Frederick TILNEY ²¹⁷⁵

   FamilySearch ID: G4MS-RMY

  General Notes:

LifeSketch
Frederick Tilney of Boston
The first of this family of any note was Frederick Tilney. His
forebears probably originated in the village of Tilney, Norfolk. He
may have been the son of a John de Tilney who occurs in the subsidy
rolls for Boston in 1333 (Thompson, 374). In 1342, a John Tilney is
mentioned in the Close Rolls as a collector of wool in Lincoln (CCR,
Ed. 3, vi, 537), some of those in the same record were merchants of
Boston. Frederick de Tilney of Boston, merchant, was a member of the
Corpus Christi Guild of Boston in 1349, (Thompson, 374) which I think
would place his birth date some time between 1320 and 1330. The first
official record I can find of him is in January 1359, when William de
Spayne and Frederick de Tylneye were elected as collectors of customs
in the town and port of Boston (CPR, Ed. 3, xi, 320). In July 1360
they delivered 240 pounds into the exchequer (CCR, Ed. 3, xi, 45) and
in August 1360 they were requested to purvey 4,000 stokfissh, called
'winterfissh' to Southampton for the royal household (CPR, Ed. 3, xi,
453). In February 1363, Frederick was appointed collector of customs
in Boston and places along the coast between Grimsby, Lincolnshire and
Blakeney, Nofolk (CFR, vii, 252). In 1369, the staple of Lincoln was
transferred to Boston and Frederic de Tilney was the first mayor of
the staple (VCH Lincs, ii, 320). In October 1372 Frederick de Tylneye
and William de Spaigne were again appointed as collectors of customs
and duties on wool, hides and cloth in the ports near Boston (CFR,
viii, 187).

Between November 1363 and December 1377 Frederick served on several
commissions of wallis and fossatis, commissions of the peace and a
commission of oyer and terminer in Lincolnshire usually in the company
of William de Spaigne [CPR]. From September 1372 to May 1378,
Frederick Tilney appears in various records of property transactions
in Boston and the manor of Thetford in Norfolk. In June 1376 Frederick
de Tilney of Boston appointed his son Philip de Tilney to deliver
seisin of the manor of Thetford to trustees (DD/4P/4/12). In November
1377 he was appointed deputy butler in Boston (CPR, Ric. 2, i, 67).
The last record I can find of him is in 1378 and I assume that he died
some time shortly afterwards. Despite numerous references in secondary
works calling him Sir Frederick Tilney I have been unable to find any
contemporary record where he is called a knight.

He left a widow Margery, a son Philip, later knighted, possibly a son
John who was a priest, and a daughter Alice who married John Skipwith.
Thompson (p. 117) mentions a son called Frederick, but there are no
contemporary records of this Frederick.

Philip Tilney
Sir Philip Tilney, son of Frederick and Margery appears in property
records together with his father in 1376 and 1378, and was probably
born some time between 1345 and 1355. He married, around 1378-80,
Grace daughter of John son of Richard de Roos (de Ros) of Ringborough,
Holderness, Yorkshire and Tydd St. Mary, Lincolnshire. Grace appears
to have been the sole heiress of her father. After their marriage,
Philip was holding her lands in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and was
eligible for knighthood.

Philip de Tinley was appointed sheriff of Cambridgeshire and
Huntingdonshire and keeper of the castle of Cambridge on 1 November
1383 (CFR, x, 7) and sheriff of Lincolnshire on 18 November 1386 (CFR,
x, 151). He was knighted some time between 26 April and 22 November
1385 (CPR, Ric. 2, ii, 588 and CCR Ric. 2, iii, 95). He was on a
commission to array men-at-arm in Lincolnshire in April 1385 (CPR,
Ric. 2, ii, 588) and served as one of the knights of the shire for
Lincolnshire in the Parliaments of 1385, 1388 (twice) and 1390 (CCR,
Ric. 2, iii, 119, 494, 656 & iv, 178). He served on numerous
commissions, mostly in Lincolnshire between 1385 and 1393 (CPR).

Philip was alderman of the guild of Corpus Christi in Boston in 1387
and 1388 (Thompson, 117) and in September 1392, he had a licence to
form the fraternity of St. Mary in Boston together with Sir William de
Spaigne (CPR, Ric. 2, v, 192, 195). In the following year his mother,
Margery, late the wife of Frederic de Tylneye had licence for the
alienation in mortmain of property in Boston to the alderman and
brethren of the fraternity of St. Mary, Boston (CPR, Ric. 2, v, 217).
In May 1392, Philip de Tilneye of Boston, knight had licence to
alienate in mortmain property near Boston to John Rocheford alderman,
and the brethren and sisters of the guild of Corpus Christi, Boston
(CPR, Ric 2, v, 68). In the following month he was one of those
licenced to alienate in mortmain the manor and advowson of Histon, to
the abbess and convent of Denney, Cambridgeshire (CPR, Ric. 2, v, 74).
On 25 January 1393, Philip de Tilney, knight, nobleman, and Grace his
wife, noblewoman, of the diocese of Lincoln had a papal indult to
choose their confessors (Cal. Pap. Reg, iv, 495).

The will of Philip de Tylney of Tydd, is dated at Tydd, on 4 April
1394. He wished to be buried in the churchyard of St. Botulph
[Boston]. He mentions sons Frederic and John and appoints as executors
Margery his mother, Grace his wife, John Stransale rector of St.
Botulph, Roger Welby of Multon, John Holinton and Henry Eston of St.
Botulph (Early Linc. Wills, 83).

Philip may also have had a daughter Margaret who was a member of the
guild of Corpus Christi, Boston (Thompson, 178).

In April 1398 Margery de Tylney and Grace de Tylney, of the diocese of
Lincoln, noble women had indults to enter as often as they please,
with six honest matrons, the monastery of enclosed nuns of the order
of St. Clare, Denney, in the diocese of Ely (Cal. Pap. Reg., v, 91).
In February 1398, Margaret (sic) de Tylney, relict of Frederic de
Tylney, of Boston and Grace de Tylney, noble woman, relict of Philip
Tylney, of Boston had papal indults to choose a confessor (Cal. Pap.
Reg., v, 233-4). Margery was dead before 1415, when her granddaughter,
Margaret Skipwith, widow of Robert Constable of Flamborough leaves 5
marks in her will to find a chaplain to pray in the gallery of lady
Margery de Tilney within the parish church of Boston (Test. Ebor. i,
362). Margaret also leaves a bequest to Grace Tilney who was still
living in 1415.

Frederick Tilney
Frederick Tilney, son and heir of Sir Philip Tilney and Grace Roos,
was a minor at the death of his father and probably born about 1380.
Before 29 September 1394 he was married to Margaret, daughter of John
de Rochford of Boston (DD/4P/4/15). From the pleadings given in a
complicated and long-running legal case concerning the manor of
Darlaston, near Wolverhampton, Staffordshire in 9 Henry VI (1430-1432)
it appears that Margaret, then widow of Frederick Tilney, was one of
the three daughters of Sir John Rochford and that her mother was Joan
daughter of Sir Roger Hillary (d. 1356) (Coll. Hist. Staffs., xvii,
135).

Frederick makes almost no appearances in any official records so it is
difficult to say much about him. In April 1406 he was one of the
mainpermors for John Rochefort knight, that he shall do or procure no
hurt or harm to Robert Kervylle (CCR, Hen. 4, iii, 115). He was dead
before May 1421, when Margaret is described as his widow in a legal
case (Coll. Hist. Staffs., xvii, 78). I can find no contemporary
records where Frederick is called a knight.

In August 1434 Ralph Rochford and Margaret wife of the late Frederic,
son of Philip Tilney, knight demised the manor of Thetford to John
Odham of Tydd St. Mary, chaplain (DD/4P/4/19).

Frederick and Margaret had at least one son, Philip.

Philip Tilney.
Philip son of Frederick Tilney and Margaret Rochford was probably born
about 1400. Philip is described as 'gentilman' of Lincolnshire in 1425
(CCR, Hen. 6, i, 257) and occurs as Philip Tylney of Boston in
December 1437 (CCR, Hen. 6, iii, 144). He married Isabel, daughter of
Sir Edmund Thorpe. Isabel died on 10 November 1436 according to her
monumental inscription in Ashwellthorpe church (McLeod, 25). On 7
November 1437, Philip Tylney was appointed as sheriff of Lincolnshire
(CFR, xvii, 3, 42). Philip later became a secular canon of Lincoln
Cathedral and died in October 1453, and was buried in Lincoln
cathedral (McLeod, 25-6). His writ of diem clausit extremum issued on
5 November 1453 describes him as Philip Tylney, clerk, so I doubt that
he was a knight (CFR, ixx, 54).

Frederick Tilney
Frederick son and heir of Philip Tilney and Isabel Thorpe was probably
born about 1420. Frederick married Elizabeth, daughter of Lawrence
Cheyne of Ditton Cambridgeshire (CP, 12/1, 725). He was dead before 1
December 1446, when Elizabeth was married to John Say yeoman of the
crown (CCR, Hen. 6, iv, 442).

Elizabeth Tilney
Elizabeth, only daughter of Frederick Tilney and Elizabeth Cheyne was
probably born about 1442. She married firstly, Sir Humphrey Bourchier
(son and heir apparent of Sir John Bourchier [Lord Berners]), who died
v.p., being slain at Barnet, on 14 April 1471. She married secondly,
as his first wife, on 30 April 1472, Thomas (Howard) later Earl of
Surrey and Duke of Norfolk (CP, 12/1, 725). She died as Countess of
Surrey on 4 April 1497 (CIPM, Hen. 7, ii, 22, No. 18).

Regards,

John

References:
Calendars of Patent Rolls, Close Rolls, Fine Rolls, Papal Registers,
etc.
Pishey Thompson, History and Antiquities of Boston (1856)
Ronald F. McLeod, Massingham Parva, Past and Present (London: 1882)
Nottinghamshire Archives, Portland of Welbeck (4th Deposit): Estate
Papers [DD/4P/4/1 to 19]
Complete Peerage, Vol. 12/1, p. 725

  Noted events in his life were:

1. He worked as a Sheriff of Cambridge. ²¹⁷⁶

2. He worked as a Sheriff of Huntingdon. ²¹⁷⁶

Frederick married Margaret ROCHFORD, daughter of John ROCHFORD and Alice DE HASTINGS, in 1392 in , , Lincolnshire, England.²¹⁷⁶ (Margaret ROCHFORD was born in 1382 in Boston, Boston, Lincolnshire, England ²¹⁷⁵ and died after 10 February 1443 in Fisherwick, Lichfield, Staffordshire, England ²¹⁷⁵.)