Jack O'Newbury

Jack O'Newbury (1489–1557) was the much-used nickname of John Winchcombe. Jack was one of the richest and most influential English cloth merchants of the early 16th century. As the nickname suggests, he resided in Newbury in Berkshire.

The name is often mistakenly attributed to John Smallwood, alias Winchcombe (1465 - 1519). This was John Winchcombe's father, a man who originally came from Barking in Essex.[1] His alias of "Winchcombe" was his stepfather's surname.

Biography

Jack is reported to have been born in Newbury, Berkshire, and christened John. His father, John Smallwood alias Winchcombe (c. 1465-1519), had migrated to Newbury from Barking in Essex around the year 1500 and was a clothier. He began the rebuilding of St Nicolas Church in 1500 and was buried there under a monumental brass (which survives) when he died in February 1519. His son continued in the same business, becoming a rich clothier in Newbury. Over the course of his life, he was said to have set up the first factory in England, sent troops to the Battle of Flodden, and refused a knighthood from King Henry VIII. His story is told by Thomas Deloney in his Pleasant History of John Winchcombe and less fully in Thomas Fuller's History of the Worthies of England.

Jack was a patron of Newbury, contributing especially to the Church, and became a member of parliament. The site of his house can still be seen off Northbrook Street, and contemporary panelling from the building is in the West Berkshire Museum.

References

  1. ↑ Peacock, David. The Winchcome Family and the Woollen Industry in Sixteenth-Century Newbury. University of Reading, 2003, p. 207.


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