a IN 1413, 1 Hen. V. Robert Cooper had a grant from that victorious monarch, in consideration of his good and acceptable services, of sixpence a day, during his life, out of the King's rents in the county of Northampton; and in the patent is entitled, Val letorum de Corona; whereby it is not unlikely, that he was in the place which is now one of the grooms of the King's będ chamber; and very probably attended on him in France. When he died I do not find, neither can I positively assert, that Thomas Cooper, Esq. was a descendant from him, who was living in the reigns of Kings Henry VI. and Edward IV. Which Thomas Cooper, writing himself of Horley, in the diocese of Winchester, made his last will and testament, August 29th, 1489, wherein he ordered his body to be buried in the chapel of St. Catherine, in the parish church of the blessed Mary of Horley, to which he was a benefactor, besides bequeathing two torches thereto, each of 13s. 4d. value. By his will it appears, that John Cooper was his eldest son, and William Cooper his second son; and that he had daughters, Agnes, Margery, and Joan, whom he handsomely provided for; and the residue of his goods, chattels, &c. after his legacies paid, he bequeaths to Joan his wife, and constitutes her sole executor, and his cousin John Cooper supervisor; and they to dispose for his soul as they see expedient. The probate bears date November 12th, the same. year. Pat. 1 Hen. V. p. 5. Ex Regist. Mills, Quire 11, in Cur. Prærog Cant. C In the same reigns of Henry VI. and Edward IV. two of the names of John Cooper were living, and both died in the reign of Henry VII. within three years of one another. The last made his will on August 29th, 1498, and writing himself of Bekynton, ordered his body to be buried before the high altar of St John Baptist, in the church of St. Gregory of Bekynton, to which he bequeathed 40s. and to his mother-church of Wells, in Somersetshire, for his tythes forgotten 3s. 4d. He bequeathed several small legacies to his friends therein named, and after them, and his debts paid, he gives the residue of his fortune to Philippe his wife, and John Cooper his eldest son, whom he constitutes his executors, and Thomas Compton his supervisor; and names no other sons that he had, but the said John Cooper. It is mentioned that he put his seal to his will at Bekynton, in the presence of Thomas Compton, Hugh Trapnal, and Nicholas Gonvyle; and the probate bears date November 18th, after the date of his will. I shall now give an account of that John Cooper, who died three years before the other, and is the same person, whom Thomas Cooper, before-mentioned, made supervisor of his will, calling him his cousin. The said John Cooper, Esq. I take to be the direct ancestor to the present Earl of Shaftesbury. His last will and testament is dated May 16th, 1495, and proved October 29th, that year: and writing himself of Hertyng, orders his body to be buried in the parish church of St. Mary, the Virgin, of Hertyng. He bequeaths to the churches of St. Mary of Durford, and St. Mary of Peter, 40s. each, holding lands there. He also bequeaths ten pounds for a priest to say mass in the church of Hertyng, for his soul, and the souls of his ancestors, to be paid by his executors; and to John his son, after the decease of Alice his wife, his manor of Bosham, with the appurtenances, as in an indenture to him more plainly appears. He had a large stock of horses, oxen, cows, sheep, &c. which he divided between John and Richard Cooper his sons, as he did also his lands, &c. in the counties of Sussex and Southampton. He constitutes his said wife sole executrix, and leaves her his lands and tenements in Petersfield in the county of Southampton, to dispose of to his sons, as she saw expedient. Of John Cooper, the elder son, it may be, he died without issue, and Richard his brother became his heir. Ex Regist. Hoine, Qu. 26. Ex Regist. Vox. Qu. 29. Which Richard Cooper, Esq was possessed of so fair a fortune, that in 23 Hen. VIII. he purchased of Sir Amias Paulett, Knight, the manor of Paulett in Somersetshire, as not far from the possessions he had from his father; which is yet part of the inheritance of his descendant, the present Earl of Shaftesbury, and upwards of 1200/. per annum. In the purchase deed, he has the title of Solutarius, whereby it may be presumed he was a paymaster under King Henry VIII. but whether of his army, or in any other office, cannot perhaps with certainty be made out. He had to wife Jane, daughter of Sir John Kingsmill, of Sydmonton in com. Southamp. Knight, by whom he had issue three sons, and two daughters. First, Sir John Cooper. Second, George Cooper, who married a daughter of George Cooper, of Witcomb in com. Dorset, Esq. and died without issue; as did Sir Maurice Cooper his third son. The two daughters were, Margaret, wife of Thomas Prideaux, of Nutwell-court in com. Devon. Esq.; and Gertrude, of Robert Broughton, of Samford in Somersetshire, Esq. He lived to be very aged, dying on May 8th, 1566, and was succeeded in his estate by John Cooper, his son and heir. Which John Cooper, Esq. was born on September 24th, 1552, served for the borough of Whitchurch in Hampshire, in parliament, 1586. After which he received the honour of knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, and died on November 24th, 1610, leaving by Margaret (or Martha, according to Hutchins's History of Dorsetshire, vol. ii. p. 216,) his wife, daughter of Anthony Skutt, of Stanton-Drew in com. Somers. Esq. one son, John, who succeeded to his estate. And four daughters, Bridget, wife of Edmund Tremaine, of Collacomb in com. Devon. Esq.; Margaret, married to William Dunch, of Avesbury in com. Wilts, Esq.; Martha, to Edward Tooker, of Madington in com. Wilts, Esq.; and Jane, to William Sanderson, Esq. brother to ...... Viscount Castleton, and, secondly, to Sir Robert Baker, Bart. envoy to Spain. His only son JOHN Cooper, Esq. was created to the dignity of a Baronet, by letters-patent, dated July 4th, 1622, being then denominated of Rockbourne in the county of Southampton, Esq. e Ex Collect. Greg. King, Lanc. Fecial. f Willis's Not. Parl. p. 108, 114. Heylin's Help to History, p. 585. i but was afterwards knighted; and by the title of Sir John Cooper, Knight and Baronet, was returned to serve in parliament for the town of Pool in Dorsetshire, in 1628. He had to his first wife Anne, daughter and sole heir of Sir Anthony Ashley, of Winborne St. Giles's in com. Dors. Knight, (famous in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and knighted at the taking of Cadiz, in September 1596, when he served as secretary of War) by Jane his wife, daughter and heir of Philip Okeover, of Okeover in com. Stafford, Esq. Which Jane died on April 27th, 1619, as did her husband on January 13th, 1628: whereby Sir John Cooper made a very great addition to his estate: but his Lady, the said Anne, died soon after her father, viz. on July 20th, 1628,' leaving by her husband, Sir John, a daughter Phillippa, wife of Sir Adam Brown, of Bechworth castle in com. Surry, Bart. she died May 20th, 1701, and was buried at Mitcham in Surry; and two sons, First, Anthony Ashley; and, Second, George, of Clarendon park in Wilts, who by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Oldfield, alderman of London, had two sons, John and George; the former died young, and the latter died unmarried in 1727; also six daughters, the eldest of which, Elizabeth, was married to William Hanham, of Winborne in Dorsetshire. Sir John Cooper took" to his second wife Mary, Lady Morrison (widow of Sir Charles Morrison, and daughter and coheir of Baptist Hicks, Viscount Campden) who survived without any issue by him, and was thirdly married to Sir Richard Alford, Knight. He departed this life on March 23d, 1631, and was buried at Rockbourne, as appears by inquisition taken at Basingstoke in the county of Southampton, on May 11th, 1631; when the jury found, that he died possessed of the manor of Pyrton, alias Puriton-Wotton, and rectory and impropriation thereof, with the advowson of the vicarage, the manors of Lyddeard and Millicent, and divers messuages and lands in Braden forest, called the Salthouse, Mill-house, and the Mill-grounds, &c. and Finches, South h Willis's Not. Parl. p. 220. Camden's Eliz. in Hist. of Engl. vol. ii. p. 59t, 593 Ibid. Cole's Esc. lib. 3, Not. 61, A. 14, p. 18, in Bibl Harley. m P Hutchins's History of Dorsetshire, vol. ii. p. 216. • Ibid. brokes, and West-hill; the manors of Rockbourne, alias Rogeborne, and Fordenbridge, with divers messuages, lands, &c. in the county of Southampton: and of the manor of Whitbury, alias Whichbury, with the lands thereto belonging, in the counties of Southampton and Wiltshire: the manor of Martyn, and lands thereto belonging, with the rectory and tythes thereof; the rectory and tythes of Domerham; the tythes of Tadpyt; the manor of Lee, alias Lea, and mansion there, with tythes, advowson of the church and chapel, the meadow called Broad-meade, and other lands there, with twelve loads of wood yearly out of Baydenwood; the manor of Cleverton, alias Cleverden; the manor of Whitchurch; the manor of Milborne, with two messuages, two burghs in Westborough and Downeton, and a quarter of another burgh in Downeton, with their lands of the several manors thereto belonging, and in Domerham-South, and Aldershot, all which were in the counties of Southampton and Wiltshire; the manor and hundred of Winborne St. Giles's, and advowson of the church; the manor of Winbourne French, Winborne All-Saints; and advowson of the church Upper Winborne, All-hallowes, alias AllSaints, with Scriven's lands there; the manor of Philipton in Upper Winborne; the manor of Gussage-All-Saints, out of which there is a grant to an almshouse for the maintenance of cleven poor people; the several manors of Kingston, Hinton-Martyn, alias Martel, Chaldbury, and Didlington; the rectory of the church of Lodres, and advowson of the vicarage; Bylcomb-Mill, and the land in Gussage All-hallowes, and a burgage called the White-hart in Cranborne, all in Dorsetshire: the manor of Paulet, and tythes of Paulet and Gusham; the manors of Stanton-Drew, and Stanton-Wecks, with messuages and lands there, and in Chewe, Pensford, Norton, Mubreward, and Bellaton; half of the manor of Est-Crenmore, with ten messuages, and 1000 acres of land there, and in Doulting; the manors of Allerton, alias Abrington, Wearcross, Bishops-Compton and Huntspill; a messuage with the appurtenances in Winchcombe, and tenements in Burnham, and Ludlow, all in the county of Somerset; and in the county of Middlesex, a messuage in Holborn, called the Blackbull, and divers tenements in Muschamps: to all which AnthonyAshley Cooper was found to be his son and heir, then of the age of nine years, eight months, and fourteen days; also that George. was his second son. Sir ANTHONY-ASHLEY Cooper, Bart. born at Winborne St. |