The Northeys Of Woodcote House

Prologue – Before Epsom

The Northey family has traced its origins back as far as 1511, when a John Northey and his wife, Joanne, held lands in the Manor of ‘Bradwell by Coggeshall in the Hundred of Whitam’, Essex. This area is a short distance east of Braintree and a few miles NNE of Chelmsford.

The family’s original coat of arms was granted to Henry, son of John and Joanne, in 1556. His home was at Bocking, near Bradwell (not to be confused with Bradwell-on-Sea) and he had a son called William, who was described as being of Edington in West Wiltshire. Our Epsom Northeys were directly descended from Thomas, second son of William of Edington. Thomas lived in Corsham, Wiltshire and married Eleanor Hunt of Gloucester. Their eldest son was another Thomas who married Elizabeth Frein of Salisbury. In 1634 there was a grant of Arms to this Thomas, of virtually identical design to the original Arms of 1556. He was an East India merchant who lived with his wife at Old Ford London (in Stepney). Their son, William, a barrister of the Middle Temple and Justice of the Peace (c.1620-83) married Elizabeth Garret (died in or before 1666) in 1639 at St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, City of London: these were the parents of Edward, our first Epsom Northey.

St Bartholomew the Great.
Photograph by Sandpiper used under this Common creative license
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Table showing the direct antecedents of Edward of Epsom

See the comprehensive Northey family tree compiled by Major-General Sir Edward Northey

Links to the previous and next parts.

Linda Jackson © February 2012