My interest in the Benboe/Bendbow family stems from Nuell Benboe who was my 8xgreat grandmother. She was baptised at Broseley, Shropshire, in 1645, the youngest of eight children of Robert and Nuell Benboe. She married John Millichap and had six children, Robert (1669), Mary (1672), John (1679), George (1681), Richard (1684) and William (1688). Before her marriage, Nuell had an illegitimate child by William Rowley, named Margaret who died in 1666.
Robert and Nuell Benboe had eight children, all daughters: Margaret (1625), Elnora (1628), Margeria (1630), Thomasin (1635), Anne (1637), Ruth (1639), Jane (1642) and Nuell (1645). I believe that Robert himself was baptised at Broseley in 1603, the son of Francis Benboe and Joan (née Habburley). Francis Benboe and Joan Habburley were married in 1584 at Burton, Much Wenlock. It appears that they had at least 12 children: John (c. 1585-1591), Thomas (1586-1595), Lancelot (1588), Michael (1589), Margaret (1592/3), William (1594), Ellen (1600), Maria (1601), Robert (1603), Ellinor (1605), Rowland (1607) and Joyce (1609). Those up to and including William were baptised in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, and the remainder at Broseley; it seems likely that there were other children in the 6 year gap between 1594 and 1600 whose baptisms have not been traced. Robert died in April 1672 and his wife, Nuell, died less than three months later. I have copies of the papers of administration of Robert's estate, which was valued at £23-16s-2d.
Francis Benboe was probably baptised in 1554 at Much Wenlock, the son of William Bendbowe of Walton. Baptism records of his children show that Francis was also of Walton. He is probably the Francis Benbowe buried at Broseley in 1623. It must be recognised, however, that a Francis Bendow of Acton Round (neighbouring parish) was buried at Much Wenlock in 1579. The baptism of Francis is the second entry of this surname in the Much Wenlock register, the first being the burial of a William Bendbowe of Acton Round in 1539 (the year the surviving registers started). William Bendbowe of Walton also had a daughter, Mary, baptised at Much Wenlock in 1560, but she died a few days later.
The surname is variously spelt in the parish registers of Much Wenlock and Broseley as Bendbow, Bendbowe, Benbow, Benbowe and Benboe.
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