Snapshot: | lived in late 15th- and early 16th-century Kent, England |
Parents: | unknown |
Born: | unknown |
Died: | between 25 May 1515 and May 1516 presumably Maidstone, Kent, England |
Buried: | St. Faith church, Maidstone, Kent, England The church building no longer exists. Another church of the same name now exists at roughly the same location, at coordinates N51.27656 E0.49386. |
Fisher, William I. Of the [?Middle] Temple: mentioned c. 1475/85 (C1/54/255: Fissher). Of Maidstone, Kent (will); attorney KB (Kent) by 1480, still in 1515 (Fyssher; occ. frequently); often acted as deputy for the sheriff of Kent and for other sheriffs; servant of Reynold Sonde* (chief clerk of KB) by 1483 (attachment of privilege: KB 27/889, m. 32; bill of privilege: KB 27/892, m. 53, inf. S. Payling); prob. secondary of KB; still Sonde’s under-clerk in 1490 (inf. M. Blatcher); ‘prinotore [prothonotary] next Mayster Roper at the kynges bench’ 1498 (Pilkington Narrative, cit. Ives, 124: says ‘John’ F., presumably in error); pledge in Chancery before 1485 (LPC 1474-86, p. 63); filazer of KB (for Yorks, Lines, etc.) 1493-1511; justifies maintenance as ‘in lege terre eruditus’ 1500 (KB 27/955, m. 38d); a plea in 1511 that a fee of 2s. was paid to him to the use of John Rooper I*, chief clerk, suggests he was still under-clerk or secondary (KB 27/998, m. 30d); died c. 1515/16 (PCC 17 Holder, dat. 20 Oct. 1506, pr. blank but registered 1516); des. bur. St Faith's, Maidstone, ‘ayenst the sete that I sytt in’. Grandfather of Henry F.* of Middle T. His grandson was armigerous (74 HS 49). [Cf. (i) of Clapham, Surrey, esq.; MP Bletchingley 1491-2; cofferer of the household; died 1497 (WHP, 329-30: confused with the above); (ii) coroner for the city of London by 1473, still in 1481 (inf. HK); (iii) receiver-general to the duke of Buckingham from 1475; J. Itin., Newport, Monm, 1476; coun- sel to the duke of Bedford 1492 (Pugh, S. Wales, 21, 290).
His will is transcribed line-by-line below, or see the register copy.
Image 1:
In dei nomine Amen The xx day of Octob[e]r in the yere of our lord god m
This is the last wyll of me William Fyssher of Maydeston the elder gent[leman] made the xx
day of October in the yere of the Reigne of King Henry the vij
John Fyssher my eldest sonne after the decease of me and Elizabeth my wyff doughter and heyre
Image 2:
of John Frere and Alice his wyff shall have all suche londes and ten[ements] whiche late wer John Frers and also
all suche londes and ten[emen]tes whiche wer Thomas Bronys and a pece of lond called Bochers and Slyers with a barne
to the same w[i]t[h] thapp[ur]ten[a]nces lying and being in the parisshes of Maydeston and Dytton To have to hold the
seyd londes and ten[emen]tes w[i]t[h] thapp[ur]ten[a]nces to the seyd John Fyssher and his heires of his body laufully begotten
yeldyng therof yerely to his brother Robert Fyssher and to his Assignes xxvj
and seynt Michell tharkangell yerely to be paied and if it happen the seid Rent of xxvj
behynd in part or in all at the seid Festes unpaied then it shalbe lefull to the seid Rob[er]t Fyssher or his
Assignes in the seid londes and ten[emen]tes to entre and distreyn and the distresse so taken to lede awey bere awey
and dryve awey and them to withold unto the tyme [tha]t the seid Rent or any p[ar]t therof so being behynd to
the seid Robert or his certen Attorn[ey] be full paied and satisfied And if it happen the seid John Fyssher dye
without heires of his body laufully begotten then the said landes and ten[emen]tes to the same John befor limyted
shall remayne to the said Rob[er]t Fyssher To have to the same Robert and his heires of his body laufully
begotten And if it happen the same Robert to dye w[i]t[h]out heires of his body laufully begotten then the same
londes and ten[emen]tes to remayne to William Fyssher my thirde sonne and to the heires of his body laufully be-
-gotten And if hit happyn the same Willia[m] Fyssher my thirde sonne to dye w[i]t[h]out heires of his body lau-
-fully begotten then the same londes and ten[emen]tes shall remayne to John Fyssher my fourth sonne and to the
heires of his body laufully begotten / and Also if it happen the same John Fyssher my fourth sonne to dye
w[i]t[h]out heires of his body laufully begotten then the same londes and ten[emen]tes shall remayne to Richard
Fyssher my fyft sonne and to the heires of his body laufully begotten Also I wyll that after my
decease and of my wyff I wyll that the seid Robert Fyssher my secunde sonne shall have a mesuage
ayenst my house whiche somtyme was John Newells and a gardeyn to the same belonging w[i]t[h] the
hogsty in the lane and a mesuage lying in the Strete called Wykestrete whiche sumtyme one Cristemas
dwelled in nowe called the Berehouse w[i]t[h] ij gardeyns lying to the same w[i]t[h] thapp[ur]ten[a]nces and a pece of Lond
called Fletchers Croft and a barne called Fletchers barne w[i]t[h] all the app[ur]ten[a]nces as hit appereth by a
dede made to the said Robert and Mawde his wyff and all other thinges in the same dede and all the londes
and ten[emen]tes in Ailesford To have to the same Rob[er]t and to the heires of his body laufully begotten And
if it happen the same Robert to dye w[i]t[h]out heires of his body laufully begotten then the same mesuage pece
land and gardeyns to remayne to the said John Fyssher my eldest sonne and to the heires of his body lau-
-fully begotten And so furth the Remayndre therof for lak of Issue from sonne to sonne one after an other
and to their heires of ther bodies laufully begotten in man[er] and fo[ur]me as it is lymyted of the other londes
abovesaid to the seyd John Fyssher the elder / And also I wyll that after my decease and my wyffes the
seid William Fyssher my iij
to the same and also all those londes pastures and woddes called Barty whiche wer Nortons whiche late I
purcheased of Julian Norton and Margaret hir doughter And a pece of Lond called litill Ventalles
late purcheased of the heires of Thomas Atwodd w[i]t[h] theapp[ur]ten[a]nces To have to the seid William and to
his heires of his body laufully begotten And for defaut of Issue of the body of the same Willia[m]
com[m]yng the same mesuage londes and woddes w[i]t[h] the App[ur]ten[a]nces to remayne to the said John Fyssher
the elder and to his heires of his body laufully begotten And so furth the Remayndre therof for lak
of Issue from sonne to sonne oon after an other and to the heires of ther bodyes laufully begotten in
man[er] and fo[ur]me as it is lymited of the other londes abovesaid to the seid John Fyssher the elder / Also I
wyll that after my decesse and of my wyffe [tha]t the seid John Fyssher my fourth sonne shall have my
man[or] of Horpull w[i]t[h] all the londes and Rentes longyng to the same in Detlyng w[i]t[h] thapp[ur]ten[a]nces Also my
mesuage w[i]t[h] all the londes longing to the same whiche su[m]tyme was Richard Dorys with App[ur]ten[a]nces
And also all suche londes whiche wer Marywed[er]s lying in the p[ar]ishe of Boxle / And also all my londes
and ten[emen]tes lying at Coptre in the p[ar]isshe of Boxley and Alyngton whiche sumtyme wer Smartmans
Asshebeys Worrallys and Bucmerrys w[i]t[h] the App[ur]ten[a]nces to have to hym and to his heires of his body
Laufully begotten yeldyng therof yerely to the seid Richard Fyssher his brother or to his Assignes
xxvj
the said Rent of xxvj
then it shalbe lefull to the said Richard Fyssher or his Assignes in to the said ten[emen]t of the same
John Fyssher his fourth son above assigned to entre and distreyne and the distresse so taken laufully
Image 3:
to lede bere and dryve awey and them to withold unto the tyme that the seid Richard therof be fully paied and
satisfied and for lak of suche Issue the remaynder therof to his brethern and to the heires of their bodies lau-
-fully begotten in fo[ur]me aboveseid one after an other as it is rehersed in the tayell of the seid John Fyssher
the Elder / Also I wyll that the seid Richard Fyssher i[m]mediatly after my decesse and my wyffes that the seid
Richard Fyssher shall have a pece of lond called Barnys Lond a ten[emen]t whiche was Farrams A Ten[emen]t
whiche was Gulleys A ten[emen]t whiche Egremond dwelled in w[i]t[h] thapp[ur]ten[a]nces To have to hym and to his
heires of his body laufully begotten.
Proved.
Frustratingly, I'm unsure when the will was written—either 1506 or 1508.
When was the xx The first year is 1506, while the second is 1508 (i.e., the 24th year of the reign of King Henry VII). |
His will also lacks a probate date but was registered in May 1516.
1: UK National Archives record PROB 11/18/319 (Prerogative Court of Canterbury / Wills and Letters of Administration / Will Registers / Holder / Will of William Fyssher or Fisher, Gentleman of Maidstone, Kent). UK National Archives, accessed 20 February 2022. You can see a copy of the document here.
2: UK National Archives record PROB 11/22/223 (Prerogative Court of Canterbury / Wills and Letters of Administration / Will Registers / Porche / Will of Elizabeth Fissher or Fisher, Widow of Maidstone, Kent). UK National Archives, accessed 24 February 2022. You can see a copy of the document here.
3: UK National Archives record PROB 11/18/138 (Prerogative Court of Canterbury / Wills and Letters of Administration / Will Registers / Holder / Will of Jone Harrendey, Widow of Maidstone, Kent). UK National Archives, accessed 10 March 2022. You can see a copy of the document here. Notice that the will is dated 25 May 1515 in Maidstone, and that
4: J. M. Russell, The History of Maidstone (W. S. Vivish, Maidstone, 1881), pages 141-142.