Sharp Practice: An Exposé of the Sharpe Pedigree from the 1558 Visitation of Essex

by Rosie Bevan^{^[1]}

Abstract

This article investigates the accuracy of the Sharpe pedigree from the Visitation of Essex 1558 against historical sources. As a result of the investigation the pedigree is deemed to be largely fabricated, but some surprising discoveries are made, including the true ancestry of Agnes, wife of Nicholas Sharpe, and her identity as mother of Robert Fabian, the notable chronicler of the fifteenth century.