Here are some more references to John Knyf and Thomas.
1446 John Knyf citizen and 'corsour' of London, in Close Rolls.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/hen6/vol4/pp431-436
1448 and 1452 John Knyf or Knyffe, "corsour", surety
https://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/239804116?GET&FILE=[WWW_LMA]simple_search.htm
1458 John Knyfe, plaintiff in Common Pleas. This doesn't give any more information, but it was in London.
https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40/788
Letter Books of London, 1470, Matilda Knif, widow, and Thomas, son of John Knyf, late "corser". Thomas was under-age.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-letter-books/voll/pp83-91
1492 Knyff, Thomas, of Iseldon (Islington), gentleman, a defendant for debt in Common Pleas.
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/Indices/CP40Indices/CP40no919/CP40no919Act.htm
1508 the executors of Knyff, Thomas, of Iseldon, Middx, gentleman, (Darset, William, of London, gent; Bayly, Richard, of St John Strete, Middx, yeoman), defendants in Common Pleas.
https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40no983
Since Thomas Knyff was described as a gentleman, he could be in other records, such as Heralds' Visitations. There are some records of a Knyff family in Upton-cum-Chalvey, Bucks. This is about 10 miles from High Wycombe, so that could be a connection.
Footnote 5
https://archive.org/details/historyantiquiti_03lips/page/n261/mode/2up?view=theater
1420 Knyf, Thomas, of Upton, Bucks, gent
https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40/636
Boulstrode of Upton, has Margaret the daughter of Thomas Knyffe
https://archive.org/details/fourvisitationso5657ryla/page/78/mode/2up?view=theater
Hi,
Thank you so much for the links and new avenues to explore above, I really appreciate your help and am looking forward to going through them in more detail this evening.
Until now I had just had mention of a Knyffe/Knyf family in 2 wills and now I can try to piece together some more information to work out why Thomas Pymme calls a Knyf his cousin:
Thomas Pymme 1505 Chepping (High) Wycombe (Buckinghamshire Archives DAWe 1-203)
'I will that my son Thomas Pymme shall, immediately after my decease have the lands and tenements returned, the revisions and services that I have in the parish of St Aegidius (St Giles) outside Cripplegate, London, in the suburbs of the same which were formerly of John Knyffe, London, to be held and held for him and the heirs of the body by their own right'.
Thomas Pymme 1549/50 Isolden (Islington) Middlesex (National Archives PROB 11-33-54).
'First I will and bequeath my tenement I now dwell in in Iseldon with [?] acres and a half of land which were some time my cousin Knyfys'.Another mention of a Knyff (but I am not sure if they are linked) is in Stow where he discusses the late dissolved priory of St Bartholomew's and it's burials:
'Alice, wife to Balstred, daughter of Kniffe' [no year given]*
This seems to fit with the Bulstrode family in the visitation link.
Thanks again and best wishes Emma
*pg 320 A survey of London written in the year 1598 by John Stow with an Introduction by Antonia Fraser. Sutton Publishing 2005.