Peter Brown Family History

William Payne (1620) & Susan Stacey

peter pedigree tree
General History

William Payne & Susan Stacey were one of my 10th generation ancestors

Key Dates:

William Payne was baptised on 2nd July 1620 in East Grinstead, Sussex. He was the son of William Payne & Mary Head. He married Susan Stacey (Susanna) on 2nd June 1646 in West Hoathly, Sussex. William & Susan had six known children. William was probably buried on 18th September 1658 in East Grinstead, Sussex ('William of Whalesbeech).

Susan Stacey (Susanna) was probably baptised on 2nd February 1623 in West Hoathly, Sussex. She was the daughter of George Stacey & Mary .

Children Click to return to 'Top of Page'

William Payne & Susan had six known children:

  1. William Payne was baptised on 11th May 1647 in East Grinstead, Sussex. Died 1727 (of Legsheath)
    1. John Payne was baptised on 14thSeptember 1675 in East Grinstead, Sussex.
  2. Mary Payne was baptised on 27th October 1649 in East Grinstead, Sussex.
  3. Ann Payne was baptised on 22nd April 1652 in East Grinstead, Sussex.
  4. George Payne was baptised on 15th November 1653 in East Grinstead, Sussex.
  5. Robert Payne was baptised on 7th February 1656 in East Grinstead, Sussex. He married Sarah Faulconer. Details of Robert Payne & Sarah Faulconer are shown separately as they are direct ancestors.
  6. Susan Payne was baptised on 11th April 1659 in East Grinstead, Sussex.

Personal History Click to return to 'Top of Page'

John Payne of Legsheath: Taken from History of East Grinstead.

In such surroundings was John Payne, of Legsheath, born in 1675, and duly baptised at East Grinstead, succeeding his father at Legsheath in 1727, as we learn from the Court Rolls of Duddleswell Manor, of which Legsheath was held. In 1693 he married, at Hartfield, Bridget, daughter and co-heir of Richard Knight, Esq., sen., of Cowden, whose family had come to prosperity by virtue of the iron industry of those days. This useful marriage may account for John's somewhat sudden rise in the social scale and may also account in a measure for his little weakness for display in his official capacity of Sheriff, a position that would have, no doubt, vastly astonished his father, Wm. Payne, of Legsheath. There seems to have been no issue of this marriage when his first wife died in October, 1736, so he re-married, with no undue delay, Margaret, daughter of John Shelley, of Fen Place, Worth. As John was already 62 years of age his prompt re-marriage was probably accelerated by the meritorious desire, as strong in those days with yeoman as with peer, to leave a son to inherit the ancestral acres, however modest their extent. John's acres seem from his will to have been numerous and productive, but disappointment was his lot, for we find no issue of the second marriage beyond an only daughter, Margaret, baptised at East Grinstead in 1738 (the year of his Sheriffdom) and buried there in 1751. This accounts for his making his nephew, William Payne, son of Edward Payne, of Monkshill, his heir, and, so far as we can now ascertain, these farms remained in the hands of Mr. William Payne until about 1827, when he, or possibly his son of the same name, sold Stone Farm to Mr. R. Crawfurd, of Saint Hill, and it is not unusual about this date to find our local yeomen tempted by the high price of land then prevailing to part with their long cherished acres to the gentry of the class above them, with the idea of living in ease upon the proceeds of the deal.

Verification & Concerns Returns to 'Top of Page'

  1. Taken from 'History of East Grinstead'. the Payne family , descended from John Payne of Plawhatch, was quite distinct from the "Paynes of the towne". They occupied small farms on the extreme south border of our large parish and on the verge of Ashdown Forest; such farms were Plawhatch, Legsheath, Monks-hill, Mawles, Walesbeech and, later, Charlwoods, and all owned by some member of the family of what we may call the Paynes of Legsheath, though they seem to have been earlier known as the Paynes of Plawhatch. A bird's-eye view of John Payne's ancestry may be given as follows, and its connection with farms in the parish gives it special interest:—
    1. John Payne, of Monkshill, Yeoman (probably of Plawhatch in 1562), owned freehold lands called Malls ; buried at East Grinstead as John Payne, senr., of Monkhill, in 1597.
    2. John Payne, of Maules, Yeoman, owned 7 acres at Buncegrove, called Baches, Legsheath and Dockets ; died 1624.
    3. William Payne, of Walesbeech, Yeoman, owned Legsheath, Maules, Dockets ; buried at East Grinstead as William Paine, of
      Walesbeech, 1657.
    4. William Payne, of Maules, Yeoman (5th son), owned Legsheath and Monkshill; died 1658 ; by his will " to be buried at
      East Grinstead."
    5. William Payne, of Legsheath, owned Velvicks; his brothers, Edward and Robert, lived at Maules and Monkshill; buried at
      East Grinstead as Mr. Wm. Payne, of Legsheath, 1727.
    6. John Payne, of Legslieath, Esqre., owned Maules, while his cousin, Edward, owned Monkshill; Sheriff of Sussex 1738 ; buried at East Grinstead as " John Payne, Esq.," 1760.
Documents Returns to 'Top of Page'

Wills:

  1. William Payne left a 'Will' dated 1658. The link is to a part transcript
Sources Click to return to 'Top of Page'
  1. Sussex Genealogies  (Ardingly Centre) - John Comber 1932
  2. Sussex Record Society -  East Grinstead Parish Registers 1558-1661:
  3. Sussex Record Society – Marriage Licenses at Lewes 1586-1642,1670-1732, 1772-1837 (Volumes 1, 6, 25,26)
  4. Sussex Parish Registers – Ardingly, West Hoathly
  5. Lewes Will Microfilm
  6. Sussex Family History Group-Sussex Marriage Index CD
  7. History of East Grinstead by WALLACE HENRY HILLS,1906
  8. Latter day Saints-Family Search: For initial identification of details only