[N578] Note 1

"Four years after the Battle of Lewes, in 1268, Henry Cobbe was appointed, with others, by the Constable of Dover Castle, Stephen Pencestre, "to enquire into the advisability of giving leave to the Master Brethren of the Domus Dei of Dover to turn the road, which leads through the Court of Honichurch, towards the port of Romney and, whether it is within the liberty of the five ports, so that the King is unable to give such leave, and how broad it is, and what advantage the Master and Brethren will gain by turning it.

The case was tested in Westminster in the 53rd year of the reign of Henry III, under a writ 'ad quod damnum'. The importance of the case was clearly one which involved the prerogative of the Crown.

Honichurch was stated to be a Manor in the parish of Hope All Saints in Romney Marsh, and was given to the Mason Dei, the Hospice of St Mary by its founder, Hugo de Burgh, Earl of Kent and chief justiciary in King John's reign. The finding of the court at Westminster, which was signed by Henry Cobbe, was that the proposal would be an improvement to everybody, "because the old road was so low, and would make it possible to close the courtyard, and the judges agreed that it was outside the liberties of the five ports." (rsc)

We know little more about Henry, except six years before, he had acquired land in the parish of Hope St. Mary, New Romney and Newchurch. In 1265, he obtained the property of Richard Organistre which he joined to his own property. In 1324, the former Organistre property was the home of his only known child, son John. The name of Henry's wife is lost.

Note 2

Henry COBB was born 1240 in Cobbs Court, Romney Marsh, Kent, England, and died 1310 in Cobbs Court, Romney Marsh, Kent, Englan.

Notes for Henry COBB:
Subject: [COBB] Cobbs of County Kent England and their US kinfolk
Resent-Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 09:54:05 -0700
Resent-From: COBB-L@rootsweb.com
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 08:53:46 -0800
From: "Robert C. Stricklin"
Reply-To: COBB-L@rootsweb.com
To: COBB-L@rootsweb.com
References: 1

We are dealing with two genetically distinct Cobb patriarchal lineages that predate Plymouth colony that both have long established ties to County Kent. (Aside from eight or more other Cobb patriarchal lines with two or more genetic study participants, and a few more that have yet to connect with
genetic matches.)

The lineage of "Henry the Elder", born 1596, patriarch of the "Barnstable Cobbs", is a perfect 26/26 genetic match with a line connected with County Kent at least 250 years. This Cobb line has multiple descendants through the US south as well as those associated with Massachusetts. As there is a
perfect trans-Atlantic genetic match, it appears that this biologically related direct paternal line goes back at least to a most recent common ancestor, likely in the 1500's, of both Henry the Elder and the present day County Kent descendants in England whom they genetically match perfectly.

Meanwhile the Ambrose Cobb line and their newly connected genetic match with very very long established County Kent ancestry are in the same position. A most recent common ancestor of these related US and County Kent, England branches also likely was born in the 1500's.

Why these two Cobb lineages, each in existence over 500 years, came to be biologically, genetically distinct (genetically distinct direct male ancestors), is a 16th century (or earlier) mystery for hypothecation and research.

The genetic matches among the nine Henry the Elder/County Kent study participants include fewer mutations than there are among the fifteen Ambrose/County Kent group, leading me to speculate the Cobb paternal line of Ambrose is older and hence has had a longer chance to mutate randomly.
That's just a speculation. Again, both direct paternal lines are genetically consistent over 500+ years - and the answer to this mystery currently is buried in time. They well may always have been "part of the same family" - but a different biological papa clearly was involved once upon a time long long ago - which very well may not have been at all problematical at the time, depending on circumstances.

Robert
rstrickl@oregonvos.net

Children of Henry COBB are:

+John COBB, b. 1282, Cobbs Court, Romney Marsh, Kent, England, d. 1324, Cobbs Court, Romney Marsh, Kent, Englan.
Walter COBB, b. 1266, New Romney, Kent, England, d. date unknown.