Biography of William Locke Sheriff 1486-1550

In 1486 William Locke Sheriff was born.

In or before 1511 William Locke Sheriff (age 25) and Alice Spenser were married.

In 1522 [his wife] Alice Spenser died.

Before 14 Oct 1537 William Locke Sheriff (age 51) and Katherine Cooke were married.

On 14 Oct 1537 [his wife] Katherine Cooke died.

In or before 1546 William Locke Sheriff (age 60) and Eleanor Unknown were married.

In 1546 [his wife] Eleanor Unknown died.

In 1548 William Locke Sheriff (age 62) was appointed Sheriff of London.

In or before Aug 1550 William Locke Sheriff (age 64) and Elizabeth Farthing were married.

On 24 Aug 1550 William Locke Sheriff (age 64) died at Merton, Surrey. He was buried at St Thomas of Acre Church.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 27 Aug 1550. The xxvij day of August was bered sir Wylliam [Locke knight] (deceased) and alderman and late shreyfF of London, and bered [at St.] Thomas of Acurs, and a-ffor hym whent a Ix pore men in mo[urning] gowns and whytt stayffes in ther handes ij and ij to-gether; [after] them the standard, and then mornars, and then came a .. with odur mornars, and then the clarkes and prestes, and then [a herald] with ys cott armor, target, elmet, sword, and then the corse [with] penons of armes borne a-bowt hym, and the stret [was] hangyd with blake and armes a-pone the cloth, and ther [was a] dolle of monay, and a grett denner as I have be hat.

Note. Funeral of alderman sir William Locke. He was a member of the Mercers' company, and sheriff of London in 1548. Not living to be lord mayor, he died "in his howsse in Bow lane the xxiiij^th of August in the 4. of Edward the 6, and buryed 27. day of the same mounth in the Mercers' cherche St. Thomas of Acres." MS. Harl. 897, f. 15. Stowe notes "Locke his armes in the windowes" of that church. Lady Locke died on the 5th Dec. 1551; and the imperfect funeral in p. 12 perhaps belongs to her. See an historical account of the Locke family in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1792, vol. LX. p. 799; also Lord King's Life of Locke, and the Autobiography of sir John Bramston, where at p. 9 are some traditional anecdotes of sir William Locke (but for 1530 read 1533).

On 30 Nov 1551 [his former wife] Elizabeth Farthing died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 30 Nov 1551. The xxx day of November ther was a grett skaffold mad in Westmynster halle agaynst the next day, that was [the] ffurst day of Desember, for the duke of Somersett (age 51), the [which] was raynyd of tresun and qwyt of ytt, and cast of fe[lony], and ther was shyth a shutt of men and women, for they thowght that he had byne qwytt, for [they] thruw a C. caps on he for gladnes, for ther was mony lost ther .... and the stret hangyd with blake ... mantyll frysse gowne boyth ... meny blake gownes, and then cam the cors with ... of armes borne a-bowt her, and a gret ... and ther was the compeny of the Clarkes, and a gret ...

Note. Funeral of lady Locke. The imperfect funeral in this page probably belongs to the widow of sir William Locke, who has been noticed in p. 313. She was buried by his side on the 5th Dec. 1551. (Malcolm, ii. 156.) "Lady Elyzabeth Locke, latte wyf of sir William Locke knyght, decesyd on saynt Androwes daye at iij. of the cloke at afternone in good memory, the v. yere of the rayne of kyng Edward the vj. executors Rycharde Spreyngham and Thomas Nycolles the elder: and buryed in the churche of our laydy of Bowe [Map] within the quyre. Cheffe morner, Mary Spryngened (sic); [other mourners,] Elyzabeth Nycolles, Elyzabeth Fyld, Ellen Meredyth, Jone Rawlyns." (MS. I. 3. in Coll. Arm. f. 846.)