A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname

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Notes for Francis BARNHAM

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Francis Barnham's first career placement was in the Royal household of Henry VIII, with the Lord Steward, but he left a life at court determined to become a merchant instead. That he was successful in that desire is obvious from the fact that by 1570 he was listed as one of London's fifteen most affluent and responsive civic leaders. In addition to being an influential member of the Drapers Guild, serving in increasingly important offices there, he also served as churchwarden, alderman, collector of taxes and governor of three London hospitals.
Francis was a London alderman in 1568. In England, an alderman was originally a member of a municipal legislative body. In early English law there were up to 11 classes of aldermen. Among the Anglo-Saxons, earls, governors of provinces, and other persons of distinction received the title; later it was used to designate the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties. Francis Barnham was also Sheriff of London in 1570, although the full term of his office is not known. A sheriff was the senior executive officer in an English county or smaller area who performed a variety of administrative and judicial functions. The office of sheriff existed before the Norman Conquest (1066). Although the office had historically been very powerful, from the time of Henry II (1133-1189) the jurisdiction of the sheriff was severely restricted as a result of the growing jurisdiction of the 'curia regis' or 'king's court.' His duty thereafter was to investigate allegations of crime from within his shire, to conduct a preliminary examination of the accused, to try lesser offenses, and to detain those accused of major crimes for the itinerant justices. The History of County Kent, England, says that Francis was a baronet.
Barnham, Francis (fl. 1560, d. 1576), cit. & draper, aldm., h. of Alice, f. of Stephen. Parish of Saint Mary Colechurch 22A-D; 132 24-5; Saint Olave Old Jewry 3C. Source: Index of Persons - B. Historical Gazetteer of London before the Great Fire, Keene, D.J.; Harding, Vanessa. (1987).
In 1543 William Wyatt held London property that consisted of 142/X, 105/22A-D, 132/25A-H and 132/24A-D. A considerable part of Wyatt's property was held on long leases at low rents. He held the whole in chief for the service of 1/40 of a knight's fee and tenths (totalling £1. 19s. 4d.) on the current rents. These tenths or fee-farm rents continued to be paid until the Commonwealth.
In 1550 Wyatt was licensed, for £7. 16s., to grant all the properties he held to Bartholomew Skerne (possibly Skrene?), citizen and draper, his heirs and assigns, for the consideration that a lease be made to Wyatt and his wife Anne, of the messuage in which they now lived (presumably part of the above, but it is not clear which), for 60 years at a peppercorn rent. This lease was to be void on the lessees' deaths. In 1558 Skerne and his wife Jane, John Hethe, citizen and cooper, and his wife Margaret, granted all the properties to John Broke, citizen and draper. Wyatt's life tenure and annuity were not mentioned; possibly he and his wife were already dead. In 1560 John Broke was licensed to grant all the same properties to Francis Bername or Barneham, citizen and draper. From: 'Saint Mary Colechurch 105/22', Historical gazetteer of London before the Great Fire: Cheapside; parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane (1987), pp. 540-49. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=11052&strquery=barneham. Date accessed: 06 June 2006.
Stirchley church (in County Shropshire), although not recorded until 1238, had been built, as architectural evidence shows, by the 12th century. Wenlock priory had obtained the patronage by 1238 when Osbert, lord of Stirchley, released all his interest in the advowson to the prior. The priory owned the advowson until the Dissolution, although the Crown exercised the priory's patronage, presumably until its denization in 1395. In 1520 and 1535 the priory conveyed turns to others. Robert Brooke of Madeley presented in 1554 but the patronage had reverted to the Crown by 1565. In 1569 it was leased for 21 years to Francis Barneham, a London alderman. From: 'Stirchley: Churches', A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11: Telford (1985), pp. 192-94. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18133&strquery=barneham. Date accessed: 06 June 2006.
Francis Barnham, alderman, died in 1576, leaving most of his properties in London in tail to his son Stephen, citizen and draper, who in 1578 with his wife Anne and Francis's widow Alice suffered a recovery by William and Richard Bennett of one messuage (a dwelling house with its outbuildings and adjoining lands) and curtilage (the enclosed land surrounding a house or dwelling) in Old Jewry in Saint Mary Colechurch parish, probably as part of a family settlement. In 1592 Stephen and Anne suffered a recovery by Richard Bennet and Abraham Cartwright of 5 messuages in Saint Mary Colechurch parish, one in Saint Olave Jewry parish, and 8 in Saint Mildred Poultry parish. Stephen Barnham died in 1607 or 1608, leaving his lands to his son Martin in tail, with remainder to his daughters Alice, Ursula, Elizabeth, and Benedicta. Ursula, wife of Sir Robert Swifte, kt., of Rotherham (Yorks.), was barred from claiming the lands in London, on pain of forfeiting her claim to the other lands. Martin Barnham died in 1620, having settled the descent of his estate by a deed of 1617 conveying it to Nicholas Jordan and William Newton, to hold to the uses of himself and his wife Jane for life, with remainder to his niece Juliana Mason, daughter of his late sister Alice, for a term of years, and then to his sister Elizabeth, wife of Walter Double, and their issue. In 1621, by a case and decree in Chancery, Ursula and Sir Robert Swift recovered their title to the London properties as part of her marriage settlement. From: 'Saint Mary Colechurch 105/22', Historical gazetteer of London before the Great Fire: Cheapside; parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane (1987), pp. 540-49. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=11052&strquery=barnham.
15GL, Add. MS 1060; Comp. Peerage iv, 499. Sir Robert and Ursula's son Barnham Swift, later Viscount Carlingford, had married Mary, daughter of William, Lord Sanquhar, in 1618, when both were probably under age: Comp. Peerage iv, 27.
In 1569 Francis and Martin Barnham were granted the reversion of Pendlestone mills, the small tithes and Easter dues of Saint Leonard's, and profits of the spiritual jurisdiction of the Deans of Saint Mary Magdalen, Bridgnorth. The rest of the deanery estate was granted in 1579 to Sir Christopher Hatton, (fn. 133) who immediately sold it to Rowland Hayward and John Lacy. (fn. 134) The reversion of Morville prebend was acquired in 1554 by Thomas Reeve and George Cotton, (fn. 135) who then sold it to William Acton of Aldenham. (fn. 136) Alveley prebend, which had been leased to William Gatacre in 1561, (fn. 137) was granted to the Barnhams in 1569. From: 'Colleges of secular canons: Bridgnorth, St Mary Magdalen', A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2 (1973), pp. 123-28. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=39947&strquery=barnham.
The manor of Leighton, later known as Grovebury, appears in the Domesday Book as part of the ancient demesne of the Crown. It was the largest of the royal manors in Bedfordshire, and consisted in 1086 of 47 hides. Seventeen of these had been added by Ralph Tallebosc, whereof ten had been held by Wensi the Chamberlain and seven by Starcher, a thegn of King Edward. Traditionally, the dean and canons farmed out the premises, and a lease of ninety-nine years was obtained in 1566 by Robert Christmas, by whom it was surrendered and the premises granted in 1576 for the remainder of the term to Francis Barnham and George Barnes, aldermen of London. (fn. 68) Their interest was doubtless transferred to Christopher, afterwards Sir Christopher, Hoddesden, who was lessee in 1587. From: 'Parishes: Leighton Buzzard', A History of the County of Bedford: Volume 3 (1912), pp. 399-417. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42455&strquery=barnham.
According to Boyd's Inhabitants of London, Francis Barnham, citizen & draper, freed seven apprentices: 1) John Kidd, citizen and draper, 8 May 1553; 2) Thomas Bye, citizen & draper, 6 Nov 1555; 3) Humfrey Chaffin, citizen & draper, apprenticed 1553 but no record of his freedom (the book is missing for 1561-1566), 4) William Garway, citizen & draper, no record of his freedom but he was shown as a master draper in 1594 and 1599; 5) Edward Cotton, citizen & draper, 11 Apr 1597; 6) Richard Mann, citizen & draper, 19 Dec 1597 and 7) Francis Rogers, citizen & draper, 26 Jan 1602. The last of these apparently completed his apprenticeship under the heirs of Francis.
Francis himself was freed from his apprenticeship in 1541, becoming a master draper. He was alderman in 1568/69 and sheriff in 1570. He had a will dated 1576.
In his will, Francis requested to be buried in the church of Saint Clement, Eastcheap. Saint Clement is a church on Clement's Lane, near Eastcheap in the City of London. There has been a church on the site since the 11th century, if not before. It was one of the many churches destroyed by the Great Fire of London and rebuilt by Christopher Wren. The church claims to be the one featured in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. However, Saint Clement Danes, in the City of Westminster, also claims that honor.
Transcribed from The Visitation of London in the Year 1568: Barnham. Arms. Quarterly: 1 and 4, Sable, a cross engrailed between four crescents argent; 2 and 3, Azure a pheon argent. (Bradbridge.) Franciscus Barnham de London Aldermannus et Draper 1570. m. Alicia filia et hæres - Bradbridge de comit. Sussex. Arms. Azure, a pheon argent. 2 Stephanus Barnham m. — filia Ric'd Patrik de London. Arms. Argent, three lions passant in bend sable between two cottices gules. m2. - filia - Bowyer vx. 2. Martinus Barnham de Holingburn in Cantie miles factus p. R. Jac. m. Vrsula filia Roberti Rudston. Benedictus Barnham Aldermannus, London & Drap. m. Dorothy filia Smyth renupta Johi Pakington militi. [Note: their daughter Alice m. Sir Francis Bacon].
From Orlin, Lena Cowen. Locating Privacy in Tudor London. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, Ch. 7 "The Barnhams' Business Secrets": "Francis Barnham participated in uncounted controversies of personality, politics, and property. Most he adjudicated in his public roles: churchwarden in the parish of St Mildred Poultry, member of the Drapers' Court of Assistants, London, and Sheriff. But, as seems to have been impossible to avoid in the Tudor and Stuart years, he also had extensive private experience of 'variances', disputes, and allegations. There were the 1554 quarrel with William Beswicke over a jeweled pendant, 1 1556 argument with former apprentice John Kydd, a 1560 complaint filed against clothworker Henry Broune, and the 1568 petition of Robert Collet about the 'round compasse window' in St Clement's Lane. To none of these was as much jeopardy attached as a 1574 accusation that he had violated the Statute against Usury. As Alderman, Barnham was one of the Queen's agents for the governance of the city; he had been installed as Sheriff before others of her delegates for order in the country, the Barons of the Exchequer; now, he came before the Exchequer charged with malfeasance, and his private business practices were opened to public scrutiny." In the end, Francis Barnham was not found guilty of usury, but the chapter cited above, as well as other sections of the same book, offer interesting insight into the commercial and social workings of the Barnham family during the latter part of the 16th century. Locating Privacy in Tudor London pursues the case study of Francis' wife Alice Bradbridge Barnham (1523-1604), a subject of one of the earliest family group paintings from England. Her story is touched by many of the changes – in social structure, religion, the built environment, the spread of literacy, and the history of privacy – that define the sixteenth century. The book is of interest to literary, social, cultural, and architectural historians, to historians of the Reformation and of London, to historians of gender and women's studies and, above all, to genealogists and descendants of the Barnham family.

Among Francis Barnham's holdings was a large Southwark tract which incorporated grounds from the dissolved priory church of saint Mary Overy. He left that property to London's home for orphaned children, Christ's Hospital. Still today there is a 'Barnham Street', just east of the London Bridge underground station, named in honor of his endowment to Christ's Hospital.

The plot in Southwark was only one of the barnhams' many investments. To their portfolio of country property they added London real estate, including three houses on Saint Clement's Lane (including two that had belonged to the suppressed monastery of Stratford Langthorne in Essex), a mansion on Saint Botlph Lane, five houses on the Poultry in Cheapside, three residences and two shops in the parish of Saint Mildred Poultry, two building in Saint Mary Colechurch, and three in the Old Jewry.

When first married, the Barnhams set up housekeeping in the parish of Saint Mildred Poultry. Just six weeks after the christening of their son Benedict they moved to Saint Clement Eastcheap. Their new home was luxurious for the period, including a large storage cellar, an imposing stone entrance gate, a forecourt and personal open space in the form of a garden. All of this seems to indicate that the family had settled on Saint Clement's Lane, in what had been the principal London residence of the Abbot of Stratford Langthorn.

According to research by Lena Cowen Orlin, in "Locating Privacy in Tudor London", the public records relating to Francis are gratifyingly full. He was affiliated with London establishments that left voluminous archives: not only the parish church of St. Mildred Poultry (where he was churchwarden in 1554 and 1555) and, later, the parish church of St. Clement Eastcheap (where in 1576 he was buried), but also the Company of Drapers (where he was made free of the city in 1541), Bridewell and St. Thomas' Hospitals (where he sat on boards of governors in the 1560s and 1570s), and the Court of Aldermen (to which he was elected in 1568) Corporate and institutional accounts document the civic standing that followed from Francis Barnham's entrepreneurial success.
With holdings in London, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Dorset, and Wales, and with goods worth more than £2,200, Francis Barnham died a wealthy man. His sons Martin and Steven were already solidly established as a landowner in Kent and and a merchant in London, respectively.
London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. Name: Mr Francis Barnahm [sic]; Burial Date: 23 May 1576; Parish: St Clement Eastcheap; County: London; Borough: City of London; Record Type: Burial.

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