Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/60

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. xii. JULY 17, wis.

SIB RICHARD BULKELEY, BART., OF IRELAND AND EWELL, SURREY (11 S. xi. 494). This Sir Richard Bulkeley was a direct descendant of Robsrt Bulkeley, Lord of the Manor of Bulkeley in co. Chester, who was living in the time of King John.

To come nearer Sir Richard's time, the following is the pedigree of his immediate ancestors :

Sir Richard Bulkeley, M.P. for co. Anglesey in the reigns of Queens Mary and Elizabeth, m., secondly, Anne, d. of Thomas Needham, Esq., of Shenton, by whom he had, inter alia, a son

Launcelot, who was consecrated Arch- bishop of Dublin in 1619, and was sworn of the Privy Council. His Grace m. Alice, d. of Rowland Bulkeley, Esq., of Beaumaris, by whom he had an elder son

Richard, who, in 1672, was created a Baronet (his wife's name is not recorded), and died in 1685, leaving a son

Richard, 2nd Bart., who died s.p. 1710, when the baronetcy expired. He m. Lucy, third d. of Sir George Downing of East Hatley and Gamlingay Park, co. Cambridge (Ambassador from Cromwell to the States- General ; Ambassador-Extraordinary from King Charles II. to Holland ; Secretary to the Treasury, &c. ; and created a Baronet in 1663), by his wife Frances, d. of Sir William Howard, Kt., of Naworth Castle, and sister of the first Earl of Carlisle.

In connexion with Alice, Sir Richard's grandmother, the following interesting inci- dent is recorded. It seems that,

" the Commissioners ot Government having pub- lished an order to prevent the killing of lambs, owing to the great decay and scarcity of sheep, upon the penalty of 10.9. for each lamb', to be paid as well by the killer as the eater, she petitioned for licence to eat lamb, by reason of her great age and weakness of body ; in consideration of which her petition was granted, and she had a licence, 17 March, 1652, to kill and dress so much as should be necessary for her own use and eating, not ex- ceeding three lambs in the whole of that year."

Coming now to Sir Richard, 2nd Bart., I do not think I could find any better account of him than the following :

" This gentleman had a good estate, and was a man of good sense and learning, but got entangled with the French prophets, a party of enthusiasts, who pretended to prophesy, and so embarrassed his affairs that he was obliged to sell his estate."
 * Mag. Brit.,' vol. v. p. 365.

"Aubrey says that he prostituted his pen in their defence, but does not give the title of any book written by him. He was very short and crooked, and expected, under the new dispensation, to be made straight and handsome ip a miraculous way; but, to his great disappointment and morti- fication, died before the miracle was accomplished.

After the first prosecution of the enthusiasts, and when Mr. Emms, one of their followers, had not risen from the dead, as they had foretold he would do on a particular day, Government intended to pro- ceed more A r igorously against them. Orders were given to the Attorney-General to prosecute Sir Richard Bulkeley and others who were ringleaders in the affair. Before any further measures were pursued, Lord Godolphin and Mr. Harley sent a gentleman to Dr. Calamy to consult him on the subject. The Doctor answered that he was con- vinced, after having fully considered the matter, that it would be best for Government to sit still, and not give the least disturbance to the new prophet or his abettors. In consequence of this advice, in a little time these enthusiasts sunk into contempt, and dwindled away." MS. Journal of Dr. Calamy in his life, Biog. Brit.,' 2 ed., iii. 144.

"" Sir Richard sold the rectory of Ewell in 1709 to Sir William Lewen, Kt., who was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1717.

Sir Richard's wife Lucy was of the blood royal, being descended, on her father's side, from Sir John Wingfield, eldest son of Sir Robert Wingfield by his wife Elizabeth, d. of Sir Robert Goushill, Kt., of Heveringham. co. Notts, by his marriage with the Lady Elizabeth Fitz-Alan, d. of Richard, 10th Earl of Arundel, and widow of Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, which last- named Elizabeth, through her mother, was fourth in direct descent from King Edward I., and, through her father, fourth from that monarch's brother Edmond, Earl of Lan- caster. On her mother's side Lucy Downing was descended from Sir Henry Wingfield, sixth son of the above-mentioned Sir Robert Wingfield and his wife Elizabeth Goushill. The only daughter of this Sir Robert and Elizabeth was named after her mother, and was the ancestress of the great Sir Philip Sidney. The fact that this celebrated man was of royal descent may not, perhaps, be generally remembered.

The Downings are said to ha\e descended from an ancient family of co. Devon.

The arms of Bulkeley were Sa., a chev. between three bulls' heads arg., which, with the insertion of " cabossed " before " arg.," and the addition of " a canton ermine " after " arg.," are now found quartered in the coat of the family of the present WilHame- Bulkeley, Baronets.

The authorities for the above statements are Burke's ' Extinct Peerage,' ed. 1840, p. 93 ; Manning and Bray's ' Surrey,' i. 470 ; Burke, ' Landed Gentry,' ed. 1846, pp. 453, 1613, 131 Supp. ; Sidney, ' The Sidneys of Penshurst,' p. 9 ; Cartwright, ' Sacharissa,' p. 3 ; and Burke's ' Peerage,' 1898, p. 1533. FRANCIS H. RELTON.

8, Lansdowne Road, East Croydon.