Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Burial: 4 May 1654.
Place of Burial: Rowley Regis, Staffordshire.
The burial is recorded in the parish register (Elizabeth wife of Richard Willett).
Relationships
Father: William Dudley.
Mother: Ann Salter.
See the Commentary section.
Spouse: Richard Willets.
See the Commentary section.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Edward Willets (baptized 21 March 1609/10 - probably buried 3 January 1660/1 in Rowley Regis).
Ann Willets (baptized 28 September 1611) married Henry Payton 3 May 1636 in Dudley (St Edmund’s).
Thomas Willets (baptized 20 February 1614/15 - buried 11 June 1672 in Rowley Regis) married Mary Russell 30 May 1639 in Clent, Worcestershire.
Elizabeth Willets (baptized 21 January 1616 - buried 23 July 1640 in Rowley Regis).
Marie Willets (baptized 21 January 1616).
Sara Willets (baptized 10 August 1617).
Richard Willets (baptized 1 November 1619 - buried 27 October 1681 in Rowley Regis).
Margery Willets (baptized 14 October 1621 - buried 13 July 1701 in Rowley Regis).
Catherine Willets (baptized 25 February 1624/25).
John Willets (buried 15 July 1687 in Rowley Regis) married Elizabeth Dowler 6 October 1670 in Rowley Regis.
William Willets (buried 10 August 1682 in Rowley Regis)
Samuel Willets (27 December 1631) married Margaret.
Commentary
Elizabeth’s parentage and husband:
A 1616 fine records a sale by Edward Grove, Anne his wife, Thomas Dudley, and William Dudley to Henry Grove and Richard Willet of some land in Rowley Regis. The mention of Edward’s wife in the transaction implies that the property had come to Edward through his wife Anne, Thomas and William Dudley being likely related to Anne. (If it had not come through Anne, it is unlikely she would have been mentioned.)
In his 1634 will, Edward Grove mentions “my dawghter in law Elizabeth Willetts” and “her daughter Sara Willetts”. He also mentions “my sonne in lawe Francs Penne” and “his wife Mary Penne my daughter in lawe”, and “my sonne in lawe Willm Dudley”. Mary Dudley had married Francis Penne 16 February 1613/4 in West Bromwich. William Dudley had married Mary Wilye 21 April 1616 in West Bromwich.
The 1598 will of William Dudley names his wife Anne and their children Thomas, William, Elizabeth, and Mary Dudley.
It is clear that Edward Grove married William Dudley’s widow Ann, and is sometimes using the terms “son in law” and “daughter in law” to mean “stepson” and “stepdaughter”, as was common usage in the period.
Further evidence that William and Ann’s daughter Elizabeth married Richard Willetts is that Richard Willetts is one of the witnesses to Edward Grove’s will, and that Richard and Elizabeth Willetts had a daughter Sarah (baptized in 1617 in Rowley Regis), who corresponds to the Sarah Willetts, daughter of Edward Grove’s “daughter in law” Elizabeth Willetts whom Edward mentions in his will. Richard Willett’s wife is known to have been named Elizabeth, through her burial record.
The maiden name of William Dudley’s wife Ann is known from their marriage record, and because William names his brother-in-law Robert Salter in his will.
References
Adams, Percy W. L. (ed.). Rowley Regis Parish Register, Part I with index (Staffordshire Parish Registers Society, 1912).
Will of Edward Grove of West Bromwich. Proved 1641 in the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry.
Will of Richard Willets of Rowley Regis. Proved 1661 in the Worcester Consistory Court. Digital images on FamilySearch.org accessed 31 July 2018.
Will of William Dudley of West Bromwich. Proved 1598 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.