Sir John Smythe

1554 - 1608  (54 years)

• Name	Sir John Smythe  [1, 2]
  Birth	1554	Westenhanger, Kent, England   [1, 2]
  Baptism	1 Apr 1554	London, England   [1]
  	(Saint Andrew's)
  Gender	Male
  Death	29 Nov 1608	Ashford, Kent, England   [1, 2]
  Burial	Ashford, Kent, England   [2]
  	(St Mary the Virgin Church)
  Person ID	I9122	A Tree Called Smith
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	Sir Thomas Smythe,   b. 4 Jan 1530, Kent, England d. 7 Jun 1591, Westenhanger, Kent, England (Age 61 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Dame Alicia Judde,   b. 25 Jun 1535, Westenhanger, Kent, England d. 21 Oct 1593, St Botolph Aldgate, London, England (Age 58 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	1554	Westenhanger, Kent, England   [1]
  Family ID	F3287	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lady Elizabeth Fineux,   b. 1562, Kent, England d. 16 Mar 1608, Kent, England (Age 46 years)
  Marriage	Jan 1576	Kent, England   [1]
  Children	1. 1st Viscount Strangford Sir Thomas Smythe,   b. 1599, Kent, England d. 30 Jun 1635, London, England (Age 36 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F3154	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1554 - Westenhanger, Kent, England Baptism - 1 Apr 1554 - London, England Marriage - Jan 1576 - Kent, England Death - 29 Nov 1608 - Ashford, Kent, England Burial - - Ashford, Kent, England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Arms Icons & Insignia

  Arms-SMITH Recorded in the spellings of Smith, Smithe, Smythe, and the patronymics Smiths, and Smithson, this is the most popular surname in the English speaking world by a considerable margin. Of pre 7th century Anglo-Saxon origins, it derives from the word 'smitan' meaning 'to smite' and as such is believed to have described not a worker in iron, but a…

  
  

• Sources

  [S54] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT : Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;), Database online. [S6040] FindAGrave Old World, John Smythe 1556-1608. Sir John Smith or Smythe (1557 – 29 October 1608), of Westenhanger, Kent. He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Smythe, a London haberdasher who was a collector of customs duties ("customer") and who had bought Westenhanger Castle. His brother was Thomas Smythe, the first governor of the East India Company. John entered Gray's Inn to study law in 1577. He succeeded his father in 1591, inheriting Westenhanger Castle, and was knighted on 11 May 1603. He was a Justice of the Peace for Kent from 1587 to his death and was appointed High Sheriff of Kent for 1600–01. He was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) for Aylesbury in 1584 and Hythe in 1586, 1587 and 1604. He was the Deputy Governor of the Mines Royal from 1605 to death. He died in 1608 and was buried at Ashford. He had married Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of John Fyneux of Herne, Kent, and had 2 sons (one of whom predeceased him) and 6 daughters. His surviving son Thomas was created an Irish peer in 1635, becoming Viscount Strangford. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43365559/john-smythe_high_sheriff_of_kent