Wing Family History - The Wing Family Owl June, 1929

WING FAMILY HISTORY
ARTICLE

Publication Information

Name of Publication:

The Owl

Date of Article:

June 1929, Vol. 29, No. 2,

Page of Article:

Page 1723 thru 1724
Note: pages were renumbered to 2723 thru 2724

City of Publication:

Algoma

State/Country of Publication:

Wisconsin

Article Data

Names found in the article:

Article Text

Early Wings of England

     The following "Early Wings of England" was written and read by Lura B. Wing Benson at the meeting:
     The first known mention we have of Matthew Wing is contained in the records of St. Mary's Church at Banbury, England, under date April 15, 1576, when his second son, Thomas was christened. Banbury is situated about ninety-five miles from London and eighteen miles from Stratford-on-Avon, the home of Shakespeare. Its population does not exceed 4500 souls although its vicinity is thickly studded with villages. The famous little town is in the heart of a county that has been the scene of many stirring times in English history. Banbury is best known to English speaking people by a quaint nursery rhyme.
     "Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
     To see a fine lady on a white horse,
     etc."
The procession of the fine lady of the rings and bells takes place every year in Banbury with considerable ceremony.
     From the golden clouds of this illustrious age there emerged to us from oblivion Matthew Wing. His grandfather was either a Roman Catholic or a pagan. There is no record of his birth or of the birth of his oldest son, Fulk. Matthew was born about 1548 in the days of the boy king, Edward VI. The days of Matthew Wing's boyhood were days of gloom, terror and depression in England. The father was undoubtedly required to acknowledge the "real Presence" in the holy communion, as were all Englishmen of his day, and because they would not many were publicly burned at the stake. People were seized on suspicion and articles given to sign, and on their refusal they were condemned to the flames. With guarded tones these horrible events must have been told of around the fireside of Matthew's home, and his life sobered with their recital.
     Hollingshed, who lived in Quenn Elizabeth's reign, gave a very curious account of the plain or rather rude way of living in the preceeding generation, which would be the generation of Matthew's parents. There was scarcely a Chimney to the house even in the larger towns. The fire was kindled by the wall and the smoke sought its way out by the roof or door or windows; the houses were nothing but twigs plastered over with clay, the people slept on straw pallets and had a good round log under their head for a pillow.
     The value of money must be understood to appreciate the magnitude of Matthew's legacies in his will to his children. He gave 40 shillings to his son John. The comptroller of King Edward VI paid only 30 shillings a year rental for his house in Channel Row. The best pig could be purchased for four pence and the wages of a working man were eight pence a day. Only four men in all London were rated with an income of more than four hundred pounds a year in 1586. Coaches were not introduced in England until after 1580 and if Matthew and his wife Mary journeyed abroad they rode upon a small pony, Mary behind, as did Queen Elizabeth behind her chamberlain.
     The vital record of St. Mary's church at Banbury had been kept for eighteen years before the name of Wing appeared upon the church books in April 1576 when the baptism of Matthew's second son, Thomas, was recorded. The fact that from this time on for a period of over one hundred years the name of the family appears with regularity it may be surmised that Matthew and his wife married elsewhere and that their first son, Fulk, was not a native of Banbury.
     During all the religious exitement Matthew seems to have been a regular Communicant at St. Mary's and in his will he expressed the desire that his body be buried in St. Mary's church yard. Perhap he was a regular attendant for the reason that good "Queen Bess" provided a fine of twenty pounds upon those who absented themselves for a period of a month. Thirty years after the burial of Matthew Wing the bullets of Roundheads and Cavaliers were flying over the grave and the ground covering him was trampled upon by contending armies. Mary, wife of Matthew, and our first known materal ancestor, was buried in St. Mary's church yard July 24, 1613, and the first book of the church record recites: Matthew Wing, Taylor, buried Oct. 19, 1614. John Wing, the third son of Matthew and Mary was born in Banbury, England, and christened in the ancient church of St. Mary's January, 1584.
     Every question of religious ceremony was regulated by Queen Elizabeth. When Matthew, or Mary, carried the infant John up the stately aisles of old St. Mary's, he was baptized with the parents and attended kneeling at the sacrament, which was sealed by the sign of the cross. England at that time was an absolute monarchy and execution took place for robbery and felonies; whippings and burnings were punishment for lesser crimes.
     The boyhood of john was spent in Banbury. The schools of that day were called grammar schools and no doubt John made good use of them for he was able to matriculate at Oxford when only fifteen years of age. We cannot doubt that he was a regular Sunday school attendant at St. Mary's. His deeply spiritual nature was a surety of that. John entered Oxford University October 15, 1599, and in February, 1603, Queen's college invested him with the degree of Bachelor of Arts...

[Note all spelling as in article except were noted by me - DNW]

Repository Information

Ogden Family History Center (OFHC)
Call No.: (Film) 1036040 item 3
Microfiche set owned by Dale Wing

Notes

Extracted by Dale Wing - Oct 23, 2002

Submitted by

Dale N. Wing

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