Are These Your Relatives?
Brasses set into the floor of St Agatha's Church badly need to be repaired and relaid – but before this can happen, church officials want to try and trace living relations of the people depicted on them.
These are the names involved:
1. John Scolffyld, priest, died 1507 (murdered!).
2. Robert Court, auditor to Prince Arthur, died 1509 and wife Jane, with 1 son (lost)
3. Richard Hampden and wife Jane, d. 1512
Rev. Kevin Beer points out that in theory, at least, a priest of that era shouldn't have had any offspring, so John Scolffyld (whose name has also been spelt elsewhere as Sketefield) may not have had any descendants. The version of this murder story as told in the Son et Lumiere of 2011 is that John Sketefield was a curate at St Agatha's. He was attacked with a sword and struck in the head with a dagger by a 'foreigner', Robert Forde, from East Hendred. The motive is unknown, but this was a time when some individuals held a grudge against the church for being greedy.
Robert Court, of Mackney, had a daughter who may have married into the Molins family (this surname is also variously spelt). However, as far as anyone has been able to find out, there are no living relatives.
Rev Beer says: 'Any clues, tips or confirmation that research results in dead ends would be most welcome!' You can contact him at teamvicar@wallingfordcofe.org.uk
These are the names involved:
1. John Scolffyld, priest, died 1507 (murdered!).
2. Robert Court, auditor to Prince Arthur, died 1509 and wife Jane, with 1 son (lost)
3. Richard Hampden and wife Jane, d. 1512
Rev. Kevin Beer points out that in theory, at least, a priest of that era shouldn't have had any offspring, so John Scolffyld (whose name has also been spelt elsewhere as Sketefield) may not have had any descendants. The version of this murder story as told in the Son et Lumiere of 2011 is that John Sketefield was a curate at St Agatha's. He was attacked with a sword and struck in the head with a dagger by a 'foreigner', Robert Forde, from East Hendred. The motive is unknown, but this was a time when some individuals held a grudge against the church for being greedy.
Robert Court, of Mackney, had a daughter who may have married into the Molins family (this surname is also variously spelt). However, as far as anyone has been able to find out, there are no living relatives.
Rev Beer says: 'Any clues, tips or confirmation that research results in dead ends would be most welcome!' You can contact him at teamvicar@wallingfordcofe.org.uk