Sylvestra Tybolde

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Wife of Robert Bourne; Mother of Jasper Bourne; Grandmother of Mary Bourne who married Edward Bennett; Great-grandmother of Mary and Sylvestra Bennett

Richard Bourne of London and later of Wivelscombe, Somerset, brother of the bishop, married Sylvestra Tybolde. (Vis.Som. 1623, Harl. Vol.XI-13)" (p. 2)

"Richard Bourne was a Merchant Taylor of London. He was warden of the guild in 1577 and master for the same in 1581. (His. of the Co., by Clode, II - 342). Three of his sons entered the Merchant Taylor's School in London, Roger and William in 1573 and Jasper in 1577/78. (Register I)"

"Boys entered this school in their 'teens'. this indicates that Richard Bourne must have been much younger than his brother the bishop who was born in 1507 and died in 1569, for Richard died between Feb. 9, 1594, and March 1595.(will)"

"Richard received a grant of arms and a crest on Nov. 17, 1592, as follows: Arms; 'Argent, a chevron gules, between three lions rampant sable, a chief ermine.' Crest; 'A demi-heraldic tiger argent, charged on the neck with two barrulets.' (Harl. 90-13; Harl. 66-29)

The last named reference shows that Richard was a 'cousin german' and not a nephew of Sir John Bourne."

"These arms were the ancient arms of the family of Bourne of Somerset. Richard Bourne in his will dated and probated as above, desired to be buried near his wife in the Cathedral at Wells and gave his eldest son, Gilbert, 'all my free lands and to him the Demesnes of Wivelscombe with the custody of the Great House devised me by my brother Bishop Bourne.' (Brown's Som. Wills, Series 5-76; P.C.C. 23, Dixey)"

The Merchant Taylors' Company, or to give it the full name by which it is described in the Royal Charter of 1503, the Gild of Merchant Taylors of the Fraternity of St. John Baptist in the City of London, is one of the Twelve Great City Livery Companies surviving from Mediaeval times.

The Gild was originally a religious and social fraternity founded before the beginning of the 14th century by an association of citizens who were Tailors and Linen Armourers. The Linen Armourers, an allied craft to the Tailors, made the padded tunics or gambesons worn under suits of armour. By virtue of various Royal Charters commencing with that of Edward III in 1327, the functions of the Gild were extended and by about the end of the 15th century it controlled the trade. However, as many of its members ceased to be craftsmen and became merchants trading with other parts of the world, the position of the Company gradually changed and by the end of the 17th century its connection with the tailoring trade had virtually ceased and it became what it is today - an association of philanthropic and social character, devoting its energies to educational and charitable activities.

The history of the Merchant Taylors' Company is an integral part of the history of the City of London; for it was upon Fraternities of this kind - based on religion, the skills of their crafts, the initiatives of their merchants and the humanity of their members - that the enterprise and the integrity for which the Company is renowned were established.

The image shown is the crest of the Merchant Taylor Company.

"Edward Bennett married Mary Bourne, the granddaughter of Richard Bourne, a wealthy and well-positioned merchant of Wells, England, whose brother was the Bishop of London and whose uncle was Secretary of State to Queen Mary. As a young man he inherited great wealth and responsibility through his marriage. By about age forty, Bennett owned a fleet of sailing vessels involved in fishing and world trade that extended from the Banks of Newfoundland to the Caribbean Islands and Europe. Bennett himself commanded his fleet from his flagship, "The Edward of London."" [Source - The Hill Family of Chowan County, North Carolina, by Anne L. McCarthy.]

Richard is buried near his wife in Wells Cathedral. His will is dated 9 Feb 1593 and was proven Mar 1594. He apparently survived his wife by only a few days.