Ryves, Robert

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth: c1490
Birth Source: Estimate from grandson's birth

Death: 11 Feb 1551/2, presumably Dorset
Death Source: Burial Inscription from Symonds Diary

Spouse1: Joan

Narrative

Children of Robert Ryves and Joan:

1. John Ryves, b. c1514
2. Agnes Ryves, m. John Swayne
3. "daughter" Ryves, m. William Hunton

Robert Ryves is the progenitor of all that Ryves/Rives family covered in Reliques of the Rives by James Rives Childs. Childs refers much to John Hutchin's History of Dorset, published in 1774, which itself appears to rely on a number of different records, contemporary and much older.

Robert appears to have been a resident of Blandford as early as 1522 when a 'Robert Reve of Blandford Dorset' contributed, amongst varying amounts from many others, £100 (c.£55,000 in today's money) 'for the King's personal [expenses in?] France for the recovery of the [crown] of the same'. This may have been Henry VIII attempting to recover some of the astronomical costs of the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold' of two years' earlier. What is beyond doubt is that Robert was living at Blandford Forum, probably as a tenant, as early as 1542 when he is listed as being there in the musters (an inventory of weaponry distributed amongst the English population) of that year. These musters were made because of a perceived threat of a French invasion, Robert Ryves (described as Rob Ryve), listed under the Borough of Blanford (Blandford Forum) possessed: 2 pairs of harness 'for man bill', a bow and sheath of arrows, 2 swords, 2 daggers and a horse.

Two significant factors benefited Robert in his acquisition of land: the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541 and the financial difficulties being suffered by Sir John Rogers, Steward of Blandford, who had been forced into a position where he needed to mortgage or divest himself of his properties. The majority of the properties Robert held at the time of his death came to him via Sir John Rogers. In addition to the lands and properties mentioned above, property he held included tenure of the lands of Mylton (Milton) Monastery (as well as the manor above) & further lands in the parish of St. Mary de Blandford and Blandford Forum, including those of Shene priory which had been granted to him by patent in March 1553. He also held lands at Nutford Lockley (alias France), Charleton in Dorset and Netley monastery in Hampshire. It should be noted that the monastic land he held encompassed the land only and not the buildings.

Hutchins gives a loose quote from the diary of Richard Symonds, an officer in the King's Army in 1644 who described in quite some detail many of the pictures, plagues and monuments in the Blandford Church. His diary was published in 1859 by the Camden Society and the relevant section reads as follows:

Betweene the pillars of the chancel and the north yle stands another playne altar tombe, whereon is this inscription inlayed in brasse, and this coate only, west end:
Argent, on a bend cotised sable three lozenges ermine, RYVES.
Here lyeth the body of Robert Ryves, who departed this life the 11th day of February, anno 1551.
This coate is also in the north window.
A flat stone in the north yle, the pictures of a man and woman, four sons, nine daughters; this coate remayning, the inscription gone. RYVES

Because of the picture associated with the Ryves tombe, it's been speculated that either Robert or his son John had four sons and nine daughters. It must be pointed out that Childs and subsequent researchers have erred in assigning his death date as 11 Feb 1551. In England, from the 12th century until the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1751, the legal year began on 25 March, which was known as Lady Day. Therefore, according to the modern Gregorian rendering of the date, Robert actually died in 1552. Dates from this period are often given including both dates, thus 11 Feb 1551/2.

Childs incorrectly states that there was no record of Robert's will. His will was written 20 Oct 1549 and probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 24 Mar 1551/2, which would be a month and a half after his death. In his will, he mentions the following individuals:

• John Reve sonne of John Reve my sonne deceased
• Robert Ryve his brother [brother of the grandson John]
• Where John Reve my sonne deceased by his Last Will and testament bering date the twentie daye of July in the yere of our lord god a thousand fyve hundred xlvth.... give and bequeath to Robert Reve Richard Reve and Thomas Reve his sonnes...and to Mary Reve Margaret Reve and Jane Reve his daughters
• John Swayne & William Hunton my sonnes in lawe [made executors]
• William Hill and William Pytt [overseers]

Note that his son John predeceased him and left a will dated 20 Jul 1545. There seems to be some discrepancy here as a chancery case which Childs quotes refers to John's will being dated in the first year of Edward VI's reign (1547). The roman numerals in Robert's will are difficult to read so 1547 may be the correct year. At any rate, his son's will has yet to be found.

According to a charter among the municipal records of Dorchester and Dorset, "Joan Ryve, of Blandford Eorum, Dorset, widow, late relict of Robert Ryve, of the same, deceased, in her pure widowhood for the intimate love and special zeal she bears to William Aden, alias vocatus William Barbet, of Dorchester, draper, etc., grants to him and his heirs two messuages in Dorchester." According to Hutchin's chart of the Ryves of Dorset, Robert's granddaughter Mary, son of his son John, married William Aden or Barbour of Dorchester. Childs in Reliques lists her husband as William Aden, alias Barbett, of Dorchester, Draper. See the Research Notes for speculations on further connections to the Aden/Barbett family.

His widow Joan wrote her will on 4 Dec 1560 and it was probated in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 4 Feb 1560/1. She refers to the following individuals:

• John Ryves my kinsman of Damerie Courte
• Richard Ryve
• Thomas Ryve
• Robert Reve
• iiii of William Hilles children at theire marriage that is to saye Ambrose Petronell Elnor and Susan
• children of my daughter Margaret Marham begotten by Thomas Marham late deceased
• Willm Huntons children
• John Swaynes children yet unmarried
• Peter Monsells children yet unmarried

She made John Swaine the executor to her will.

Child's full entry on Robert Ryves from Reliques is reproduced here for further analysis:
Robert Reve or Ryve or Ryves, of Blandford, co. Dorset, England, the first of the name in England of whom there is record, was born about 1490 and died February 11, 1551, and was buried in the old church of Blandford Forum (St. Peter and St. Paul), which was destroyed during the fire which consumed the town of Blandford in 1731. Richard Symonds, who visited Blandford as an officer in the King's Army in 1644, entered in his diary a description of the tomb of Robert Ryves, viz:

"Betweene the pillars of the chancel and the north yle stands another playne altar tombe, whereon is this inscription inlayd in brasse, and this coate only, west end:—
"'Argent, on a bend cotised sable three lozenges ermine, Ryves'.
" 'HERE LIETH THE BODY OF ROBERT RYVES
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
THE 11th DAY OF FEBRUARY ANNO 1551.'
"This coat (of arms) is also in the north window."¹

Robert Ryves purchased Randleston or Ranston in 36 Henry VIII (1545) and Damory Court at Blandford in 1548 and was the proprietor of other considerable estates. In a petition made by sir John Ryves in 1618 it was stated that "King Henry VIII in the 37th year of his reign (1546) granted the premises (of the manor of Milton, co. Dorset) unto Robert Ryves great grandfather unto your suppliant by letters patent" (Chancery Proc, Series II, 29/30). In a similar action in chancery brought in 1626 by George Ryves, Esquire, of Blandford Forum, it was set forth that "Henry VIII by his letters patent dated July 4th in the 37th year of his reign (1546) granted a messuage called Luscombe (Lyssecomb), co. Dorset, to Robert Ryves, great-great-grand father" of the petitioner (Chancery Proc, Series II, 29/30). Besides lands in Dorsetshire, he held at his death lands in North Cheriton and Pointington, co. Somerset (Hutchins).

Robert Ryves married Joan. The will of Joan Ryves, called Reves in her will and Ryves in the inquisition post mortem, was dated 4 December 1560 but is no longer of record. She held at her death on 12 December 1560 divers lands at East Orchard, co. Dorset (Hutchins).

Robert Ryves made his will (in which he was described as "Robert Reve"), dated 20 October 1549, of which there is now no record.

Research Notes

(1)   As we can see in Robert's will he was very religious. In his friends will Robert Oliver of London he is very religious and mentions he wants to distribute shillings to parishioners including Robert Ryves. He also mentions he wants Robert Ryves to appoint preachers. A possible relative is Thomas Reve of London, gent based on a common close association with the Barbet/Aden family. The Ryves (Reve) family was closely involved with the Aden (Adyn) family aliases Barbet/Barbett/Barbette and Barbour. The Reves' and Barbours' can be found in the same records in the 15th century. For more information on this theory, see the references here.

(2)   There is much speculation elsewhere online that Robert was born in France. This likely originated from his will which mentions "my farme of Damery corte and france with thappurtenances and all my stocke going upon the same." The OS One Inch Map series from as recently as 1885-1900 (accessible from the National Library of Scotland shows "France Farm" on the road to the north west out of Blandford Forum towards Durweston and close to Damery Court, which is presumably the same property mentioned in his will.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14.7&lat=50.86562&lon=-2.17071&layers=1&right=osm

Reliques also suggests this John Ryves may have been a brother of Robert.

Source

Childs, James Rives. Reliques of the Rives, p1
British History Online - Henry VIII: September 1522, 1-5: Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 3, 1519-1523
Archive.org - Edited by John Paul Rylands. (1885). The visitation of the county of Dorset, taken in the year 1623, p80
Archive.org - Hutchins, John. (1774). The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset, Vol. 2, p320
Archive.org - Camden Society. (1859). Diary of the Marches of the Royal Army During the Great Civil War, p125
Archive.org - Mayo, Charles Herbert, M. A. (1908). The municipal records of the borough of Dorchester, Dorset, p351

1549 Will - Robert Reve - Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Piece 35 (Powell), folio 61
1560 Will - Johan Reves - Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Piece 44 (Loftes), folio 30 reverse

Henry VIII - Letters & Papers, Foreign and Domestic 1533 (vol. 6) and 1544 (vol. 19).
Dorset. (1978). Dorset Tudor Muster Rolls, 1539, 1542, 1569, p120
Henry VIII: September 1543, Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Volume 18 Part 2, August-December 1543.
The Ancient and Present State of the University of Oxford, John Ayliffe, 1723
Survey of the Anitiquities of the City of Oxford, Composed in 1661-6, Vol. 1, Anthony à Wood, Andrew Clark, 1889

¹Childs refers much to Hutchins History of Dorset