John Wright, of Plowland in Holderness

Seneschal to King Henry (1491 - 1547) VIII - A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the seneschal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces. The most basic function of a seneschal was to supervise feasts and domestic ceremonies; in this respect, they were equivalent to stewards and majordomos. Sometimes, seneschals were given additional responsibilities, including the dispensing of justice and high military command.

John Wright senior died in 1540 (his will--a copy of which is transcribed below--is dated 16 August 1540, and was proved on 28 April 1541) and that according to The History of Yorkshire : East Riding, his eldest son and heir Robert, was still a minor, as the lands passed temporarily into the hands of the crown in 1542 (L & P Henry VIII, XVII p.256). John Wright's will mentions a number of well-known recusant families in the Yorkshire area, as well as mentioning other family members who have yet to be identified, but who are probably his other children. Other than Robert, the eldest son and heir, and of course his wife, it would be natural for the next tier of beneficiaries to be his other children. It is therefore probable that this will confirms two other children in John (whose existence we can prove from independent sources), and a daughter Elizabeth.

"In the name of God, Amen. The xvj day of Auguste, 1540, I, John Wright, of Pleoghlande, within the parishe of Welwicke, holl of mynde and perfite of memorie, make my will in this manner followinge. First I bequeathe my saull to God Almightie, to oure blissed laidie and to the celestiall company of heven, my bodie to be buried within the hallowed grounde. Item I bequeathe to John Wright x li., to Elisabethe Wright x li., to Charles Wright fyve marke, to John Cloughe v marc, to William Buccler xl s., to Richarde Beaniles wif xl s., to every one of Richarde Smyth children, who be fyve, xl s., to Georgie Cloughe xl s., to William Picherde xl s., to Margaret Hent fyve markes, to William Battirsbie v marc, to Richarde Curle xiij s. iiij d., to the vicare of Welwike vi s. viij d., to John Arcules vj s. viij d., to William Hirdman ij s., to Thomas Carter vj s. viij d., to Rollande Murrey vj s. viij d., to Helin vj s. viij d., to Agnes xl d., to Besse ij d., to Julian ij s., to Georgie Thorp wif iiij quarters whet, to John Feron's wif iiij quarters whet, to Sir John Foston to singe for my saull seven yeres xl s. in the yere, to waite one my wif, with mett and drinke, to the churche of Welwike vj s. viij d., to the churche of Pattrington v s., to the churche of Hollym vi s. viij d., to the churche of Holmton vj s. viij d. Item I give to my wif all her plaite and the goodes that she brought with her. To Robert Wright my sone all my plaite. Also I will that Sir William Constable, knyght, Sir Rauf Ellerker, knyght, maister Babthorpe, esquier, and Mr Walter Grymstone, esquier, to be supervysors of this my laste will, and evere one of them to have fyve markes. The residue of all my goodes I bequeathe to Robert Wright, my sone, whom I ordan my full executor. Thes being witnes and recordes, the vicare of Welwike, my curate, Bartilmewe Thorp, gentleman, William Carr and John Parker, yomen."

John Wright of Ploughland Hall, Yorkshire, was born about 1476. Often repeated quotes about John state he was from Kent. “According to several sources, it was in the thirty-third year of the reign of King Henry VIII, that John Wright of Kent, a steward, or seneschal to Henry, moved to Holderness, where as well as purchasing land, he had been granted many lands. This is perhaps an erroneous comment, as the thirty-third year of Henry's reign was 1542, two years after the death of John Wright. Perhaps the source has been misleading and it was the thirty-third year of John's life that he settled in the parish of Welwick, or perhaps it was the thirty-third year of the 16th century, for we know that around this time, part of Thorpe became known as Ploughland, and in 1533 John Wright bought a house and land there (Ploughland [Plowland] Hall) from Gerard Elwyn and George Thorpe and their wives, and that he acquired other property there from the Thorpes in 1538.” I can find nothing to support the assertion that he was seneschal or servant to King Henry (VII or VIII). I, personally, believe he was in Yorkshire certainly by the time of his marriage to Alice.

John married Alice Ryther, daughter of Sir John Ryther & Isabel Sutton. They “wedded at the close of the fourteenth, or in the beginning of the fifteenth century.” "The estate of Plowland came into the Wright family in the reign of Henry VIII, owing to John Wright, Esquire (a man of Kent), having married Alice Ryther, one of the daughters and co-heiresses of Sir John Ryther of Ryther, on the banks of the "lordly Wharfe," between York and Selby." In 1519 Alice Ryther sold property at Ottringham, Yorkshire. Michaelmas, 11 Hen 8: Plaintiffs - William Grymston, etc. Deforciants John Wright and Alice his wife, one of the daughters of John Ryther, esq. re Messuage & 4 cottages with lands in Ottryngham, Wynested, etc. She was party to a land transaction in 1531 at Ottringham. Michaelmas, 23 Hen 8: James Fox & John Wilkynson, plaintiffs & John Wright and Alice his wife, one of the daughters and heirs of John Ryther re 5 messuages with lands in Ottryngham, Wynested, Hollym and Raynthorp, and also a 5th part, divided into 5 parts, of 5 messuages with lands in Penesthorp, Southorp, Kylnesey, Beverley and Holmeton, in which William Ryther has a life interest.

According to the "Visitation of Yorkshire 1584/85," John and Alice had two sons, Robert and John, although there is mention of a third son, Christopher, “of whom little is known”:

John and Alice’s children:

1) Robert (born about 1501-died Jul 1594 Welwick)

2) John

3) Christopher

• The visitation of Yorkshire in the years 1563 and 1564 by Flower, William, ca. 1498-1588; Norcliffe, Charles Best; Harleian Society Publication date 1881. Page 351link

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Extract from The Gunpowder Plot and Lord Mounteagle's Letter[9] The Estate of Plowland came into the Wright family in the reign of Henry VIII., owing to John Wright, Esquire (a man of Kent), having married Alice Ryther, one of the co-heiresses of Sir John Ryther, of Ryther, on the banks of the "lordy Wharfe", between York and Selby.

John Wright's son, Robert, succeeded as the owner of Plowland (or Plewland). Robert Wright married for his second wife Ursula Rudston, whose family had been lords of Hayton near Pocklington, from the days of King John. Ursula Wright was akin to the Mallory (or Mallorie) family, of Studley Royal, Ripon, and so a cousin in some degree to most of the grand old Yorkshire gentry, such as the Ingleby family, of Ripley Castle and Harewell Hall, Darce, near Brimham Rocks, in Nidderdale, and the Markenfields, of Markenfields Hall, near Ripon, to mention none others beside.

Sources:

Steve Wright

https://stevewright.nz/john_wright_plowland.php

Y-DNA

R-S11556

It is suspected that the dispersion of S11556 is tied to Viking (likely Danish Viking) DNA. This theory continues to gain momentum as more samples test positive for Z251 and because of the locations where s11556 is found and the history of the associated surnames tied to s11556.

From the Z251 forum at ftdna forum, as well as ytree.net, the distribution of S11556 currently includes the following locations: England (Lewis, Rickwood, Churchman, Herrington), Cornwall (Millet), Ireland (Hopkins, Jack), Scotland (McCall, Dew/Dubh, McDonald, Crawford, Wright/Wrycht), Russia (Pegalis), Poland (Bloom), Latvia (Kabo), Lithuania (Prago), and Belaruse (Yurditzky, Burde).

According to most surname databases, the origin of a number of these surnames names are historically tied to Normandy France (Gray, Lewis, Rickwood, Churchman, Millet, Brock). The Vikings who settled Normandy France are said to have been Danish Vikings. The Grays of England trace directly back to Rollo the "Dane" Duke of Normandy.

In Scotland, the Clan McDonald originated from Somerled who is said to have been from a Norse-Gaelic (a/k/a Hiberno-Norse/Irish Norse/Foreign Gaels) family. The Norse-Gaels expansion through England and Ireland trace back to the Hebrides (Innse Gall-Islands of Foreigners). A number of the samples tie directly back to Caithness Scotland (Brock, McCall) which, along with Orkney and Shetland, was an outpost for Vikings. The Anglo-Saxon occupational name Wright in Scotland is spelled Wrycht and those tested have gone back to the Dunfermline line of Wrychts.

In Ireland, the Vikings were broken into two groups, the Finn-Gaill (the Norwegian Vikings) and Dubh-Gaill (the Danish Vikings). The word Dew in Gaelic is "Dubh" possibly indicating that the surname Dew is of Danish Viking descent. While it is very possible that the samples from Russia, Poland, and the Baltics may have been in those areas prior to the Viking Age, it is also possible that the samples in these areas are tied to Viking incursions.

The Varangians were Vikings that ruled the state of Rus and formed the Byzantine Varangian Guard. The Varangians went south from Scandinavia through the Baltic Sea into the various river systems that lead into the Baltics and Russia, to include the Volga trade routes. In 860 a Swedish Viking tribe migrated south into what is now Kiev, Ukraine and founded the Rus Khanate which then formed Kievan Rus. Interestingly, there are now two Z251 samples apparently originating from Sweden (Olofsson, Johnsson).

The tie to Cornwall possibly comes from Normandy France or may relate to the Cornish historic alliance with Danish Vikings to defend against Anglo-Saxons. This may explain the Tresise sample of Cornwall that remains ungrouped. While Haplogroup I is prominent in Scandinavia, there is also a clear presence of R1b. Given that L21 is associated with Gaelic culture, the Northern presence of z251 suggests that Z251 is likely tied to a Northern Gaelic tribe.

Among the possible candidates is the Cimbri, who occupied the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark. Helping to support the Cimbri theory is that the FGC13899 subset of z251 has a strong presence in Wales. The Cimbri are sometimes associated with the Welsh aka, the "Cymry." The Cimbri are also said to have moved into Belgic Gaul. The ungrouped samples includes at least one sample from Belgium (Temmerman).