Shakespeare's Family Part 33

Page 171.--William _may_ have been the member of the Guild of Knowle for whose sake ma.s.ses were said in 1512. "Alicia" may have been his wife, or his sister Alice before she married "Buklond." But I confess I am puzzled with this William.

Page 171.--The tombs of Walter and Eleanor are well preserved in Erdington's Chantry of the Church of St. Peter and Paul, at Aston, near Birmingham. He died August 5, 1502.

Page 173.--The Shropshire Visitation gives: "William de Chettleton m.

Katharine, d. of Sir John Ardern; Elizabeth, d. of Reginald Corbet of Stoke, Justice of the Royal Pleas, m. Robert Arden of Park Hall."

"Katharine Mucklow" also is mentioned; and "William Wall m. Elizabeth, d. of Thomas Ardren, of Billingsly, in co. Salop."

Page 173.--Sir John Arden's will is long and interesting. It directs that the furniture of the King's chamber should be kept as heirlooms, also "the silver cup." "It is said that it was Henry VII. who honoured him by staying in his house, and that he then granted Sir John a Cap of Maintenance, purpure turned up crimson, upon which the wild boar is represented instead of on a wreath as before" (Arden MSS.).

Page 175.--The indenture of a lease by Thomas Arderne, Esq., and Mary his wife, to William Wilmer, of Longly, co. Warwick, husbandman, of a messuage, lands, etc., in Wilmer, late in the tenure of Robert Wilmer, deceased, was drawn up July 15, 23 Henry VIII., 1541. The lease was for thirty years, the yearly rent 10s. 3d., with a heriot of the best beast, the lessee to "furnish a sufficient horse for a harnesseman to ryde upon, when the King shall call upon the said Thomas Arderne for harnessyng of men." This is Thomas of Park Hall (Wheler Collection, Stratford-on-Avon).

Page 178.--The tomb of Sir Edward Devereux (died 1622), and of his wife, Katharine Arden (died 1627), are preserved in the church of Aston, near Birmingham, beside those of her ancestors, Walter and Eleanor.

Page 181.--In the "Visitation of Warwickshire," published by the Harleian Society, there are many evident slips in proper names, which must be checked from other sources. It makes one extraordinary statement: "The younger house of the Ardens were Lords of _Upton in Warwickshire_, and grew to be surnamed Uptons. The heire generall of them was married to one Fenne of Banburie, who, removing his dwelling to Hungerford in Wiltshire, was there called by the name of Moeles, of whom the Moeles, ancestors to the Lord Hungerford, seem to be descended." It gives the coat of arms as, Chequy or and azure, a chevron ermine.

Stow MS. 692 contains the arms of the gentry and the grants by Sir Christopher Barker, 1536-49. Among these are: "Ardern goules, a cheff engrayled and three cross crosslets fitchee in gold. Ardern silver, a fesse chequy, gold and azur between three cressards gules. Arderne, Sir Robert, Ermine a fesse or and azur, Warwickshire." Among the grants is one to William Arderne, of Struton, Oskellyswade, Bedford, Clerk of the Market to the King's most honourable household. It omits the shield and only gives, "Crest a boar quarterly, gold and silver and Fleurs de luce, goules." As the Park Hall Ardens had a boar on their crest, he may have claimed connection.

In Dugdale's account of Clodshalle's Chantry, near Birmingham, he says it was founded by Walter de Clodshalle of Saltley, 4 Edward III. The patronage remained with the Clodshalles until Robert Arden's marriage to Elizabeth Clodshalle. Robert Arden, arm., was patron in 1441, 1449, 1455; Walter Ardern, arm., in 1468, 1469, 1489; John Ardern de Lee Lodge, presented in 1510; and Nicholas Cotterell, of Yardley, co. Wig., through concession of Thomas Ardern, 1537.

According to Dugdale, Upton was possessed by the Ardens in Henry II., one Haraldus filius Gunfridi having made sale to G.o.dfrey de Arden, a monk of Coventry, and son to Siward de Arden, of certain lands for the Monastery. In Richard I., Thomas de Ardern granted certain lands there to the canons of St. Sepulchre's, Warwick. A family who _a.s.sumed_ their name from their residence there held it of the Ardens, but Thomas de Ardern sold it to Guy de Gyllebrok, who pa.s.sed it to Will. de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.

Page 181.--Pedimore, Warwickshire, on the Ebroke, at the north of the Tame, was the chief seat of the Ardens at one time, but was allowed to go to ruin when the family settled at Park Hall on the south side of the river. It was all levelled except its double moat by Dugdale's time.

Pedmore, Worcestershire, where "Mistress Joyce Arden" died in 1557, was part of the possessions of Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Clodeshalle, which she brought to Robert Arden, of Park Hall, 4 Henry VI., 1425. He died, seized of Pedmore, Yardly and Stockton, Worcestershire, 3 Henry VI., 1453. There are entered as residents William Arden, 1455, John Arden, 1468-83, Thomas Arden, 1530, Edward Arden. But in the State Papers Edward's brother Francis was entered as "Francis Arden of Pedmore," in 1583, at the time of the attainder, so it may have been granted him as a second residence, or it may have been the ruinous old home in Warwickshire he held. The registers here prove that Robert, Edward's heir, was residing here, and already married, before 1578, an important point to be noted in the family history.

Page 183.--Simon in Longcroft, according to Shaw, used the Arden arms with a difference, the arms being "Ermine a fesse chequy G. and B. Crest on a Chapeau, Erm. and Gu., a boar pa.s.sant or." At the north end of the village of Longcroft was an old half-timbered house, which was purchased by John of Wisbeach, who died 1709, and thus became the property of the family of Longcroft.

Page 187.--Shaw mentions the tombstones: "Henry Arden died 1674"; "Henry Arden died 1698, aged 24"; "Humphrey Arden died 1705, aged 74; Elizabeth his daughter died 1689, aged 21; Katharine, his eldest daughter, died 1722; John Arden died 1709, aged 84."

Henry Arden died 1728, and Anna his wife and Catherine his twin sister.

The stone erected by John, his son. "John died 1734, aged 40; Anna Catherina, wife of John Arden, and daughter of John Newton of King's Bromley, died 1727, aged 29." "Also to the memory of Anne, second wife, daughter of Rev. John Spateman, died 1764, without issue, aged 67."

"Henry Arden, 1782, aged 59. Alethea, his wife, daughter of Robert Cotton, Esq., died 1783, aged 60."

Clement Fisher, of Wincot, married as his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of Humphrey Arden.

(MS. notes in British Museum; copy of Shaw's "Staffordshire.")

Page 189.--The Rev. Robert Arden, of Lapworth, might have been one of the six unnamed younger children of the Robert executed during the Wars of the Roses.

Nicholaa was widow of William de Boutvilein when she married Sir Robert de Arderne de Draiton. After her husband's death she was involved in a contest with Robert de Wyckham about the presentation to the church of Swaldyve. There is no doubt that the name on the seal mentioned in the last line of p. 189 is in the masculine genitive; but I am inclined to believe that the die-cutter made a mistake, and that it was really the seal of Nicholaa.

Page 193.--In Blomfield's account of Bawsey, Norfolk, he states that it belonged to the family of Glanville in 6 Richard I. "Thomas de Ardern and Ralph, son of Robert, impleaded Sir William de Auberville and Maude his wife for their portion in Bawsey and Glosthorp." Maud, the eldest daughter of Ralph de Glanville, married Sir William de Auberville; Amabil, the second, married Ralph de Arden; and Helewise married Robert FitzRalph de Middleham, Yorkshire (Blomfield's "Norfolk," viii.

341-342).

Page 194.--John Arderne was a priest at Oxburgh in 1386 (Blomfield's "Norfolk," vi. 191). Mortimer's Chapel, Attleborough. A benefactor thereto was John Arderne, buried therein 1479. Other entries may concern his descendants. Sir Edward Warenne, of Boton, in 1365 married Cecily, daughter and coheir of Sir Nicholas de Eton, widow of John, son and heir of Sir John Ardern (ix. 370). John Arderne, Rector of Brinton 1452 (ix.

370). Isolda de Arderne presented to Pla.s.set and Attleborough in King John's time (i. 503, 523). She was a benefactress to the Abbey of Windham (ii. 516, 525). She was a daughter of Alured de Plesseto, and left her body to be buried at Windham, and benefactions to the Abbey, with the consent of William de Arderne, her son. Thurston Holland, of Denton, married Jane, daughter of John Ardern, of Hawarden (i. 342).

Elizabeth, d.u.c.h.ess of Norfolk, presented Robert Arderne to the Rectory of Aldeburgh (149), and at his death, 1504, gave it to Will Taylor (v.

353). Peter Arderne trustee for John Copputdike, of Witlingham, in 1432 (v. 456).

Page 196.--In relation to the Cheshire Ardens, Burke says that "the elder branch of Ardens became extinct by the death of Walkelin Ardern, _temp._ Richard II. Sir John Arden, younger brother, became head of the family. A younger branch of Arderns settled at Alderley (Edward III.), and ended in a few descents in a female heir, who married into the Weever family, whose heiress married the ancestor of Sir J. Stanley. The Ardernes of Leicestershire descended from Thomas, the younger son of Sir Ralph Arderne of Harden, 1420, and brother of John of Harden." This is confusing and unsatisfactory.

Page 199.--Does the following notice refer to this Thomas Arden of Elford, etc.? "Thomas de Arderne, Chivaler, who was in Gascony in the retinue of Ed. Prince of Acquitaine and Wales, had letters of protection granted him for a year, Feb. 13, 1367.--Vascess. Roll, 41 Edward III."

(sent me by a member of the family).

Page 201.--In reading through the books of the Haberdashers' Company, I find that "William Arden of Timporley, co. Cestr., Armiger, apprenticed John Wigge 1583."

Page 202.--Debrett states that Baron Alvanley descended from Ailwin de Arden. Vincent's "Cheshire Collections" state that he descended from Ralph de Hampton. Ormerod disagrees with both.

"Mrs. Anne Goldsmith, of Nantwich, Chester, left a legacy to her grandson, John Arden, 1709" (Marshall's "Genealogist," ii.).

Page 204.--The letters of the Rev. Thomas Arden, 1472, are among the MSS. of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury.

Page 205.--John Arderne is mentioned in the Inquisition Post-Mortem of Edward Green, 18 Henry VII., as owning property in London.

Page 207.--The Visitation of Surrey gives "the Ardens' Arms as Azure, the sun in splendour, argent," but it does not mention the family.

Page 210.--In the Haberdashers' books I found: "Ralphe Arderne, son of Robert Ardern de Berwick-sup-Twede, in co. Northumberland, gen., apprenticed to Edmund Walden, Citizen and Haberdasher, for 8 years from Christmas, 1589" (October 30, 1589).

Page 211.--Edmond Yate, of Bockland, Berks, Arm., appears as a surety in 1583, in the Haberdashers' books.

Page 213.--Gerard says: "John of Arderne hath set down a composition for wounds, etc., from Alkanet" (Gerard's "Herbal," 1597, p. 657).

Page 214.--"Yorkshire. Thomas Crake m. Jane, d. and coheir of Thomas Arden of Marton" ("Visitation of Yorkshire," 1564).

An Agnes Arden married John Middleton, son of Sir John Middleton, of Stockeld Park, co. Yorkshire ("Visitation of Ess.e.x," 1588). She afterwards became the second wife of Sir Thomas More, and her arms may be seen on the Chelsea tomb--Ermine a fesse chequy (_Notes and Queries_, 4th Series, iv. 61; _Gent. Mag._, 1833, ii. 481-486).

Sir Edmund Talbot married Agnes, third daughter and coheiress of John Arderne, of Nether Derwind, co. Lancaster, and quartered the arms of the Cheshire Ardens. (See Dugdale's "Visitation of Yorkshire," 1665; Surtees Society's Publications, 1859, vol. xxvi., p. 239.)

Several notices of the name occur in the _Yorkshire Archaeological Journal_, vol. xi., p. 392; vol. xii., p. 212, etc.

Page 215.--Among "the Recusants, 1717," is mentioned Anne Arden, widow of John Arden, late of Grafton, co. Worcester, gentleman.

Page 216.--"Visitation of Shropshire": William de Chettleton, Arm., m.

Katharine, d. of Sir John Ardern. Elizabeth, d. of Reginald Corbet, of Stoke, Justice of the King's Pleas, mar. Robert Arden, of Park Hall.

Katharine Arden, daughter of John Arden, who married Richard Muklowe, of Hodon. William Wall married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Ardren, of Billingsley, in co. Salop.

The "Visitation of Suffolk," notes: "In the shield of Lady Elizabeth Morrison, daughter of Nicholas Clerk, of Weston, in Oxfordshire, the Ardern arms are quartered, a Fesse chequy or and azure, at Great Saxham, Suffolk."

The will of Robert Arden of Maggotifilde, Gloucester, was proved in 1560 (11 Loftes), and that of Robert Arden of Westtray, Charlton, co.

Gloucester, 1583 (24 Rowe, Somerset House).

"Visitation of Derbyshire," 1569-1611: Robert Ratcliffe of Mellon's 2nd wife was Jane, daughter of Perkin Ardren:

From Musgrave's "Obituary" (Harleian Publications):

Rev. R. Crewe Arden, of Tarporley, Lancashire, brother of the Master of the Rolls, August 25, 1787 (_G.M._, 838).

Rev. James Arden, Dean of Chester, F.R.S. 1668, September 18, 1691 (Carter's "Cambridge," 1235; Neve's "Fasti," 344).