Margaret Clement, , adopted

For what follows, and for additional information see: "The Family and Descendants of St. Thomas More". By Martin Wood. Published in the UK by 'Gracewing' of Leominster. April 2008.

Margaret Clement's maiden name was Giggs/Gyggs. Born in 1505-1506, she was the daughter of Thomas Giggs, the servant of a London Merchant whose family is said to have come from Norfolk. After the death of her mother, and because her father had to be away from home, often abroad, on business, Margaret was 'taken in' by the More family who, at that time, lived next door in Bucklersbury, Cheapside, London. The arrangement was never formalised, and Margaret was never oficially adopted or made a Ward, she therefore had no blood relationship with Sir Thomas More or either of his two wives, nor did she oficially have the half-brother or step-relationships recorded for her under "immediate family". Margaret's image was included in both of Hans Holbein's large portraits of the More family, painted about the same time.

Margaret Giggs married John Clement in 1526. John's birth date is not known, but his family may well also have come from Norfolk. As a young man John was a tutor to Thomas More's children. He later became a Reader in Greek at Cardinal College, Oxford (later became Christ Church) and then went on to study Medicine at Padua and Sienna where he qualified as a Doctor of Medicine in 1525. Back in England he became one of the Court Physicians and was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians in 1528 and its President in 1544.

John and Margaret had six children - one son and five daughters. The family fled to Bruges in 1549 to escape the persecution that Edward VI let loose on Catholics. Shortly after they moved to Leuven (Louvain) then in Brabant, part of the Spanish Netherlands. John lectured at the University there.

The family returned to England in 1554, after the accession of Queen Mary to the throne.

Feeling that there was no escape from the further persecution of Catholics by Elizabeth I they fled again to Leuven in 1562. They stayed there until 1568 when they moved to Mechlen (Malines) where they set up home at 1 Blockstraat. Margaret Clement died on 5 July 1570 and John on 1 JUly 1572. They are both buried behind the altar in the Cathedral Church of St. Rumbold.1 July 1572, in the Blockstraat, near the Church of St. Peter and Paul.

For a picture, see: More and Margaret in his prison cell; engraving by R. Anderson. Some information see also in "A Daughter's Love: Thomas and Margaret More". By John Guy. First Published by 'Fourth Estate'. London 2008.