Events
Date of Baptism: 5 April 1574.
Place of Baptism: Sheldwich, Kent.
The baptism is recorded in the archdeacon’s transcripts of the parish register.
Date of Death: unknown.
Place of Death: unknown.
Agnes was still alive when her step-daughter Ursula made her 1640 will.
Relationships
Father: Gabriel Giles.
Mother: Susan Austen.
See the Commentary section.
Spouse: Sampson Pierce. Married 5 May 1600 in Sheldwich, Kent.
The marriage is recorded in the archdeacon’s transcripts of the parish register. Sampson, in his will, named his “brother” Robert Giles.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Gabriel Pierce (buried 7 December 1669 in Charing, Kent) married Katherine Joslin 20 July 1623 in St Ann, Blackfriars, London.
John Pierce (buried 4 March 1602/3 in Challock)
Elizabeth Pierce (baptized 14 October 1603 in Challock) married Willam Downe.
Abigail Pierce (baptized 16 March 1605/6 in Stalisfield - buried 25 July 1646 in Charing, Kent) married (1) James Wise 23 November 1626; married (2) John Weekes.
Anne Pierce (baptized 13 March 1607/8 in Stalisfield) married Henry Whitfield.
Michael Pierce (baptized 8 July 1610 in Stalisfield) married Mary Colvin (marriage licence 11 September 1640).
John Pierce (baptized 14 February 1612/3 in Stalisfield - buried 16 August 1654 in Charing, Kent) married Elizabeth Stonehouse (licence 22 June 1644).
George Pierce (baptized 2 August 1615 in Stalisfield) married Mary Rayner (marriage bond 23 January 1637).
Commentary
Agnes’s parentage:
It is clear that Agnes had a brother Robert, because Agnes’s husband Sampson mentioned his “brother” Robert Giles in his will.
It is also clear that Agnes had a brother named Thomas. In his 1621 will, Thomas Gyles of Sheldwich named his “sister Pearce”.
In his will dated 16 February 1618, Gabriel Giles of Sheldwich, gentleman, made his son Robert his executor. He also mentioned his two sons Thomas Gylles the elder and Thomas Gylles the younger.
Other relationships in Gabriel’s will and Thomas’s will make clear that the Thomas of the 1621 will was Gabriel’s son. Gabriel made his son-in-law Arthur Franklyn his overseer, while Thomas made a bequest to Arthur Franklin and his wife Frances, and elsewhere in his will made a bequest to “my sister Franclen & to her children”. Gabriel in his will named his godson Gabriel Richarde, while Thomas in his will named his “kinsmen” Henry Richarde and Gabriell Richarde, and made Gabriell Richarde an overseer.
The baptisms of Robert, the two Thomases, and Agnes Giles are all recorded in Sheldwich, with the father recorded as Gabriel.
Agnes’s eldest son was named “Gabriel”.
Taken together, the evidence is clear that Agnes was a daughter of Gabriel Giles.
Agnes was baptized in 1574. Gabriel married his first wife Susan Austen in 1564 in Sheldwich, and Susan was buried there in 1576.
References
Archdeacon’s transcripts of the parish register of Stalisfield, Kent. Digital images on FamilySearch.org accessed 24 May 2025.
Will of Gabriel Giles of Shedwich, gentleman. Proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury. Digital images on FamilySearch.org.
Will of Thomas Gyles of Shedwich. Proved 1623 in the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury. Digital images on FamilySearch.org.
Will of Sampson Piers. Proved 1615 in the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury. Digital images on FamilySearch.org accessed 24 May 2025.