l

; f li q

.C/0,m—m‘m

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The

Pmfianm‘

EmTh e ir Alliahce s and Conne ctions

Jose p h Joshua e arl-

f,

71: Li n e al Désce ndant

Congre gational Historical SocietyTr ansactions , V ol . iv., No . 3. Octob e r, 1909

Th e ir Emi zzme s fi nd Conn e c i I-cns

“

31 Line d ? fiascemfia I t

The Puritan Family of VJilme r : the ir All iance sand Conne ct ions

and Ryton -ou-Dunsmore,near Coven try

,and h i swife jo h anna ,we re members of t h e Guild o f Knowl e,i n t h e coun ty of

W arwi c k . O n 20th September,1486, S i r Jo h n \Veston , Kt. ,

P r ior o f t h e Hospi ta l o f St . Jo h n o f J erusal em,gran t ed to t h i s

W i l l i am \V yllme r t h e manor or farm o f Ryton fo r a term o f yearsa t an annua l re n tal . Ric h ard W ylme r, t h e son of W ’ i l l i am

,marr ied

Joan Goode re o r Goodye re , o f a very anc i en t fami ly o f t h a t namea t Bagington ,

n e ar Coven try . H e d ied a t Ryton on t h e a4th M ay ,1527 and port ion s of h i s o ri gin al sepul c h ral brass are i n t h e poss ession of t h e presen twri te r

,h i s l i nea l descendan t .

IN t h e year 1480 a cer tai n \V illiamVVyllme r , of \V ithybrooke

A great-grandson o f t h i s R ic h ard W ylme r, by nam e GeorgeXV ilme r ,was l i v i ng a t \V est Ham ,

co . Essex,i n t h e las t quarte r of

rth e s ixteent h cen tu ry. Hewas awe althy esqu i r e ,who h admadea conside rabl e fortun e i n t rade an d con t ri bu ted £2 5 toward s t h edefence of t h i s coun t ry at t h e t ime of t h e Span i s h A rmada . T h i sG eorge W i lmer

,who d i ed on 30th Jan uary , appears to h avebeen mar ri ed fou r t imes . By h i s firstwi fe h e h ad an eldes t son ,Andrew\V i lme r ( 1567- 162 4) of St rat fo rd - le -Bowand Tot ter idge ;who i n early l i fe h ad ev iden tly com e under th e infiue nce of T h omasCartwr ig h t

,Job T h roc k mor ton

,and o t h e r em inen t Puri tans

presumablywh en v i s i t ing h i s u ncl e Jo h n Wi lmer of S h rewl ey inHatton par is h

,co . \V arwick

,inwh ic h coun ty h e possessed pro

pe rty . \\7h i l e t h e fat h e r,George W i lmer

,was probably on fr i end ly

termswi t h t h e Puri tan par ty,t h e te rms of h i swi l l - inwh ic h h e

l eaves t h e enormou s sum (fo r t h ose d ays) o f £500 fo r th e“ne ce ssarye expen ses t o be d i sbursed i n t h e Ch ristianli lce

accompl i s h men t of my fune rall ” - arewh o l ly i nconsiste n twi thl’uritan t rad i t i on s .Andrew\Vi lmer

,h oweve r

,made up for h i s fat h er

’s defici enc iesin t h i s respect

,by h i s marr i age

,abou t 1595 ,wi t h M ary , daug h te r

‘OfT h omas Car twrig h t‘( 1535 maste r of Lord Leicester ’sh ospita l a t Warwi c k

,t h e d i st i ngu i s h ed sc h ol ar

,au t h or

,and p iou s

d iv ine Fat h er o f t h e Pur i tans .

i x 226.

The Pur i tan Fami ly ofW i lme r

Cartwrig h t’swi fe Al i ce,wh om h e marr ied i n 1 577,was a daug h ter

of Jo h n and El izabet h Stubbs of Buxton,Norfol k and s is te r to th e

famous Pur i tan zealot,J o h n S tubbs2 t h e younger ( 1543? wh o

i n 1 579 sacr ificed h i s r ig h t h and fo rwr i t i ng Th e D iscove r ies ofa

Gap ing Gi t/p11wiz e r e z'nlo E nglandwill be swa llowed up by a nothe r

Fre nchma rriage , ifthe Lou ifo: btd nottlz e Ba nes by le tling he r M a x'

e slier

se e the 8111 a nd Pun i shme ntAndrewW i lmo1 ,whowas on e of Cartwfigh t’s e x e cutox s

,l ef t a

d is t i nct ly Puri tanwi l l,dated th e ye a i of h i s deat h , 1624 . He names

h is st epmot h e r,Dame Ann e N e e dl1an1 , th e now“ i fe o f 811 Rober t

Need h am,Kt . ( l a te r fi1st Viscoun t h i s cous i n

,Jo h n

W i lm er of Norre l l,co . B e df01d

,t h e Pur i tan i n cumben t t h ere ofwh om h e reaft e r

,and t h e Puri tanministe i s and preac h er s of

Hat ton,co . W arwic k , Tot ter i dge , R e dborn e , Nort h M ymms , and.

Bra i n t ree a lso M rs . Rogers,wi dowof t h e Rev . Rogers of St ratfo rd

le -Bow,M r . Rober t - Sm i t h

,dwel l i ng n ear to M oorgate

,London ,

preac h er,M r. W yng. preac h er , e tc .

Of AndrewW i lm er ’s fam i ly,h i s younger son

,J o h n Wi lmer

( 1605 of London,S tratfo rd - lo-Bow

,Cop re dy (co . Oxford) ,

and o f th e I n ne r Templ e,marri ed i n 1 62 5 M ary Sadle r o f Ch i l ton

Foliatt and VVrough ton ,co . \V ilts. ,

of t h e fam i ly o f t h a t notori ou sd iv i n e

,Ant h ony Sadl er3 ( " . 1600 son ofT h omas Sadl e r o f

C h i l ton,and o fwh om A . “food gives an accou n t i n h i s Athenae

Ox ome nses [v0] . i i . 0013 . 675-6

,e dn .

Moreover , Jo h n W i lmer’swi fe , M ary Sadl er ,was s i st e r t o ,

Br idget,secondwi fe of An t h ony Lut h e r

,Esq .

,o f Ke lvedon

,Essex

,

of k i n to t h e Reformer ; and Jo h n n amed h is s ixt h son Lu t h e r '

( 1650 H i s fi f t h sonwas Cartwr ig h t W ' i lme r ( 1 649whowas v ica r of S h ott eswel l,co . W arwi c k , and rec tor of E l les

boro ug h,Buc k s . His son Car twrig h t “fi lm e r ( 1701 - 1765 ) res id ed

a t St . M ic h ae l ’s,Corn h i l l

,an i n te res t i ng l i n kwi t h h i s great name

sa k e and great-great -grandfat h e r T h omas Cartwr ig h t .George \\7i ln1e r ’s se condwij e 'was Susan Col e

,bywh om h e h ad

two son s and t h ree daug h t ers . Of t h ese son s t h e firs t,George

Wi lme r, j1u1r .

,was born abou t 1583, be ing n early 17 years you nger

t h an h i s bro t h er Andrew. Hewas a pens ion er of Tri n i ty Col l ege ,Cambr idge

,wh e re h e gradua ted B .A. I n t h e L ibe r M emon ’

a lz’

s,i n

t h e famou s l ibrary o f t h i s col lege,i s an accoun t o f a va l uabl e

col l ec t i o n of boo k s an d manuscr ipts p resen ted by h im . Severa l o ft h e se s t i l l 1 emai 11, h av i ng t h e W i lme r a rm s , cres t , a ndmot to h andsome ly embossed upon t h e i 1 cove1 s . I n 1601 - 2 t h i s Geo rge W ' i lm erwas admi t ted o f t h e I 11n e 1 Temple

,and i n 16 16 obta in ed from th e

k ing a g i an t o f t h e o ffice of co " l ec t01 of t h e p et ty customs impos e don t h e goods o f merc h an t sttange i s , and on f01 e ign h ops , in thpor t o f London ; t h e fon n er ofwh i c h o ffices h e 1 e sign e d 111 162 5 .

lv. , 118. 109.

The ir Al liance s and Conne ct ions

Abou t 1606 h e marr ied M argery Thwe nge , daug h te r an d h e i ressof M armadu k e Thwe nge , Esq .

,l ord of t h e mano r of U ppe r

He hn sle y, co . Yor k,and a represen ta t ive of th e junior bran c h of t h e

anc i en t baron ia l h ouse of Thwe nge of K i l ton Cast l e , co . Yor k . Oft h i s fami ly

,descended from Pete r d e Brus

,al l i ed to Rober t Bruce

,

k in g o f Scot land ,was t h e ce lebrated Si r Robert de Thwe ng, orT hwing‘ ( 1 205 ? t h e opponen t of H enry I I I

’s fore ign

e ccl esiast i cs h e j o i ned R i c h ard o f Cornwal l ’s cr usade i n 1 240, andwas t h e c h ampion of t h e Oppresse d and starv in g poor. M armadu k eThwe nge d i ed 1 589, aged abou t 29 and h i swidowAnne

,daug h te r

of Jo h n Redd i s h,Esq .

,o f Redd i s h , co . C h ester

,remarri edwi th

Alvery B ir k by , gent , of Yor k ,wh o d i ed 1 6 18.

\V i lme r ’s con n ec t i on , t h roug h h i s mot h e r- ia -law,wi t h t h e

Redd i s h fam i ly,i n troduced h im to a no tabl e member o f t h e Pur i t an

p art y . Jo h n Redd is hwas n early re l ated to— probab ly a brot h er o f- M aste r Al exander Red i c h

,a rel igiou s gen t l eman of Redd i s h

,near

Stoc k port,and N ewHal l

,n ear Burton -on -Tren t

,wh o

,wi t h h i s

e xce l l en twi fe,M rs . Kat h ar in e Red ic h ,was t h e i n t imate and much

loved fri end of \V illiamBrads h aw5 ( 1571 t h e d i st i ngu is h e da nd pious Pur i tan d iv in e

,and t h ewarm fr i end and adm i re r o f

Cartwr ig h t . Art h u r H i lders h am" ( 1563 ano t h e r d i st ingu is h edPuri tan d iv ine

,whowas d isi n h er i ted by h i s Roman is t fa t h e r fo r

becom ing a Pur i tan,was an i n t imate fri end of t h e R e dd ish e s

,and

oft h e Cartwr ig h t,Brads h aw

,and VV ihn e r clan . H ewas fe l lowof

Ch r i s t ’s Col l ege,1 586, and v icar of Ashby- de- l a -Zou c h in 1 593.

He,aswel l as Brads h aw

,h ave f u l l b iograp h i e s i n Clar k e ’s Lives of

Th irty- two E nglish D ivine s.

Upon t h e marri age of George W i lmer and M argery Thwe nge ,s h e be ing t h en a g i rl of abou t 18

,t h e i r fri e nd \V illiamBrads h aw

preac h ed t h ewedd ing sermon . ,I twas publ i s h ed i n 1620 byBrads h aw’s fr i e n d and b iograp h e r

,T h omas Gatake r" ( 1574- 1654) of

Rot h er h i t h e,t h e Pu r i tan d i v ine

,and on e o f t h e mos t l earn ed men

of h i s day . I t form s a quarto pamp h le t,a copy ofwh i c h i s i n th e

p resen twr i t er ’s possess i on . T h e - t i t l e i s as fol lows —A M a rr iageFea st. A se rmon on the

,forme r pa r t ofthe second -

chapte r oftheE va nge listyohn by tha t lea rned and j udicious divine , M r. W

'

i lliamBradshaw

,some timefe llowofSidney College in Cambridge . London

,

jfir inled by E dmund Gr zfiin for Fulke Clifton . 1 620. T h e sermonoccup i es 18 pages

,and h as prefixed a ded icat ion o f 6 pages “To

th ewo rsh ipfull and Rel igi ous M r . George W i lmer Esqu i re an dM rs . M a rgere t \Vi lmer h i swi fe , i ncrease o f sp irituall grace , andmutua l comfor t in Ch r i st J esus .” I t i s s ign ed “ yours i n Ch r i s t,fl 10111as Gatake r .

” T h e ed i tor says W o rsh ipfull and bel oved i nU ni s t At t h e sol emne k n i t t ing of yo u toget h erwas t h i s Sermonpreac h ed by t h a twort h y se rvan t of God

,and our common fr i end ,

n r l . .382.1 D .N .B . x x i . . so.

Th e Pur i tan Fam i ly of W i lme r

nowwi t h God ; t h e n fi rs t ( as I h ave h eard h im say) pe rform i ngt h a t office t h a t t h en h e d id . W h i c h o f l at e l ig h t ing upon among”

ot h e r h i s loose papers,I t h oug h t i twou ld no t be am i ss rat h er to

send i t abroad t h an to su ffe r i t ( as i t m ig h t soon per h aps do ot h e rwi s e) to m iscarry and so pe ri s h .

”

George Vv’i lm'e r d ied oth M ay , 1626, aged 42% years ; andwasbu ried “ by t h e c h ance l s ide ” of West Ham c h urc h ;wh e rewas.

formerly a graves ton e of grey marbl e,a t t h e h ead an escutc h eo n

of two par ts,

”wi t h a Lat i n i nscri pt i onwh i c h informs '

us t h a t h ewas “ aman most excel l en t and beloved .

” By h i swi l l o f 1626 h eappo i n ts as execu tors h i s fr i en ds Abra h amJacob and Jo h n Jacob

,

esqu i re s t h e lat te rwas afterwards k nown as Si r J ohn J acob,

k n ig h t and barone t,a d i s t i ngu is h ed Royal i s t . T h ewi tn esses t o h iswi l lwere h i s b ro t h er- i h - law

,Si r An t h ony W eldon

,and Edward

Sm i t h,Esq .

,of t h e k ing ’s h ouse h ol d ; al so Edmund Layfie ld , B .D

T h e l at t er marr i ed Br idget,h al f- s is t er to Archbisl10p Land ; andwas fa t h e r to a ce lebrat ed r i t ua l is t

,Dr . Edwa rd Layfie ld , M .A .

,ofwh om Wal k er gives a l ong accoun t (Snfife r ings ofthe Cle rgy, par t i i .

1711 - 48-

91,M i st res s M a rgery W 1lme r

,formerly Thwe nge , remarr i ed pr ior to

1630,and as h i s fi rs twi fe

,t h e Hon . Henry Fa i rfax of Br i dl ington ,

co . Yor k , second son of S i r T h omas fi rs t Vi scoun t Fa i rfax ofE lmley

,co . T ipperary . S h e d i ed 1 632 , aged 44 , andwas bur i ed in

St ratfo rd - le -Bowc h u rc h .

Amongs tmany d i st i ngu is h ed person swh owere descended fromGeorge and M argare t W i lme rmay be n amed M ary F i eld ,wi fe ofS i r \V i lliamParsons

,t h i rd Ear l o f Rosse ( 1800 t h e ce lebrated

ast ronomer .[Afte r th e d eat h ofM arge ry Wi lmer

,Henry Fa irfax h ad by a.

secondwi fe a daug h te r Frances ,wh o marri ed Dav id E rs k i n e , n i n thEarl of Buc h an . He r daug h te r Franceswas t h ewi fe of th ecel ebrated and p iou s Co lone l J ames Gard i n e r

,k i l l ed a t Pres ton

Pans,1745 ]

T h e younges t so n o f George Wi lmer,sen io r

,was T h omasWi lmer

, J.P .,of Stra tford - le -Bow

,Bromley St . Leonards

,and

St i fford,co . Essex . H ewas bapt ized a t St . M ary Alde rmanbu ry inandwas of C h r is t ’s Co l l ege , Oxford , apparen t ly 161 5 - 16 .

H e marri ed,abou t 1615 , El izabet h J acob , t h i rd daug h te r o f th e .

above named Abra h am Jacob,E sq ,

of Gaml ingay,co . Cambr idge

,

an d Bromley St . Leonards,and s i s te r to Si r Jo h n Jacob . T h omas

V Vi hn e r,whowas a farmer o f t h e customs , d i ed aged 35 ,

andwas bur ied i n a co ffin of s ton e by t h ewa l l o f t h e c h u rc h a tWest Hamwh e rewasfo rme rly a lin e mon umen ta l s l ab of Purbe c lcmarbl e

,wi t h a rmoria l bear i ngs and a Lat in i nscri pt ion commemo rating h i s v i r tu es .

Among descendan ts o f T h omas “fi lmerwas h i s g rea t -gran ddaug h ter

,Sara h \Vi lmer

,who before 1709 marri ed Jo h n S h ore ,

The ir Al l iance s and Conne ctions

Esq . ,of M anse l l S tree t , VVh ite chap e l ( son and h e i r of S i r Jo h n S h ore ,

Kt.,M .D . ,

of Derby) . T h ei r grandson , J o h n S h ore ( 175 1 - 1834)was t h e fi rs t Baron Teignmout h,governor -genera l o f I nd ia

,t h e

fr i end of Warre n H ast ings and of S i r W i l l i am Jones,a man of

great g ift s and pi e ty,a member o f t h e evange l ical co t e 1 l e n i c k

named “ t h e C lap h am sect,

” and t h e firs t pres i den t of t h e B ib l eSoci e ty .

A s i s ter o f Andrew,George

,and T h omas W i lm e r (daug h te r o f

George “fi lm e r,sen .

,and Susan Col e) ,was Elean or ( 1587who i n 1604 marr i ed Si r An t h ony Weldon , Kt.

a

( 1 583 l o rdo f t h e manor o f Swanscombe

,Kent , a d ist ingu i s h ed and b igot ed

parl i amen tar ian,and t h e au t h o r of t h e Court and Chara cte r of

ffames I ( atwh i c h co u r t h ewas Cl e r k of t h e Ki tc h e n and Cl er k o ft h e Green Clot h ) , awor k of t en quo ted by h i sto r i ans .Si r An t h ony ’s e ldes t son

,Ralp h Weldon9 ( 1605 was an

ac t ive parl i amen tar ian l i k e h i s fat h e r,and a colon e l i n t h e a rmy .

I n 1644 h e commanded a reg imen t i n Si r W i l l i am V Valle r’s army

,

and a brigad e at t h e rel i ef of Tau n ton and s i ege of Br i s to l i n1645 .

An t h ony “feldon ( 1610- 1654 o r l ate r) 10was t h e fi ft h son of S i rAn t h ony . He al sowas a co lone l in t h e p ar l iamentary army

,and

publ i s h e d h is au tobiograp h y i n 1649.

George W ’ eldon ( 1620- 1 676 o r l ate r) , t h e e ig h t h son o f S i rA n t h ony

,marr i ed‘ Susanna Sh ackstone ,wi dowof Si r J o h n C h i ld ,

governo r o f Bombay . T h e i r so n Ralp h Weldon ( 1674- 1713)abj ured Prote stan t ism i n 1 687, became a Bened ic t i n e mon k , an dcomp i led A Chronicle ofthe E nglish Benedictine M onks

,1 554- 1701 ,

( publ i s h ed and d ied i n Par i s .Ellen or E lle no r “l e ldon ( 161 5 t h e s econd daug h te r o fS i r An t h ony

,and named afte r h er mot h e r— ne

'

e Eleanor VVi lrne rmarr ied at Lu l l ington i n 1 642 W

’ i l l i am Say,Esq .

,and h ad i ssu e .

Himwe t a k e to be t h e n otor iou s Wi l l iam Say ( 1604- 1 666 t h er egic ide . Saywas one of t h e members oft h e H ig h Cou r twh ot r i ed K i ng Ch a rl es I

,andwas requ i red to p er us e t h e proceed i ngs

before t h eywere presented to t h e House . H e at tended t h e t r i a lr egu lar ly

,and occupi ed a prominen t pos i t i on t h e re

,as may be seen

i n t h e famous engravi ng i n N alton’s A True Copy ofthe forward of

the High Court ofj ustice for the Trya l ofKing Cha r les I pr i nted1681 . He i s t h ere dep ic ted seated on t h e l ef t o f t h e pres i den t

,

J o h n Brads h aw,wh i l s t J o h n Li sl e s i ts o n t h e l at te r ’s r ig h t

,as

ass is tan twi t h h imt o t h e pres iden t . Say is 4 attire d i n b roadbr immed h a t a nd l awyer ’s gown . I n fron t i s t h e tabl ewi t h t h eCommonweal t h mace and sword of s ta t e ly i ng upon i t

,wi t h t h e two

c l er k s s i t t ing t h erea t ; an d immedia te ly fac i ng t h emi s seated t h eso l i tary and pat h et i c figure of K ing C h arl es t h e M artyr .”

D .N .B 1x . 162. l x . , 163. 1. 389.

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The i r Al liance s and Conne ct ions 9

ofS i r Edward Nev i l l , kut. , of Al d ington , co . Ken t ;whowas beh eaded ih 1538

— as most em in en t menwere a t t h a t per iod— on t h ec h arge o f devi s ing t o mai n ta i n , promote , and advance on e

Reg in ald Pol e,l a t e Dean of Exe ter

,enemy o f ; t h e King, beyond th e

sea,and to deprive t h e K ing .

” S h ewas a great -great-granddaug h ter of S i r Ralp h Nevi l l

,fi rs t Ear l o f Westmore land

,K .G .

,who

d i ed i n 1425 , by J oan e de Beau fo rt (d . daug h ter of Jo h nofGaunt , Du k e of Lancaste r , K .G . ( d . fou r t h son of K ingEdward I I I . S h ewas a lso descended from Edmund of Langl ey ,Du k e o f Yor k

,K .G . (d . fi ft h son o f Edward I I I ; andwas

c onnected by a fami ly marr iagewi t h L ion e l o f An twe rp , Du k e ofof Cla ren ce

,K .G . (d . t h i rd son of t h a t k i ng ; an d l i k ewi s ewi t h K i ng Edward IV .

T h e p i ous esqu i re o f H asel ey and h i swi fe,on rebu i ld ing t h e i r

manor h ouse,i nscr i bed ove r t h e porc h t h e i r i n i t i al s

,CT. 8: K.T.

,

s ur rounded by tru e lovers ’ k nots and ol iv e l eaves,wi t h t h e dat e

1561 and t h e fol lowi ng i nscr i p t i on fromt h e Vulgate (Hebrewsx i i i , 14) : -

“Non hab emus h i cmane ntemc ivitatem, sed fut u raminquirimus . T h is c h arac te ri s t i c memori al may st i l l b e se en o nwh a t l i t t l e r ema in s o f t h e o ld mano r h ouse a t Hasel ey .

T h e l i fe s to ry of Clemen t T h roc k mor ton i s i n teres t i ng,bu t too

long to be n arra ted h ere . For our presen t p urpose i t may su f ficeto emp h as ise t h e fr i ends h ip t h at subsi s ted betwe en h im and h i sn e ig h bou r

,Jo h n VVihn e r of S h rewl ey

,t h oug h t h e l a t te rwas many

years h i s j un ior . H e d ied i n 1 573. H i s son , Job T h roc k morton( 1545 was t h e i n t imate fr i end , corresponden t , and protecto roft h e Pur i tanmarte oh n Feu ry ( 1559- 1593) and i s nowgeneral lybel i eved to h ave h ad a con siderabl e— per h aps t h e c h i e f— s h are i nth e au t h ors h ip of t h oseworld - famou s sat i re swh ic hwere publ is h edu nde r t h e n ame of M art in M arp re late . A good b iograp h y ofth i s em inen t Puri tan i s muc h t o be desi red . Of Kat h ar i n e T h roc kmorton

,t h i rd daug h ter of Clemen t

,and s is ter o f Job

,some t h i ng i s

to be sa id h ereafte r.Jo h n W i lmer of S h rewl ey appears to h ave firs t m arri ed abou t t h et ime of h i s fr i en d ’s d eat h

,1573, or a l i t t l e earl i e r . By h i swi fe

Agnes ( i‘)wh ose mai den n ame i s un k nown , h e h ad i ssu e ( 1 ) Cl emen tW i lm er

,named after t h e esq u i r e of H asel ey

,ofwh om more anon

( 2 ) Kat h ar i n e Wi lmer , born and bapt ized at Hat ton in 1579,named afte r Kat h ar in e T h roc k morton

,whowas probably h e r godmot h e r ;wh en bare ly 16 s h e marr i ed \V i lliamTho rowgood, c i t izena nd merc h an t- ta i lo r of London (3) George W i lm e r, n amed afte rh i s u ncl e a t W es t H am

,and bapt ized 1 580 h ewen t t o res idewi t h

h is bro t h e r Cl emen t a t Stra tfo rd - le -Bow,marr i ed

,and h ad i ssue .

Cl emen t Wilm er,t h e eldes t son of J o h n

,became res iden t a t

S t ra tford - le -Bowwi t h t h e fam i ly of h i s uncl e,George W i lmer , t owh os ewi l l h ewas awi t ness i n 1 594 . H e marr i ed

,fi rs t

,at St.

M ary ’s,Stra tford - le -Bow

,El izabet h Gowge , o r Gouge ,wh o d ied i n

The Pur i tan Fam i ly of Wi lme r

September,1603, and h ad i ssu e h i s e ldes t so n be i ng Jo h n Wilmer ,

ge nt , bapt i zed 1599- 1600. Ei t h er t h i s J o h n,o r on e of h is n ear

re lat i on s,was i n st i tu t ed i n 1620 as “ Jo h n Wi lmer

,cl er k

,

perpetua l cu rate of St . M ary,St ra tford - le -Bow

,wh e re h ewas

s ucceeded t h e same year by th e above ment ioned EdmundLayfie ld , A . M .

El izabet h Gouge,t h ewi fe ofCl emen t W i lm e r

,waswi t h ou t doubta n ear rel at ion

0

t o t h a t most d i sti ngu i s h ed Pu ri tan d ivi n e D r\V illiamGougen ( 1 575 wh ose p o1t1a it and i nstruct iveb iograp h y h ave a place i n Cl ar k e ’s L ives”.

“W i l l iamGowge , t h eson of T h omas Gowge ,was c h r i s te ned t h e oth of November1 575 a t St . M a ry ’s

,Stratfo rd - le -Bow. Dr . Gougewas connected

t h roug h h i s mot h e rwi th s evera l eminen t p reac h ers amongwh omwe re t h e Culve rwe lls an d h is two materna l aun ts marr iedrespect ive ly Dr . Lawrence C h adde rton“ ( 1536 t h e fi rs t.maste r of Emmanue l Col l ege

,and Dr . T h omas W '

li italre r15 ( 1 548reg iu s p rofesso r o f d iv in i ty and mas ter of S t . Jo h n

’s Co l lege,

Cambridge . Dr . Gougewas i n s t i t u ted m i n i ster o f S t . Anne ’s,

Blac k fr i a rs,i n 1608

,and remai ned t h er e i n t h e i ndefat igabl e d i s

c h a rge o i h i s m i n i st ry fo r 45% years— un t i l h i s d ea t h .From 1609 to 16 12 h e h ad fo r h i s cu rat e J o h n W i lm er

,A.M . , of

S h erbo rn e,co . W arwi c k , a n ep h ewof George \V i lm er of “fes t.

H am,and fi rs t cous i n o f Cl emen t Wi lme r . W e s h al l h av e more t o

say of h im h e reaf te r . No doubt t h e marr i age o f C lemen t W i lm ert o El i zabe t h Gouge broug h t abou t t h e i n t roduc tio n of h i s co us i n toh er d is t i ngu i s h ed k i n sman .

Dr . W i l l i am Gougewas an ac t iv e member o f t h e \V e stminste rAssembly . H is e ldes t sonwas t h e em inen t p h i lan t h rop i s t andd ivi n e T h omas Gouge16 ( 1605 whowas ej ected from - St.

Sepul c h re c h u rc h,London

,by t h e Act o f U n i form i ty . Hewas a.

man great ly beloved by a l l sect i on s of soc i e ty fo r h i s s terl ingc h aracter and am iable manners and fewmen h ave accompl i s h edm01 e last i ng good i n t h ewo rl d t h an h e .Agnes VVihne i , t h e mo t h er apparen t ly o f Clemen t , h av ing d ied

in 1603, J o h n VVilme 1 o f S h rewl ey marr i ed as h i s secon dwi feKat h ar i ne Th rockmmton

,t h e daug h ter of h i s o l d f1 i en d t h e e squi i e

of H asel ey,nowfo r t h e secon d t im e awi dow. S h ewas a lready

conn ectedwi t h t h e \V i lme r fam i l y h e r fi rs t h u sband ( s h ewas h i st h i rdwi fe) , T h omas Harby, Esq .

,o f Adston

,co . Nort h ampton

,and

H i l l ingdon,M idd lesex

,bei ng a son o f \V i lliamHarby of Canons

As h by by Emma \Vi lmer o f t h e same . By h im s h e h ad t h ree sons.and s ix daug h t ers a n account ofwh ose poste r i ty an d connect ions .wou l d be deeply i n te rest ing bu twou ld requ i re a separate paper .I t m us t s u ffice to say t h a t h e r e ldes t son

,Franc i s H arby

,marr i ed in

1 597 El izabeth D'

Oyle y of Ch ise lhamp ton , co . Oxfo rd ;wh owasD .N .B . 1 i 271 . Pp . 204-24, e d . 1677. i x 430. Id . l x i . 21 .

D .N .B . x 1 i i . 269.

The ir fAlliance s and Conn e ct ions

great aun t by marri age to Dorot h y D ’

Oyle y, ne’

e M ic h el,afte rwards .

t h e secon dwi fe of t h e learn ed t h eol ogian,Dr . J o h n Owen

,and ofwh ommore anon .

Her second son,Clemen t Harby

,marrie dfirst, a granddaug h ter

of T h omas Poyn tz,of An twe rp , and Nort h Oc k enden , Essex , th e

zealous fr i en d and h os t o f t h e ever memorab le “JilliamTyndal e,

t ran sl ato r o f t h e Engl i s h B ibl e,and mar tyr and second

,a daug h ter

of Rober t Bar k e r,t h e k i ng ’s p ri n te r. H er eldes t daug h te r , Emma ,

marri ed Robert C h a rl ton,merc h an t and goldsm i t h , of London ;

became t h emot h e r o f Sir Job Ch arl ton , bart . ( 16 14 an upr ig h tj udgewho h ad t h e h onou r of bei ng removed f rom t h e benc h in .

1686 for oppos ing t h e cl a ims of James I I’s“ di spens ing power

andwas al so t h e an cest ress of t h e Earls Tylne y, an d t h e Brydges ,Du k es o f C h andos .Her daug h te r Kat h ar i n e marr i ed Dan ie l O x e nb ridge , M .D .

,of

C h r i s t Ch urc h,Oxfo rd

,Davent ry

,e tc .

,so n o f Jo h n O x e nb ridge ,

B .D .

,recto r o f Sou t h am

,co . W arwic k

,and of Coven try

,a l earned .

and p iou s Pu ri tan d iv in e an d fr i en d of t h e T h roc k mor to n s . T h ei r “son

,J o h n O x e nb ridge " ( 1608 a d i st ingu i s h ed Pur i t an d iv i n e

,.was a fel lowof E ton Co l l ege i n 1 652 ,wh en ce h ewas ou sted a t

t h e Res to rat i on ; an d i n 1 662was s i l enced at Berwi c k - on-TweedHe h ad formerly m i n i st ered i n t h e Bermudas

,andwas an i n t imat e

fri en d of t h e patr i o t and sat i r i s t,AndrewM arve l l‘8 ( 1 62 1 - 1675 )

Afte r h i s ej ect i on h e em igrated to Su r i nam , and final ly t o Boston .

H is secondwi f ewas Frances,on ly daug h te r o f t h e Nonconform ist

d iv i ne H eze k ia h,a lia s Eze k i el

,\V oodwa rd’9 ( 1 590

Kat h ar i n e T h roc k mor ton ’s second h usbandwas Geo rge Dryden,

Esq .

,of Adston ,whowas also d i s tan t ly conn ected t h roug h h is

mot h e rwi t h t h e Wi lmer fam i ly . H is bro t h er,S i r Erasmus Dry den,was grandfat h er t o Jo h n D ryden

,t h e poet .

T h e dat e o f t h i s good l ady’s t h i rd marr iage,t o Jo h n Wi lme r off

S h rewl ey,i s u ncer ta i n , excep t t h a t i twas be tween 1 603 and 16 16

S h e d i ed i n 162 1,and h e r h usban d i n 1 623. Bothwer e bur i ed a t

Haseley,probably i n t h e vau l t o f h er paren ts

,Clemen t and

Kat h ar in e T h roc kmo r ton,wh ose a l tar tomb and h andsome monu

menta l brasses rema i n to t h i s day .

W'

e nowcome t o t h e mos t d is t inctl y Pu ri tan branch o f th eWilmer fam i l y . During t h e las t decades o f t h e s ixte en th cen tu ry

'

t h e r ewas l ivi ng at S h erborne , a smal l v i l l age 011 t h e r iver Avon ,3% mi les sou t h -wes t o f W arwi c k

,a colony of V Vi lme rs

,most ly

occupi ed as yeoman farmers . T h erewere on e o r more brot h ers,

and t h e i r fam i l i es,named by George W ’i lmer o f“te st Ham i n h iswi l l of 1 594 ,wh owere a lso brot h ers o f J o h n Wi lmer o f S h rewl ey

xl i i i . , 7. 324.1, Pa lme r , 229 ; and D .N .B . I x i l . 422.

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The ir Al l iance s and Conne ct ions

Step h en Slan ey,Lord M ayor i n whowas bu r i ed i n St.

Swi t h i n ’s Ch u rc h , London , i n 1608,aged 84 . Dame M argare t ’swi l l prov ided t h at t h e m i n is t er of No rt h i l l s h ou l d a lways res ide in

t h e paris h,and s h ould not be a pl u ral i s t ; a prov i sowh i c h s h ews

t h at t h e good l adywas possessed of sound sense . I t i s no t q ui teclear

,h oweve r

,wh e t h er t h e Pur i tan curat e of Nort h i l lwas noth im

sel f a pl u ral i s t fo r a fewmont h s i n 1620. As al ready men t ion ed,a

“ Jo h n \V i lmer,Cl e r k

,was appo in ted pe rpetual cu rate o f

St . M ary ’s , Strat fo rd - le -Bow,on 29th M ay i n t h at year , g iving p lace

to a successo r 011 20th December . I f no t t h e sameman,h ewas .

a n ear r el at i on .

T h ere i s preserved i n t h e c h u rc hwardens ’ boo k s a t Nor t h i l l ani n te res t ing i nven tory o f t h e c h urc h ’s belong ings i n 16 1 2 — t h e yearof W i lmer ’s i nst i tu t ion . I t i ncl udes E ra smus h is pa raphra se upony‘E va nge lists a nd y

‘Actes ofthe Apostle s . As Queen Kat h a r i n e Par r “was at t h e s ol e cos t of t h e o r ig i na l ed i t i on , i t i s no t un l i k ely t h a tt h i s vol umewas t h e g i f t o f t h e cu rate ’s uncle

,Jo h n W i lmer of

'

S h rewl ey,wh os ewi f ewas so n ear ly al l i ed to t h e good queen .

Soon afte r h i s se t t l emen t a t Nort h i l l,Jo h n W i lmer marr i ed a

M i ss Hogget t,s i ste r t o J o h n Hoggett

,named i n t h ewi l l of \V ilme r ’s

son El i s h a \V i lm er of London i n 166 1 . S h ewas apparen t ly t h edaug h ter of t h e Rev . An t h ony Hogge t o r Hoge t

,a former incum

ben t,wh o s igns t h e reg i st ers and c h u rc hwardens ’ accoun t s from .

1580 t o 1 604 .

One M ary Hoge twas bapt ized at Nort h i l l i n 1 596 J o h n \Vi lme rwas marri ed i n 16 13, so i f s h ewe re h i swi fe s h ewou ld bemanyyears h i s j un ior . But a M ar i e Hoget , per h aps s h e o f 1 596,was .

mar r i ed a t Nort h i l l i n 1624 t o t h e Revd . Nat h an ie l Lawren ce,t h e

Pur i t an v ica r o f Keysoe,co . Bed ford , a v i l lage fou r m i l es S . \V . o f

.

Kimbol ton,and el even m i l es d i rec t ly N .W . of Nort h i l l . By t h i s

marriage Lawrence became nep h ewto J o h n \Vi lme r ; and h e i s .

named i n t h ewi l l o f Capta in Nat h an ie l W i lmer o f Cas h e l,J o h n:

Wi lmer ’s son,i n 1654 , as mywe lbe love d cozen N at h an i e l

Lawrence,

” towh om h e bequeat h ed “my gu i l t an d s ilvie r rapi er,

and t o h i s c h i ld one s i l ver s p oon e . T h i s Nat h an i e l Lawren cesucceeded Gervase Fa lcon er as v i car o f Keysoe

,being nominated .

by t h e Pu ri tan au t h o r i t i es i n 1647. H e d i ed t h ere i n 1656, l eav ingawidow, and probably a c h i ld .

J o h n W i lmer i s n amed in t h ewi l l o f h i s Pu ri tan cous i n And rew'W i lmer o f Bowand To tte ridge i n 1 624 as my cozen Jo h n \Vi lmer '

o f Norrel l .” He i s al so named in 1643 i n t h ewi l l o f h i s s i st er M rs .El izabet h J oyce (formerly W i lmer) of St . Alban s , asmy d e are an dlov ing bro t h e r J o h n \V i lmer , pre ac h er o f N o rrall in t h e coun ty o fBedfo rds h i re .

” T h i s go i ad lady also , as t h e fi rs t i t em o f h e rwi l l ,mad e a beques t o f 405 . to th e poo r o f S h e rbo rn e , doubt l ess h e r '

nat ive pla ce . S h e names h er “ cozen El i zabe t h W i lmer (daug h terofh er late cou si n Andrew and h e r “ cosi n M rs . M ary

Th'

e Purit an Fam i ly of W i lme r

V ause (Vaux) of \Nh ip snade , co . Bedford ,

” an ot h e r daug h t e r ofAnd rew, an dwi fe o f J o h n Vaux . Esq .

,of a co un ty fam i ly l ong

r esiden t at \V h ip snade Hall , near Dunstable - in t h e pr i o ry c h urchofwh ic h par i s h M rs . Vauxwas bur i ed in 1657, aswe re o t h erm embers o f t h e \Vi lmer fami ly . F i n al ly

,M rs . Joyce names h e r

cous i n Jo h n \Vi lme r o f Cropredy,on e of t h e two son s of Andrew

'Wilmer,and h e r fri end Edward Sm i th of Bow

,a brot h er -ln- law

of t h e same AndrewW i lme r .Th e Rev . Jo h n \Vi lmer h e l d t h e paroc h ia l c h arge o f Nort h i l l for

th e l engt h y per i od of fo rty- t h ree years , t h e mos t eventfu l years o fEngland ’s h i s tory l abou r i ng among h i s par is h ioners and br ing i ngama p ious offspr ing . \V e h ave 110 detai l s o f h i s l ong i n cumbencyb ut h e l i ved i n s t i rr ing t imes , and must h av e h eard t h e argumen t sbot h “ of caval i e rs and round h eadswel l t h ras h ed out by h i s re lat i on sa nd f ri en ds . On t h e one s i dewere Si r Wi l l iamW i l m er of Sywel land Si r Jo h n Jacob o f Bromley St . Leonards , bot h royal i s t s on t h eo t h e r S i r An t h ony \V e ldou and t h e two co lone ls

,h i s son s

,and

\V illiamSay , a l l parl iamen ta ri an s . And no doubt h e l os t k in sfol kand fr i ends i n t h e sangu i nary s truggl e l ong spo k en of as T h e'Grea t Rebel l i on .

”

Of h i swi fe— not once men t ioned i n t h e ex i s t ing transcr i pt s o f t h eN or t h i l l regi st e rs ( t h e orig in al s be ing los t) —we k nown ot h ing

,n o t

e ven h e r C h r i s t ian name . T h e only ment io n o f h e r i s i n t h ewi l l o fh e r s is ter—ih - law

,El izabet h J oyce o f S t . Albans

,who i n 1 643 l ef t‘h e r “my bes t Beve r h at t

,my Damaske Gowne and D amask e

p e tticoate of a sea green colo u r” I We may h oweve r bel i ev e t h a t

s h e seconded h e r h usband i n t h e p iou s u pbri ng ing of t h e i r c h i l dre n,

a nd in t h e fa i t h fu l d isc h arge of h i s pastoral d ut i es . Certai n i t i st h at fou r sons of t h i swort h y coupl e became Pu ri tan clergymen , an do newas a cap ta i n i n Cromwel l ’s army .

I n 1655 , aswe may read i n t h e t ranscr i p t of t h e Nor t h i l l reg i ste r ,u pon November 20th M r . J o h n \V i llme r , min ist er of God ’s \V ord ,

”was bur ied , aged abou t 72 years . \V ewan t n o bet t e r ep i tap h normore fi t t i ng summary o f h i s l i fe t h an i s compri sed i n t h i s p i t h yp h rase

,

“min is te r o f God ’s \V ord .

Jo h n \V i lm er o f Nort h i l l h ad n i n e son s and t h re e daug h ters,v iz

( 1 ) Jo h n \Vilmer , bapt ized H e graduated M .A . of Tr i n i tyCol l ege

,Cambr idge . 1639 an d u pon t h e presen tat i on of t h a t

c ol lege became Puri tan v icar of H i tc h i n , 1 643-

4 ,wh ere h ewas“ succeeded by Benj am i n King, l a te r t h e ej ected v i car of Oa k h am .

We next find \Vi lmer rec to r o f Blun h am,a v i l lage some t h re e m i l es

n or t h o f Nor t h i l l ,wh e re h e d i ed 1650, aged 36 . H e h ad by h i swi fe,M ary Le red o f Acton

,a daug h te r M ary

,bapt ized i n 1646 as

d aug h te r o f J o h n \Vi lmer,

“Person of Bl un h am,

” andwhowasl iv i ng i n 1660.

( 2 ) Andrew\V ilme r , bap tiz e d 1616. Hewas,l i k e h i s fat h e r and

b ro t h e r , of Tr in i ty Col l ege , Cambridge MA . 1640. Hewas in

The ir All iance s and Conne ct ions

h oly o rde rs ,” bu twas de ceased befo re 1660. Of h imwe k nownot h i ng fu rt h e r .

(3) M ary, bapt ized l iv ing, apparen tly u nmarr i ed , i n 1660.

(4) P h ebe ( 1620

( 5) Nat h an i e l \Vilmer, bapt ized 162 1 o f h im anon .

(6) Samue l \Vi lmer , bapt ized 1623 ; of Tr i n i ty Col lege , Cambridge

,B .A. 1 644 , M A . 1648. He succeeded H en ry Nye (on e o f

t h e Sussex m embers o f t h e Assembly o f Div i nes) as recto r o fClap h am

,co . Sussex

,abou t 1645 an dwas a z e alous an d “ pa i n fu l ”

preac h e r . H ewas so much be loved by h i s congregat i on a tClap h am

,and by t h e m in is ters of t h e n e ig h bouri ng d istr i c t

,aswe l l

as by t h e par i s h i on ers o f t h e adj o i n i ng v i l l age o f Pa tc h i ng,t h a t on

pet i t i on h ewas p resen t ed by Cromwel l to t h e vacan t r ecto ry o fPatc h i ng i n 1 654 and t h e l iv i ng h as ever s ince been a du al on e as“Clap h am - cum -Patc h i ng.

” An in terest i ng se r i es of pape rs 011

t h i s appo i n tmen t i s i n t h e Publ ic Record Office . T h e pet i t i on ofth e Clap h am congregat ion , s ign ed by 5 2 pari s h ion ers , sta tes T h atM r . Samuel l \V i lmer

,Pas tor a t Clap h am

,h at h byn zealous fo r and

succe ssfull i n t h e gat h er ing and un i t ing o f scat te red sain t s i n to onebody

,T h at t h ey m ig h t e nioy t h e ord i nances o f god accord i ng to

gospel order i n fa i t h l ove .

” T h e ce rt ificate from t h e m i n is t e rsi s s ign ed first ly by Dr . Franc i sCh e yne ll, t h en min i st e r of Pe tworthand by four o t h e rs , i ncl ud ing Jo h n Tre dc roft, t h e (subsequen t ly)ej ected recto r of \Vest Gr i ns tead

,an d J o h n Bul k l ey

,t h e ( sub

sequently) ej ected curat e of S h i pl ey . T h ey say M r . \V illme rpastou r o f C lap h am i s s t ud i ou s and p iou s , z ealous i n p raye r , d i l igen tin preac h ing , sound i n t h e fa i t h , p roffitable i n h i s conve rsa t i on , an dwel l a ff ected to y" presen t governmen t of t h i s Common -weal t h , I nwitne ssewh e reofwe subscr ibe ou r n ames fo r t h e sat i s fact ion o fo t h ers and encourag( e)men t o f h im i n t h e ma in tenance of t ru t h andpract i ce of h oline sse .

” T h e Patc h ing pet i t ion i s s ign ed by t h i r t ee npar i s h i on ers

,i nwh i c h t h ey s tate t h a t i twas t h e dy i ng request o f

t h e i r lat e pastor t h at t h e l i vi ng of Patc h i ng s h ou ld be bestowe dupon \V illme r

,wh i c h t h ey r ecord “becau sewe h ope h i s m i n i s t rymay be as succe ssfull amongst u s as i t h ath bi n to o t h e rs .” T h e n

t h e re i s a Cert i fi cat e of t h e J ust ices touc h i ng y° u n i t i ng o fCl ap h am and Patc h i ng

,add ressed “To t h e Rig h t t h e

Presi den t o f t h e Counce ll ” i n respons e to t h e reques t f rom t h eCounce ll ” for i n format ion . T h i s i s dated Ste an inge i n Sussex ,

1653 and i s s igned by Jo h n Fagge , Esq .

,of \Viston and M ysto ll,

Ken t ( l at e r a baronet) , by \V i lliamffre eman , Esq .

,and T h omas

Bal lard,maior o f Arunde l and t h ey s ta te t h at we j o i n tly Concu rr ewi t h t h ose Pi ous and abl e m in iste rs i n t h e i r J udgmen t decla red i n

t h e re (sic) Cert ificat e Concern i ng t h e Pi ety and g i fts o f M r . \Vi lm erfor y°wor k o f t h e M iniste ry.

” Afte r t h r ee mee t ings o f t h eCounc i l,

at on e ofwh ic11— 3rst December , 1653— t h e Lord Pro tecto rwas

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The ir Alliances and Conne ct ions

j o u rnal i s ts and newspaper propri e to rs . T h e l ate M r . AldermanCh arl es \V illme r s h ou ld be remembered as h av ing establ i s h ed i n1 853 The N orthe rn D a ily Time s, t h e fi rs t dai ly n ewspape r publ is h edi n t h e provi nces and also t h e E ve nts

,said to be t h e fi rs t h al fpenny

newspape r pub l is h ed i n G rea t Br i ta i n : certa i nly two notabl eperformances . T h e W i llme rs of Bir k e n h ead are Un i tar i ans , i ncommonwi th so many of t h osewho be longed to congregat ionsorig inal ly Pre sbyter ian

,and fou nded by t h e ej ec ted m in i s ters .

( 10) El i s h a \V ihn e r , bapt ized 1630 l at e r of London,c i t izen and

i romnonge r ; also o f W apping,wh er e h e d i ed i n 1661,aged 31 .

By h i s secondwi fe M ary h e h ad an on ly daug h ter o f t h e samen ame

,t h e on ly member of h er fam ilywho surv ived t h e Grea t Plague

o f 1665 . Li k e c h i ldren of h e r u ncl es Nat h an i e l and Samuel,s h e

j o in ed t h e Soci ety o f Fri ends . Her descendan ts,beari ng t h e names

of M acke tt,Fe i ri e

,and Wil le t t

,wer e i n fluen t i al London Qua k ers .

T h e W i l l e t ts dedu ce t h e i r ped igree from t h e ce l eb rated Dr .Andrew\V ille tt” ( 1562 t u tor to Pri nce H enry of \Vales , andaut h or of t h e once re nowned and ponderously l earned t reat i s eSynopsis Pap ismi . T h e fam i ly i s nowrepresen ted by t h e Rev .Wi lmer M acke tt \V ille tt

,a cl ergyman of t h e Ch u rc h of England .

r ( 1 1 ) J ane , bapti zed d ied young .

I saac Wilmer,bapt ized 1636was in h o ly ord er s

,bu twe

do not k nowt h e place of h i s e duca t ion . He seems to h ave beencu rat e t o h i s b ro t h e r Sam ue l a t Clap h am -cum - Patc h i ng i n 1656

forwe find h imcon tr i bu t ing as “ M r . I s . W i lmer ” 2 s,and h i s

bro t h er t owards t h e sum of £3 103. 5d . col l ected fo r t h ePromot ing and Propagat ing t h e Gospe l o f J esus C h r is t i n N ewEngland .

I saac \Vi lmerwas admi t t ed r ector o f Coombes,Sussex , 2 8th

M ay,1658, Upon t h e presen tat i on of Si r C h ar l es S h el l ey , Bt. H e

succeeded “ J o h n \V urth,min iste r o f t h i s g i f t

,whowas bur ie d

27th Jan uary , 1657-8. He i s men t ioned i n t h e firs t ed i t ion of

Calamy as ej ected in 1662 from Preston,Susse x ,wh e re Dr . Ch e yne ll

i s sa id t o h ave been bur i ed in 1665 . How\W i lmer ’s namewasassociatedwi t h Presto nwe canno t say u n l ess h ewas a t some t im eres id i ngwi t h Ch eyne ll. T h e second ed it i on of Calamy i nforms u st h a t Wi lmer h ad d i ed prev iou sly

,wh ic h i s correct

,as h i swi l lwas

dated and proved in 1660. H e d ied young , l i k e t h e res t o f h i sfam i ly

,on ly reac h ing t h e age o f 2 5 .

\V e nowr ever t to Nat h an ie l \V i lmer,t h e t h i rd son of t h e Rev .

J o h n \V i lmer o f Nort h i l l ._

Hewas appren t i ced to M aste r Lewi sBic k er

,ci t izen and grocer

,o f London ; andwh i l e h e i s h imsel f

d escribed as “ c i t izen and armou re r,h e h ad cert ai n ly a t t h e t ime

of h i s marriage,1646, s e tt led i n t h e pari s h o f St . D ion i s Bac k c h urc h

1x 1. 289.

The Puritan Fam ily ofWilme r

as a “ci t izen and a groce r .” He h ad a n umbe r of \Vi lmer k i nsfo l ka t Read in g

,several ofwh om h ad h el d importan tmun i c i p a l an d

o t h e r pos i t i on s t h ere . Of t h i s Read i ng fam i lywas Jo h n \V i lme rwh o at t h e age of 19 matri cu lated at Tr in i ty Co l lege , Oxford , i n1623 ; commenced B .A. a t St. Edmund ’s H al l 1627, MA . 1630.

H imwe ta k e to be t h e Rev . Jo h n \Vi lmer men tioned by Calamy asej ected from Ham

,a par i s h i n co . W i l ts .

,on t h e borders o f Ber k s

,

496 miles sout h -wes t o f H unger-ford bu twho afte rwards con formed .

I t i s p robabl e t h at th e r es idence of t h ese k i n sfo l k a t Read ingaccoun ts for Nat h an ie l W i lm er find ing a b rid e i n ConstanceS h e rwood of Eas t He nclre d

,n ear VV an tage , Ber k s . S h ewas of an

o ld coun ty fam i ly,seve ral o fwh ose members served t h e office

of h ig h s h e r iff ; andwas a l l i ed by marr iage t o t h e fam i l i e s ofBu ls trode W h ite locke

,Dr . Rober t Plo t , Admi ra l Benbow, and

ot h e r i n ter es t i ng peop le . I n 1650, immed iately after t h e retu rn o fCromwel l f rom I re land

,h e gave \V i lmer a captai n

‘s commiss ionempoweri ng h im to ra ise a h undred men for t ranspor tat ion t oI re land e i t h e r byway of Bri sto l o r Ch est e r . But h ewas t o en te ri n to recogn izances i n t h e sum of £200 no t to t a k e free quarters , norOppress t h e coun t ry on h i s marc h . So Cap ta i n Nat h an i e l \Vi lmeren t ered h ear t i ly i n to t h ewor k o f “pac i fy i ng ” I re land— as i twascal led— and set t le d a t Cas h e l

,wh i c h h ad peacefu l ly su rrendered to

Cromwe l l ; and t h er e h e d i ed i n 1654 . \V ilme r ’s super i or o fficerand f ri endwas t h e ce l ebrat ed Colone l R ic h a rd Le H unt e

,wh osedescendan t to -day i s t h e exce l l en t governo r of Sou t h Aust ral ia

,Si r

George Rut h ven Le H un t,

Cap tain \V i lmer bequeat h edto h i swi fe l anded p roperty g iven h imby t h e Prot ecto r fo r h i sserv i ce s i n I re land . Soon afte r h i s deat h

,i n 1658, Constance

W i lm er , h i swidow, j o i n ed t h e Soci ety of Fr i ends , and i n conjunct ionwith '

h e r f ri end and fe l lowcoun t ryman,Josep h Coal e of

Read ing, awel l k nown Qua k e r m i n i st er and con fessor ,wro t e i n1661 a pamp h l e t i n defence o f Q ua k e r pri n ciples . T h i swasaddressed to T h omas Fu l l er

,t h e t h en recen t ly appo in tedArc h bis h op

of Cas h el . Constance \V i lm er and h e r two son swere on term s o fi n t imacywi t h W i l l i am Penn ; s h ewas l iv i ng i n 1684 , t h en agedabou t 62

,bu t t h e dat e o f h e r d eat h i s u ncer ta i n .

Nat h an i e l and Con stance \Vi lmer h ad two son s Jo h n \Vi lmer,

bapt i zed at t h e c h u rc h of S t . Dion i s Baclcch urch,London

,i n 1647 ;

and Nat h an i el,probably born i n I rel and abou t 1650. T h e la t te r i s

descr ibed as “ bac h e lor , of St . Gi les- in- t h e -F i e ld s ” an dwas amerc h an t and s h i powne r . H ewas no t an exemplary c h a racte r ;was i n t roubl ewi t h t h e governmen t of \V illiamand M ary fo rcor respond ingwi t h t h e enemy , andwas u l t imately d i sowned byt h e Soc i e ty of Fr i ends . He d i ed i n h i s t rad ing s h ip on t h e h i ghseas abou t 171 1 .

H is e lder brot h e r , Jo h n \Vi lmer ,was appren t iced to h i s u n cl e .\V illiamS h erwood of London

,a s i l k merc h an t towh os e busi nes s

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

The Pur i tan Fam i ly of W ilme r

waswh o,wh e n t ravel l i ng i n America on re ligious _

se rvice i n 1857,i s a l l ud ed to by Longfe l lowi n h i s d iary i n suc h appreci at i vet erms . I ndeed i t h as been severa l t imes a ffi rmed t h a t t h e poet ,wh owas t h enwr i t i ng The Courtsh ip ofM iles Standish , i n t roducedPr i sc i l l a t h e Puri ta n maiden from t h e i deal h e h ad seen real i sed

in Pr i sc i l la G re en .

Gri z e ll Gurne ll,t h e youngest daug h t er of Jonat h an ,marr i ed

Samue l Hoare,of Cor k

,London

,and Sto k e Newi ngton

,aweal t h y

Qua k e r me rc h an t i n par tn e rs h i pwi t h h e r fat h e r. From t h i smarri age are descended t h ewel l k nown fami ly o f H oare ofHampstead and Lombard Stree t ba 11 k e r ;s Canon Edward Hoareo f Tunb 1 idge \Vel l s J osep h H oare , t1 e asd re 1 of t h e B 1ble Soci e tyG1 iz e ll Hoare

,wi fe of Wi l l i amAl l en

,F .R .S , c h em is t and

p h i l an t h ropi s t,wh o

,unde 1 t h ewi l l of t h e Du k e o f Ken t

,was

t r us tee for Queen Victor i a and t h e fam i ly of Brads h aw,of'wh omwere H enry Brads h aw

,M .A .

,U n i vers i ty l ibra r ian of Cambr idge

and b ib l iograp h er,and Sara h Brads h aw

,wi f e of As h ton O x e nde n

,

D .D .

,B i sh op of M on t real , -and a popu l ar r el igiou swr i te r .

J o h n \V i lmer ( 1696- 1764 ) o f Sto k e Newi ngton , t h e on ly su rv iv ingson of Jo h n and M ary \V i lmer of Fr iday S tree t , an d brot h e r ofGriz e ll Gurne ll

,marr i ed la te i n l i fe ( 1749) M i ss El izabet h Scot t o f

a n an ci en t Ken ti s h fam i ly ; and h ad iss ue one son , J o h n W i lm er( 175 1 and t h ree daug h ters . T h e l as t s u rv i v i ng of t h esewasM i ss El i zabet h \V i lmer

,an excel l en t l adywh o d ied at Scarbo roug h

i n 1849, a t t h e a dvanced age of 95 ,so t h a t b e tween h er fat h e r’s

b i1 t h an d h e 1 deat hwas t h e e x t1a01d inary sp an o f 153 yea 1 s . Hersiste 1

,M ary \Vi lmer

,marr i ed i n 1774 Pe te r M ut ray, M .D .

,of

London,and assi stan t j udge i n J amai ca .

'

l h e ir son,t h e l as t o f t h i s

l in e,was Dr . Pete r M u rray

,of Scarboroug h

,a d ist ingu i s h ed

sc ien t i s t and p h i l an t h rop i s t,and an earn es t C h r i s t i an . F i f t h i n

d escen t from th e Pur i tan i n cumben t of Nort h i l l,h ewas no

u nwo rt h y represen tat iv e o f t h e race ; He d i ed i n 1864 , aged 81and h i s l i fewaswr i t t en by t h e Rev . Rober t Balgarn ie , m i n i s te r o ft h e Bar Congregat iona l c h u rc h

,u nder t h e t i t l e ofThe Be loved

Physician.

T h e arms of \Vi lmer,confi rmed to T h omas \Vylme r ,

Ryton,co . \V arwick

,i n 1 582 -

3,were “Gu les,a c h everon vai r

between t h ree eagle s d i sp layed or a cres twas also t h en gran ted,

via,

“An e z’

1gle s h ead o r between twowi ngs expanded vai r . ”T h ese a1mswer e confnme d to S i 1 \V i lliam\Vi l 1n e 1 of Sywe l l Ha ll

,

co . N o 1 th amp ton ( 1575 wh os e mot towas SemjwSap z tSupr ema .

E arly 111 t h e six t een t h c e 11tu1yGe 01ge VV ihne r , E sq.

,ofStratf01d

le Bow,11.1d ano t h e r g 1an t of a 1n1s

,wen

,

‘,

Gules a ch e ve ron betweent h re e eagle s o r , a rmed and langued sabl e ” cres t

,

“ an eagl e d i sp layed o r

,armed and l angued sabl e

,h o ld i ng i n h i s b ea k a garland

of lau re l proper .” Anot h e r gran twas made i n 1832 t o t h e

The ir Al l iance s and Conne ct ions

\Vi lmer-Goss ips of T h orp e Arc h,co . Yor k t h e motto be ing

E x pe rtasCr edo .

M any fu rt h er part icu lars of t h e Wi lmers and t h e i r descendan tsmay be found i n an e laborate History ofthe lVilme r Family , p r iva te lyp r i n ted i n 1888

,and compi l ed by t h e Rev . Canon Ch ar l es \V i lm e r

Fos te r,M .A . (nowv icar of Timberland , co . L i ncoln ) , and t h e presen twr i te r wh o se on ly son

,J o h n \Vi lmer Green

,born 1887, i s

descended i n t h e e ig h t h generat io n from Capta in Nat h an ie l andConstance \Vi lmer

,of London and Cas h e l

JOSE PH JOSHUA GR E E N .

Tunbridge \Vel l s .