Sir Stephen Jenyns (–1523) was a wool merchant from
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 United ...
,
Merchant of the Staple and Master
Merchant Taylor
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ex ...
who became
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
for the year of the coronation of King
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
. An artistic, architectural and educational patron, he founded
Wolverhampton Grammar School
Wolverhampton Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Wolverhampton, England.
History
Initially a grammar school for boys, WGS was founded in 1512 by Sir Stephen Jenyns, a master of the ancient guild of Merchant Taylors, wh ...
, and took a leading part in the rebuilding of the church of
St. Andrew Undershaft
St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church that survived both ...
in the City of London.
Origins and early life
Stephen Jenyns was, according to the Heraldic Visitations of Staffordshire (1614, 1663 and 1664), the son of William Jenyns of
Tenby
Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community.
Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembr ...
, Pembrokeshire, and his wife Ellen, daughter and coheir of William Lane of Wolverhampton. He was born at
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 United ...
shortly before 1450, and was apprenticed to a London tailor in 1462–63. He settled in London and became a prominent member of the
Fraternity of Taylors and Linen Armourers of St. John the Baptist. In 1485 he and two others supported Hugh Pemberton, a senior Taylor, in a bond for payment of £920 for Pemberton's action in the probate of Richard Nayler, Alderman and Taylor, who died in 1483. In 1490–95 he was concerned in the purchase of lands in Westminster with Thomas Randyll (Taylor), Henry Castell (Dyer) and Sir
Richard Guildford
Sir Richard Guildford (alias ''Guilford, Guldeford'', etc.), KG (c. 1450 – 1506) was an explorer, naval commander, and English courtier who held important positions at the court of Henry VII, including the office of Master of the Ordnance.
...
.
Guildsman, Alderman and Sheriff
In an age of
Guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
reform, William Buck became Master of the Fraternity of Taylors in 1488–89 and commenced the Treasury Accounts Book for payments and receipts. Jenyns succeeded him as Master and made further reforms. He set aside an old ordinance relating to election of Masters, and decreed that the Wardens in post at any time should have precedence, after the Masters, at all assemblies. At the end of his term he and his successors enacted that various allowances (for fees and expenditures) customarily made to the Master should be discontinued: Jenyns repaid nearly £22 by way of example, including a contribution towards rebuilding a property belonging to the Guild near
St Matthew Friday Street
St. Matthew Friday Street was a church in the City of London located on Friday Street, off Cheapside. Recorded since the 13th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The re ...
. Annual pensions paid to the former Masters and their wives, and fees to the Wardens, were also curtailed.
After the death of John Swan, a former Master, his widow Dame Rose Swan paid £149 6s. 8d. to the Company in 1493 for an
Obit
Obit may refer to:
* Obituary, a news article reporting a person's death, and typically including his/her biography.
* ''Obit'' (film), a 2016 documentary about the obituary writers at The New York Times
*''Obiit Obiits were an annual endowed ser ...
for her husband, in the presence of Buck, Jenyns and others. At her death in 1497/8 Jenyns was first-named of the three executors of her richly charitable testament, which they swore to administer. In 1498 Jenyns was elected
Sheriff of London
Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...
, in company with Thomas Bradbury, in the mayoralty of another elder of the company, Sir John Percyvale, who set the example of the foundation of
Macclesfield Grammar School
The King's School, Macclesfield, is an independent school for day pupils in Prestbury, Cheshire, England, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It was founded in 1502 by Sir John Percyvale, a former Lord Mayor of L ...
. (He was the first Master of the Taylors to become Mayor.) For Jenyns (for use in his 'Shrefewyk', or shrievalty) the Fraternity drew from their treasury twelve beautifully crafted spoons, and six silver bowls given by Rose Swan, with a gift of £26 13s. 4d. Jenyns became
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
for
Castle Baynard
Castle Baynard is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London.
Features
The ward covers an irregularly shaped area, sometimes likened to a tuning fork, bounded on the east by the wards of Queenhit ...
in 1499 and occupied that ward until 1505.
Two marriages
During this time, probably after 1490, Jenyns was married, 'the wif of Stephyn Jenens taillour' receiving £4 and a black gown in Rose Swan's will written in 1496. By this marriage he had two daughters, Katherine and Elizabeth, whose mother died before 1502. In 1501 (28 March) William Buck died, and was buried at St. Mary Aldermanbury. For his
executors
An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used.
Overview
An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...
Buck appointed his wife Margaret, John Kirton of London, and William Milbourne,
Chamberlain of London
The Chamberlain of the City of London is an ancient office of the City of London, dating back to at least 1237.
The Chamberlain is the finance director of the City of London Corporation. They are the financial adviser, accountant, receiver and pa ...
1492–1506. In the
Hilary term
Hilary term is the second academic term of the University of Oxford[tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...](_blank)
depicting scenes from the life of
St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
, to be hung on the walls of their Hall. Buck bequeathed to them three more, for the north wall (valued at £120), 'which I have bespoken to be made in
Brucellys'. In January 1502/3
Henry VII incorporated the Fraternity under the new name of 'The Guild of Merchant Taylors of the Fraternity of St. John the Baptist': this was advocated and procured by
William FitzWilliam, Master of the Taylors in 1499–1500. Stephen Jenyns gave a further three tapestries, completing the series of nine, to hang at the
dais
A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)[dais]
in the Random House Dictionary< ...
for the High Table and seats of honour in the Hall. Margaret Jenyns, 'for the good zeal that she had for the Company', presented a blue velvet embroidered altar-cloth of St John with a white rose above his head, and with green velvet edges worked with gold
fleurs-de-lys
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
and mottos, for their Chapel. All were recorded in an Inventory of 1512.
Margaret Buck (née Kirton) was the sister of John Kirton, originally of
St. Paul's Cray
St Paul's Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Sidcup and north of Orpington.
The area
The ...
, Kent, a trusted lawyer of Gray's Inn and J.P., and (in the footsteps of his father William) M.P. for
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
in 1491–92. There was also a sister Beatrix, married to the lawyer Henry Tyngledon. Their mother was Margery Milbourne, and John had married Margaret White, granddaughter of
Nicholas Gaynesford
Nicholas Gainsford, also written Gaynesford or Gaynesforde, (about 1427–1498) of Carshalton, Surrey, of an armigerous gentry family established at Crowhurst, Surrey, Crowhurst, was a Justice of the Peace, several times Member of Parliament and H ...
of
Carshalton
Carshalton () is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated south-southwest of Charing Cross, in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshal ...
. In 1498 Kirton and Buck were named executors in Gaynesford's will, and John acted in 1503 for Gaynesford's widow. By his second marriage Stephen Jenyns became stepfather to the four sons and one daughter of William Buck and uncle to John Kirton's five children. Both Jenyns and his maternal aunt, the Lane heiress Isabel Swerder, were godparents at baptism to John's son Stephen Kirton.
Jenyns received £100 from the
Privy Purse
The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018.
Overview
The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (200 ...
'for plegging of sertain of the Quenes juells' in 1503, possibly to settle a loan unpaid at her death. In 1505, as alderman, he transferred to the
Dowgate
Dowgate, also referred to as ''Downgate'' and ''Downegate'', is a small ward in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. The ward is bounded to the east by Swan Lane and Laurence Poutney Lane, to the south by the River T ...
ward (until 1508), and from 1505 to 1507 he was Auditor to the
Court of Aldermen
The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior alderman during his year of office). The Cou ...
. The appointment of John Kirton as Clerk of the Treasury ('clerk of Hell') in 1506 was obtained by royal writ, and was said (by his discharged predecessor) to have been purchased from the king for 300 marks by the management of Stephen Jenyns. Kirton joined with Stephen and Margaret Jenyns, and with John Nechylls, in acquiring lands in
Whitstable
Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of 3 ...
,
Seasalter
Seasalter is a village (and district council ward) in the Canterbury District of Kent, England. Seasalter is on the north coast of Kent, between the towns of Whitstable and Faversham, facing the Isle of Sheppey across the estuary of the River Sw ...
,