The son and heir of Jack of Newbury.
It may well be that much of Thomas Deloney's descriptions of Jack of Newbury's flourishing Clothing factory is based on this John's activities. The Winchcombe factory was reknowned for the production of a coarse woollen cloth known as Kersey. Cromwell ordered 100 pieces of the cloth in 1539 and it was declared in 1544 that Winchcombe kerseys would "make great heaps of money at Antwerp".
John(2) certainly made "great heaps of money". He was more eminent than his father and very prosperous. He was an M.P. for Reading and for Cricklade in Wiltshire.He accumulated estates and property which included the Manors of Farnborough (1542), East Locking and West Gringe (1546) and, more importantly Bucklebury in Berkshire which included Thatcham alias Henwick and Cookham This latter Manor was granted to him in 1540 by Henry VIII following the Dissolution. He instigated the building of the Manor House in Bucklebury but he never got to live there before his death in 1557. His son and heir, John(3) was the first of the Winchcombes to take up residence there and the Lords of the Manor continue in residence here although no longer bearing the name of Winchcombe. The original Manor House was destroyed by fire.
John(2) and his father were responsible for the building of Newbury Parish Church and John was buried there but his memorial inscription has been lost. In 1539/40 when Miles Coverdale was based in Newbury, engaged (underCromwell) in the suppressing of papal books, John(2) acted as his confidential messenger to Cromwell. A message from Coverdale to Cromwell mentions "good Mr Wynchcombe" to whom, "for his true heart towards the King's highness and love towards your Lordship, I might utter right secret things." He was granted a coat of arms in his latter years which is shown in his portrait dated 1550 "Azure,a chevron engrailed with 3 cinquefoils thereon between 3 lapwings
and a chief checked with a fleur-de-lys between 2 spearheads"
John married Joan Careage(?) by whom he had 4 or 5 children - Amy (and or Anne), Henry, Thomas and John(3). Joan died in 1549 and he married again to Christian Verney. Christian had already been widowed twice from her marriages to John Hancock and John Verney. She was to be widowed again when John(2) died in 1557. I have not explored whether she continued with her attachment to more 'Johns' - an attachment which appears to have been habit-forming. At least she was never likely to have cried out the wrong name at important moments!
John(2)'s Will is some 12 pages long with numerous legacies to children, grandchildren, godchildren, servants, friends ….
His godson was Anthony Bridges, presumably from the family of Lord Chandos of Sudely Castle in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire.
A note on the connection with the Verney family - John Goddard of Water Eaton in Wiltshire married Mary Winchcombe and, in his Will dated 1560, mentions "John Wynsecome, my brother". More exactly this John Wynsecome is the testator's brother-in-law and is the grandson of John(1) (Jack of Newbury) and Mary Winchcombe Jack's great granddaughter. Henry, John(2)'s son was Mary's father. John Goddard's father, Vincent married a daughter of Sir Thomas Verney from which family, perhaps, sprang John Verney to whom Christian was married.The Chandos family is also mentioned in this Will with a reference to money owing to John Goddard by Lady Chandos. The families stuck together it seems….a scion of the same Goddard family also married into the Winchcombe family.
2. Third Generation
3. Thomas 1520-1574
Can you solve the mystery?
4. Fourth Generation
The Ghost of Noke
5. Fifth Generation
6. Sixth Generation
7. Seventh Generation
The Boleyn Connection
8. Eighth & Ninth Generations
9. Genealogical Site Ring
10.Really Useful Stuff (Links)
11.The Gloucestershire Winchcombes
12.Nathaniel Winchcombe 1757-1817
Will of John Winchcombe 1557
Will of John Goddard 1560
Bucklebury a Bershire Parish (A L Humphrey)
Victoria History of Berkshire
Victoria History of Wiltshire
Berkshire R.O. Doc. ref. D/QR4/2
Newbury Museum
Newbury Parish Church
