THE LINE OF SIR HENRY GREENE THE BEHEADED

THE LINE OF SIR HENRY GREENE THE BEHEADED

THE LINE OF SIR HENRY GREENE THE BEHEADED

Henry 7th loved a public life. The king knighted him, he was near councilor to the king and later helped the king govern his country. He joined himself to Richard II who gave him several parcels of confiscated lands - the manors of: Kilworth, Cotgrave, Preston Capes, Knighton, Covelle and Bulkington in Wilts. And the place of Lord Cobham in London with all its furniture. This makes 40 known manors that Sir Henry possessed besides the houses in town. Sir Henry tried to save Isabella, Child Queen of Richard II. Richard had escaped to Ireland, Henry hid with the Queen in the strong castle of Bristol. The commander of the garrison treacherously surrendered the city and Henry Greene and his two companions, Sir John Bushy and the Earl of Wiltshire were beheaded the next day at Bristol Market Square. Shakespear has immortalized Sir Henry in his play "Richard II." He died September 2 1399. Two of his sons, Ralph and John, were successively Lord Greene. The great estate passed through the last heiress of John's line to the Earls of Wiltshire and Peterborough, her descendants.

In the very first year of King Henry IV, Sir Henry's eldest son was restored to his title and estates and received in after years particular honors from the king. He left no children. Lord Henry 9th next succeeded. He left only a daughter. The only heir was Edward Earl of Wiltshire, his brother Sir John 8th left three children. Edward Earl of Wiltshire died in 1501 leaving no issue, the estate then reverted to Isabella De Vere, a sister of Lord Henry 9th.

From Sir Thomas 8th are the Gillingham, Warwick and Quidnesset Green's. Between Sir Thomas and Robert 11th of Gillingham are two generations. The name of the 9th is not preserved but there is ample proof of him. He was born 1420 and his son John 10th was born 1450. John was the next to the eldest and a man of prominence in his day. Henry III sent John 11th to the Tower of London with a message to Sir Robert Brackenbury to put the two imprisoned princes to death, but Sir Robert sent Sir John back again with a refusal.

Richard the III was slain in battle two years later. Henry VIII hated Yorkist and he had spite against the Greene family. Sir John escaped to Europe. He ventured back and passed as John Clark. He saw his family occasionally, a son of John the Fugitive was Robert Greene. He purchased an estate in Gillingham Dorsetshire which was called Bowridge sometimes called Porridge Hill. Most of the subsidy rolls of that century have been destroyed. In 1543 Robert was an elderly man. He had five children, Peter, Richard 12, John 12, Alice and Anne. Peter died without heirs and Richard inherited the estate.

This history was taken from the book, "Green, Greens of England and America." Although we have not connected, missing about 80 years from a connection, I hope to do so as we are undoubtedly of the family of Greene. It is said that there is only one family of Greens, a very large family but all can connect. One characteristic of both our Dorset Greens and the Greens who emigrated to America is that the males never marry until after the age of 30. Your 4th grandmother played around Porridge Hill as a child, our Green’s are all from the same district.