John and Frances West, their charities and families

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Permalink Reply by Phil Wood on July 18, 2009 at 8:39am

I hope you have already found the West Group website: www.west-group.org/html/mainmenu.html

Children from Newbury are still being sent to school at Christ's Hospital by this long lasting charity. I know a few who have been acknowledged as members of this extended family - at least one of whom even recieves a small pension from the charity. The Wests themselves had no children so the family is that of their siblings, cousins etc.

Gabriel Cox is an awkward name to research as there were several of them, including several mayors of Newbury. One of them (1572-1638) had a daughter who was Frances West's mother. Another was Mayor in 1643 and had King Charles I as a guest in his house on the eve of the 1st Battle of Newbury. This may well be the same one that became Town Clerk for a while before being kicked out under the Commonwealth; he then petitioned to get the position back following the Restoration. An interesting family and quite prominent in C17th Newbury.

The Fettiplaces and Hungerfords are far more prominent county families - major landowners etc. I haven't come across connections to the Cox family, but it may exist.

Permalink Reply by Lindsey Dedden on July 18, 2009 at 2:29pm

I have been led to believe that the Gabriel Cox you mention above, grandfather of Frances West, was married to Mary Choke who was the daughter of Susan Hungerford who in turn was the daughter of Sir John Hungerford and Bridget Fettieplace. I am having some difficulty checking this. I hope it is true as this would in turn take my line back to John of Gaunt!

Permalink Reply by Phil Wood on July 22, 2009 at 6:17pm

The West Group have the marriage to Mary Choke, and I see that many websites link Mary to Susan Hungerford and Richard Choke/Cheke/Cheeke of Avington who had four children (including a Mary). I also note that none of the sites give much in the way of source references... One does seem to suggest that the West pedigrees have the link - perhaps they would be able to give some evidence?" They sell a publication: Oliver Cromwell tree" (Cox tree). Cost £5.50, to members only. Perhaps that would help?

I don't think the surviving Avington PRs date back far enough to check the Cox/Choke marriage (they weren't married in Newbury). Of course they could have married somewhere else.

Perhaps there are be some wills that would help? For instance Gabriel's will names Francis Choke (Chokk) as a trustee - if Francis is a brother of the Mary of Avington then the connection would seem a little more likely.

Permalink Reply by Victoria Turner on July 24, 2009 at 4:56am

I, too, can directly trace my family back to John and Frances West tree, and am registered with a number. My line is Sellwood/Chapman/Batten/Smith/Easdon/Stair. I haven't researched the Cox line and am still trying to find where my Stephen Sellwood circa 1710 came from before Chieveley. His wife is the link back to the Stairs and thence, the Wests.