John Twynyho facts for kids
John Twynyho (born around 1440 – died September 30, 1485) was an important person from places like Cirencester, Bristol, and Lechlade in Gloucestershire, England. He was a skilled lawyer and a very rich wool merchant.
John Twynyho held several important jobs. He was a top legal officer for the city of Bristol, known as the Recorder of Bristol. He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol from 1472 to 1475 and again in 1484. In 1476, he was an MP for the important area of Gloucestershire. In 1478, he became the Attorney General for Lord Edward, who would later become King Edward V.
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Early Life and Family
John Twynyho was the second son of William Twynyho from Keyford in Somerset. His mother was from the Cobington family.
His elder brother's wife, Ankaret Hawkeston, faced a difficult time. She was a servant to Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence. Isabel's husband, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, wrongly believed Ankaret had harmed his wife. He pushed for Ankaret to be arrested and tried. She was found guilty and died in 1477. However, this was later seen as a very unfair decision. Just two days after the Duke of Clarence himself died in 1478, Ankaret's grandson, Roger Twynyho, successfully asked the king to officially cancel her conviction, proving she was innocent.
His Career and Business
John Twynyho worked closely with another wool merchant named John Tame (who died in 1500). John Tame was famous for building Fairford Church in Gloucestershire and was a favorite of King Henry VII. Together, Twynyho and Tame greatly expanded their sheep, wool, and cloth business. They bought a lot of land for raising sheep, including the area of Fairford in 1479.
In 1472, John Twynyho received permission from Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (the mother of King Edward IV), to set up a special fund for prayers in Lechlade Church. This fund was for a "chantry," which meant money was set aside for priests to say daily prayers. He dedicated this chantry to Saint Blaise.
In 1484, John Twynyho became the chief manager for the lands around Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire. These lands had previously belonged to Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, but they were taken by the king after the Duke was found guilty of treason in 1483.
Acquiring Hall Court, Lechlade
In 1461, John Twynyho and his wife Agnes bought a large estate called "Hallecourte" in Lechlade, Gloucestershire. This was recorded in an old legal document. The document shows that Richard Sutton sold the manor to John and Agnes Twynyho. Important people like Sir Edmund Hungerforde and John Tame were witnesses to this sale. This property might have been the same as "Butler's Court," another estate in the area. John Twynyho was known as the lord of Butler's Court in 1479.
Family Life
John Twynyho was married twice:
- His first wife was named Agnes. Her name appears in several old legal papers.
- His second wife was Eleanor Cheney. She outlived him and later married someone from the Strangeways family. Old records from 1491 confirm this. It seems Eleanor Cheney was the daughter of Sir Edmund Cheyne from Brook in Wiltshire. Her sister, Anne Cheyne, was the mother of Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke, a very important noble.
John Twynyho had several children:
- Sir William Twynyho: He became the Master of the Hospital of St Thomas in Southwark, Surrey.
- Edith Twynyho: Around 1482, she married Sir William Denys (1470–1533) from Dyrham, Gloucestershire. He later became a close associate of King Henry VIII. Edith died soon after their marriage, leaving one daughter, Anne Denys, who did not have children.
- Alice Twynyho (died 1471): She married John Tame (died 1500) of Fairford, who was her father's business partner and the builder of Fairford Church. A special brass image of them can still be seen on their tomb in Fairford Church.
- Dorothy Twynyho: She married Thomas Morton.
Death and Legacy
John Twynyho is believed to have been buried in Cirencester. His daughter Dorothy Moreton inherited his property, and the manor of Butler's Court in Lechlade passed to her son, Robert Moreton.
His Monumental Brass
A historian named Ralph Bigland (who died in 1784) believed that a special stone slab with a brass image in Lechlade Church belonged to John Twynyho. This church is where he had set up his chantry. The northern and southern chapels in the church were likely built with money from the Duchess of York and John Twynyho to hold these prayer services.
The stone originally had many brass images, including figures of his wife, children, family symbols, and his special merchant's mark. Today, only the brass figure of John Twynyho himself remains. The outlines on the stone show where the other brasses used to be.
The brass image of John Twynyho is about 3 feet, 2 inches tall. He has long hair but no beard. He wears a long tunic that reaches his ankles, lined with fur, which was common for people in his time. His large, open sleeves hide his belt. You can see his shirt at his neck and wrists, where the sleeves are tightly buttoned. His feet are in the wide, square-toed shoes popular in that period. He stands upright, slightly turned to his left, with his hands together in prayer.
Sources
- Visitation of the County of Gloucester Taken in the Year 1623 by Henry Chitty and John Phillipot, edited by Maclean, Sir John, London, 1885, pages 262–3, "Twinyho".
- Holt, Anne D., & Wedgwood, Josiah Clement, History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House, 1439–1509, Vol. 1, London: HMSO, 1936–1938, pages 886-7, biography of John Twynyho
Images for kids
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A brass image of Alice Twynyho (died 1471) and her husband John Tame (died 1500) on their tomb in Fairford Church. The Twynyho family arms are shown above Alice.
