Anne Salter

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: unknown.

Place of Death: unknown.

Relationships

This relationship can be inferred from the 1623 Visitation of Shropshire and a number of documents cited on Richard's page. See the Commentary section below.

Brother: Robert Salter.

William Dudley names his brother in law Robert Salter in his will. The transfer of homage below and Quarter Sessions cases from 1594 given on William Dudley’s page indicate that Robert was of Littlehales.

Spouse: William Dudley. Married 30 August 1584 in Albrighton (Shifnal), Shropshire.

This relationship is recorded in William’s will. The marriage is recorded in the parish register.

Spouse: Edward Grove.

The will of Edward Grove makes clear that Ann the widow of William Dudley was his second wife. A marriage is recorded in the West Bromwich parish register with the date 21 May 1632, but the documents below strongly suggest the marriage happened well before then, probably soon after William Dudley's death. (The Ann named as Edward's wife in the 1616 fine is his second wife: his first wife was named Mary.) I am not sure if the 1632 marriage is of a different couple, or if there is some other explanation.

Children:

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

Thomas Dudley probably married Ellen Grove (a daughter of Edward Grove, his mother's second husband).

William Dudley probably married Mary Wilye married 21 April 1616.

Elizabeth Dudley (buried 4 May 1654 in Rowley Regis, Staffordshire) married Richard Willets.

Mary Dudley married Francis Penn 16 February 1613/14 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire.

Evidence

from the Shropshire Archives catalogue:

6000/4753

1601

Great Aston:-Court Baron of Walter Chetwind Esq. held October 1st 43 Eliz. Jo. Iremonger being steward. Surrender by Robert Salter of Littlehales of premises in Gt. Aston to the use of Edward Grove of Westbromarich, who is admitted tenant etc.

6000/4754

1603

Great Aston - Court Baron of the same, held December 19th 1 Jas I Ric. Bolte being Seneschal. Relatiing to the conveyance of Salter to Groves of premises in Gt. Aston. Reciting Deed of Feoffment.

6000/5588

19 December 1603

19 Dec 1 Jas I. Richard Bolton, steward. Homage. Surrenders of Edward Groves and Thomas Salter to Thomas Bullock (admitted) and of Robert Salter of Littlehales, gent, to Edward Groves of West Bromwich (admitted).

A fine (CHS p. 6):

Quindene of Easter 14 James I [1616]

Between Henry Grove and Richard Willet, complainant, and Edward Grove and Anne, his wife, Thomas Dudley, and William Dudley, deforciants of a cottage, a barn, a garden, 10 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, and 10 acres of pasture in Rowley Regis. Edward, Anne, Thomas and William remitted all right to Henry and Richard and to the heirs of Henry for which Richard and Henry gave them 41 pounds.

The will of Edward Grove

In the name of God Amen the seventh day of December anno dn’ 1634 And in the Tenthe yere of the Raigne of our Soueraigne Lord Charles by the grace of God kynge of England Scotland France & Ireland defender of the faithe &c I Edward Grove of Westbromwiche in the Countie of Staffe yoman beinge in good healthe and of good & p[er]fitt mynd & memorye gevinge thanks to God therefore Doe make & declare this my last will & testament in man[er] and forme folowinge that is to say Fyrst & pryncipallye I comend & bequeathe my soule unto the mercye of Allmyghtie God trustinge & faithfullye belevinge to be saved amongest the nomber of thellecte by the onlely merits and bloud sheadinge of Jhesus Christe my onelye savyor & Redemer And my bodye to the earthe & to be buryed in the p[ar]ishe Churche of Westbromwiche aforesaid. And I geve towards the Rep[ar]cons of the said Churche and for my burial therein tenne schillings Item I geve & bequeathe unto the poore people of westbromwich aforesaid Fortye shillings and to be distributed unto them within one yere next after my decesse by my executors with the consent of the Churche wardens of the said p[ar]ishe Item I geve & bequeathe unto my sonne Henry Grove my best doublet Jerkyn & briches and allso one Signett Rynge of gold and to my daughter Margery fyve shillings and to theire sonne Edward Grove & their daughter Anne to either of ijs vjd & to the Residue of theire Children to every of them five shillings and allso to theire sonne Richard Grove one ewe & a lambe Item I geve & bequeathe unto my dawghter Frances Crompton tenne shillings and to every of her children ijs vjd apece Item I geve & bequeathe unto my dawghter Ellen Dudley tenne shillings and to every of her Children Five shillings Item I geve & bequeathe unto my sonne Thomas Grove tenne shillings & to his wife ijs Item I geve & bequeathe unto my dawghter Jone Cowper Tenne pounds and to every of her children tenne shillings Item I geve & bequeathe unto my sone in lawe Richard Creswey my best Cloke my second Dowblett briches & Jerkin & my best sh[...] and to his dawghter Anne xijd, And to his dawghter Ellen Creswey Tenne pounds and to be sett forthe to her use within one yere nexte after my decesse Item I geve & bequeathe unto my dawghter in lawe Elizabeth Willetts iijs vjd and to her daughter Sara Willetts Fortye shillings and to every of her other children ijs apece Item I geve & bequeathe to my sonne in lawe Francs Penne my third Dowblett & briches. And I forgeve him all suche detts as he owithe me and I geve unto his wife Mary Penne my daughter in lawe my best hatt & band and to every of her children xxs a pece and I geve unto the said Mary those shepe which her husband hathe to p[ar]te of myne Item I geve unto Mr Johnson xijd and I forgeve him all suche detts as he owithe me Item unto my sonne in lawe Willm Dudley twoe shillings Item I forgeve Richard Dudley all such debts as are in my boke which he owithe me, and allso I forgeve him Five pounds p[ar]cell of the bond of Tenne pounds which he owithe me Item unto Willm Attkis sonne of Anne Atkis twenty shillings Item I geve unto every of my servants which shalbe Dwellinge with me att the tyme of my decesse twoe shillings a pece, Item I geve unto Thomas Blackham my workeday Jerkyn, Item I geve unto John Osborne my second hatt my workeday briches & my best Stockyngs Item I geve unto Richard Weston my second payre of Stockyngs & my beste shooes Item I geve unto my daughter in lawe Mary Grove twoe shillings and to her sonne Thomas Grove xijd and to her sonne Edward Grove & to her dawghter Anne Grove to either of them Tenne shillings, Item unto Thomas Gilbart my workeday dowblett Item geve unto every godchild that I have xijd a pece Item the Residewe of all my goods Cattells debts chattells & money whatt soever unbequeathed my debts paid & these legacs paid and discharged and my bodie honestlye browght to the earthe I geve and bequeathe unto Edward Grove my sonne And I doe make ordayne and Constitute the said Edward Grove my sonne my sole & lawfull executor of this my last will & testament to execute & p[er]forme the same accordinglye as my speciall trust is in him, And I make & appoynt overseers of this my will & testament my sonnes Henrye Grove & Thomas Grove desyringe them to be ayddinge & assistinge my said executor in the p[er]formance of this my will & testament and I will that they shall have for theire paynes takinge iiijs iiijd a pece/ And I desyre all my said Children to be lovinge one to an other And well and quyetlye to agree as I hope they will doe In witnes whereof I have written this my present will & testament with my own hand and hereunto putt my seal & subscribed my name the day and yere above written//

per me Edward Grove

These beinge witnesses whose names are here under written videlt Thomas Birche Richard Willetes Thomas Grand Thomas Jesson Richard Cresway Richard Cowper

[Proved 31 January 1641/2]

Commentary

That Ann’s maiden name was Salter is clear from this evidence:

The 1596 will of William Dudley names his wife Anne and his brother in law Robert Salter.
There is a 1584 marriage record of an Anne Salter and a William Dudley (in Albrighton).

The 1634/1641 will of Edward Grove of West Bromwich makes clear that Ann had a second marriage with Edward. In 1632, an Edward Grove married an Ann Dudley in West Bromwich. These seems a very long time after Ann’s first husband William died, in about 1598, but of course we don’t know the circumstances.

The 1616 fine, especially in conjunction with the previous property transactions, make it look very much as if Ann Salter had married Edward Grove soon after the death of her first husband.

Edward’s will also mentions “my dawghter Ellen Dudley”. The 1652 will of Thomas Dudley of West Bromwich names his wife Ellen and his brother in law Mr Thomas Grove. Taken together, this suggests that Thomas Dudley married Ellen Grove. (Edward Grove’s will refers to his natural children as “son” and “daughter” and his step-children as “son in law” and “daughter in law”. Thus Thomas’s brother William Dudley is called a “son in law” in Edward’s will. So Ellen Dudley appears to have been a daughter of Edward who married a Dudley rather than a step-daughter of his second wife.)

A series of documents from 1601-1603 in the Shropshire Archives catalogue record a property transaction between Robert Salter of Littlehales, gent., and Edward Grove(s) of West Bromwich. This could have been part of an agreement made on the marriage of Thomas Dudley to Ellen Grove, or perhaps even of Ann Dudley (Salter) to Edward Grove, if the 1632 marriage is by some strange coincidence that of another couple. In any case, it shows that Robert Salter of Littlehales was part of Ann Dudley (Salter)’s “circle”.

The only other Robert Salters that I have been able to identify in the area in the time period are the son of the Robert Salter of Littlehales involved in the 1601 transaction, his son, and his nephew, the son of the elder Robert’s brother William. Here are my reasons for assuming that it was Robert Salter senior of Littlehales who was Ann’s brother:

The 1557 will of Robert senior’s brother John names their two unmarried sisters, Margaret Salter and Ann Salter. The Ann Salter of this page married in 1584 in Albrighton. A Margaret Salter married in 1586, also in Albrighton.
If the Ann Salter in the 1557 will was the Ann Salter of this page, and Margaret was her sister, this would mean that Ann was older than 33 at the time of her marriage, and that Margaret was over 35. But this seems consistent with the known evidence. Ann had four children with her first husband, William Dudley, and is not known to have had any others. Margaret is not known to have had children at all.
As shown above, Robert Salter senior of Littlehales is known to have been involved in property transactions with Ann Dudley (Salter)’s West Bromwich circle.

In addition to the above, Ann’s husband William Dudley is directly associated with Robert Salter of Littlehales, his son Robert Salter, and his brother Richard Salter of Wrockwardine in a Quarter Sessions case from 1594 (given on William’s page).

The evidence is clear that the Ann Salter of this page was either the daughter of Richard Salter and Ann Piggot, or less likely, their granddaughter (the daughter of their son Robert Salter or William Salter).

References

“Final Concords, Staffordshire” in Collections for a History of Staffordshire Vol. VI, New Series (Part I) (1903).

The parish register of Albrighton (Shifnal) Shropshire. Digital images on Findmypast.co.uk accessed 2 February 2021.

“The Staffordshire Quarter Session Rolls” v. 1-5 (S.A.H. Burne ed.) in Collections for a History of Staffordshire (Staffordshire Record Society (William Salt Archaeological Society), 3rd series, 1929-1940.

Will of Edward Grove of West Bromwich. Proved 1641 in the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry.

Will of William Dudley of West Bromwich. Proved 1598 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.