Early History of the Lilley Family
The family tree was in the possession of Joseph Lilley of 1, Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells, Kent at the time of his death in 1875 and was lost. Some of the information we have comes from Great, Great Uncle Herbert Lilley, our Great Grandfather Alfred´s brother.
It was sent from the UK in June 1935 (and a second one sent later, also family history with connections to the British Royal Navy). The history Great, Great Uncle Herbert gave was substantially confirmed by public record documents that have subsequently come to light.
The Family History starts in France. They moved from Normandy to England. (conjecture - either with William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion in 1066, or afterwards.)
Reign of Henry VII:
According to family tradition, the first family member known by name was WILLIAM LILLY (or Lily or Lilye or Lylly, or Lyly or Lilly - spelling in the English language generally was not fixed until a later date and this included names), a noted scholar, born about 1468. He was born at Odiham where his father was a Hampshire landowner. Thomas Cox wrote in 1738, concerning Odiham: - This place is famous for giving birth to Mr William Lily, who wrote the Grammar, which with some alterations, is commanded by an Act of Parliament in the reign of Henry VIII, to be taught in all Schools - William Lilly studied at Magdalen College, Oxford from 1486. He got into Oxford because his godfather was on the faculty.
He earned his BA degree and subsequently travelled to Jerusalem on pilgrimage. Then he spent five years on the Island of Rhodes perfecting his Greek. He went on to Rome to improve his Latin and Greek under noted scholars. In 1509 he settled in London, being the first teacher of Greek in the metropolis. In 1510, William was appointed the first headmaster ("high master") of St Paul's school, London - appointed by Colet, Dean of St Paul's cathedral - and was a famous Latin grammarian. He educated some of the most famous men in England. He wrote a Latin textbook used for 300 years - the old "Eton Latin grammar¨. It was subsequently revised from time to time. It was published anonymously as Erasmus helped and Lily refused to take credit. Shakespeare referred to the book in four of his plays. St Paul's "became a paragon of classical scholarship". Lilly was a friend of Thomas More and the famous Erasmus, (precursor to the Reformation and known for his Greek New Testament) (see "History of St Paul's school" and "Life of Lilly" in Guildhall library and History on the internet.)
He was known for his modesty (according to Erasmus) and died of the plague on 25th February 1522. (Another biography indicated he developed a septic carbuncle on his hip that was operated on and hastened his death)
He was buried in the north churchyard of St Paul's Cathedral, London. (There is another version about what happened to his grave, other than the one I will presently relate i.e., the cathedral cloisters being taken down by Lord Somerset etc, but you can read that for yourself in one of the biographies of our esteemed ancestor). His grave, together with others, was reportedly destroyed during the Great Fire of London. A plaque was later put up which included William’s name. There was an idealized picture of Lilly in a stained-glass window in the hall of Christ Church, Oxford. His wife, Agnes and some of their children died of the plague, probably about 1517. She was thirty-seven, having been married for 17 years. One biography claimed William and Agnes had fifteen children, but most must have died young.
I) WILLIAM LILLY (1468 - 1522) married in 1500, at Odiham, Hampshire, AGNES LAMB (1480 - 11/8/1517)
Their surviving children were:
- George Lilly – He also earned his BA degree - our ancestor.
- Peter Lilly - Our ancestor
- Dyonisia Lilly who married John Rightwise (William Lilly’s successor as High Master of St Paul’s). Rightwise died 1532. She remarried James Jacob, sur-master (vice principal) of St Paul´s.
They had a son, Polydore Jacob.
Reign of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary Tudor:
More about William Lilly´s children:
William Lilly's eldest son, George was private chaplain to Cardinal Pole, who received him into his patronage when George visited Rome, after leaving Magdalen College, Oxford without a degree. (Cardinal Pole was famous or infamous - depending on your point of view, during the reigns of Henry VIII and his daughter, Mary Tudor). George Lilly became eminent in several branches of learning. He also wrote various works, including the history of his father. He was made Canon of St Paul´s and later Prebendary of Canterbury. He published the first exact map of Britain. Died in 1559.
PETER LILLY (I), William Lilley´s second son, was a lawyer and dignitary of Canterbury. Cathedral i.e., Registrar of the Canterbury Consistory (Ecclesiastical) Court. By the 1560´s he was living in Canterbury. (He previously practiced in Rochester, Kent.) The family home was in Sun or Palace Street, Canterbury. Both streets form part of the King´s Mile, in the shadow of the cathedral. This home was known as ¨The Splayed Eagle¨ and there was an inventory of its contents on the death of Peter Lilly in 1569 which survives in the probate records in the Canterbury Cathedral archives. Peter Lilly was buried in Canterbury Cathedral nave. The floor was repaved in 1787 and Peter´s bones were reburied in the cloister, together with others.
II) PETER LILLY (I) (?1506 - 1569) married, in Canterbury, JANE BURGH of Brough Hall (Catterick, North Riding, Yorkshire).
They had eight children: (Six were baptized in St Alphege church, Canterbury - now used by The King´s School for educational purposes.) We know five of the six children baptized at St Alphege church - William 11/09/1562 (died young); Peter 14/10/1563; George 08/01/1565; Benjamin 05/06/1567; William 03/06/1568
1) JOHN LILLY (Lyly, Lylly), (about 1552 -1606) was possibly born and baptized in Rochester, Kent as his father, Peter Lilly was a lawyer there around 1550. John Lilly attended The King´s School, Canterbury - the oldest school in England founded in 597 A.D. He studied at Oxford University from about 1570 and obtained his M.A. in 1575. He also studied at Cambridge University. He became a successful writer and playwright, a primary influence in Shakespeare’s writing style, and the promoter of a new prose style known as euphuism”. He is described as ¨the first superstar dramatist of the Elizabethan era...¨ Queen Elizabeth enjoyed his plays. Seven or eight of the plays were written for the boys´ companies of St Paul´s school and the Chapel Royal. He was said to be a small man who enjoyed tobacco, which was introduced into England by Sir Walter Raleigh. It
was also claimed that ¨John´s father´s side (were) of noble and scholarly descent¨. He was a dramatist, poet, and a courtier at the royal court. He became an MP - for Hindon in 1580, for Aylesbury in 1593, Appleby in 1597, Aylesbury again in 1601. He became a Parliament member for Queen Elizabeth´s court. He died in 1606 in London, poor and neglected. He was said to have had three pounds when he died. He had many disappointments in his life, including not receiving the expected appointment as The Master of the Revels from the queen. He wrote letters of complaint to his sovereign. He was buried at St Bartholomew the Less Church, London. (Check his biography on internet - under John Lyly ) Some sayings introduced by John Lilly: ¨All is fair in love and war¨;
¨The night has a thousand eyes¨; ¨Marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth¨; ¨The sun shineth on the dunghill and is not corrupted¨; ¨A clear conscience is a sure card¨; ¨Many strokes overthrow the tallest oke (oak)¨ His best known book was Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit.
III) JOHN LILLY (about 1552 - 1606) married on 22/11/1584, in St Clement Danes, Westminster, BETTRICE (Beatrix) BROWNE, born 1563, from Mexborough, West Riding, Yorkshire. Her parents were Richard and Dorothy (nee Danby, born 1535) Browne. Bettrice was said to be an heiress.
They had eight children: Baptized in St John´s, Mexborough, Yorkshire: Jane Lilly, 1588;
Girl - name unknown Lilly 1590; ROBARTE BROWNE LILLY 1592; Bridget Lilly 26/03/1594.? Baptized at St Bartholomew the Less, London: John Lilley (I) (1596-1597); Thomas Lilly 1598; John Lilly(II) (baptized St Bartholomews, 003/7/1600); Frances Lilley, 1603.
(Jane Lilly: Mrs Jane Lilly married on 18/12/1613, at Mexborough, Yorkshire, Mr Clement Harleston. Their daughter, Beatrice Harleston was baptized on 7/10/1615. Their son, William Harleston baptized on 19/08/1616; Frances Harleston on 30/04/1620; Jane 05/11/1622 - all in the Parish of Mexborough. Just a comment on the use of the words Mr and Mrs which appear next to Jane´s and Clement´s names in the Parish register. At that time Mrs referred to unmarried and married women alike and stood for Mistress. The fact that they were designated Mr and Mrs, unlike others in the register, indicated their higher social status.)
2) Peter Lilly (II) D.D. was baptized in St Alphege Church, Canterbury on 14/10/1563 He went to The King´s School. He was a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge; later a brother of Savoy-hospital in the Strand; prebendary of St Paul´s; archdeacon of Taunton.
Peter Lilley(1563 - 1615) married ? ( - 1627) He had a daughter, Mary Lilly, who died in 1625. His widow published some of his sermons. There were tombstones for Peter, his wife and daughter at the Savoy Chapel.
3) William Lilly, baptized at St Alphege church, Canterbury on 3/6/1568. Went to The King´s school. Nothing further known of his life.
ROBARTE (Robert) BROWNE LILLY, eldest son of John and Bettrice Lilly was baptized on 18/01/1592. Again, the social status comes out in the parish register. The baby is written down as Robarte Browne Lilly Esquire! The father, John is designated Esquire as are the accompanying names of godparents, where the Esquire is stated behind the names. Apparently Esquire was at that stage a recognized station in life, just under the designation of Knight. According to Sir John Firth in 1586, esquires were ¨ by creation, birth, dignity or office¨.
IV) ROBARTE BROWNE LILLY married about 1622, at St John´s church, Mexborough, Yorkshire, ELIZABETH RERESBY of Mexborough.
They had a son: William Lilley - 1623-1628 - in Mexborough.
They had a second son: ISAAC LILLEY born about 1635 in Shropshire.
By 1630 Robarte and Elizabeth had probably moved to Lillieshall, Shropshire where he was a landowner. When Great, Great Uncle Herbert visited Lillieshall before 1935, he found copses and spinneys still know as Lilley´s copse or Lilley´s spinney etc. How did they acquire the property in Shropshire? We do not know but it might have been inherited. We know Robarte´s mother was an heiress. Yet his father, John Lilly died poor. But Robarte might still have inherited property through his mother´s family. So in Shropshire the second son (who might have had siblings of whom we know nothing), presumed to be Isaac Lilly, was born. There are no parish records for the area before 1653 (after the Civil War).
ISAAC LILLY was most likely born between 1630 and 1640, in Shropshire as his name is not in the church register for baptism in Mexborough where William was buried in 1628.
So I have chosen 1635 as his birthdate until we know better. I have also given him a wedding date - about 1665, when he would be thirty years old, similar to his father Robarte´s age when he married. We hope still to find his wedding date in a parish register in Wales. It is likely he married a Miss Malanor. His son Samuel was named Samuel Malanor Lilley - possibly Samuel´s mother´s maiden name - just as Robarte bore his mother´s maiden name of Browne.
V) ISAAC LILLY born 1635, married, in 1665, Miss MALANOR. They had two children whose names are documented: SAMUEL MALANOR LILLEY born 1670; Mary Lilley baptized 1677 in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales.