The father of Peter Brewes of Wiston

Paul Mackenzie is a keen researcher of the Brewes family. He has provided his observations concerning the possible father of Peter de Brewes of Wiston - one of the long-time questions for Brewes researchers.

Peter de Brewes of Wiston - Redux

It appears that there are only six possible candidates for the father of Peter de Brewes of Wiston.  All the evidence suggests he was a younger son, in that he did not inherit any lands as an elder would have done, but rather he acquired them by way of marriage or purchase.  However there does not appear to be any primary evidence concerning his father.

(I) Peter de Brewes of Tetbury b1272 d1312

The only strong evidence is circumstantial in that, in the grant of Wiston to Peter de Brewes there is a remainder to Peter de Brewes, son of Thomas.  This is assumed to be Thomas de Brewes son of said Peter de Brewes of Tetbury.  This candidate is favoured by some genealogists as being the father of Peter de Brewes of Wiston.  However, there are two major problems.   Firstly, Peter of Tetbury died in 1312 and this would mean Peter of Wiston was born before that date, which seems too early. Secondly, there is a letters patent made by the king in 1500 concerning a one Thomas Cokesey. A consequence of which is that according to law, Peter de Brewes of Wiston was not the son of Peter de Brewes of Tetbury. Substantial evidence would be required to overcome this "legal fact".

(II) Giles de Brewes of Buckingham d1305

The only circumstantial evidence is that both held lands in Buckinghamshire.  This would mean Peter was born before 1305 which seems unlikely

(III) Sir Giles de Brewes of Norfolk b1272 d1310

This would mean Peter would had been born before 1310, and again seems unlikely

(IV) William de Brewes Junior b1280-86 liv 1323

William has been the traditional candidate for Peter’s father, though he has fallen out of favour in recent years.  It is believed he entered the clergy.  There is no circumstantial evidence at all.

(V) Sir Richard de Breuse of Stradbroke Suffolk b1276  d c1320

It is possible Peter may have been a younger son of Sir Richard. In the 1350s a Peter de Breuse knight had associations in the same area of Suffolk. A Sir Peter was acting as a trustee on behalf of the abbot and convent of Bury in 1350 and 1353. Again this Sir Peter was acting in 1358 as a trustee for lands in Fornham St. Martin, Fornham St. Genevieive and Great Barton, Suffolk. In 1353 Peter de Brewoes a knight of Suffolk acknowledged that he owed William Hampstead two hundred and eighty pounds. We can identify who is this Peter de Brewoes from the transaction itself. A Peter de Brewes purchased the manor of Chesham Bois in Buckinghamshire from William de Hampstead who had acquired it in 1350 from Sir John de Moleyns [See VCH Bucks]. Presumably, this debt owed by Peter de Brewoes to William de Hampstead was for the part or full payment due to the purchase of Chesham Bois Manor. It is well known that this Peter de Brewes of Chesham Bois, subsequently purchased the manor of Wiston of Sussex.

(VI) An unknown member of the de Brewes family.

Paul Mackenzie

The Clifford Connection

There has been some debate about the arms represented in this shield displayed in the window of Wiston church in Sussex. It has usually been described as Brewes impaling Clifford which would imply the existence of an Anneys de Clifford with a Brewes as husband. However, the glass in the window only gives a slight indication of the "fess gules" which would be needed on the field "checky or and azure" to confirm the Clifford connection. There are several other sets of arms which could easily fit the present observed state of the glass.





By coming across Grimm's 1781 drawing of the Brewes tomb in Horsham, I have been able to add a new insight into the question. The memorial includes five shields along one side which today show no trace of the arms which were once displayed. But Grimm, in 1781, was able to see more. He was able to depict the arms displayed on each shield. In particular, the one on the far left, shown here, is a repeat of the Wiston window, this time clearly confirming the Clifford arms. The drawing uses the standard heraldic code to show colours; dotted for "or", horizontal hatchings for "azure" and vertical hatchings for "gules".

This confirms the existence of a Brewes - Clifford marriage (without letting us know who is concerned) and also suggests a fairly close relationship between the Brewes of Wiston and the Thomas Brewes buried at Horsham. Since both are commemorating this marriage, it is surely that of a Brewes who is closely related to both of them.

The Wiston Question

One of the biggest problems in the genealogy of the Braose/Brewes family concerns the Wiston branch. Just how do they relate to the rest of the family?

There were just two generations at Wiston. Peter de Brewes bought the manor along with four other Sussex manors in 1357. His son John inherited the estate but died without issue in 1426. His heir was his sister Beatrix, married to Hugh Shirley, and so the house and manor became the home of the Shirleys.

Peter was knighted after the battle of Crécy, and became a chamber knight to Edward III. He served the king for at least 20 years, dying soon after Edward in 1378. Peter held some estates in Buckinghamshire and he was granted fraternity at Missenden Abbey in April 1378, so he probably died there and was buried nearby.

His son John, however, seems to have made his base at Wiston in Sussex. When he died in 1426 he was commemorated by a magnificent brass in the church adjacent to Wiston House.

John is depicted here in an image derived from that brass.

Two Braose marriages are also commemorated in the windows of this church.

But just where did Peter and John fit into the Braose family? Who was Peter's father? You can read in some respected genealogical works that he was a son of Peter de Braose of Tetbury, making him a nephew of William de Braose, Lord of Bramber and Gower, who died in 1326. But there is no evidence to support this position.

Paul Mackenzie in Australia and I, in England, have been sharing our detailed research on this question for many years now but we have as yet been unable to come to any firm conclusions. Does anyone out there think they can help?