2. 1392. John PYNCHEON, Citizen and Jeweller of London 3. 1395. Lady Alice WEST, of Hinton Marcel, Hampshire (Codi- 4. 1402. John GIRDELER of Harefield, near Uxbridge, Middlesex 5. 1406. Richard Roos of London, ? once of Beverley, Yorkshire 6. 1408. John PLOT (alias Rouwenhole or Rouwenhale), Citizen NO. A.D. PAGE 18. 1420. 17. 1418, 1420. John BROUNE, of Henry V.'s Chamber, and of ... ... ... ... ... 22. 1424-5. Roger FLORE, Landowner, of Okeham, Rutlandshire 23. 1425. William NEWLAND of London (and Normandy), going William DAVY, Citizen and Fishmonger of London William HANYNGFELD, of Bikinacre, Essex John CREDY, Esq., of London (and Devonshire, &c.) ... Robert SCHAPMAN, of Haringay, Hornsey, Middlesex Richard WHYTEMAN, Citizen and Waxchandler of London Walter NEWENT, ? of St. Pancras, London Hary van SANDWYK, of St. Clements, East Cheap, London Alys CHIRCHE, Widow, of St. Mary Hill, London 33. 1430. Richard GRAVELEY, of London, Grocer 34. 1431. William FITZ-HARRY, of Cosin Lane, London 35. 1431. Richard TYRELL, ? of Stoke-Dabernon, Surrey 36. 1431-2. Isabel GREGORY, of Hackney, Middlesex 37. 1432-3. Richard GRAY, of St. Bartholomews, London 38. 1433. John BARNET, Citizen and Draper of London 43. 1434. Roger ELMESLEY, of London, once a Waxchandler's 44. 1434-5. Isabelle Dove, wife of Thomas DOVE, Citizen of London, ... 46. 1438. Richard DIXTON, Esq., of Siscetre (Cirencester), Gloster- Nicholas CHARLETON, Citizen and Skinner of London 112 49. 1439. Sir Ralph ROCHEFORT, of Lincolnshire. (English Wills, viii ΤΟ J. CHALLENOR SMITH, ESQ., SUPERINTENDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR LITERARY ENQUIRY, IN THE REGISTRY OF THE COURT OF PROBATE, SOMERSET HOUSE, LONDON. MY DEAR SIR, You will remember how the Wills in this little volume came to be copied. You had, and have, in the Probate Court those twenty-eight Boxes of Inventories of Testators' goods which the Executors and Administrators of our Forefathers were bound to exhibit to the former Officers of the Archbp. of Canterbury. Among these Inventories we Shakspereans always hoped to find those of SHAKSPERE and his fellows, and all other Worthies of the great Eliza's reign. And since I first saw the Boxes and their contents at Doctors' Commons some dozen years ago, I always meant to have a turn at them. Opportunity at length being favourable, I got leave in the spring of 1881, from the kind and enlightend Judge and Chief of your Court, Sir James Hannen, to test these Inventories, and see whether Shakspere's was likely to be among them. If it was, I intended to get money from the Treasury or by subscription, for making and printing a Calendar of these documents. The Inventories could of course only be handled by an Officer of the Probate Court; and on you was put the dusty, dirty, and tiresome job of diving into, and picking out from, all parts of the twenty-eight Boxes, samples of the little and big rolld-up Inventories that each contained; then unrolling them, and showing them to me. The work lasted for four months. The kindness and patience that you exhibited in this wearisome and annoying task,-which yielded such a poor result,1-and the knowledge of men, of places, and things which you displayd, won my warm admiration and gratitude. You laid me under further obligation by telling me all the earliest English Wills in the Registry, of which you had long before made a list, in the faith that I, or some grubber of like kind, would turn up and ask where he should go to work. Whenever, then, you were prevented, by other official calls and attending to other searchers, from unrolling dirty little bundles of Inventories for me, I—with your help in difficult bits-copied the Wills you told me of; and here they are in print, dedicated, by Sir James Hannen's leave,2 to you, an Officer of whom he and his whole Court may well be proud. I but speak the opinion of the late Colonel Chester-the best authority in the world-as well as of every other frequenter of your Room, when I say that you are an admirable Head of your Department, courteous, helpful, learned, and efficient. Would that I could say that Department was in a state worthy of you, your Chief, Sir James, and the Royal Court of Probate of England. You have in that Court, Wills needful for the family and 1 About 3 per cent. of the Inventories were of the 15th and 16th centuries; the rest were all after 1660. Not one of Shakspere's time turnd up, tho' that of his granddaughter's surviving husband, Sir John Barnard, was found. I've printed it for the New Shakspere Society. 2 He will not of course see this Dedication till a copy of this little volume is sent him. |