THE EARLY FROGGATT FAMILIES

Having traced my own Froggatt lineage back to the late 16^th century, one of the main quests in my Froggatt research is to show, or at least speculate upon, how the early Froggatt families of this time link together. At this time, parish records are, at best, sparse and lacking in detail, so it is necessary to rely on wills and other contemporary documents that survive. Again these are relatively few, but some of the Froggatts of this age were reasonably well-to-do and therefore some records do survive.

My feeling is that most of the Froggatts living today are descended from no more than a handful of Froggatt males living around 1600. A substantial majority of the Froggatts whose baptisms are recorded in the IGI in the 17th century have been linked in with reasonable certainty to one of a small number of pedigrees.

I use my own referencing system (e.g. 0T1) below to refer uniquely to the various individuals. Click here for an explanation of this system.

I set out below details of Froggatts families who were alive before about 1650.

The very earliest references I have so far found to Froggatt individuals are two in the 14th and two in the 15th centuries. These are:

1375/6. The Plea Rolls of Edward III (Easter, 50 E. III) mentions a John Frogot as one of many defendants who did not appear, and whom the Sheriff returned as dead. It's interesting that so many defendants were declared as dead (none appeared), so perhaps there is rather more to this story that will have to go untold!

1386 (2nd March). A document written in Latin is included in the Tutbury Cartulary relating to the grant of a messuage in Church Mayfield, Staffordshire, by a John (surname unclear) to Richard, vicar of Mayfield. The messuage adjoins one in occupation or ownership of a William (spelt Willelmi) de Frogote.

1438 (16th October). This is another Latin document in the Tutbury Cartulary. John (spelt Johanne) Frogot witnessed a grant and confirmation by John Botte of Osmaston to Thomas Serle of Mayfield of a messuage in Church Mayfield (probably the same messuage as noted in the 1386 document above), which he lately possessed by the grant and feoffment of Walter Heyward of Church Mayfield.

1454/5. The Plea Rolls of Henry VI (Mich., 33 H. VI) includes a John Frogot of Calowhylle as one of the members of a jury. While there are Callow Hills in Worcestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire, I believe this place is probably Calow, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, though the next reference found to Froggatts in this parish is not until 1609.

We have, of course, no idea whether and how the above Froggatts relate either to each other or to the later families described below. It is, however, particularly interesting to note that there were Froggatts in Mayfield as far back as 1386. A number of Froggatts resided in Mayfield in the 16th and 17th centuries. Mayfield is situated about 20 miles from the village of Froggatt.

The earliest reference to a Froggatt so far traced that offers any family detail is in a listing of families in the Archdeaconry of Stafford, prepared in 1532, which mentions a John Frogett (0T1) of Mayfield, together with his wives, Agnes, Agnes and Alice, and his 11 children, Joan (0U1), Margery (0U3), Ralph (0U5), William (0U6), Ellen (0U2), Richard (0U7), Thomas (0U8), John (0U9), Thurstan (0U11), Elizabeth (0U4) and Humphrey (0U10). As John had 11 children by 1532, one imagines he must have been at least in his forties, which would mean he was born around 1490 or earlier.

Also mentioned in this listing of families is a Richard Frogett, deceased, his wife Agnes having remarried a Thomas Satre. For further details of this source, see 'Listing of Families, 1532'.

It is likely that this John Frogett (0T1) is a common ancestor to a large proportion of the later Froggatts, including present day members, though the links remain very tentative from him to the better documented families from about 1600 which are described below.

Humphrey Froggatt (spelt as homfrye frogote in his will) farmed at Mayfield, Staffs., and died in April 1595, having made his will two months earlier. See my transcription of his will. His wife (name unknown) pre-deceased him, but he was survived by his sons, Richard and Humphrey, and daughters, Dorothy and Isabel. He may have been the Humphrey (0U10), son of John Frogett (0T1) referred to above. His will was witnessed by a Robert Froget, possibly the Robert (3V1) referred to immediately below.

Many present day Froggatts can trace their descent from Robert Froggatt (3V1) who died at Mayfield in 1600. It is very likely that he is the Robert Froget who witnessed the will of Humphrey Frogot which was written in 1594, Humphrey very likely being the Humphrey (0U10), son of John (0T1) mentioned above.

Robert (3V1) married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) and had three children, Robert (3W1), Alice (3W2) (who died in infancy) and Humphrey (3W3). They may also have had a daughter, Elizabeth (9W17).

Robert's son, Robert (3W1) was probably born around 1575 and had five children, Robert, Alice, Anne, Richard and Joanna, all other than Robert being baptised in Hinckley, Leicestershire, where Robert (3W1) was buried in 1613. Hinckley is about 30 miles from Mayfield (quite a long migration in those days!). This Froggatt line appears to die out immediately. Elizabeth (9W17), probable daughter of Robert (3V1), married Richard Horseman in Hinckley in 1605.

Robert's other son, Humphrey (3W3) was baptised at Mayfield in 1580, and married at least twice, but it is by his second marriage to Elizabeth Lawrence at Nottingham in 1611/12 that he had a son, George (3X9), baptised at Nottingham in 1617, from whom a large pedigree has been traced. Nottingham is about 20 miles from Mayfield. Through his sons, William (3Y1) and George (3Y4), descendants of George (3X9) have been traced throughout Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, as well as other parts of the UK, New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada.

William Froggatt (2U1) was probably born around 1525. He may have been the son of John Frogett who is mentioned in the 1532 listing of families mentioned above. William married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) and had three children, John (2V1), William (2V2) and Thomas (2V3). He died in 1591 at Froggatt, Derbyshire.

John (2V1) was probably born around 1550. He married Dorothy; they had at least four children, Humphrey (2W2), Helen (2W5), John (2W6) and Thomas (2W1), and possibly also Roger (2W4) and William (2W3). John (2V1) died in 1601 at Froggatt.

Neither Humphrey (2W2) nor John (2W6) are known to have had any Froggatt grandchildren, but Thomas (2W1) married Grace around 1607 and had seven children, all baptised in Baslow. Of these, John (2X4) and Thomas (2X6) have many known descendants.

John (2X4), born 1613/14 at Baslow, married Anne Downes and had four sons. They have 20 known 4xgreat grandchildren, all in Baslow and Sheffield between 1806 and 1851, but I have no information on further descendants.

Thomas (2X6), born 1618 at Baslow, married Maria Hotkins at Baslow in 1640 and had five children. They have a large number of descendants, particularly in Eyam, Shipley, Heanor, Baslow and Bubnell, but later on further afield, including New Zealand.

Roger (2W4) was probably born around 1575. He is likely to have been the son of John (2V1), which would therefore make Roger a grandson of William (2U1) of Froggatt. Roger married Ann Dame at Baslow in 1602 and they had at least four children; an unnamed son (2X15), John (2X16), Anne (2X17) and Roger (2X18). No more is known about the unnamed son and Roger (2X18), but John (2X16), born at Baslow in 1604, had at least 8 children. He lived in Calver in the parish of Baslow. Through his son William (2Y23), baptised at Calver in 1633, he has a large pedigree, principally in Calver, Old Brampton and Barlborough, with later descendants in such places as Waleswood, Rotherham, Sheffield, Bradford and as far afield as Australia, Canada and USA.

William Froggatt (1W1), born around 1575, is the ancestor of the large branches of Froggatts in Shropshire and Birmingham. He is my 10xgreat grandfather. Any linkage with the above Froggatts would currently be pure speculation, but a close relationship is probable as he was also based in Mayfield. William (1W1) is thought to be the brother of Richard (4W1) of Mayfield, who is dealt with below.

William (1W1) married Anne (maiden name unknown) and had seven children born between 1598 and 1616. One of his sons (probably the eldest) had the unusual name of Aden (1X5). Aden married Alice and had seven children, but I have not traced any male descent beyond 1718. The name Aden, however, recurs during the 17th and early 18th centuries, and is therefore potentially key to fitting some of the Froggatt families of this era together.

Another of William's children, William (1X4), baptised 1607 in Mayfield, probably lived in Lichfield and died in Ashbourne in 1685; he may have had children, but I have no details at present.

The main line of descent from William (1W1), however, is via his son, Ellis (1X2), who was baptised at Mayfield in 1603 and married Alice. Ellis and Alice had five children baptised in Lichfield: Margery (1Y1), Edward (1Y2), Thomas (1Y3), Mary (1Y4) and Katherine (1Y5). Ellis died in 1664 (his Will), but Alice lived on to 1693 (her Will). Margery and Thomas died in infancy. All Froggatt descendants, including the Shropshire and Birmingham branches, therefore stem from Edward (1Y2) who was baptised at Lichfield in 1630, married Mary and had six children baptised at Lichfield between 1654 and 1666.

Richard Froggatt (4W1) was probably born around 1570. He married Barbara Beresford, who may have been the daughter of John Beresford of Newton Grange, Mayfield and Maude Fitzherbert of Tissington, Derbyshire, probably around 1594 and they had two sons and seven daughters.

Richard and Barbara farmed at Froggatts Farm, Middle Mayfield, which they held as tenants of Lord Aston of Tixall. Their son, Godfrey (4X1), bought the farm for £200 in 1625 and subsequently let the farm to Aden Froggatt (1X5) and his son Richard (1Y6). This linkage between the families, together with the fact that the unusual name of Aden was a common name in the Beresford family, suggests a close family tie, and it is thought that Richard (4W1) and William (1W1) were probably brothers.

Godfrey (4X1) married Eliabeth Bullock at Norton, Derbyshire, in 1629, and had 11 children between 1630 and 1649, all baptised at Norton except the first who was baptised at Mayfield. Godfrey died in 1664 (his Will). He had descendants in Staveley and Whittington, but no known Froggatt descendants born later than 1763.

Francis Froggatt (5Y1) was probably born around 1640 to 1650. He was the father of Francis Froggatt (5Z1) who had ten children in Nantwich between 1697 and 1713. His other son, John (5Z2) had two sons, including an Aden (5A12) in 1708. The name Aden is a clear indication that this branch of the family is closely related to William of Mayfield who had a son Aden (1X5) as detailed above.

The line, however, appears to die out, or they moved away, as there are no later baptisms in the Nantwich area.

Analysis of the IGI shows spasmodic occurrences of the surname, more or less dying out in the 18th century. The IGI has been indexed for most Lincolnshire parishes from 1561 or thereabouts and it would appear there were a small number of Froggatts in the county at this time. At what point in earlier history they join with the main branches of the family in Derbyshire is unclear. The first names in use do not give any real clues as to such linkages. A Francis was baptised in 1599, but this name only appears in other branches of the family from around 1640.

In total, excluding duplications, there are only 40 Froggatt entries in the IGI for Lincolnshire. The earliest reference is the marriage of Joan Froggat to Mathew Twyxlay at Lincoln in 1564. There is then the marriage of Robert Froget to Joan Haynlaye at Wickenby in 1570. They may have been the parents of John Froggett baptised at Toft by Newton in 1573, who may be the John Frogett who married Elizabeth Bursey at Wispington in 1602 and had a son, Robert. There are then two larger families, one in East Keal of unknown parentage, with four sons and a daughter baptised between 1589 and 1599, and another in the nearby parish of Old Bolingbroke, where a William Frogget had one son and four daughters baptised between 1608 and 1621.

William Froggatt (22V1), probably born around 1540, married Elsabeth (presumably Elizabeth) Chatterton at Worksop in 1565. They probably had seven children; only four baptisms have been traced in Worksop, but there were also three marriages of Froggatts in Worksop at the right time to have been children of William and Elizabeth. Although there were a couple of large families in Worksop in the early and mid-17th century, the branch either died out or moved away around 1700.

I have no clues as the ancestry of William (22V1).

Another William Froggatt (23W1) had five children baptised in Westminster between 1617 and 1628: William, Mary, Elizabeth, Robert and Elizabeth. Robert married Bridget and had four children baptised at Westminster between 1648 and 1654. It is not known where William (23W1) came from. The Froggatt line either died out or moved away. In later years there are many more marriages than baptisms of Froggatts in Westminster.

Hartington is a large, but sparsely populated, parish in Derbyshire on the border with Staffordshire. Unfortunately the parish records date only from 1610. There were three brothers living in the parish at this time: John, Thomas and Richard. A Grace Frogat of Sterndale in the parish of Hartington turns up in the nearby parish of Alstonfield, Staffs., in 1579 where she married Thomas Smythe. An Ellena, wife of Edward Froggatt of Sterndale, was buried in Hartington in 1612.

Other early (pre-1600) Froggatts that I have come across are:

1548 Marriage of Hellen Frogate (9U1) to Robert Lowell, at St. Lawrence Jewry and St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street, London.

1549- 1551 A Willyam Frogott (1549) or Wyllm Froggatt (1550) is mentioned in the wills of Christopher Merell of Eyam and his wife, Elizabeth. In the former, he is left "on goad yowe" (a good ewe?). The relationship of this William to the Merell family is unknown. Given the proximity of Eyam to Baslow, this could well be 2U1, the ancestor of the Baslow Froggatts (see above).

1552 Marriage of Thomas Froggatt (9U2) to Jeies (Joyce?) Alsop, at St. Oswald, Ashbourne, Derbyshire. It is possible this is Thomas (0U8), son of John Frogett, who appears in the 1532 Visitation.

1558 Richard Froggett of Wolston, Warwickshire. This reference has been advised by Clive Froggatt, but I have no further details.

1560 Thomas Frogatt of Blyth, Notts. This reference has been advised by Clive Froggatt, but I have no further details.

1564 Edmund Froget of Staveley. This reference has been advised by Clive Froggatt, but I have no further details. Edmund had sons, including Peter.

1572 Baptism of Robert (9W1), son of Thomas Froggett (9V3) at Everton, Nottinghamshire. Also his brother Francis (9W2) in 1588. These are the only Froggatt entries in the IGI at Everton. Everton is a bit remote from other known Froggatt populations at the time, the nearest being Worksop, about 10 miles away to the south-west.

1578 Baptism of Dorothy Froggot (9W4) at Edensor, Derbyshire. The father's name is just given as Froggot. Edensor is between Baslow and Bakewell, about two miles from each.

1581- 1590 The IGI includes references to John (c. 1581), Ann (c. 1583) and Thomas (c. 1590), children of Roger Froggatt of Calver/Baslow, but this is a patron submission and dubious in its authenticity.

1594 Baptism of Margaret Froggott (9X1), daughter of William Froggott and Joan (Joone) (née Fox) at Ellastone, which is about 3 miles south-west of Mayfield.

1598 Marriage of Edward Froget (9W3) to Elizabeth Cooke, at West Meon, Hampshire. This is a long way from other Froggatt settlements, and the whole Hampshire connection is a bit of a mystery, as the IGI reveals 8 Froggatt marriages in the county between 1598 and 1724 (including West Meon 1598, 1618 and 1641), but not a single baptism before 1805.

1598 Marriage of John Froggott (9W9) to Elizabeth Greaves at Baslow.

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