Thomas Forrest
Thomas was a keeper of Dunclent Park, Worcestershire.
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: 1511.
Place of Death: unknown.
Thomas’s will is dated 12 March 1511 and it was proved 9 October 1511.
Place of Burial: Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire.
In his will, Thomas asked to be buried before the high rood in the parish church of Chaddesley Corbett. There are memorial brasses of Thomas and his wife Margaret in the church.
Relationships
Father: Robert Forrest.
This relationship is recorded in a deed from 1501.
Mother: unknown.
Spouse: Margaret.
Thomas names his wife "Margett" in his will. Margaret is also named on a memorial brass in the parish church of Chaddesley Corbett.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Joan Forrest married Kenelme Smith.
Eleanor Forrest.
Four other daughters.
(probably) Thomas Forrest (died between 1549 and 1556) married Margery, a daughter of John Hedde.
(probably) William Forrest of Cradley (buried 15 December 1566 in Halesowen) married Margaret.
Three other sons.
Evidence
A 1475 fine (National Archives CP 25/1/260/28, number 8.):
Digital image from AALT. An abstract is given on Some Notes on Medieval Genealogy:
County: Worcestershire
Place: Westminster
Date: Two weeks from Easter, 15 Edward IV [9 April 1475].
Parties: John Acton' and Thomas Forest, querents, and Richard Lowe of Enfeld, esquire, and Eleanor, his wife, deforciants.
Property: 3 messuages in Kydermynstre.
Action: Plea of covenant.
Agreement: Richard and Eleanor have acknowledged the messuages to be the right of John, as those which John and Thomas have of their gift, and have remised and quitclaimed them from themselves and the heirs of Eleanor to John and Thomas and the heirs of John for ever.
Warranty: Warranty
For this: John and Thomas have given them 20 pounds sterling.
A letter sent in 1485 by George Nevill, 4th Lord Bergavenny, to Thomas Forrest, who was bailiff of his manor of Kidderminster, is given in Burton (37-38). He was probably the Thomas Forrest of this page.
from the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service (National Archives catalogue):
from 705:222/5672/1
Bond from William Hoggekes, formerly of Kyngswynford [Kingswinford], Staffordshire, yeoman, to Thomas Forest to secure peaceable possession of land in Bettcote [Bedcote] and Oldeswyneford [Old Swinford]. no. 12. 25 Nov. 1498
Quit claim by William Hoggekes, son of Richard Hoggekes, to Thomas Forest relating to land, tenements and appurtenances in the manor of Bettcote [Bedcote] and Oldswynford [Old Swinford]. no. 13. 25 Nov. 1498
Gift from Thomas Forest, son of Robert Forest, to Thomas Lathon, William Tyler, John Hill, Richard Shapey, Thomas Kyndon, Henry Richardes and William Sherewyn of a croft, cottage and land with appurtenances in Oldswynford [Old Swinford] no. 14. 28 June 1501
Gift from William Thacher, son of Richard Thacher, to Thomas Forest, Thomas Lathon, William Tyler, John Hyll, Richard Shapey, Thomas Kyndon and Henry Richardes, of land with appurtenances in Shenston[e] in the parish of Stone. no. 15. 28 June 1501
Gift from the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of the Blessed Mary, Warrewic [Warwick], proprietors of the church of Stone, to Thomas Foreste, guardian of Duncley [Dunclent] Park in the parish of Stone, of land to build a chapel to the Virgin Mary. no. 16. 11 Aug. 1502
from the National Archives catalogue:
Chancery pleadings:
C 1/235/31
Short title: Forrest v Mildenham.
Plaintiffs: Thomas Forrest, of Dunclent.
Defendants: Thomas [Mildenham], prior of Worcester.
Subject: Detention of deeds relating to a corrody bought of the monastery and to a messuage and lands in Kidderminster. Worcestershire
1493-1500, or 1515-1529
[digital images from AALT]
C1/886/37 (also C1/848/44-45)
Short title: Mosely v Sparry.
Plaintiffs: Edward Mosely.
Defendants: Thomas Sparry.
Subject: Messuage and land in Church Clent, formerly of Thomas Forest and Margaret, his wife. Staffordshire
1533-1538
C1/886/37-38
Short title: Sparry v Forest.
Plaintiffs: Thomas Sparry.
Defendants: Thomas Forest, son-in-law of John Hedde, deceased.
Subject: Sale of half a messuage and land in Clent, contrary to agreement, and action of waste. Staffordshire
1533-1538
C1/900/28-30
Short title: Sparrye v Forrest.
Plaintiffs: Thomas Sparrye of Walton in Clent, husbandman.
Defendants: Thomas Forrest of Stourbridge, co. Worcester, `corveser.'.
Subject: Sale to a third party of land in Clent, of which the first offer had been promised to complainant. Staffordshire
1533-1538
Thomas’s will:
In the name of god Amen In the yere of or lorde god mcccccxi that I Thomas Forest of a hole and p[er]fite mynd beyng sike in my body make my testament in this man[er] In primis I bequethe my sowle to almyhgty god and or lady seynt mary and to all the holy co[m]pany of hevyn and my body to be buryed afore the hye Rode in the p[ar]yshe church of Chaddesley paying the dewty of my lestow[?] / Itm I bequethe to or lady howse of [Worcester?] xijd Itm on my dencryon[?] to the same or lady xijd / Itm I bequethe to the hye awter of Stone xijd / Itm I bequethe to or lady of pyte in Kydermyster xijd for the lyȝgte before hur / Itm to our lady in Kydermyster next the Trynyte xijd / Itm to Jhus awter in Kydermyster xijd / Itm to or lady of Hartilbury xijd Itm to or ladys s[er]vice of Stone xxti shepe of tho that be in the kepy[n]g of Thomas Parkes or the Valew And all my beys which be w[ith] John Oldenall / Itm I bequethe my londe att lye and my howse in Stone to the Wardens of or lady chapell of Stone for our lady by tymes beyng for Increse and fowndyng of a pristes s[er]vice soe that as sone and when[s...] the rents and gifts shall a mownte to the sume of vij marc a non to syng that yere for my sowle and all crysten sowls and for the legacy I charge the same saide Wardens that I may have placebo and dirige and his peny for masse evr lastyn tymes for me my wiffe my childrene fadur modur and all crysten sowles and v tapurs lykewise ther to bre[...] the dirige while and masse while / Itm I bequethe my crofte in Worcestr Stete in Kydermyster to manteyene the small lyȝghts afore the seynts in the Rode sa[...r] and the pictur of Jhu Itm I bequethe to my dauhter Johone and to the lawfull heyrs of hur body all my ferme londs of the abbot of bordesley and for fawte of suche heyrs to Remayne to my dawhter Elinor and to hur heyrs for ev[er] durynge the saide takynge / Itm I bequethe iij s iiij d for to bye a Crysinatory to hagley churche Itm the Residewe of all my goods nott bequethed my debts paide I guve and bequethe to Margett my Wife shee to dispose for my sowle and all crysten sowles as shee semeth beste, and I make Margett my Wife my sole executore and John Goldesmythe and Thomas al...r hur ov[er]seers Wreton the xij day of marche the yere above wreton
[proved 9 October 1511]
Stanton (118-119) gives this description of Thomas’s memorial brass:
On the floor of at the east end of the south aisle is a very ancient memorial, with inlaid brass figures, representing Thos. Forest and Margaret his wife; under the man are five sons dressed similar to their father, whilst under the female are her six daughters dressed like their mother. The figures are erect, and over the head of Thomas Forest is an escutcheon, charged with two arrows, barbed and winged, in saltire; and over the head of his wife is a hunter’s horn, stringed. The hands of all the figures are clasped in the attitude of prayer, Thomas Forest having his wife on his left side, and they are turned towards each other. The sons are turned slightly to the left towards their sisters, who are turned to their right. A brass inscription, in Latin, runs round the edge of the stone (a portion of which, however, has been ruthlessly removed), which reads as follows-- Orate pro animabus Thomae Forest parcarij de Dunclent parke et Margarete Vxoris ejus ac omnium puerorum suorum quorum animabus propitietur Deus. Amen. At each corner of the memorial is an evangelical symbol; and it is said that this is the oldest brass in Worcestershire on which is engraved the representation of a civilian. It is supposed to be about 400 years old.
References
Anglo-American Legal Tradition at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/
Burton, Rev. John Richard. A History of Kidderminster with Some Short Accounts of Some Neighbouring Parishes (London: 1890).
Roper, John S. Thomas Forest, keeper of Dunclent Park, Worcestershire (Stourbridge: 1978). [I have yet not read this 15-page booklet.]
Stanton, George K. Rambles and Researches Among Worcestershire Churches with Historical Notes Relating to the Several Parishes (London: 1884).
Will of Thomas Forrest, proved 1511 in the Consistory Court of Worcester (volume 2, no. 35), FHL film 994263, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.