Thomas Willets

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Burial: 17 January 1621/2.

Place of Burial: Rowley Regis, Staffordshire.

The burial is recorded in the parish register, which specifies that Thomas was of "Holcome".

Relationships

Father: Thomas Wylotes.

Mother: Margaret. 

Thomas is named in his father’s will. 

Spouse: Ellen Chambers alias Ireland. 

See the Commentary section on Ellen’s page for an explanation of the evidence. 

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project. All children were baptized in Rowley-Regis.)

William Willets (baptized 29 June 1566).

Thomas Willets (baptized 8 November 1568).

Richard Willets (baptized 13 October 1573) married Elizabeth Dudley.

Margery Willets married Richard Foley 9 February 1602/3 in Rowley Regis.

Eleanor Willets.

Evidence

The 1565 will of Thomas Wylletts of Rowley Regis mentions his father, John Wylletts, his wife Isabel, and his brother John Wylletts. It also mentions that he owes money to another Thomas Wyllets, who is presumably the Thomas Willets of this page.

Thomas was a witness to the 1585 will of William Grove of Rowley. Other witnesses were John Cartwright and John Darby. 

In the 1586 Quarter Sessions, a Thomas Wyllettes from Rowley Regis provided sureties for the owners of three alehouses: Maria Astley, Nicholas Taylor, and Richard Harris. Joining him in providing these sureties were: Thomas Gordon, Richard Waterhouse, and Thomas Russell.

A 1596 Star Chamber Fine:

De Thoma Willetts de holcombe p[ar]ochie de Rowley p[re]d' yeo. XXs

Pleadings from the National Archives Catalogue (C 2/Eliz/C24/7):

1602

Plaintiffs: William Colborne of Rowley, Staffordshire, gent.

Defendants: William Cartwright, Thomas Willetts and Thomas Russell.

Subject: Conspiracy to force plaintiff to pay debt of Edward Sutton (or Dudley), fourth Lord Dudley, deceased, despite agreement that payment was to be shared by plaintiff and defendants.

References

Adams, Percy W. L. (ed.). Rowley Regis Parish Register, Part I with index (Staffordshire Parish Registers Society, 1912).

Will of John Chambers alias Ireland. Proved 1599 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

Will of Thomas Wylletts of Rowley Regis. Proved 1565.

Will of William Grove of Rowley. Proved 1586 in the Consistory Court of Worcester.