John Seyliard 1662-1745

John SEYLIARD 1662-1745

Biographical Note

John Seyliard, of Pendell (Pendhill, Penhill, Pennhill), Bletchingley, Surrey, was the son of Thomas Seyliard Esq. of Penshurst and Mary daughter of Robert Holman of Pendell (d.1664), later Lee. Mary Lee inherited Pendell on the death without issue of her brother in 1686. John, her son by her first marriage, inherited it and the Manor House Pendell Court on her death. The Seyliards were an extensive Kent family, with many branches in the west of the county, including Edenbridge, Chiddingstone, and the manor of Delaware, Brasted, as well as Penshurst. John Seyliard attended University College, Oxford (matriculated 1681). He married in 1692 Margaret (or Marjorie) Amherst (d. 1712), daughter of Jeffrey Amherst Esq. of Riverhead, Kent. They had 5 daughters and three sons, including his heir John Seyliard Jr. who died in 1750. All their names are recorded on a memorial in St Mary's Church Bletchingley, along with his grandfather Robert Holman, and his parents Mary and Thomas Seyliard. On inheriting Pendell (date unknown, between 1686 and 1692), John Seyliard lived there until his death, and left little mark on the public record, except that he has been noted as the longest-lived Lord of the Manor of Pendell, which was absorbed into the manor of Bletchingley by the end of the 18th century.

The inscription of John Seyliard in Cranston Library 1507, Cicero, Omnia Opera, vol. 1 (1617).

Books

Between 1701 and 1708, John Seyliard gave 114 books to Reigate Publick Library, the vast majority of them in March and April 1701, within the first few weeks of its existence. In the inscriptions placed in the books by the library's founder the Revd. Andrew Cranston, he spelled Seyliard's name in 8 different ways. Members of Seyliard's wife's family, the Amhersts, also gave books to the Library. In the Register of Benefactors that he kept, Cranston recorded Seyliard's donated books, along with the note "This Gentleman gave at least in all 113 volumes great & small, all useful books of their kind."

The inscription of John Seyliard in Cranston Library 1508, Cicero, Omnia Opera, vol. 2 (1617).

Characteristic Markings

Two of his donated books have his signature. Several books have a distinctive monogram in ink. Other books have the signatures of Thomas Seyliard (assumed to be his father, though this was a common family forename), and Robert Holman, his maternal grandfather. (Further examination of the books may yield other signatures and marks of ownership.)

Sources

• British History Online.
• Foster, J. Alumni Oxonienses. London, 1892.
• Information from Hilary Ely, the Cranston Library.

With thanks to Hilary Ely.