Knollys family

Knollys, the name of an English family descended from Sir Thomas Knollys, Lord Mayor of London. The first distinguished member of the family was Sir Francis Knollys (c. 1514–1596), English statesman, son of Robert Knollys, or Knolles (died 1521), a courtier in the service and favour of Henry VII and Henry VIII. From the time of Sir Francis, the family were associated with Greys Court at Rotherfield Greys and Caversham Park, then in Oxfordshire, as well as the nearby town of Reading in Berkshire, where the family's private chapel could once be seen in the church of St Laurence.

Francis Knollys entered the service of Henry VIII before 1540, became a Member of Parliament in 1542 and was knighted in 1547 while serving with the English army in Scotland. He became custodian of Wallingford Castle in 1551. A strong and somewhat aggressive supporter of the reformed doctrines, he become a privy councillor, vice-Chamberlain of the royal household and a Member of Parliament under Queen Elizabeth, whose cousin Catherine Carey, was his wife. ..... more

Elizabeth Knollys

• A1. Sir Thomas Knolles, Mayor of London, d:1435;
  • B1. Richard Knollys, b:1414, m. Margaret Doyley;
    • C1. Robert Knollys, b:1435, m. Elizabeth Troutbeck;
      • D1. Robert Knollys of Rotherfield Greys, lvd:1481/1520, m. Lettice Pennystone;
        • E1. Sir Francis Knollys, knight, d:1596, m. Catherine Carey;  ==>  Carey family
          • F1. Elizabeth Knollys, m. Sir Thomas Leighton;
          • F2. Anne Knollys, b:1655, m. Thomas West, Lord De La Warr;  <==  West family