Person:Beatrix Lewknor (1)

Disputed Lineages

There is a great deal of conflicting information about Beatrix in various sources. It is possible that more that one Beatrix (or, at least, female Lewknor) has been conflated.

(1) Her husband(s).

(A) These sources give her husband as Thomas Kempe, but do not mention Ralph Roper:

The pedigree of Kempe in the appendix to the Visitation of Kent 1574 (Bannerman 2:62) has as her husband "Thomas Kemp died a'o 1428", and gives as children Cardinal John Kemp and Sir Thomas Kemp (husband of Emelyn Chiche).

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography tentatively goes along with this in its article on Cardinal John Kemp (1380/81 - 1454), stating that he “was born at Olantigh by Wye, near Ashford, Kent, perhaps the second son of Thomas Kemp (d. 1428), sometime escheator of the county, and Beatrice, daughter of Sir Thomas Lewknor, a Sussex landowner.”

Cooper, in his “Pedigree of the Lewknor Family” (Sussex Arch. Coll. 3:95), calls her “Elizabeth” and puts her in a generation too recent for her to be the mother of Cardinal John Kemp. Comber, in his Sussex Genealogies (3:150), goes along with this.

(B) These sources give her husband as Ralph Roper, but do not have her married to Thomas Kempe:

Hasted (1:473): “... Ralph, who was twice married, first to Beatrix, daughter of Sir Thomas Lewknor, and secondly to the daughter of Thomas Kempe of Wye.”

Brydges/Collins follows Hasted.

(C ) These sources give her husbands as being Ralph Roper and Thomas Kempe:

The Visitation of Kent 1619, pedigree of Lord Roper, Baro de Tenham (Hovenden p. 82) gives as her first husband “Rodolphus Roper fil. Thomae” and as her second husband “Tho: Kempe de Wye in co’ Cantij vir secundus”. Her children by Rodulphus Roper are given as John, Agnes (wife of Walter Colepeper), and Edmund.

(D) Hitchin-Kemp (p. 17), argues that Segar’s Baronagium is probably correct in making the wife of Ralph Roper the daughter of Beatrix Lewknor. However, this would require, according to the most likely construction of the Roper pedigree, that Beatrix have Roper great-grandchildren who are usually estimated to be born in about the year 1400, in addition to her son, Cardinal John Kemp, born in 1380. (Some constructions of the Roper pedigree would make these Ropers her grandchildren rather than great-grandchildren, but the evidence better supports making them her great-grandchildren.)

(2) Her parents. Most sources agree in making her father a Sir Thomas Lewknor. (Visitation of Kent, 1574, Visitation of Kent 1619, Hasted). But there is disagreement about her mother -- that is, there is disagreement about which generation of Lewknors Beatrix belongs to.

(A) A pedigree in the appendix to the Visitation of Kent of 1574 (Bannerman 2:62, pedigree of Kempe) makes her mother the "doughter of Sir Thomas Hoo and brother to the Lord Hoo."

(B) William Durrant Cooper (Sussex Arch. Coll., 3:95) makes “Elizabeth” Lewknor the wife of Thomas Kempe and the daughter of Sir Thomas Lewknor (aet. 19, 13 Henry IV., M.P. for Lewes, 1468, IPM 31 Henry VI) and Philippa, daughter of Sir Edward Dalyngrudge. (The impossible dates -- Sir Thomas was supposedly an M.P. more than a decade after his IPM -- are typical of Cooper’s work in this pedigree). Comber, in his Sussex Genealogies (3:150) also places “Elizabeth” Lewknor in this generation, but makes her mother Sir Thomas Lewknor’s second wife, Elizabeth Echingham, who had previously been married to Sir Thomas Hoo. If Beatrice/Elizabeth’s placement in this generation is correct, then obviously she is not the mother of Cardinal John Kemp.

(C ) Many websites make her mother Joan D’Oyley (died 1399, married to Sir Thomas Lewknor who lived 1347 - 1375), which makes the chronology tight if Beatrix’s second son with Thomas Kemp, Cardinal John Kemp, was born in 1380. That is, it would make Sir Thomas Lewknor a grandfather at the age of about 30. If Beatrix was married and had a son with Ralph Roper before her marriage to Thomas Kemp, then it would be even tighter.

1. ↑ Hovenden, Robert, and John Philipot. The visitation of Kent, taken in the years 1619-1621 by John Philipot, Rouge Dragon, marshall and deputy to William Camden, Clarenceux. (London: [Harleian Society], 1898)
   p. 82.
2.   Hitchin-Kemp, Frederick. A general history of the Kemp and Kempe families of Great Britain and her colonies: with arms, pedigrees, portraits, illustrations of seats, foundations, chantries, monuments, documents, old jewels, curios, &c. (London  New York: Leadenhall Press ;  C. Scribner's Sons, 1902)
   p. 17.
3.   Bannerman, William Bruce; Robert Cooke; and Thomas Benolte. The visitations of Kent, taken in the years 1530-1 by Thomas Benolte, and 1574 by Robert Cooke. (London: [Harleian Society], 1923)
   2:62.

   "Beathris daughter of Sr Thomas Leukener, Knight" (Married to Thomas Kemp who died anno 1428, and daughter of Sr Thomas Leukener and "...doughter of Sir Thomas Hoo and brother to the Lord Hoo".)

4.   Hasted, Edward. The history and topographical survey of the county of Kent. (Canterbury: W. Bristow, 1972)
   1:473.

   Hasted makes Beatrice the wife of Ralph Roper, but instead of having her marry Thomas Kempe as her second husband, he has Ralph marry the daughter of Thomas Kempe of Wye as his second wife.

5.   Cooper, William Durrant. "Pedigree of the Lewknor Family", in Sussex archaeological collections: illustrating history and antiquities of the county. (Haywards Heath: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1848-)
   3:95.
6.   Kemp, John, in Matthew H.C.G. (ed.), and Brian (ed.) Harrison. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: in association with The British Academy. (Oxford University Press).
7.   Stephen, Leslie, ed, and Sidney, ed Lee. Dictionary of National Biography. (London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900)
   30:384-388.