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The Conways of Ragley & Arrow

The following is a history of the ancestors of Lady Brilliana Conway, 3rd wife of Sir Robert Harley, Knight of the Order of the Bath. To better understand the way of life in ancient England please read: A Brief History of England.

The documented earliest ancestor is ¹Henry Conway, Esquire, who was retained to serve the King during his whole life, in Peace and War, in consideration of L Marks Sterling, to be yearly paid out of the Manors, Castle and Lordship of Clifford and Glasebury in Wales, and the Marches thereof; and for his singular actions in battle was Knighted by Edward Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulvester in the beginning of the Reign of King Richard II. Sir Henry was indentured on 1 August 1382, and again retained to do the King service as a Knight. In consideration of the surrender of the annuity of L Marks previously granted, the yearly rent to be received of the Seignory of Kedewyng in Wales at the feasts of St. Michael and Easter in equal portions: the payment was ratified by the King on 12 May 1382, assigning his receipt out of the Lordship of Dynebigh, which, with the rest of the possessions of the Earl of March, then deceased, were then in the King's hands, by reason of his son's minority.

The descent continues with his son and heir, ² Edward> ³ Henry> ⁴ Rice> ⁵ John> ⁶ Jenkins> ⁷ John Conway, Esquire. John Conway, Esquire was born in 1460 in Potrithan, Warwickshire, England. He married Janet Stanley about 1485 at Ragley, Warwickshire. There are two documented children:

Hugh: Hugh was Master of the Wardrobe to Henry, Earl of Richmond, who, when he obtained the Crown as Henry VII, bestowed upon Sir Hugh the honor of a member of the Privy Council and Treasurer; Sir Hugh Conway had received Knighthood at the coronation of Elizabeth, wife of King Henry VII, and then became Counsellor of State and Knight for the Body to the King.
⁸ Edward: Gentleman Usher to the Chamber of King Henry VIII, who obtained special license under the Privy Signet to retain certain bale men, volunteers for the Wars. He married Anne, daughter of Richard Burdet, Esquire. The marriage of Edward and Anne was occasioned by means of Sir Hugh Conway, elder brother of Edward and 2nd husband to Joyce, mother of Anne. [A history of the Burdets is also significant to the history of Ragley of Arewe, Warwickshire.] Edward died on "Tuesday next, after the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle" in 1547. Edward's son and heir:

⁹ Sir John Conway II, born in 1510 at Ragley, Warwickshire. He was Knighted upon the field of battle for bravery in the Great Expedition into Scotland, in 1547. He was made a Baronet for his services in Scotland on 28 September 1547. Sir John married Catherine, daughter of Sir Ralph Verney. Catherine was born in 1516 at Pendley Manor, Herefordshire. John died on 22 July 1553, bequeathing his body to sepulchre in church at Arrow.

¹⁰ Sir John Conway III, his only son and heir was born in 1535 at Ragley Arrow, Warwickshire. Sir John was made Governor of Ostend by Robert, Earl of Leicester on 29 December 1586. He was a man of great military skill. He married Ellen, in 1563. [AKA Helen, Eleanor] She was a daughter of Sir Falke Greville of Beauchamp's Court and she was born in 1539. Sir John died on 4 October 1603, leaving son and heir:

¹¹ Sir Edward Vincent Conway, Knighted by Robert, Earl of Essex and March at the sacking of Cadiz in Spain in 1596. There, he commanded all of the foot of Queen Elizabeth's forces; served as Ambassador to Germany; Lord President of the Privy Council of James I and Charles I; was Principal Secretary of State to Charles I; was created Baron of the Realm with title of Lord Conway of Ragley; was created Viscount Conway of Killulah, in Killulah, County Antrim, Ireland by Charles I; also Viscount Conway of Conway Castle of Caernarvon. In 1620 Edward was one of King's Council for Virginia. Edward was born in 1564 in Ragley, and died at his home in St. Martin's Lane in the Liberties of Westminster on 3 January 1630. He was buried on 12 January 1630 at Ragley. Edward married first, Catherine Hueriblock, daughter of Giles Hueriblock of Gant, in Flanders. The marriage produced no children; and second, Dorothy Ann Tracy, daughter of *Sir John Tracy of Coddington, Gloucestershire, England, and widow of Edmund Bray, of Barrington. Dorothy was born before 1563 in Hailes Abbey, Toddington, Gloucestershire, and died on 5 March 1611/12 at Ragley. The marriage between Dorothy Tracy and Sir Edward in 1593 at Wigom, Wormistershire, produced six children:

¹² Edward, 1st son and heir; married in 1619 Frances, daughter of Sir Francis Popham of Little Cote. Edward died in Paris, France in 1655. Frances died at Ragley on 7 May 1671, in the 74th year of her life. They had sons:

John, who died young
¹³Edward, born 2 Feb 1624, became son and heir,
Francis
Thomas, who died in infancy. Edward and Frances had daughters:
Dorothy, who married Sir George Rawden of Moira in County Down, Ireland, and
Anne, who died unmarried

Thomas: born 1602 at Ragley. Thomas was Knight Lieutenant-Colonel to Colonel Morgan in the wars in Germany. He was instrumental in the incorporation of the Third Virginia Charter in 1611, and was Knighted at Theobolds with his Uncle, Captain Sir Thomas Conway, on 14 July 1624.

Ralph

Frances: married Sir William Pelham of Brockelsby,

Brilliana: 3rd wife of Sir Robert Harley, Knight. They were married in July 1623 at Greenwich, with Thomas Gataker of Rotherhithe officiating. To see a history of Sir Robert and Lady Brilliana Harley, click here.

Hellweigh: married Sir William Smith, Knight, and

Mary

Ralph, Brilliana, Mary and Hellweigh were all born in the Brill in the Netherlands, and were naturalized by a Private Act of Parliament.

*Note: In 1632 the will of William Tracy had been declared heretical by Archbishop Worham for its insistence on Justification by Faith, and its rejection of the role of the clergy as mediators between God and man. At the instigation of the Archbishop, Tracy's remains were exhumed and burnt at the stake. This singular act solidified the family's outrage and subsequent commitment to Protestantism.

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