Mary Bulstrode

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Place of Burial: Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England (St Mary’s).

In his will, Mary’s husband asks to be buried near her in this church.

Date of Death: between 28 September 1503 and 2 December 1508.

Mary is mentioned in the will of her father-in-law, Richard Fyfield alias Lowe, but died before her husband made his will.

Relationships

Father: Richard Bulstrode.

Mother: Alice Kniffe.

See the Commentary section below.

Spouse: John Fyfield alias Lowe (died about 1509).

The will of John’s father, Richard, mentions John and John’s wife, Mary.

Children:

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

Lettice Fyfield

Anne Fyfield married John Pykerell between 1528 and 1540.

Elizabeth Fyfield married Robert Draper.

Margaret Fyfield married Robert Tybbott; married someone with the surname of Flete.

Elizabeth Fyfield married John Bacon between 1528 and 1540.

Gervais Fyfield.

Commentary

The arms described by Nichols (pp. 224-225) imply that Mary was the daughter of Richard Bulstrode and Alice Kniffe.

The arms, dated to the late 1500s, were on stained glass in a mansion in Norton Folgate granted to Mary’s son in law Robert Draper in 1544. Among other arms, related to the families of Draper and of his son in law John Bowyer, was a window showing arms of Fifield alias Lowe and Kirktofte impaling arms of Bulstrode, Kniffe, Norris, etc. This clearly implies that a daughter or female descendant of Richard Bulstrode and Alice Kniffe married a Fifield alias Lowe male. Richard and Alice were married in 1455 and had close to twenty children, one named Mary.

Let’s examine the possibilities.

On the Fyfield alias Lowe side, we start with Elizabeth Fyfield, Robert Draper’s wife. Her father, John Fyfield alias Lowe, married the Mary of this page. Her grandfather, Richard Fyfield alias Lowe, married Isabella Bowland. Her great-grandfather, John Fyfield alias Lowe, would have been too old to marry a Bulstrode/Kniffe daughter. From the Fyfield alias Lowe angle, it appears that the only possible Bulstrode marriage would be with the Mary of this page.

On the Bulstrode side, Mary, the daughter of Richard Bulstrode and Alice Kniffe, would have been in the right generation to be the Mary of this page. She would have been born sometime between 1455 and say 1480. The Mary of this page had at least six children before her death between 1503 and 1508. It is perhaps conceivable that a granddaughter of Richard Bulstrode and Alice could have been old enough to be the Mary of this page, but that is pushing the chronology. Richard’s son and heir Edward was born in 1474, his several elder brothers presumably dying before then.

References

Nichols, John Gough. “Bowyer of Camberwell” in Surrey Archaeological Collections, Volume 3, pages 220 - 226,(London: Lovell Reeve & Co., 1865).

Will of John Fyfehide otherwise called John Lowe, Gentleman of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, in Church of England. Province of Canterbury. Prerogative Court. Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Probate Records, 1384-1858, PROB 11/17/3.

Will of Richard Fifeld, Gentleman of Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, in Church of England. Province of Canterbury. Prerogative Court. Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Probate Records, 1384-1858, PROB 11/14/426.