The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.48 No.1 | June 2021

Member’s article

continued from page 11

It was probably their son Thomas Kitchener of Lakenheath, Suffolk, “who came from Binsted in Hampshire in the year 1693, as agent to the Hon, Sr, Nicholas Steuart” No evidence has been found that positively links the present members of the Heighes family to this tree. However, Jo Smith, who some of us know through his talks on such subjects as the 1830 riots, has found evidence in the parish records of Headley, which states that Richard Heighes married Elizabeth GYLL in 1563 and a rent roll for Headley shows various holdings in the parish in 1552. Richard was buried at Headley on 16 March 1575 (1576) leaving five children, Joan b.1565, Myles b. 1567, Elizabeth b.1570, Edward b. 1571 and Henry b.1575. We have the will of another Myles Heighes made in East Worldham on 14 March 1592, the first known link with East Worldham. A pewter baptismal bowl in East Worldham church has the inscription, “The gift of Edward Heighes to stand in the font of the church of East Worldham for the baptizing of children, who deceased A.D.1641. Edward’s will confirms his link with Headley as he made a bequest to the parish in which he was born. From wills and four memorials in East Worldham church, it appears that the male line descended from Edward, died out in 1734. No further information for Edward’s brother, Henry (b.1575) has been found, except that the 1631 list of Ratepayers for East Worldham shows Henry paying on 59 acres and Edward paying on 109 acres. Henry was still living in 1640 when Edward made his will, in which there is reference to his brother. We know

where the two farms were, thanks to Jane Hurst, who, when researching in Winchester College, found a map of East Worldham dated 1669. (Winchester College Munument 21449). So can we take the tree back any earlier than Edward, d.1689? Not with any degree of certainty. As far as we dare go it to state that it is probable that we are descended from Richard of Headley, died 1575 and his son Henry, born in Headley in 1575, who farmed in East Worldham and died after 1640 Richard’s descent is very probably from the Binsted line, (there are Richards in three generations in the tree), but with the information we have available, there is no way of fitting him in. But it is very satisfying to have that sense of a long association with Binsted, Headley and The Baptismal Bowl at St Mary’s Church, East Worldham. Gifted by Edward Heighes who died in 1641.

East Worldham, brought about by the kindness of those who have provided

information from some unusual sources and passed it on to a fellow member of the H.G.S. John Heighes Member #5752

31