Trowbridge, Alice

Alice married Webb, Benedict about 1590. Benedict was born about 1565. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Thomas Trowbridge Sr. was a leading citizen and charitable founder, a mercer, with a Tudor mansion, extant, in the high street, and had served as, constable and portreve of the castle manor. He was at one time Mayor of Taunton.

THOMAS TROWBRIDGE was a prominent merchant in TAUNTON and operated a store for the sale of woolen cloth and other goods at No. 15 FORE STREET, TAUNTON. He leased the store for 99 years from the Portman family and was responsible for the maintenance of the building. He remodeled it in about 1578 and carved the date, 1578, on a board, together with his initials, TT, on one side of the date and his wife's initials, JT, on the other. This sign (or a replica) is still hanging (1997) over the second storey window in the front of the store. The store is currently operated as a Pub, known as the TUDOR TAVERN.

THOMAS operated the store until about 1606, stating at this time that he had operated it for 30 years.

THOMAS is still remembered in TAUNTON as a result of a charity which he created in December, 1614. This charity gave a parcel of about eight acres of land in West Monkton to God for "the residue of 1,000 years." The rent on this land, to be administered by a rotating group of four trustees, consisting of the most prominent and honest men of TAUNTON, was to be distributed to the poor of the parishes of ST. JAMES' and ST. MARY MAGDALEN Churches, TAUNTON, on his Saint's Day, December 21st. The money was still being distributed in 1994 when Frank Trowbridge visited St. Mary's Church and inquired about it.

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EXTRACT FROM THE SOMERSET ARCHAELOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, VOL. 119 (1975)

The house now known as the Tudor Tavern, no. 15 Fore Street (the Thomas Trowbridge house in Taunton) is acknowledged to be the oldest surviving domestic dwelling in Taunton. Its main structure has been dated to the 14th century.

Beneath the front window on the second floor of no. 15 is a board inscribed "T.T. 1578 I.T.", these initials can be identified as those of Thomas Trowbridge, described variously as a mercer or merchant tailor, and his wife Joan. Trowbridge stated in 1610 that he had held the premises for nearly thirty years. (Note, on Thomas wife, was her name Joan or Johanna? Somerset Record Office, DD/PM, box 7, makes mention of the facade panel erected by Thomas Trowbridge, this reads: T.T. 1578 I.T. Thomas and Johanna or Johane Trowbridge - the letters I and J being interchangeable at that time).
Thomas Trowbridge or Strobridge was buying up a number of properties within Taunton Deane manor from 1572 onwards. The remodelling of the Fore Street property was evidently carried out at the commencement of Trowbridge's lease, and his involvment in the commercial life of the town is indicated by his purchasing five successive licences to prosecute for debe beyond Taunton Deane manor court between 1579 and 1584, and taking a lease for six years in 1585 of the right to prosecute any tenant for debts over 40s.
Thomas Trowbridge used the shop at 15 Fore Street for the trade of selling "Mercerye wares" and evidently lived with his family behind and above his business. Thomas only son, John Trowbridge, baptized at St. Mary Magdalene on March 25, 1570, became a wool merchant and took a shop next to his father, probably that on the west (no. 16). The two shops was beneficial to both father and son, "by reason that such as come to the one shoppe to buye cloth wilbe and are incited to buie the mercery and silk wares and other requisites of convertinge the same cloth into apparrell, and those that came to Thomas's shop to buye the mercery comodityes of apparell would be and have ben incited the sooner to buye their woollen clothes at John's shop". Thomas Trowbridge retired from his shop at 15 Fore Street around 1606, and sub-let it to Benjamin Cosyns, another Taunton mercer.

From the will of Thomas Trowbridge (dated July 6, 1619, proved May 6, 1620; he was buried at St. Mary Magdalene Feb. 20, 1619/20). The will refers to the furnishings and fittings of his Fore Street house. To his nephew, Thomas Trowbridge, he left the three great chestes in the shoppe, sixe greate ringed boxes, one case of small boxes, one fayre glasse boxe, with all the shelfes in the shoppe, the great spruse chest in the hall, one tableborde and forme in the hall with all the seilinge and benchinge, and boards underfeete in the hall, twelve platters in the buttery, with sixe candelstickes, one bason and ewer, the chayre in the hall, and all other things belonginge to the hall. To his kinswoman Joan, wife of Stephen Parrye, he bequeathed the square wroughte tableboarde and frame standinge in the dyninge chamber, and the carpett wroughte with copper, and cruell belonginge to it, the cypers cheste in the Rayne chamber, the bedsteade wherein I lye in the Rayne chamber, performed with feather bed, boulster, pillowes, the second best coverlette, and curtaynes and sheetes, my best guilt salte, the eleaven silver spoones with rounde knobbes and the newest wharminge panne. (Note, his station in life is indicated by bequests to Richard Mercer, schoolmaster of the castle schoole in Taunton, to Richard Davies, vicar of St. James, Taunton, to his overseer and good friend, the Rev. John Clarke, D.D., and to three servants.)
Thomas Trowbridge's principal legacy to his town had been arranged before his death, in 1614, when he assigned six acres of land in West Monkton for the benefit of the poor of the parishes of St. Mary of Magdalene and St. James.

Buried:
St. Mary Magdalen Church, Taunton, Somersetshire, England

Thomas married Lawrence, Joan Hutchins about 1569 in Somerset, England. Joan (daughter of Lawrence, John and Hutchins, Alice) was born about 1546 in Taunton, Somerset, England; died on 20 Feb 1619 in Taunton, Somerset, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Trowbridge, Ann about 1537 in Brushford, Somerset, England. Ann was born about 1512 in Taunton, Somerset, England; died after Sep 1556. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Hutchins, Alice about 1545. Alice was born in 1522 in Taunton, Somerset, England; was christened about 1522; died in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Danvers, Ann about 1510 in Brushford, Somerset, England. Ann was born about 1490. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Elizabeth about 1545. was born about 1496 in Taunton, Somerset, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]