'Knollys1'Index links to: Lead / Letter
Families covered: Knowles of North Mymms, Knollys of Rotherfield Greys, Knollys of Thame

                               
The first few generations are partly supported by a web site on North Mymms (see here) which helps pull together the lines of North Mymms and Rotherfield Greys. However, it should be noted that Visitation (Hampshire & Isle of WIght, 1686, Knollys of Grove Place) mentions a Sir Robert (d 1407, had a brother Arnold) whose heir by Constance was his daughter Emma (m. John Babington) and looks very much like ...
Sir Robert Knolles (b by 1317, d 15.08.1407)
m. Constance
1. Sir Thomas Knowles of North Myms (Mimms), Sheriff then Lord Mayor of London (d 1435)
  m. (by 1375) Joan
  A. Robert Knowles
  i. daughter
  m. Henry Fordwick of Weley
  a. daughter
  m. John Coningsby
  B. Thomas Knowles of North Mymms (d 08.02.1445, grocer)
  m. Isabell
  i. Robert Knowles of North Mymms
  This generation omitted by Mundy's Middlesex Pedigrees (1914, Frowick of the Old Fold) which otherwise supports this line.
m. Elizabeth Seman (dau of Bartholomew Seman of London)
  a. Robert Knowles of North Mymms
  The North Mymms site identifies Robert's wife Elizabeth as dau of Sir William Troutbeck, Chamberlain of Chester, and brother of Sir John (d Blore Heath 1459). Mundy identifies her as dau/heir of William Troutbeck of Cheshire. The only Elizabeth shown by Visitation (Cheshire, 1580, Troutbeck) was the daughter of Sir William (d Blore Heath), son of a John and father of a William who dsp, but she is shown as wife of Sir Alexander Houghton. We presume that the Knowles records mixed up the Troutbeck names so that Robert's wife was ...
  m. Elizabeth Troutbeck (dau/heir of Sir John Troutbeck of Cheshire (sister of Sir William), widow of Sir Thomas Venables)
  (1) Anne Knowles
  m. Henry Frowick of Weld & North Myms
  (2) Elizabeth Knowles
  m1/2. John Stracheley
  This appears to have been the Elizabeth (d 25.10.1550, coheir) who (also) married ...
  m2/1. Richard Fortescue of Spridlestone
  b. Margaret Knowles probably of this generation
m. Robert Barrett of Belhouse (d by 1483)
  ii. Richard Knowles or Knollys
The North Mymms site identifies Richard as ancestor of "the current Viscount Knollys". BE1883 identifies the below-mentioned Robert of Greys (a 1517) as descended from the above-mentioned Sir Robert (d 1407). TCP identifies Francis Knollys, father of the 1st Earl, as 5th in descent from Lord Mayor Thomas. BEB1841 & Wotton jump from Thomas (shown above as d 1445) to ...
  a. Robert Knowles
  m. Margaret D'Oyley
  (1) Robert Knollys of Rotherfield Greys (a 1517)
  m. Lettice Pennyston (dau of Thomas Penyston of Haurage, m2. Sir Robert Lee, m3. Sir Thomas Tresham (Prior))
  (A) Sir Francis Knollys of Rotherfield Greys (d 1596, KG)
  m. Catherine Cary (d 15.01.1568, dau of Mary Boleyn by either William Cary (Carey) or King Henry VIII)
  (i) Sir Henry Knollys of Kingsbury
  m. Margaret Cave (d 15.08.1600, dau/heir of Sir Ambrose Cave)
  (a) Elizabeth Knollys (b c1579)
  m. Sir Henry Willoughby, Bart of Risley (b c1579, d 20.11.1649)
  (b) Lettice Knollys (d 1655)
  m. (before 19.06.1602) William Paget, 4th Lord of Beaudesert (b 1572, d 29.08.1629)
  (ii) William Knollys of Rotherfield Greys, Viscount Wallingford, (1st) Earl of Banbury (b c1547, d 25.05.1632, Treasurer of the Household)
  m1. Dorothy Braye (d 31.10.1605, dau of Sir Edmund Braye, 1st Lord)
  (a) daughter (d infant)
  m2. (1605) Elizabeth Howard (bpt 11.08.1586, d 17.04.1658, dau of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk)
  Elizabeth had 2 sons during her marriage to Earl William but they were not recognised by him as they were by Edward Vaux, 4th Lord of Harrowden, whom Elizabeth later married. The sons, who are shown under Edward Vaux with continuation on Knollys2, took the name Knollys and claimed the Earldom of Banbury, a claim repeated by their successors for several generations. The matter was not finally resolved until 1813 when the House of Lords rejected the claim.
  (iii) Edward Knollys of Rotherfield Greys (b c1546, d 1575, MP) omitted by BEB1841, mentioned by HoP ("Edward Knollys")
(iv) Sir Robert Knollys of Porthaml & St. Martin's Lane (b c1547, bur 20.01.1619, MP)
  BEB1841 shows Robert's wife as Joan Higham and his son as another Sir Robert. However, that appears to be confusion with his younger brother Richard (see just below). The details of this Robert and his family come from HoP ("Robert Knollys, c1547-1659").
  m. (c1585) Catherine Vaughan (dau/heir of Rowland Vaughan of Porthaml)
  (a) (Frances) Knolles
m. Sir Charles Vaughan of Dunraven
  (b) (Lettice) Knolles (bur 03.12.1630)
  m. (1609) Framlingham Gawdy
  (v) Richard Knollys of Stanford, later of Rotherfield Greys (d 1596)
As mentioned just above, there has been confusion between Richard and his elder brother Robert. BEB1841 does not identify Richard's wife and mentions only his elder son, Francis. HoP ("Robert Knollys, c1589-1659") identifies his 2nd son, Robert, whose children's details are taken mostly from BEB1841.
  m. Joan Heigham (dau of John Heigham of Gifford)
  (a) Francis Knollys (bur 04.08.1640) named Henry by HoP
  m1. _ Wiseman (dau of Sir Charles Wiseman)
  m2. Alice Beecher (dau of Sir William Beechey of Middlesex)
  ((1)) Dorothy Knollys probably of this generation
  m. William Byam (President of the Council of Antigua)
((A)) Mary Byam
  m. George Nedham of Jamaica
  ((2))+ 2 sons
  (b) Sir Robert Knollys 'of Gray's Court' of Stanford-in-the Vale, Berkshire (bpt 06.04.1589, bur 26.06.1659, MP)
  m. (by 1614) Johanna Wolstenholme (bur 29.12.1660, dau of Sir John Wolstenholme of Great Stanmore & Nostell Priory)
  ((1)) Robert Knollys
  m. Mary Saunders of Menegwell or Mungwell
  ((A)) Robert Knollys (d(spms), MP for Oxfordshire)
  ((2)) (Letitia) Knollys
  m. (by 1645) Sir John Corbet of Stoke, 2nd Bart
  ((3)) daughter
  m. _ Egerton of Staffordshire
  ((4)) daughter
  m. _ Holmby of Yorkshire
  ((5))+ other issue - William (dvp?), 2 daughters (dvp)
  (vi) Sir Francis Knollys of Battel 'of Reading Abbey'
  m. Lettice Barret (dau of John Barret of Hanham)
  (a) Sir Francis Knollys (2nd son)
  m. Ellen Milles (dau/heir of Richard Milles of Lower Winchendon)
  ((1)) Richard Knollys (3rd son?)
  m. Mary Bellingham of Everingham (sister/heir of Henry Bellingham)
  ((A)) Francis Knollys 'of Winchington'
  m. Anne Bateman of Berkshire (heir)
  ((i)) Francis Knollys (d 1701, MP for Reading)
  m. Elizabeth Striblehill (d 1701, dau/coheir of John Striblehill of Thame)
  ((a)) Francis Knollys of Thame, Oxfordshire (d unm 24.06.1754)
  ((b)) Richard Knollys of Thame
m1. Elizabeth Thayer (dau/coheir of Humphrey Thayer)
  (((1))) Sir Francis Knollys of Thame, Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Bart (dsp 20.06.1722)
  m. (1756) Mary Carter (dau/heir of Sir Robert Kendall Carter of Kempston, son of John of Basingbourn Hall)
  m2. (sp) Hannah Salivey (dau of Theophilus Salivey of Woodford)
  m3. (sp) Anne Taylor (dau of John Taylor)
  ((c))+ other issue (d young) - John, Cecilia
  ((ii)) Elizabeth Knollys (d 15.11.1723)
  m. Sir Francis Curson of Waterferry
  ((2))+ other issue - William (b c1614, d 1623), Francis (dsp)
  (b) Lettice Knollys probably the Lettice (dsp bur 29.03.1666) who married ...
  m1. Sir Thomas Vachell of Coley (d 1638)
m2. John Hampden of Great Hampden, 'The Patriot' (d 1643)
  (c)+ other issue - Sir Robert (dsp), Anne, Elizabeth, Frances
  (vii) Sir Thomas Knollys
  m. Odelia de Morada (dau of John de Morada, Marquess of Bergen)
  (a) Penelope Knollys
  m. William Le Hunt
  (b) Elizabeth (or Lettice) Knollys possibly of this generation (dvp?)
  m. Sir Rowland Rugeley of Dunton (d 1629)
  (viii) Lettice Knowles
  m1. Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex (b c1553, d 22.09.1576)
  m2. (21.09.1578) Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (b 24.06.1532/3, d 04.09.1588)
  m3. (before 08.1589) Sir Christopher Blount (d 18.03.1600/1)
(ix) Anne Knollys
  m. (19.11.1571) Thomas West, 2nd Lord De La Warr (b c1556, d 24.03.1601-2)
  (x) Cecilia or Elizabeth Knollys
  m. Sir Thomas Leighton of Feckenham, Governor of Jersey
  (xi) Catherine Knollys (bur 20.12.1632)
  m1. (10.1578) Gerald FitzGerald, Lord Offaly (b 28.12.1559, dvp 06.1580)
  m2. Sir Phillip Boteler of Watton Woodhall (d 01.1591/2)
  (B) Joan or Jane Knollys
  m. Sir Charles Wingfield of Kimbolton Castle (b 1513, d 24.05.1540)
  b. Margaret Knollys
  m. Sir Henry Belknap
  iii. Joanna Knowles
  m. William Baron
  iv.+ 7 others including John, Beatrice (nun), Isabella
  C. Margaret Knowles (b c1390) shown by various web sites as of this family, of this generation
  m. John Chicheley (chamberlain of London)
  D.+ 16 others
2. Emma Knowles
  m. Anthony Babington

Main source(s): BE1883 (Knollys), BEB1841 (Knollys of Thame), Wotton (1771, vol 3, Knollys of Thame), TCP (Banbury) with input/support as noted above
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