Surnames like Mayo are considered today to be of Irish decent,however, it is probably a baptismal name whose form has been corrupted many ways, as: Mayo, Mayho, Mayhew, and Mayhow. Possibly, Mayo finds its origin as the Hebrew word 'Mattathiah', which in French becomes Mathieu and Mahieu. It became a popular surname in Great Britton where it was changed to Mayho and as used here, Mayo.
John attended the journior collage at Oxford University in 1615, beingamong 504 students that year which matriculated from Magdalene Hall on April 28. He was 17 at the time he left and, before he had attained a degree. During this time he may have resided at North Newington, a Hamlet located about 2½ miles west of Broughton Castle in Oxfordshire. This area is just a short distance from Northamptonshire, the original home of Mr. Mayo.
Mr. Mayo made out his will on 18 Jan. 1629/30 at Thorp, Mandeville,Northamps, England, which was proven 20 March 1629/30. Mentions bequeaths to his son John: "to my sonne Mr. John mayo I bequeath a coffer of ash standing over the kitchen." It should be stated that he had a daughter Joyce, who was baptized 21 Aug. 1603 at Thorp Mandeville and a son baptized at Middleton, Cheney on 2 April 1596 (name not legible on records).
Birth: 1565 in West Orchard, Dorset, Dorsetshire, England
Death: 17 FEB 1633/34 in Cattistock, Northamptonshire, England
Probate: 20 MAR 1929/30 Thorpe Mandeville, Northampshire, England
Will: 18 JAN 1629/30 Thorpe Mandeville, Northampshire, England
Note:
Transcript of the will of John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville,Northamptonshire, England. Rachel Watson, archivist at the Northamptonshire County Records Office in England, took it upon herself to modernize the spellings, unfortunately. ):
"I John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville in the County of Northampton do makemy last will and testament bequeathing my soul unto God and my body to be buried in the church yard at Thorpe. And for my temporal goods I do bequeath as follows. I make the executors Katherine Mayo my beloved wife and Elizabeth Mayo my daughter and further my will is that my two executors shall divide my goods equally between them and also shall equally be enforced to pay my debts for the rent of the house and close and also those legacies hereafter named."
" To my son Mr. John Mayo I by legacy bequest a coffer of ash standingover the kitchen. To my son (in-law )Thomas Gilbert of Slapton I give all those tools which he have now in his keeping. I give to my daughter Anne Gervice one pewter platter as my executrix shall please to give. In witness hereafter, I have subscribed my hand the eighteenth of January 1629 ( 1630 ). I make my overseer Daniel Gervice my son-in-law. Signed: John Mayo. Witnesses were: William Gardener and Hannah Jarvis."
The will is dated Jan. 18, 1629/30. It was proved March 20, 1629/30.
According to Phillip Tillinghast Nickerson, Rev. Charles Chauncy, whoalso came to New England, had been great friends of Rev. John Mayo's father, John Mayo, and Chauncy gave John Mayo's last living as Thorpe Mandeville, Northamptonshire, England. I found John Mayo, believed to be the father of Rev. John Mayo, in records of Thorpe Mandeville...his was the only Mayo family in that town during the appropriate time period, going backwards and forwards many years.
I located a copy of his will, in which he named his children. I hadlots of wonderful help in Northamptonshire, England...and was able to locate the baptism records of the children of John and Katherine Mayo...including the baptism record that I believe strongly to be that of Rev. John Mayo. I was also able to locate other records concerning this Mayo family to round out things a bit.
Rev. Charles Chauncy was vicar of Marston St. Lawrence,Northamptonshire, England. And he was said to be a great friend of the father of Rev. John Mayo. It is my belief that John and Katherine Mayo were born and were married in Marston St. Lawrence. But guess what...yes....a fire destroyed the records in Marston St. Lawrence...that is why I can't prove my theory...and why I must color my hair because it is going quite gray from the frustration of it all!
ANYWAY...Since I could find no birth, baptism , or marriage record forJohn and Katherine Mayo anywhere after decades of searching, I am really thinking that they were born and married in Marston St. Lawrence...where they met and were friends with Rev. Charles Chauncy, vicar of that town. They shortly after marriage moved to the very next town over from Marston St. Lawrence, Farthinghoe, where all but their last child were baptized. They then moved a few miles away from there to Thorpe Mandeville, where they had their last child, lived out their lives there, and died. John Mayo died in 1629/30 and his wife, Katherine, died in 1633...both are buried in the church yard of Thorpe Mandeville, Northamptonshire, England. Probably, Elizabeth Mayo, who was unmarried at the time of her father's death and living with her parents, most likely went to live with her married sister and her family, still living in Thorpe Mandeville.
Interestingly enough, before Rev. Charles Chauncy was vicar in MarstonSt. Lawrence, there had been several Mayo vicars there as well. I tried very hard to trace them to John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville, but was unable to do so. They did not appear to marry or have children and the last Mayo vicar there left his land and property to his sister. Because of the lack of records in Marston St. Lawrence, I just was unable to link the Mayo vicars there in that little village to John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville, or to Rev. John Mayo. But it wasn't for lack of trying!
I tried to trace the line of descent of the probable sisters of Rev.John Mayo, who had married, but was unable to do so unfortunately. I just recently threw in the towel on that area of my research.
Looking at the will of John Mayo of Thorpe Mandeville, it tells us afew things. He was definitely not wealthy and had very little to leave his children, and didn't even mention his grandchildren in his will. He had nothing to leave them. His daughter, Joyce (Mayo) Gilbert, wasn't mentioned, leading me to believe that she was deceased at that point in time. He rented his home. He didn't own property. He left one of his daughters only one pewter platter. He had debts that had to be paid out of the estate.
He left his son, John Mayo, " a coffer of ash standing over thekitchen ". Mayo Research Experts claimed for decades that that meant that Rev. John Mayo was a holy man and in the exercise of his ministry in England. It meant nothing of the kind! According to Oxford University Library and the Northamptonshire County Records Office in England, a coffer is a box, a standing box, one of those dresser/ hutch types of furniture that stood in the kitchen, where the family kept all of their valuables...including the pewter platter that was left in the will to one of the daughters. And this piece of kitchen furniture was made from ashwood, of which they are very familiar in England.
John Mayo was the only son of John and Katherine Mayo, and his fatherleft him most likely the most valuable item in his possession.
I have been told by Mayo families who had worked on their genealogies,who lived in Brackley, near Farthinghoe,that the Mayo's who lived in Marston St. Lawrence and the surrounding towns, had come to Marston St. Lawrence in the mid-1500's, and spread out to the surrounding towns from there. And these Mayo's had originated in the county of Cornwall in England. He contacted his sister to get more information for me, but I never heard from her. I tried doing research in Cornwall but it was just impossible, because I didn't have enough information to go on in order to begin a full-scale search in that county. But I did the best that I could. To date, I have not been able to connect our Mayo's to that county...but I think that perhaps they did originate from there.
Sources:
1. Thorpe Mandeville, Northamptonshire, England church records.
2. Rachel Watson, archivist, at the Northamptonshire County RecordsOffice in England.
3. Nancy Long, town historian of Middleton-Cheney, Northamptonshire,England.( personally saw and held in her hands the various records involved.).
4. Oxford University Library.
5. The works of Phillip Tillinghast Nickerson.
6. This research can be found in " Rev. John Mayo and His Descendants" by Jean Mayo Rodwick, published in 2001.
Marriage 1 Katherine b: 1578 in Baldock, Hertford, England
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