The Rev. Basil BECON^[1]

1559 - 1638  (~ 78 years)

 Set As Default Person

• Name	Basil BECON
  Prefix	The Rev.
  Relationship	with Teresa Ann GOATHAM
  Baptised	14 Jan 1559	St. Stephen’s Church, Walbrook, London, England
  	1558 Old Style - I've seen image of PR entry  Church destroyed in the Fire of London Thomas and Elizabeth may have had another Basil, not shown on the tree, who did not survive infancy, with this being his baptism, as on admission to King's College Cambridge on 27th August 1579 Basil was said to be aged 17 i.e. suggesting he was not born until some 3 years after this baptism. This was sufficient to convince Bailey that there were probably 2 Basils, and to refer to Basil I and Basil II However, the age given at his burial was 80, suggesting he was born about 1558.
  Gender	Male
  Alt. Baptism	Abt 1562
  Education	From 1574 to 1579	Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England
  Occupation	From 1587 to 1622	Warehorne, Kent, England
  	Rector
  	Basil held more than one living at a time; this and the patchy survival of records mean we cannot be sure from records of his incummbencies when he was living where. However, both the baptisms of most of his children between 1589 and 1610 suggest he was mainly present in Warehorne; in addition, in the depositions he gave concerning tithes on wood in the parish in 1630 he said he had lived in the parish for "Twenty yeares of thereabouts", having "knowne it above forty yeares", both of which agree with him living there about 1590-1610.
  		The tithing of firewood in Warehorne Sometime after Basil Becon's time as Parson of Warehorne there was a dispute about the tithing of firewood felled in the parish. Basil was a deponent in the case (gave evidence by answering a series of questions). I find these of interest in telling us a little about his time in the parish.
  Bequest	1620
  	In the will of his brother Theodore
  		The will of Basil's brother, Theodore Becon Basil was left 20 shillings to make a ring with "our arms" engraved on it.
  Died	1638	Waltham, Kent, England
  	It seems clear that there is an error in the transcription of the memorial, concerning the date of Basil's death. The PR entry for his burial is clear.
  Will	10 Sep 1638
  	Written
  	Basil wrote his last will and testament on 10 September 1638, less than 2 months before his death. It is in Latin and I have not yet managed to translate it or have it translated. I believe Basil had had 6 sons and 5 daughters, but 4 sons pre-deceased him, 3 in infancy, and his daughter Rachel who had been the wife of George Young, died some 2 years before her father. The two remaining sons were his eldest, Thomas (my ancestor) and a Basil. In summary (I think - my very rusty Latin means I may have mis-understood this a bit): after the usual committal of his body to the earth and his soul to God, Basil mentions his son-in-law Thomas Terrey. He then makes a number of bequests to the poor in various places with which he was connected: Poor of War[e]horne 40 solidos to be given by his executor to the overseers of the parish for them to divide the money between the poor within a month after Basil's death. Poor of Waltham 40s Poor of Hernehill 20s Poor of Hawkeinge 10s Poor of Snave 10s all to be distributed similarly. One Edward Browninge and his daughter Helina were then left a bequest He then mentions 3 son-in-laws George Young, Henry Dunkin and Thomas Terry. He left a bequest of property in Mersham to his son Basil. He then left a bequest to Thomas son of his son Thomas, and another to Basil son of his son Thomas. He then bequeathed all his lands in Mersham to his son Thomas, and after Thomas' death to his sons Theodore and William. After Basil signed there is a sentence in English: "This was Acknowledged by him for his last will and Testament in the presence of us." - but the names of the witnesses were not included in the registry copy. Will reference: PRC 17 / 70 / 431
  Occupation	Priest
  	(more about this elsewhere) Snippets: Registers in Waltham change to what I take to be Basil's handwriting in 1610 (between August and October). About the beginning of 1638 change from his to another. When Basil became Rector of Waltham in 1602 it would appear there was one bell in the church, made by Joseph Hatch in 1602. During his time there, in 1631, 3 more bells were added, also made by Joseph Hatch. In 1800 Hasted mentioned the church had "having a low pointed tower between them, in which there is one bell." Clearly he was wrong but why? - this may indicate that only one of the bells was being used at that time. The four bells were rung until 1996 when they were condemned as unringable. Two new bells were added in 2000, and the old bells retuned, so the 4 bells with the deeper notes in my recording would have been heard by Basil, although sounding a little different. Given his father's views on music, I imagine he may not have approved of churches having more than a single bell; I suspect Basil was not of the same extreme views as his father (although I suspect his brother and nephew may have been) Bells info: http://kent.lovesguide.com/waltham.htm The casting of the new bells in 2000: http://www.pawnews.org/bells.htm   In 1623 a marriage of Waltham yeoman James Harris and his bride Joan White took place in Petham because "because Mr. Beacon, who is minister of the parish of Waltham, is not at home, neither bath he left any minister to marry them there. July 14, 1623." (recorded on the marriage licence and in Cowper "Canterbury Marriage Licences" (2nd series, p458; KFHS CD 18,  PDF p121).
  Buried	6 Nov 1638	St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England
  	From PR image (p.54): "[Re]vd Bassel Beacon was Buryed the 6 of November" Fortunately the Monumental Inscriptions of Waltham Church were noted by the Rev. Bryan Faussett in 1757; because even then, only 118 years after Basil's death,  the wording was "almost gone", with the Rev. Faussett noting "The Inscription for Mr Beacon, I find, after much Pains, to be as follows: ..." {Arg. 2 pales sa[ble]. each charged with 3 pins or.}. This Coat is on a Flat Stone in ye Middle of The Church, ye Inscription is *almost gone. But it appears to have been in Memory of one Basil BEACON who died in 1638. I find by ye Register, that he was Vicar of this Parish from ye Year 1610 to his Death. (*The Inscription for Mr Beacon, I find, after much Pains, to be as follows: Here lyeth the Body of Mr Basil Beacon, a zealous Preacher of God's Word, here and elsewhere full 50 Years. And neere unto this Place lyeth his only Wife Ann: his Age 80 Years; hers 70. He died March 16 1638/9. She March 10 1637/8. Thos His Age was long, his Strength near gone His Grief most sharp scarce ceasing Yet himself profest, he then was best When in the Pulpit preaching.
  Siblings	3 brothers and 1 sister
  1. Theodore BECON,   b. Abt 1552,   d. Abt 1552  (Age ~ 0 years)   2. Christophile BECON,   b. Abt 1554,   d. 1554  (Age ~ 0 years) + 3. Theodore BECON,   b. Abt 1555, (probably), Marburg, Germany ,   d. 18 Mar 1619/20  (Age ~ 65 years) ▻ Clemencia STRONGHILL;   Dorcas SMITHE,  m. 31 Oct 1587 + 4. Rachel BECON,   b. Abt 1557, Marburg, Germany ,   d. Bef 1581  (Age ~ 23 years) ▻ William BESWICKE,  m. 23 Dec 1572 + 5. The Rev. Basil BECON,   bap. 14 Jan 1559, St. Stephen’s Church, Walbrook, London, England ,   d. 1638, Waltham, Kent, England  (Age ~ 78 years) ▻ Ann COALE,  m. 2 Oct 1588
  Origins
  Patriarch & Matriarch	Thomas BECON,   b. Abt 1480,   d. Yes, date unknown  (Grandfather)  Elizabeth GODFREY,   b. Est 1520, (probably), Winchester, Hampshire, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown  (Mother)
  Notes	Map of places with which Basil had a link (made before I started using TNG) There are a no. of Ecclesiastical Cause papers, mostly with Basil as plaintiff, some as Defendant, in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives (sometimes Becon, other times Beacon). (probably in Latin!) (see http://family.jrank.org/pages/2408/ecclesiastical-courts.html) Indexed on A2A Basil held 2 acres of land in Warehorne by 1612 - see p.158 in Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland (ed. Eddison, Gardiner and Long, 1998)
  Person ID	I3453	All | Teresa's direct ancestors
  Last Modified	24 Nov 2021

  
  

  Father	Prebendary Thomas BECON, B.A.,   b. Between 1511 and 1512, Brettenham, Norfolk, England ,   d. 30 Jun 1567  (Age ~ 56 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth GODFREY,   b. Est 1520, (probably), Winchester, Hampshire, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Between 1549 and 1552
  	What is the evidence that Thomas's wife was one Elizabeth Godfrey? - Theodore Becon, son of Thomas, in a pedigree for submitting to the College of Arms showed his mother to be 'Elizabeth, daughter of William Godfrey of Winchester in Hampshire marchant'. Thanks to Lucy Beacon for pointing out that Thomas's wife is named in the Oxford DNB; following up a reference from that article led me to D. Bailey, 'Thomas Becon: some additional biographical notes', N&Q, 227 (1982), 402— 4, which has the information about the pedigree submitted to the College of Arms. Evidence for the children of Thomas Becon "A New Catechism", 1560 - "The preface of the author unto his children, Theodore and Basil, his two sons, and Rachel, his only daughter: grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and alone Saviour, through the mighty operation of the Holy Ghost, be with you, my dear children, both now and for ever. Amen. After that it pleased the Lord my God to call me unto the holy state of honourable matrimony, and to bless me with the increase of you, not of you only, but also two more of your brethen, named Theodore and Christophile, which now rest in glory with our head Christ; ..." (vol. 2 of the Parker Society 'Works of Thomas Becon', 1844, p.4) Could Thomas have had more children after he wrote "A New Catechism"? The archivist of the King's School Canterbury has come across a Thomas who could be his son. I have been looking for more evidence of a son Thomas; whilst I haven't found any if he died young there quite likely wouldn't be any surviving. With their first child probably born no later than 1552, Thomas and Elizabeth probably married between clerical marriage being sanctioned early in 1549 and 1552.
  Family ID	F2671	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ann COALE,   b. Abt 1568,   d. 10 Mar 1637/38, Waltham, Kent, England  (Age ~ 70 years)
  Married	2 Oct 1588	St. Michael’s Church, Cornhill, London, England
  Children	11 children
  + 1. Maria BECON,   b. 1588,   bur. 10 Mar 1633/34, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England  (Age ~ 46 years) ▻ Thomas TERRY  m. 9 Jun 1616   2. Elizabeth BECON,   b. 1589,   d. Yes, date unknown ▻ Henry DUNKEN  m. 14 Jun 1625 + 3. Rachel BECON,   bap. 2 Jan 1592/93, St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England ,   bur. 22 Jun 1636, St. George the Martyr’s Church, Canterbury, Kent, England  (Age ~ 43 years) ▻ George YOUNG  m. 20 Jul 1613   4. Margaret BECON,   b. 1595,   d. Yes, date unknown ▻ John GARRETT  m. 16 Sep 1649 + 5. Thomas BECON,   bap. 14 Nov 1596, St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England ,   bur. 22 Dec 1659, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England  (Age ~ 63 years) ▻ Jane HALKE  m. 23 Jan 1624/25;   Bridget  m. 25 Jul 1644;   Anne HILTON  m. 15 Nov 1650 + 6. Basil BECON, [Family Dubious],   b. 1598,   d. Abt 1665  (Age 67 years) ▻ Elizabeth BREDIMAN  m. Abt 21 Feb 1643/44   7. Theodore BECON,   b. 1600, Kent, England ,   d. 1625  (Age 25 years)   8. John BECON,   b. 1605,   bur. 10 Mar 1604/05  (Age ~ 0 years)   9. William BECON,   b. Abt 1606, (probably), Hernhill, Kent, England ,   d. Nov 1606  (Age ~ 0 years)   10. Ann BECON,   bap. 27 May 1610, St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown   11. William BECON,   bap. 6 Jun 1613, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England ,   bur. 19 Jun 1613, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England  (Age ~ 0 years)
  Last Modified	24 Aug 2011
  Family ID	F2670	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Click to hide
  		Baptised - 14 Jan 1559 - St. Stephen’s Church, Walbrook, London, England  Occupation - Rector - From 1587 to 1622 - Warehorne, Kent, England  Married - 2 Oct 1588 - St. Michael’s Church, Cornhill, London, England  Child - Rachel BECON - 2 Jan 1592/93 - St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England  Child - Thomas BECON - 14 Nov 1596 - St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England  Child - Theodore BECON - 1600 - Kent, England  Child - Ann BECON - 27 May 1610 - St. Matthew’s Church, Warehorne, Kent, England  Child - William BECON - 6 Jun 1613 - St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England  Died - 1638 - Waltham, Kent, England  Buried - 6 Nov 1638 - St. Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham, Kent, England   = Link to Google Earth (if installed; see link below to install)
  Pin Legend

  
  

• Photos

  The Becon arms My interpretation of the arms that Thomas and his sons seem to have used; whether or not they were entitled to them I am not sure.

  
  

  Histories

  Thomas Becon: a Reformation Theologian also including some information about Thomas's son Basil.

  
  

  Wills (transcripts)

  The will of Basil's father, Thomas Becon In his will Thomas refers to money he had already appointed and assigned "for my children"

  
  

• Sources

  [S85] Bailey - Thomas Becon, Derrick Sherwin Bailey Ph.D., (Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1952.).