of Edmund; (1) Sir Edmund Brudenell, who died in 1584-5, grandson of Sir Robert Brudenell, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and a Commissioner to survey lands in Leicestershire, (2) his uncle Edmund, and (3) his cousin Edmund, who died at Staunton Wyville in 1590, and whose alabaster figure, arrayed in magisterial robes, lies in the chancel of Staunton Wyville church. The inscription placed over his monument records that he was "a man that lyv'ed in the treue feare of God, a lover of hospitalitie, pitiful to the poore, a quieter of controversies in his countrie, beloved of his neighbours, learned in the laws of the realme bothe civill and common." This worthy county magnate would be well-known to the Leicester Recorder and M.P., and pending the production of further evidence, it will do no harm to indulge in the hypothesis, that it was partly through the good offices of Edmund Brudenell of Staunton Wyville that the 15th century Guild Hall of Leicester became restored to the Town.[1]
The grant made to Mrs. Pickerell on February 6th, 1562-3 was very extensive, and comprised property in Derbyshire, Chester, Devon, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Sussex, Surrey, etc. The roll is actually some 50 feet in length, consisting of 42 membranes sewn together end to end. There seems to be no Leicestershire property contained in any of the three grants except Leicester Corpus Christi Guild Hall passing under the grant of February 6th, 1562-3, by the same description as that which appears in the Conveyance to Braham. That Conveyance was in all probability prepared beforehand, to await the sealing and official enrolment of the grant to the vendor.
A Deed of Conveyance is still preserved in the Muniment Room of Leicester City, which is endorsed on the front "The Deeds for the Town Hall," and on the back "They dedis and Raylaisse of the towne hall bought by Mr. Brayham or Recorder in the tyme of Mr. Raynold mayre Anno 1563." This document was produced at the meeting of the British Archaeological Association before referred to. As it has not
- ↑ It is worth noting that Robert Braham's only daughter and heiress, Phillippa, married Henry Cave, of Barrow-on-Soar, the fourth son of Francis Cave, Doctor of Civil Law, of Bagrave, Leicestershire. (Visitation of Leicestershire, page 120.)
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