of note, and I had not sufficient time to examine many of the wills, where the names seemed to betoken refugee testators. The first likely name was Paschall de Lasperon, of Wells, (will dated 13th January, 1570), but he proved to be an Englishman, as also did John Delehaye of King’s Lynn, yeoman, 11th Dec. 1576. My first successful search brought up an affidavit of the testament made by word of mouth, by Thierry de la Courte, of Sommers Kaye, London, merchant, native of Valenchiennes, “then using his five senses, remembrance, and understanding,” viz., on 28th July, 1573; the affidavit was made before Parole Tipoote, public notary, by Mr James Tovillett called Des Roches, minister of God’s Word in the French church, in the City of London, (aged 52), Nicholas Leonarde Tayler, native of Vireng, deacon of the said church, (aged 55), and James Jeffrey, merchant, native of Valenchiennes, (aged 37); the executors were Anthonie de la Courte, native of Quesnoy-le-Conte, merchant, (brother of Thierry), James Rime his brother-in-law, and John Tullier, merchant, native of Tournay; the witnesses were Denis Le Blanc, and Andrew Van Lander.
Translated out of French is a will dated 24th Sept., proved 22nd Oct., 1582; the testator is Anthony Du Poncel, a native of Sastin, in the county of St. Paul, in Artois; he leaves to our parish of St. Dunstan, 6s. 8d., to our French church, 5s. 8d., and to the Dutch church 6s. 8d.; the executors are named, viz., John Lodowicke, my wife’s brother, and Peter Le Cat, husband of Jone Du Poncel my niece, assisted by Messrs. Anthony Coquel and Vincent de la Barre; the witnesses are Anthony Berku alias Dolin, and Peter Chastelin, “my gossopp.”
On 6th June, 1583, the will of Godfrey de Sagnoule, merchant stranger of London, parish of great Saint Oldy, as declared before his decease, is sworn to by his widow, Mary de Sagnoule, alias Bongenier, before Dennis Le Blancq, notary public — namely, that after payment of the testator’s debts, and of £10 as a marriage gift to his nephew Daniel de Sagnoule, his wife shall have the residue. Witnesses, Margaret Selyn, alias Fontaine, (aged 45 or thereabouts) widow of Nicholas Selyn, Margaret Joret, alias Bongenier, (aged 40), wife of Anthony Joret of London, merchant stranger, Erasme De la Fontaine, alias Wicart, (aged 27), and Peter Houblon, (aged 26), merchant strangers.
The will of Alexander De Melley, merchant, born at Houtain, near Nivelle, Brabant, is dated 14th Aug., 1583; he leaves 40s. to the poor of the French church, London — the half of the residue to his wife, Catherine Maignon, and the other half to the children, John, Mary, Leah, and Rachel, of whom she shall take charge, “causing them to learn to read and write.” If his wife should remarry, the trustees for his children were to be his brother-in-law, John Maignon and Michael Lart, shoemaker. Witnesses, Martin Maignon, Nicholas Leuart, James Garrett the younger, Adrien Mulay.
There are three wills of the family of De la Haye, “translated out of French,” with which I close my Elizabethan researches. In the year 1579 Henry De la Haye, merchant, London, native of Tournay, having been “visited with a long and grievous sickness,” makes his will — “first, giving thanks unto God for his infinite benefits, and namely, for the knowledge of salvation and eternal life which he did reveal unto him through his gospel, that he doth bestow of his goodness and mercy, in all hope for to obtain pardon of his sins, commending his soul unto God, and his body to be buried until the resurrection to come;” he names his wife, Laurence Carlier, and their children, Paul and Anne; his wife to be executrix with Lewis Saye, also a native of Tournay, and Robert Le Mason [Maçon], minister of the French church; he leaves £14 sterling to the deacons to be distributed to the poor of the French church, and other 40s. to be given to them that shall have most need, without any diminishing of their ordinary alms, and £5 to the elders for to be bestowed about the necessaries of the divine service and of the church. Then there is the will of the above-named son, Paul De la Haye, merchant in London, native of Tournay, dated 6th Aug.; proved 11th Aug. 1582, who leaves the charge of his goods to his uncle, Anthony Carlier, merchant in Antwerp; he bequeaths £1,100 sterling, besides “patrimony, goods, situate at Tournay and places thereabout,” to his sister Anne, wife of Fabian Niphius, allowing her the full life-rent of the whole,” on condition that she and her husband approve the testament of my late
