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Chapter 23

The Hunt Family Ancestry

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On the 20th July,1585 John Hunt (1514 - 1525 - 1586 )of Stoke, Lyndon County Rutland was granted his coat of arms by Queen Elizabeth. A very similar coat of arms is displayed at St Peters and St Pauls Church, Oulton, Norfolk, England where Reverend Thomas Maxwell Hunt (1789 - 1863) was the rector - it sits with other wall memorials to the Hunt Family. The coat of arms was the clue that this line of Hunt was descended from the hunts of Rutland.

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Tablet on the North Wall of the Chancel at St Peters and St Pauls, Oulton, Norfolk,

(Photograph above.)

 

"n. (Partly tinctured by lines.) Azure, on a bend between six leopards' heads or, three water-bougets (Azure, on a bend between six leopards' heads or, three water-bougets sable.)

Crest: On a cap of maintenance a talbot passant Motto: Animo et fide.

For " the Rev. Thomas Maxwell Hunt, Vicar, who died April

28th, 1863, aged 73; and for Elizabeth his wife, who died

August 9th, 1877, aged 89."

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The Coat of Arms indicates the following:

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The six leopard heads shows descent from John Hunt of Rutland - Stoke Lindon and Barradon, co. Rutland; granted by Cooke, Clarenceux, 20 July, 1585, to John Hunt, Esq., of Lindon and Stoke Aubeney, descended from John le Hunt, 40 Edward IlI., great-grandson of Gilbert de Stoke, called the Forester, and Matilda, his wife, dau. and heir of John Ridol, of Ramesthorpe and Ashley. Visit. Rutland, 1618.

https://coadb.com/surnames/hunt-arms.html 

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The talbot is a hunting-dog, distinguished chiefly by the form of his ears; the modern mastiff occurs is one or two coats of arms, and we find also the spaniel and the terrier.

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The water bougets show descent from the Middleton, de Roos and Bingham families.

https://drawshield.net/reference/parker/w/water-bouget.html 

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Motto: Animo et Fide Courageous and Faithful

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ANIMO = animadverto : To turn the mind to, take notice of, see, perceive. 
Animi : At heart. Animosus : -a,-um courageous, ardent, passionate, furious 
animus : Character, intellect, memory, consciousness, often = mind. 
Animus : Courage, vivacity, bravery, will, spirit, soul.

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John Hunt was born by 1514 - 1525 at Stoke Albany, Northamptonshire to Robert Hunt (1497 - 1585)  the son of William Hunt and Ann Scarborrow and Baringolda Digby (1499 - 1525) the daughter of Sir Everard Digby (1457 - 1509) and Lady Jaqueta Elys (Ellis) (1455 - 1496) daughter of Sir John Elys (1430 - 1500) and Allanor Russell (1435 - 1500).

 

John Hunt by 1545 had married Amice Amy Anne Cave (1525 - 1599) the daughter of Sir Thomas Cave (1497 - 1558) and Lady Elizabeth Baroness Danvers (1506 - 1558). John Hunt died on the 17th March 1586. 

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"ConstituencyDates

RUTLAND

Apr. 1554

Family and Education

b. by 1514, s. of Robert Hunt of Stoke Albany, Northants. by Baringold, da. of Sir Everard Digby of Stoke Dry, Rutland. educ. Cardinal, Oxf., adm. 1528 BCL 1532; M. Temple. m. by 1545, Amy, da. of Sir Thomas Cave of Stanford, Northants., 4s. 4da.1

 

Offices Held

J.p. Rutland 1543, 1554-60, q. 1561-4; steward, bp. of Peterborough’s manors of Peterborough, Northants. 1548-70 and Gunthorpe, Rutland 1562-70; commr. relief, Rutland 1550.2

 

Biography

John Hunt inherited a substantial patrimony but his career was to owe more to his mother, who was a Digby. It was she and her relatives who, after her husband died during her son’s infancy, found the boy a stipend from the rectory of Edmonton, Middlesex, for his maintenance at Oxford, where his cousin Kenelm Digby may have preceded him, and if it was he who in 1528 asked Cromwell for a petty canonry at Wolsey’s new foundation he probably did so under Digby sponsorship. In 1531 William Tresham of Christ Church wrote to Cromwell on his behalf, and Hunt followed with a letter of his own. The burden of both was that, having spent his time so far chiefly in the study of the civil law, Hunt wished to go on to study English law, which he seemed to think he could do at Oxford. In July of the same year he wrote to Cromwell from Pembroke College, where he was acting as tutor to Gregory Cromwell, in support of one of his Digby kinsmen who was seeking a prebend. In the following April he took his degree in civil law and he may then have transferred his attention to the common law. Kenelm Digby had probably already entered the Middle Temple and Hunt is likely to have followed, although evidence of his admission is lacking. The next reference to his academic progress comes in February 1541, when he received a dispensation from proceeding to the master’s degree at Oxford.3

 

From then on Hunt appears to have adopted the life of a country gentleman, albeit one of legal attainment. In 1543 he was put on the Rutland bench and it was probably about the same time that he married into the influential Cave family. From 1545 he was in receipt of an annuity of 40 marks from the dean and chapter of Peterborough and shortly afterwards he became steward of many of the bishop’s lands. His own estates underwent steady increase, purchases in Barrow, Rutland, and Quorndon, Leicestershire, in 1550 being followed by that of Lyndon, which he made his main seat, in 1552 and of the manors of Barrow and Newton Burdett, Leicestershire, and lands in Halloughton, Nottinghamshire, and Prestwold, Leicestershire.4

 

It was under Mary that Hunt, a lifelong Catholic, took most part in affairs and had his only experience of the Commons. Of the two Rutland seats one was monopolized at this time by Kenelm Digby and the other shared almost as exclusively by Anthony Colly and James Harington. It was Digby’s third shrievalty in 1553-4 which let in the only other two men returned during the reign, with Hunt’s chance coming in the spring of 1554. Nothing is known of his part in the House, but the government was doubtless assured of his support: two months earlier he had heard the indictment of the Leicester contingent of Wyatt’s rebellion, and his regular service on commissions throughout the reign was to be rewarded by an annuity. While attending Parliament, and at other times, he occupied the chamber in the Temple which he shared with his brother-in-law and fellow-Member Francis Farnham, who left him the three volumes of Fitzherbert’s La Grande Abridgement and the table for them. After Farnham’s death Hunt shared the chamber with one of the Digbys: he retained it until at least 1568 and took into it two of his sons and a cousin. He never read at the inn, preferring to pay a fine of £40.5

 

After Bishop Scambler of Peterborough had declared Hunt a ‘great hinderer’ of religion in 1564, he was removed from the bench. By his will of 28 Dec. 1585 he divided his lands between three of his sons, the Rutland properties passing to his heir Remigius; Barrow and Halloughton to Francis; Deene, Northamptonshire, to Thomas, and the manors of Newton Burdett and Sale, Staffordshire, to John. Hunt died on 27 Mar. 1586 and the will was proved four days later.

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Ref Volumes: 1509-1558 Author: S. M. Thorpe Notes 1. Date of birth estimated from education. Vis. Rutland (Harl. Soc. iii), 15; Emden, Biog. Reg. Univ. Oxf. 1501-40, p. 305. 2. LP Hen. VIII, xvii, xx; CPR, 1553, p. 351; 1553-4, p. 23; 1563-6, pp. 25-26; Peterborough cath. lib. Mountstevings reg. f. 1, Dean Courthorpe’s reg. f. 55. 3. Emden, 305; LP Hen. VIII, iv, v, xii, xiv. 4. Quorndon Recs. ed. Farnham, 209, 247; Peterborough cath. lib. Mountstevings reg. f. 2; CPR, 1550-3, p. 274; VCH Rutland, ii. 75, 277. 5. CPR, 1553-4, pp. 381, 499; M.T. Recs. i. passim; Quorndon Recs. 200. 6. Cam. Misc. ix(3), 37; PCC 14 Windsor; C142/219/88."

 

 

CONANT MSS
Catalogue Ref. DG11
Creator(s): Conant family of Lyndon Hall, Rutland
Barker family of Lyndon Hall, Rutland

Wills and Administrations

FILE [no title] - ref. DG11/990 - date: 1605 March 19
[from Scope and Content] Certified copy of the will, dated 28th December 28 Elizabeth I, and probate granted 31st March 1586 by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, of John Hunte the elder, of Lindon, co. Rutland, esq.: wife, Amice, to have all testator's lands in LINDON and HALLOUGHTON for life; Bowwood in TICKENGCOTE to executors for payment of debts and legacies; to Remeige Hunt, 
after deaths of testator and his wife, the manor of LINDON for life, then the reversion of Bowwood and all other lands in LYNDON to Thomas Hunt, eldest son of Remeige, and to eldest son of Thomas and heirs male, remainders to second to 7th sons of Thomas successively and their heirs male, in default to Fras., the second son of Remige, to John, the third son of Remige, successively and their 
sons and heirs male as before, remainders to testator's 2nd son John and heirs male, and heirs male of testator; to son, Fras. Hunt, Swinnowe Hilles and Goodmans Closes, in HALLOUGHTON, for ever, and after death of testator's wife, all his lands in HALLOUGHTON for ever; also to Fras. all lands in BARROWE, QUERNE and PRESTOLDE; to son Thomas Hunt the patronage of LINDON and TWIFORD and lands in DEINE for life, then reversion of lands in DEINE to son Fras. and his heirs for ever; to daughter Margaret Raynes lands in BARROWE, let to Bart. Franck, for 40 years, and at her death residue of the term to her sons, George, Nicholas and Gabriel, and to her daughters, Amice and Elizabeth; testator's wife and executors to have £80 for private purposes testator has charged her to perform, and wife Amice, to allow such tenants as be parcel of her jointure to remain to pay yearly rents and carry out other duties which testator had in his lifetime; "my Lord of Rutland" to have testator's land in WOLSTROPPE; lease made to George Trigge and Fras. Hunt of Porthill, Coplowhill and Holgate for 30 years, to wife Amice, Kenelm Digbye, esq., and George Trigge, gent.; land in 
ESONDYNE and CARLEBIE to be sold by executors and the proceeds, and the profits of Bowwood, to be bestowed in alms where needed; sister Anne Boothe, to be repaid 30 shillings out of her rent for 40 years; Robert Martin of Denie and his wife to have the house and land in DEINE, in which they live, for 40 years; - - - - Freeman, widow, to have the farm in which she dwells for 12 years; 
testator's tenants in LINDON and elsewhere, after death of testator and his wife, to have their farms for 4 years at the usual rents; directions concerning lands in BARROWE, QUERNE andPRESTOLDE held in trust by Edward Digby, Anthony Digby and Leonard Homan, who are to convey lands in WOLLSTROPPE to Lord Rutland, and the lands in BARROWE, QUERNE and PRESTOLDE to testator's son, Fras.; sons directed not to hinder Amice of any legacies or bequests, and to make further legal assurance of all lands conveyed and bequesthed, on penalty of loss of benefit from the will; any ambiguity in the will to be resolved by Kenelm Digby, Edward Digby, Henry Harenden and George Trigge without law suit; if son Remige should try to alter the will, executors to take advantage of his bonds, (etc.) to recompence the injured parties; all lands, part of LINCOLN HOULD, to 
executors for the term held and to pay the rent; Elizabeth, wife of son Remige, to have freehold lands in LYNDON for life, after deaths of testator and his wife: testator appoints wife Amice, Anthony Digby, Peter Roos and son Francis Hunt, executors, George Trigge a coadjutor, and Kelnelm Digby and Henry Harenden supervisors: administration granted to Amicie Hunt, Fras. Hunt, Anthony Digby 
and Peter Roos.

http://books.google.com/books?id=SBys70CiCosC&pg=PR5&vq=hunt&source=gbs_search_r&cad=0_1#PPA15,M1
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http://books.google.com/books?id=oGMBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA211
"Genealogical Memoirs of the Extinct Family of Chester of Chicheley, their Ancestors and Descendants", by Robert E. C. Waters, esq
Volume 1, page 211 wj

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John Hunt and Amice or Amy Cave had the following children:

Gertrude Hunt (1545 - 1586) married Thomas Lacy and Henry Sacheverell (1545)

Remegius Hunt of Lindon, Rutland (1546 - 1618) Eldest son and heir married Elizabeth Reynes (1546)

Sir John Hunt (1550 - 1615) married Mary Lusher (1564 - 1634)

Francis Hunt (1551 - 1638) married Dorothy Durant (1567 - 1637)

Thomas Hunt (1552 - 1591)

Margaret Hunt (1555) married Andrew Reynes of Barrow (1550)

Susan Hunt (1557) married Richard Francis(1550)

Dorothy Hunt (1564 - 1604) married Sir Nicholas Lusher (1562 - 1616) 

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The full descendant line of the Rutland Hunts is given in the pdf below taken from "The visitation of Rutland 1618". https://archive.org/details/visitationofcoun00camd.

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The link to the Myddleton family is through John Hunt (1655 - died between 1702 - 1719) who married Elizabeth Greene (1664 - 1693) the daughter of John Greene(1627 - 1705), Secretary of the New River and Elizabeth Myddleton daughter of Sir William Myddleton (1603 - 1652) and Eleanor Harris (1615 - 1649) and the granddaughter of Sir Hugh Myddleton 1st Bart of Ruthyn who brought the New River to London.

 

Elizabeth's sister Rebecca Myddleton also daughter of Sir William Middleton (1603 - 1652) and Eleanor Harris (1615 - 1649) married Sir George Bingham 2nd Bart of Castlebar (1670 - 1727) who was then Uncle to John Hunt ( born 1655). Lavinia Bingham (1762 - 1831) married Earl George John Spencer (1758 - 1834), ancestor of Dianna Frances Spencer who married the Prince of Wales.