St Bartholomew the Less, Farringdon Without, City of London, England, British Isles

St Bartholomew the Less is in Farringdon Without.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 24th November 1550. The xxiiij day of November was bered the nobulle ca[ptayn] ser James Wylfford knyght, sum tyme captayn in Franse and .... and ded at the Cruchydffrers, and was cared to beryng from [thence] unto lytyll saynt Bathellmuw besyd sant Antonys, with a standard, a penon, and a harold carehyng the cott armur, and mony m [ourners], and bered in the sam tombe that ys grett unckulle M. James [Wylfford]. Ther was at ys bereyng my lord Gray and the Wylfford ... captaynes, and the company of the Clarkes. Mylles Coverdalle [aged 62] dyd [preach].

Note. Funeral of sir James Wylford. The blank in this passage may be filled up with "Scotland." See the Memoirs of Lord Grey of Wilton, by Sir Philip Egerton, p. 47. Sir James Wilford was knighted by the duke of Somerset after the taking of Leith, Sept. 28, 1547. Holinshed also mentions the circumstance of his being taken prisoner at Dunbar in 1549, by a Gascoigne of the country of Basque called Pellicque, "that won no smal commendation for that his good happe, in taking such a prisoner, whose name for his often approved prowes was so famous among the enimies." This noble captain was of a city family, which had buried for some generations at St. Bartholomew the Little. James Wilford, taylor, one of the sheriffs 1499, founded by will a sermon there on Good Friday for ever. John Wilford, merchant-taylor, alderman, was buried there 1544. (Stowe.)

Henry Machyn's Diary. The x day of Juin [1540] was bered ser Gylles Capell [deceased] knyght, sune and here unto ser Wylliam Capell late mayre of London and draper, the wyche he ded [died] in Essex, with standard and penon and iiij baners of emages and ij dosen of torchys and ij whyt branchys, and iiij dosen of penselles and vj dosen of skochyons, and mony mornars; and the morow masse, and after to dener, and after a grett dolle, and ther was a harold of armes ... sant John and dyver . . . . . .

Note. P. 108. Funeral of sir Giles Capel. Son and heir of the rich citizen sir William Capel, (historically known from the exactions he suffered from the ministers of Henry VII.) who died in 1515, and was buried in a chantry chapel which he had built at the church of St. Bartholomew the Little (recently removed to widen the approaches to the Royal Exchange). Sir Giles Capel was knighted in France in 1513, and his biography will be found in Collins's Peerage, 1779, vol. iii. p. 349: being the lineal ancestor of the earls of Essex. The funeral of his son and heir sir Henry occurs in p. 164.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 3rd February 1558. The iij day of February was browth unto sant Bathelmuw be-syd sant Antonys to be bered [by his] granser ser Wylliam Capell knyght, and mare of London, ser Hare Capell [deceased] knyght sune and here to ser Gylles Capell, the wyche ser Gylles was bered in Essex. [Sir Harry was] bered by ys granser with iij haroldes of armes, and a standard, and a penon of armes; and cott-armur, targett, sword, and elmett and crest; and all the cheyrche hangyd with blake and armes; and a ij dosen of torchys, and iiij grett tapurs, and iiij gylt candyllstykes, and ij grett whytt branchys; and xij pore men had blake gowns; and after to the howse to dener; and doctur Brekett mad the sermon at the masse.

Note. P. 164. Funeral of sir Henry Capel. Son and heir of sir Giles Capel, before noticed in p. 350. He had married a sister of the earl of Rutland, and had a numerous family; but, as they all died before him, he was succeeded by his brother Edward [aged 62].

Henry Machyn's Diary. 25th May 1559. The thursday the xxv day of May master John Whyt altherman and grocer ys chyld was cristened in lytyll sant Barthelmuw be-syd sant Antonys; thes wher the god-fathers' names, my lord marques of Wynchester [aged 76] now lord tresorer of England, and my lord byshope of Wynchester docthur Whytt [aged 49], and the god-moder my lade Laxtun, lat the wyffe of ser Wylliam Laxtun latt mare of London and grocer; and after ther was waferers [wafers] and epocras grett plente; and after they whent home to the plasse, with the chyld nam(ed) John Whytt; the wyche wyff was master Raff Grenway altherman and grocer of London wyff.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 2nd June 1559. The ij day of Juin was bered at lytyll sant Baythelmuwes my lade Barnes, the wyff of ser George Barnes, knyght, and late mare of London; and she gayff to pore men and powre women good rosett gownes a (blank), and she gayffe to the powre men and women of Calles (blank) a-pesse, and she gayff a C [100] blake gownes and cottes; and ther she had penon of armes, and master Clarenshux kyng of armes, and ther was a xx [20] clarkes syngyng afor her to the chyrche with blake and armes; and after master Horne mad a sermon, and after the clarkes song Te Deum laudamus in Englys, and after bered with a songe, and a-for songe the Englys pressessyon, and after to the place to dener; ser Wylliam Garrett cheyff morner, and master Altham and master Chamburlayn, and her sunes and doythurs; ther was a nobull dener.

On 31st May 1589 Walter Mildmay [aged 68] died at Hackney. He is buried at St Bartholomew the Less with his wife Mary Walsingham.

On 2nd July 1616 Thomas Puckering 1st Baronet [aged 24] and Elizabeth Morley Lady Puckering were married at St Bartholomew the Less. She by marriage Lady Puckering of Weston in Hertfordshire.

On 18th July 1618 Edward Carey [aged 78] died at St Bartholomew the Less.

Around February 1646 Theobald Gorges [aged 63] and Anne Gage [aged 21] were married at St Bartholomew the Less. The difference in their ages was 41 years. He the son of Thomas Gorges of Longford Castle and Helena Snakenbourg Marchioness Northampton.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 16th January 1647 Thomas Abdy 1st Baronet [aged 34] and Anne Soame Lady Abdy were married at St Bartholomew the Less. She by marriage Lady Abdy of Felix Hall in Kelveden in Essex. They had ten children.

In 1649 John Ferrers [aged 19] and Anne Carlton [aged 24] were married at St Bartholomew the Less. He the son of Humphrey Ferrers and Anne Pakington Countess Chesterfield [aged 50].

On 15th July 1650 Robert Kemp 2nd Baronet [aged 22] and Mary Kerridge Lady Kemp were married at St Bartholomew the Less. She by marriage Lady Kemp of Gissing in Norfolk.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 19th February 1660. Sunday. Lord's day. Early in the morning I set my books that I brought home yesterday up in order in my study. Thence forth to Mr. Harper's to drink a draft of purle, [Note. Purl is hot beer flavoured with wormwood or other aromatic herbs. The name is also given to hot beer flavoured with gin, sugar, and ginger.] whither by appointment Monsieur L'Impertinent, who did intend too upon my desire to go along with me to St. Bartholomew's, to hear one Mr. Sparks, but it raining very hard we went to Mr. Gunning's [aged 46] and heard an excellent sermon, and speaking of the character that the Scripture gives of Ann the mother of the blessed Virgin, he did there speak largely in commendation of widowhood, and not as we do to marry two or three wives or husbands, one after another. Here I met with Mr. Moore, and went home with him to dinner, where he told me the discourse that happened between the secluded members and the members of the House, before Monk [aged 51] last Friday. How the secluded said, that they did not intend by coming in to express revenge upon these men, but only to meet and dissolve themselves, and only to issue writs for a free Parliament. He told me how Haselrigge [aged 59] was afraid to have the candle carried before him, for fear that the people seeing him, would do him hurt; and that he is afraid to appear in the City. That there is great likelihood that the secluded members will come in, and so Mr. Crew [aged 62] and my Lord are likely to be great men, at which I was very glad. After diner there was many secluded members come in to Mr. Crew, which, it being the Lord's day, did make Mr. Moore believe that there was something extraordinary in the business.

On 12th January 1665 Fulke Greville 5th Baron Brooke [aged 21] and Sarah Dashwood Baroness Brooke [aged 19] were married at St Bartholomew the Less.

On 5th January 1675 Edward Allen [aged 44] and Elizabeth Cornwallis were married at St Bartholomew the Less.