He also owned two messuages on Friday Street, the Parish of St. Margaret Moses, that were on lease to Thomas Berthelett, a citizen and stationer of London, in addition to the Manor of Newport Pond. (Inquisition, 24 October 1555.)

The ownership of John Howland's two messuages on Friday Street in the St. Margaret Moses parish can be used to identify one of the two persons who bore that name. According to the probate records, John Howland, who married Agnes Greenway, identified himself as John Howland, Citizen and Salter of London, parishioner of "Sainte Margaret Moyses in frydaye streate in London," and mentioned "my dwelling house in frydaie streate in London" in his will in 1568–1570. It is evident that he was the only son of John Howland (1481–1550) of Newport, who at some point before 1568 had inherited two messuages on Friday Street in the London parish of St. Margaret Moses.

John Howland and Annes "Agnete" had one child, as follows:

1. John Howland

Property

In 1547, he mentioned all his house and land lying in Newport and Widdington in his will, and in 1550, his son, John Howland inherited them.

He owned two messuages on Friday Street, Parish of St. Marguerite Moyses, that were on lease to Thomas Berthelett, a citizen and stationer of London in addition to the Manor of Newport Pound. (Inquisition, 24 October 1555.)[3]

Death

John Howland died sometime before his will was proved 13 April 1550 by his son John Howland.[2]

Will

Will of John Howland of Newporte Signed 8th November 1548 Proved 12th April 1550 by son John Howland PROB 11/33/162

In the name of god Amen In the eight day of Novemb and in the first yere of Kynge Edwarde the Syxte by the grace of god of Englande ffrance & Ireland Kynge defendor of the fayth and of the Churche of Englande and Irelande supreme Hedde Imedyatly under god I John Howland of Newporte at the ponde in the countie of Essex beynge hole of mynde and pfect rememberannce make this my last wyll and testament in manr and forme followynge ffirste I bequeyth my Soule to god Almiyghtye my Redemer and Savyour and to all the Holy company of Heven my body to be buryed in the Church yarde of Neweporte Itm I bequeth to the Hygh Altare theare xijd Itm I bequeth to John Howlande my sonne all my house and lande lyenge in Neweporte and Wyddyngtun under this condycyon that he shall pmytte Annes my wyf to have the sayd house and londe terme of her lyf kepynge yt in sufficient Reparacon, All the resydewe of my good & cattell I geve and bequeyth to Annes my wyf to pforme and fullfyll this my last wyll and testament whome I make my faythfull executrix wt John Howlande my sonne p me Thomam Brygge & me Willm penser John Bronde - / - / - /

Probatum fuit h[ujus]m[od]i testamentum coram D[omi]no Cant[uariensis] Archiep[isc]o[pus] Ap[u]d London duodecimo die Aprilis Anno Domini millesimo quingentesimo quinquagesimo Juramento Joh[anne]s Howlande executoris in eodem testament no[m]i[n]at ac approbatum Et Insumatum et comissa fuit administracio omni[no] et sing[u]lor[um] bonor[um] &c dict[i] defunct[i] pr[a]efat[i] John Howlande, dicta Agnete relicta et executr[ix] demortua, de Bene &c Ac de pleno Inventario &c exhibend[us] necnon de plano et vero compo redden[us] ad s[an]c[t]a Dei evangelia in debita juris forma jurat - / - /[2]

Research Notes

This John Howland produced the two Howland branches of Essex and Surrey, which originated at Newport Pond, Essex. The probate records confirmed that both branches of Essex and Surrey were extinct.

The Howland branch of Essex became the Howland branch of Surrey through two Howland male descendants but was extinct in 1655. No male issues bear the surname of Howland today from Newport, Essex.

Another branch of the Howland family is located in Hertfordshire, originating in Wicken Bonhunt, Essex.

The relationship between the Howland branch of Hertfordshire and the Howland branches of Essex and Surrey cannot be explained, even though both branches are traced back to the same vicinity of Wicken Bonhunt and Newport (formerly Newport Pond) at about 1 mile apart in Essex. This area is known to be the origin of the Howland branch of Essex.

It is uncertain whether the Howland branch of Essex divided into the two Howland branches of Hertfordshire and Surrey, although they were seemingly parallel at that time.

The Howland lineage in Essex continued through John and Annes (Greenway) Howland’s second child, John Howland (1541–1611). However, the line became extinct in 1655 when John Howland (1574–1655) passed away without any male descendants.

The Howland branch of Essex, in fact, became the Howland branch of Surrey through John and Annes (Greenway) Howland’s seventh child, Giles Howland (1549–1608), but it became extinct in 1649 when Giles Howland's first son, John Howland (1683–1649), died after all four of his children predeceased him.

However, Giles Howland’s second son, Matthew Howland (1586–1648), who had the right to the Howland coat of arms with a crescent difference, could not pass it to his male heir as he died without one in 1648. Giles' only surviving daughter and heiress would likely have displayed her father's arms within her husband's shield as a claim to head the family. Therefore, it was now extinct in the male line in 1648.

Analysis of probate records from Essex, Surrey, London, and Hertfordshire did not provide a definitive answer regarding the exact relationship between the branches of Essex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire. The terms "kinsman" and "cousin," which the testators used to use in certain probate records, are now quite significant. They are referring to two Howland branches of Essex-Surrey and Hertfordshire. Those words may refer to a distant relative or kinsman, possibly from before the formation of the Howland branch of Essex, but they do indicate a close relationship or propinquity.

Three separate churches in St. Albans, Hertfordshire; Streatham, Surrey; and Marylebone, London, still have memorial monuments that bear the Howland coat of arms.

The Howland coat of arms was first granted to Richard Howland, the Bishop of Peterborough, in 1584 by Queen Elizabeth I. As for the personal use of their memorial monuments, all the Howland branches were permitted to copy the coat of arms because the Clarencieux King of Arms confirmed that Richard Howland's relatives were allowed to engrave the Howland coat of arms on their memorial monuments in those churches. The Howland coat of arms could indicate a potential connection between the Howland branches of Essex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire.

The Howland branch of Essex, which led to the Howland branch of Surrey through male descendants carrying the Howland surname, became extinct in 1655. However, the lineage continued through a female descendant, Jane (Roberts) Beauclerk, from the Howland branch of Surrey, who passed away in 1778 without any children. The probate records confirmed that the Howland branches of Essex and Surrey had daughtered out. See more information on the descendants of the Howland branch of Essex. (https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Howland-Descendants-84).

However, unlike the Howland branch of Essex, the Howland branch of Hertfordshire, through any male offspring to carry on the surname of Howland, may have been continued to this day, but additional research is needed to confirm this. Descendants through female lines from the Howland branch of Hertfordshire continue to exist today. For example, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill is a descendant of the Howland branch of Hertfordshire through a granddaughter of Jeffrey Howland (1593–1679), but it is ironic that he was the direct descendant of Arthur Howland of Plymouth Colony, for it was a separate, unrelated contemporary Howland branch of Fenstanton.

Sources:

• The Howland Homestead (Society of the Descendants of Pilgrim John Howland, of the Ship Mayflower, Boston, 1911) Page 5: "The Ancestry of John Howland of the 'Mayflower.'"

1. Sweeting, W. D. Fenland Notes & Queries, a Quarterly Antiquarian Journal for the Fenland, in the Counties of Huntingdon, Cambridge, Lincoln, Northampton, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Vol. V. Peterborough: Geo. C. Caster, 1903, p. 329.
2. “Will of John Howlonde or Howland of Newport Pond, Essex.” PROB 11/33/162. The National Archive. (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D951953 : accessed 13 March 2013).
3. Howland, Charles Roscoe, 1871-1946. A Brief Genealogical And Biographical Record of Charles Roscoe Howland, Brothers, And Forebears. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle Pub. Co., 1946, p. 1.