William Clayton

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William Clayton¹

Birth:	ABT 1590 in , , Sussex, England
Death:	AFT 1 FEB 1658 in Chichester, Sussex, , England
Sex:	M
Father:	Thomas Clayton b. ABT 1560 in Rudgwick, , Sussex, England
Mother:	Margaret

Reference Number: 5700

Spouses & Children

Joan Smith (Wife) b. ABT 1610 in , , , England
Marriage: 30 OCT 1631 in Boxgrove Par, Sussex, , England
Children:
William Clayton b. 1625 in Chichester, Sussex, , England Elizabeth Clayton Richard Clayton Thomas Clayton

Elizabeth Simmons (Wife) b. ABT 1590
Marriage: 1644
Children:
Mary Clayton b. AFT 1644

Notes

Text:
William Clayton:
!RELATIONSHIP: THE QUAKER YEOMEN. Vol. 9-2. July 1982. p. 4. "From Our Readers:" Mr Louis E Jones, 36 East Hickory Road, Lombard, IL 60148. Has provided material that establishes the parentage of William Clayton of Chichester and his wife Prudence without a doubt. This material seems to, temporarily at least, break our line from William Clayton of Chichester to Robert de Clayton, Companion of william the Conqueror. Vol. 9-4. Jan 1983. p. 5. "From Our Readers:" Louis E Jones of 36 East Hickory Road, Lombard, IL 60148 ha sprovided a copy of the will of William Clayton, father of William of Chichester below: CHICHESTER MISCELLANEIOUS WILLS 1653 TO 1668. Vol. 21B Consistory Court Will Register 1653-1668 (ST61/21B) (in West Sussex Record Offices, Chichester, England 16 April 1982 - copied by Louis E Jones) William Clayton. In ye name of God I Will Clayton of ye Parish of Pancras without ye East Gate of Chichester in ye County of Sussex Timberman being sick & weak in body yet of perfect memory Lord to be thanked doe make & ordaine this my last will & Testamt in form following That I give and beq. my Souls into ye hand of Alm. God and my body to ye earth. It. I give unto my sonne Will Clayton ye sum of 12 d to be pd within one whole year after my deceas. I. I give unto my grandchildren Will Clayton Prudence Clayton ye children of my sonne Will Clayton ye sume of 20 s a piece to be pd unto them after they shall accomplish ye age of 21 s yeares. It. I give unto my son Ric Clayton ye sum of 20 s to be pd him once he shall accomplish ye age of 21 ty yeares. It. I give unto my son Thos Clayton ye summe of 20 s to be pai him once he shall accomplish ye age of 21 ty years age. It. I give and appoint that he be pd for ye planing to my sonne tho. above sd between Feb and ye first da of May respensing? ye date whereof unto Tho. Coby. It. I giv & appoint my daughter Elizabeth Clayton ye sum of 40 s to be pd her when one whole year - -. It. I give unto my daughter Mary Clayton ye sume of 5 s to b pd her when she shall attayne to ye age of 20 & 1 yeares. All the rest of m goods I give unto my loving wif Elizabeth Clayton after my debts and funera expenses be discharged for her well being and for ye bringing up of my youngest daughter Mary Clayton And doe ordaine and make her my testor of this my last will & Testamt. _________ _________ will & ______ _______ _______ for as much as my wife may be unable to manage my estate to ye best _______ _______ And for as much as my loving friend John Peele of Pagham __________ __________ ___________ doe ordain and appoint my friend John Peele and doe give him full power and authority __________ Standing my ______ aforesaid as prove this my last will & meaning and to tak an invy of all my goods and to _________ ye same until such time my debts ________. & I give my 2 friends William Stele & John Avery 2 s apiece for their care and pains. 1st Feb 1658 /s/ William Vlayton wit: Thomas Hopkin John Rogers Vol. 11-4. Jan 1985. p. 1. "William Clayton of Chichester" by Louis E Jones. William Clayton, b. ca 1590, will dated ca 1658 copied by Louis E Jones, 1982-Apr-16 (Chichester Mischellaneous Wills 1653-1658, Vol. 21B, p. 59, Consistory Court Will Register 1653-1658 STC1/21B, in West Sussex Record Office, Chichester), no probate located. Married (1), 1631-Oct-30, Boxgrove parish, Joan Smith who was buried 1644-Apr-27 (A Calendar of the Parish of Boxgrove, Sussex 1560-1812, by W D Peckham, 1946). Married (2), 1644, Elizabeth Simmons. His will indicates that he was a timberman (lumber dealer), residing in the Parish of Pancras without the East Gate of Chichester, Sussex. It lists sons William, Richard (not yet 21 years of age, placed with Thomas Coby until the first day of May next enusing the date of his 21st birthday); daughters Elizabeth who received a bequest of 40 shilling one year after his decease, possibly as a dowery for an anticipated marriage, and youngest daughter Mary, his child by his second marriage; and grandchildren William and Prudence Clayton, children of William. Also named: John Peele of Pegham as bondsman; Will Steele a miller living without the Eas Gate of Chichester and John Avery formerly of Chichester as auditors; and Thomas Hopkins and John Rogers as witnesses. Total bequests over the ensuing twenty years totalled 161 shillings, a sizeable estate at that time.
!RESEARCHER: B A Morris file. Letter 26 March 1994. Pedigree chart from Ancestral file - ver 4.12. William Clayton Sr (AFN:D28T-4P) b. 1590 England; d. 1658 Chichester,S, England; m 30 Oct 1631 Sussex, England to Joan Smith (AFN:KSDN-7F) b. abt 1610 England; d. 25 Apr 1644
!RESEARCHER: Ardeth Hawthorne file. Letter 23 Aug 1987. Pedigree chart.. 12. Thomas Clayton b 1598; d 1666; settled in London; settled in London; m 10/30/1631 13. Joan Smith buried 4/27/1644. Thomas Clayton m2 1644 Elizabeth Simmons. 24. William Clayton b ca1570; d 1627; a lawyer in England; m 25. Margaret Chomley (Chomondely)
!RESEARCHER: Karmen Hatchett (via download from KCGeneSplicer 4/1/95) file. Descendancy Chart dated 13 Jan 1990. [from PAF-SLC] 1. William Clayton sp--Joan Smith 2. William Clayton (1632) 2. Elizabeth Clayton (1637) 2. Richard Clayton (1640) 2. Thomas Clayton (1642) m Elizabeth (1610) 2. Mary Clayton William Clayton b Pancras, Sussex, Eng; d bef 1659 Sussex, Eng. m1 Joan Smith 30 Oct 1631 m2 Elizabeth -- 2nd wife Notes for William Clayton-- "The Quaker Yeomen" Vol 10 #1 Apr 1983 will refers to him as a carpenter - sources include Consistory Court Will Register, Quaker Church Records, English Parish Registers.
!RESEARCHER: Carin Vance of Lebanon, OH file. Downloaded SWVA3.GED file from AOL in July 1995. William Clayton b abt 1590 Sussex, England; d abt 1658; m1 Joan Smith on 3 Oct 1631 Chichester, Sussex, England; Joan d 27 Apr 1644 Boxgrove, Sussex, England. Had: William Clayton Elizabeth b 11 Feb 1636 Richard b 13 Sep 1640 Thomas b 26 Feb 1641 William m2 Elizabeth Simmons abt 1644; she b ca 1590. Had: Mary Clayton.
!RESEARCHER: CHESKA file Printed from above on 7 November 1996. "Beware Of Erroneous Clayton Research!" From Cheska Wheatley on Fidonet Genealogy Conference, 1994/95. (in part...wei) The line tracing a William Clayton back to Charlemagne was first published in: The Clayton Family / by Henry F Hepburn. Wilmington:The Historical Society of Delaware, 1904 (Wilington, Del:The J.M. Rogers Press). I have als seen this attributed to a Major Frank Beals but I do not have the full title of his work. However, it doesn't really matter since the william Clayton tha Hepburn traced back is ---not--- our William Clayton? Unfortunately, back in the 1970s, the late Jim Bellarts who was publishing the "Quaker Yeoman" got hold of this and he also published it as our William's ancestry and since then it's been hard to keep it from spreading around as the gospel truth! Louis E Jones, in 1982, went to England and uncovered the will of a William Clayton dated ca 1658 in Chichester [England] Miscellaneous Wills 1653-1658, vol. 21B, p. 59, Consistory Court Will Register in the West Susse Record Office, Chichester. I don't have a copy of this will myself, but apparently this William identifies himself as a timberman residing in the Parish of Pancras without the East Gate of Chichester, Sussex. It lists sons William, Richard (not yet 21 years of age), Thomas (not yet 21 years of age) daughter Elizabeth and youngest daughter Mary; and *grandchildren William an Prudence Clayton, children of William.* [Since our William's daughter Prudence was born 20 8m 1657, seems more than likely that she is the same Prudence referred to as his grandchild!] This William married 30 Oct 1631 Boxgrove Parish to Joan SMITH who was burie 27 Apr 1644. Their children baptized at Boxgrove, Sussex were: William 9 Dec 1632 (our William); Elizabeth 11 Feb 1637; Richard 13 Sep 1640; and Thomas 26 Feb 1642. Daughter Mary is supposedly from a second marriage after 1644 to Elizabeth SIMMONS whose death was recorded 6 Oct 1660 in the Lewes & Chichester Monthly Meeting records. William Clayton (our William), son of William & Joan Smith, married 7 Nov 1653 st. Pancras Parish, Chichester to Prudence Lanckford of St. Peters the Less, daughter of William Lanckford of Broughton Parish, Hampshire. This marriage was copied again by Louis E Jones in 1982 from the St. Pancras Parish, Chichester, Sussex Parish Register Calendar by V. London, 1945. This new information was publsihed, oddly enough, by Bellarts in the Quaker Yeoman in Jan. 1985. Apparently there is a will for a Thomas Clayton dated 10 Sep 1630 and proved 28 Apr 1631 (Consistory Court of Chichester) which names a wife Margaret, sons Walter, William, Mathew, Richard and Thomas, daughters Mary wife of Richard Martin and Elizabeth. Bellarts felt this might be the grandfather of our William which is definitely a possibility but I haven't added him to my tree yet without seeing some supportive evidence. Bellarts took it one more step and speculated that this Thoams was POSSIBLY the son o a John b ca. 1530 who was the son of a Thomas born ca 1500 who made his will in Rudgwich parish 4 Jul 1557. Personally, I think we are on pretty thin ice when birthdates start appearing as "about" at 30 years intervals! The English clergy kept very thorough records and there should be more definitive dates in the early parish registers so one shouldn't have to resort to "ca." dates. Bellarts does say that the will of William ca 1658 proves conclusively that William of Chichester was not the "son of a London lawyer" but never admits that he led us up the wrong tree! AND he goes right on to say that Thomas Clayton MAY have been the grandson of Thomas de Clayton b ca 1440, eldest son of John de Clayton & Mary Mainwaring who was disinherited by his parents and it is likely having been disinherited Thomas would have left Lancashire perhaps settling in London or Sussex, a days journey south of London at that time....and he goes on! ...

Sources

Title: GEDCOM file imported on 28 Nov 1998.

http://www.gencircles.com/users/wendy_contos/6/data/142