THOMAS FITCH
(Origin: French surname: de Montfitchet-See note at bottom of this page.)
Born: 1590
Place: "Brazen Head", near Bocking, Essex, England
Died: Jan 1632/1633
Place: Bocking, Essex, England
Married: ANNA REEVE
Date: 8 Aug 1611
Place: St. Mary's, Bocking,
Essex, England
Name: ANNA REEVE
Born: 29 Nov 1590
Place: Garret Manor,
Bocking, Essex, England
Died: 20 Jan 1686
Place: Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut
- Thomas Fitch served in the Parlimentary Wars in England and travelled to the America with his mother and two of his brothers.
- He was one of the founders of Norwalk, Connecticut in 1650 and was well known, very wealthy and intellegent man. He was confirmed by the court as Recorder of Laws in 1659 and became King's Commissioner in 1669, an office which he held for twenty-five years.
- Thomas was also Deputy to the General Court as well as Deputy Governor of Connecticut.
- Thomas Fitch (d. ca. 1637), his wife came to America with five sons. Thomas Fitch was born in Essex, England in 1590. He was mentioned in his father's will in 1605 as "my eldest son." He inherited an estate near Braintree, Essex, England. He married at Bocking and was a clothier by profession. He was involved in a number of land transactions.His will was dated Dec. 11, 1632, proved Feb. 12, 1632-3.
1066: RELATIVE OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR & HOUSE OF BOLOGNE
The Fitch family traces its first settlement in England to the era of the Norman Conquest A.D. 1066. Morant's 'History of County Essex, England,' says that 'Robert Gernon or de Gernon came from France along with William the Conqueror and that he was a relative of the Conqueror and of the House of Bologne. One of his sons took the name of de Montfitchet, or de Montifiquet - the name is written these three ways in the Doomsday Book.
MANOR OF WRAYSBURY & CASTLE AT STANSTEAD-MONTFITCHET IN ESSEX
In Normandy near Bayeaux is a village, Montfiquet, and it is a section from whence came some of the Conqueror's most illustrious followers.'William the Conqueror gave the manor of Wraysbury as a special donation to his blood relative, Robert de Gernon, who held it as part of his barony of which the head was at Stanstead-Montfitchet in Essex. Here he built a castle on a hill artificially raised for the foundation; this castle he presented to his youngest son. William de Gernon, who in accordance with the custom of the time, dropped the patronymic of de Gernon and assumed the appellative, 'Montfitchet. (Gylls 'History of Wraysbury.') William de Gernon who assumed the appellative, de Montfitchet, married Margaret, daughter of Gilbert, second Lord of Clare, and had a son, Gilbert de Monfitchet, who had a son, Richard de Montfitchet.
Note on ancestry of Thomas Fitch: Thomas Fitch"... born about 1465, was said to be three years old at the time his father's death was reported at the manor court of Widdington on 9 April 1468. He was admitted to his inheritance at Widdington court 9November 1487, i.e., when he was about 21 years old. Thomas received an additional grant of land at the manor courtof Lindsell Hall and in November 1505, he took possession ofland, which his father John had left in custody of his widowedmother, Juliana." Thomas' death is "...commemorated on a brass in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Lindsell. Beneath him and Agnes on thebrass are images of eleven children ~ six sons and five daughters. Thomas and Agnes are also commemorated in a stained glass windowin the same church. This window and a second showing their son William and his first wife, Elizabeth, were probably paid for by William, who had the advowson of the church (the right to be thepatron of the church and to recommend its clergyman) from King Henry VIII."
THE FOLLOWING FROM ANCESTRY WORLD TREE - Donna Beeler - djb700@att.net Quoted from History of the Fitch Family 1400- 1930, Vol 1 by Roscoe Conkling Fitch Pg. 11-"Thomas Fitch, found to be heir of his father by Inquisition 9 April, 1468, he being then aged 3 years. He was admitted to his inheritance 8 November, 1487 and to his mothers lands in Widdington 9 November, 1514. His death was reported at the Court of the Manor of Lindsell 23 December, 1514 and at the Court of the Manor of Widdington 9 November 1514." Quoted from A Fitch Family History by John T. Fitch copyright 1990,1994 Pg 78 "It must have been about 1490 that Thomas married Agnes Algore and apparently moved to her parish of Lindsell. At that time he would have been about 25 years old. We can be certain they were married before the end of 1490, because a court record in December that year refers to them as married. At any rate, it was with this marriage that the Fitch fortunes took a significate turn for the better. Agnes was an heiress who brought to their marriage considerable property in Lindsell." Pg 99-101"A brass commemorating Thomas (and Agnes), still in remarkably good condition, is set in the floor before the chancel arch. A good description of the brass is provided by Christy: "The male figure (16 1/2 inches in height) has a half-turn to the left; is bare-headed, his long hair falling upon his shoulders; and his upraised hands, instead of being placed together as usual, are held apart. He is attired in the long gown of a civilian, beneath which his broad round-toed shoes are just apparent. It is open and turned back at the neck and down the front, showing the lining of the fur, which is also apparent at the wrists, where the extremely wide, open sleeves are turned back into cuffs. The female figure (16 1/2 inches in height) has a half-turn to the right, and the hands are placed together. Her long gown, cut low at the neck, fur-trimmed at the bottom, and having tight sleeves, turned back at the wrists into broad cuffs, which are fur covered, is loosely confined at the waist by a girdle, of which the ornamentally embroidered end falls nearly to the ground. She wears the pedimental head-dress. The six sons (about 4 3/4 inches in height) are placed beneath their father, while the five daughters (about 4 1/2 inches in height) are placed beneath their mother. The former have a half-turn to the left: the latter, to the right. Both wear costumes almost exactly similar to those of their parents, except that the gowns of the sons lack fur trimming, while the costumes of the daughters lack both fur trimming and the ceinture, and their head-dresses, having no backs, allow their long hair to fall down their backs to far below the level of the waist." The inscription (on a plate 17 by 2 1/2 inches) immediately below the principal figure reads: Translated: Here lies Thomas Fytche and Agnes his wife, which same Thomas died the twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord 1514; on whose souls may God have mercy." Pg 115 "Except for Thomas' and Agnes' second son, William, who prospered and had three knighted descendants, the other children were somewhat less prosperous. According to Wagner, By the early seventeenth century they had included apothecaries, clothiers and cloth makers, staplers and leather sellers, several clergymen and a naval surgeon. By 1700, however, all trace of them in Essex is lost. A branch settled in Warwickshire has been traced a little later, but the only lines traced to the present day spring from settlers in New England"
Also among Fytch ancestry was William Fytch born about 1340 in Fitche Castle, Wickham, Bonhunt, Essex, England Note: First mentioned on the Plea Rolls of 1428.[1] Received grants of land at the manor court of Widdington in 1440/1 and in 1458/9. Death reported at Widdington court on 24 April 1466. Marriage 1 Grace Wife Of William Fytch Children John Fytch b: ABT 1360
Tom Campbell is a Fitch descendant, is married to Alana and resides in Washington state.