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house"* there. In these notes he gives as the wife of Thomas Ellis, qui ob. 1527, Porter, "ut puto" (which is probably correct, as a Nicholas Porter is a witness to his will; the wife being probably a daughter of Stephen Porter, who died in Sussex, a son of William P. of Nottingham [see Berry's Gen.]; a heiress of this family having previously mar. a Sandes, descended from Towne, who mar. a co-h. of Ellis); and Stephen Ellis, his s. & h., who mar. Grace Cromer (3d. & co-h. of John, s. of Sir James Cromer, of Tunstall, Knt., who remar. - Finch), by whom, he further states, he had John, William, and Jane, which offspring were not Stephen Ellis's.† Stephen died in 1519, and by his will, pr. at Canterbury, he gives to his wife Grace, lands for life; to his son Henry, Burton, etc.; his son Thomas, the Lordship of Mardall, etc.; and his son Richard, lands; and names his daughters Catharine and Frances. Thomas Ellis was s. & h. of Henry, being of Kennington, gent., 1597, the date of a deed of partition of lands in gavelkind descending to him and his uncle Thomas equally, on the death of Richard Ellis, of Ashford, gent., s. of Stephen.‡

As Stephen Ellis was clearly not the son of Thomas and Porter, but as he seems to have succeeded him as joint heir, and was probably his nephew, either John or Nicholas, brothers

Quarterly 1 & 4-A buck's head caboshed, Walstede; 2 & 3-Gules, a fess between three owls or, Webb.

Arg., on a chevron ermine three cross-crosslets sa., Towne.

Gules, a fess between six billets or, a crescent gules on the fess for difference, May.

Gules, three unicorns' heads couped or, Shelley; "this joyned to May."

Gules, a fess between six mullets arg., a crescent on the fess for difference, Ashburnham impaling quarterly 1 & 4, a chevron engrailed between three birds, a crescent for difference, Cromer; 2 & 3 a squirrel sejant cracking a nut, Squeries. Ellis and Barry quarterly, impaling Cromer and Squeries, quarterly, a crescent in the centre of the latter.

Ermine, on a bend three lions rampant or, Bourne, impaling Cromer and Squeries quarterly.

Ellis and Barry quarterly.

Ellis and Barry quarterly, impaling sable, three bells arg. a canton ermine, Porter. (Harl. MSS. 4031, p. 162.)

Ellis and Barry quarterly, impaling Cromer and Squeries, were in the window of the parlour at Sharsted, the seat of Bourne. (Filmer Southouse's 'Arms of Kentish Families,' Add. MSS. Brit. Mus. 14307, p. 24).

Norton impaling Ellis and Chiche quarterly were formerly in Chart-Sutton Church. (Philipot's Church Notes, Harl. MSS. 3917, p. 72.) For other instances of the Ellis arms occurring in church windows, see p. 283.

In Berry's Gen. it is stated that John Johnson, of Nethercourt, mar. Mary, d. of Stephen Ellis, of Kennington,-evidently incorrect.

By Inquisition taken at Barnet 21 May 12 Jac. I. on the death of Thomas Ellis, late of Hertingfordbury, gent., it was found that he died the 7th Feb. 1608, and that Thomas Ellis of Kennington was his cousin [nephew] and next heir, viz. son of Henry Ellis, br. of the said Tho. E., and was 40 years old, and upwards, and that he died seized of lands in Bennington, co. Herts, and 90a. in Orleston and Rucking, co. Kent, occupied by Edmund Ellis, gent. The inquisition is lengthy and recites the will of Thomas Ellis.

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of Thomas, must have been his father. Philipot's Pedigree, with a transposition, would seem to furnish the paternity required. This makes a John Ellis, of Stoneacre, s. of John, qui ob. 1467, no such son being named in his will. If this be the John,* s. of William, he would be "the next bloode" (supposing Nicholas to have died s. p.); and Henry Ellis of Stoneacre, according to Philipot, s. of John, and Stephen his brother would be heirs in gavelkind, or under the will of John, brother of Thomas.-Philipot assigns "Thomas Ellis, of Otham," as br. of the last-named Henry, whose d. & h. mar. Richard Nightingale, of Essex. This, upon examination of dates, must be an erroneous affiliation. Catharine had a d. & h. ux. Charles Newcomb, of London, who and whose issue are named in the Visitation of Linc. 1562 (Harl. MSS. 1190): a greatgrandfather, if living 1562, must have been born in the preceding century. This might have been the case with Thomas, s. of Thomas Ellis and-Porter, hardly with any other grandson of William Ellis, who died 1494; if not a grandson of his, we must seek his ancestry beyond John Ellis qui ob. 1467. By the Patent Rolls, it appears that a Richard Ellis, Esq., was appointed in 1461 J. P. for Kent, who might have been his ancestor. In the College of Arms the arms of Stoneacre are given to an Ellist whose d. & h. mar. - Nightingale, evidently the Thomas Ellis in question, though neither this coat nor Ellis appear to be quartered by N. or Newcomb.

THOMAS ELLIS (S. of Stephen), of Hertingfordbury, co. Herts, gent., made his will 22nd Dec., 1607, which was pr. 4th May, 1609, at Doctors' Commons. He therein gives to his loving nephew, Thomas Ellis, of Kennington, gent., all his lands and tenements in Kennington and elsewhere in Kent, and the heirs of his body lawfully to be begotten, after the death of his wife, Grace, to whom the same for life; in default of issue, to his cosen, Edmund Ellis, of Otham, gent., and his heirs and assigns for ever. To Grace, his wife, for life, his lands and hereditaments in Hertingfordbury and Bennington, and elsewhere in Hertfordshire; after her death to Francis, s. of Edmund Eilis, * He probably mar. - May, of Bibrooke, in Kennington. In the Subsidy Roll for 35 Hen. VIII. (1544) no Ellis occurs under Otham, but May, who was probably trustee.

The arms of Stoneacre are given as a coat of Ellys of Kent, in Filmer Southouse's Collection of Kentish Arms.

The following inscription is on the floor of the church there:-"Here under this stone lye buried the bodyes of Thomas Ellis, gentleman (sonne of Stephen Ellis, of Kennyngton, in the county of Kent, gentleman), and Grace his wife (daughter of Owen Hawkins, citizen and mercer of London), who lived together man and wife forty-nine yeares and seven monthes, and odd dayes, and had issue betwixt them one sonne onlye, named Francis (which lived but three weekes and three dayes after his birth). The aforesaid Thomas departed this life the 4th day of February, 1608, and the said Grace afterwards departed this life the 23rd day of March, Anno Domini 1612-13" (Clutterbuck's Herts, ii. 206).

and his heirs; to Catharine Turner, widow, his sister, houses in Kennington; his kinsfolk, Jane Morris, Isaac and William Wyatt; £100 to his nephew, Thomas E., towards obtaining renewal of the lease of the manor of Coningbrook; his loving cousin and friend, William Cocke, Esq., overseer of his will; Grace, his wife, residuary legatee and sole executrix [whose will is d. Feb. 20, 1612-3; and proved at Doctors' Commons, 31st March following].

THOMAS ELLIS, of Otham, gent.,* was probably, as Philipot makes him, s. of Henry Ellis, of Stoneacre. In his will, proved 1583, at Canterbury, he mentions his father-in-law, Thomas Hendley, Esq. [who bought the manor and advowson of Otham, and died 1590, æt. 89], his brother-in-law, Mr. John Whyte; his wife Alice, to whom he gives £28 per ann. from his lands; his aunt, Elizabeth Hadd, to whom his gold ring with coat of arms; to his daughter, Mildred at 22, £100; his d. Elizabeth, ux. Walter Ford, [mar. at Maidstone, 25th Oct., 1578], and their children; son Peter Ellis, to have messuage and lands in Marden, called Ronsden, in tail male, also a messuage in Week St., Maidstone, after the death of his mother, Alice Ellis ; his lands in Linton, Hunton, Otham, Langley, and other parishes, to his son Edmund Ellis. HENRY ELLIS, of Warehorne, whose will was proved at Canterbury, 1560, might have been brother of Thomas Ellis just mentioned. He therein names his son John, his son William, a minor, and his daughters, Agnes; Elizabeth, ux. William Gibson; and Joan, ux. Richard Wylles. The manor of Warchorne was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Ellis, who sold it (Hasted's Kent, viii. 368). Thomas Ellis, according to Philipot, had a d., mar. Wood, and another, John Bishop: one of these might have been the aforesaid Mildred. Agnes, a d. of Thomas Ellis, was bur. at Otham, 1568, in which year PETER ELLIS was bap. there, who is mentioned in the following Fine levied Mich. T. 6 Car. I., between William Selby, gent., Quer., and Christopher Ellis, gent., and Mary, ux. ej., and Peter Ellis, gent., Def. of 1 mess., 2 barns, 1 garden, 20a. land, and 22a. past., in Marden, being evidently "Ronsden." Peter Ellis may have had issue; there is a Peter E., mar. at Marden, 1629, and a John, s. of Peter, bap. 1640; and a Peter, s. of Peter E., bap. at Langley, 1699.

EDMUND ELLIS, of Stoneacre, gent., s. & h. of Thomas E., was bap. at Otham, Dec. 24, 1559, and bur. there, Aug. 2, 1615.

*He was rated to the Subsidy for Otham 15 Hen. VIII. £18 per ann. on lands on which he is taxed 488. the largest sum paid by any taxpayer in the parish.

Capt. ROBERT ELLIS, who went over to Ireland at the end of Elizabeth's reign, mar. a Norton of Chart Sutton, and progenitor of a prolific family now scattered over Ireland, was probably his nephew. (See p. 267.)

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