Dionyse 'Denise' Leveson

Will

Selections from http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-43-645.pdf

SUMMARY: The document below is the last will and testament, dated 13 March 1559 (will of lands) and 1 August 1560 (will of goods) and proved 20 December 1560, of Dionyse (nee Bodley) Leveson (d. 2 December 1560), grandmother of William Leveson (d.1621), who acted as trustee to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, including William Shakespeare of Stratford upon Avon, in the allocation of shares in the ground lease of the Globe Theatre in 1599.

The testatrix was the daughter of Thomas Bodley (d.1492) and Joan Leche (c.1450-1530), daughter of Denis Leche of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and his wife, Elizabeth. Joan Leche’s brother, John Leche, was vicar of Saffron Walden from 1489-1521. For the will of the testatrix’ father, Thomas Bodley, see TNA PROB 11/9/374.

After the death of the testatrix’ father, the testatrix’ mother married Sir Thomas Bradbury (d.1510), Lord Mayor of London in 1509, by whom she had no issue. For the will of Sir Thomas Bradbury, see TNA PROB 11/16/90. For the testatrix’ mother, Joan (nee Leche) Bodley Bradbury (d.1530), see her will, TNA PROB 11/23/272, and the Wikipedia article edited by the author of this website.

The testatrix married Nicholas Leveson (c.1490 - 20 August 1539), the son of Richard Leveson (d.1503) of Prestwood and Jane Bradbury, who appears to have been the sister of the testatrix’ stepfather, Sir Thomas Bradbury (d.1510), Lord Mayor of London,

See the Sutherland Collection at the Staffordshire Record Office: https://www.search.sutherlandcollection.org.uk/search.aspx?SearchTy...
32

See also the Leveson pedigree in ‘Star Chamber Proceedings Henry VIII and Edward IV’, Collections for a History of Staffordshire, (London: Harrison and Sons, 1912), pp. 1-206 at p. 34A:

https://archive.org/stream/collectionsforhi03staf_3#page/n57/mode/2up

See also the will of Nicholas Leveson, TNA PROB 11/27/552.

By Nicholas Leveson, the testatrix had eight sons and ten daughters. In his own will, Nicholas Leveson mentions four sons, John, Thomas, Nicholas and William, and five daughters, Grisell, Joan (or Jane), Alice, Mary and Dionyse.

Children include:

• 1. Joann LEVERSON b: ABT 1518 in London, England
• 2. Grisell LEVERSON b: ABT 1520 in London, England
• 3. Alice Elizabeth Nicholson LEVERSON b: ABT 1523 in Halling Kent, Yorkshire, England
• 4. Mary LEVERSON b: ABT 1522 in London, England

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Leche

Joan Leche (c. 1450 – March 1530), benefactress, was the wife successively of Thomas Bodley, and of Thomas Bradbury, Lord Mayor of London in 1509. ...

Dionysia Bodley (d.1561), the youngest daughter.[8] She married the citizen and Mercer Nicholas Leveson (d.1539), second son of Richard Leveson Esquire of Prestwood, Staffordshire (d.1503) by his wife Jane Bradbury. (Leveson and his younger brother James (d. 1547)[9] were leading merchants of London and Wolverhampton.) They had eight sons and ten daughters,[10] including at least three sets of twins.[citation needed] Of these,

• John Leveson, eldest son, was killed in Kett's Rebellion.[11]
• Thomas Leveson (1532-1576), second son,[12] married Ursula Gresham (1534-1574), daughter of Sir John Gresham (c.1495–1556), Lord Mayor.[13] Of their children,
  • Sir John Leveson (1555–1615) was instrumental in putting down the Essex rebellion of 8 February 1601[14][15]
  • William Leveson (d.1621) was one of two trustees used by William Kempe, Thomas Pope, Augustine Phillips, John Heminges and William Shakespeare (1564-1616) to allocate shareholdings in the Globe Theatre in 1599.[16]

Thomas Bodley left an estate of £1000, of which his wife, Joan, was entitled to a third, and his children another third, according to the custom of the City of London.[17] Sutton considers it likely that she continued to run her late husband's business.[18]

References

1. Barron, Caroline. Medieval London Widows, 1300-1500. (1994). Page 211. < GoogleBooks >
2. http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I5196&tree=tree1
3. http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I54605&tree=... (dead link)
4. http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-50-162.pdf The testator was the son of Nicholas Leveson (d. 20 August 1539) and Dionyse Bodley (d.1560). For the will of the testator’s father, Nicholas Leveson, see TNA PROB 11/27/552. For the will of the testator’s mother, Dionyse Bodley, see TNA PROB 11/43/645.
5. http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-43-645.pdf
6. https://archive.org/details/visitationscoun01banngoog/page/n160/mod...
7. https://archive.org/details/collectionsforhi03staf_3/page/n57/mode/...
8. The Wallop family and their ancestry, Vol. 2. page viewer 273, page number 487, chart # 604. < FamilySearch > (sign in first with free ID.). Result from current image ... Nicholas Leveson, of Prestwood: d. 1482-3, m. unknown. > Richard Leveson, of Prestwood: d. 1502-3 m. Jane, da. [sic: probably sister; he had no known children] of Sir Thomas Bradbury, mercer, of London; Lord Mayor 1509. > Nichols Leveson, of Haling, Kent; Sheriff of London 1534; d. 1539. m. Dioysia, da. of Thomas Bodley, citizen of London, by Joan, sister of John Leche, vicar of Walden; foundress of Walden grammar school 1522; d. 10 September 1561.