Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 2.djvu/357

 ii s. vm. NOV. i, 1913.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

351

of these deeds are stated to be " sans date," but would probably be about the year 1270. Owen quotes his authority for the deeds as " libro pergameni," fo. 66 and fo. 50 respec- tively. As the words merely mean " parch- ment book," I should be glad to know its present whereabouts. Owen would seem to have consulted records then lying in the Tower of London. Can any one tell me if this " libro pergameni " is now in the Record Office ? and, if so, what is the full reference ? G. H. W.

'MEMOIRS OF SIR J. LANGHAM, BARONET.'

(11 S. viii. 281.)

ALTHOUGH there are many references to Sir John Langham in contemporary and other books, it would be difficult to piece together an article equal in interest to the attractive character - sketch which MB. DOBKLL has unearthed and printed.

John Langham was the son of Edward Langham of Guilsborough, Northampton- shire. Richard, son of Robert Langham of Cold Ashby, had five sons. William, his second son, was Rector of Thurnby ( North - ants). Edward was his youngest son, and he married Anne, daughter of John West of Cotton End, near Northampton, and by her was father of Sir John Langham (Kimber and Johnson's 'Baronetage,' 1771, vol. ii. pp. 13-16). Langham became Alderman of Portsoken Ward 11 Jan., 1641/2. He was committed to Newgate 1 Feb. for refusing to act, but discharged on taking the oath 12 May, 1642. He became Alderman of Bishopsgate Ward 29 Aug., 1648, but was dismissed as being of too Cavalier an influ- ence 7 April, 1649: he was replaced at the Restoration, 1660. Sheriff of London, 1642- 1643. M.P. for London, 1654; for South- wark, 1660-61. Was in 1660 one of the citizens of London deputed to meet the King at the Hague, where he (Langham) was knighted 25 May, 1660. Created a baronet 7 June, 1660. Earlier he had been on the Committee of the East India Com- pany, 1626-7 and 1628-42. Treasurer of the Levant Company, 1632-4. He married before 1620 Mary, sister of Sir James Bunce, first baronet, and only daughter of James Bunce of St. Benet's. Gracechurch, citizen and leatherseller. By her he had fifteen

children. She died 8 April, 1652, aged 52. He died at Crosby House 13 May. 1671. His will is P.C.C. 79 Duke, dated 1 Nov., 1670; proved 21 June, 1671. Both he and his wife are buried at Cottesbrook, Northants.

" Upon an elegant altar monument of black and white marble, in the middle of this ile, lie the effigies of Sir John Langham in an Alderman's gown, and of his lady in the dress of the times,

their heads reposing on two pillows On the west

side is the inscription following :

Here beneath within this vault lie the bodies of Sir John Langham of Cottesbrook, Knt. and Bart., sometime Alderman of London, and of Dame Mary his wife, the onely daughter of James Bunce of London. Esq. They left issue, besides vui children who dyed in their youth unmarried, Sir James Langham of Cottesbrook aforesaid, Knt. of the Bath ; Anne marryed to Sir Martin Lumley of Essex, Bart. Rebecca marryed to Sir Thomas Lake of Middlesex, Knt. Sarah marryed to Sir John Husseyof Lincolneshire,Bart. The said Sir John Langham departed this life on the xin day of May, 1671, in the 88th year of his age, and Dame Mary on the 8th of April, 1652, aged 52 years." Bridges, * Northamptonshire.'

Cottesbrook was purchased from Martin Harvey by Sir John Langham for seventeen thousand pounds in 17 Charles I., and since then the family has lived there. The pre- sent representative is Sir Herbert Langham, Bart. There is an illustration of the house in Bridges's 'Northamptonshire,' vol. i., facing p. 554. Sir James Langham, the second baronet (son of Sir John), owned the ground upon which Langham Place and Langham Street, London, are built. Bishop Burnet said that Sir John Langham was

" famed for his readiness of speaking florid Latin, which he had attained to a degree beyond any man of the age, but his style was too poetical and full of epithets and figures."

For those who wish to pursue the matter further I will add a bibliographical note. ' The Registers of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate,' edited by W. Bruce Bannerman, 1904 (Harleian Soc.), contain very numerous and interesting references to Langham and to all his family. J. E. Cox's * Annals of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate,' contains a short memoir of Sir John Langham at pp. 321-2, and other notes as well (all indexed). Ac- counts of Langham's occupation of Crosby House will be found in C. W. F. Goss's ' Crosby Hall,' 1908, and in P.jNormftn and W. D. Caroe's 'Crosby Place,' 1908. In ' The Calendar of the Committee for Com- pounding/ pt. v. p. 3272 (Record Office), there is this entry :

" 29 August, 1650. John Langham petitions that in 1640 he lent 3.000J. to the late Spencer, Earl of Northampton, and had as security a lease for 99