Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

He introduced into employment at Calais a second Richard Turpyn, who was afterwards a member of the College of Arms. In the family pedigree the herald has been placed as nephew of the chronicler, and as a younger son of John Turpyn of Knaptoft ;* but another authority†

* In the copy of Nichols's Leicestershire in the College of Arms, the late Francis Townsend, esq. Windsor herald, has drawn his pen through the name of Richard Turpyn the herald, thus apparently adopting the statement of Le Neve mentioned in the next page. Mr. Townsend has also in the same place made the following corrections: for sir William Turpin, died 1525, read William Turpyn esquire, died 1523; the death of John, for "June 18, 1530," in 1528-9 (without altering the month); his son William, born Sept. 30, 1527, not Sept. 1, 1529; the effects of George were administered to by his widow, Frances, 17 Aug. 1583. To these memoranda it may be added that the will of William Turpyn, 1584, is recorded in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, in 8 Wathan, and that of John, 1582, in 29 Rawe. The main authority for the Turpyn pedigree is not the Leicestershire Visitation. of 1619, but Vincent's Leicester, 217. In 2 H. 5 (Coll. Arm.) f. 94 b. is the following record of a crest granted to the family: "The armes and crest of George Turpyn of Knaptoft, in the countye of Leycester, esquyer: he bereth geules, on a bende silver thre lyon's heddes rasy sable, langued and oreilled geules; upon his helme on a torse asure and golde, A grype standyng ung pie levant golde, the forparte dropped geules, beked and armed sable, manteled geules, dobled silver: yeven the said crest by me, Thomas Hawley, alias Clarencieulx, the first daye of Aprill, in the vjth yere of the reigne of owr soverayne lorde kyng Edward the syxte." There were two marriages between the family of Turpyn and that of Docwra, the lord prior of St. John's (often mentioned in the present volume), the particulars of which will be found in Collectanea Topogr. et Genealogica, 1840, vol. vi. p. 90.

+ Memorandum in Anstis's MS. Lives of the Heralds, in the College of Arms, vol. ii. p. 628, verso.

declares him to have been still more nearly related to the former. "He was son of Richard Turpyn, burgess of Calis, gent. by Margaret, daughter of John de Mount, de Guisnes. (MS. penes P. le Neve, Norroy.)"

The second Richard Turpyn was, at the time of the surrender of Calais in 1558, clerk of the victuals there, at the salary of 407. per ann.; together with which office he lost. lands worth 100 marks a-year, and goods estimated at more than 2000l. He was also a pursuivant by the name of Hampnes.*

After his return to England, he was created Bluemantle pursuivant Dec. 21, 1560, and his patent was dated on the 22d of the following month. In 1562 he went with Ambrose earl of Warwick to Newhaven (now Havre) in Normandy, then lately occupied by the English, with the consent of the chiefs of the Huguenots. The earl landed there on the 29th of October, and on the last day of that month Bluemantle proclaimed in that town. the earl's commission, in Latin, English, and French. After a protracted siege, the place was evacuated by the English in the following July, chiefly in consequence of the fatality produced by the plague; and a narrative of the expedition was written by the pursuivant, which

* Mark Noble (History of the College of Arms) says he was so created "at his return," adding, with his usual blundering, that "he continued in that office during the reigns of Edward VI. and Mary."

It is printed in Rymer, xv. 566.

CAMD. SOC.

was in the possession of Garter Anstis. This was not the only occasion on which Turpyn was employed upon the continent, for a few years after we find him representing that there had scarcely been any service beyond the seas for twenty-four years in which he had not borne a part.

By patent dated the 25th Jan. 1565, he was promoted to be Windsor herald, and so created on Maundy Thursday the 19th of April following. Some years after, being in pecuniary difficulties, he was suspended from receiving the profits of his office because he owed certain sums to his successor Bluemantle and to York herald, but he was restored by the Earl Marshal on the 19th July, 1570, having previously presented the following petition to his grace, how long before does not appear, for it is undated:

To the right honorable the duke of Norffolkes grace.

Sheweth unto your good grace your poor oratour Richard Turpyn, alias Wyndsor heraulde of arms, so it is, gracious honorable lord, That, whereas your saide oratour was a pursuyvant of armes in Caleys, at the losse therof, and there dwelled and inhabyted, his wages beinge ther above xlli. by the yere, and his londes above c. markes by the yere, as also his goods, plate, and moveables, and others esteemed above and better than м'm1li. so that by mysfortune of the saide losse of Caleys [he] was spoyled of londes, goodes, and wages, as also havinge ther another offyce of the Quenes Majestie called by the name of Clarke of the Victuals, and their havinge the victuallinge, lodginge of all the workemen

and laborers, and also for alle other such necessaries as to them belongeth, your saide supplyaunt upon his credyt the bakers, brewers, bowchers, victuallers, drapers, shoemakers, with all others the said victuallers before specifyed, at all tymes did delyver all such kyndes as was neadefull for them to be had upon your saide oratour his warraunt, payenge to the sayd victuallers from paie to paie that was made ther by the quenes majestie their saide sommes of money as was growenge to them by the saide workmen and laborers, as the right worshippfull sir Thomas Cornwaleys knight, then being threasourer in Caleys, can testifye unto your good grace, as also of my honestye and good behavour; wherupon, most gratious lord, the saide victuallers before specified did delyver upon your saide oratour his warrants and bylls to the somme of iiij c. L.li. or thereabouts. So now, most honourable lord, by reason of the saide towne of Caleys was lost and taken by th'ennemie, and ther I being spoyled and dystressed of all my goodes, londes, and wages, at my retorne into Englande shortely after, the said bakers, brewers, bouchers, drapers, with others, dyd vexe and troble your sayde poor supplyaunt for the paymenttes of the saide some before specifyed: wherupon your oratour was dryven to make shyft and borrow of dyvers and sondrie persons, of some of them vli., and of other xli., and some more and some les, for the payment of the saide sommes of money before wrytten; all which sommes of money was dew to the saide victuallers by the quenes majestie, howbeit untyll this daie the poor souldyours, victuallers, workmen, nor laborers are nothing paide of their wages and dewties, so that by that meanes your saide poore oratour was dryven from tyme to tyme here in London to make shyft to paie and satisfie the saide sommes above specifyed; so that, most honorable lord,

space

by that meanes now at this present I am greatly indebted, to my utter undoyenge, oneles that your honorable lordshipp wyll and comaunde my company the kings and heraulds of armes that I may enjoie all such larges, comodities, and proffyts as shall growe to me by vertue of my saide offyce, I beinge an herauld of armes, seinge that I have not offended the prince, nor no part of your grace's comandements and decrees set forth by your grace, nor being no droncard, dycer, nor carder, no ruffyan, nor no spot of vylonny. I trust none of my companye can stayne me. Howbeit certain of my company hath dysbarred me of all my droytes and comodytees dew to me by my sayde servyce, which I have served by the of this xxti yeres in my saide call, and hath not received one penny out of the saide offyce syns the first of Aprill last past, so that, most honorable Lord, I have ben fayne to laye to gage all my rayment and my wyffes, with all suche poore stuff as I had. Furthermore I have served as paynfully and as daungerously as ony in the sayde offyce hath done, for ther hath ben no service thes xxiiijti yeres past done beyonde the seas but lyghtly I have been at them, and I trust I am as well able to serve as any other are in the sayde offyce, and that wyll I stande to their judgementts, as also my good lord of Warwycke wyll testifie, with others, of my honest and paynfull service lately done with the sayde lord of Warwyck in Newhaven in Normandye, when ther I served under his lordship. Therefore, honorable lord, for so moche as I have loste all my londes and goodes which I was well able to lyve in Caleys before the losse thereof, and now a poore man, and not able to lyve oneless your good lordship do comaunde the saide companye the kings and heraulds of arms that I may receive all suche dewties and droicts as shall growe, with

« AnteriorContinuar »