Heron Family of Felton, Northumberland; Hull, Yorkshire; London & Croydon, Surrey
The Heron family as it connects with the Becher family is almost all before the time of civil registration, so can only be gleaned from wills, chancery cases and other legal documents. There are several burials and memorial inscriptions to assist with sorting out the facts from the myths.
Alice Heron married to Henry Becher in about 1540 but certainly by 1544 when her father Thomas Heron refers to his son in law Harry Becher in his will. Alice bore Henry Becher ten children before she died in March 1562 and was buried at St Christopher-le-Stocks church in London. Unfortunately this church was demolished to make way for an expansion by the Bank of England, but the original gravestone inscription was apparently “Here lie the bodies of Henry Becher, Alderman and late Sheriff of London and of Alice his 1st wife, one of the daughters of Thomas Heron of Edgecombe in the county of Surrey, Esquire by whom he had ten children, after whose decease he married with Jane the widow of Oliver Lovibond of London with whom he lived for three years and died on the 15th day of January Anno Dom. 1570/71”.
Now Thomas Heron [the father of Alice] is often said to have been born about 1474 but I do not know upon what that date is based. Thomas married Elizabeth Bond [she was the daughter of William Bonde and Agnes Alphew. Elizabeth was buried at St John the Baptist, Croydon, Surrey on the 15th August 1558. She also left a will dated 4th August 1558]. Certainly by the time of Thomas Heron's death on the 18th September 1544 the family lived at "Edgecombe", Croydon, Surrey and Thomas was buried at St John the Baptist there on the 2nd October 1544.
Recently, I transcribed some old HERON wills, adding considerably to the
knowledge about this family;
John HERON, buried at the church of St Michael and All Angels, Felton,
Northumberland [from the will of his daughter Elizabeth]. His wife is
unknown, but he had issue;
1. John HERON, a Mercer of London, married to Kateryne. He died about
1514 & was buried at St Dunstans, East London. . He was the father of Thomas
HERON [who married Elizabeth BONDE] & Roger HERON [who was under the age of
14 in 1487]. He also had a natural son named Holgay Heron [who had a daughter
Alice Heron].
2. Elizabeth HERON, born in Hull, died in 1488. No issue. Married 3
times; John Yard, Rafe a Lathom & finally John Kirkeby. He died 1484 &
was buried at St Dunstans in the East. She left a long and detailed will.
3. Margaret HERON; Alive in 1487 as left apparel in the will of her
sister Elizabeth [nee Heron] Kirkeby. Married to a Mr Strother with children
Philipp, Johann & Thomas
4. Katheryn HERON; Alive in 1487 as left apparel in the will of her
sister Elizabeth [nee Heron] Kirkeby
5. Isabell HERON; Alive in 1487 as left apparel in the will of her sister
Elizabeth [nee Heron] Kirkeby
6. William HERON; Alive in 1487 as left some money in the will of
Elizabeth [nee Heron] Kirkeby. Elizabeth appears to refer to him as a brother [brethern]
but it is possible that he was actually a cousin or other relative.
7. Edmund HERON;Alive in 1487 as left some money in the will of Elizabeth
[nee Heron] Kirkeby. Elizabeth appears to refer to him as a brother [brethern]
but it is possible that he was actually a cousin or other relative.
8. John HERON, of Bokynfeld. Alive in 1487 as left some money in the will
of Elizabeth [nee Heron] Kirkeby. Elizabeth appears to refer to him as a brother
[brethern] but it is possible that he was actually a cousin or other relative.
Thomas Heron and Elizabeth Bonde had at least 7 children;
1. William Heron
d. 4th January 1562/1563 and was buried at St John the Baptist, Croydon, Surrey.
He was his father's son & heir and a local Justice of the Peace, but died
without issue. His wife Alice married second to Oliver St John on the 3rd
August 1563 but sadly she died only 3 years later and was buried at St Marys,
Lambeth, Surrey on the 19th August 1566 followed shortly after by the death of
her only child, a 3 month old daughter Honoria St John who was also
buried at St Mary on the 26th Oct 1566.
2. Sir Nicholas Heron
d. 1 September 1568 and was buried at St John the Baptist, Croydon 4th September
1568.
Nicholas Heron was Knighted in 1565. His wife's name was Mary & her surname is
said to be Poole. Mary was also buried at Saint John the Baptist on the 20th
April 1578. Nicholas and Mary Heron had 11 children including the intriguingly
named firstborn Poynings Heron in 1547.
3. Thomas Heron
Married Olive Bryttongen on the 11th October 1563 at St John the Baptist,
Croydon
4. Alice Heron
Married about 1539/1540 to
Henry Becher, Master Haberdasher, Alderman and Sheriff of London. They had
10 children of who 9 survived. Alice was buried at St Christopher-le-stocks in
London on the 31st March 1562.
5. Jane Heron
Married to William Browne. Jane was still alive in 1571 as she was
mentioned in Henry Becher's will.
6. Elizabeth Heron
Said in some old pedigrees to have married Vincent Harris but was referred to as
unmarried in the wills of both her parents. An Elizabeth Heron did marry Vincent
Harris on the 23rd April 1559 at St John the Baptist, Croydon, Surrey but this
Elizabeth is also said to be the daughter of Nicholas Heron.
7. Mabell Heron
In 1544 was unmarried when her father died but married to George Butler
or Botteler by 1558 when her mother wrote her will.
Thomas Heron was the only legitimate heir of his father, a wealthy Mercer and citizen of London by the name of John Heron. John Heron's will was proved 13th March 1514/1515 and he requested to be buried in the Trinity Chapel at St Dunstans in the East, London where "John Kirkeby and his wyfe Elisabeth are buried". John Heron's will mentions many, many people but few relationships, but he does leave money to Alice, daughter of my bastard son Holgay John Heron. He doesn't leave anything to his bastard son though so I can't tell if he was still living. I decided to look up John & Elisabeth Kirkeby as it seemed likely that they were related if John Heron wished to be buried with them and luckily Elisabeth Kirkenby left a will and was the subject of a very detailed chancery case.
An abstract of Elisabeth Kirkeby's will is contained in the book "North Country Wills" on page 262 and is dated 15 Jan 1487. I haven't yet tracked down the original and I fear that at that date it is probably in Latin so I probably can't read it, but I will investigate. According to the book, Elisabeth KYRKEBY or a LATHOM wished to be buried in the Trinity Chapel in St Dunstan in the East with her late husband John Kirkeby [a Goldsmith]. She also mentions sisters Margarete, Kateryn, Isabell [although I cannot tell from the abstract if they are literally sisters or sisters-in-law]as well as "brethren" John, Edmond & William Heron. Also John Heron, Mercer & Citizen of London who is to have a cup. Other family listed are cousins Philipp Strother & Thomas Strother as well as cousin Agnes a Breydon [who dwells with her, Johane Strother her sister and Roger Heron her brother's son. To John a Lathom she gives a Salt Cellar that belonged to Rafe a Lathom late her husband. Richard Kirkeby is her son-in-law [literally the son of her late husband John Kirkeby. Very fortunately she leaves a chalice and vestment to the parish church of Felton, Northumberland where her father John Heron is buried, and gives her own birthplace as Hull. The residue of her estate is left to John Heron & Thomas Strother.
Apparently in the three years before she died Elisabeth [nee Heron] had agreed to marry a London Mercer by the name of George Bulstrode. He plied her with goods. money & gifts for her, her family & friends on the understanding that the wealthy widow would be joining her business with his. Unfortunately it seems that her brother John Heron, also a Mercer of London was against the match and persuaded her not to go through with it. George Bustrode wanted his gifts back and Elisabeth apparently relented in her will, but John Heron as executor did not return the presents and money, leading to a chancery case which includes a detailed inventory. Unfortunately this document is not online and although the case is discussed in "Marriage, Sex & Civic Culture in Late Medieval Society" by Shannon McSheffrey she does not mention the outcome!
This information gives us a further generation of the Heron Family;
John Heron
d. Buried at the parish church at Felton, Northumberland.
Married unknown and had among others;
1. Elisabeth Heron
b. At Hull [according to her will]
d. 1487 and was buried in the Trinity Chapel at St Dunstan in the East, London
along with her late husband John Kirkeby/Kyrkeby
Married: Unknown [Chancery case says she was thrice widowed], Rafe a Lathom
& finally John Kyrkeby a Goldsmith. She was also affianced to George
Bulstrode a London Mercer.