Key Facts

Snapshot:	lived in 15th-century Kent, England
Parents:	262696Stephen Bettenham 262697Helewys Baker
Born:	unknown
Died:	before 26 December 1468 perhaps Cranbrook, Kent, England
Buried:	unknown

Note: I'd like to extend special thanks to researcher Jared Nathan for sharing his work pertaining to 131348John.

131348John Bettenham is the son of 262696Stephen Bettenham and 262697Helewys Baker, as explained below.

Problem: Resolved Who are 131348John's parents? The will of 262696Stephen Bettenham mentions heirs Thome Bettenham filio meo ("Thomas Bettenham my son") and Iohannis Bettenham filii mei fratris sui ("of John Bettenham my son, his brother").1 Therefore, we can be sure that 262696Stephen is 131348John's father. 262696Stephen's will also mentions two wives: his first wife 262697Helewys Baker, and second wife Benedicta.1 Sadly, his will doesn't specify which wife bore 131348John. However, the will includes some contextual clues to suggest that 131348John's mother is 262697Helewys: • The will mentions another "heir" of sorts: mortua vero prefata Benedicta vel maritata, Thoma atte Thoune filio eius ("[but if] the aforesaid Benedicta is dead or married, Thomas atte Thoune her son"). To make it even more clear that Thomas atte Thoune is not 262696Stephen's biological son, 262696Stephen shortly thereafter writes that when Thomas atte Toune dies, property that had been set aside for his use must be integre revertentur ad usum heredum meorum si qui tunc fuerintde corpore meo procreati ("wholly returned to the use of my heirs if any of them shall be then begotten in my body"). In contrast to Thomas atte Thoune, Thomas Bettenham and his brother 131348John Bettenham are described as 262696Stephen's sons without qualification. • Thomas Bettenham seems to be a bit older. 262696Stephen actually writes special instructions in case Thomas should die with a minor heir (Et si idem Thomas obierit herede de corpore suo procreato infra etatem xxj annorum existente = "And if the same Thomas dies while the heir of his body begotten is below the age of 21 years"), the only such mention of 262696Stephen's grandchildren's generation. • 131348John is explicitly described as Stephen Bettenham's brother. From this context, one might conclude (1) since Thomas atte Toune is explicitly identified as Benedicta's son, and since he gets much less favorable treatment in the will than Thomas Bettenham does, it's plausible (although not certain) that Thomas Bettenham had a different mother, i.e. 262697Helewys; (2) since Thomas Bettenham seems to be a bit older, it's more likely that his mother was 262696Stephen's first wife 262697Helewys, not his second wife Benedicta; (3) since 131348John is explicitly described as Thomas Bettenham's brother, they probably had the same mother. The 1574 heraldic visitation of Kent affirms that Thomas and 131348John are both sons of 262697Helewys Baker. Benedicta isn't mentioned at all.2

131348John married 131349Alice ___, as proven by her will.3

A deed dated 1416 mentions that 131348John lived at the Karckeregge water-mill.4 The site had been mentioned a few years earlier in his father's will (where it's spelled "Harcherigge").1 The mill no longer exists but was reportedly somewhere near Little Chart.4

131349Alice's will is dated 26 December 1468 and describes her as 131348John's widow, so he must have died by that date. Her will also describes her as a resident of Cranbrook, Kent, England, so perhaps 131348John had been living there when he died.3

Sources Cited:

1: E. F. Jacob, ed., and H. C. Johnson, The Register of Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury: 1414-1443, Volume II (University Press, Oxford, 1937), pages 33-36. This a transcription of the will of Stephen Bettenham, which is in Latin. I privately obtained an English translation. I have been unable to find the original record that Jacob and Johnson transcribed.

2: W. Bruce Bannerman, ed., The Visitations of Kent, Taken in the Years 1530-1 and 1574, Part 1 (Publications of the Harleian Society, volume 74, London, 1923), page 29.

3: Kent History and Library Centre archive reference CCA-DCb/PRC/17/2/341a (Canterbury Cathedral Archives / Diocese of Canterbury / Probate Court Records / Archdeaconry Court Wills [Registers] / Registers of Wills, 1469-1476), the will of Alice Bettenham of Cranbrook, dated 26 December 1468. FamilySearch (FHL microfilm 188918, images 379 and 380 of 523). FamilySearch restricts access to these images, so see copies here: 379, 380.

4: Cecil Charles Relf Pile, Watermills and Windmills of Cranbrook (1954), page 6. In the margin, Pile cites "Kent County Archives, Darrell. Coll." as his source.