Isaac Wyncoll
(D)
(1558 - 1638)
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Isaac
Wyncoll (D), son and heir of John Wyncoll (C),
was born at Netherhall, Little Waldingfield, on the 21st March, 1558, and
was, therefore, eighteen years of age when his father died. He inherited
all his father's real estate, with the exception of the lands, tenements,
etc., in Great and Little Cornard, which were directed to be sold for the
performance of the will, whilst, as to the lands and tenements in Alphamstone
and Twinstead, which his father had purchased from Thomas Wyllet and Henry
Sydaie, and the manors of Twinstead and Harberd, and lands and tenements
in Great Henny, Lamarsh, Pebmarsh, Rayleigh, Rambrath and Great Hockley,
these were held by his father's executors for six years after testator's
death, to be applied towards payment of debts and legacies, and for the
bringing up of his children. At the expiration of that term these properties
came to Isaac Wyncoll, subject to the payment to his brother John of 200
marks, and to an annuity of 20 marks (English) for life, out of the manor
of Netherhall and other lands in Little Waldingfield and Brent Eleigh,
commencing in 1583.
Isaac Wyncoll married, on the 25th June, 1581, Mary,1 daughter of Sir Thomas Gawdy,2 of Gawdy Hall, Norfolk, a Judge of the Queen's Bench, at Woolverstone, near Ipswich, and resided there at the commencement of his married life, for he is described as of that place "Gentleman" in a deed dated 5th October, 1583, whereby he and his wife, Mary, sold certain lands, tenements, pastures and woods in Great and Little Waldingfield to John Moore, of Ipswich, merchant. His temporary residence at Woolverstone is accounted for by the fact that his father-in-law, Sir Thomas Gawdy, had, amongst many other estates, a seat at, and was in occupation of Woolverstone Hall and also owned Bond's manor, in the parishes of Freston, Woolverstone and Tattingstone3 at this time. He then removed and took up residence at the home of his ancestors at Little Waldingfield for some years, two daughters being born and baptised and one buried there, and this lends colour to the suggestion that, in the interim, Twinstead Hall 4 was in course of erection for him. It was the residence of the family for the next 117 years. It is worthy of note that the arms mentioned by Holman, as in the footnote, impaled with Wyncoll (as to Nos. 1, 2 and 3) were confirmed to Sir Richard Page 20th February, 1530. They were :-
I have visited Twinstead twice. The hall contained thirty-three large rooms besides servants' kitchens and offices. It was empty when I saw it in December, 1888, but was water and weather-tight. It was pulled down in 1900 and the materials sold for what they would fetch. Mr. King Viall, the present owner and Lord of the Manor of Twinstead, wrote me a very nice letter and sent me a photograph of the old hall, which is here reproduced. He said that the house had stood empty since 1870, cost a certain amount to keep in repair and, being away from the railway, there seemed no chance of letting it; so it was thought wiser to pull it down. Doubtless a wise decision from his point of view, but one, I think, every Wyncoll will be sorry for. Today, scarce a vestige of the old place remains above the ground, and one would not suspect, from casual observation, that a building ever stood there. The site is overgrown with vegetation, and in place of the illustrious persons who have from time to time occupied the hall, not to speak of our ancestors, rabbits desport themselves, and the place is a perfect wilderness. Some fine old cedars and the bole of an old oak, still alive, which measures 28 feet 6 inches round, which undoubtedly stood and added charm to the grounds when our ancestors lived there, still remain, as do two bays and the cellars. The entrance to the last is choked with vegetation and it is wonderful to find, in spite of the enormous weight of earth on top, that the roofs are still good, and the cellars are perfectly dry. This speaks much for the stability of the structure. In the cellars there is an ancient pump, which has a cumbersome and heavy handle, and the boards covering the well still exist. Remains of the position of the moat may be traced, but there is no water. The stables belonging to the old hall still stand, and are of a most substantial and Spacious character with servants' rooms above. The posts of the old gate opening from the high road in the park still stand, filled in with sheep-hurdles. On the inside of the west post is the following inscription :- "O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint agricolas" (Oh how exceedingly happy the peasants would be could they but know their wealth), and on the inside of the east post :-" Deus nobis haec otia fecit" (God has made us these leisure moments, i.e. opportunities). Those members of the family who remember their Virgil will recognise that the first of these inscriptions appears in the Georgics, book ii. line 458, and that the second is to be found in Eclogues i., line 6. It cannot, of course, be said with any degree of certainty that these inscriptions were placed on the gate posts by either Isaac Wyncoll (D), his son Isaac (E), or Thomas (F), although I think it quite possible, as the remains of the gate appear to be of great age and the inscriptions were certainly cut at the time the posts were erected. Maybe they were erected by "the learned Dr. Marriot," who resided later on at the hall. The church is, I regret to say, a new one, and the monuments of the family which existed in the old church, and which are mentioned by Holman in his MSS. History of Essex, are now scattered about. The family vault may still be seen outside the east end of the new church. I found two brasses which had formerly been on the tomb of Mary Cooke, the first wife of Thomas (F), on the wall of the vestry, where they could not be seen. Four more brasses, which were originally upon the Monument of Mary Gawdy (described in this chapter), were under the cushion of a seat within the altar rails, and after many years I have, thanks to the Rev. T. Myers, the vicar of Twinstead, had them moved to the north wall opposite the south porch. Of these brasses I took rubbings, and illustrations of them are given. I found three large tombstones of the family, which are mentioned in the county histories as resting in the chancel of the old church, paving the entrance to the south porch. One has since been taken up and placed against the west wall. I fear exposure to weather and continuous traffic would soon wear away the arms and inscriptions of these old family monuments, but Mr. Myers has kindly consented to their being placed all together outside the east end of the church near the family vault, and I hope this will soon be done. Isaac Wyncoll held his first court at Twinstead on Monday, 13th August, 1580.5 There are, however, no manorial incidents now appertaining to that manor, the lands having since been all enfranchised. Isaac Wyncoll had six children by his first
wife (nee Mary Gawdy) namely - Isaac (E), Jane,
buried at Little Waldingfield 20th February, 1589, Judith, baptised at
Little Waldingfield 27th November, 1593, and who married, first, John Harrison,
clerk in Holy Orders6, at Twinstead on 29th October,
1612, and, secondly, William Richardson, gentleman, Alderman of Hadleigh;
Amy, buried at Twinstead 6th March, 1617; and one other daughter. The wife
died on 4th January, 1610, and the brass with the inscription to her memory
is upon the wall of the present church at Twinstead. There were five brasses
affixed to her gravestone, an illustration of which is given (the figure
of the son being missing in Holman's time). The stone itself is most likely
contributing to the flagged path leading to the south porch. Holman's account
of this stone is interesting, as shewing its original position in the old
church. He says -"Just under the Communion table is another gravestone
of grey marble, at the upper end of it two escutcheons of brass inlaid."
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Below you have an inscription on a plate of
brass inlaid.
Here lyeth bvryed Marie Wyncoll the wife of Isake
Isaac Wyncoll was therefore 52 years of age when his first wife died. He married, secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Anthony Waldegrave, esquire, of Ferrers, in Bures, by which union there was no issue.8 She was buried at Twinstead on 22nd April, 1631, as appears, by the Parish Registers of that church. Isaac Wyncoll died at the ripe age of 80 and was buried at Twinstead on 20th August, 1638, so that he outlived his second wife more than seven years. |