Fettiplace
Encyclopedia
Fettiplace is an English
family name of Norman
descent, with at least 800 years of history. They were landed gentry
, chiefly in the counties of Berkshire
and Oxfordshire
.
with William the Conqueror
. The first notable recorded family member was Adam Feteplace or Fettiplace who was Mayor of Oxford for eleven terms between 1245 and 1268. His family's first estate was North Denchworth
in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). Thomas Fettiplace (d. 1442) of East Shefford in Berkshire married Beatrix, widow of Gilbert, Earl Talbot. She was probably illegitimately descended from the Royal House of Portugal
. Their youngest son, John, a London wool merchant (d. 1464), became a member of the household of Henry VI
and because of his family connections carried the insignia of the Order of the Garter
to the King of Portugal. Public service by the Fettiplaces continued during the Tudor
and Stuart period
s with records showing the knight
ing of family members during the reigns of Henry VII
and Henry VIII
. During the latter's reign, Sir Thomas Fettiplace of Compton Beauchamp
in Berkshire accompanied the King to the Field of the Cloth of Gold
to meet the French King, Francis I
in 1520. Another Fettiplace accompanied the entourage that escorted Anne of Cleves
to England. Anthony Fettiplace of Childrey and Swinbrook (d. 1510), son of John the wool merchant, married the granddaughter of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn
, Lord Mayor of London; Queen Elizabeth I
was thus a cousin of that branch of the family. John Fettiplace of Besselsleigh
was an MP in the 1550s. A Fettiplace was the magistrate who arrested Edward Campion
. Most but not all family members supported Charles I in the English Civil War
and suffered as a result. Some of the early surviving wills of family members are of considerable sociological interest, particularly those of Alexander Fettiplace (1564) and Lady Ann Fettiplace (1651), both of the Childrey and Swinbrook branch. The two triple family monuments
at Swinbrook
Church in Oxfordshire, with sets of effigies ranged on shelves above each other, are fine examples of English Renaissance and Baroque funerary art. The main landed English branches of the family died out in the early 18th century, but a small number from younger branches remained and do so to this day. The English Fettiplaces have spread over England, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Among descendants through female lines is the 19th century surgeon William Lawrence FRS
.
(Massachusetts
) in the 17th century. However, the original line actually arrived in 1607, some 50 years earlier, and helped found Jamestown
. However, as adventurers in the employ of John Smith
, they returned with him when he was injured in 1609. The current American Phetteplaces therefore are not directly related to the Jamestown brothers, although they do have common ancestors. Two direct descendants of the Jamestown Brothers Fettiplace (now Fetterplace) do live in the United States.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
family name of Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
descent, with at least 800 years of history. They were landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
, chiefly in the counties of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Origin
Fettiplace is probably from old French "fâites place" for 'make room', the shout allegedly given by the ushers/bodyguards/protectors of the French Kings and nobility. The name Fettiplace is now largely modernized within the direct descendants as Fetterplace and known as Phetteplaces in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
English family
They are said to have first arrived in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
. The first notable recorded family member was Adam Feteplace or Fettiplace who was Mayor of Oxford for eleven terms between 1245 and 1268. His family's first estate was North Denchworth
Denchworth
Drayton is a village and civil parish about north of Wantage. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.The parish is bounded by the Land Brook in the west and the Childrey Brook in the east...
in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). Thomas Fettiplace (d. 1442) of East Shefford in Berkshire married Beatrix, widow of Gilbert, Earl Talbot. She was probably illegitimately descended from the Royal House of Portugal
Kings of Portugal family tree
This is a collection of the family trees of the kingdom of Portugal.See also: Portugal - History of Portugal - List of Portuguese monarchs...
. Their youngest son, John, a London wool merchant (d. 1464), became a member of the household of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
and because of his family connections carried the insignia of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
to the King of Portugal. Public service by the Fettiplaces continued during the Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
and Stuart period
Stuart period
The Stuart period of English and British history refers to the period between 1603 and 1714, while in Scotland it begins in 1371. These dates coincide with the rule of the Scottish royal House of Stuart, whose first monarch to rule England was James I & VI...
s with records showing the knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ing of family members during the reigns of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. During the latter's reign, Sir Thomas Fettiplace of Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
in Berkshire accompanied the King to the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
to meet the French King, Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
in 1520. Another Fettiplace accompanied the entourage that escorted Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
to England. Anthony Fettiplace of Childrey and Swinbrook (d. 1510), son of John the wool merchant, married the granddaughter of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn
Boleyn
Francization of traditional english "Bullen", Boleyn is the surname of a noble English family particularly prominent in the Tudor period, members of which include:*Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII...
, Lord Mayor of London; Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
was thus a cousin of that branch of the family. John Fettiplace of Besselsleigh
Besselsleigh
Besselsleigh or Bessels Leigh is a village and civil parish about south-west of Oxford. Besselsleigh was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred to Oxfordshire.The village is just off the A420 road between Oxford and Swindon....
was an MP in the 1550s. A Fettiplace was the magistrate who arrested Edward Campion
Edward Campion
Edward Campion was the pseudonym of Father Gerard Edwards. Campion was one of the Oaten Hill Martyrs executed on 1 October 1588 and beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.-References:*http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3050...
. Most but not all family members supported Charles I in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and suffered as a result. Some of the early surviving wills of family members are of considerable sociological interest, particularly those of Alexander Fettiplace (1564) and Lady Ann Fettiplace (1651), both of the Childrey and Swinbrook branch. The two triple family monuments
Church monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
at Swinbrook
Swinbrook
Swinbrook is a village on the River Windrush, east of Burford in Oxfordshire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Swinbrook and Widford.-History:...
Church in Oxfordshire, with sets of effigies ranged on shelves above each other, are fine examples of English Renaissance and Baroque funerary art. The main landed English branches of the family died out in the early 18th century, but a small number from younger branches remained and do so to this day. The English Fettiplaces have spread over England, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Among descendants through female lines is the 19th century surgeon William Lawrence FRS
Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet
Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet FRCS FRS was an English surgeon who became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of London and Serjeant Surgeon to the Queen....
.
US family
The US 'Phetteplace' spelling is a result of a mistake dating from Phillip Fettiplace arriving on Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
(Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) in the 17th century. However, the original line actually arrived in 1607, some 50 years earlier, and helped found Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
. However, as adventurers in the employ of John Smith
John Smith of Jamestown
Captain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and friend Mózes Székely...
, they returned with him when he was injured in 1609. The current American Phetteplaces therefore are not directly related to the Jamestown brothers, although they do have common ancestors. Two direct descendants of the Jamestown Brothers Fettiplace (now Fetterplace) do live in the United States.