The Bolles of Gosberton

Back to The Bolles of Swineshead

This page is still being researched, but here are some initial notes and links to some of the completed sections of their family story.

This branch includes the Lord Mayor of London and leads to The Bowles of Chatham, Kent which includes a Secretary of the Navy, a Lieutenant General and John Bowles of Eltham, the founder of the first factory in England to make looking glass plates and "Crown" window glass.

The Bolle property at Gosberkirke which later became Gosberton would have been held in the same order as the other Bolle estate lands:

Randolph Bolle of Gosberkyrke (ca. 1360-ca. 1395) (resident there ca. 1360-ca. 1370;

John Bolle of Gosberkyrke (ca. 1395- ?)

William Bolle of Gosberkyrke (? - ca. 1445)

John Bolle (ca. 1445 – ca. 1490)

Richard Bolle of Haugh (1490-1501)

John Bolle of Haugh (1501-1507)

Richard Bolle of Haugh (1507-1521),

John Bolles of Haugh (1521-1533),

Richard Bolles of Haugh (1533-1592),

Sir John Bolle of Haugh and Thorpe Hall (1592-1606),

Sir Charles Bolle of Thorpe Hall (ca.1606-1616 with his mother; 1616-1661),

John Bolles of Thorpe Hall (1661-1679)

Charles Bolles of Thorpe Hall (1679-1699),

John Bolles of Thorpe Hall (1699-1732),

co-heirs Elizabeth (m. Rev. Thomas Bosvile of Ufford) and Sarah (m, Henry Eyre of Bramly Hall)

John Bolles (1425-1492) was 'of Gosberkyrk' prior to his marriage to Katherine Haugh. He was of here when he witnessed a land deed dated at Gosberkirk on the feast of St Martin 26 Henry VI (1447).

They seem to have continued to live here even after their marriage until her father's estate was settled in 1465. He had died in 1461 but was considered to have died intestate as he had left a Will naming his only son as her heir but his son had predeceased him so there was a lengthy legal battle over his estate. Some of the legal documents dated 1465 refer to Elizabeth Hagh widow of John Hagh and John Bolles of Gosberkyrke, Gent.

The church of Gosberkirke reportedly once had a window with the following inscription from 1465 which refers to John and Catherine Bolle as being of Haugh so that seems to be the year they moved from Gosberkyrke to Haugh (per A Brief History History of the Church and Parish of Gosberton):

John and Catherine seem to have settled their sixth son Godfrey here as he was 'of Gosberkyrke' in his Will dated Jan. 26, 1532 and proved Feb. 9, 1533. When Henry VIII cut the English church off from Rome he nevertheless wanted the tithes which English landholders had been paying to the Pope to now come to him. He ordered an assessment of landholdings in 1535 in order to set the value each landholder would pay. The 'rents resolute' for Gosberkirke included John Bolles with the third highest assessment at 8d. ref.

The Bolles of Swineshead line goes on from the Gosberton line to Scampton, and then probably on to Chatham

See Sir George Bolles of London - grocer, Lord Mayor of London and founder of the Barons Bolles of the Scampton line

See Charles Bowles of Chatham, co. Kent

See Phineas Bowles (Chatham) - Secretary to the Navy after Pepys

Phineas Bowles (1647- 16??) was the fourth son of Charles Bowles of Chatham. While he succeeded Pepys as Secretary to the Navy, the position would appear to have been made much less significant than in Pepys’ time.

Brigadier General Phineas Bowles

A line of the Chatham Bowles settled in Ireland but that line appears to have died out with a tragic end in Australia.

See The Bowles of co. Roscommon, Ireland