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Dackombe
Daccom Dackham etc genealogy
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13 October 2011 |
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Dr Geoffrey Mann |
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15 John DACKOMBE c1435-1517 |
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m Sybil POLE c1455 |
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John was born
around 1435 son of John and Christian Daccombe of Chilworth, near Southampton
in Hampshire. He married Sybil POLE around
1455 and four sons and a daughter were born. Around 1470 he acquired the
manor of Steepleton in Dorset possibly by inheritance. He gave his manor of Chilworth to his
eldest son, Thomas, and moved to Steepleton where he died in 1517 aged 80 or
more. |
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age DATE JD SP |
EVENT |
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c1435 |
John born at Chilworth,
Hampshire |
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c1455 20 |
married Sybil POLE of
Wilton |
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c1456 21 |
son Thomas born |
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c1460 25 |
2nd son also
named Thomas born |
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c1465 28 |
son John born |
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c1470 33 |
son Henry born |
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c1470 33 |
dau Christian born |
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1514 79 |
eldest son Thomas died |
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20Aug1517 82 |
died |
Steepleton
Manor and the Dackombe family
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Steepleton
Iwerne lies three miles north of Blandford Forum where a marked detour of the
main road shows how a lord of the manor once diverted the highway around his
estate. There is no village now, but a
church and manor house. The Dackombe family came into possession of the manor
before 1378 when Thomas Daccombe married Agnes de Stupelton, heiress to the
estate and the family remained in possession for over two hundred years. The manor eventually came to John-15, the son
of John and Christian Daccombe of Chilworth in Hampshire. From John, the manor passed through three
generations of eldest sons until it came to James who sold it to his cousin
Robert around 1600. Robert bequeathed
the manor to his nephew Sir John Dackombe-11 who sold it to a relative of his
wife, Melior PITT, thus ending 230 years of ownership. |
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In a note published in the March 2011 edition of “Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries” entitled Origin of the Dackombe Family of Steepleton, it is proposed that John-15 was not a descendant of the earlier Steepleton family but was John the younger, son of John and Christian Daccombe of Chilworth four miles north of Southampton, bc1440. The main evidence for this proposal is as follows:
1. Thomas, the eldest son of John-15 of Steepleton
died in 1514, three years before his father, and his will shows that he
possessed the manor of Chilworth.
2. In the 1623 visitation of Dorset, a preamble to a pedigree which includes the Dackombes of Steepleton, states that “The Dackombs claimeth to come from Dackomb Castle in Normandie, from whence they came to Chelworth (sic) in Hampsh; and possessed 10 or 12 Mannors there”. This shows a family tradition that Chilworth was the earlier location of the Steepleton family.
3. The estimated birth dates of John-15 of Steepleton and John the younger of Chilworth fall within the same time span. The eldest son of John-15 sold Chilworth in 1477. He would have been of age to possess the manor so John-15 was born before c1435 and since he died in 1517, a birth date only shortly before 1435 is likely. As shown in John Dackombe-16, John the younger of Chilworth was adult in 1471, so born before 1450. His father led men at arms in 1457, so probably aged less than 60 at this time and his son consequently born after c1420. Thus John the younger of Chilworth was born c1435 +/‑ 15 years consistent with the birth date of John of Steepleton
4. John of Steepleton did not name any of his sons William after the previous owners of Steepleton. He did however name his only known daughter Christian, which could be after his mother, Christian of Chilworth. No known source claims any connection between John and the preceding generations named William.
John Dackombe-15 died on 20Aug1517 according to the inquisition post mortem held after his death (see below). His descendants were probably born around 1460/1470, though it is possible that the eldest son was born as early as 1456. If this is correct, then a birth date around 1435 is expected, giving an age at marriage of 21/35 and an age at death of 82. Although this is a good age, it is not exceptional, and it is known that he outlived his eldest son.
According to the pedigree in the 1565 and 1623 Visitations of Dorset, John Dackombe of Steepleton [John-15] married Sybell POLE/POOLE of Wilton in Wiltshire, daughter of Henry Pole Esq. No dates are given, but it is shown below that their sons were born around 1456/1470, so a marriage would be expected at this time. No record of this marriage or of the POLE/POOLE family has been found.
The 1565 and 1623 Visitations of Dorset state that John had two sons named Thomas, a son named John and a daughter Christian. The eldest son Thomas continued at Steepleton. The second son Thomas may have headed the family at Corfe Castle in Dorset, while John was John-14 of Blandford and Horton. It is also suggested that there was a fourth son named Henry who gave rise to families in Lincoln and Winterbourne Kingston in Dorset. More details can be found in “Descendants of John Dackombe of Stepleton” published in SDNQ September 2011.
The inquisition post mortem
shown below shows that John’s eldest son Thomas predeceased his father, dying
in 1514. He possessed Chilworth in 1477 [1] probably when
he came of age, giving him a birth date of 1456. From the Inquisition, his eldest son was born in 1491, so he was
certainly born before 1470. He married Anne daughter of Henry MOORE of Witford, co.
Southampton probably
around 1490. He was appointed Ranger of
Cranbourne Chase in 1482 [2]
The descendants of Thomas are
shown on a separate Steepleton Tree
The visitation of Dorset 1623 has a pedigree of the Dackomb
family of Corfe Castle, Dorset, headed by a Thomas Daccomb who acquired
property there by marriage to an heiress Elizabeth Clavell. The Corfe Castle arms quarter the arms of
the Steepleton family, and Hutchins, in his History of Dorset, notes that the
Corfe Castle family were said to be a younger branch of the Dackombes of
Steepleton. Corfe Castle is some 20
mile from Steepleton, so could the Thomas Daccomb who started the Corfe Castle
family be the second son of the Steepleton family?
The arms of the family strongly support this suggestion. Burke’s General Armory describes the arms of the Steepleton family as a silver griffin on a green background, while the Corfe Castle family has the same arms with an added crescent. The addition of a crescent is the sign of a second son. Burke and the Visitations also give the arms of the Steepleton family as three roses and three steeples but Hutchins states that the griffin was the original Dackombe emblem, the rose and steeples coming from families they had married.
Dates of marriage and death of Thomas of Corfe Castle are also consistent with the age of the second son. Thomas of Corfe married Elizabeth Clavell who was born 1488, and their daughter Johanna married John Stanter before 1529. Therefore if neither Elizabeth nor Johanna were younger than 20 at marriage, Thomas married c1508. He died in 1541. Since the eldest son of John of Steepleton was born between 1456 and 1470, his second son Thomas would have been born after c1458 and probably before c1472. If he were Thomas of Corfe Castle, he would have been aged between 36 and 50 at marriage (1508) and between 69 and 83 at death (1541).
These are very plausible ages, so it is probable that Thomas of Corfe Castle was the second son of John of Steepleton. This conclusion remains unconfirmed however as it is not made by Hutchins in his History, nor in the Visitations nor in any other known source. The descendants of Thomas are shown on a separate Corfe Castle Tree
The notes on John-14 show that he was the third son of John-15.
A number of records relating to a Henry Daccombe
have been found which reveal a close link with the Steepleton family, and in
fact suggest that he was a fourth son of John-15 of Steepleton:
2. The wife of John-15 was the daughter of Henry Pole. It is not unexpected that a fourth son could be named after him
3. The inquisition post mortem of John-15 (see below) shows that he had given his manors of Steepleton and Little Fontmell to five men in trust for his son and heir. The five included Henry Daccombe and also three members of the MORGAN family. Two of John’s grandsons married members of this family. Clearly these men were considered trustworthy (literally), and it is not inconceivable that the trust would include his youngest son to ensure that the trust did not fail because of the death of its members before it had achieved its purpose.
4. A foot of fine dated 1504 [4] concerns land at Warminster, Tytherington and Chitterne in Wiltshire, sold by Henry Daccombe and his wife Christian. The MORGAN family mentioned above were all of Chitterne some 25 miles from Steepleton. No other connection between Steepleton and Chitterne is known, and it seems likely in view of the above paragraph that Henry’s wife Christian was certainly of Chitterne and probably a MORGAN. The sale may have been made on the marriage of Henry and Christian.
5. Two other known Dackombe families are believed to be related to the Steepleton family and they use Henry as a family name. It is suggested that they are in fact descended from 4th son Henry. More details are given in the notes to the proposed Henry Daccombe pedigree
6. Henry Daccombe was assessed for £2 in the Corfe Castle subsidy of 1525 and was named as an archer with 6 arrows in the 1539 muster of the Knoll tithing (Church Knowle 2 miles from Corfe castle) No Henry mentioned in the 1544 subsidy. It might be expected that these references are to a member of the Corfe Castle Daccombe family, but although this family is well documented, no Henry of suitable age is recorded in the Corfe family. It seems that this Henry died between 1539 and 1544 which is consistent with a birth around 1470.
There is no
confirmation that all these documents refer to the same man. On the other hand, the dates do not preclude
the possibility that they all refer to the Henry shown on the tree above, born
c1470 mc1504, dc1540 having connections with both the Steepleton and Corfe
Castle branches of the Dackombe family.
However,
Henry is not included in the Steepleton pedigree in the Visitations of Dorset,
and, although there is no doubt as to the existence of a man of this name alive
between 1504 and 1517, his position as fourth son of John-15 remains
unproved. He was already married in
1504, so a birth date around 1470 as required for a son of John-15 is
consistent with the data.
No information has been found concerning the
Baynpinne/Bampine family said in the Visitations of Dorset to be married to
Christian. No other reference to Baynpynne has been found,
An inquisition post mortem was held after the death
of John Daccombe (Nat.Arch. E150/905/15). The record is in Latin, but has been
translated. The following is an
abstract of the essential details:
Inquisition held at Sherborne Dorset on 31 October
in the 9th year of Henry VIII [1517] before John TURBERVYLL esq the
King’s escheator of Dorset after the death of John DACCOMBE the elder by the
oaths of Thomas NORMAN, John VEYSY, William WYNTRY, John OKE, William FROSTE,
John CLYFTON, Thomas JAK(ES), John BUKLER, John REP(ER)E, John BYRTE, William
KINGE, John HAKE, John BERDE.
Who say upon
oaths that John DACCOMBE held no lands in demesne of the said lord king on the
day he died.
But the aforeseaid John DACCOMBE was for a long time
before his death seised of the manors of Steepleton and Little Fontmell and the
advowson of Steepleton church and of 20 messuages, 200 acres arable, 300 acres
pasture, 60 acres meadow, 40 acres wood, 300 acres heath in Steepleton, little
Fontmell and Child Okeford.
And being so seised he gave the aforesaid manors etc
by his charter shown to the jurors in evidence, to a certain Peter STANTER,
Gregory MORGAN, John MORGAN, Edward MORGAN and Henry DACCOMBE to the use and
behoof of the aforesaid John Daccombe the elder, and after his death to the use
and behoof of John Daccombe the younger and heir of the John Daccombe the
elder, namely the son of Thomas Daccombe, the son and heir of the aforesaid
John Daccombe the elder. And after the
aforesaid Gregory died and Peter, John, Edward and Henry Daccombe survived and
succeeded him in the aforesaid manors and other premises.
The manor and advowson of of Steepleton etc are held
of Hugh Lutterell as of his castle of Dunster for fealty and yearly rent of
2s. And that the manor of Little
Fontmell etc are held of Thomas TRENCHARD knight for fealty and one pair of
gloves worth 1d. And that the said
manor and other premises are worth yearly £14.
And that John DACCOMBE died on 20 August last
past. And that John the younger is his
nearest heir, namely the son of Thomas DACCOMBE, the son of John DACCOMBE the
elder. John DACCOMBE the younger is
aged 22 years and more.
John DACCOMBE of Steepleton and Little Fontmell: d 20Aug1517
Thomas DACCOMBE eldest son, died before his father
John DACCOMBE eldest son of Thomas, aged 22 [b1491]
Feoffees: Peter STANTER, John MORGAN, Edward MORGAN, Henry DACCOMBE all
living 1517; Gregory MORGAN d<1517
The granting of land to feoffees (in modern terms, a trust) for the use of someone else was a legal device to avoid paying feudal dues to the superior lord. The feoffees were regarded as the legal owners, so no payment was due to the superior lord on the death of the feoffor, because the legal owners were still alive. Note that the first item states that John Daccombe held no lands of the king. After his death, the feoffees would convey the land by a separate deed to the new owner, who again would carry out an enfeoffment of his own. Clearly the feoffees would be men he could trust. I cannot determine whether Henry Daccombe might be his own son in such a situation but it seems possible that the youngest son might be so used to ensure that the trust would not fail because of the death of its members before it had achieved its purpose.
The MORGAN family were from Chitterne, Wiltshire. Thomas DACCOMBE’s eldest son John married Eleanor MORGAN daughter of Gregory; his eldest daughter Elizabeth married Edward MORGAN. Gregory MORGAN died in 1530 and his will mentions his brother John and sons Edward, John and Harry/Henry. It seems likely that John, Edward and Henry mentioned above in the trust were the children of Gregory Morgan. Henry Daccombe also had connections with Chitterne. A foot of fine dated 1504 shown below [4] proves that Henry Daccombe and his wife Christian sold considerable property in Warminster, Tytherington and Chitterne. Possibly the sale followed the marriage of Henry to Christian.
The STANTER family of Horningsham in Wiltshire was also
connected to the DACCOMBE family by the 2nd marriage of John STANTER
to Johanna DACKOMBE. According to
Hutchin’s History of Dorset, Johanna belonged to the Corfe Castle branch, but
according to the 1565 Visitation of Wiltshire, she was of Steepleton
Final concord, made at Westminster on the day after
Ascension day 16 Edward IV [24 May 1476] before Thomas Bryan, Richard Chokke,
Thomas Littleton and Richard Neel, Justiciars,
between Walter Herne, complainant, and Thomas Daccombe, defendant. Concerning the manor of Chilworth, and 9
messuages, 200 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, 100 acres of pasture, 200
acres of wood and 500 acres of heathland.
In respect whereof a plea of agreement was summoned
between them in the same court, that is to say, that the aforesaid Thomas has
recognised the aforesaid manor etc to be the right of the same Walter. And he has remised and quitclaimed them,
from him and his heirs, to the aforesaid Walter and his heirs, for ever. Moreover the same Thomas has granted, for
him and his heirs, that they will warrant the aforesaid manor etc, to the
aforesaid Walter and his heirs, against all men for ever.
And for this agreement the same Walter has given to the
aforesaid Thomas £100 sterling.
Southampton
This fine shows that Thomas
Daccombe sold Chilworth in 1476 and yet he bequeathed the manor to his
son in 1513. No document has been
discovered showing how or when he regained possession. Possibly the 1476 sale was a contrivance to
avoid tax.
The Patent Rolls were open proclamations of Royal Grants
etc.
18Jun1482 Grant
for life to the king's servant Thomas DAKHAM, yeoman of the king's chamber, of
the offices of ranger of the king's chace of Crambourne and keeper of the
king's lodge called "Russhemer" void by the death of Walter HARDYNG,
late yeoman of the crown with the accustomed fees and all profits as the latter
had
13Oct1513 Thomas DACKAM of Stepleton
esquire; to be buried in chancel of Stipleton before our Lady; to son and heir
John DACKHAM and his heirs for ever my manor of Chylworth in County South; to
my daughter Isabelle 40 marks for her marriage; to my daughter Agnes 20 marks
when she marries; to my brother John DACKHAM 20 sheep; to my brother Thomas
Dackham my russet gown -- with fox and a doublet of Tarony? --- stoled with black velvet; to Henry
DACKHAM 20 sheep as they come out of the hurdle; to William H?YN?DE and Joane
his wife 3 quarters of wheat and 3 quarters of barley; to Master COKER 6 ewys;
residue to Joan my wife and Thomas my son executors; Robert HARRIS parson of
Shroton and Master COKER to be superseers 40s; to my wife and Thomas my son the
manor of Stepleton for term of my wifes life the manor of Fountmell and all
other lands for the term of my wifes life for the performance of this my will
and to pay £20 yearly to my father during his life; after death of my wife, the
remainder to my son John and his heirs except for £42 of land in Okeford and £8
of land in Manston which I give to my son Thomas and his heirs for ever; proved
21Oct1514
1504 Oct of Trinity. (Made quin of Hilary) plaintiffs Richard Elyot, serjeant at law, John Mompesson, John Marvyn and Robert Boweryng v Henry Daccombe and Christian his wife, defendants. 16 messuages, 1 dovecote, 110a land, 9a meadow, 30a pasture in Warminster, Tytherington and Chitterne. Right of Robert, plaintiff, by gift of defendant; remise and quitclaim to plaintiff. (Warranty against John Abbot of St Peters, Westminster, and his successors). Fine £40 [defendants are the sellers of the land]
Richard Elyot, one of the plaintiffs who acquired the land, was a Justice of the Common Pleas who in 1519 confirmed the right of John-14 of Horton to Littleton’s or Daccombe’s Manor in Mapouder (see extract in biography of John-14). It is now suggested that Henry was a brother of John-14.