View source for Thomas Palmer and Margaret Poley

'''Thomas Palmer and Margaret Poley'''

==Biography==
Thomas Palmer was the third son of Sir Henry Palmer, Knt of Wingham, Kent and Bailiff of Guisnes (in 1539), by his wife Jane Windibank.

About 1562 Thomas Palmer married Margaret Poley the daughter of Sir John Poley, Knt of Badley, Suffolk, by his wife Anne Wentworth.  Anne Wentworth was the daughter of Thomas, 1st Baron Wentworth (created 1529) and Margaret Fortesque elder daughter of that Sir Adrien Fortesque who was beheaded Jul 1539 at the Tower of London.

As such, when Thomas Palmer married Margaret, he was marrying into the bloodline of Edward III, King of England, since Margaret was a ninth-generation descendent of Edward.  In fact, while five of her 16 great-great-grandparents have distinct royal descents, Thomas Palmer her husband is not known to have any royal descents.

We know that Thomas Palmer and Margaret Poley married about 1562 from their Monumental Inscription which states not only that they were married for 62 years, but also that he died aged 85 7 Jan, she aged 83 in Aug both in 1625.

Thomas Palmer was knighted in 1596, becoming then known as Sir Thomas Palmer, Knt.  He was later created Baronet, in 1621.  Thomas Palmer Knt and Baronet died 7 Jan 1625/6 "aged 85" and is buried at Wingham.  He wife Margaret pre-deceased him, dying Aug 1625 "aged 83".  These ages are possibly approximations.

===Issue===
From their monumental inscription we know that Thomas Palmer and Margaret Poley had six sons and five daughters, some of whom are recorded in the Wingham Register of Baptisms and extracted in ''Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica'', Vol 1 (1868), page 177:
*04 May 1572 Margaret
*14 Jun 1573 Henry died young
*22 Mar 1575 Mabell buried aged 22 unmarried
*09 Jul 1577 Roger
*15 Jul 1579 Frances buried as an infant
*04 Jan 1581 Mary buried as an infant
*17 Apr 1582 John died young
*29 Jan 1584 James later Knt of Dorney Court

In each case, Thomas is listed in the register as "Thomas Palmer, Esq".

Thomas eldest son, also Thomas must have been born prior to this register.  He died in the lifetime of his father and was buried 10 Sep 1608 at Wingham as "Sir Thomas Palmer, Knt".  He had married Margaret Pelham, daughter of Herbert Pelham the elder of Warbleton, co Sussex and Fordingham, co Dorset (Herbert died 12 Apr 1620) by his wife Catherine Thetcher.  Apparently after his death, his widow Margaret remarried a Mr Crowe and had another child John Crowe of Ashwell Palmer who was yet living Sep 1647 when he was executor and main beneficiary of his half-brother Herbert Palmer.

As I've just indicated, Sir Thomas Palmer, eldest son, before his early death in 1608 had at least or exactly two children: Herbert Palmer, Master of Queen's College, Cambridge 1644-1647 and Sir Thomas Palmer, 2nd Bart of Wingham.