PART FIVE

The Tewkesbury Line – 1530 to 1630

This is the first of three sections of the fifth part of the Collett family

Updated June 2025

This first section of the Collett family of Tewkesbury was compiled many years ago, mostly from information contained in the files of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. As a consequence, it may not be as accurate as the other sections on the Collett website, which have been independently verified using other sources of information. Therefore, further work must be carried out to validate all the entries, unlike the second section [1630-1850] and third section [1850-200] which were first produced as a single file during the early 1990s and only divided into two sections in 2025 after it had been extensively expanded to include many more details.

The earlier generations of this family line resided in the Ashchurch area of Gloucestershire which is only two miles to the east of the city of Tewkesbury. And it was a Robert Collett of Tewkesbury who left a Will in 1559, who may have been the father of the first family listed below.

5E1	Although the father of the four children listed below is not known at this time, it is possible that their mother was Joan Collett of Ashchurch whose Will was proved in 1546.
	5F1	Richard Collett	Born circa 1534 at Ashchurch
	5F2	John Collett	Born circa 1537 at Ashchurch
	5F3	William Collett	Born circa 1539 at Ashchurch
	5F4	Margery Collett	Born circa 1545 at Ashchurch
5F1	Richard Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1534 and was married around 1554. It seems likely that his first wife died possibly in childbirth during 1566 or shortly thereafter. The second marriage for Richard Collett at Ashchurch was to Ellen Roberts on 5^th February 1569. They had only been married for around four years when Richard Collett of Ashchurch died in 1573, with his Will proved in 1574.
	Following the death of her husband, the widow Ellen Collett then married John Washbourne on 25^th November 1574 at Ashchurch with whom she had a son Giles Washbourne who was born during the following year. Twenty-eight years earlier there is the recording of the Will of Joan Colet of Ashchurch in 1546, who may have been Richard’s mother.
	5G1	George Collett	Born circa 1555 at Ashchurch
	5G2	Robert Collett	Born circa 1556 at Ashchurch
	5G3	Joan Collett	Born circa 1557 at Ashchurch
	5G4	John Collett	Born circa 1559 at Ashchurch
	5G5	Ann Collett	Born circa 1560 at Ashchurch
	5G6	Ursula Collett	Born circa 1562 at Ashchurch
	5G7	Joan Collett	Born circa 1564 at Ashchurch
	5G8	Gillian Collett	Born circa 1566 at Ashchurch
	The following is the only known child of Richard Collett and his second wife Ellen Roberts:
	5G9	Alice Collett	Born circa 1571 at Ashchurch
5F2	John Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1537 and he married Margaret Moody on 22^nd May 1559 at Ashchurch where all their children were born and baptised. The Will of John Collett of Ashchurch was proved in 1587, indicating that he died when his youngest child was around six years of age.
	5G10	Margaret Collett	Born circa 1559 at Ashchurch
	5G11	Alice Collett	Born circa 1560 at Ashchurch
	5G12	Thomas Collett	Born circa 1563 at Ashchurch
	5G13	William Collett	Born circa 1566 at Ashchurch
	5G14	Elizabeth Collett	Born circa 1569 at Ashchurch
	5G15	Ann Collett	Born circa 1570 at Ashchurch
	5G16	John Collett	Born circa 1577 at Ashchurch
	5G17	James Collett	Born circa 1579 at Ashchurch
5F3	William Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1539 and he married around 1559. The two children listed below were born and baptised at Ashchurch. The Will of William Collett of Ashchurch was proved during 1597, following his death perhaps in the preceding year when he would have been around 57 years old. Judging by the name of William’s known daughter, it seems highly likely that his wife was Elizabeth, since the Will of Elizabeth Collett of Ashchurch was proved in 1613.
	5G18	Elizabeth Collett	Born circa 1560 at Ashchurch
	5G19	John Collett	Born circa 1566 at Ashchurch
5F4	Margery Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1545, where she later married Robert Gynes on 1^st February 1569. It is interesting that Margery’s nephew, John Collett, the son of her brother John (above), married Anne Gynes at Ashchurch in 1601, which begs the question, was Ann Gynes the daughter of Margery Collett and Robert Gynes. It is possible that Margery’s mother was Joan Collett of Ashchurch whose Will was proved in 1546, which might indicate that Joan died giving birth to her daughter.
5G1	George Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1555 and was the first-born child of Richard Collett by his first wife. He could have been married between 1575 and 1580 with his only known daughter Joan born and baptised at Ashchurch.
	5H1	Joan Collett	Born circa 1581 at Ashchurch
5G2	Robert Collett was possibly born in 1556 and was baptised at Ashchurch on 24^th September 1557 at Ashchurch
5G3	Joan Collett was born around 1557 and was baptised at Ashchurch on 3^rd February 1558. She was the third child of Richard Collett, but suffered an infant death.
5G4	John Collett was another son of Richard Collett who was born at Ashchurch around 1559 who was later married around 1582. All his known children were born and baptised at Ashchurch.
	5H2	James Collett	Born circa 1582 at Ashchurch
	5H3	Richard Collett	Born circa 1584 at Ashchurch
	5H4	Katherine Collett	Born circa 1589 at Ashchurch
	5H5	Alice Collett	Born circa 1591 at Ashchurch
5G5	Ann Collett was the fifth child and the eldest surviving daughter of Richard Collett who wife may have been Joan. Ann was baptised at Ashchurch on 9^th June 1560, where she later married William Spiring on 27^th May 1583.
5G6	Ursula Collett was born at Ashchurch where she was baptised on 6^th September 1563, another child of Richard Collett by his first wife. It was also at Ashchurch where Ursula married Thomas Gibbs on 13^th June 1587.
5G7	Joan Collett was born at Ashchurch in 1564 and was baptised there on 2^nd February 1565 the seventh child of Richard Collett.
5G8	Gillian Collett was the eighth and last child of Richard Collett by his first wife who may not have survived the birth of Gillian, who was baptised at Ashchurch on 1^st July 1566.
5G9	Alice Collett was born at Ashchurch where she was baptised on 21^st November 1571, the only known child of Richards Collett and his second wife Ellen Roberts. Later, while she was still living in Ashchurch, Alice Collett married John Taylor at Ashchurch on 8^th June 1592.
5G10	Margaret Collett was born at Ashchurch the first child born to John Collett and Margaret Moody who were married there during May 1559. Margaret would appear to have been born before the couple’s wedding, with her baptism conducted at Ashchurch on 2^nd March 1559.
5G11	Alice Collett was born in 1560 at Ashchurch and was baptised there on 3^rd January 1561, the second child of John and Margaret Collett.
5G12	Thomas Collett was the third child and eldest son of John and Margaret Collett of Ashchurch where he was born around 1563. It was also at Ashchurch that Thomas Collett married Bridget Cole on 16^th September 1585.
	5H6	Mary Collett	Born circa 1586 at Ashchurch
5G13	William Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 14^th July 1566 where he married Ann Gilbert on 9^th July 1590 and where their children were born and baptised.
	5H7	Bridget Collett	Born circa 1591 at Ashchurch
	5H8	William Collett	Born circa 1594 at Ashchurch
	5H9	Elizabeth Collett	Born circa 1596 at Ashchurch
5G14	Elizabeth Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 2^nd October 1569 where she married John Baker on 4^th February 1593.
5G15	Ann Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 7^th March 1571. At the present time it has not been determined whether she married Philip Surman on 29^th November 1598 at Ashchurch or Thomas Davies on 17^th June 1599 at Ashchurch.
5G16	John Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 3^rd August 1578. It was also at Ashchurch that John married Anne Gynes on 26^th October 1601, and it was there also that all their children were born and baptised, although it was only the name of John Collett that appeared on the baptism records.
	5H10	Mary Collett	Born circa 1601 at Ashchurch
	5H11	John Collett	Born circa 1603 at Ashchurch
	5H12	Thomas Collett	Born circa 1605 at Ashchurch
	5H13	Ann Collett	Born circa 1607 at Ashchurch
	5H14	William Collett	Born circa 1609 at Ashchurch
5G17	James Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 22^nd March 1580, the eighth and last child of John Collett and Margaret Moody. And it was at Ashchurch that James Collett married Bridget Hitche on 13^th October 1606.
5G18	Elizabeth Collett was the older of the two children of William Collett of Ashchurch whose wife may have been Elizabeth who died around 1613 and left a Will. It was at Ashchurch where Elizabeth was baptised on 22^nd February 1561.
5G19	John Collett was born at Ashchurch where he was baptised on 25^th July 1567, the son of William and his likely wife Elizabeth.
5H1	Joan Collett was born at Ashchurch where she was baptised on 2^nd June 1581, the only known child of George Collett.
5H2	James Collett was the eldest of the four children of John Collett of Ashchurch. James was baptised at Ashchurch on 12^th July 1583 and was twenty-years of age when he married Joan Haynes on 29^th September 1610 at Ashchurch, where their children were born and baptised. In 1678 the Will of Joan Collett was proved, but if this was the wife of James Collett she would have been in her eighties when she died. Joan may have been the wife of a later member of this family, say for example Thomas Collett [Ref. 5I4] who might have been in her fifties when she died.
	5I1	James Collett	Born circa 1611 at Ashchurch
	5I2	Mary Collett	Born circa 1613 at Ashchurch
	5I3	John Collett	Born circa 1615 at Ashchurch
5H3	Richard Collett was another son of John Collett and was baptised at Ashchurch on 3^rd March 1585. He was listed as of short stature suitable for Calyver in 'Men & Armour of Gloucestershire in 1608'. The later Will of Richard Collett of Ashchurch was proved on 31^st May 1633.
5H4	Katherine Collett was the older of the two daughters of John and was baptised at Ashchurch on 3^rd March 1590.
5H5	Alice Collett was the last child of John Collett and was born around 1591 and was baptised at Ashchurch on 8^th June 1592.
5H6	Mary Collett was born at Ashchurch in 1586 and baptised there on 25^th November 1586, the only known child of Thomas Collett married Bridget Cole.
5H7	Bridget Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 28^th November 1591 the eldest child of William Collett and Ann Gilbert. Bridget was still living at Ashchurch when her marriage to John Mann was conducted there on 21^st October 1611.
5H8	William Collett was the only son of William and Ann Collett, and was baptised at Ashchurch on 3^rd November 1594.
5H9	Elizabeth Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1596, the last of the three children of William Collett and Ann Gilbert. Elizabeth was nearing her twentieth birthday when she married Walter Garne on 10^th May 1615 at Ashchurch.
5H10	Mary Collett was the eldest child of John Collett and Anne Gynes of Ashchurch and was baptised there on 5^th September 1602.
5H11	John Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 1^st November 1603, the eldest son of John and Anne Collett, although no name for his mother was given on his baptism record. John was 24 when he married Joan Jenkins on 10^th February 1628 at nearby Alstone, just three miles east of Ashchurch. The couple’s only known child was a son who was born at Alstone in 1641, which probably indicates that there were other children born during the intervening twelve years.
	5I4	William Collett	Born circa 1641 at Alstone
5H12	Thomas Collett was baptised at Ashchurch on 22^nd November 1605. It is more than likely that he married around 1625 and had a son Thomas who was born around that same time.
	5I5	Thomas Collett	Born circa 1625 at Ashchurch
5H13	Ann Collett was born at Ashchurch where she was baptised on 27^th March 1607, one of the five children of John and Anne Collett.
5H14	William Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1609 and was the youngest child of John Collett and Anne Gynes. It was also at Ashchurch that he married Elizabeth Powell on 25^th October 1630 with their only known son seemingly born in Tewkesbury.
	5I6	William Collett	Born circa 1631 at Tewkesbury
5I1	James Collett was the first of the three children of James Collett and Joan Haynes. He was born at Ashchurch in 1611, and was most likely a honeymoon baby, as he was baptised at Ashchurch on 11^th August 1611.
5I2	Mary Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1613 where she married William Hawkes on 5^th May 1635, the only daughter of James and Joan Collett.
5I3	John Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1615, the third child of James Collett and Joan Haynes. It was also at Ashchurch where he married Elizabeth Price on 22^nd September 1636.
5I4	William Collett was baptised at Alstone near Ashchurch on 8^th August 1641, the son of John Collett and Joan Jenkins. William later married Joan, although no record of their marriage has yet been found, but their son was baptised at Alstone in 1669. Not long after the birth of their son, or even at the time of his birth, Joan passed away, and on 24^th June 1670 William married Elizabeth Worly (Worley) at Alstone. Today, Alstone is in Gloucestershire but, back in those days, it was part of Worcestershire.
	5J1	William Collett	Born in 1669 at Alstone
5I5	Thomas Collett was born at Ashchurch around 1625 and it is likely that he married around 1645 and had a son who was born and baptised at Ashchurch.
	5J2	Thomas Collett	Born in 1646 at Ashchurch
5I6	William Collett was born around 1631 at Tewkesbury where he married Eleanor around 1652. All their children were born and baptised at Tewkesbury.
	William and Eleanor’s family is shown at the start of the second section of this family line