1659. Oct. 29.-Bap. Katherine, daughter of George Blagrave. 1661. July 24.-Bap.John, Sonne of George Blagrave 1676. Jan. 26.-Sep. George Blagrave, Clark of All Saints. 1681. Dec. 6.-Sep. Mary Blagrave, virgo. 1689. Ap. 2.-Bap. George, Sonne of John Blagrave. 1700. Oct. 23.-John Blagrave was elected Clarke of All Santes Church in Darby. The Cordwainers (Shoemakers) Arms are a chevron between three goats' heads erased. A single goat's head is also often used as a device by this trade Mrs. Bloodworth undoubtedly was a tapster," or "Ale Wife," and kept an Inn known as the "Cordwainers Arms," or as we should probably now call it, the "Three Goats," or "Three Goats' Heads." 66 It would seem that Anne Bloodworth, the issuer of this token, gave up her publichouse, and took to the "Grocery line," for in the records of the Mercers' Company is the following entry in the year 1676 "At ye Angell in Derby, Aprill ye 6th, 1676, the Steward, Warden & Company of Mercers have received satisfacn from Anne Bloodworth, Widdow, & doe alow her ye Said Anne to keep A Shop & Sell Grocery wares during her life without any moles tacon or disturbanc from ye said Company, She ye said Ann paying two Shillings every Easter Tuesday towards making A Stock for ye said Compay & such assessmts as shee ought for such freedome & not to take any Apprentices to ye Damage of ye said Company & for Default of not observing this order this Contract to be void. Signed Geo. Fletcher, Steward, Ino. Taylor, Fran. Marshall, Tho. Bott, William Parker, Nath. Doughtye, Sam. Cheshire." In St. Werburgh's Parish Register, Derby, is the following highly interesting entry of the marriage of one of this family, and also that of Ann Bloodworth Published, the intended marriage between Thomas Bludwoorth, the soone of Dorothy Bludworth, and Ann Pugson, the daughter of George Pugson, both of Saint Talkmunds parish, in Darby, the 4th, the 11th, and 18th days of March, 1654, in the church of Sent Warburge, after the morninge servyse, the congregation being present, and no objection agenst them. 1683. John Stone and Ann Bludworth, married Novem. 10. The Bloodworths' appear to have belonged to St. Werburgh's Parish, and John Bloodworth, by his Will, the date of which is unknown, gave to the Churchwardens of the parish of St. Werburgh's, £100, to be laid out in purchasing land, the rents thereof to be disposed of as follows:-12d. every Sunday, in bread, to the poor of the parish; 2s. to the Churchwardens and 28. to the Parish Clerk, for their pains; and 13s. 4d. to the Minister of the Church, to preach a Sermon on the 5th of November, yearly, "in remembrance of the delivery of the nation from the hellish Gunpowder Plot ;" and the residue of the said rents he directed to be laid out on that day in twopenny loaves of wheaten bread, to be distributed amongst the poor of the parish by the Churchwardens and Overseers. By an indenture, dated 23rd of September, 1650, between the Mayor and the Burgesses of the Borough, and the Parishioners of the Parish of St. Werburgh's, it is recited, that the said Parishioners had paid unto the Mayor and Burgesses £100; and the Burgesses, in consideration thereof, granted to the parish a yearly rent-charge of £6, to issue out of two closes or grounds, enclosed in Derby, called the Rayles and Darley Hill. The annual sum of £6 is still paid by the Corporation to a baker who supplies the bread, and pays 13s. 4d. to the Vicar of St. Werburgh's, and 28. each to the Churchwardens and Clerk. The Wardens hand their moiety to the Sexton. The 134 loaves furnished by the baker, are distributed according to the trust. In the Churchwardens' Books of St. Werburgh's, I find the following memorandum relating to this charity in 1668 "Mr. Bludworthes is in Breed upon the 5th November." From the same book, which shows that the family were connected with the parish at a later date, I quote the following 1702. Paid Mr. Bloodworth for his Rent............ In All Saints' Parish Register the following entry occurs £2:15:0 1661. Nov. 20.-Bap. Samuel, Sonne of Richard Bloodworth. In St. Michael's Register is the following curious entry, May 15, 1672"At a Parish Meeting held the day and year aforesaid, it is ordered and agreed, that Joseph Parker, Mr. Richard Bloodworth, Mr. George Blackwall, and Mr. John Litchford, or any three of them, shall treat and agree with Mr. Geo: Oldfield, of Nottingham, for to cast the two little bells which are now broken, and what they do agree upon the Parish will confirm.' In St. Werburgh's Parish Register are the following 1662. Baptized, Mary, the daughter of Thomas Bloodworth, January 25. In St. Alkmund's Register the following occurs— 1726. May 1.-Buried Anne Bloodworth. In St. Peter's Register are the following 1618. Nup. Richardus Bludworth et Anna Burne nup. 20 die Januarii. In 1702, Joseph Bloodworth was Mayor of Derby. In 1768 the name of John Bloodworth occurs as one of the Trustees for the sale of Nun's Green. = Obverse-THOMAS. BROOKS In the field, within the inner circle, a hat and feather. HIS Reverse-IN. DARBY. 1668 In the field HALF within the inner circle. PENY *** The issuer of this token was, it would appear, a Felt-maker, and it will be seen that the hat represented on his token is a fine jaunty-looking cavalier-like "beaver," of the prevailing fashion of that time. From the records of the Mercers' Company* of Derby, the following highly interestng particulars, relating to the issuer of this token are gleaned *The Mercers Company of Derby was incorperated in 1674. It comprised the trades of "Mercers, Apothecarys, Grocers, Ironmongers, Vpholsters, and Milliners," and continued in existence till the middle of last century. Brookes, Thomas, Eldest son of Thomas Brookes, Felt-maker, of Derby, entered to learne his Father's Art of Felt-making, the 23 of March, 1673, & is obliged for seven years. At a meeting held February 3, 1675, it was ordered, "That Thomas Brookes Feltmaker paying to the present Wardens of the Company of Mercers, and for the Sole use of the said Company the Sume of Eight Pounds upon the tenth of this instant February shall be admitted a Member & freeman of the said Company." In the Churchwardens' Books of St. Werburgh's Parish, the following, among other entries occurs 1659. Memorandum, yt Jewell & Erasmus was set upon ye Deske in ye Chancell by Mr. Thomas Haughton & Edward Brooke, Churchwardens, in ye yeare 1659. In St. Werburgh's Parish Register occur, among others, the following entries relating to the Brookes's 1663. Edward, the sonne of Thomas and Sarah Brookes, was Baptized the 3 day of May, 1663. 1666. Sarah, fillia, Thomas Brookes, bapti. the 18th of February. 1668. Mary, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Brookes, bapt. ye 2 of February. 1670. Mary, the daughter of Thomas and Saray Brookes, buried the 10 of March. 1671. Bethia, the daughter of Thomas Brookes, bapt. the 28 of February. 1673. Frances, the daughter of Thomas and Sara Brookes, bapt. the 15 of February. 1675. Mary, ye daught. of Tho. and Sara Brookes, bap. 11 Feb. 1678. Bethia, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Brookes, buried Sept. 22. 1687. Thomas Brooks, buried March 24. Reverse-GOD. SAVE. THE. KING = Crowned head of the King, Charles II. to the left, in the field. inner circle. No HIS Reverse-IN. DARBY. 1667 In the field, within the inner circle HALF = PENY Obverse-RICHARD. CORDIN = In the field, within the inner circle, the Vintners' Arms, in a shield. HIS Reverse-IN. DARBY 1667-In the field, within the inner circle HALF PENY This token it will be seen, though same as last, is of much smaller size. Possibly, as both were struck in the same year, the die of the first might break, and a new one have to be substituted. It is equally possible, however, and perhaps more probable, that the worthy "tapster" discovered that he was giving his customers too much copper for their halfpennies, and so, with an eye to profit, reduced the size of his token. The Vintners' Arms are sable, a chevron between three tuns, argent. This of course it will easily be understood, is the origin of the somewhat common sign of the "Three Tuns." The Cordens are an old family, and have, like several of the other issuers of tokens, been connected with Derby for many generations. In 1324, Matilda, widow of John, son of William de Corden, recovered seisin against Hugo de Braydeshall, of the third part of two Messuages, with their appurtenances, in Derby. By the Charter of Charles II., 1681, Henry Corden, the issuer of the first of these three tokens, was nominated one of the Capital Burgesses of the Borough, "to continue in the same office during their lives, unless in the interim for bad government or ill behaviour in that behalf, or for not inhabiting or dwelling within the borough aforesaid, they or any of them shall be removed from that office.' The following entries occur in All Saints' Register Corden-1691. Mar. 7.-Bap. Mary, daughter of John Corden. The Derby Cordens were of the same family as those of Leek and Ashborne, of which latter branch was Edward Corden, who died a few years ago, and left no less than £100,000 to public charities. The issuers of these tokens were Vintners, their house being in St. Peter's Street, In a curious old MS. nearly opposite, I believe, but a little below, St. Peter's Church. by Dr. Willoughby (who is buried in St. Peter's Church), entitled, "The Country Midwife's Opusculum," is an account of that worthy's attendance on "Sarah Cordine, a Vintner's wife in Darby, 1663, when she died, a sudden unexpected faintness comming upon her, stopt the use of my prescriptions, and terminated her days." The signature of Henry Corden appears as a witness in the Register of the Mercers Company of Derby, in 1675. In the same year, Henry Corden was appointed Beadle of the Company. A meeting of the Company was held "att Henry Corden's in Derby, the 18th of January, 1682." The late Mr. Corden, of Derby, H. M. Distributor of Stamps for the District, was a descendant of this branch of the family. HIS Reverse-DIER. IN. DARBY. 1669 HALF = PENY In the field, within the inner circle. The Dyers' Arms are a chevron engrailed between three madder bags, corded. The arms on this token do not agree with this description, but are simply a chevron (not engrailed) between what would appear to be three woolpacks. William Dawson was evidently of St. Werburgh's Parish, and the following entries relating to him-including it would seem his birth and death-are very interesting— William Dason, the sone of William Dawson and Elizabeth Dawson, was baptized the 9 day of October, in the yeare 1636. 1670. William Dawson, Jun., buried the 1 of September. 1676. William, the son of Richard Dawson, buried 8th of September. 1668. Elizabeth, the wife of William Dawson, buried July 27, 1668. Thomas Dawson, hatter, buried the 5th of October, 1681. Ann, the daughter of Will. Dawson, buried the 7 of November, 1681. 1697. August.-Buried William Dawson. In 1659, 1662, 1663, 1666, and 1667, William Dawson signs the book as being present at a parish meeting of St. Werburgh's Parish, Derby, and in the same book is the following entry, among other similar ones 1702. Paid Widdow Dawson's Rent £1: 4:0 It is worthy of note, that Dason Lane, in Derby, now dignified by the more aristocratic name of Curzon Street, took its name from this family. It was originally "Dawson's Lane," but became corrupted into what was pronounced Dayson's Lane. In St. Alkmund's Register occurs the following 1663. June. Bapt. Mary, the daughter of William Douson, 29th. Reverse--IN. DARBY. 1667 In the field in the inner circle HALF = PENY The Mercers' Arms, which I have before described, are usually represented in a shield. In this case it is simply the crowned Virgin's head with flowing hair, but without the clouds, filling the centre of the coin. (To be continued.) |