Magdalen Amyas

     Magdalen was born in Greenwich, County Kent, England. Magdalen married Thomas Underhill, son of Hugh Underhill, circa 1571 in England. Magdalen's husband, Thomas, died before 7 June 1591 in Kenilworth Manor, Warwickshire, England, leaving her a widow. She was in a very unstable living and economic situation at Killingsworth due to the death of the Lord of Leicester. She had a family to care for and needed to find a way for them to support themselves as adults. At this time in history, London offered a wide variety of occupations; the best opportunities were in the apprenticeships offered by the crafts of the city. There were close to a hundred different apprenticeships available. By this juncture, it had become a common practice for the noble families of the country to place the younger sons of the family into apprenticeships in the city of London. In fact, during the early years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, an act was passed that restricted apprenticeships to families whose father’s spent at least 10 pounds per year of freehold, or to be descended from a gentleman or a merchant. It was a natural choice for Magdelen to look for apprenticeships for her sons. Her oldest son, Thomas, died young leaving John as the eldest and heir. The remaining two sons, George and Hugh, were placed into apprenticeships within the city of London.¹ Magdalen departed this life circa December 1597 in Warwickshire, England, at Kenilworth Manor.²