N VERA PIETATE CONSENSU, 
SUSTULERUNT, VITAM DEO CONSECRARUNT, OPERA INDIGENTIBUS 
EXHIBUERUNT, EXEMPLUM POSTERIS RELIQUERUNT, IN HOC MONU- 
MENTO CONDITI, RESURRECTIONEM JUSTORUM EXPECTANT. 

JOHANNES OBDORMIVIT IN DOMINO X DIE FEBRUARII ANNO 
CHRISTI MDCVIII, jETATIS SU^E LXXVIII. ELIZABETHA OBDOR- 
MIVIT IN DOMINO XXIV DIE JUNII, ANNO CHRISTI MDCXI, >ETATIS 
SVM LXXIII. 

PRjEVIUS AD CHRISTUM PROPERO, MEA LUX, MEA VITA. 
CORDA DATE CHRISTO. METAM PROPEREMUS AD ISTAM. 
VERE IGITUR FCELIX, ET VITA, ET FUNERE, CROCUS. 
EST BONA VITA BONIS, MORS BONA GRATA DEO. 

* See as to Honey wood, in the Vellum Pedigree, it is argent, and the bearings azure. 



chap. in. SIR JOHN CROKE. 455 

On the pavement below is a large flat stone, I suppose over the bodies, 
with this inscription, on a fillet of brass round it. 

HERE LYETH BURIED SIR JOHN CROKE, KNIGHT, AND LADY 
ELIZABETH HIS WIFE, DAUGHTER OF SIR ALEXANDER UNTON, 
KNIGHT,WHO LYVED MARRIED TOGETHER 55 YEARES, 9 MONETHES, 

and (obliterated) days, for whome this tombe is made, at 

THE CHARGES AND DIRECTION OF THE SAID LADY ELIZABETH. 
THE SAID SIR JOHN CROKE DIED THE 10 DAY OF FEBRUARY, IN 
THE YEARE OF OUR LORD, 160S, AND THE SAID LADY ELIZABETH 
DYED THE 24 DAY OF JUNE, IN THE YEARE OF OUR LORD, 

1611. 

Sir John Croke's coat of arms is thus blazoned, in painted glass, and in 
stone over the porch, at Studley. Croke, quartered with Heynes, a 
crescent for difference. Impaled with Unton, quarterly, the first and 
fourth quarters, azure, on a fesse, ingrailed, or, between three spear heads, 
argent, a greyhound, current, sable, armed, gules, for Unton. Secondly, 
gules, two chevrons, argent, for Fettiplace. Thirdly, azure, three griffons, 
segreant, argent, armed and langued, gules. 

I have the portraits of Sir John and Lady Elizabeth. His is painted on 
pannel, and bears the date of 1596, aetatis 65. It is a three-quarters 
length. He is represented as a comely man in a green old age, with a 
grey beard ; the hair which grows on his upper lip appearing almost to 
cover his mouth. He is dressed in a black silk doublet, worked and cut 
in small rows, with a gown of the same colour, flowered, lined and collared 
with fur ; perhaps the same which was bequeathed to him by Sir Thomas 
Pope. He has a high crowned hat, with a band and rose. His sleeves 
have small ruffles, worked with an open edge. On his left hand, which 
bears a fringed glove, on the fore-finger he has a gold ring, with the single 
coat of arms of Croke, with a crescent on the fesse. On the fourth finger 
he has three rings, two broad plain gold rings, and between them a seal 
ring, with a death's head, and round it, disce mori vt vivas. This 
ring is in my possession. It is gold, very heavy, and has the initials I. C. 
cut at the back of it. It belonged to his youngest son, William, who 
mentioned it in his will as an intended bequest to his grandson, Samuel 



456 SIR JOHN CROKE. bookiv. 

Davis, but he had afterwards erased if. I have likewise what appears 
to be a copy of this picture, not so well painted. 




Her picture is on canvas, a three-quarters length, larger than the other. 
She is a handsome woman, dressed in a large loose black gown, slashed in 
tin- sleeves, and shewing the white lining. She has a very large ruff 
round her neck, and ruffs round the wrists. Over her breast is a sort of 
broad band of white cambric, with lace down the middle, on which hangs 
a cameo of a head set in gold. Below this is a festoon of strings of pearls, 
and there are strings of dark beads round her wrists. Her head is dressed 
with a comb, set with pearls. On her left hand there is a ring with a 
square stone on her thumb, and another set with stones in the shape of a 
heart, on her fourth finger. In her right hand is a pinch of snuff. By 
her right side hangs a fan, and on her left a watch. The exact time when 
pocket-watches were invented does not appear to be known. The watch 
said to have belonged to Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, in the beginning 
of the fourteenth century, was a jocose imposition upon an antiquary. 
Henry the Eighth, and Charles the Fifth, had watches. There was one in 
Sir Ashton Lever's Museum, dated in 1541. In Queen Elizabeth's time 
they appear to have been a common article of magnificence. Malvolio, as- 
suming the great man, talks of " winding up his watch." Hook, in 1606, 
by some said to have been the inventor, only improved the construction 7 . 

These two pictures were given to my father by Richard Ingoldsby. 
Esquire, of Dinton, the last male descendant of Sir Richard Ingoldsby, 
who married their grand-daughter. 

■ Will, penes me. 

1 Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act ii. sc. 8. Harrington, Archieol vol. v. p. 416. 
Ward's Lives, Hook, pages 169, 171, 179 Dr. Dei-ham's Artificial Watchmaker. Beck- 
man's History of Inventions, &c Waller's Life of Hook. 



chap. in. SIR JOHN CROKE. 457 

I have the wills of Sir John, and Lady Elizabeth, Croke, which give a 
curious picture of their affairs, and the manners of the times. His was 
made the 2d day of July, 1607 : her's on the 1st of February, 1609". 

It appears by these wills that they sometimes resided at their house in 
Fleet Street ; of course during Sir John's attendance upon the Parlia- 
ment ; and in the country, at the Manor-house of Chilton, or the Lodge 
in the park there. They had a house for the purpose of husbandry, 
which was carried on extensively according to the usual custom of 
gentlemen in those days ; almost every article of consumption being 
supplied from their own lands. No notice is taken of the house at 
Studley, which he had given up to his son John. Their coaches, the 
number of their horses, and servants, the gilded chambers, and the great 
quantity of gilt plate, in cups and covers, salt sellers and other articles, the 
chains of gold and pearls, the rings and jewels, the Turkey carpets, the 
great quantity of silk and linen, exhibit a picture of the simple splendor 
which reigned in the family of a rich country gentleman. The sums inci- 
dentally mentioned, and the appraisement at the end, afford a measure of 
the value of many commodities at that period. Three steers, or dry kine, 
tat I suppose, are valued at £\3. 6s. $d. or £4>. 8s. lOd. each. These 
modern times may perhaps smile at the minuteness, and simplicity, with 
which the different articles are enumerated, the knowledge displayed by a 
lady of family and fortune of the detail of her domestic establishment, and 
the particular care with which she disposes of her various pieces of apparel. 
The reader will not be displeased with the occurrence of antiquated names 
for various implements of ancient use ; the mazlin cup, the suckling pot, the 
great livery pots, the kettle for driving of bucks, the basons and ewers, 
the armour and weapons for furnishing men for the wars, the lances, 
the morinspikes, the calivers, my lady's gowns and kirtles, of silk, 
velvet, taffety, and tufftaffety ; not forgetting her holiday cloak of the 
latter material. The bowl of silver gilt with a cover, which Sir John 
bought of his eldest son, Sir John Croke, and which had been given 
him as a fee for his counsel in law by Sir Christopher Hatton, shews 
the estimation in which his legal opinions were early held. We may 
profit by the examples of the unfeigned sense of religion expressed 

a The will of Sir John Croke is in the Appendix, No. XXI V. 

3 N 



45S SIR JOHN CROKE. book iv. 

at the beginning of the wills, and reduced into practice at the end 
of them, in large bequests to the poor ; by the love shewn to all their 
children and relations, in the great number of specific legacies, and 
bv their considerate kindness to all their servants. All these and other 
circumstances will afford a fair specimen of the mode of living, the ideas, 
the plenty, the benevolence, and hospitality of those good old days ; and 
will make these testaments interesting to all readers of taste and feeling. 

The will of Lady Croke, being extremely long, is not printed. It 
may therefore not be improper to mention the various persons to whom 
she bequeaths legacies. These are, her daughter Brown, and her children. 
Henry Bulstrode, and his daughter Elizabeth. Her daughter Whitlock, 
and her daughter Elizabeth. Anne Searle, another of her daughter 
Brown's daughters, and her sister Dorothy Bulstrode that was. Edward 
Bulstrode. Her daughter Winkefield, and he