Whatmore Family History

 Click on pictures and charts in this post to enlarge them

 Marjory Smalman is of importance in the annals of the Whatmore family as she was almost certainly the mother of Thomas Watmore of Curdale from whom a very large number of the Whatmores in the West Midlands descend. 

We have very few definite facts about Marjory, other than her marriage at Neenton on 25 September 1575 to Thomas Wotmar and her burial there on 20 December 1614. Nevertheless, it is possible from the Smalmans recorded in the Neenton parish register to make an informed guess as to where she fits into the Smalman family.

There had been Smalmans in and around Neenton from very early times and in his ‘Collections for Shropshire’ Volume 2, the genealogist W D Fletcher provides a chart linking the Smalmans of Margery’s time back to a Richard Smalman who held lands at Long Stanton in Corvedale in 1229. (Microfilm 40 at Shropshire Archives, Shrewsbury). Writing about the Smalman family in the Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society for 1903 (Third Series Volume 3), Mr Fletcher gives the source of this chart as a pedigree drawn up by William Hardwicke of Bridgnorth and later copied by other genealogists.  Mr Fletcher states ‘ with all deference to work of these eminent genealogists, this early pedigree seems to me to consist merely of a number of names of persons that are found in various deeds and documents, which they proceeded to connect together. I do not think that this early pedigree of 11 generations, ranging from 1229 to 1554 could be satisfactorily proved….’ The pedigree does however show just how long the Smalmans had been in the area and it could perhaps be correct! My computerised version of this pedigree is provided below.

Since Marjory Smalman was married at Neenton at a time when there were many others with that name in the village it seems reasonable to assume that she was from Neenton. Marjory’s last known child was William Watmore baptised at Neenton in 1590. If we assume that she was about 45 when she had her last  child, Marjory will have been born about 1545. The Neenton parish registers start in 1558 and do not contain Marjory’s baptism so a date before that fits well.

The Smalman genealogical table in the published version of the Visitation of Shropshire of 1623 shows an Edward Smalman  at the top and we know from the parish registers that he was buried at Neenton on 4 May 1577, so he is a contender for the father of Margery Smalman, but his children shown in the pedigree do not include a Margery. Edward did have a daughter called Margretta, but unlike four of her sisters shown on the chart, no marriage is shown for Margretta indicating that she either died young or did not marry.

Looking at the chart devised by William Hardwicke (see above) we find that Edward is supposed to have had a brother William who was at Oxenbold in 1550 and at Monkhopton in 1568. This William is shown as married to an Anne but no details are given as to children. Mr Fletcher, however, provides a chart of the children of a William who he shows as the son of Edward, but since this does not match information on other charts as to the wife and children of Edward’s son, William, I think Mr Fletcher has made an error and the pedigree chart of his William, son of Edward, is actually that of William the brother of Edward. In any case the children on the chart do not include a Marjory.

All is not lost however, since there are two other possible fathers for Marjory recorded in the Neenton parish register. One of these is a John Smalman who was buried (widower) on Neenton on 24 April 1558. The other is a Robert Smalman who was buried at Neenton on 14 March 1578. Of these two, I suggest that Robert is more likely to have been Marjory’s father, as it seems unlikely that both her parents would have died well before the date of her marriage. I have thus linked Marjory speculatively to Robert, in my charts.

Before we turn to some of Marjory’s relatives, we should quickly note that the known children of Marjory and Thomas Watmore born at Neenton were: Edward 1576, Eleanor 1578, Joan 1581, Thomas of Curdale 1586 and William 1590.

Relationships between the Smalmans and the Watmores at Neenton were not always of the best. In ‘Wat’s Brother in Law’ Geoffrey Whatmore states the following:

 ‘To return to Neenton: it was here that on more than one occasion that the Watmores established a somewhat uncertain relationship with the ubiquitous Smalman family, some successful gentry, some little more than vagabonds, for the snakes and ladders of family fortunes could be cruel to those without preferment or natural abilities. In spite of their relationship by marriage, the Neenton Watmores and Smalmans were quarrelling as early as 1600 when Thomas Whatmore [Majory’s husband] and his son Edward complained that Richard Smalman had ‘made an affray against John Davies and drawn blood’ for which he was fined 3s 4d. In others words a rare old set-to took place. Things had not improved ten years later when Edward Watmore with William Cleeton, the constable, reported at the Manor Court that Richard Smalman and his son William were involved in comminatio ad vexatio – that is, threatening and scolding, which does not seem so bad. Nevertheless, after due enquiry they were fined twenty shillings.’ (Cleobury Court Rolls) The Richard referred to above was probably either the brother or the cousin of Marjory Whatmore. Richard Smalman was born before 1558 and was buried at Neenton on 21 April 1603. His children were Jone 1577, William 1579, Fraunces 1583, Thomas 1586 and Edward 1588. 

I shall now turn to some of the illustrious relatives of Marjory Smalman. 

Edward Smalman 

Edward was born about 1520 and married Eleanor or Elizabeth Hopton. They lived at Neenton and at Oxenbold. He was buried on 4 May 1577 at Neenton. Eleanor was buried on 14 June 1580 at Much Wenlock. The pedigree chart from the Visitation of Shropshire in 1623 gives their children as: Katherine Smalman, who married Thomas Lokyer at Neenton on 31 May 1568. Elizabeth Smalman who married someone with the surname of Dunn. Jocosa (Joyce) Smalman who married Thomas Adams at Neenton on 13 November 1575. They lived at Broseley. Anna Smalman who married Radulphi Bromley. Margaretta Smalman Maria Smalman Thomas Smalman who married Agnes Durant. Francis Smalman who married an Ellena To these children  Mr Fletcher adds a further son: William Smalman who married an Ann. 

Thomas Smalman, son of Edward of Neenton 

Thomas was the eldest son of Edward, and his heir. He was probably the cousin of Marjorie Whatmore nee Smalman. In the Visitation of 1623 he is described as being ‘of Elton in Herefordshire. He was probably born before 1558 at Neenton and he married Agnes, the daughter of Stephen Durant of Middlesex. He was a Barrister-at- Law and a reader of the Inner Temple in London. He also served as one of the Justices of the Council of Wales.  In 1583 he purchased Wilderhope Manor in Corvedale from Rowland Lacon  and also a small farm at Wilderhope from Richard Parramore. In 1584 Thomas leased the farm for forty years to his brother Francis who was responsible for the building of the present Wilderhope Manor, but the estate and house eventually reverted back to Thomas’s descendants. In 1586 Thomas Smalman bought Nether Stanway near Oswestry and Neenton. He also bought the Manor of Elton at Herefordshire which seems to have been his country residence.  (Elton Hall - Not open to the public) 

 Elton Hall  and church    Photograph by Ian Capper from the Geograph website and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the site licence which can be read at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/  

On 10  1588 Thomas was awarded a crest and a coat of arms by the Herald Cooke Clarenceux. The coat of arms is gules, a chevron between three falcons rising or. The crest is an heraldic antelope sejant holding up the dexter foot sa. horns and tail or, gorged with a ducal coronet  and lined gold. Thomas died on 22 June 1590 and was buried in the Inner Temple Church in London.   

The arms of the Smalman FamilySource: Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society 3^rd Series Volume 3 1903 

The children of Thomas and Ann as shown in the Visitation of  1623 were:  Stephen Smalman of Wilderhope (heir), Francis, Henry, Maria who married John Adams of Cleeton, Elizabeth who married Richard Cleeton Cleets of Coventry, Anna who married Richard Harris of Cruckton, and Margaret who married William Holland of Boreaton .  

Stephen Smalman,  son of Thomas and grandson of Edward 

Stephen married Jane Lawley of Sponhill. They had a large family: Elizabeth, Jane, Maria who married Alexander Nevill of Weston in Nottinghamshire, Beatrix, Anna, Francis (the heir), George, William, Andrew, Thomas, Richard, Andrew, John and Edward. Stephen Smalman is described in the Visitation as ‘of Wilderhope’ so we must assume that he and family moved into the house which had been built by his uncle Francis Smalman and who died in 1599. The children of Stephen Smalman can claim royal descent from Henry III, King of England, through their mother, Jane Lawley according to a pedigree chart included in ‘Collections for Shropshire’ Volume 2 W. D. Fletcher (Microfilm No. 40 Shropshire Archives).  However, a comparison of this pedigree with the one available on the website - the Peerage.com, indicates that there seem to be errors. For the benefit of any descendants who may read this post, I am reproducing the main details of a chart at Shropshire Archives, with details added from the pedigree at thepeerage.com.  Each generation is son of daughter of the previous one. 

Henry III born 1 October 1207 at Winchester Castle married Eleanor of Provence. He died on 16 November 1272 at Westminster Palace. 

Edmund ‘Crouchback’ Plantagenet was born on 16 January 1245 in London and  married as his second wife Blanche d’Artois. Edmund died  on 5 June 1296 at Bayonne in France. 

Henry Plantagenet, 3^rd Earl of Leicester was born about 1281 at Grosmont Castle in Monmouthshire. He married Matilda de Chaworth (shown on the chart as Maud). Henry died on 22 September 1345 at Leicester. 

Lady Eleanor Plantagenet was born about 1318 and married as her second husband Richard FitzAlan 10^th Earl of Arundel. He died on 24 January 1376 at Arundel Castle. Lady Eleanor died on 11 January 1372 at Arundel Castle. 

Mary FitzAlan is shown on the chart as the daughter of Lady Eleanor and Richard FitzAlan, but the peerage website shows her as the daughter of Edmund FitzAlan 9^th Earl of Arundel and his wife Alice de Warenne. If the peerage website is correct – the Smalmans have no royal link.

 Mary FitzAlan married John Lestrange 4^th  Lord Strange of Blackmere. He was born about 1332 at Whitchurch, Hampshire and died on 12 May 1361(The chart at Shropshire Archives and the peerage website match again) 

Ankaret Lestrange  who died about 1413 married Richard Talbot 4^th Lord Talbot. He died on 7 September 1396.(The chart at Shropshire Archives and the peerage website match again) 

General John Talbot 1^st Earl of Shrewsbury was born about 1390 and married Maud de Neville Baroness Furnivalle. She was born about 1392 and died about 1423. General John Talbot was killed in action on 20 July 1453 near Chastillon.(The chart at Shropshire Archives and the peerage website match again) 

John Talbot 2^nd  Earl of Shrewsbury was born about 1413. He married Elizabeth Butler. He died on 11 July 1460 and was buried at Worksop Priory. 

Ann Talbot – their supposed daughter  according to the chart – is not shown on the peerage website and from here on the information is solely from the chart at Shropshire Archives.

Ann married Sir Henry Vernon. Elizabeth Vernon married Sir Robert Corbet of Moreton Corbet. 

Anna Corbet married Thomas Newport. 

Sir Richard Newport married Margaret Bromley. 

Elizabeth Newport married Francis Lawley. 

Jane Lawley married Stephen Smalman. 

If you would like to explore the peerage, please follow this link: http://www.thepeerage.com/index.htm  

Francis Smalman, son of Stephen Smalman of Wilderhope 

Francis Smalman married Abigail Morris and their known children were: Thomas, Stephen, Francis, Edward, Joyce and Ann. The family lived at Wilderhope Manor. Francis was a barrister-at-law and served as member of Parliament for Wenlock. 

Thomas Smalman, son of Francis of Wilderhope Manor 

We now come to the most famous member of the Smalman family - Thomas Smalman – who was born 16 August 1624 and baptised at Rushbury on 3 October 1624.  Thomas and his  family lived at Wilderhope Manor. 

Thomas Smalman was an ardent Royalist but we do not know what part he actually played in the Civil War but we know that he was hunted and persecuted by Cromwell’s troops.  The story of his escape on one occasion, from the Parliamentarian soldiers, is well known in Shropshire. When he was away from the house some troops broke in and looted it. Returning home and finding it ransacked, Thomas swore revenge and mounting his horse he pursued the soldiers. He caught up with them in a narrow defile on the Ludlow road, killed two or three of the troupers and recovered his property. Soon afterwards a stronger party of troups surrounded Wilderhope Manor, but, mounted on his horse, Thomas broke through them and escaped. He was pursued along Wenlock Edge  and was on the point of being captured when he made a bold leap on horseback from a perpendicular piece of rock some 25 feet high. Although his horse was killed by the fall, Thomas’ descent was broken by the branches of a crab apple tree and he was able to scramble down and get away. The place where this occurred is still known as ‘Major’s Leap’ and is located near Presthope Quarry  on the road from Much Wenlock  to Church Stretton.

Major’s Leap, Wenlock Edge  Photograph by Steve Green and reproduced here by his kind permission

To view more of Steve Green’s superb photographs please follow this link:  http://www.stelor.plus.com/index.html   

Later on, Thomas was compounded by Parliament for having supported the King.  

Thomas married Jane Price in 1655. Their known children were: Anne born 2 September at Rushbury and buried at Neenton on 8 December 1685. Francis born, baptised and buried at Rushbury on 16 May 1657, Richard born 4 June 1658 at Rushbury and buried there on 19 September 1658, Francis born 1 August 1659 and who died young before 1663, Abigail baptised at Rushbury on 9 January 1600, Maurice baptised on 25 and buried on 26 December 1661 at Rushbury, Mary baptised at Rushbury on 1 March 1662, Katherine – living in 1693, Elizabeth baptised at Rushbury on 14 June 1664, Susanna baptised at Cound on 9 October 16650 ,Henry born at Neenton and baptised at Rushbury on 9 June 1672.  

There is also an old story that Thomas Smalman slew his Smalman cousin of Kinnersley and put the corpse on the back of his cousin’s horse which made its way back to Kinnersley unaided. As late as 1870 a tree called ‘ the marked ash’ was pointed out as the scene of the murder. 

Thomas’s wife Jane died in November 1684 and was buried at Neenton. Thomas himself died in November 1693 and was buried with his wife at Neenton. By this time he had secured Wilderhope and his other estates for his son Henry. 

The following is a transcript of Thomas’s will dated 22 October 1693. The transcript is provided by Rev W G D Fletcher in an article in the Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society. (See Sources below) 

‘I desire to be buried in the Chancell of Neenton Church near the body of my late wife. I give to the poor of the several parishes of Neenton and Rushbury forty shillings each parish, and to those of Cleobury North, Chetton and Ditton Priors twenty shillings each parish. To my daughters Susan Smalman and Katherine Smalman a guinea each to buy a ring. To my daughter Abigail five shillings. To my friends Arthur Weaver of Morvield, co. Salop, Esq and Thomas Dunne of Wrickton in the same county gentn.  forty shillings apiece to buy rings or what they please. To Thomas Bebb, Mary Bebb, and Jane Bebb, children of John Bebb of Wilderhope in the said county five shillings each; to Joseph Bebb another son twenty shillings; and to  Joyce Bebb wife of the said John five pounds for a suit of mourning. I devise my messauge gardens and orchards called Bebbs tenement and hitherto by the name of Griffiths, situate in Wildertop alias Widerhope in co. Salop, to Edward Holland and Thomas Adney gentlemenas trustees. My son Henry Smalman to be executor. [mentions several servants] 

Signed Thomas Smalman  

 Witnesses: Thos. Edwards, Jno. Cleeton,  Wm. Haslewood. 

Thomas Smalman had already settled Wilderhope Manor on his son Henry.  

Thomas does not seem to have rested easily in his grave as there have been reports over the centuries of his ghost being seen on Wenlock Edge and also at Wilderhope Manor where it was known as ‘Honest John.’ At Wilderhope his ghost was reported to assume the form of a fiery bull with griffin’s wings. As recently as 1903 there was still in existence  a harangue used by the clergy to lay his ghost. This does not seem to have been effective as in recent years the ghost of a cavalier has been seen in the main hall at Wilderhope. On a recent visit a writer encountered  a tall figure standing in the doorway dressed in a full cloak, a floppy hat with a large plume and thigh length boots. The ghost raised its head slightly in response to the writer then walked across the room and passed through a solid wall. The ghost is sometimes accompanied by a young girl who smiles sweetly before screaming ‘ a scream from hell’.   

Francis Smalman, son of Edward Smalman of Neenton 

The final ‘illustrious relative’ I shall describe is Francis, son of Edward of Neenton. He married an Ellena. They had two sons. It was Francis who was responsible for the building of Wilderhope Manor on land which he had leased from his brother Thomas.  Francis was buried on 25 July 1599 at Rushbury. 

One of the children of Francis and Ellena was Francis Smalman who married a Susan Fabian in about 1602. Francis was Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1615. In 1618 Francis bought Kinnersley Castle near Leominster which had been rebuilt in 1588 by Roger Vaughan. 

Francis and Susan’s  son William Smalman was baptised at Hereford cathedral in 1603. William married a Lucy Whitney and their children were  Lucy and Anne.   

In the church at Kinnersley is the very fine monument of Francis Smalman who died in 1635. In the ‘Buildings of England: Herefordshire’ Nikolaus Pevsner describes the monument as:  

‘Alabaster and marble. A very fine piece. Two kneeling figures facing one another below a baldacchino held by two trumpet blowing cherubs. In the ‘predella’, [the horizontal strip below the main presentation] more kneeling figures, kneeling in both directions – all very lively and not at all stiff’ 

Kinnersley Castle    Photograph by Phillip Halling from the Geograph website and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the site licence which can be read at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 

Kinnersley Castle is open to the public. Further details can be found at this link: http://www.kinnersleycastle.co.uk/events.html 

Wilderhope Manor 

The photographs  of Wilderhope included here were taken by H. H. Hughes during or before 1903 and accompany an article by Rev. W. G. Fletcher  in the Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society. (See Sources below) 

 

 

 

 Built between 1584 and 1591 by Francis Smalman, son of  Edward Smalman of Neenton, the house reverted to the descendants of his brother Thomas Smalman after the death of Francis in 1599. The Smalman occupants were thus: Francis and Ellen, Stephen, Francis, Thomas (of Major’s Leap), Henry and Thomas. This last Thomas sold the house in 1734 to Thomas Lutwyche. By the early twentieth  century the house was in a ruinous state and it was bought in 1936 for the National Trust by the Cadbury Trust. 

The house is open to the public, but the hours are infrequent as the building is used as a youth house. For details follow this link, but you are advised to check the accuracy of the information given before making a visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-wilderhopemanor T

he following description of the house is taken from the ‘Victoria County History of Shropshire’ Volume 10: 

The house,of six bays and 2¹₂  storeys, faces south-east across a shallow valley. It is of limestone rubble with quoins, mullions, and pediments of Hoar Edge grit. The upper parts of the chimneys and the shafts are of brick, the former diapered. The roof is of Harnage stone slates. It was taxed on seven hearths in 1672. The hall, presumably with great chamber over, has a screens passage at its west end entered through a projecting porch bay. The hall has a lateral north fireplace and a south-facing oriel at its west end. Like the porch, the oriel rises the full height of the house and is gabled. The south front is generously provided with mullioned and transomed windows. On the north is a projecting semicircular staircase turret, and the great chamber did not therefore have to function also as a first-floor passage room. A secondary newel stair rises in the angle between porch, screens and service bay. The parlour range at the east end of the house has an east chimney stack and a projecting north garderobe chute. The service range at the west of the house extends back north of the hall, and its large west chimney stack suggests that originally its ground floor was mainly taken up with kitchen rather than pantries. The parlour and hall are among several rooms retaining their original moulded plaster ceilings; devices include Francis and Ellen Smalman’s initials and formerly included the family’s arms and motto. Some original fireplaces survive. Perhaps in the seventeenth century the parlour and the great chamber were subdivided; otherwise alterations have been few.’ 

Sources for this post 

‘Wat’s Brother in Law’  Geoffrey Whatmore  Available as a CD Rom at this link:    http://www.genfair.co.uk/supplier.php?sid=115

‘The Sequestration papers of Thomas Smalman of Wilderhope’ Rev. W.G.D. Fletcher    Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Third Series Volume 3  1903

‘Collections for Shropshire’ Volume 2   Rev. W. G. D. Fletcher (Microfilm 40  Shropshire Archives)

‘The Annual Excursion’ Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Second  Series Volume 8  1896

The Visitation of Shropshire 1623

‘Rushbury’  from ‘ Victoria History of the County of Shropshire’  Volume 10

‘The General Armory’ Sir Bernard Burke 1884

Neenton Parish Registers  Shropshire parish Register Society 1903

‘Buildings of England – Herefordshire’ Nikolaus Pevsener

ThePeerage.com    compiled  by Darryl Lundy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/halloween/halloween_shropshire_02.shtml                 (Wilderhope ghosts)