Notes to the diary: 1562

The Diary of Henry Machyn, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, 1550-1563. Originally published by Camden Society, London, 1848.

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'Notes to the diary: 1562', in The Diary of Henry Machyn, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, 1550-1563, ed. J G Nichols( London, 1848), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/camden-record-soc/vol42/pp388-393 [accessed 7 October 2024].

'Notes to the diary: 1562', in The Diary of Henry Machyn, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, 1550-1563. Edited by J G Nichols( London, 1848), British History Online, accessed October 7, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/camden-record-soc/vol42/pp388-393.

"Notes to the diary: 1562". The Diary of Henry Machyn, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, 1550-1563. Ed. J G Nichols(London, 1848), , British History Online. Web. 7 October 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/camden-record-soc/vol42/pp388-393.

1562

Ibid. The great O'Neill of Ireland. This person, whom our Diarist in the next page takes the liberty to call "the wild Irishman," was John or Shane O'Neill, eldest son of Connac O'Neill, created earl of Tyrone by Henry VIII. in 1542. After a career the turbulence of which fully justifies Machyn's epithet, he was slain in the year 1567, by Alexander Oge MacConnell.

P. 275. Funeral of the countess of Bath. Margaret, only child of John Donnington, of Stoke Newington in Middlesex, married successively to sir Thomas Kytson, sir Richard Long, and John Bourchier earl of Bath. The last died in 1560. Her monument in Hengrave church, Suffolk, with recumbent effigies of herself and her three husbands, is engraved in Gage's History of that parish, 1822, 4to. p. 65; and in the same volume are several letters to and from her, an inventory of her property, her will, and an account of her funeral expenses, &c.

Ibid. Play by the gentlemen of the Temple. This play was the celebrated "Ferrex and Porrex," written by Sackville and Norton, the old editions of which bear in their titlepage, that it was "shewed before the Queenes most excellent Majestie, in her Highnes court of Whitehall, the 18th Jan. 1561, by the gentlemen of the Inner Temple." Collier's Hist. of English Dramatic Poetry, i. 180.

Ibid. Robert Cooke, afterwards Clarenceux king of arms, was created Rose-Blanch pursuivant Jan. 25, and Chester herald Jan. 29, 1561; his patent for the latter office is printed in Rymer's Fœdera, &c. vol. xv. p. 620; followed by that advancing his predecessor, William Flower, to the office of Norroy (see the ceremony of creation mentioned in p. 276).

P. 275. Funeral of Charles Wryothesley, Windsor herald. He died "at Camden's howsse, in the parish of St. Pulcres in London." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 27b.) "Item. On Sounday the 25th of January, An°. 1561, departed out of this world about sixe of the cloacke, Charles Wryotheley al's Windsour herauld, who was buryed at Saint Sepulcres churche w'hout Newgate, on Tuesday in the morning, at the which buriall the sayd corsse was covered with a pall of blacke velvett, and on the same was laid a rich coate of armes, and of each corner of the sayd corpes went a pursivant of armes in a mourning gowne and hood, and in their coates of armes. And after the corsse went Somersett herauld in his gowne and hood, and after him Mr. Garter and Mr. Clarencieux, and after them the rest of the office of armes not in blacke." From the Papers of Sir Edward Walker, Garter, "Heralds, vol. I. p. 120, Coll. Arm." See also the MS. I. 13, f. 34.

P. 276. Julyus Sesar "played." I appended the editorial note to the word played in this passage, because it appeared to me very doubtful whether it was not added by a person who misunderstood what our Diarist meant to record. It is possible there was no play of Julius Cæsar performed on this occasion, beyond his personation among the men of arms, in the cavalcade, like one of the "men in armour" in my Lord Mayor's show. Mr. Collier, however, (Hist. of English Dramatic Poetry, i. 180; ii. 415,) has quoted this passage of our Diary as attesting the existence of an historical play, called Julius Cæsar, and which would have been the first English drama derived from Roman history.

P. 277. Christening of master Cromwell's daughter. The first supposition in the footnote is correct. The child's mother was the daughter of sir Ralph Warren, formerly lord mayor of London, and "my lady White" was grandmother as well as godmother, as will be seen by consulting the note already given in p. 330.

P. 279. Funeral of Robert Mellish. Died March, 1562. Epitaph in Stowe.

P. 280. Marriage of master Bacon's daughter. James Bacon, a brother of the lord keeper, was a fishmonger and alderman of London, and sheriff in 1569, but died in 1573, before arriving at the mayoralty. He was buried at St. Dunstan's in the East, and his epitaph will be found in Stowe's Survay, edit. 1633, p. 139.

P. 281. Funeral of sir Giles Strangways. This was the name of the knight our Diarist calls Strange. "Sir Gyles Strangwysh, of Melbury Sanford, in the county of Dorset, knight, dysceased the xjth of Apryll, 1562, and is beryed in the churche of Melbury. He maryed Jone doter of John Wadham of Meryfelde in the county of Somerset, and by her had issue John Stranguysh son and heyr, George 2 son, Nycolas 3 son, Anne." (MS. Lansd. 897, f. 20b.)

P. 281. Monstrous child. The prodigious births of the year 1562 (see pp. 281, 282, 284) will be found duly chronicled by Stowe, and they are thus noticed in a letter of bishop Jewell to H. Bullinger: "Incredibilis fuit hoc anno toto apud nos cœli atque aeris intemperies. Nec sol, nec luna, nec hyems, nec ver, nec æstas, nec autumnus, satisfecit officium suum. Ita effatim et pene sine intermissione pluvit, quasi facere jam aliud cœlum non queat. Ex hac contagione nata sunt monstra: infantes fœdum in modum deformatis corporibus, alii prorsus sine capitibus, alii capitibus alienis; alii trunci sine brachiis, sine tibiis, sine cruribus; alii ossibus solis cohærentes, prorsus sine ullis carnibus, quales fere imagines mortis pingi solent. Similia alia complura nata sunt e porcis, ex equabus, e vaccis, e gallinis. Messis hoc tempore apud nos augustius quidem provenit, ita tamen ut non possimus multum conqueri. Sarisberiæ, 14 Augusti, 1562." Zurich Letters, 1st Series, epist. L.

P. 283. Funeral of master Godderyke. It seems not improbable, from the attendance at this funeral, that this was a brother or near relative of the late bishop of Ely and lord chancellor. In the register of St. Andrew's he is styled sir Richard Goodricke. (Malcolm.)

Ibid. Funeral of lady Cheney. See the note on sir Thomas Cheney in p. 369. There is an effigy of the lady at Toddington; see the Topographer, 1846, vol. i. p. 156.

P. 284. The Ironmongers' Feast. At "A courte holden the xxvij. day of May, A° 1562," the following order was made, "Whereas the dyner hath hearetofore bene used to be kept upon the sondaye next after Trynitie sondaye, that the dyner shall from henceforthe be kepte upon the monday sevennight after Trynitie sonday, that is to saye, the mondaye next after the olde accustomed daye; and that the yeomondrye, as well househoulders as others, must be warned to be at the hall upon the sayd monday in their best arraye, as they have bene accustomed to be heretofore upon the sondaye, for to offer at the churche as aforetime ewssid." This was an alteration in accordance with the increased respect for the sabbath enjoined by the Reformation. Mr. Christopher Draper, alderman, was master of the company on this occasion; William Done and John Miston, wardens. (Communicated by John Nicholl, esq. F.S.A.)

P. 284. Helyas Hall. The real name of this prophet was Elizeus Hall: many particulars respecting him will be found in Strype, Annals, chap. 25.

P. 285. The monument of sir William Walworth. This memorable civic hero had founded a college for chantry priests attached to the church of St. Michael's, Crookedlane; see his will printed in the Excerpta Historica, 1831. 8vo. The college shared the fate of other religious foundations; but the monument was now restored by the zeal of a member of the Fishmongers' Company, which afterwards kept it in repair, until it was destroyed in the great fire of 1665. The poetical epitaph, which was added at one of the repairs, will be found in Weever's Funerall Monuments and the several Histories of London. Stowe states the epitaph in his time bore the name of Jack Straw in lieu of that of Wat Tyler,— an historical error for which he severely censures the Fishmongers as "men ignorant of their antiquities;" but our own Diarist has made a still graver error in naming Jack Cade, the rebel of the days of Henry VI.

P. 286. Master Fuwilliam. This probably records the burial of Thomas FitzWilliam alias Fisher, who was a natural son of the Earl of Southampton, mentioned by Ralph Brooke in his Catalogue of Nobility. The Earl, who died at Newcastle when commanding the Van of the army sent against Scotland in 1542, left no legitimate issue.

P. 288. Marriage of master Coke and master Nicholls's daughter. "John Nicolls of London, gentleman, at this present (1568) comtroller of the workes at London bridge, and all other lands and revenues of the same, and in charge for provision of corne for the city of London," married for his first wife Christian Thompson, and had issue two daughters, Mary married to Francis Gerrard, and Elizabeth married to Edmond Cooke of Lizens in Kent gentleman—the marriage mentioned by Machyn. Mr. Nicholls married, secondly, Elen daughter of James Holt of Stubley, co. Lancaster. (Visitation of Middlesex, by Robt. Cooke, Clarencieux, 1568.) Machyn has afterwards (p. 305) noticed a christening at Mr. Nicholls's, probably of a daughter, by his second marriage. The descendants of his brother Thomas Nicholls (among whom was William Nicholls, dean of Chester,) are recorded in the Bedfordshire visitation of 1628. MS. Harl. 1531, f. 158.

Ibid. My lord Giles's daughter. Another daughter of lord Giles Pawlet was christened the next year at the same church: "lady Elizabeth Pawlett, 31 Aug. 1563:" and on the 25th Julie, 1572, was buried at St. Botulph's "Lady Pallat, wife to the right hon. lord Gyles Pallat." Malcolm's Lond. Rediv. i. 344.

P. 289. Alderman Chamberlain chosen sheriff. "Rychard Chamberlen, ironmonger, alderman and late shreve of London, dyed on tuesday the xixth of November, 1566, in A° 9° Elizabeth' Regine, at his howsse in the parishe of St. Olyff in the Old Jury, and was beryed on Monday 25. of November, in the parishe churche there. He married first Anne, doughter of Robert Downe of London, ironmonger, and had issue Elizabeth wyff to Hugh Stewkley of London lawyar, Thomas Chamberlen, Rychard, Alexander, Robert, Margery, John, George; secondly, Margarat, wedo of Bristo groser of London, doter and one of th'eyrs of Nycolas Hurleton, of Cheshire, somtyme clerk of the grene cloth to king H. 8. She dyed sans issu." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 30.) Alderman Chamberlain's epitaph will be found in Stowe.

P. 290. Funeral of the earl of Oxford. "This John Vere, erl of Oxford, dysseased at his castell of Hemyngham in Essex on Monday the 3. of August, in the 4. yere of the quene our soveraigne lady Elizabeth, &c. 1562, and was beryed on tewsday the 25. of August next enshewing, at the parishe churche of Hemyngham. He married firstDoraty, doughter of Raff erle of Westmerland, and had issue Kateren wyff to Edward lord Wyndesor; secondly, Margery doughter of Golding, syster to sir Thomas Goldinge, and had issue Edward erl of Oxford, and Mary." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 81.)

P. 291. Master Hulsun master Heyword's deputy. Sir Rowland Hayward died Dec. 5, 1593, having lived "an alderman the space of 30 yeares, and (at his death) the ancientest alderman of the said city." (Epitaph in St. Alphage, where his monument still remains, with effigies of two wives and sixteen children, and was repaired in 1777, when the church was rebuilt.) He was sheriff in 1563–4. It is therefore possible that sir Rowland may have been the "master Heyword" mentioned in this page; but then he appears to have been alderman of Cripplegate ward, and dwelt in Philip lane, by Cripplegate, in the house adjoining St. Alphage's church. (Arms of the Lord Mayors, by Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.) Master Hulsun may have been "deputy" alderman of the same ward; but buried at saint Bride's in Fleet-street on account of his connection with Bridewell hospital.

P. 291. Funeral of the countess of Bedford. Margaret daughter of sir John St. John of Bletsoe, and first wife of Francis second earl of Bedford. "Lady Margaret, countess of Bedford, dyed at Owborne the xxviijth of August, and was beryed the xth of September at Chenyes, in A° 1562." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 84.)

P. 292. Funeral of lord (not lady) Mordaunt. John first lord Mordaunt, summoned to parliament in 1558, died 28 Aug. 1562, at Turvey, co. Bedford, where he was buried, and a sumptuous monument erected with effigies of himself and lady, of which there is an engraving in Halstead's Genealogies, fol. 1785, p 593.

P. 293. Funeral of sir Harry Grey, brother to the earl of Kent. Richard earl of Kent, having much wasted his estate by gaming, died at the sign of the George in Lombardstreet, in 15 Hen. VIII. and was buried at the White Friars in Fleet-street. Whereupon his brother and heir male, sir Henry Grey of Wrest, by reason of his slender estate, declined to take upon him the title of Earl. (Ralph Brooke's Catalogue of Nobilitie.) He died Sept. 24, 1562; and in his epitaph at St. Giles's, Cripplegate, was styled "Sir Henry Grey knight, sonne and heire to George lord Grey of Ruthen and earl of Kent." (Stowe's Survay.) The dignity was resumed by his grandson Reginald, in 1571. "Sir Harry Grey knight dyed at his howsse in London in Sant Gyles parishe the xvjth day of September, in the 4th yere of our soveraigne lady quene Elizabethe, and was buryed in the parishe churche there the xxijth of the same mounthe, and lyeth in the chapel of the south syde the quere. The said sir Henry maryd Anne doghter of John Blenerhasset, in the county of Suffolk." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 20b, where his issue is also stated.)

P. 294. Cree-church. The duke of Norfolk's town mansion (here written "Chrychyre") was near the church called St. Katharine's Cree-church or Christ's church, in the ward of Aldgate. It has been before mentioned in p. 186.

Ibid. Funeral of mistress Chamley. This paragraph is so imperfect that it is not certain that it relates to the wife of the Recorder. He, however, was buried at St. Dunstan's in the West in the following April (see p. 395), and his epitaph commenced—"Ranulphus Cholmeley chara hic cum conjuge dormit."

Ibid. Funeral of mistress Lewen. See a former note (p. 344) on this lady's husband. At "a quarter court (of the Ironmongers' company) 19 Jan. 1562[–3] was brought into this house 2 salts with a cover, all gilt, weighing lxv. oz. which Mrs. Agnes Lewen lately gave at hir deceas to this company." Richard Chamberlain the sheriff, executor, and William Draper the overseer, of mistress Lewen's will, were both members of the same fraternity.

P. 296. Master Hunton that married my lady of Warwick. Sir Edward Unton, K.B. on the 29th April, 1555, married Anne, one of the daughters of the protector Somerset, and widow of John Dudley, earl of Warwick, the eldest son of John duke of Northumberland. See the memoirs prefixed to Unton Inventories, 1841, 4to. p. xxxvii.

Ibid. Funeral of Arthur Dericote esquire. Citizen and draper: see his poetical epitaph in Robinson's History of Hackney, vol. ii. p. 27, accompanied by some account of his funeral, derived from the present Diary. See also the MS. Lansdowne 874, f. 123b.

P. 297. Funeral of sir Humphrey Browne. This venerable judge of the common pleas had been first appointed in the 34 Hen. VIII. 1543, and had continued to sit on the bench through the reigns of Edward and Mary. Stowe records that he bequeathed "divers houses" to the parish of St. Martin Orgar's, but describes no other memorial of him.

Ibid. Funeral of William lord Grey of Wilton, K.G. The circumstancial account of this ceremonial, drawn up by one of the attendant heralds, is appended to the "Commentarie of the Services" of this nobleman, in the volume edited for the Camden Society by Sir Philip Grey Egerton, Bart. The church (left blank in p. 298,) was Cheshunt, co. Hertford; the preacher was Michael Reniger; and in line 17, for "master de[an's] plase," read "master De[nny's] plase."