Yes, I went back and read your original post pointing out that John the Elder had to be younger than Thomas of Sydenham. So the reference in his Will to his daughter Elnor Austin and the marriage record for Elnore Wysse and Tomas Awstyn in 1574 does negate the tidy theory of the Emmet/Wilmet mix-up.
That leaves he question of William and Samuel: were they half-brothers or distant relatives? The 1605 charter of the Spanish company lists the 557 original members, of whom 43 were from Totnes (many more than from any town other than London, Bristol and Exeter). Of those, 6 were named Wise: Christopher, John, Eustace, Samuel, William and Nicholas. It would be cool to think of them as 6 brothers.
However, the John Wise who married first Mary Full and then Dorothy Brooking, was the son of William Wise, so it looks as though there were two Williams and two Samuels living at Totnes at that time. Is that your conclusion?
A book called "The Good Town of Totnes" first published in 1964, states that a Roger Wise was a substantial householder there in 1425, and in about 1439 Reginald wise leased land to build houses outside the main gate.
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