Our Kind of People – Migration and Identity in the East of England
Notes
The Wittewronges – an introduction to the family
The family is of Dutch origin and they were what is termed “Edel” (that is
gentle and noble) and of an honourable stock. … In the year 1564 Jacques
Wittewronghele a native of Ghent in Flanders fled from that country with his
wife and two children to escape the protestant persecution under Philip II of
Spain and settled in England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. He lived in
London and took up the employment of public notary, and with that, and the
pittance of his estate which he managed to snatch as it were out of the fire he
made shift to live comfortably till his death in 1593 aged 62 years. His wife
Mary survived him about one year. They had nine children.
His eldest son Jacob who was born in Ghent in 1558 was destined by his
father to become a scholar, so was therefore sent to the free school at St
Albans where he remained till 1576 when he went up to Oxford and became a
student at Magdalen College … Jacob did not prosecute his studies for long
and shortly left the university … Within a few years he married Susannah
Tielman, the daughter and heir of Bernard Tielman, a German gentleman, by
whom he gained a considerable fortune; some in
England (of which the
house and land at Walthamstow which he gave his daughter Mary was part)
and some in the Dukedom of Cleve in Germany. Having been brought up to
no profession he did not know how to employ his fortune he had obtained, till
having made the acquaintance of one Matthias Otton, at that time a brewer in
London, he became his partner and withal contracted so great a friendship
that two of Mr Otten’s sons married two of Jacob Wittewrongle’s daughters.
After some years of partnership Jacob having purchased several house and
tenements in a part of the City called Grantham Lane, he pulled them down
and in their place erected … a fair new brew house, together with a mansion
house thereto adjoining where he lived many years exercising that calling by
himself, and attained unto a very considerable estate, which may be the less
wondered at considering the paucity of those that in those days exercised that
mistrey within the City. He is said to have cleared at least £1000 over and
above all disbursements … His first wife having died, he married in 1614
1
H. Jones, St Mary’s Catholic School, Bishop Stortford 2009
Our Kind of People – Migration and Identity in the East of England
Notes
Anne, the daughter of Monsieur Garrard Van-Acker a merchant in the City of
Antwerp by whom he had one son. JW continued to live in London for about 5
years after his second marriage but in 1619 he retired to a house which he
had purchased in Westham Essex where he died of gout (with which he was
much afflicted) in July 1622 and was buried in the church of Westham …
In 1623 Mrs Jacob Wittewrongle bought Rothampsted from Edward Bardolf
for the sum of £5500.14.4 for her son John, then a minor. His estate not
amounting to that sum she advanced £1400 of her own money … Mrs Jacob
W afterwards married as her second husband Sir Thomas Myddelton Gent
and baronet of Chirk Castle in Wales and Stansted Mountfichet in Essex. He
was Lord Mayor of London in 1614 and died in 1633 aged 81 and was buried
in the chancel of Stansted Old Church … Lady (Anne) Myddelton died at
Rothampsted 1646 & was buried in her son’s (Sir John W) vault in Harpenden
Church.
Sir John was the only son of Jacob and Anne Vanacker (sic) born in Oct 1618
in his father’s house in Allhallow’s parish in London and was baptised in the
Dutch Church of which his father was both a member and an Elder. … he
married Mary second daughter of Sir Thomas Myddelton in the chapel of
Chirk Castle, County of Denbigh. She died in 1639 leaving one son John. In
1642 Sir John married a second time a first cousin of his former wife –
Elizabeth second daughter of Timothy Myddelton of Stansted Mountfichet,
brother of Sir Thomas. By her he had 3 sons. She died in 1649 and was
buried in Harpenden. His third wife was Katharin eldest daughter of Maurice
Thompson merchant of London whom he married in 1650. She died in 1659
and was buried in Harpenden. … Sir John was knighted in 1640, was made
Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s forces for the district in 1644. He was
elected High Sheriff for the Co of Hertford in 1658. In 1662 he was created a
Baronet. He died in 1693 and was buried in the vault of Harpenden Church,
leaving Rothampsted to his second son James (a barrister, in 1698 Recorder
of St Albans, born St Paul’s Covent Garden 1647, died 1721).
In 1664 Sir John wrote a family history of the changes the Wittewronge’s
witnessed which starts:
2
H. Jones, St Mary’s Catholic School, Bishop Stortford 2009
Our Kind of People – Migration and Identity in the East of England
Notes
‘It is this present yeare 1664 one hundred years ago that my
Grandfather came into England who was the first of our family that was an
inhabitant of this kingdome, as I am the first native thereof, my father being
brought over by his parents a childe under seven years of age. And since
Almighty God hath bin so pleased to bless mee (who was the only surviving
sone of my father) souns to keep our name alive, I have thought fitt to make
unto you and the rest of my deare children this ensueing narrative, wherein I
shall briefely informe you both with the occasion of my ancestors leaving
Flaunders ( their native countrey) and of theire comeing to this Island of great
Brttaine, together with some other particulars, which I conceaive may bee
some use (at least of much satisfaction) to you to bee acquainted with.’
We will analyse parts of this family history to work out when did the
Wittewronges really find safety?
3
H. Jones, St Mary’s Catholic School, Bishop Stortford 2009