mother, within fifteen days after that this present testament shall have been signified into them” — the £1,100 in the meantime to he in the hands of Nicholas Malaparte, widow of the late Henry Monçeau, and John Kamas — the interest, in the event of the repudiation of his mother’s will, to be shared during the minority of the children, between Mrs. Monceau, Anthony Carlier. Gisbrecht Carlier, and the widow of John Flamen Noell du Faye, unless the said sister and her husband “change of advice.” His legacies are to my cousin, Peter Moreau £100 Flemish, to Johanna Alorean £30 Flemish, with a carpet which belonged to my grandmother, widow of James de Catteye. to Maister Charles De Nielle £25 Flemish, with two silver bolles, to my uncle Anthony Carlier £50 sterling, to the poor of the French church of London, £50 sterling, for the entertaining of the minister £10 sterling, for the entertaining of the scholars of the said church £10 sterling — also 3 percent, to his executors for recovering his debts, and selling of his merchandize, who shall give additional £30 to the poor of the French church, if funds be realized. The will of Lawrence Carlier, widow of Henry De la Haye, was not proved till 20th Oct. 1582, (though dated April 10) — executors, Lewis Says, merchant, born at Tournay, and Alexander De Melley, merchant, born at Houtaine, near Nivelle, in Brabant. Her legacies are £16 to the poor and £4 to the funds of the French church.
Although the testators, whom I have just discovered and described, are not notables, several persons whom they claim as friends bear respected names. To the Government loan of 1588 the strangers subscribed £4900. Mr Burn (History, page ii) prints the subscription list, from which it appears that Lewis Sayes contributed £100, Vincent de la Bar £100, and John Hublone £100. Strype, in his Annals, vol. iii., page 517, records the preparations for encountering the Spanish Armada, and says “The Queen took up great sums of money of her city of London, which they lent her readily, each merchant and citizen according to his ability. And so did the strangers also, both merchants and tradesmen, that came to inhabit here for their business or liberty of the Protestant religion, in all to the sum of £4900. Whereof among the strangers, John Houblon was one, of whose pedigree (no question) is the present worshipful spreading family of that name.”
Peter Houblon, styled by Burnet “a confessor,” because a sufferer in the cause of religion, was one of the refugees from the Duke of Alva’s fury. We have already met a Peter Houblon as a witness to a testamentary declaration proved in 1583, where he is styled a merchant-stranger, aged 26; if this be the founder of the English family, he was only eleven years of age when he was expatriated. We may therefore suppose that he took refuge in England along with his parents, and that John Hublone or Houblon was his father. Peter’s son, James Houblon, was born on 2d July 1592, and was baptized in the City of London French Church, where in after-life he was an ancien. In November 1620 he married Marie Du Quesne, a daughter in a refugee family represented by the modern house of Du Cane, and had ten sons and two daughters. A daughter or daughter-in law is praised by Pepys in 1665 in these terms, “a fine gentlewoman,” and “she do sing very well.” On 5th Feb. 1666 he extols “the five brothers Houblon.” — “mighty fine gentlemen they are all.” Again Pepys writes, 14th Feb. 1688, “It was a mighty pretty sight to see old Mr Houblon (whom I never saw before) and all his sons about him — all good merchants;” and on 1st January 1669, he mentions “the Houblons — gentlemen whom I honour mightily.” The venerable Mr James Houblon died in 1682 in his 90th year, and Pepys commemorated him in the form of an epitaph, thus:—
JACOBUS HOUBLON, LONDINAS,
Petri filius ob fidem Flandrià exulantis.
Ex centum nepotibus habuit septuaginta superstites, filios quinque videns mercatores florentissimos, ipse Londinensis Bursae pater. Piissimé obiit nonagenarius, a.d. 1682.
Bishop Burnet printed a funeral sermon containing much information. He records his surviving to such a great age, although in his 43d year he with some comrades received severe injuries from a gunpowder explosion which occurred at a militia drill near Moorfields.
