Combs &c. Families of Cambridgeshire & Isle of Ely, England

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Cambridgeshire (Cambs) is an “…inland eastern county of England; bounded North by Lincolnshire, East by Norfolk and Suffolk, South by Essex and Herts, West by Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Northamptonshire… The North section of the county, including the Isle of Ely and part of the Great Bedford Level, is a large flat expanse of country, which, for the most part, formerly consisted of fen and marsh. It is now intersected in all directions by wide trenches or canals. The land, thus drained and reclaimed, is a rich, black soil, and bears excellent crops… Cambridgeshire comprises 17 hundreds, 172 parishes with parts of 7 others, the parliamentary and municipal borough of Cambridge (1 member and Cambridge University 2 members), and the municipal borough of Wisbech (pronounced Wizbeech)”.

Extracted from the Cambridgeshire Gen-UKI edition of Bartholemew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887

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22 Jun 1377 - 17 Nov 1558 [between these dates] Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Early Proceedings, Richard II to Philip and Mary. C 1/714/16 Roger ANDREWS, innholder of London. v. John COMBES of S……, co. Cambridge, executor of Robert COMBES, vicar of Arundel, co. Sussex.: Failure to defend an action by John VEYSIE of Southampton, wherein complainant was defendant's bail. (Combs &c. Index to PRO Entries; C 1 Series)

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1461 A John COMBE was Vicar of Stapleford, Cambridgeshire according to Venn's Cambridge (University) Alumnienses. Venn also notes that a John COMBE was admitted at King's College, a scholar from Eton, in 1448, and may have been the same.

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22/04/1509-22/04/1547 Court of Star Chamber: Proceedings, Henry VIII. STAC 2/10. Plaintiff: John COWMBE (COMES) Defendant: Sir William GASCOIGNE, John SCAGILL, Robert BROUNE, and others. Place or Subject: Forcible ejectment from the manor of Holm Hall in Stow Quy County: Cambridge. (Combs &c. Index to PRO Entries; Star Chamber Series)

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Cambridge University Records

Located in the city of Cambridge on the River Cam, the university is one of the oldest in the world. The town of Cambridge, in existence by 875, was an important trading center before the Domesday survey was compiled in 1086. Besides traders, clergyman (clerks) were also attracted to Cambridge because of its' religions institutions. By 1200, Cambridge, a thriving commercial community, was also a county town with at least one school of some distinction. In 1209, scholars taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford migrated to Cambridge. They lived in town lodgings but later houses were hired as hostels with a Master in charge of the students. The numbers grew and by 1226 the scholars set up an organization that was represented by an official called a Chancellor, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. By 1231, King Henry III took the scholars under his protection. Most of the early scholars of the University were at first clerks or clergymen,in holy orders of some sort, and expected careers in the Church or in the Civil Service. During the late fourteenth century and afterwards, the University began to build a group of buildings called the 'Schools' - some of which survive today as the 'Old' Schools, with the Divinity School being the first. The earliest College was St Peter's or 'Peterhouse', founded in 1284, King's Hall, 1317, Michaelhouse, Clare, Pembroke, Gonville Hall, Trinity Hall (1546 by Henry VIII), Corpus Christi, King's, Queens' and St Catharine's followed in the next 100 years. (History of Cambridge University)

Matriculation records source: Alumni Cantabrigensis, a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge from the earliest times to 1900, Ancestry.com)

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Kings' College:

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Queens' College:

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1448 Mar 30 Letters Patent from King Henry VI to Queen Margaret granting her the lands of St Bernard's College and licence to found a college. On April 15, the Charter of Queen Margaret {of Anjou) to found the Queen's College of St Margaret and St Bernard. The first endowment came in 1477 from Richard DUKE of Gloucester who became Richard III. Today, Queens' sits astride the River Cam with its two halves joined across the river by the famous Mathematical Bridge

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Matriculation Records

1607. Christopher BUTLER. Ent. 1607, Matric Fell-Com. from Queens' Easter, 1607

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Sydney Sussex College:

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Sidney Sussex College, founded in 1596 by the Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex, as an explicit Protestant seminary. Cromwell was an alumus.

(History of Sydney Sussex College)

Matriculation Records

1624. John BUTLER, Ent. 1624, Adm pens. at Sidney July 1624, s of Samuel, Master of Blundell's Sch, B. at Tiverton, School Blundell's, Matric 1624, BA 1627-8 MA 1631, B. D. 1638, Fellow, Brother of Alkmar (Almeric) (1629)

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1629. Alkmar (Almeric) BUTLER, College: Sidney, Entered 1629, MI: Adm. sizar (age 18 at Sydney May 20 1629, s of Samuel, master at Blundell's School, Tiverton, B. there, School, Tiverton, matric 1629, B. A. 1632-3; M.A. 1636 V. of Moorlinch, Somerset, 1641, listed as the father of the next entries [Almeric - 1667]and William (1664); brother of John.

Notes: Almeric BUTLER was the s/o of Samuel BUTLER and his wife Joan AMORY (AMORIE), d/o of John AMORIE and Unknown THOMAS. See Devon records (Tiverton and Bishops Nympton) for more information about this family. Samuel Butler, b about 1572, attended University College at Oxford where he received his BA in 1593 and his MA in 1596 (Alumni Oxoniensis). Samuel was the first headmaster for Blundell's School of Tiverton.

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1664. William BUTLER, College: Sidney, Ent. 1664, Adm. sizar (age 17) at Sidney Apr 15 1664, s of Almeric (1629), clerk, B at Moorlinch, Somerset, School, Tiverton, Matric 1664, BA 1667-68, Brother of Almeric (1667)

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1667. Almeric BUTLER. College: Sidney, Ent. 1667, Adm. sizar (age 18) at Sidney May 7 1667, s of Almeric, clerk [above entry was for Alkmar], V of Montacute, Somerset, B. there School, Torrington, Devon, Matric 1667, Brother of William (1664)

Notes: This Almeric is possibly the same as the Rev. Amory BUTLER of New Kent and Old Rappahannock Co, VA, whose sister Mary married William UNDERWOOD Sr., a step-son of Archdale COMBS I of Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, England and later Rappahannock and Stafford Cos., Va. Amory's 1678 “Old Rappa” will names a brother William BUTLER, minister at Washington pa, Westmoreland Co, Va., and a brother John BUTLER. Amory himself was the fourth husband and widow of Elizabeth UNDERWOOD Taylor Slaughter Catlett Butler) of Isle of Wight & Old Rappa. Cos, VA. See Butler-Combs Connections for more information on Amory in Virginia. See Devon records for more information about Amory's family in England.