File:Church of St John, Finchingfield Essex England - north chapel Kempe memorial.jpg

English: Church of St John the Baptist, Finchingfield, Essex, north chapel, marble wall monument to William Kempe (1555-1628), of Spain's Hall, Finchingfield, who married Philppa Gunter (d.1623), a daughter and co-heiress of Francis Gunter, of London and of Aldbury, Hertfordshire (marriage settlement dated l0th October 1588). With inscribed slate plaque and four coats of arms. Erected in 1652 by his nephew and heir Sir Robert Kempe. William Kempe was the son and heir of Robert Kempe (by 1526-1571 or later) of Spains Hall, a lawyer of Lincoln's Inn and a MP for Boroughbridge, by his wife Elizabeth Heigham, a daughter of Sir Clement Heigham of Barrow, Suffolk.(https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/kempe-robert-1526-71-or-later) (see pedigree chart https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryof00kemp/page/n173/mode/2up)

Arms of Kempe of Spain's Hall, Finchingfield, Essex: Argent, a chevron engrailed gules between three estoiles azure (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884). Arms at bottom: Kempe impaling Gunter (Sable, three dexter gauntlets argent), arms of Gunter also shown at top right. Part of inscription: Here lyeth William Kempe Esquire, Pious, just, hospitable, Master of himself soe much, that what others scarce doe by force and penalties Hee did by a Voluntary constancy Hold his peace Seaven yeares. Who was interred June ye 10th 1628 aged 73. And Philip(pa) his wife, A woman of a chaste life and religion, discreet in both, who was outlived by her husband in ye course of her owne life five yeares, and interred August 21 1623, the parents of one onely Davghter and child Jane, married with a dubble portion of graces and fortune into the Ancient family of ye Burgoinies in Warwickshire.

Their only child Jane Kempe married John Burgoyne, Esq., of Sutton in Bedfordshire, and it is believed that from this couple "the present" Vicar of Finchingfield was descended. John Burgoyne, of Sutton, was a grandson of Robert Burgoyne, of Wroxall, whose Inquisition was taken in 1613, which shows that the latter owned property in Staffordshire as well as in Warwickshire. William Kempe's singular monument has given notoriety to a story which is still the chief tradition of Finchingfield. As told to-day in his native village it appears that this squire, returning from a banquet, used foul language to his wife, whose gentle nature was so hurt that her tears were with difficulty stopped. When the squire returned to his sober senses he vowed that for seven years he would speak no word to anyone. This vow he most rigorously kept, filling up his days with manual labour by way of further penance. His toil resulted in the formation of seven pools or fishponds, each one larger than the last, stretching away from the hall to the woods near the town. His self-inflicted punishment was just completed — they say that it was the very day that he could once more speak — when he died.(Source: Frederick Hitchin- Kemp. A general history of the Kemp and Kempe families of Great Britain and her colonies, with arms, pedigrees, portraits, illustrations of seats, foundations, chantries, monuments, documents, old jewels, curios, etc.[1][2])

In the first half of the 17th century Sir Robert Kempe, nephew of William Kempe, inherited the estate. Sir Robert Kempe was the son of Robert Kempe, of Heydon, and married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Nicholas Miller, of Kent, and had by her three or more children. She was buried at Wrotham Church, Kent, and the inscription on her tomb is given in Thorpe's " Registrum Roffense " as follows : " Here lyeth the bodye of Elizabeth Kempe wife of Robert Kempe of Spains Hall in Finchingfield, in the County of Essex Esq, and daughter to Nicholas Miller Esquire who departed this life 28 June 1730(?). Sir Robert Kempe was knighted by Cromwell in the hall at Spain's. No son was living at his death so he was succeeded by Thomas Kempe at Pentlow. Thomas' grandson John died in 1726 and the Kempes of Essex died out in the male line. John Kempe's sister, Mary Kempe (d. 1730), took the property by her marriage to Sir Swinnerton Dyer, 3rd Baronet (1688-1736) of Great Dunmow in 1727 and with no sons in the family the estate passed to his youngest brother, Sir Thomas Dyer, 5th Baronet (1694-1780), (Essex Records Office, Estate and Family Records, Ruggles-Brise family of Spains Hall, Deeds, 1734-36, D/DRs/F7) who eventually sold the estate to Samuel Ruggles of Bocking in 1760.

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