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Previous:     Section 1.A : Introduction - Conventions

Section 2 : East of England

Suffolk

The earliest BRUSH entries come from Suffolk but we have nothing resembling a family tree for those living there; simply some isolated references. This whole section is I'm afraid rather a jumble - just a place to put snippets about random findings.

John BRUSCH in Ipswich in 1438,

John BRUCHE in Halesworth 1491 (1),

William BRUSSHE, clerk, as executor dealing with land at Barton in 1515 (2),

Alice living in Covehithe, Suffolk in 1515 ,

Robert Brusshe 1524 (3),ref to Srsf Subsidy rolls suffolk

John, Elene, Elizabeth and Alice in Covehithe 1532(4),

Joan dying in Northales, Suffolk 1536,

Margaret dying in Northales 1588.

And possibly ( as discussed below) Alice BRUSCH in 1327 and John BROSCHE.

The earliest confirmed BRUSH reference is the will of John BRUSCH of "Gippco" (Ipswich) made on the 8th of September 1438. Both the script and the latin used are quite incomprehensible to me.  There is a translation of it in the papers left to me by my father ("FWB", who gets multiple references in this work).  Whether he actually did it or had it done for him I am not sure. The full text is in Appendix xx.

John BRUSCH asks to be buried at St Mary of the Tower in Ipswich (still known as St Mary le Tower and the central parish church in the town) but he also leaves money to the parish church at "Mautelesham" - presumably Martelsham which is about 5 miles east of Ipswich. [ references to Busshe? Or Bryge? At Martelsham? ]

He leaves his 'tenement' in Ipswich to his wife Julian for life but with directions that after her death it be sold and the money "be spent for [the health of] my soul and for the souls of all my benefactors".  I presume this to mean that it was to be given to the church in payment for the saying of masses or some such.  The widow, Julian, and Robert Bird or Byrd are made the executors and left the residue of the estate with discretion as to what is to be done with it. The only two people given specific legacies are John Byrd, the son of Robert who gets one sheep and Margaret Talbot of Martelesham who gets two sheep.

Everything about this will suggests that John left no son.  It is conceivable he had a daughter - possibly married to Robert Byrd but this is just speculation.  Robert or John Byrd and Margaret could equally well be servants or friends.  How sad that the earliest record turns out to be a dead-end.

John BRUSCH's will was proved in Norwich in 1438 (6) but this does not mean he lived in Norwich.

Another early will, of John CHYLD in ???, makes passing reference to Robert BRUSH and a John BRUSH at the village (hamlet?) of Badwell Ash, which is also known as Little Ashfield or Ashfield Parva.  One of manors listed in the parish was "BRUSHES al. BROOKESHULL MANOR". This manor also belonged to the Priory of Ixworth, and on the Dissolution was granted in 1538 by Hen. VIII. in exchange to Richard Codington (5). By the 19th century there is reference to Brook Hall Farm and it seems possible that the reference is to Brush or Brooks Hall Manor. The ida tat there is an overlap between Brush (Bruch?) and Brook is an interesting one discussed elsewhere

Although they were unaware of it at the time, my parents set up their first home just a couple of miles away from Badwell Ash, at Pakenham in Suffolk. My sister and I were born in nearby Bury St Edmunds. Which is mere coincidence, and represents a useful lesson for genealogists that there is not necessarily any direct connection between two people of the same name that we might find in the same place.

Covehithe is on the coast just south of Lowestoft and Northales is an alternative name for it. Barton may well be Great Barton just east of Bury St Edmunds

There also seems to have been an earlier entry for John BRUCHE whose will is dated 30 April 1491 subject to the recurring issue of whether Bruche is a variant of Brook or Brush .

From an unknown source:
"Bussh
    Geoffrey, of Mendelsham, 1315, 1482
    Richard, of Mendelsham, 1315, 1482"

If there was still a BRUSH family in Suffolk up to 1588 when Margaret, a widow, dies then it is quite possible that Alice marrying in 1583 at Over and Susan marrying in 1591 in Cambridge are linked to that family; they surely are linked to each other.

The various Suffolk entries are in and around a 60mile diameter circle covering most of Suffolk.

A fascinating source summarising 16th century inquests (reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/852155/3/Accident_inquests.csv)includes the following from 1591 or 92, which may or may not be linked to the BRUSH family Appears to be a summary of an inquest: 1591

1592_2,J/112,9/1038/164,,Suffolk,Somersham,1591-09-14,"Scryvener, Ralph, gent.",Brugge,John,M,,,,50,,1591-09-13,9,,,,"Climbing a 'nutt tree' in the close of Alice Bugge, widow with the intention of collecting nuts",The branch on which he stood broke and he fell to the ground breaking his neck,Tree (nut),,Fall from,,Broken neck,Instant,,Branch of no value,,,,

The last Suffolk entry is 15xx. No - William "of Tattingstone" ( on spit of land south of Ipswich between rivers Orwell and Stour) has two marriages at Earl Stoneham ( n of Ipswich near Stowmarket) in 1633 and 1639.

It may be that a family group simply died out with men dying childless and women marrying into another family name. This certainly happens from time to time. However, given the general population trends of the de-population of East Anglia and the later occurrence of the BRUSH name in counties further west there seems at least an even chance that some of the BRUSH family of Suffolk migrated west and continued their bloodline in other locations. Information provided by Antonia Williamson 1994; Appendix xx

Essex

Richard BRUSH marries Mary Sewell in 1588 at Wimbish , a few miles east of Saffron Walden, miles away from anything else - surely a case of marrying at the bride's family's location and unconnected to any BRUSH household location. There is also a baptism record (in Ancestry) for Richard's son John in 1593 at Wimbish. Who Richard was is we have no idea. Wimbish is however not so far from some of the earlier Suffolk entries. The name Richard appears extensively in Gloucestershire but also appears in Cornwall.; there are no Suffolk or Berkshire references but we are at the very start of parish registration records.

Then John BRUSH at Bassingbourn (10 sw of Cambridge) 1614 But the Cambridge area is 'heavily' populated by BUSH families and this may be an error in transcription.

Thomas marries Joan Pryer at Cold Norton, near to the coast south-east of Chelmsford in Essex in 1629. There are a couple of later entries nearby at Boreham on the road to Colchester. The most likely link, to London, is Cold Norton Hall which had been left around 1610 by mega-rich William SUTTON to Chartehouse School

When Moses BROWNE of Epping marries Ann BRUSH in London in 1630 she is described as "of Magdalen Laver" in Essex which is

Kent

Kent does not really fit in this chapter but there are so few entries that it belongs no where else.

Thomas, son of John BROUSSHE, baptised in Little Chart ( near Ashford), Kent in 1566 and land transfer by Thomas BRUSSHE of land at Bramling, (near Canterbury) Kent 1444.

1473 From: William Sellyng, I, prior of Canterbury Cathedral Priory To: Philip Breche, bedel of Great Chart For 20s in part payment of arrears. Sealed with Prior Sellyng's seal [fragment only remains.]

Conclusions

The data is just too incomplete to create a meaningful family tree. Putting this lot together in a sequence would be to play fantasy genealogy.

Maybe we are really immigrants called Brusche ( or Bruges ? ) from Germany or Holland, Flanders or Denmark . Maybe we arrived in East Anglia with cloth making skills and moved west to the Cotswolds. Maybe we didn't.

The lack of BRUSH entries in Ipswich and Suffolk after 1635 might also be consistent with a migration to New England at this time - see section 12

But Suffolk is something of a dead end for the BRUSH family. The main story occurs in other parts of the country

Errors? More information? Comments? Please do get in touch: brushdw@gmail.com

NEXT: Section 3, Tewkesbury;

(1) back to text    Mentioned in a footnote on page 139 of Inward Purity and Outward Splendour by Judith Middleton-Stewart. I am unsure of the source. The note ( which I do not understand!)reads:"NCC A. Caston 172-3, William Chapelle, Haleseworth 1483; SROI, IC/AA2/3/128, John Bruche, Halesworth 1491; Haward, Suffolk Arcades, 148, 385-6;"

(2) back to text    A village near Southwold on the Suffolk coast. Named in the will of Alice PEERS, Information provided by Antonia Williamson 1994. Appendix xx

(3) back to text    A dictionary of English surnames by Reaney & Wilson, 1991

(4) back to text    Named in the will of Alice SPARHAWK; Information provided by Antonia Williamson 1994; Appendix xx

(n) back to text    Source: The Manors of Suffolk

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