The Staffordshire Vyses

 The Vyses or Vises of Staffordshire are quite well documented through the Staffordshire Pedigrees of 1664-1700. The earliest claimed ancestor is John Vise, eight generations before Andrew Vyse (c1567-1634) when the earliest dates could be recalled. Therefore this John Vise would have lived around 1350-1400. It is possible by the dates that he is one of the John Vizes appearing in the records documented above as we have no evidence relating to where he lived.

 John Vise was the grandfather of William Vise of Stawne, which appears to be an old version of Standon. The Manor of Stawne or Stawnedone ( William Salt's Original Collection: Standon Deeds) appears to have been the family home over hundreds of years, and possibly still to this day. Estimations for the date of the William Vise in Standon would be between 1400-1450. The parish registers from 100 years later attest to the establishment of the Vize family in this area.

More detail is available for William’s great grandson, John Vise of Stawne who married Margery (Margaret) of Broughton and they had at least three sons who lived to adulthood: Edward, Humphrey and Thomas. Humphrey inherited the family estate at Stawne, whilst Thomas established himself at Bishops Offley.



 Humphrey married Isabel, daughter of Jenkin Fitton of Gowesworth, and had a large family of five daughters and four sons who survived to adulthood.

Humphrey’s heir was William Vize. He married Catherine (or Katherine) daughter of John Barker of Coulshurste. They too had a large family, all born at Standon. As by now we have reached the mid 1500s, many of these children have been recorded in the parish registers when they were baptised.

Andrew was the next heir. He was born about 1567 in Standon. He married Elizabeth daughter of Francis Gatacre of Gatacre. Andrew and Elizabeth had ten or more children. Andrew died in 1634.  Humphrey, the son of Andrew and Elizabeth was the informant to the first visitation to Staffordshire in 1664 and provided the information about his ancestors commencing with John Vise. Humphrey was born about 1597 in Standon. He married firstly Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Ashton of Charleton, and secondly Anne daughter of John Ithaell of High Offley. Humphrey and Elizabeth had seven children, followed by a further three children with Anne. Humphrey and Elizabeth’s eldest son was Andrew Vyse who was born about 1615.

 On 20 April 1780 General Richard Vyse of Standon married Lady Ann Howard, a descendant of the Howards of Norfolk and daughter of Sir George Howard and Lady Lucy Wentworth, daughter of Thomas 1st Earl of Strafford (Wikipedia: Richard William Howard Vyse). They had two children: Richard William Howard Vyse (1784) and Georgina Anne Vyse (date). Richard junior changed his name to Richard William Howard Howard-Vyse by royal sign manual dated 14 September 1812  in order to inherit the Strafford estates from his maternal grandmother (Wikipedia: Richard William Howard Vyse). Howard-Vyse was a well-known Egyptologist and soldier.

 At the time of the 1841 census the Howard-Vyse family was living at Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire, the properties inherited from the Wentworth/Howards.

Back to Wiki Contents page