Sir Walter Pye (1571-1636) of the Mynde, Much Dewchurch, Hereforsdshire, England

Roger Pye of The Mynde (rhymes with tinned) was one of a large clan of gentry in the western marches of Herefordshire. He gained some distinction by marrying an Esquire’s daughter, Bridget Kyrle (pronounced Curl). Their first son, Walter (1571-1636) was educated at Oxford then went on to legal training at the Chancery Inns, then New Inn, then Middle Temple. He qualified as a barrister in 1597. He married in 1602, Joanne Rudhall, daughter of William and Margaret (Croft) Rudhall.

In 1616, Walter became attached to Sir George Villiers, who later became the 1^st Duke of Buckingham. It’s unclear what role Walter played, but probably was a legal advisor. Walter’s younger brother, Robert, also provided services for Buckingham, possibly as a financial manager. By this time Walter was already a distinguished lawyer and with Buckingham’s influence, he was appointed a circuit Judge for sessions in South Wales. In 1620, Buckingham secured for him the position of Attorney of the Court of Wards and Liveries. Not long after, Buckingham presented Walter to King James I, during which time he was knighted.

King James I died in 1625 and was succeeded by his son, Charles I. Buckingham continued to serve the new King but was extremely unpopular with the people. He was stabbed to death in 1628.

Walter’s position as Attorney of the Court of Wards and Liveries was a lucrative one and he continued in this post until his death in 1636. The puzzling thing is the amount of money he spent on land purchases, improvements and building, which he began doing in 1602-1603, before he reached any major, well-paying office. In these early years his annual income was only in the 100’s. He did receive an inheritance when his father, Roger, died in 1611, but it still was a modest sum. By 1620, he had spent well over £7000 in land purchases, which included Kilpec, buildings and improvements.

Sir Walter’s oldest son, Walter II, found himself in difficult straights after paying the funeral expenses and sisters’ portions of the inheritance by 1637. He was forced to sell some lands and timber. He married Elizabeth Sanders in 1628. Between 1628 and 1640, he sat in the House of Commons and supported the Royalist cause. Elizabeth died in 1640.There were three children in this family and they remained Catholic and loyal to the Stuarts. Walter eventually remarried to Mary Tyrrell. His staunch Royal stand and dwindling finances forced him to sell Kilpec. They eventually joined the Stuarts in France where they all lived in exile.

Walter II had a brother, Robert, b. 1638, who married Meliora Drax (Drakes). Her father owned land in Barbados and settled an annuity of £100 from the Barbados estate on her before she married. See next installment for Robert Pye.

The children of Sir Walter and Joanne Rudhall Pye:

          1. Margaret (c1603-?) m. Fulke Walwyn in 1621 – 11 children, 3                    died as infants

          2. Bridget (1605-?) m. Richard Chamberlayne in 1627 – This                          family or their children may have moved to the Virginia colonies.

          3. Joyce (1606 - ?) m. Henry Calverly; Henry was from Yorkshire.                  Four children have been found for them, all christened in                            Calverly Yorkshire.

          4. Ann 1608-c.1689) m. Henry Williams, who carried the titles of                    Sir and Baronet.

          5. Roger (1609-1609)

          6. Walter (1610-1659) m. Elizabeth Sanders in 1628. They had 3                  children before she died in 1640. He married again to Mary                        Tyrell. Unknown if there were any children from this                                    2^nd marriage.

          7. Alice (1612-1684) m. Henry Lingen in 1628; a Royalist, was                      noted for his attachment to Charles I. This couple had two sons                and 15 daughters, but only two, Frances and Alice, left issue.

          8. William (1613-1617)

          9. John (1614-1614)

          10. James (1616-1646) He is recorded on his father’s shrine in St.                  David’s, Much Dewchurch, as Jacobus. The Catholics still                         used the Latin form of names in this time period. No marriage                   info found for him.

          11. Robert (1617-1640)

          12. Mary (1618-?) m. Thomas Thompkins of Monington, in 1633.                    He was married twice before and had several children with                        each wife. They lived in Monington, Herefordshire. With Mary,                    he had five children.

          13. John (1620-1701) m. Blanch Lingen in c 1645. She is the sister                  of Henry Lingen who married Alice Pye, sister of her husband.                  Hence, a brother and sister Lingen married and brother and                      sister Pye. John attended Oxford and was a student at Middle                    Temple in 1638. It is reported that John and Blanch had 23                        children. The name Blanch has carried on in the Pye family for                  6 to 7 generations. Their son Edward joined the Maryland                          colony begun by Lord Baltimore. John died in 1701 and is                          buried in Hereford Cathedral.

          14. Frances (1621-1701) m. aft 1635 Henry Vaughan There are                      dozens of men named Henry Vaughan but none have a wife                      named Frances. It’s possible she used her middle name, which                  is an unknown. No info found for this couple.

                                               

                                               Sir Walter Pye

The King’s Servants: Office and Wealth: Families and Individuals, The Civil Service of Charles I 1625-1642, G. E. Aylmer, 1961, p. 308-314

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Villiers-1st-duke-of-Buckingham

http://penrose.org/getperson.php?personID=I87143&tree=penrose

Alumni Oxonienses (Alumni of Oxford)

Wikipedia

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