Most reflection about the Cave family of Stanford-on-Avon in Northamptonshire grows out of the account of the family in Robert Edmond Chester Waters, Genealogical Memoirs of the Extinct Family of Chester of Chicheley, Their Ancestors and Descendants, 2
volumes, (London: Robson and Sons: 1878) I: 73-88, which can be found here:

https://archive.org/details/genealogicalmem01wategoog/page/n26/mode/2up

In 2010 there was a prolonged discussion about the authenticity of the earlier generations of the Cave family found in the visitations. This posting casts no light on that discussion.

Waters notes (74) that Thomas Cave died 17 September 1495 and that his brass in Stanford church portrays two wives and eight children. His account names Thomasine Passmere of Essex, presumably his first wife and the mother of his heir Richard Cave,
whose name he likely took from the visitations or county histories, but not the second wife.

There is a will in the earliest volume of probate records of the Archdeaconry of Northampton that looks to be that of Thomas Cave’s second wife [Archdeaconry of Northampton Early Wills:59 no152 [Familysearch image 81]]. I can find nothing printed
about her.

Joan Cave dated her will 17 January 1498/9 and asked to be buried in the church of Saint Nicholas in Stanford. The will provides for a priest to pray for her soul, Thomas Cave’s soul, William Gladman’s souls, and all Christian souls. Thomas and
William were apparently her two husbands.

Joan leaves bequests to her son William Gladman, his unnamed wife and children, and to her daughter Margaret Burden. She names a number of other Burdens without specifying their relationship: Agnes the elder, Joan, Harry, Agnes the younger, Elizabeth,
Emma, and the children of Robert Burden. William, certainly, and Margaret, apparently, were the children of her first marriage with William Gladman.

Joan also leaves substantial bequests to Catherine Cave but does not specify their relationship. She also leaves bequests to every child of Richard Cave, to Richard Cave himself, to every man servant and woman servant of Richard Cave, to every child of
William Cave, to the children of John Cave.

She made her son William Gladman and Robert Burden executors of her will and Richard Cave overseer.

Though at no point does she specify her relationship with any of the Caves named, it does appear that Joan was living in her stepson Richard Cave’s household. Presumably (just presumably) Richard, John, William, and Catherine were the children of her
second husband Thomas Cave. I’m not sure that I have seen any of Thomas’ children identified except his heir Richard who brought the family to prominence.

There are no Gladmans or Burdens named in the 1536 will of Richard Cave of Stanford-on-Avon.

There also survive Archdeaconry of Northampton wills of Cave testators from other parishes, Heyford, Kettering, Cransley, Weekley, Yelvertoft, from 1499 onward to 1550. Whether these testators have any connection with the Stanford-on-Avon is not yet
known.

Scott Swanson
sswanson@butler.edu

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