Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/636

522 NOTES -AND QUERIES. lu s . IX . DEO . si, 1821. brethren, is moved to desire her to continue to be his good lady. He repents of having too much delighted in dicing and other loss of time, and says he is much bound to her for her honour- able and gentle advertisements, as one of his poor friends, and at the request of his brethren, and especially of Mr. Rainsford, Gentleman Usher, his long approved friend, desires her to recommend him to Lord Lisle, by so doing his father and brethren will be bound to pray for her. Sir Thomas Elyot was High Sheriff and Member of Parliament and Clerk of the Privy Council. In 1531, Sept. 29 : Ex- penses of the Chancery of Alice Rainsford, 10 (State Papers, Domestic Series). She Was maid of honour to Anne Boleyn. Humphrey Rainsford, a kinsman, Was appointed in 1485 " Scavage within the City of London and suburbs and franchise of the same " (State Papers, Domestic Series.) He died 1497 s.p., descended from Sir John Rainsford, who married Winifred Pimple, daughter and heir of Sir John Pimple by Isabella his wife, daughter and heir of Sir Richard Cheney of Sheppey, Essex. This Sir John was the son of Humphrey Rainsford of Great Tew, in Oxfordshire, younger brother of Henry Rainsford. Lord of Rainford, Co. Lanes. (' London Visitations '), who, about the year 1440, married Elizabeth Wilcots, daughter and co-heir of John Wiicots, Lord of Great Tew, by his second wife, Elizabeth Cheney, and by this marriage became Lord of the Manor of Tew Magna. Humphrey had a small grant of land in Great Tew from his brother Henry. This line bore, Argent a cross sable, with a bordure of the same. Crest, a reindeer statant. The Heralds in various visitations, and genealogists, taking them for their authority, have greatly confused the Sir John Rainsford who had the grant of Hever Court in 1463, with Sir John Rainsford of Bradfield, Essex, who died 1521. They state he had a sister Julian, wife of William Walgrave, Sussex Knight. The Sir John Rainsford who had the sister Julian died at Bradfield 1559 s.p. He married Margaret, daughter of Edward Knevitt who also died in 1559. He, was the son of Sir John Rainsford of Bradfield, who died 1521, and was buried in the Abbey of Colchester. He married, first Anne Starky, daughter of Sir Humphrey Starky, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and it is by his first wife he had his son and heir, Sir John, who died 1559. His second wife was Margaret, daughter of Flam, citizen of London and widow of Sir John Shaa or Shaw, Alderman and Mayor of London, who was the son of Sir Edmund Shaa or Shaw, Alderman and Mayor of London, by Julian. The issue of this marriage was Julian, the wife of Sir William Walgrave, and Audrey, wife of Thomas Darcy, both mentioned in the will of Sir John Rains- ford, Sept. 21, 1521. He was the son of Sir Laurence Rainsford by his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of James, first Lord Saye and Seale. He married, secondly, Anne Percy, daughter of Henry, second Earl of Northumberland. To return to Myles Rainsford. He married Elizabeth Norton, whose sister Anne married Sir George Coppin. They were daughters of Thomas Norton, lawyer and poet, M.P. for the City of London, b, 1532, d. 1584 ; eldest son, by his first wife, of Thomas Norton, a wealthy citizen, who purchased of the Crown the Manor of Sharpenhoe, Beds, and died March 10, 1582-3. Elizabeth's father, Thomas, married, first, Margery, third daughter of Archbishop Cranmer. She died, sans issue, before 1568, and he married, secondly, her cousin, Alice Cranmer, daughter of Edward Cranmer, Archdeacon of Canterbury. His first wife's stepfather was Edward Whit- church, the Calvinistic printer. Calvin published in Geneva, in 1559, his last cor- rected version of ' The Christian Religion,' " which was performed in the house of his friend Edward White hurch." Norton was in high favour with Cecil. He wrote constantly from prison to his patron Wal- singham. His will was proved by his wife's brother, Thomas Cranmer, the Re- gistrar of Canterbury. Myles' s widow mar- ried, secondly, according to Chester Waters, Simon Basel (? Bassett) and had a son Simon. She, Oct. 31, 1634, was granted a lease in reversion to herself and Miles Whytakers of part of the Manor of Shen- stone, lands in Duffield and Utteringham, for the support of her children ; and a further grant was made 1605, March 15, to Elizabeth Rainsford, for the use of her children, of land in Staffordshire (State Papers, Domestic Series). The writer has in his possession a seal given to him by one of the descendants of Robert Rainsford, who went to America in 1631, which is said to have belonged to him, the impression being the head of Charles I. ALFRED RANSFORD. East Elloe, Austin Street, Hunstanton.