Leonard Metcalf and (Amy

Citing this biography: Boyd, Michelle, "Leonard Metcalf and (Amy —?) ," article, Olive and Eliza, last accessed [current date]."

Rev. Leonard Metcalf born in about 1541 in Apperside, North Riding, Yorkshire, England. He became the rector of the parish of Tatterford, Norfolk, England in about 1574. Leonard may have married one Amy —, who was buried 22 Dec 1602 at Tatterford, Norfolk, England. However, Amy Metcalf's identity as Leonard's wife has not been confirmed.

Early researchers supposed that Leonard was connected to the Metcalf family of Beare Park and Nappa Hall but later researchers stated that it was not possible to confirm any such connection. In the Lay Subsidies of 1542-44, several Metcalf men in Apperside were mentioned: Henry, Michael, Denis, Symon, Edward, Reginald, John, and Richard (with one woman, Jone Metcalf). Any one of these men could have been Leonard's father. Jone can't entirely be ruled out either. She would have been the head of a household, such as a widow or a single woman without a living father (but she would not have been the wife of any of the men listed, or she would have been part of their household and would not have been listed). If a widow and her husband had died recently (around the time of Leonard's birth or within a few years after), she could have been Leonard's mother. However, there is not enough known evidence to confirm any of these men (or women) as Leonard's parent. Naming practices in England at the time do favor John, Richard, and Michael as these are also the names of some of Leonard's sons but again this is still only a guess.

Leonard’s children, perhaps by Amy, are:

1	John Metcalf, christened 15 Aug 1583 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England.
2	Leonard Metcalf, christened 3 Sep 1586 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England.
3	Nicholas Metcalf, christened 8 Jul 1587 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England.
4	Likely Michael Metcalf, born about 1590 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England, according to Savage, married 1) Sarah Elwyn (according to Savage, on 13 October 1616) and 2) Mary — sometime just after 13 August 1645, a dornix weaver, made a freeman of Norwich 21 June 1618, fled from religious persecution and arrived with his family “three days before Midsummer” in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, joined the church at Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts January 1639, freeman of Dedham in 13 May 1640 or 18 May 1642, selectman in 1641, schoolteacher in 1656, died 29 Dec 1664 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, will proved 1 Feb 1665. Wife 1: Sarah Elwyn, b. 17 Jun 1593 in Heigham, Norfolk, England to Thomas Elwyn and Elizabeth Bensley, d. 21 Feb 1645. Wife 1: Mary —, widow of – Pidge.
5	Mathew Metcalf, christened 18 Dec 1594 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England.
6	Nynian Metcalf (male), christened 20 Sep 1596 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England (transcribed probably incorrectly in the Familysearch record shown below as Nyman but given as Nynian in NEHGR 80:312; Nynian is an uncommon first name, originating from St. Ninian, an early medieval saint and missionary to the Picts).
7	Marie Metcalf, christened 28 Aug 1601 in Tatterford, Norfolk, England.
8	Likely Richard Metcalf, (see NEHGR 80:313), married Mary —, seen in Tatterford records as the father of several children: Leonard, Richard, and John Metcalf. Wife: Mary —.

Summary of Sources

Ancestry.com. England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NTFT-7R6 : 30 December 2014), Nyman Metcalf, 20 Sep 1596; citing Tatterford, Norfolk, England, reference Item 9; FHL microfilm 1,596,459.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
"The Founders of New England," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 14, No. 4, Oct 1860, 325.
Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Boston, 1862, retrieved from http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/, Nov 2012.
Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, Metcalf Genealogy, Cleveland, Ohio: The Imperial Press, 1898, pgs. 6-20.

Records related to Jonathan and Hannah (Kenrick) Metcalf but not copied below due to copyright considerations:

Banks, Charles Edward, "Genealogical Research in England: Metcalf," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 80 (Jul 1926), pgs. 312-313.
Moriarty, G. Andrews, Metcalf: Additional Records,New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 86, Jul 1932, pgs. 252-256.
Bush, Richard L., "The English Ancestry of Michael and Sarah (Elwyn) Metcalf of Dedham, Massachusetts," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 166 (Jan 2012), pgs. 28-39.

Source Materials

Click on each category below to expand and see the copies of sources used to create the biography above (copyrighted and other restricted items are listed in the summary of sources above but not included below). Click again to close.

Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England

Vol. 3
METCALF, frequently MEDCALF, in early rec.
JOHN, Medfield, s. of the first Michael, b. in Eng. m. 22 Mar. 1647, Mary, d. of Francis Chickering, had John, b. 21, bapt. 26 Mar. 1648; Michael, 20, bapt. 25 Aug. 1650; Mary, 9, bapt. 24 Oct. 1652; these all at Dedham; but at M. we kn. not that we name all, when enumer. Joseph, 22 Nov. 1658; and Hannah, 13 0ct. 1664. He was freem. 1647, and d. 27 Nov. 1675 unless this date belongs to his eldest 8.

MICHAEL, Dedham, b. 1586, at Tatterford, in Co. Norfolk, was a dornock weaver at Norwich, and free of the city, where all his ch. were b. m. 13 Oct. 1616, Sarah, had Michael, b. 13 Nov. 1617, d. soon; Mary, 14 Oct. 1618, but the geneal. of the fam. in Reg. VI. 173, says 14 Feb. 1619; Michael, again, 29 Aug. 1620; John, 5 or 15 Sept. 1622, bef. ment. Sarah, 10 Sept. 1624: Elizabeth 4 Oct. 1626; Martha, 27 Mar. or Oct. 1628, Thomas, 27 Dec. 1629 or 30; Ann, 1 Mar. 1631 or 34, d. soon; Jane, 24 Mar. 1632; and Rebecca, 5 Apr. 1635; his w. was b. at a village near Norwich, he says, 17 June 1593, but possib.the figures have been mistaken, as in the examin. one week bef. the sail. of the ship, call. I think, the Rose, of Yarmouth, from Yarmouth, Apr. 1637, he calls hims. 45 yrs; of age, and w. 39. "From the relig. tyranny" exercised a by Wren, then Bp. of Norwich, he felt forced to esc. even at the expense of separ. from his fam. for a time, and emb. at London, 17 Sept. 1636, for N. E. but was sadly tormented by equal tempests on the water, and the ship at Christmas put back to Plymouth; and so far was this a happiness that in Apr. foll. he had license for the whole. fam. to come; only 8 ch. are ment. in the custom-ho. docum. but can hardly doubt that the name of John was casually overlook.
At Boston he arr. "three days bef. mid. sum. with w. nine ch. and a serv." wh. was Thomas Comberbach, aged 16, I presume in one of the three ships ment. by Winthrop as coming in, from Ipswich, 20 June. He may have been br. of Joseph; was freem. 13 May 1640, or 18 May 1642, and, perhaps, swore on both days, tho. more prob. it is a fault of the Secr. as in the list appears. His w. d. 21 Feb. 1645, and he m. 13 Aug. foll. Martha, wid. of Thomas Pigg, or Pidge; and he d. 27 Dec. 1664. A very curious docum. his engagm. aft. 70 yrs. of age to keep the town ch. in 1656, is giv. in Geneal. Reg. X. 282. His will, made six wks. bef. gives to eight ch. Michael being d. and ea. of the ds. m. Martha hav. then a sec. or third h. to gr.ch. Michael, s. of Michael, and gr.ch. William Brignall, s. of d. Martha, wh. was a mem. of Roxbury ch. by her first h. and to Martha Bullard, d. of his w. Mary, m. 24 Nov. 1642, Henry Wilson, Sarah m. Robert Onion, was his sec. w. the first hav. d. in Apr. 1643; Elizabeth m. 5 Sept. 1648, Thomas Bancroft of Reading; Martha m. William Brignall, next, 2 Aug. 1654, Christopher Smith as the Geneal. Reg. VI. 173, says, tho. I doubt its correctness, for Christopher Smith in 1668, is nam. in his will. by Jonathan Fairbanks as h. of his d. Mary, and third h. . . . Stow; Jane m. 1654, Samuel Walker,[[vol. 3, p. 204]] (tho. strong, doubts of error in the name are felt) of Rehoboth ; and Rebecca m. 5 Apr. 1659, John Mackintosh.

Source: Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Boston, 1862, retrieved from http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/, Nov 2012.

Isaac Stevens Metcalf's Metcalf Genealogy

But our American Metcalfs are descended from Brian, of Beare Park, the third son of James Metcalf of Nappay, who married Johanna, of Boughton. Their sons were Richard, Leonard, Nicholas and Roger. Leonard married a Thursby, and left children Leonard, Vincent, Godfrey, and Ambrose.

Leonard Metcalf, of Beare Park, in 1569 joined the Rising in the North, in the interest of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was condemned and attainted and narrowly escaped the scaffold. His name is first in the list of “Gentlemen prisoners at Carlisle, Dec, 1569.” His name is in the list of prisoners taken to Durham Castle, January, 1570. Eleven of them were indicted for “Conspiracy of Treason and Rebellion,” and all were condemned to die. Four were executed at once at York. The other seven were “Stayed for the second execution,” or until the Queen's pleasure; and it was represented to the Queen that Leonard Metcalf rose because the Earl of Northumberland did, and also that he had made state of his lands to his wife, so that by his life the Queen should have his lands, while by his death his wife should have them, so that the Queen should win by his life and lose by his death; and further that he had been taken for a very quiet, honest gentleman, and that he was generally lamented. The Queen's reply expressed her willingness to spare the lives of three, but “for the four, Metcalf, Lambert, Claxton and Conyers, we thynk it good that some furder example be showed and we refer the same to your own judgment.” But the Commissioners did not accept the discretion thus given them; and April 5, the Earl of Sussex wrote to Secretary Cecil, that the Queen “wanted some furder example of ye better sorte,” and that “Metcalf, Lambert, Claxton and Conyers ought to be executed.” But finally none of them were executed, probably for the sake of “ye landes.” The Bill of Attainder names “Leonard Metcalfe, late of Beare Park, Co. York, Esquire.”

The “coat of armes” of these old Yorkshire Metcalfs was everywhere, “Argent, three calves, passant sable,” with different quarterings in different branches of the family.

Our emigrant ancestor, Michael Metcalf, the Dornix or Embroidery Weaver, of Norwich, and the Metcalfs of Norwich, Tatterford and vicinity, in Norfolk county, were immediately descended from the Metcalfs of Beare Park and Nappa Hall in Northern Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Metcalfs, as far as known, were zealous Catholics; the Norfolk family were zealous Protestants, and Michael, at least, a staunch Puritan. When Leonard Metcalf was attainted for high treason, and lost his large estates in Yorkshire (which it is hinted may have been one reason for his condemnation, his lands being wanted for some new court favorite), his family left Yorkshire and settled in Norfolk. Religion was then largely a matter of politics. It is supposed that Leonard Metcalf himself, perhaps as a condition of his pardon, gave up his Catholicism, and after the loss of his property, eventually took holy orders under the state church, and twenty years after was the first Leonard Metcalf, Rector of the parish of Tatterford near Norwich. But it is perhaps more probable that this first Rector Metcalf of Tatterford was the son of Leonard Metcalf, the quondam traitor.

The earliest records extant of the parish of Tatterford, are copies in the registry of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk, and commence about 1560. In 1580, et sequens, Leonard Metcalf was Rector of the Parish of Tatterford. Leonard Metcalf was succeeded by Richard Metcalf. In these records the name is spelled Metcalf, Metcalfe, Mettcalf and Mettcalfe. In 1585 is the entry of baptism of “Leonardus Metcalf, filius Leonardi Metcalf et Bapt fuit 3d die Septembris.” Again, “Michael Metcalf filius Leonardi Metcalf et bapt fuit 17th die June 1587.” Which confirms our records that Michael Metcalf, the Dornix Weaver, was born at Tatterford, Norfolk Co., June 17, 1587. There is no clue to the name of Leonard Metcalf’s wife, the mother of Michael.

Source: Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, Metcalf Genealogy, Cleveland, Ohio: The Imperial Press, 1898, pgs. 6-20.

England Select Deaths and Burials

Name:    Amy Metcalf
Gender:    Female
Burial Date:    22 Dec 1602
Burial Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
FHL Film Number:    1596459
Reference ID:    Item 9

Source: Ancestry.com. England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

England Select Births and Christenings

Name:    John Mettcalff
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    15 Aug 1583
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Leonard Mettcalff
FHL Film Number:    894714

Name:    Leonardus Metcalf
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    3 Sep 1586
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Leonard Metcalf
FHL Film Number:    1596459

Name:    Nicholas Mettcalf
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    8 Jul 1587
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Leonardi Metcalfe
FHL Film Number:    1596459

Name:    Mathewe Metcalfe
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    18 Dec 1594
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Leonard Metcalfe
FHL Film Number:    1596459

Name:    Marie Metcalfe
Gender:    Female
Baptism Date:    28 Aug 1601
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Leonard Metcalfe
FHL Film Number:    894714

Name:    Leonard Metcalfe
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    15 Aug 1613
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Richard Metcalfe
Mother:    Mary
FHL Film Number:    894714

Name:    Richard Metcalff
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    15 Jan 1614
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Richard Metcalff
FHL Film Number:    894714

Name:    John Metcalfe
Gender:    Male
Baptism Date:    15 Nov 1618
Baptism Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Father:    Richard Metcalfe
FHL Film Number:    894714

Source: Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

England Births and Christenings

Name:    Nyman Metcalf
Gender:    Male
Christening Date:    20 Sep 1596
Christening Place:    Tatterford, Norfolk, England
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:    C00079-4
System Origin:    England-EASy
GS Film number:    1596459
Reference ID:    Item 9

Source: "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NTFT-7R6 : 30 December 2014), Nyman Metcalf, 20 Sep 1596; citing Tatterford, Norfolk, England, reference Item 9; FHL microfilm 1,596,459.

Genealogical Research in England: Metcalf

...
From Depositions in the Diocesan Registry, Norwich
1614
Leonard Metcalf, clerk, rector of the parish of Tatterford, where he has been incumbent for forty years, born at Apperside, co. York, [deposed] aged 73 years. (Deposition Book, 1635)

1635
Michael Metcalfe of Norwich, dornick weaver, aged 45 years, born at Tatterford, co. Norfolk, testifies regarding the practices of the clergyman of St. Edmund's, Norwich. (Ib. [Deposition Book], 1635)
...

Source: Excerpt from Banks, Charles Edward, "Genealogical Research in England: Metcalf," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 80 (Jul 1926), pgs. 312-313.

Massachusetts Town and Vital Records

Name:    Michaell Metcalfe
Event Type:    Death
Death Date:    29 Dec 1664
Death Place:    Dedham, Massachusetts

Source: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).

The Founders of New England

Aprill 8th 1637. The examinacion of Michill Metcalfe of Norwich, Dornix weauer, aged 45 yeares and Sarrah his wife, aged 39 yeares, with 8 Children, Michill: Thomas: Marey: Sarrah: Elizabeth: Martha: Joane: and Rebeca: and his Saruant Thomas Comberbach, aged 16 yeares, are desirous to passe to boston in New England to inhabit

Source: "The Founders of New England," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 14, No. 4, Oct 1860, 325.