Publications
It all started with a watch, by William Green, published December 2008 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 4, article, pp.178-180) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508971] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:Recently others have written about how they got started in genealogy, so I thought I would tell my tale from afar.
My wife's maiden name was FOWLE and she had told me that her grandfather had always been very proud of the FOWLE family's British heritage. My wife's father was deceased, and her mother knew very little, not even where her father-in-law had been born. Perhaps in the mid-western US? My wife remembered her grandfather saying that his ancestors had fought along side of William the Conqueror (don't they all!). He had been a very strict Baptist minister, who lived in another state prior to his death when my wife was fairly young.
My wife's maiden name was FOWLE and she had told me that her grandfather had always been very proud of the FOWLE family's British heritage. My wife's father was deceased, and her mother knew very little, not even where her father-in-law had been born. Perhaps in the mid-western US? My wife remembered her grandfather saying that his ancestors had fought along side of William the Conqueror (don't they all!). He had been a very strict Baptist minister, who lived in another state prior to his death when my wife was fairly young.
Anthony Fowle: Wealden Ironmaster and Lawyer, by Pamela Combes, published 2011 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 31, article, pp.31-59, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506578] Download PDF
Abstract:The gazetteer in the latest edition of The Iron Industry of the Weald notes the interests of Anthony Fowle in various ironworks, including Markly Furnace in Warbleton, Maynards Gate Furnace in Rotherfield and Maresfield Forge, all of which are mentioned in his will. That document also reveals something of the extent of his landed property as well as the marriage alliances made by some of his thirteen children. Those connections demonstrate that the Fowles continued the tradition of intermarriage with the families of other ironmasters that was noted by Jeremy Goring as a trait of the immediate family of Anthony's uncle Nicholas Fowle (see Appendix 2, table 1). Nicholas Fowle and his family are frequently cited as notable ironmasters, possibly because Nicholas built the ostentatious Riverhall mansion house near their furnace in Frant that can still be seen today. It is curious that Anthony Fowle has remained comparatively unnoticed since there is no doubt that his influence within the wider community was significant. During his long and active life Anthony was not only a major ironmaster but also a lawyer, serving for many years as a JP, as sheriff of Sussex in 1637/8, and on the county committee during the Commonwealth. His son Richard, who inherited his Newick property, was also of some standing in the county community, serving as a grand juror at the Assizes on five occasions between 1653 and 1659.
This note seeks to demonstrate the position of Anthony Fowle in county society and particularly draws attention to the marriage connections of his children and of his sisters, especially those with other ironmasters. His will is of particular interest to members of WIRG and a transcription is included here as an appendix. The will itself identifies many of the family relationships. Where possible others have been researched in detail, but some information has been derived from secondary sources. It is clear that family relationships were important to Anthony Fowle, all his surviving children and his then living grandchildren received some remembrance in his will. After Anthony's time the story is one of slow decline. In the longer term only the Rotherfield branch of the family flourished - and then only into the mid 18th century.
As was customary, his will records only the land he held on lease. His major estate at Newick, does not appear, and there may have been other property which remains invisible for the same reason. Where possible his property has been located, not only that named in his will, but also some that is recorded in other sources but which he may no longer have owned in 1647. His interest in ironworks, in particular at Maynards Gate in Crowborough (formerly Rotherfield) and also Little Forge and furnace in Buxted, is of particular interest and is considered in detail.
This note seeks to demonstrate the position of Anthony Fowle in county society and particularly draws attention to the marriage connections of his children and of his sisters, especially those with other ironmasters. His will is of particular interest to members of WIRG and a transcription is included here as an appendix. The will itself identifies many of the family relationships. Where possible others have been researched in detail, but some information has been derived from secondary sources. It is clear that family relationships were important to Anthony Fowle, all his surviving children and his then living grandchildren received some remembrance in his will. After Anthony's time the story is one of slow decline. In the longer term only the Rotherfield branch of the family flourished - and then only into the mid 18th century.
As was customary, his will records only the land he held on lease. His major estate at Newick, does not appear, and there may have been other property which remains invisible for the same reason. Where possible his property has been located, not only that named in his will, but also some that is recorded in other sources but which he may no longer have owned in 1647. His interest in ironworks, in particular at Maynards Gate in Crowborough (formerly Rotherfield) and also Little Forge and furnace in Buxted, is of particular interest and is considered in detail.
Who Was William Fowle's Father?, by William Green, published March 2012 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 20 no. 1, article, pp.19-21) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508850] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:I have previously written concerning how I first became interested in genealogy, and particularly of my interest in the FOWLE family "of Riverhall" in Sussex. Recently I have been studying the roots of the family back into medieval times, and how the various FOWLE branches began
The Mystery Solved, by William R. Green, published March 2016 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 22 no. 1, article, pp.4-7) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/509161]
Preview:In the March, 2012 (v. 20, no. 1) issue of the Sussex Family Historian I wrote a piece concerning the ancestors of the FOWLE family who's senior branch were to become the first residents of Riverhall. My topic had to do particularly with the father of William FOWLE, a prominent resident of Rotherfield whose son had built Riverhall in 1599. William was one of the wealthiest residents of Rotherfield, holding both copyhold and freehold rights to significant lands throughout Rotherfield Hundred at his death in 1566. William of Rotherfield is first referenced in 1524 in the important position of Church Warden for St. Deny's. Pullein reports that he had married Margaret GODIVE (most likely GODINE, the sole heir of Richard GODINE). The marriage is speculated to have taken place c1520. These events suggest that William was born c1497.