John Seynesbury was the Rector of Ewelme which lies in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire and he has this memorial brass on his ledger stone which is to be found in the south aisle of the parish church of St Mary. He was also the Rector of nearby Swyncombe:
Hic jacet Dmnus Johnes Saynysbery qui… Rector
isti ecclies qui obiit XXVII die mens Augusti A[nno]. Dm.
millinio CCCCLIIII. Cui an. Pricietur Deus. Amen.
Translation with Medieval Genealogy's standardised surname:
Here lies Master John Sainsbury [who was] Rector of this Church who died 27 August 1454 on whose soul may God have mercy. Amen.
The Manor of Ewelme in the 15th century was owned by Thomas Chaucer (son of Geoffrey Chaucer) and his wife Maud who had inherited the manor from her father. Their daughter Alice married William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk as her second husband.
They set in motion the building of the Almshouses–God’s House–and school and the re-ordering of the church. John Seynesbury was executor of the will of Maud Chaucer and he is mentioned many times in the “feet of fines” in Oxfordshire together with the Bishop of Durham and others.
John Seynesbury was the first master of the Almshouses and is described in the statutes–copies of which are in the vestry–as “lately and for a long-time parson at Ewelme.” He is also credited with supervising the building of the Almshouses. He was not a university graduate but was probably a clerk in minor orders. However, the statutes specified that the Grammar master should be an Oxford graduate, something which continues today.
The Almshouses were endowed with lands originally given by Thomas Chaucer. Interestingly, the endowment made by de la Pole and his wife in 1442 included the manor at Conock, Wiltshire. This is 60 miles south-west of Ewelme, but just four miles from Easterton where an early Sainsbury family–with many present-day descendants–is first recorded.
For additional sources see: Sir John Seynesbury of Ewelme d.1454, rector and almshouse master
Sources
K. Tiller, Ewelme Church: a history and guide. (2013).
British History Online. [Parish histories.] Ewelme https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol18/pp192-234; Swyncombe https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol18/pp368-392; Chirton https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol10/pp60-71
Medieval Genealogy. Feet of Fines – Oxfordshire. http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/oxfordshire.shtml
National Archives. Grant of the manors of Conock (Wilts) and Ramridge (Hants) . . . to the chaplain [John Seynesbury] and poor men of Ewelme almshouse [catalogue record]. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7578357
Blog Post Author and Photographer: Jennifer Burke
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