Jeffrey Ferris, of Greenwich - The Ancestors and Origins of Jeffrey Ferris (c.1610-1666)

Exactly. And the thesis indicates that the Merchant Adventurers who controlled the export markets versus the large Wiltshire landowners who controlled the production of cloth fought over the supply chain and the markets, each trying to maximize returns.

Oh!... And the thesis talked about land owners and lessees building water mills which were used in the cloth making process, although I can't remember at the moment how... Thinking of Jeffrey's water mill in Stamford...

And... your mention of cottage industries of spinning and weaving reminds me of the description in the thesis of the cloth making process in Wiltshire. It was not a factory process. Rather it was well suited for a family business because each of the steps could be allocated to a different member of the family. Some tasks were best allocated to children, some to women and some to men. Once put together, the family could move from raw wool to finished cloth.

American English v. British English
Modern BBC English v. Middle English
Wiltshire English v. London English
Spoken English v. Written English
etc.

We can easily forget that the English language is spoken with regional accents, that those accents change over time and that written English had little standardization before the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Ferriers-Ferrers-Ferris surname is a good example. It turns out that a substantial shift in the English language during the 15th century explains a great deal of the confusion. That shift relates to the pronunciation of the letter /r/. In Old English the fish we call "bass" was called "bars," but the "r" was dropped in the 15th century leaving us catching bass for dinner. In phonetics, the concept is called "rhoticity" and "refers to the English speakers' pronunciation of the historical rhotic consonant /r/, and is one of the most prominent distinctions by which varieties of English can be classified."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhoticity_in_English

In the 15th and 16th centuries, this shift in the English language meant that a word ending in /rs/ would be pronounced without the /r/. So, when someone said the name Ferriers or Ferrers, they would drop the final "r." The listener would hear a new surname "Ferries" or "Ferres." Without standardization and needing to spell that surname phonetically, it is easier to understand the multiple variations of the name that might represent what the listener heard, e.g. Ferres, Ferys, Farris, Farries, Firries or Ferris.
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Regional Accents Possibly Changing Surnames

Helen Cruickshank said in her "Old English Paleography:"

"There was very little standardization in spelling before the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is not unusual to find a scribe spelling a surname differently within a single entry. Many scribes spelled everything phonetically, or the way it sounded. There are many dialects and accents in England, and if a vicar wasn’t familiar with the individual, he might spell his name just as it sounded to him. For example, if a Lancashire resident named Harris was speaking to a vicar from Cambridge, he might say, My name is ‘arriis.’? The scribe could easily record it as Arris or Arrice."

Because parish clerks spelled surnames phonetically, Cruickshank's Harris example could be important to remember. Given the various English accents, would a clerk hearing 'arris possibly confuse Harris and Ferris or Harries and Ferries?

"H-dropping at the start of words was common [between about 1485 and 1650], as it still is in informal English throughout most of England." See the Wikipedia article about "Early Modern English." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English#Phonology

In Wiltshire the "initial /h/ can often be omitted so "hair" and "air" become homophones." See the Wikipedia article about "West Country English." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country_English

What about the /F/ in Ferris (which I have also seen spelled as Pherris)?

In Old English /F/ could be pronounced unvoiced, as "f", or voiced as "v". Listen to the difference between "off" and "of" where "of" sounds softer like "ov."
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Old_English/F%C5%8Drespr%C7%A3c

Could the /F/ in Ferris have been pronounced more like a /V/? I do not know the answer to this question but consider the following from the Oxford English Dictionary about "Early modern English pronunciation and spelling." https://public.oed.com/blog/early-modern-english-pronunciation-and-...

"By the sixteenth century English spelling was becoming increasingly out of step with pronunciation owing mainly to the fact that printing was fixing it in its late Middle English form just when various sound changes were having a far-reaching effect on pronunciation."
...
"Changes in the pronunciation of consonant sounds during the early modern English period contributed significantly to the incongruity between spelling and pronunciation. Accordingly consonant sounds ceased to be pronounced in many contexts.

For example:
--initial k– and g– ceased to be pronounced before n (as in knight, gnaw) as did initial w– before r (as in write).
--final –b and –g ceased to be pronounced after nasal consonants (lamb, hang) as did medial –t– in such words as thistle and listen.
--in late Middle English l became a vowel after back vowels or diphthongs in certain positions (as in talk, folk), but the spelling remained.
--in certain dialects of Middle English the velar fricative [x] (like ch in loch), written gh, either disappeared (as in night, bought) or became [f] (as in rough)..."

We know that Jeffrey Ferris was made a Freeman in Watertown on 6 May 1635. We also know that he moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut in 1635. That quick move to Connecticut is consistent with the proposition that Jeffrey was from Wiltshire. "Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, 1628–1686," Shurtleff, ed., (1853–1854) [MBCR 1:370] and "The Great Migration Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635," Robert C. Anderson, (NEHGR, 2011), p. 520.

"An important secondary center of migration existed in the west country, very near the area where the counties of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire came together. But many of these West Country Puritans did not long remain in the Bay Colony. They tended to move west to Connecticut, or south to Nantucket, or north to Maine." "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America," David Hackett Fischer (1991), p. 34.

Who were these Wiltshire emigrants?

From "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America," David Hackett Fischer (1991), p. 28:

"The leaders of the great migration actively discouraged servants and emigrants of humble means...

As a result of this policy, nearly three-quarters of adult Massachusetts immigrants paid their own passage—no small sum in 1630. The cost of outfitting and moving a family of six across the ocean was reckoned at £50 for the poorest accommodation, or £60 to £80 for those who wished a few minimal comforts. A typical English yeoman had an annual income of perhaps £40 to £60. A husbandman counted himself lucky to earn a gross income of £20 a year, of which only about £3 or £4 cleared his expenses.

Most ordinary families in England could not afford to come to Massachusetts. The social status of these people also appeared in their high levels of literacy. Two-thirds of New England’s adult male immigrantswere able to sign their own names. In old England before 1640, only about one-third could do so. By this very rough “signature-mark test,” literacy was nearly twice as common in Massachusetts as in the mother country."

From “The Social Background of Seventeenth-Century Emigration to America,” Salerno, Anthony, Journal of British Studies, vol. 19, no. 1, 1979, pp. 32, 52. www.jstor.org/stable/175681.

"Between 1535 and 1633, 110 identifiable Wiltshire emigrants left Southampton for Massachusetts Bay.... Most were male and single, though there was a substantial minority of married couples who traveled with their children."

"In Wiltshire, there is reason to suspect that the religious factor was of some consequence in the emigrations of both the 1630s and 1650s. Though the records do not indicate that many Wiltshire emigrants suffered for religious heterodoxy in England, they do suggest a connection with non-conformity. Church court records presentments and various ecclesiastical surveys show that Wiltshire towns and pasture-framing regions, centers of seventeenth-century emigration were also centers of seventeenth—century religious radicalism."

Jeffrey Ferris's Education

Jeffrey Ferris could not read or write. He signed his will with a mark. In contrast, many Ferrers who were sons of the various Lord Ferrers in Leicestershire and Staffordshire attended Oxford or Cambridge. See e.g. Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714, ed. Joseph Foster (Oxford, 1891), pp. 480-509. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/alumni-oxon/1500-1714/pp480-509

This seems to make it more likely that Jeffery was a younger son and from a less educated, less wealthy family.

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Religion in Wiltshire.

Below is a quote giving a slightly different characterizatin of religion in Wiltshire.

Puritanism in Devizes:
From BHO
The borough of Devizes: Religious and cultural history
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol10/pp285-314

"The progress of the Reformation in St. Mary's suggests that the parish conformed to official tendencies. When the next century is entered such an impression is confirmed, for in 1637–8 the Communion table was railed in. (fn. 124) The use of lecturers and preachers (fn. 125) might indeed suggest a degree of Puritanism on the part of the corporation, patrons at this time, (fn. 126) and certainly one preacher became a noted Parliamentarian. (fn. 127) On the other hand, they may sometimes simply have stopped gaps during vacancies. Byng, at all events, rector c. 1646, was not a Puritan, for he joined the king's forces and his lands were sequestered. (fn. 128)"

Robert Byng had been appointed Rector at All Cannings in 1625. CCED at http://db.theclergydatabase.org.uk/jsp/persons/CreatePersonFrames.j...

I checked but could not find any baptisms in Wiltshire between 1632 and 1650 for a father surnamed Harris or Farris (and variants) with a given name Jeffrey (and variants).

I did notice that the given name Jeffere appeared rather regularly for a variety of surnames in the All Cannings baptisms, marriages and burials from the 1580's through the 1640's. And, the records for All Cannings into the 1650's appeared more complete than I have seen in other locations. Perhaps the royalist Rector Byng maintained the pre-Civil War routine.

I wish we had audio tapes of the 1609 baptism and the 1632 marriage.

If the "F" in Ferris sounded like the "f" in the word "of" (ov), why wasn't the name spelled "Verris?" The simple answer is that the letters "u" and "v" represented the same sound until the 1630's. Perhaps the alternative letter used to represent the sound of "ov' at the beginning of a word was the letter "f." Below is an explanation from Wikipedia's article about Early Modern English.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English

"The orthography of Early Modern English was fairly similar to that of today, but spelling was unstable ... [Orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language.]

Early Modern English orthography had a number of features of spelling that have not been retained:
...
--⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ were then considered as not two distinct letters but as still different forms of the same letter. Typographically, ⟨v⟩ was frequent at the start of a word and ⟨u⟩ elsewhere: hence vnmoued (for modern unmoved) and loue (for love). The modern convention of using ⟨u⟩ for the vowel sound(s) and ⟨v⟩ for the consonant appears to have been introduced in the 1630s. Also, ⟨w⟩ was frequently represented by ⟨vv⟩."

A bit more about "f" sounding like "v" in Middle and Early Modern English:

"[I]n southern England, the initial “f” sounded like “v” in the pronunciation of fæt and fyxen, “vat” and “vixen” in Old English.

In Middle English, scribes gradually began replacing the “v”-sounding letter “f” with a “u” in the middle of words. They used the letter “v” at the beginning of words.

However, “f” was sometimes used for “v” sounds, and vice versa, especially in regional speech, through much of the Middle English period, and persisted into the 16th century, according to the OED."

The Grammarphobia Blog: https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2017/08/ff-names.html

If the surnames Harries (Harris) and Farries (Ferris) could sound sufficiently similar around the year 1600 that they might have been confused, then we should probably consider other baptisms of men named Jeffery Harris in England. I just rechecked and found no records anywhere in England for a Jeffrey Ferris (and variants) between 1585 and 1615 (on FindMyPast). (Of course. the erroneous 1623 Manningford Bruce marriage record still appears.)

I did find, however, the following baptism records during that same period when searching for Jeffrey Harris and variants:

1588 May 19, Jeffery Harris, no parent names, St Mary, Whitechapel, London
1599 Jan 29, Jeffery Harris, father: Edw., Stepney, London
1600 Nov 28, Jeffery Harris, father: Frauncs, Buckinghamshire
1601 Feb 03, Jeffrey Harris, father: Barthol, St Mary, Whitechapel, London
1609 Aug 15, Jeffere Harries, father: John, All Cannings, Wiltshire

Each of these baptisms is addressed separately below.

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1588 Jeffery Harris. This Jeffery Harris was likely born too early to have been the American immigrant Jeffrey Ferris. In any case, with no parents listed, it might be impossible to find the rest of his family.

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1599 Jeffery Harris. This Jeffery was born in Stepney, London to a father named Edward. Stepney and Whitechapel are next to each other and were on the eastern edge of 17th century London. It is unlikely the father Edward was the same Edward Ferries (1573-1639) from Ashchurch, Gloucestershire who was an M.P. and purchaser of mills from James I. The children of that Edward Ferries were named in his will as William, Thomas and Susan.

The following is a list of the Edward Harris marriages in London between 1585 and 1600. I included the only Edward Ferris marriage in London during that same period; it indicated no day or month.

1585 Nov 25 Edward Harris & Margaret Amsell at St Dunstan, Stepney, London
1592 Aug 25 Edward Harris & Susan Hill at St. Mary, Whitechapel, London
1592 ??? ?? Edward Ferris & Anne Bartlet at Clerkenwell, St James, London
1593 Apr 29 Edward Harris & Sybell Hart in London

The following is a list of baptisms in Stepney to a father named Edward Harris:

1592 Edw. (21 Dec 1592; St Mary, Whitechapel)
1592 Edw. (24 Dec 1592 Stepney; likely same as above for 21 Dec)
1596 Will.
1598 Samuel
1599 Jeffery (this baptism was on 29 Jan 1599/1600)
1601 Bridget
1604 Samuel

There were no baptisms of an Edward Ferris recorded in London during this period. There was one baptism of an Edward to Edward Ferris in Ashton Keynes on 21 Oct 1600. This October Ashton Keynes birth would conflict with the Jeffrey Harris birth on 29 Jan 1599 (1600 by the Gregorian calendar).

Of course, it would be convenient if the above children were the children of Edward Ferris and Anne Bartlet who were married in 1592. Edward was a fairly common given name in the Ferris-Ferrers family in this period.

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1600 Jeffery Harris. This Jeffery was born in Buckinghamshire to a father named Frauncs (Frances?). There were no marriages or baptisms recorded for a Frauncs Harris in all of England between 1565 and 1585. But there was a branch of Ferrers-Ferrises who owned or leased the parish of Taplow in Buckinghamshire and who were descended from Thomas Ferrers (1422-1498) of Tamworth. Buckinghamshire is just north of Windsor Castle and is about 30 miles east of Wiltshire.

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1601 Jeffery Harris. This Jeffery was baptised to a father named Barthol (Bartholomew) at St. Mary, Whitechapel, London. There were two Bartholomew Harrises married in England between 1580 and 1601. One was in Devon in 1586, but the more likely candidate is Bartholomew Harris who was married 19 Feb 1598 (1599 Gregorian) in Oakham, Rutland, England to Elizabeth Pilkinton. Oakham is midway between Tamworth and Groby and within a mile of Hambleton. Oakham and Hambleton were the birthplaces of William de Ferrariis (1140-1190), the 3rd Earl of Derby as well as Edward Ferrers (1465-1538) who was an M.P. And, it may have been the birthplace of Thomas Ferrers-Ferris (b.aft. 1540-d.aft. 1604), the Deputy Governor of the Merchant Adventurers. Bartholomew was not a frequent name in the Ferris-Ferrers family but it was not uncommon.

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1609 Jeffere Harries. This Jeffere Harries baptised in All Cannings has already been discussed in earlier posts.

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Marriages: The only marriage of a Jeffery Harris (and variants) between 1610 and 1660 was the 1632 marriage in Manningford Bruce, Wiltshire.

Deaths. The only deaths of a Jeffery Harris (and variants) between 1590 and 1680 were:

1642 Nov 26 Cottenham, Cambridgeshire
1660 Aug 02 Manningford Bruce, Wiltshire
1662 Oct 22 Leintwardine, Herefordshire [north of Gloucestershire]
1673 Mar 26 Bexley, Kent
1680 Jan 25 Highworth, Wiltshire

I have not been able to find the original images of the above Jeffery Harris baptisms.

With respect to the baptisms at St. Mary, Whitechapel noted above, Jeffrey Ferris's third wife was Judith Feake (1618-1667). She had a brother, Tobias, who was baptised at St. Mary Whitechapel, London, in August 1624.
"The Feake Family of Norfolk, London, and Colonial America," by George E. McCracken, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 86 (1955): 132-148, 209-221

I have uploaded to the Sources tab the following images from the 1558-1643 Tower Hamlets, St. Mary Whitechapel, Middlesex Parish Register held by the London Metropolitan Archives (Reference Number: P93/MRY1/001):

1588 May 19 Jeffray Harris-Whitechapel-Baptism
1599 Jan 29 Jeffery Harris-Whitechapel-Baptism
1601 Feb 03 Jeffery Harris-Whitechapel-Baptism

I have also uploaded an image that combines and identifies just the above entries for easier review. It is named:

1588-1601 Jeffery Harris Combined

And, I have uploaded a file with sample Old English script characters for comparison. I included the letters I, J and L because some versions of those letters might be confused with F and H. The file is named:

Old English - F, H, I, J, L

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It is difficult to argue that the 1588, 1599 and 1601 baptismal entries for Jeffrey Harris are actually for Jeffrey Ferris. The condition of the documents makes it equally difficult to confirm what was actually written. And, if the parish priest or clerk was unfamiliar with the family, we would not know if that scribe misconstrued the name he heard.

A Jeffery Fierce was married to a Dorothie Bonham on 25 Sep 1633 at St. Dunstan in Stepney. Fierce and Ferris could be phonetic spellings of the same name. But there is also a record for the marriage of a Jeffery Fierce and a Mary Levence at St. Dunstan, Stepney on 29 Jun 1640. While there are no burial records for a Dorthie Fierce before 1640, there is a record for a Dorothy with no last name buried at St. Margaret's, Westminster on 22 June 1636. (Curiously, the marriage of Jeffery Fierce and Dorothie Bonham at St. Dunstan in 1633 also shows in the Ancestry.co.uk database under the name Jeffery Pierce.)

From Ancestry.co.uk

Name: Jeffery Fierce
Gender: Male
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 25 Sep 1633
Marriage Place: St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England
Spouse: Dorothie Bonham
Source: London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812; Reference Number: P93/DUN/266

Name: Jeffery Fierce
Gender: Male
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 29 Jun 1640
Marriage Place: St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England
Spouse: Mary Levence
Source: London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812; Reference Number: P93/DUN/266

Jeffery Harris Burials, Stepney & Whitechapel

In my note above on 8/08/2018 at 8:13 AM, I noted the following Harris baptisms:

1588 May 19, Jeffray Harris, no parent names, St Mary, Whitechapel, London
1599 Jan 29, Jeffery Harris, father: Edw., Stepney, London
1601 Feb 03, Jeffrey Harris, father: Barthol, St Mary, Whitechapel, London

But it appears the 1588 Jeffray Harris was buried just a few days later. And, there are burial records for a Jeffrey Haris at St. Mary, Whitechapel in 1630 and a Jeffery Harris at St. Dunstan in 1633/34. St. Dunstan is in Stepney, London. Stepney and Whitechapel were parishes outside of the City of London in the early 1600's. Both of them were east of the city, with Whitechapel being just north of the Tower of London.

From Ancestry.co.uk:

Name: Jeffray Harris
Gender: Male
Record Type: Burial
Death Date: abt 1588
Burial Date: 22 May 1588
Burial Place: St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England
Save Cancel
Source Citation
London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812; Reference Number: P93/MRY1/001

Name: Jeffrey Haris
Gender: Male
Record Type: Burial
Death Date: abt 1630
Burial Date: 7 Aug 1630
Burial Place: St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England
Save Cancel
Source Citation
London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812; Reference Number: P93/MRY1/001

Name: Jeffery Harris
Gender: Male
Record Type: Burial
Death Date: abt 1633
Burial Date: 26 Jan 1633
Burial Place: St Dunstan in the West, City of London, London, England
Save Cancel
Source Citation
London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812; Reference Number: P69/DUN2/A/003/MS010344

I have posted a revised version of the Origins of Jeffrey Ferris memo to reflect the linguistic basis for the evolution of the Ferriers surname to Ferris (i.e. rhoticity and the Great Vowel Shift; p. 4). It also corrects the information about Jeffrey H[F]erris from Manningford Bruce (p. 15).

Some evidence of non-conformity and rebellion in All Cannings, Wiltshire

Jeffery H[F]arries was born in All Cannings, Wiltshire in 1609. Some evidence of the religious and political climate in All Cannings may be found in the biography of Robert Nicholas (1597-1665). The Dictionary of National Biography states that Robert Nicholas "held the farm at All Cannings" and was elected to represent Devizes in the Long parliament of 1640. Nicholas had graduated from Oxford in 1613 and was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1614. Nicholas was declared a rebel in 1642 by Charles I and was one of the managers of Archbishop Laud's impeachment in 1642. In fact, he prosecuted the second and third parts of the evidence against Laud. He was also nominated to be one of King Charles' judges in 1648. In 1655 Nicholas was made a baron of the exchequer in Cromwell's Commonwealth government.

DNB, Vol XL (1894). https://books.google.com/books?id=B4R39aBU_hUC&pg=PA431&amp......

As a barrister, prominent land owner and Member of Parliament from All Cannings where Jeffrey H[F]arries was born, Robert Nicholas may well represent the religious and political milieu of the All Cannings, Devizes and Manningford Bruce area (the Vale of Pewsey) during Jeffery's early years. Nicholas was declared a rebel by the King, prosecuted Laud, nominated to be a judge in King Charles' 1648 trial and then participated in Cromwell's government.

Archaeological Dig Video at Groby, Leicestershire

The Ferrises of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire had numerous descendants, some of whom were Merchant Adventurers funding the original colonization of Virginia and New England. Those Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Ferris families are descended from the Ferrers of Groby, Leicestershire through William Ferrers (1372-1445), the 5th Lord Ferrers of Groby. In other words, the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Ferrises are descended from the Ferrers of Leicestershire as stated by Rev. E.B. Huntington. Those Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Ferris families appear to be the most promising leads for finding Jeffrey Ferris.

I just found an episode of a British TV show shot in 2011 featuring an archaeological dig at Groby that reveals (in part) the original castle and then the Great House built by the Ferrers. Both of those structures were buried by earth and were replaced by the current house built by the Greys. It is a very interesting 45 minute show called Time Team (Season 18, Episode 7) - The House of the White Queen (Groby, Leicestershire). You can watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9_gYlBS3oM

The show's writers mention the Ferrers but seem to attribute everything to the Grey family. The reality, however, is that the original castle was built by Hugh de Grandmesnil (1032-1098) who fought with William the Conquerer. It was acquired for the Ferrers family by William de Ferrers (1240-1288) and passed down through the generations to Henry Ferrers (1390-1463). Because Henry Ferrers had no sons, Groby was inherited by his daughter Elizabeth (1419-1483) who had married Edward Grey. Their son John Grey died in battle in 1461 and his widow (Elizabeth Woodville) then married King Edward IV, becoming the Queen consort ("the White Queen").

Anyone interested in trying to match their DNA to a Groby, Leicestershire Ferrers might be interested to know that three Baron Ferrers of Groby were buried at Ulverscroft Priory, Leicestershire, about a mile north of Groby. They are:

Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1303-1343)
William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1333-1371)
William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby (1372-1445)

Archaeological Dig Video at Groby on the Sources Tab

I have placed a link on the Sources tab to the video showing the archaeological dig at Groby, Leiscestershire. It is called "The House of the White Queen (Groby, Leicestershire); Time Team; Season 18, Episode 7."

It is a very good way to visualize Groby and its evolution as an estate. But I urge caution when listening to the lead archaeologist. He is so enamored of the Grey family connection to the property that he suggests they always owned Groby. In reality, it was first owned by Hugh de Grandesmil and his family until the castle was destroyed by Henry II in 1189. Then it was owned by the Ferrers from about 1272 until about 1483 when Elizabeth Ferrers died. The only Greys to have lived on the property were Elizabeth's husband, Edward Grey (c.1415-1457), and their sons John (1432-1461) and Thomas (1455-1501). Thomas Grey built the currently standing Groby Hall but he had other property interests and it is unclear whether he actually lived there.

Nevertheless, the value of the video is that it proves there was originally a Norman castle on the property and that the Ferrers built a fairly substantial country manor on it which predated the current Groby Hall.

In addition, there are several interviews with historians about the property that note the Ferrers' role at Groby. The interview appearing at about minute mark 45:15 is interesting because you can see the name Ferrers in a document while the English historian pronounces that name as "Ferres," by dropping the final "R" -- an example of rhoticity and the change in the pronunciation of the Ferriers-Ferrers name to Ferris.

I have added a revised version of the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" memo to the Sources tab. The changes are in the section about Groby and appear on pages 18-20. The text of the new Groby section appears below. I also added artists renderings of the Groby Castle built by Hugh de Grandesmil and the Old Groby Hall built by the Ferrers.

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"Groby Old Hall, Leicestershire . William de Ferrers (1240-1288) inherited Groby Old Hall in Leicestershire in 1272. He was the younger brother of Robert de Ferrers, the 6th Earl of Derby (1239-1274), who had lost the Earldom in about 1267. William's son, also named William (1272-1325), became the 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby in 1299. Groby had originally been a castle built by Hugh de Grandmesnil (1032-1098) after the Norman conquest in 1066, but that castle was destroyed by King Henry II before 1189. Hugh de Grandmesnil was William de Ferrers' (1240-1288) 5th great grandfather.

The Ferrers' Groby baronetcy ended when Henry Ferrers (1394-1463) died and Groby passed to his grand-daughter Elizabeth (1419-1483) and her husband Edward Grey (c1415-1457). Elizabeth and Edward had a son named John Grey (1432-1461) who married Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492). They had two sons, Thomas (1455-1501) and Richard (1457-1483). (Edward and John Grey were the only Greys to have lived at Groby.) After John Grey (1432-1461) died, Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492) remarried to King Edward IV and was crowned Queen. Of course, now Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) left Groby and took her sons, Thomas and Richard, with her. Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) became the mother of Elizabeth of York (1466-1503), who married King Henry VII (1457-1509), and the grand-mother of King Henry VIII (1491-1547).

After Edward Grey's death (1457), Elizabeth Ferrers (1419-1483) remarried to Sir John Bourchier (c.1438-1495) who became the 6th Baron Ferrers of Groby (by right of his new wife) but they had no children. After Elizabeth Ferrers' death (1483) and Sir John Bourchier's departure from Groby her grandson Thomas (1455-1501) built the current Groby Hall but had trouble leasing it. Thereafter, the property suffered a long decline.

In any case, more than a hundred years before Jeffrey Ferris was born, the male Ferrers-Ferris presence in Leicestershire was likely minimal at best. Even by 1800 the village only had 200 residents. Parts of Groby Castle and Groby Old Hall were uncovered in 2011 during an archaeological dig by a British television series called “Time Team” in an episode called “The House of the White Queen.” Images at the left are artists' reconstructions from that episode. The “Old Hall” built and occupied by the Ferrers was described as quite a grand country manor."

I added a revised version of the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" memo to the Sources tab. It adds Bromley Hall, London on page 21 to the estates held by the Ferris-Ferrers. Below is the added text:

"Bromley Hall, London. William Ferris-Ferrers (c.1549-1625) was the Master of the Mercers Company, an Alderman for the City of London and the third great grandson of Sir William Ferrers (1372-1445), 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby. (Supra, p. 11). Bromley Hall was built circa 1490 several miles east of the City of London (see map p. 26). It was seized by the Crown in 1531 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was used as a hunting lodge by King Henry VIII. The Crown sold Bromley Hall in 1606 and William Ferrers owned it when he died in 1625. "The Copartnership Herald", Vol. IV, no. 46 (December 1934)."

I added a Groby timeline document to the Sources tab.

A researcher at Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire which was owned by the Ferrers family until the 1940's recently contacted me with some new documentation and information about the Ferrers-Ferris family. Baddesley Clinton is now owned by the British National Trust. The first Ferrers to own Baddesley Clinton was Edward Ferrers-Ferys (1468-1535) who was a great grandson of William Ferrers (1372-1445), the 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby.

National Trust: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Trust_for_Places_of_Historic...

Baddesley Clinton: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/baddesley-clinton

One document is a transcription of the 1486/7 will of the husband of Grace Ferrers, a granddaughter of John Ferrers (c.1394-1447/8) and Agatha Breakspere of St Albans. Her husband's name was William Victor That will (quoted further below) identifies Edward (c.1440-1468) as the brother of Grace Ferrers, William Victor's wife. The will makes bequests to "John Ferrers, junior" and his brother Thomas. And it makes his wife, Grace, and "John Ferrers, junior" his executors. Use of the description "John Ferrers, junior" actually suggests/indicates that this Johns Ferrers was Grace's father. (The will does not mention children.)

Another document is the will of John Ferrers, "gentleman," dated 7 Oct 1488 and probated 3 Feb 1488/9. This will states: "...The remainder of my goods I give and bequeath to my wife Kathrine, my son Thomas and my daughter Alice whom I appoint as my executors." This is likely the will of the John Ferrers who was the grandson of John Ferrers and Agatha Breakspere, who married Catherin Bensted and who was the son of Edmond Ferrers. But if this were the will of John Ferrers and Agatha Breakspere's son "John Ferrers, junior," it would mean that Margaret Hungerford had died early and "John Ferrers, junior" had remarried to a Kathrine.

A final document from an index of Hertfordshire probate records indicates that the estate of an Edward Ferrers was probated at St Albans in 1486. This Edward Ferrers is likely the son of "John Ferrers, junior" and brother of Grace Ferrers who had married William Victor (see above). William Victor's will also stated ""My body to be buried in St Peter's church before St Christopher near the grave of Edward Ferrers my wife's brother."

The above documents have been added to the Sources tab.

In a prior note on 7/9/2018 at 8:08 PM, I quoted the abstract of the will for "John Ferrers senior of St Albans (Dat. 27 Feb. 1447)." That abstract coupled with the above documents helps to clarify and confirm the identify of John Ferrers "senior" and "junior" and their family relationships. That abstract of that 1447 will of "John Ferrers senior" describes "Edward son of John my son; Wm. bro. of sd Edward; Grace sister of sd Edw. & Wm" and " Son John Ferrers junior... & Wm. Est exors."

The families described above would be:

William Ferrers (1372-1445; Groby) & Phillipa Clifford
..John Ferrers Senior (c.1394-1447/8; St Albans) m. Agatha Breakspere
....Sheriff John Ferrers Junior (c.1418-c.1487; Blunsdon) & Margaret Hungerford
......Edward Ferris (c.1440-1468)
......William Ferrers
......Grace Ferrers & William Victor (d.Mar 1486/7)
......John Ferris & Jane Fowler
........George Ferris (b.c.1510)
........Walter Ferris (b.c.1513)
........Roger Ferris (b.1516)
........Bartholomew Ferris (b.c.1518)
........Dorathie Ferris (b.c.1520)
....Edmond Ferrers (c.1422)
......John Ferrers (b.c.1446-1488?) & Catherin Bensted
........Thomas Ferrers (b.c.1472)
........Elizeus Ferrers
........Alice Ferrers
....Thomas Ferrers

Excerpts from Ferrers-Ferris Original Sources

The following are excepts from various original source documents related to the Ferrers-Ferris of Wiltshire and Sheriff John Ferris during the 15th century.
***************

1388-1416 William Ferrers (1372-1445), 5th Baron of Groby marriages

The Complete Peerage, G.E. Cockyane, Vol 5 (1926)
https://archive.org/stream/CokayneG.E.TheCompletePeerageSecondEditi...

p. 355
He [William Ferrers (1372-1445), 5th Baron of Groby] m., 1stly, after 10 Oct. 1388, (a) Philippe, da. of Sir Roger de Clifford, Lord of Westmorland, sometimes called Lord Clifford, by Maud, da. of Thomas (de Beauchamp), Earl of Warwick: she was living 4 July 1405. (b) He m., 2ndly, Margaret, da. of John (de Mountagu), Earl of Salisbury, by Maud, da. of Sir Adam Fraunceys, of London. (c) He m., 3rdly (without royal licence), before 26 Oct. 1416, (d) Elizabeth, da. of Sir Robert de Standisshe, of Ulnes-Walton, co. Lancaster, by Iseude, his wife. ...
*******************

1416 Edmund Hungerford married Margaret Burnell

The Complete Peerage, G.E. Cockyane, Vol. II, 2nd edition (1912).
https://archive.org/details/completepeerageo02coka/page/434

p. 435
1383-1420
Hugh (Burnell), Lord Burnell,(b) s. and h., aged 36(c) in 1383. Gov. of Bridgnorth Castle, 1386. He was one of the Lords who received the abdication of Richard II in the Tower of London; Gov. of Montgomery Castle, Nov. 1401... He d. s.p.m.s. [died without male issue], 27 Nov. 1420, and was bur. at Hales Abbey afsd., when the Barony, according to modern doctrine, fell into abeyance. (f) Will dat. 2 Oct. 1417.

footnote f:
(f) The coheirs were the three daughters of the last Baron's son and h. ap., Edward Burnell, who m. 1stly Alienore, da. of Lord Strange, and 2ndly, Elizabeth, who was living as his widow 7 July 1421; he d.v.p. [died in father's lifetime], being slain at Agincourt, 25 Oct. 1415. (1) Joyce, aged 24, ... (2) Katherine, aged 14, who m. 1stly. Sir John Ratcliffe, whose descendants, the Earls of Sussex, ... (3) Margaret, aged 11, m., shortly before 8 Nov. 1416, Edmund Hungerford, (yr. son of Walter, 1st Baron Hungerford ...
**************

1422 Fine: William Ferrers (1372-1445), 5th Baron of Groby and wife Elizabeth Standish transfer Lutterworth to themselves and on William's death to his son Thomas but if Thomas is then dead, then to his son John, Thomas's brother.

The Complete Peerage, G.E. Cockyane, Vol. 5 (EA-GO)
https://archive.org/stream/CokayneG.E.TheCompletePeerageSecondEditi...

p. 356 footnote a

(a) Duchy of Lancaster, Patent Roll 6, no. 1. By a fine, levied on the morrow of St. John the Baptist 10 Hen. V [1422], William de Ferrers of Groby kt. and Elizabeth his wife conveyed the manor and advowson of Lutterworth to themselves and the heirs male of the body of William: if William died s.p.m. [sic][died without male issue], rem., after the deaths of William and Elizabeth, to Thomas de Ferrers, son of the said William, and to Elizabeth his wife (uxori), and the heirs male of the body of Thomas: if Thomas died s.p.m. [died without male issue], rem., after the deaths of Thomas and Elizabeth his wife, to John de Ferrers, br. of Thomas, in tail male: rem. to the right heirs of the said William. (Feet of Fines, case 126, file 73, no. 36). Major-Gen. Wrottesley (Staff. Collections, vol. xvii, p. 68 : The Wrottesley Family, p. 196) has misunderstood this fine to say that the elder Elizabeth was the mother of Thomas—who was over 40 in 1445.
****************

1447/8 Will of “John Ferrers senior” mentions “John Ferrers junior”

From "The Herts Genealogist and Antiquary," Vol III (1899)
p. 239

Abstracts of Herts Wills
f. 53b. JOHN FERRERS senior of S' Albans. (Dat. 27 Feb. 1447).
Bur. at S' Peters; Legacies to ... Edward son of John my son; Wm. bro. of sd Edward; Grace sister of sd Edw. & Wm; ... Son John Ferrers junior, John Barbor John Holond" & Wm. Est exors. (Pr. 7 Mch. 1447-8.)
*****************

1468 Will of Edward Ferrers, St. Albans

Hertfordshire Probate Records, index 1415-1858 Transcription
From FindMyPast.com (see Geni Sources tab)

Name: Edward Ferrers
Year: 1468
Place: St. Albans
Court: Archdeaconry of St. Albans
Document: Document Type: registered will; document reference
Archive: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies

Edward Ferrers of St Albans date of death stated as 1468 in St Albans by Hertfordshire Probate Records on FamilySearch.
***********

1470 Feet of Fines in Wiltshire mentions John Ferreys of Blunsdon St Andrews

"Abstract of Feet of Fines Relating to Wiltshire 1377-1509," Wiltshire Record Society, Vol XLI (1985)
http://www.wiltshirerecordsociety.org.uk/pdfs/wrs_v41.pdf

p. 151
10 Edward IV
1470

675. Oct. of S.J.B. John Tame of Fairford (Fayreford), pl.; John Ferreys of Blunsdon St. Andrew (Blontesdon St. Andrew), esquire, def. Manor of ‘Syrescourt‘ and 3 messuages, 250 a. of land, 30 a. meadow, 20 a. pasture and rents of 9s. 41/2d. and 1 lb. cumin in Castle Eaton (Castell Eton alias Eton Moysy) and the advowson of Castle Eaton. Right of pl., by gift of def.; remise and quitclaim to pl. (Warranty.) Cons. 200 marks.
257/65/20
***********

1472 Feet of Fines in Wiltshire mentions John Ferrers

"Abstract of Feet of Fines Relating to Wiltshire 1377-1509," Wiltshire Record Society, Vol XLI (1985)
http://www.wiltshirerecordsociety.org.uk/pdfs/wrs_v41.pdf

p. 152
12 Edward IV
1472

679. Morrow of Martinmas. Robert bishop of Bath and Wells, ... Maurice Berkeley, Ralph Hastynges, John Ferrers, John Dunne and Robert Constable, knights, and Richard Fouler [a Jone Fowler married John Ferris of Blunsdon, son of Sheriff John Ferrs junior], Thomas Stonor, Thomas Hampden [great grandfather of Katherine who married Henry Ferrers who d.1526], ... pl.; Oliver Mannyngham, knight, and Eleanor his wife, widow of Robert Hungerford, knight, def. Manors of Stoke Poges, Cippenham, ... Eton, ... the manors of Henley on Thames (Henley on Thamis), ... Right of Richard Fouler, pl.‘s by gift of def.; remise and quitclaim to pl. (Warranty against Thomas abbot of Westminster and his successors.) Cons. £4,000. 294/76/88
****************

1486/7 Will of William Victor (d.1486/7) mentions John Ferrers junior and his brother Thomas

"St Albans Wills," 2AR51v, p. 176
[See Geni sources tab]

"Victor William, [Date of will] 7 Mar 1486/7, P[Probated] 17 Mar 1486/7"

"My body to be buried in St Peter's church before St Christopher near the grave of Edward Ferrers my wife's brother.... I wish my mother to have 40s annually for the remainder of her life and my sister 20s annually... My wife is to have my house in which I live ...... To John Ferrers, junior, 20s and to Thomas Ferrers, his brother, 20s... The remainder of my goods I give and bequeath to my wife Grace and John Ferrers, junior, my executors."
***********

1488 Will of Ferrers, John, gentleman mentions son Thomas and daughter Alice

"St Albans Wills," 2AR56r, p. 197, (See Geni Sources tab]

Ferrers, John, gentleman (d.7 Oct 1488)

"...The remainder of my goods I give and bequeath to my wife Kathrine, my son Thomas and my daughter Alice whom I appoint as my executors."
************

dsp - died without issue
dvp - died in father's lifetime
rem - removed
s. - son(s)/ soldier; survivor; spinster; successor; shilling
spm - died without male issue
sp - died without issue
uxor - wife, spouse, consort

I have truly enjoyed reading all of this information on the possible ancestry of Jeffrey Ferris. I too believed Jeffrey to be the son of Richard but now understand there is no proof so we all just keep looking.

I side with R. Riegel that Jeffrey should have been able to read and write if he were a son of Richard Ferris a descendant of Sir Humphrey Ferrers. But who knows what might have prevented an education back then.

The next big part of the mystery is the name of the first wife of Jeffrey. It seems like there is a tombstone that says her first name is Mary but the rest of the name is not legible. And it also seems tradition wants her to be Mary Anne Howard daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, who did have a daughter named Ann or Mary Ann which there is very little record of anywhere in history. I wonder is this daughter was cut off from the family when she fell in love with someone far under her status who could not read or write, like Jeffery Ferris? Whom she moved across the ocean with. If only we knew the truth.

Regardless, we keep working on the puzzle and see if any little gems of truth are dug from the historic records of our ancestry.

Debra Kay Reeves Thanks for the kind words. I am glad you enjoyed reading my research about Jeffrey Ferris and the Ferrers-Ferris family. I do hope you and others will continue to search for new clues. I suspect there are more English records that have not yet been made available on the internet.

I do not believe I have addressed the issue of Jeffrey's first wife in this discussion, so perhaps it is appropriate to give a summary here.

Unfortunately, I believe a number of false clues have been left to propagate on the internet. One of those false clues is that his first wife was named Mary. I have seen no evidence supporting that conclusion. Another false clue is that her name was Mary Anne Howard. I have found no credible evidence that a Mary Anne Howard ever existed, let alone that, if she did exist, she married Jeffrey Ferris. (See pp. 31-33 of the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" on the Sources tab.) However, I am open to seeing credible evidence about either of these issues.

If you review the history of the First Congregational Church of Greenwich, you will see that the Tomac Cemetery was the first burying ground in Greenwich. On its web site, the church describes the cemetery as follows:

"The Tomac Historic Burying Ground (aka Old Sound Beach Cemetery) is about one acre and has burials from 1718 to 1904. There were probably earlier burials, but there were no engraved headstones for these."
http://www.fccog.org/about-us/our-building/our-cemeteries/

The church itself says there are no headstones for burials before 1718. Therefore, any claim to quote from a headstone from around 1640 to 1670 is likely false and would need additional evidence to be believed -- perhaps a photo.

The First Congregational Church also contains a link to a spreadsheet listing all known burials at the Tomac Cemetery. The only Mary Ferris was a "Mary Johnson Ferris Peck" who died in 1831.
http://www.fccog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Tomac-for-web.xlsx

The Church also links to a 1997 research paper giving a detailed history of the Tomac Cemetery but again no 17th century Mary Ferris grave.
http://www.fccog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Tomac-Research-Pape...

In addition, a USGenWeb project cataloging headstones at the Tomac Cemetery does not list any Ferris headstones before 1768. The list does include a headstone for a Mary Ferris who died in 1883 and who was the wife of a Nathaniel Ferris. (Perhaps someone appropriated this Mary's headstone to claim she was the wife of Jeffrey.) Again, any claim concerning the existence of a headstone for a Mary Ferris dating from the 1600's would need additional evidence to be believed. http://www.ctgenweb.org/county/cofairfield/pages/cemetery/cm_grnwch...

A family tradition is generally understood to be a custom or belief passed from one generation to the next. In his 1868 description of Jeffrey's first wife as "high born" Rev. Huntington explicitly called that a "tradition" but he did not attach any name or other identifying attributes to that tradition.
"History of Stamford, Connecticut," (1868) p. 31. https://archive.org/details/historyofstamfor00hunt/page/n7

Other than claims made only on the internet, I have seen no earlier claims that Jeffrey's first wife was a Mary Anne Howard. Because her name has not been passed from earlier generations down to the present, I do not think she could be classified as a family tradition.

The fact that there is no evidence Mary Anne Howard ever existed also argues against her as a first wife. Thomas Howard, the Earl of Arundel and Duke of Norfolk, (1586-1646) and Alethea Talbot (1584-1654) and thier six sons were a very prominent English royal family. In her "The Life, Correspondence and Collections of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel," Mary F.S. Hervey (1921) states at page 51:

"Other children joined the little group as the years rolled on. Six sons altogether were born to Lord and Lady Arundel. Thomas and Gilbert, the third and fourth sons, died in infancy. William, the fifth son, born the 30th November, 1611, lived to become Lord Stafford, and perished on the scaffold in 1680, falsely accused of participation in the Popish Plot. He was the author of the Historical Account of Thomas Earl of Arundel, often quoted here. Charles, the sixth son, died a child, in 1620. Two only of this numerous progeny survived their father: Henry Frederick, who succeeded him; and William, Lord Stafford. [fn 4]

[fn 4] Tierney says (p. 487) there was also one daughter, Catherine, quoting Dugdale's Baronage, n, 277, as his authority. But neither in Dugdale, nor elsewhere, can I find any mention of such a daughter. Nor does Lord Arundel himself, when speaking in his will of his six sons, make any allusion to a daughter. The statement of Tierney would therefore appear to rest on error. (Henry Frederick had a daughter Catherine, who married John Digby and who figures in the Van Dyck Fruytiers group of Thomas and Aletheia with their grandchildren. See post, p. i.)"
https://archive.org/details/lifecorresponden00herviala/page/n7

In addition, Lionel Cust in his "Anthony Van Dyck: An Historical Study of His Life and Works," Vol. 1 (1900) at page 268 (Portraits Painted in England) mentions a large painting of Thomas Howard, Alethea Talbot and their “six sons” painted by Van Dyck sometime before 1642. But there is no mention of daughters. (Van Dyke had met Alethea Howard as early as 1623 when she was in Italy and he was likely aware of any daughters.)
https://books.google.com/books/about/Anthony_Van_Dyck.html?id=6siKn...

And, the "Dictionary of National Biography," Vol. 28 (1889) at page 7 states:

"By his wife Alathea he had six sons. The eldest, James, Lord Mowbray, created K.B. in 1616, died unmarried at Ghent in 1624. Arundel's second son and successor, Henry Frederick, and his fifth son, William Howard, viscount Stafford, are separately noticed."

The Dictionary of National Biography makes no mention of a daughter.
https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati28stepuoft/page/n7

R Riegel awhile back I saw you posted something about matching DNA with one of the Groby, Leicestershire Ferrers is there already samples to compare them with or are you suggesting a exhumination? Im more than willing to send my dna samples but an exhumination would be expensive.

Private User, I was suggesting an exhumation at Ulverscroft Priory where the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby were buried. Three Ferrers in one small and isolated place seemed a unique opportunity to maximize the possibilities for success.

You or someone else might consider a Ferris GoFundMe project to cover the costs. The idea occurred to me after watching the British Time Team archaeological dig at Groby which revealed surprising results in only several days.

If Jeffrey Ferris is really descended from the Ferrers of Groby, DNA from one of the three Barons Ferrers buried at Ulverscroft would certainly prove it. Those three Barons are:

Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1303-1343)
William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1333-1371)
William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby (1372-1445)

Ulverscroft Priory is only about a mile north of Groby and was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries c. 1540. It was rural with only a few priors, so the number of burials is likely small. While the ruins are now on private land, I suspect an exhumation service could arrange access and do a project in stages in order to control costs.

Ulverscroft Priroy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulverscroft_Priory
Dissolution of the Monasteries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Monasteries
Priory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priory

Burial sites for two more Groby Ferrers descendants

Julius Ferrers-Ferris (d.1596) was the son of George Ferrers (1510-1579) and Jane Southcote. Julius's father, George Ferrers, was the "master of the king's pastimes" and played a role in suppressing Wyatt's Revolt in 1554 as described at page 5 of the "Origins of Jeffrey Ferris" on the Sources tab. Julius Ferrers-Ferris was also the 4th great grandson of William Ferrers (1372-1445), the 5th Baron Ferrrers of Groby.

Julius Ferrers-Ferris was buried at St Leonard's Church, Flamstead on 30 September 1596. The record of that burial gives his name as "Julius Ferris" and he is noted as "Lord of the Manor." (I uploaded to the Geni Sources tab a typewritten copy of extracts from the Flamstead church register which appears on the church's web site.) Some of the other entries in that register are interesting as well just for their vignettes of the times.

Benefice of Flamstead & Markyate: https://churchfm.org/file/509595
Flamstead and Markyate are about 10 miles north of St. Albans.

George Ferrers (1510-1578/9), Julius's father, was buried at Flamstead on 11 January 1578/9. Presumably that burial was at St Leonard's Church as well. Dictionary of National Biography, Vol XVIII (1889) p. 384. https://books.google.com/books?id=8gsqj3rIcSwC&pg=PA384&lpg...

I added a photo of Markyate Manor to the church's typewritten extracts of the register. It is apparently for sale for a mere 4.25 million pounds, in case anyone is interested. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636149/Sprawling-11-bedro...

Markyate Priory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markyate_Priory

One more DNA possibility:
Tomb of Sir John Ferrers (1474-1512) at St Editha, Tamworth

John Ferrers (1474-1512) was the 2nd great grandson of William Ferrers (1372-1445), 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby. His tomb is in St Editha Church in Tamworth and should be easily identifiable which may reduce the costs.

St Editha is on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) which is an official register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England. The NHLE listing for St Editha describes John Ferrers' tomb as follows:

"INTERIOR: ...
MEMORIALS: chancel has three tombs to recesses: ... to west, Sir John Ferrers, d.1512, and wife [Dorothy Harpur], chest with Tudor flower and shields, Tudor flower to cornice and 2 effigies, the male now without legs; ..."

NHLE Listing: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1207856

I had previously identified Rowland Brothers as one company that provides exhumation services including DNA testing: https://rbexhumations.com/exhumation-services/dna-testing/