Dame Mary Littleton née Walter (1567-1633), of Henley, Shropshire; her ancestry and medieval royal descent

by Michael P Bodman[1]

Abstract

Nathaniel Littleton (1605-1654), immigrant to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, c.1635, has long been the subject of American genealogical interest but the origin and ancestry of his mother, Dame Mary Littleton, née Walter (1567-1633), had not been documented. This article reports research on her origin and ancestry, carried out in 2007 at TNA and in the official registers at the College of Arms, London. One of the findings is Dame Mary’s medieval royal ancestry through her thrice-married grandmother, Katherine (Hackluit) (Foxe) (Depden) (d. after 28 April 1582), daughter of Thomas Trentham, junior, Esq, (d.1519) of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, MP, by his wife Elizabeth Corbet. This article presents the ancestry of Dame Mary (Walter) Littleton, including the 15th- and 16th-century generations from which she derives her medieval royal descent from Edward I of England.