Ann Pigott

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: after 1554.

Place of Death: unknown.

Ann is named in her mother’s 1554 will.

Relationships

Father: Thomas Piggot.

Mother: Elizabeth (or Isabella) Oneley.

These relationships are given in the 1623 Visitation of Shropshire (p. 401). Elizabeth’s will names her daughter Ann (Yonge) and her “cousin” John Salter (Ann’s son). Ann’s son John, in his will, names cousins who must be related to him through Ann’s father Thomas. See the Commentary section for more detail.

Spouse: Richard Salter.

This relationship is discussed on Richard’s page. Richard died in about 1551.

Spouse: unknown Yonge.

Ann is called Ann Yonge in her mother’s 1554 will.

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

Thomas Salter married Alice Lawley.

Richard Salter married Jane Samuels.

John Salter (born in Wrockwardine - probably died about 1557). John appears to have had an illegitimate son, David, with Katherine Fenimore. John was of Littlehales, Shropshire.

Rosa Salter

Robert Salter (died 1612) married Katherine. Robert was of Littlehales.

William Salter (buried 12 July 1582 in Edgmond, Shropshire).

Margaret Salter married George Childer 10 October 1586 in Albrighton (near Shifnal), Shrop[shire.

Ann Salter married (1) William Dudley 30 August 1584 in Albrighton; married (2) Edward Grove

Commentary

The “Pigott of Chetwyn” pedigree given Grazebrook and Rylands comes from the manuscript copy of the 1623 Visitation preserved in the Shrewsbury School Library, but doesn’t appear in Harl. MSS. 1396 or 1241. There are several errors in it:

• The Pigotts of Chetwyn are made to descend from the Pigotts of Willaston (They didn’t.)

• The wife of Robert Pigott of Chetwin (sheriff in 1517) is given as Margaret, daughter to Sir John Blount. Robert’s IPM makes clear that her name was Mary, and chronology and other evidence indicate that she was the daughter of Sir Humphrey Blount, not Sir John.

• The (alleged) second wife of Thomas Pigott is given as Agnes, daughter of Richard Crofts. The wills of Thomas and his widow Elizabeth/Isabella (Oneley) make clear that this marriage never took place. Agnes was in fact the wife of Mary Blount’s brother, Sir Thomas Blount.

• The second wife of the younger Robert Pigott of Chetwyn is given as Jane, daughter of Thomas Pontesbury and widow of ...Oneley. Jane was in fact the second wife of Robert’s father Thomas.

Apart from the first, all of the errors involve misplacing women who are actually are connected to the Pigotts in some way. Given this, I take the Visitation to be evidence for Ann Pigott’s marriage to Richard Salter, although one wishes it were better evidence.

The Visitation shows Ann Pigott to be a sister of the Robert Pigott who married Elizabeth Gatacre. This works chronologically and is consistent with other evidence (Robert’s mother Elizabeth Oneley calls Ann’s son John Salter her “cousin” in her will. If the Visitation’s placement of Ann’s marriage is correct, John Salter would actually be Elizabeth’s grandson. Her calling him her “cousin”, however, is consistent with usage at the time and Elizabeth’s own usage elsewhere in the will, where she refers to the husband of another grandchild as “my cosen William Humfreston”. Both John Salter and William Humfreston were executors of Elizabeth’s will.)

The 1557 will of Ann’s son John Salter also mentions “my Cossyn Humfrestons”. In this case, John is referring to the husband of his first cousin (in the modern sense). John also makes his executors “my Cossyns John Cotts and Robert Pygott esquiers”. The latter was Ann Pigott’s brother, mentioned above, and thus John’s uncle in modern terms (according to the Visitation and this page). I believe John Cotts was John Cotes of Woodcote, a grandchild of Mary Blount’s sister Eleanor and thus a second cousin of John’s mother Ann Pigott. John also mentions a cousin Isabel Aspley whom I have not yet traced. She was the daughter of Richard Aspley of Newport. Richard’s 1556 will names his daughter, Isabel, and John Salter was a witness.

Taken altogether, I find the evidence that the Ann who married Richard Salter was a Pigott to be overwhelming, and the evidence that she was the daughter of Thomas Pigott and Elizabeth Oneley to be good enough.

References

The Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol. XXIV (1867).

The Visitation of Shropshire, 1623. Paul Grazebrook and John Paul Rylands, eds. (London, 1889).

Will of John Salter of Littlehales, Edgmond, Shropshire. Dated 1557, proved 1597, in the Consistory Court of Lichfield and Coventry. Digital images on Findmypast.co.uk accessed 12 February 2021.

Will of Isabella Pygot of Chetwynd. Proved 1554 in the Consistory Court of Lichfield and Coventry.

Will of Richard Aspley of Newport. Proved 1556 in the Consistory Court of Lichfield and Coventry.

Will of Thomas Pygot of Chetwynd. Proved 1549 in the Consistory Court of Lichfield and Coventry.