William Frost, II

According to Threlfall's GMC5059, "WILLIAM FROST of Glemsford, county Suffolk, England, was probably born about 1495-1500. His wife was named Philippa. William died in the summer of 1549, testate. After his death, his widow remarried on 15 September 1552 at Glemsford, John Webb of Lidgate, which is about eight miles from Glemsford. He was a widower, his wife Rose having been buried at Lidgate on 11 February 1551/2. John and Philippa (-----) (Frost) Webb had a daughter, Anna, baptized in 1553, so it is apparent that Philippa was probably born after 1508. Philippa was buried at Lidgate on 20 January 1577/8 and John Webb on 25 July 1558.

"A William Frost appears in the Glemsford Subsidy list for 1524 when he is taxed two shillings on

Title: Ahnentafel of Josiah Sawyer

References

• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~barbpretz/genealogy/ps03/ps03_048.htm

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William Frost was born in England, probably at Glemsford, Suffolk, just before 1500. Around 1520, he married a woman whose name is unknown. William was a yeoman, or farmer, but he had extensive land holdings and was quite prosperous. William had two sons named John who lived to be adults, which would usually mean that he had more than one wife, and a son named John with each one. William’s will indicates that his two older sons, Roger and ‘olde’ John, were over 26 in 1549 and born before 1523. His younger sons, ‘yonge’ John and Henry, were younger than 26, probably a lot younger. This would indicate that Roger and ‘olde’ John were the sons of his unknown first wife, and ‘yonge’ John and Henry were the sons of his wife at the time the will was written, Phillippa, who he probably married in Glemsford around 1530. Phillippa’s family name has not been found. William wrote his will on July 5, 1549 and it was proved on September 15 of the same year at Glemsford. He gave the names of four sons and two daughters in his will, but indicated he had three daughters. William, as he specified in his will, was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Glemsford.

William’s widow Phillippa later married John Webb of nearby Lidgate and had a daughter baptised there in 1553. That further cements the proposition that William had two wives. If Phillippa was his only wife, she had a child in about 1520, and another in 1553, not impossible, but highly unlikely. Phillippa was buried in Lidgate on January 20, 1558.

The will of William Frost of Glemesford, 5 July 1549, shows that he had more than one son named John. In the will, he refers to the two as "Olde John", "my myddell sonne John", My eldest sonne John", my yonger sonne John", and "yonge John". Since he leaves a parcel of land to "John my myddell sonne" and another parcel of land to "yonge John" with the right "allwayes to carrye and dryve to his grounds over olde Johns lands", it is certain that "olde John" and myddell John are the same person, and "my eldest sonne John" surely means the older of the two Johns.

Children of William Frost, order uncertain:
1. Roger, eldest son in William's will, also called one of two eldest sons.
2. Old John, or middle John, one of the two eldest sons, but younger than Roger.
3. Young John, mentioned in William's will as being under 26 in 1549.
4. Henry, mentioned in the will as being under 26, and in school.
5. Audry.
6. Jane.
7. Another daughter, not named in will.