Henry Capell, MP

Family and Education

• b. bef. 1537, 1st son of Sir Edward Capell of Aspenden Hall, Hertfordshire by Anne, daughter of Sir William Pelham of Loughton, Essex. grandfather of Henry Capell II.
• married (1) Katherine (d.1572), daughter of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 7 sons 4 daughters;
• married (2) Mary, daughter of Sir Anthony Browne†, widow of Lord John Grey of Pirgo, Essex, sine prole.
• Succeeded father 19 Mar. 1577.[1]

Links to issue from the marriage

Visitations of Essex

Offices Held

• Probably captain on Scottish campaign 1560;
• Justice of the Peace for Essex from 1575,
• q. c.1583,
• j.p.q. Hertfordshire from 1577;
• sheriff, Essex 1579-80,
• sheriff, Hertfordshire 1585-6.[2]

Biography

The Capell or Capel family came originally from Capel in Suffolk, but in Henry VIl’s reign Sir William Capell†, lord mayor of London, bought the manor of Hadham, near Bishop’s Stortford, and Hadham Hall became their chief seat. By 1563 Sir Edward Capell, the head of the family, was one of the leading gentry in Hertfordshire, and Henry, as his father’s heir and a son-in-law of the Earl of Rutland, was prominent enough to become junior knight of the shire to Sir Ralph Sadler. In 1561, probably on his first marriage, his father conveyed to him the manor of Rayne in Essex, and he spent much of his time in that county, even after becoming master of Hadham in 1577. From about 1577 he was included in the Hertfordshire commission of the peace, and was presumably resident in Hertfordshire during his year as sheriff there. His will mentions a marriage settlement with Lord Montagu by which Capell’s second wife received Rayne’s Hall in Essex and lands in Bocking, Braintree, Panfield and Felstead. In addition to his Hertfordshire and Essex estates he owned the manors of Icklingham Barners in Suffolk, Great and Little Fransham, Norfolk, and Wrington, Somerset.[3]

Only scattered references to him survive. In March 1556 he and his wife brought unspecified charges against the wife of a London innkeeper. He was probably the ‘Capel, Lord Grey’s director’, who took part as a captain of 500 footmen in the Scottish campaign of 1560. The Duke of Norfolk was not impressed by him as a commander, telling Cecil that Capell’s company never went into the field 100 strong. The instructions drawn up in May for the attack on Leith include ‘Master Capell’ as one of those to ‘keep the field’, not participating in the first or second assault. He or another of his family was at Berwick in October 1564, but the name does not appear in later Scottish records.[4]

Towards the end of his life Capell became involved in an expensive lawsuit over the manor of Tannis, in Hertfordshire, which his brother-in-law Edward Halfhide had leased to him. About November 1583 the matter came before the Star Chamber, Capell claiming that he now found that the manor was subject to a mortgage, apparently arranged after the lease to himself. No result of the case survives. One of the latest references found to him is his signature as sheriff, in June 1586, to a letter complaining about abuses of purveyance in Hertfordshire.[5]

He died 22 June 1588; his will, drawn up less than a week before he died, was proved 13 July following. The preamble expressed his faith that ‘Almighty God through the merits of Christ Jesu my redeemer and saviour hath prepared for my soul a resting place in his kingdom’. He left annuities of £40 and £20 to his younger sons, and asked the eldest, Arthur, the sole executor, to see that they were promptly paid. The ready money in the house at Hadham was to be equally divided between Arthur and his step-mother Lady Mary, who also received valuable bequests of plate and a life interest in the Essex property. £8 was to be distributed to the poor of Much and Little Hadham and two other Hertfordshire parishes. Only an Essex inquisition post mortem survives, taken in November 1588.[6]

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603

Author: N. M. Fuidge

Notes

• 1. Wards 7/18/134, 22/57; PCC 34 Daughtry; Vis. Herts. (Harl. Soc. xxii), 113-14; Vis. Essex (Harl. Soc. xiii), 171; Clutterbuck, Herts. i. 243.
• 2. HMC Hatfield, i. 226.
• 3. Chauncy, Herts. i. 306-8; PCC 48 Rutland; Wards 7/22/57; W. Minet, ‘The CapelIs at Rayne’, Trans. Essex Arch. Soc. n.s. ix. 248 seq.
• 4. APC , vi. 62, 76; HMC Hatfield , i. 226; CSP Scot. 1547-63, p. 393; 1563-9, p. 83.
• 5. St. Ch. 5/W10/27; Lansd. 46, f. 193.
• 6. PCC 48 Rutland; Wards 7/22/57.

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Individual Record FamilySearch™ Ancestral File v4.19

Henry CAPELL (AFN: 9GVN-FX) Pedigree

• Sex: M Family

Event(s)

• Birth: Abt 1514 - Of, Rayne, Essex, England
• Death: 22 Jun 1588 - , , , England

Parents

• Father: Edward CAPELL (AFN: 9GVN-JG) Family
• Mother: Anne PELHAM (AFN: 9GVN-KM)

Marriage(s)

• Spouse: Catherine MANNERS (AFN: 9GVN-G4) Family
  • Marriage: Aft 16 1543 Aug - , , England
• Spouse: Mary BROWNE (AFN: GMWS-88) Family
  • Marriage:

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Sir Henry Capell [1]

• M, #280084
• Last Edited=14 Apr 2008

Sir Henry Capell is the son of Sir Edward Capell and Anne Pelham.[1] (History of Parliament biography indicates that he was never knighted, so the "Sir" designation appears to be a mistake.)

He married Lady Catherine Manners, daughter of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland and Eleanor Paston.[1]

Sir Henry Capell held the office of Sheriff of Essex.[1] He held the office of Sheriff of Hertfordshire.[1]

Children of Sir Henry Capell and Lady Catherine Manners

• 1.Sir Arthur Capell+1 d. Apr 1632
• 2.Mary Capell1 d. 12 Oct 1633

Citations

http://thepeerage.com/p28009.htm#i280084

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General Notes:

First son of Sir Edward Capel by Anne, dau. of Sir William Pelham of Laughton, Sussex.

Married first Catherine, dau. of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland ; and secondly Mary, dau. of Sir Anthony Browne , wid. of Lord John Grey of Pirgo, s.p.

In 1561 his father conveyed to him the manor of Rayne in Essex. By 1563 Sir Edward was one of the leading gentry in Hertfordshire, and Henry, as his heir and a brother-in-law of the Earl of Rutland , was prominent enough to become junior knight of the shire to Sir Ralph Sadler. Capt. of 500 footmen on Scottish campaign 1560; the Duke of Norfolk was not impressed by him as a commander, telling Cecil that Capell's company never went into the field 100 strong. Suc family 19 Mar 1577. JP Essex from 1575, q. c.1583, j.p.q. Herts. from 1577; sheriff, Essex 1579-80, Herts, 1585-6.

Died 22 Jun 1588; his will, drawn up less than a week before he died, was proved 13 Jul following. He left annuities of £40 and £20 to his younger sons, and asked the eldest, Arthur, the sole executor, to see that they were promptly paid. The ready money in the house was to be equally divided between Arthur and his stepmother Mary, who also received valuable bequests of plate and a life interest in the Essex property.

Will mentions a marriage settlement with Lord Montagu by which Capell's second wife received Rayne and lands in Bocking, Braintree, Panfield and Felstead. In addition to his Hertfordshire and Essex estates he owned the manors of Icklingham Barners in Suffolk, Great and Little Fransham in Norfolk, and Wrington, Somerset. £8 was to be distributed to the poor of Much and Little Hadham and two other Hertfordshire parishes.

The first member of the Capel family to actually live at Hadham Hall was Henry Capel (1537-1588) who moved in after his wife died in 1572. Between then and 1578 he had the second Hall demolished and built, partly on its foundations, the magnificent Elizabethan mansion that stands today. This is the same Hadham Hall in which Henry Capel entertained Queen Elizabeth I in 1578 when she lodged here while returning from Norfolk. The Queen passed through Bishop's Stortford on her way to Hadham Hall and again on her return to London and the event was duly recorded: 'The Queen and her retinue came riding through the town from Little Hadham to great rejoicing, for 10s. (50p) was paid for Ringing to the Ringers when the Queens majesty came to mr Capells and from mr Capells thorowe the towne'.

The Elizabethan mansion comprised of three blocks; the north, west and south wings enclosing a large courtyard which was entered by archways in the west and south wings. Only the west wing and part of the south wing survives, but both arches are still visible.

Henry married Katherine Manners, daughter of Sir Thomas Manners Earl Of Rutland and Eleanor Paston. (Katherine Manners was born in 1537 in Haddon Hall, Derbyshire and died on 9 Mar 1572.)

Henry next married Mary Browne, daughter of Sir Anthony Browne and Alice Gage.

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From Bishop's Stortford and Thorley: A history and guide:

http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/thorley/hadham-hall/

The first member of the Capel family to actually live at Hadham Hall was Henry Capel (1537–1588) who moved in after his wife died in 1572. Between then and 1578 he had the second Hall demolished and built, partly on its foundations, the magnificent Elizabethan mansion that stands today. This is the same Hadham Hall in which Henry Capel entertained Queen Elizabeth I in 1578 when she lodged here while returning from Norfolk. The Queen passed through Bishop’s Stortford on her way to Hadham Hall and again on her return to London, and the event was duly recorded: ‘The Queen and her retinue came riding through the town from Little Hadham to great rejoicing, for 10s. (50p) was paid for Ringing to the Ringers when the Queens majesty came to mr Capells and from mr Capells thorowe the towne’.

The Elizabethan mansion comprised of three blocks: the north, west and south wings enclosing a large courtyard which was entered by archways in the west and south wings. Only the west wing and part of the south wing survive, but both arches are still visible.

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By 1563 Sir Edward was one of the leading gentry in Hertfordshire, and Henry, as his heir and a brother-in-law of the Earl of Rutland , was prominent enough to become junior knight of the shire to Sir Ralph Sadler. Capt. of 500 footmen on Scottish campaign 1560; the Duke of Norfolk was not impressed by him as a commander, telling Cecil that Capell's company never went into the field 100 strong. Suc family 19 Mar 1577. JP Essex from 1575, q. c.1583, j.p.q. Herts. from 1577; sheriff, Essex 1579-80, Herts, 1585-6.