HEATH
Associated Names - SMITH and ATKINS/ATKINSON
The surname Heath/Hethe 1 was, until about 30 Edward III (~1357), known as de Bruario, and after as de Hethe, according to various pedigrees concerning the family.
NORFOLK
As Heath/Hethe the surname occurred at various locations in Norfolk from the early 1500s though generally located in central Norfolk, particularly Launditch 100, eg. Thomas Heath and his son Richard were in Little Dunham [Lau] from at least 1575 (see below) and Robert Heath was in Gressenhall [Lau] in 1658. Elsewhere, Christopher Heath was a witness to the 1555 will of William Peck of Hickling [Hap], John Heath died in Thorpe Market [Eyn] in 1578, Thomas Hethe was baptised in Horning [Tun] to Henry and Mary in 1583, John Heath appears to have been in Little Ryburgh [Gal] in 1596, Roger Heath was in Worstead [Tun] prior to 1606, and William in Westwick [Tun] from 1636.
The SW area of Norfolk is likely to be more relevant as it is adjacent to the known areas of Heath settlement in Suffolk and because Thomas Heath of Mildenhall (see below) had, in 1480, large holdings of land in Wiggenhall, Tilney and Islington (Freebridge Lynn and Marsh). A Michael Heath, gent. of Beeston next Mileham, offered to sell land to Richard Kett between 1558 and 1579 2. Geoffry Hethe was a churchwarden in Wormegay [[Clk] in 1562 and, as “the husband of Elizabeth Heathe”, was buried there in 1569/70. Thomas Heath, the son of Cicely Heath, was baptised in Castle Rising [FbL] just outside of and NE of Lynn in 1578. Thomas Heath of Sporle [GnS] appeared to have had no children (although he may have married Anne Trower as the 1624 will of Henry Trower of Sporle appointed as executors Thomas Heath and Anne Heath “my sister”) but left a will in 1638 referring to his 3 sisters and many other kin. The 1658 PCC will of Anthony Heath, Gentleman of “Roydon”, refers to the other Roydon (by Lynn) where, with Sporle, his son Bramwell (or Barnwell as he was named in Little Dunham [Lau]) also appears. Richard Heath (died 1690) and his wife Alice (died 1689) had a son John born 1671 but died 1672/3 in Grimston [FbL].
Thomas Heath of Little (and Great) Dunham [Lau] married Amy ___ in about 1545 and had at least the following children, likely born in Little Dunham 3:
1. Margaret born about 1546 and who married Robert Newman in 1567 in Little Dunham;
2. Cecily who married _____ Feltwell;
3. a daughter who married ____ Gibbon;
4. Katherine born about 1553 and married Edward Thetford in Little Dunham in 1575/6;
5. Richard born about 1555 (see below); and
6. Elizabeth born about 1557.
Thomas died in 1575 and his will 4 left his 40 acres of property and multiple houses in Little Duham, Great Dunham, Wilby and Walton to his wife for life and then to his son Richard.
Richard Heath (b.c.1555) married Anne 5 _____ in about 1579 and had at least the following children baptised in Little Dunham:
1. Richard 1580;
2. Thomas 1582 but died the same year;
3. Elizabeth 1583;
4. Henry 1585/6;
5. Amye 1586/7;
6. Susanna 1588; and
7. Barnwell 1592 who married Bridget ____ and died 1737/8 leaving at least three children - George (who had children to carry on the surname), Richard and Bridget.
Richard Heath died in 1598 and his will 6 provided for his mother Amy, wife Anne, daughter Elizabeth, son Barnwell and “my man” Thomas Heath. His widow Anne married 5 June 1600 in Great Dunham to Francis Edward.
There were other Heath families in the generally S and SE section of Norfolk. Brian Heith and Johan Heath were referred to in the 1555 will of Thomas Tanne of Larling [Shp] John Heath and his wife Alice had children baptised in Woodton [Lod] from 1563/4 to 1590 including a Robert who was born in 1564 and likely was the Robert Heath in Woodton in 1616. Jeremy and Ursula Heath (occasionally spelled Hearth) had children baptised at Wickhampton [Wal], beside Hardwick, from 1626. The 1664 and 1666 Hearth Tax lists include a Thomas Heath of Tivetshall St. Margaret, 4 miles NNE of Diss, who could be related to the Heaths of Wortham. Roydon and Diss. Elizabeth Heath, the wife of William Heath, was buried in Pulham SMM 26 August 1682. A William Heath married Ann Utting in Halvergate [Wal] in 1657 and he then married again in 1666 in Burlingham St. Andrew to Sara Jones. An armigerous branch of the Heath family had long been settled at Hemblington [Wal], near South Walsham, and originated in Blofield. A published pedigree 7 starts with William Heath of Mulbarton (just N of Kenninghall) who married Barbara Denny in Wymondham in 1657, and after her death, Catherine Grigson in Hardingham [Mit] in 1663. Their son William Heath, later to become the rector at Burlingham, was baptised in Hemblington 10 July 1665. Other sons Thomas baptised in 1670 and Edward, likely born in Hardingham, continued this Heath line.
In Eccles, NE of East Harling, Robert Heath of Eccles married Dorothy Barsham 8 of Colkirk 18 June 1587 but had no children baptised in Eccles and Robert Heath of Witleford 9 in County Cambridge, yeoman was buried in Eccles 1 January 1615/6. Robert Heath was the witness to the 1609 will of Barnaby Plowman of Banham [Gil]. Heaths are much more common in Cambridge than Suffolk or Norfolk.
SUFFOLK
In Suffolk the Heaths/Hethes were anciently settled in Little Saxham [Thing] 10, Risby [Thing], Mildenhall [Lack] and Denham [Risb] from the 1300s.
The THEDWASTRE Heaths
In 12 Richard II (1397-8) Thomas and Richard Heath sold title to their Manor of Ampton (the north tip of the Hundred, surrounded by Blackbourne) to the Bardwells 11 and they were almost certainly the sons of John Heath of Little Saxham in Thingoe Hundred.
The THINGOE Heaths 12
The 1381 Suffolk Poll Tax 13 lists a Nicholas atte Heath, labourer, and his wife Alice in Hengrave [Thing], and 4 Hethes in Little Saxham [Thing]: John and his wife Amicia (likely also known as Amy), Roger and his wife Johanna (these 2 being armigerous), William a farmer and his wife Margerie and Thomas a servant. It is possible that all Heaths in the county were descended from one of the 5 sons of the John Heath of Little Saxham who died about 34 Edward III (1360) 14 and his wife Amicia: Robert, John, Thomas, Richard and Thomas the younger.
From Copinger’s Manors of Suffolk 15, Gage’s History of Thingoe and the Hethe Pedigree in the Chartulary of Little Saxham 16 the following pedigree can be created for the Heath or de Bruario family:
William de Bruario lived in Little Saxham and had sons Godfrey, William, Adam and Robert 17.
Godfrey de Bruario or Hethe lived in Little Saxham, married Sarah ____ and appears to have owned the manor there c. Edw. I [1272-1307] and died in 1293. He had a son Walter.
Walter de Hethe held the Manor of Little Saxham, was still alive in 1316 and had a son William.
William de Hethe held the Manor of Little Saxham, married Agnes ____ 18 by 1316 and had a son Robert (and likely a son Henry 19) and was still alive in 1323.
Robert de Hethe held the Manor of Little Saxham by 1339, likely married Joan ____ 20 and had sons John and Nicholas (who married Agnes Tamworth and died about 1408 - see below).
John de Hethe held the Manor of Little Saxham, married secondly by 1370 to Amicia or Amy the widow of Philip de Risby and died 34 Edward III (1360 21). He appears to have had sons Robert who married Margery ____, John the Rector of Harksted who died in 1383, Thomas who married Elizabeth Mountford and was likley the Thoms Heath of Mildenhall who seems to have died in 1414 22, Richard who married Elizabeth ____ and died in BSE in 1427/8 23 and Thomas Jr. His lands were in Little Saxham, Risby, Barrow, Lackford, Flempton, Westow, Westley and Ickworth and a lease of the Manor of Leo’s Hall in Westley which he seems to have had in 1396. According to Gage, he also held lands in Thorp and Fornham All Saints.
Robert de Hethe who married Margery Dureward 24 and had at least a son Thomas born in 1383 and a daughter Anna before he died 21 August 1396, likely in Little Saxham, at which point he held about 500 acres in Saxham, Risby and Mildenhall and also in Worlington [Lack] all on the west side of Suffolk bordering Cambridgeshire in 1327 25. He was the Robert Heth was assessed in the Feet of Fines of 1390 on his lands in Mildenhall. He also held land in Denham Manor at the time of his death 26. His Inquisition Post Mortem 27 referred to his lands in Denham Manor, Saxham, Rislay and Mildenhall (300 acres combined) and Zeldham Manor in ___?. According to the History of Parliament, Robert was a lawyer by training. Margery, his widow, later (or earlier 28) married Sir John White. The Robert Heth who was assessed in the Feet of Fines of 1384 on his lands in Mendlesham, Thwaite etc could also have been the same although there is no mention of those lands in the Thingoe writings.
Thomas Hethe (b. 21 May 1383 son of Robert and Margery Dorward) who married 1. Margaret Reymes 29 and 2. Anne Stapleton 30 and had no male heirs but a daughter Elizabeth who married William Bardwell (see below). Thomas Hethe/Heath from Little Saxham purchased the manor of Hengrave 31 (both in Thingoe - near Bury) in 1420 and as Thomas, armiger, died there 7 November of 1439 32 leaving his estate in Hengrave, Denham, Saxhams, Fornham, Chevington, Ickworth, Horringers, Westley and Risby to his wife Anne and then to his unborn child, if male, or his daughter Elizabeth. He was the Escheator for Norfolk and Suffolk from 1415 to 1416, was elected to Parliament in 1420 and was Tax Collector for Suffolk in April 1428 33. He was said to have been a Lancastrian 34.
Nicholas Hethe was the rector in Little Saxham from 11 Nov. 1390 and in Great Horringer 35 from September 1393 to 1394, married Agnes Tamworth 36, the widow of Thomas Ickworth 37, and he was likely the Nicholas Heth of Ickworth who left a will in 1408 38. They do not appear to have had any issue, although Thomas Ickworth and Agnes had a son Ralph.
Thomas Hethe of Mildenhall (and Hengrave), knight, was the third son of John de Hethe and his wife Amica and married Elizabeth the daughter of John of Mountford. He had 3 sons - George, William and John and 5 daughters - Johanna who married Nicholas Drury of BSE, Anne who married Thomas Gedding of Lackford, Agnes, Isabella and Elianor. He left a will in 1439 or 1440 39 which dealt with his land in Timworth [Thed - just E of Hengrave] 40 which he left to his wife Elizabeth for life and then to his sons William or John or his brother George, although only George had issue surviving. George Hethe of Mildenhall was assessed in the 1448 Feet of Fines, and the Timworth estate went to his son Frances of Mildenhall who had no male heirs. His Inquisition Post Mortem 41 referred to his lands in Norfolk (Wiggenhall, Tilney & Islington) and in Suffolk (Mildenhall called Heethes Place, Hospit (=?), Wirlington and Whatfield). Margaret, the daughter of Francis Heath of Mildenhall [Buckingham - Notes etc. says Worlington], was the second wife of George Buckenham of Snitterton (other sources say Great Livermore) and she died in Merton 24 May 1494 42.
The Hethe arms, as borne by John de Hethe, are described in Copinger as “Argent, three gun-stones or ogresses Sable” 43. His son Robert (d. 1396) modified those arms by having each gun-stone being charged with a fess dancette Or 44
There was also a Thomas Hethe in Lackford and Flempton [Thingoe - near Bury] in about 1406 45. The various Suffolk Feet of Fines also referred to Robert of Blountes Manor in 1301, Robert and his wife Margaret in Fornham and Westleton (or Westley?) in 1390, Robert and his wife Elizabeth in Thorp Morieux in 1391, Robert in Cavendish and Stanford in 1394, and Thomas, Richard and Nicholas in Ingham, Livermore, Ickworth and Lackford from 1401 to 1408.
Suffolk AD 1400 - 1550
John Heth the rector of Herkested (=?) left a will in 1383 (NCC Harsyk 7). The Calendar of Pre-Reformation Wills of Suffolk 46 (Sudbury AD) contains a listing in 1409 for John atte Heth of Berton [probably Beyton in Thed] and 7 listings for Hethes: Richard and his wife Elizabeth in Bury 1427 and 1431; Thomas in Hengrave 1439; John in Long Melford 1435; Marion in Rattlesden 1462; John a “coteler” of Bury 1479; and John in Haverhill 1503. The Norfolk Record Office also indexed Thomas of Hengravce 1442, William Heth of Rendelsham [Plom] in 1491 and administrations for Henry Hethe of Orford [Plom] in 1572 and William Heathe of Rendlesham in 1578. According to Rye 47 Francis Hethe of Mildenhall born arms in 1470 described as “Arg. three pellets in a trinangle, on the first three cross crosslets of the first”.
According to various title deeds and other legal documentation filed with the SRO and the National Archives the following Heaths were in the Sudbury AD from 1400:
1. Richard Hethe in Hengrave 1420;
2. Thomas Hethe in Hengrave 1420 and in 1467 land in the Middlefurlong of Hengrave was described as “late of Thomas Hethe” (see above);
3. Thomas Hethe held land next to le Grendy in Little Saxham in 1424;
4. John Hethe held land close to that of Thomas in Little Saxham in 1424;
5. Nicholas Hethe bought land before 1475 in Felmingham from the executor of John Clerk, priest;
6. Walter Hethe and his wife Agnes Smith (or Monson alias Miller?) held land in Boxford (see Inquest Post Mortem) circa 1518 which appears to have gone to their three daughters: Cicely (w.o. Robert Wilson); Katherine (w.o. William King); and Agnes (who m. Richard Mann about 1530); and
7. Thomas Hethe was given a tenement in Rattlesden in 1462/3 by the will of his wife Marion (John Cowper’s widow) 48 but had no apparent issue (see above).
The 1524 Suffolk Subsidy Returns list 3 Heths in Boxford [Bab], 3 in Orford [Plom] and one each in Bramfield [Blyth], Ufford [Thred] and Kettleburgh [Loes]. In the 1500s there were Heath or Heth marriages or deaths recorded in the Suffolk AD: Washbrook [Sam]; Holton [Sam]; Benhall [Plom]; Orford [Plom]; Ellough [Wang]; Bungay [Wang]; Worlingham [Wang]; Wetherden [Stow]; Westleton [Blyth]; Dunwich [Blyth]; Theberton [Blyth]; Westhall [Blyth]; Ubbeston [Blyth] 49; and Leiston [Blyth], and in Sudbury AD: Thurlow [Ris], Wickhambrook [Ris]; Chelsworth [Cos]; Boxford [Bab]; Wetherinsett [Hart] and Bury.
Thomas Heath married Margaret Browne alias Gybon of Framlingham [Loes] 50 in Darsham [Blyth] prior to the 1561 Visitation.
HEATHS in Sudbury AD from 1550 to 1610
Richard Hethe of Bury, arm., left a will in 1427 51 as did his wife Elizabeth in 1431 52 and a John in Bury 1479. The Sudbury Probate Indexes from1520 to 1599 list only one Heath - Jacob (or James?) in Boxford in 1560. However, there were other Heaths in the west half of Suffolk in this period.
John Heath married Elizabeth Hubbard in Bury St. Edmunds St. James 6 Feb. 1568/9 and a John Heath had two daughters Amy and Mary baptised in St. James Parish there 1599 and 1601. John Heath, Jr. was buried there in 1591, and administration of his estate was granted to his widow Margerie 53, and a John Heath was also buried there in 1597. Elsewhere in Suffolk, Heaths were certainly not common 54, but from the late 1500s to the early 1600s were found throughout the western part of the county from Lackford and Hartismere Hundreds in the north to Risbridge and Babergh (where they were Heath alias Gray) Hundreds in the south. John Heath married Anne Thorner in 1596 in Lindsey [Cos], east of Waldingfield Pva. John Heath had two daughters baptised and buried in Little Thurlow [Risb] in 1578 and 1580 and the John Heath was who baptised and buried there in January 1579/80 55 was likely his son. John Heath alias Gray and Phillis had a child Matthys baptised in Melford [Long Melford Bab. - on border with Essex] in 1606 and a John Gray alias Heath was buried there the same year. Henry Heatche had a son Richard baptised in Thornham Magna in 1584. Anne Heath married John Amise in 1563 in Washbrook [Sam, west of Ipswich].
The 1568 Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk list only one Heath or Hethe in all of Suffolk - Henry Heth of Orford [Plom] who was assessed on his goods.
By the 1600s Heaths continued to be surprisingly uncommon in Suffolk and only 4 appear on the 1638 List of Able Men of Suffolk - Thomas in Wortham [Hart], Robert in Great Barton [Thed], Edward in Stoneham Parva [Bos] and Robert in Ixworth [Black], and in the 1674 Hearth Tax only three - Stephen in Ixworth, William in adjacent Hunston [Black] and a Mrs. Heath 56 in East Bergholt [Sam], the first two in the North West and North Central parts of Suffolk. A Mary Heath of Worlington [Lack] left a will in 1624-6 57.
Roger Heath (b.c. 1575) married Joan Pattle in Wetherinsett in 1598 58 and had the following baptised in Mendlesham:
1.Edward 9 September 1599 and in 1618 Edward Heath the son of Roger was placed in apprenticeship;
2. Thomas 26 April 1603; and
3. Christian, a daughter, 24 March 1604/5.
Roger Heath was buried there 14 Jan 1633/4 59.
John Heath (b.c. 1590) married Priscilla Riggs in Mendlesham 29 June 1613 and had the following baptised there:
1. John 25 October 1614; and
2. Robert 20 March 1616/7.
He also had, likely, a daughter Maria in Stoke Ash in 1619 and was likely the John Heath of Stoke Ash who took on Sarah Pettes as an apprentice in 1618 (SRO). At the 1617 baptism he was described as a gentleman.
In 1607 John Heath had a daughter Elizabeth baptised in Mildenhall [Lack.]. Elizabeth Heath, a bastard child with no parents named, was buried in Newmarket? in 1606.
ROBERT HEATH & ELIZABETH SMITH
Robert Heth (b.c.1583 60) and Elizabeth Smith (b.c.1587) were married 28 October 1607 in Badwell Ash, Suffolk 61 and had the following children baptised in Bardwell, Suffolk 62 [Blackbourn 100 - 8 miles N.E. of Bury and about 7 villages west of Wortham] and the adjacent parish of Ixworth 63:
1. Tertullian 64 - a son - 29 January 1608/9 in Bardwell but died and was buried in Ixworth 14 Jan. 1623/4;
*2. Thomas - 19 April 1612 in Bardwell - very likely the Thomas below 65 who married Ann __ 66 in about 1638 and settled in Wortham;
3. Richard - 13 March 1613/4 in Bardwell, married ______ and had 2 children - Richard in 1654 67 and Rebecca in 1656 - baptised in Ixworth before he died and was buried in Ixworth 17 Aug. 1657;
4. Stephen - 18 May 1617 in Bardwell, married Sara _____ by at least 1650, Hannah Jarvis 68 in Barton Magna 5 October 1665 69 and Dorothy Holmes in Honington in 1672. He and Sara had at least 3 children baptised in Ixworth - Stephen 1652 70, Robert 1654 71 and William (b.&d.1660). Stephen was a tailor and churchwarden in Ixworth in 1673 and was listed in the 1674 Hearth Tax 72 in Ixworth in a house shared with Thomas Lilly 73. He died and was buried in Ixworth 12 October 1679 leaving his estate 74 to his wife and sons Stephen and Robert;
5. William - 2 April 1620 in Bardwell and lived in Hunston 75 from at least 1662 76 and where he died and was buried 28 March 1690 [get will], “his wife” [sic] Alice buried there 18 May 1699;
6. Elizabeth - 7 December 1623 in Ixworth 77; and
7. Dorothy - 10 June 1627 in Ixworth.
Since there were no Heaths or Heths in the Bardwell or Ixworth Parish Registers before 1608, Robert and Elizabeth had come into the parish for the first time after their marriage in Badwell Ash. Where they originated is still to be determined.
In 1633 Robert Heath was left one-half of the land in Ixworth and one-half the other possessions of George Whiting of Ixworth, husbandman in his will 78 There is no indication in the will as to the relationship of Whting to Heath although the other-half was given to Steven Rayman who Whiting described as his brother-in-law although whether or not he was still living was apparently unknown to Whiting. The executor was to be Richard Smith, the same surname as Robert's wife Elizabeth. A Richard Smythe had three children baptised in Badwell Ash from 1615 to 1620 - Asher(?) [sic], Richard and Elizabeth.
Robert died and was buried in Ixworth 22 Dec. 1648 79 and Elizabeth Heath, widow, died and was buried there 6 July 1669.
THOMAS HEATH & ANN __________
Thomas Heath (b.c. 1615 80) married Ann ___ 81 in about 1638, either in Suffolk 82 or Norfolk, and he and his wife had at least 7 children baptised in Wortham [Hart], SFK, the parish immediately to the south of Roydon NFK and separated from it by the Waveney River. He may have come to Wortham because that was where Stephen Smith, who was likely his uncle, had settled after his marriage in Bardwell in 1610 (see below). He was listed in Wortham in the 1638 Roster of Able Men of Suffolk 83, but not in the 1639/40 Ships Money Returns, and he died before the 1674 Hearth Tax. He and Ann had the following children:
1. Ann - baptised 28 June 1640 in Wortham 84 and died and was buried in Wortham 22 November 1669. Her nuncupative will 85 made just prior to her death provided for her surviving siblings Thomas, William, Susan and Elizabeth;
2. Thomas - baptised 6 August 1643 in Wortham and married Anne Hastling 3 Oct. 1670 in Wortham, both parties single. Anne may have been the Anne Heath who was buried in Diss 26 January 1692/3. Thomas then married a Mary ___ 86 who he named as his wife in his will of 1713. He probably went with his siblings to Roydon about 1684. Thomas died and was buried 8 November 1713 in Roydon and his will 87 appointed his brother William and William’s son William as his executors. He had the following children:
a. Thomas - baptised 10 March 1671/2 in Wortham and married in Diss 21 May 1693 to Mary Pattrick (also Pattreg, Pattridge and Partridge) and had at least one child baptised there - Mary 31 July 1694 88. It is likely that Mary died around this time 89 and Thomas married for a second time to Ruth Pryor in Diss in 1697 (see note at end).
b. Stephen - baptised 17 January 1674/5 in Wortham and was at least in nearby Banham where he had three children baptised - Mary 1700, Thonmas 1701 and Anne 1702.
c. Mary - baptised 30 December 1677 in Wortham and married in Diss 31 October 1699 to Robert Copping/Coppin. They had a child buried October 1700 and a son Robert baptised September 1702, both in Diss.
d. William - baptised 13 March 1680/1 in Wortham and died and was buried there 16 July 1682.
The first three children received bequests from their father’s will in 1713;
3. Susan - born 1645-1647 or 1653 in ? 90 and likely the Susan Heath who married in Wortham 5 October 1671 to Thomas Lilly and ....;
4. Stephen - baptised 10 February 1649/50 in Wortham 91 but died and was buried there 2 June 1664, two days after his youngest sister Mary;
5. *William - baptised 7 February 1651/2 in Wortham (see below);
6. Elizabeth - baptised 28 April 1655 in Wortham and married in Roydon 18 August 1684 to Obediah Leech 92 and had a daughter Mary baptised 23 May 1686 in Diss, the father being “Obbediah Leth”. Elizabeth died before 1730 because in that year administration of Obediah’s estate in Attleborough was granted to his widow “Ann”; and
[gap]7. Mary - baptised 20 April 1662 in Wortham but died and was buried there 29 May 1664.
Ann Heath the wife of Thomas died and was buried in Wortham 30 September 1668. Thomas Heath, as “Thomas Heath Senior”, died and was buried in Wortham 17 March 1671/2. [get will] ________________________________________________________________________
WILLIAM HEATH & ANN ___ [Marriage 1 93]
William Heath was baptised in Wortham, Suffolk, [Hartismere 100] 7 February 1651/2, and likely married elsewhere, before moving across the river to Roydon, to Ann ______ 94. William had his son Thomas baptised in that, as yet, undetermined parish by about 1682. William and Ann, together with William's older brother Thomas and his family, arrived in Roydon beginning in 1684. They were probably also accompanied by their sister Elizabeth who married in Roydon that same year.
William and Anne had the following children:
1. Thomas probably born about 1682 or earlier, but not baptised in Roydon or Wortham and received his father's lands in Diss which William had bought from Thomas Atkinson, the brother of his second wife Anne Atkins/Atkinson, and he is likely the Thomas Heath who was buried in Diss 7 July 1728 95. If he was born about 1676 it is possible that he was the Thomas Heath who married in Roydon 29 November 1697 to Ruth Pryor and had children buried but not baptised in Diss including Ruth, baptised 29 September 1701 [not Diss or Roydon PR but where then did this information come from ?] but was buried 3 October 1701 in Diss and Thomas buried in Diss 15 March 1701/2 before Ruth, “the wife of Thomas Heath” died and was buried in Roydon 11 December 1715;
2. Anne baptised 25 May 1684 in Roydon and married 96 23 Nov. 1708 in Fersfield to Joseph Moore 97 of Thrandeston, and resided in Thrandeston (SFK) and Burston (NFK). They were likely non-conformist as only marriages and burials have been found for their children, eg. a daughter Ann married Edward Moore [sic] 19 Nov. 1728 in Burston. Anne died in Burston but was buried in Roydon 6 Sept. 1733;
3. William baptised 3 January 1685/6 in Roydon and married [by Lic. NCC #678] 7 Feb. 1710/11 in Roydon to Mary Burroughs 98 of Burston and they appear to have had all their children 99 baptised in Diss before William died there 30 March 1731. [get will] Mary died in Brissingham but was buried in Roydon 11 July 1733 100. William was a linen weaver;
4. Robert baptised 1 December 1689 in Roydon but died and was buried in Roydon 18 April 1711;
5. Richard baptised 14 May 1693 in Roydon but died 26 August 1705 and was buried in Roydon three days later;
6. Jonathan, twin with John, born 17 May 1696 and baptised a day later in Roydon, married 1. 20 October 1719 in Thrandeston SFK to Susan Rockett “of Diss” 101 (she d. 13 Oct. 1741 in Diss) and 2. 7 Nov. 1745 in Diss to Mrs. Ann Long, and resided in Diss. He died in Diss 21 May 1758 aged 67. [get will] Ann may have been the Ann Heath who was buried in Burston in 1755. Jonathan and Susan had at least 2 children baptised in Diss: Samuel in 1720 and Penelope in 1732/3;
7. John, twin with Jonathan, born 17 May 1696 and baptised a day later in Roydon but likely died as an infant 102 because he is not referred to in his father’s will made in 1712;
8. Samuel born 11 September 1697 and baptised 19 September 1697 in Roydon but likely died as an infant because he is not referred to in his father’s will made in 1712; and
9. Elisha baptised 27 November 1698 in Roydon but died 29 July 1706 and was buried in Roydon two days later.
Anne "the wife of William Heath" died about 8 December and was buried in Roydon 9 December 1698, 2 weeks after the birth of their son Elisha.
WILLIAM HEATH & ANN ATKINS [Marriage 2]
Despite being left with a family of young children ranging in age from 16 to 1, William Heath did not remarry for another 5 years until on 7 October 1703 he married in Diss 103 to Ann Atkins/Atkinson 104 . William and Anne had the following children:
10. Sarah baptised in Roydon 25 November 1704 but died and was buried there 4 March 1705;
11. Thomas [sic] 105 born 10 April and baptised in Roydon 6 May 1706 and died in in Roydon 2 June 1741 intestate and apparently unmarried. He was a linen weaver 106; and
12. *Samuel baptised in Roydon 27 March 1709 (see below).
Four years after the birth of his last child Samuel, William died and was buried in Roydon 30 December 1713 107. His will 108 referred to his wife and 5 children: “eldest son Thomas”, Jonathan, Ann Moore (wife of Joseph Moore, of Thrandeston) and Thomas and Samuel “youngest sons”, but does not mention his 2nd oldest son William. However, as the 1713 will of his brother Thomas Heath (who died just a month before William Sr.) appointed both his brother William and “William, the son of my brother William” as co-executors, it is likely that William’s son William was still alive and may have received a bequest outside of his father’s will.
William was listed as a farmer on the MLB for his daughter Anne in 1708 and a “yeoman” in his will, although his land holdings appeared to consist only of a 1 acre 1 rod parcel in the lane of Sparrows (or Church) Close which he bought in 1706 109 and a parcel in Diss which he “lately” 110 purchased from his wife’s brother Thomas Atkinson [sic] 111. The NRO has deeds relating to an enclosure (part of the Pound Pieces) in Diss Rectory Manor, and part in Diss Members Manor, that from 1619 passed from Manning to Le Grys to Atkinson to Heath to Ward etc. and part of which was ultimately acquired by James Newson from E.S.Wiseman in 1780.
Ann Atkins, the widow of William Heath, married 1 March 1714/15 in Roydon to William Just 112, widower and, as Ann Just, widow, died and was buried 14 December 1732 in Roydon 113, her husband William having predeceased her on 28 August 1726 in Roydon, intestate 114.
SAMUEL HEATH & MARY DOGGETT
Samuel was baptised 25 March 1709 in Roydon to William Heath and Ann Atkins. On 10 Nov. 1723 Samuel Heath aged 14, son of William Heath, dec’d, was apprenticed to William Algar a weaver of Roydon 115. On 3 August 1734 in nearby Thelveton Samuel Heath of Roydon married Mary Doggett 116 daughter of Thomas and Susan of Roydon. Samuel and Mary had the following children, all born and baptised in Roydon:
1. Mary b. June 1735 m. 27 March 1768 to Charles Linstead and resided in______ d. September 1781 in Roydon. They had at least one child, a daughter Mary, in Roydon in 1770 (she m. John Rayson and died 1796 aged 26). After Mary’s death, Charles remarried in Roydon 117 1782 to Jane Rayson, and had a daughter Harriet in 1790. A Charles Linstead married Susanna Styles in Roydon by licence in 1805. Charles, a carpenter, died in Roydon in 1824 leaving all of his estate to his wife;
2. Anne b. May 1736 and died October 1773 apparently unmarried. Charles Osborne, a “base child”, was born to Anne Heath in Diss in 1762;
3. *Susan b. May 1738 m. 1757 to Robert Newson and died 18 January 1796 in Roydon (see above);
4. Samuel b. 1739 and died in 1746;
5. Rhoda b. May 1741 and died May 1743;
6. William b. December 1743 and apprenticed in 1768 [probably an error for 1758] to John Read of Palgrave, carpenter. William m. c. 1766 to Sarah 118 ____ (she d. 1800) and Mary Potter 12 October 1801 in Diss and died May 1810 in Diss but was buried in Roydon 119. He was a carpenter by trade;
7. Rhoda b. July 1745 and died January 1798 unmarried 120;
8. Minter 121 (Aminta) b. June 1747 and m. July 1772 to Thomas Robinson 122 and had issue in Bressingham from 1782 to 1787. She was buried 16 Dec. 1824 in Bressingham “aged 77";
9. Samuel b. 1749 and died in 1751;
10. Phoebe b. February 1752, married May 1773 to Edward Reeve 123 and d. 17 April 1818 in Roydon. She and Edward appear to have had no children 124; and
11. Robert b. December 1753, married 29 April 1778 125 to Mary Davy and buried 30 January 1831 in Roydon 126, although resident in Tottington where he may have died. [get will]
On the death of his brother Thomas in 1741 Samuel became sole owner of his father’s copyhold land (half of 2 acres) in Sparrow (Church) Close in Roydon. Samuel was described in his will as a Linen Weaver, as was his brother Thomas. With the death of Thomas, Samuel Heath’s family and Rhoda Heath appeared to be the only Heaths still living in Roydon.
Samuel Heath died in Roydon and was buried there 17 June 1772 127. Mary, nee Doggett, died and was buried 5 October 1770 in Roydon.
Heaths - Unaccounted for:
Ann Heath who died at Diss but was buried in Bressingham 26 January 1692/3;
Robert Heath had the following children baptised in Diss but since the Diss parish registers in this period did not record the name of the mother there is uncertainty concerning their exact parentage:
Thomas, baptised 15 March 1701/2 in Diss but possibly buried there 22 May 1702; and
Ann baptised in Diss 16 April 1704 and possibly the Ann Heath who married in Diss by licence to John Clarke, 1 October 1731 128;
Mary Heath who married Robert Copping 31 October 1699 in Diss and had children buried but not baptised there;
Anne Heath who died 5 November 1737 in Diss. (although see Anne b. 1736 above);
Mary Heath, widow of Diss, married in Diss by licence to Samuel Martin, 19 October 1731 129 (see above);
Thomas & Mary Heath who had 3 children baptised in Tivesthall St. Mgt. 1707-1711 (though no parents names provided for 2);
William Heath buried in Tivetshall St. Mgt. 1711.
SMITH 130
Elizabeth Smith was born about1585 and married Robert Heth (b.c.1583) 28 October 1607 in Badwell Ash, Suffolk 131. Their children were 1. Tertullian 1608/9; 2. Thomas 1612; 3. Richard 1613/4; 4. Stephen 1617; 5. William1620; 6. Elizabeth1623; and 7. Dorothy 1627, the first five baptised in Bardwell, the last two in Ixworth.
The 1633 will of George Whiting of Ixworth 132 left one-half of all his land in Ixworth and one-half of his other possessions to Robert Heath and appointed Richard Smith as his executor. It is very possible that Richard Smith was related to Elizabeth, the wife of Robert Heath, as their third son was named Richard. A Richard Smythe had three children baptised in Badwell Ash from 1615 to 1620 - Asher(?) [sic], Richard and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth the daughter of Robert Smith was baptised 31 July 1571 in Badwell Ash (the same day as her brother and likely twin Thomas) but, unless Elizabeth was a widow it is very unlikely that her first marriage occurred when she was 36 and, in any event, her last child was born in 1627 and Elizabeth, born 1571, would have been 56 and most probably beyond child-bearing age. Robert Smithe had married Elizabeth Smithe alias Hovell 133 30 May 1568 in Badwell Ash and although there were 7 other baptisms of Smith children from 1574 to 1584 - Robert 1574, John 1576, Thomas 1576 (but other sources say the son of John - see below), Sara 1580 (d.1580), Sara 1581/2, John 1582/3 and Richard 1584 - none were identified by the parents' names but any or all could have been the children of Robert and Elizabeth Smith and therefore siblings of Elizabeth and Thomas, particularly as Thomas, Richard and Dorothy were names given to children of Robert Heath and Elizabeth Smith. Robert Smithe the elder sold land in Badwell Ash to John Pattell as did the executors of Thomas Hovell alias Smith and both these transactions were referred to it in Pattell's 1590 will 134 which was witnessed by Robert Smithe. Hovells alias Smythe were present in Great Ashfield, next to Badwell Ash, where Robert and Mirable had a daughter Elizabeth baptised in 1575, and elsewhere in Suffolk.
As there are no other applicable entries in the Badwell Ash registers, it is likely that Elizabeth was born or baptised elsewhere. John Smith had a son Thomas baptised in Badwell Ash in 1576 before his wife Alice was buried there the same year. John Smith (perhaps the same) had a daughter Dorothy baptised in Badwell Ash in 1593 and was, that year, a churchwarden there. William Smyth was the witness to the will of Robert Farrowe of Badwell Ashe made and proved in 1566 and William Smith of Haughlie was the supervisor of the 1565 will of John Buckle of Elmswell.
There was only one entry prior to 1608 for a Smith in the Bardwell Parish Registers and that was the baptism in 1581 of John Smith the son of John. Later entries there included the baptisms of Woodds Smyth son of Johan, spinster, in 1611, a son to William and Sarah Smyth in ___ and several children to John Smyth and Alice Reeve who married in 1617. In nearby Ixworth the wife of Nicholas Smith was buried in 1591.
However, a Stephen Smyth, single man, married Anne Buckenham in Bardwell 27 September 1610, shortly after Robert and Elizabeth Heath first appear in the parish and, as the fourth child of Robert and Elizabeth Heath was named Stephen, it is very possible that he was the brother of Elizabeth. There were no baptismal entries for children of Stephen and Anne in Bardwell so it is likely that they moved to another parish.
The “wife of Stephen Smith” (likely Anne) was buried in Wortham 5 March 1611/2.
Steven Smith married Bridget Haies in Wortham in 1615 (Boyds) and they had at least six children:
1. Stephen who was born about 1622 and who had at least two children by 1657 - Bridget and Sara;
2. William who had at least two children by 1657 - William and Stephen;
3. John who had at least five children by 1657 - John, Sarah, Hanna, Samuel and Mary;
4. James baptised in Wortham 1626/7;
5. Robert baptised in Wortham 1628/9; and
6. Bridget baptised in Wortham 1631 and died in 1660, unmarried, with a will 135 which provided for her brother Robert and the children of her brothers Stephen, William and John.
Stephen Smith of Wortham left a will in 1634 136 which was witnessed by John Buckenham and which gave his land in Feltham (likely the local name for Thelnetham which is the next parish to the west of Redgrave) and Redgrave Hall Manor in Wortham to his wife Bridgett and sons Stephen, James and Robert.
Three children of Stephen Smith were baptised in Redgrave, the next parish to the west of Wortham, from 1613 to1615 - Susan, John and Anne. and Steven Smith married Tabitha Coppingford 30 Nov. 1614 in Redgrave 137.
Thomas Smith or Fox had the following baptised in Ixworth, just south east of Bardwell and west of Badwell Ash, some entries identifying his wife as Elizabeth 138:
1. William 27 Nov. 1569;
2. Roger 23 Nov. 1572;
3. Elizabeth 8 Feb. 1576/7 but likely died shortly thereafter;
4. John 16 Feb. 1578/9;
5. Elizabeth 27 Jan. 1580/1;
6. Thomasine 8 July 1582;
7. Richard 2 May 1586, likely a twin with;
8. Robert 2 May 1586;
9. Christian 16 July 1587;
10. Edmund 14 Dec. 1589; and
11. John 30 April 1592.
If Elizabeth born 1581/2 was the Elizabeth who married Robert Heath in 1607 she would have been 25 at the time and 39 in 1627 when her last child was born. Their first son (outside of Tertulian, an obvious exception, was named Thomas and their first daughter was Elizabeth. The 1568 Suffolk Subsidy did not, however, contain an entry for Thomas Smith or Fox in Ixworth, although there was a Thomas Smith in Wyverston, Hartismere, just to the west of Badwell Ash. In any event, there was no Stephen in this family.
John Smith had a daughter Elizabeth baptised 30 June 1583 in Rattlesden.
Atkins and Atkinsons 139 were present in the area of the Waveney Valley, essentially the border between Norfolk and Suffolk, from early times although not in Diss. James Atkinge married Elizabeth Belward in 1576 in Chedgrave and Elizabeth Atkinson married Robert Browne in 1588 in Starston.
THOMAS ATKINS & ELIZABETH ____
Thomas Atkins was born about 1625 140 married Elizabeth ______ 141 in about 1652 and had at least the following children baptised in Diss, only two of whom apparently survived to adulthood:
1. Thomas born about 1653? 142 although not apparently in Diss, married Sary Calton 14 November 1675 in Diss 143, and had six children baptised there 144. Thomas Atkins or Atkinson, cordwainer (shoemaker), died in Diss and was buried there 30 January 1710/11, intestate 145. According to the will of William Heath 146 (see above), Thomas had sold his land in Roydon to William and was there identified as Thomas Atkinson the brother of William’s wife. Sarah Atkins, the wife of Thomas Atkins, died and was buried in Diss 14 October 1710;
2. John Atkinson 27 August 1655 but was probably the _____ Atkins buried in Diss 17 June 1658;
3. Elizabeth Atkins 30 November 1660 but died and, as Elizabeth the daughter of Thomas Adkins, was buried in Diss 26 June 1665;
4. John Adkins 1 July 1663 but buried in Diss 28 July 1663;
5. Anne Adkins 1 November 1664 147 but died and, as Anne the daughter of Thomas Adkens, was buried in Diss 23 November 1665, 5 months after the death of her sister Elizabeth; and
6. *Anne Adkins 12 January 1669/70, married William Heath 7 October 1703 in Diss and, after his death in 1713, married 1 March 1714/15 in Roydon to William Just, widower. She died and was buried 14 December 1732 in Roydon, her husband William having predeceased her on 28 August 1726 in Roydon, intestate.
Thomas Atkins, a shoemaker, first appeared in the Diss Parish Registers in August of 1655 148 and did not appear in any of the Diss Manor Courts before ____, so he likely had come into the parish in 1655 from another parish, large enough to support at least one shoemaker.
Thomas Adkins, “the husband of Elizabeth”, died and was buried in Diss 8 July 1670 149, apparently intestate. According to the inventory of his assets done 3 August 1670 and filed 16 December 1670 he was a shoemaker.
Elizabeth was likely the Elizabeth Adkens who married 1 Nov. 1672 in Diss to William Kent, although her marital status was not given. Elizabeth would have been about 44 years old at the time and no children were recorded to this couple in Diss. Elizabeth the wife of William Kent was buried in Diss 7 August 1681.
It is likely that, after the death of Elizabeth, William Kent married in Bressingham 11 September 1685 to ___ 150 Lemman and was the William Kent, baker, of Bressingham 151 who was buried there 26 April 1702 and whose will 152 left money to his wife Elizabeth and god-daughter Mary Keene.
Others Not Yet Accounted For -
- Sara Atkins, widow, was buried in Scole in 1677.
- Mary Atkins married John Reve 23 Nov. 1680 in Roydon.
- Henry Adkens, likely an adult, was buried in Diss 12 January 1688/9 - no will found
- Francis Atkins, likely an adult, was buried in Diss 18 December 1710 - no will found.
E:\Heath.wpd November 17, 2022
