Thomas Aynscombe was an early-18th-century

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

and

Smithfield, London Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England. Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Barth ...

landlord and minor benefactor. Thomas Aynscombe (died October 1740) of Charterhouse yard, and Northall in Buckinghamshire, was the son of Henry Aynscombe (died 1697), of St. Mary Woolnoth (where he was buried, in the chancel), citizen and

haberdasher In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a retailer who sells men's clothing, ...

of London, by his wife Elizabeth (died 1711), daughter of Thomas Chew, Dunstable haberdasher, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of William Marsh of

in 1639. His mother, Elizabeth Chew (aka Mrs. Henry Aynscombe), was one of the three sisters and coheirs of William Chew (another brother Thomas Chew, of Dunstable, (died 20 July 1698, aged 52 (Neve)), distiller, of Dunstable, who died unmarried and intestate 18 March 1712/13, aged 58, leaving an estate worth £28,000, this included property in St. John Street, Smithfield, and several

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

s in Dunstable, the ''Windmill and Still'' (theirs since the 17th century .C.H., and the ''Sugar Loaf'' (acquired by 1713), one of the most famous coaching inns of the 18th century. It also included 14 farms in Dunstable, Luton, Kensworth,

Caddington Caddington () is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is between the Luton/Dunstable urban area (to the north), and Hertfordshire (to the south). The western border of the parish is Watlin ...

, Gravenhurst and

Edlesborough Edlesborough is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. Edlesborough is also next to the village of Eaton Bray just over the county boundary in Bedfordshire, about west-south-west of Dunstable. ...

, the manors (in Bedfordshire) of Fitzhugh, Edlesborough, Bowells and Northall (Buckinghamshire), the two inns (and the ''Maypole'' and ''Black Lion'') and several other cottages and pieces of land in Dunstable, a house in London, and houses in the parish of

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Holy Sepulchre London, formerly and in some official uses Saint Sepulchre-without-Newgate, is the largest Anglican parish church in the City of London. It stands on the north side of Holborn Viaduct across a crossroads from the Old Bailey, and ...

, leased to London tradesmen. William Chew had been sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1709 and in 1703 had obtained a grant of arms with a device of Catherine wheels and griffins' heads, this was later to be the badge of the Foundation scholars. He was buried, like his nephew Thomas Chew Cart (died 1722) and sisters Frances Ashton (died 1727), Jane Cart (died 1736) and Elizabeth Aynscombe (died 1711) (all have monumental inscriptions), in

Dunstable Priory The Priory Church of Saint Peter, St Peter with its monastery (Dunstable Priory) was founded in 1132 by Henry I of England, Henry I for Augustinians, Augustinian Canons Regular#Canons Regular, Canons in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. St Pete ...

. He is in the north aisle where Thomas Green of Camberwell did his monument. Endowed School, Dunstable, from The Dunstaplelogia (1859)

William Chew's estate was inherited by his sisters Frances (died 1727), who had married William Ashton, a London distiller, and Jane (died 1736) who had married James Cart (died 1706), citizen and distiller of London, and their nephew, Thomas Aynscombe in lieu of his mother, Elizabeth, who had died in 1711. These last three then created Chew's Foundation in Dunstable, which opened in September 1724. The school house still stands and records their names on its front.

Wife and father-in-law

Aynscombe's first wife Jane, whom he married in 1706 in Norwich, was daughter of (major) Philip Stebbing (c. 1641 – 1705), grocer and Freeman of Norwich, and Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) for the City and County of Norwich from 1701. He was apprenticed to the successful grocer and sometime MP for Norwich, Augustin Briggs, Esq. (senior), (c. 1618 – 1684), 3 August 1674. Was constable for the St. Peter Mancroft ward of Norwich in 1674; a Royalist (Tory) councillor (councilman) for the same ward, 1676–1682; chamberlain's council 1679–1681; alderman for the Berstreet ward, 1683–1688; alderman for the North Conisford ward, November 1688 – 1706; sheriff of Norwich 1682; and Mayor of Norwich 1687. As sheriffs he and Lawrence Goodwin had 'established a well-deserved reputation as merciless persecutors of non-conformists with a special animus for

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

' (Evans p. 297). In February 1696 he was forced publicly to deny that on reading a 'printed paper' about the Jacobite plot to assassinate

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...

he had gone to the Half Moon

Coffee-house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

and declared that: 'the plott is mine Arse all over', (Norfolk Record Office, ''Mayor's Court books'', vol. 26 f.10, via Mark Knights, 2005, page 158). He is buried in

St Peter Mancroft St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England, in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. After the two cathedrals, it is the largest church in Norwich. It was originally established by the then Earl of East Anglia, Ralph de Gael between ...

, by the side of his wife, Anne Andrews (died 1702), and three children. One son was Georgius Stebbing, grocer, freeman, Norwich 24 March 1704, while another Philip Stebbing of Norwich, then of

Sprowston Sprowston ( or ) is a small suburban town bordering Norwich in Norfolk, England. It is bounded by Heartsease to the east, Mousehold Heath and the suburb of New Sprowston to the south (in Norwich), Old Catton to the west, and by the open farmland ...

, with property in

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich, England, Norwich off the A11 road (England), A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through ...

, died 1715 (also buried in St. Peter Mancroft) making his brother-in-law Thomas Aynscombe his heir; leaving him his ''messuages, lands, tenements, premises and hereditaments'' there (will dated 21 April 1715).

Studio of John Verelst)"> File:Portrait of Jane Stebbing (1679 – c 1730), wife of Thomas Aynscombe (1706).jpg, Jane Stebbing, wife to Thomas Aynscombe, painted c1706 by File:Portrait of Jane Stebbing (1679 – c 1730), wife of Thomas Aynscombe (1706, face detail).jpg, Detail of a portrait of Jane Aynscombe, c1705 File:Portrait of Jane Stebbing (1679 – c 1730), wife of Thomas Aynscombe (1706, inscription detail).jpg, Inscription of a portrait of Aynscombe's wife, Jane

Sister

Aynscombe's sister Jane Elliott (died 1718) also ''of'' Charterhouse yard, left him the interest on £3,000; £100 to

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553 ...

, and £10 to

charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...

s in the Cities of London or Westminster. She asked to be buried in the ''chancell of the church in Lombard street as near my dear father as possible'', but as her brother's will of 1739 suggests she was buried instead in St. Sepulchre. His other sister Elizabeth Gilbert (Christened 30 February 1674-still alive in 1739) had a son Thomas Chew Gilbert (died June 1739, buried Paddington).

Will

Aynscombe desired to be buried in the parish of St Sepulchre: ''as near the grave of my late dear wife and children and my affectionate sister Mrs Jane Elliott ied 1718as conveniently may be willing and desiring that a sum not exceeding one hundred guineas be laid out in a handsome monument there to be erected for me and that the further sum of two hundred pounds be laid out upon my funeral which I desire may be from

Hicks Hall Hicks Hall, or Hickes' Hall, was a courthouse at the southern end of St John Street, Clerkenwell, London. It opened in 1612, and was closed and demolished in 1782. It was the first purpose-built sessions house for justices of the peace of the ...

in St John Street out of which sum I desire all my tenants that pay me rent to the value of ten pounds a year may have a fflowered ring of the respective value of twelve shillings...'' Aynscombe was governor and benefactor of several hospitals, so claimed the

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

. He left £200 each to

and to St. Bart's. hospital, and £20 to the charity school of St. Sepulchre. He is buried at

. (Sir) John Bosworth, (Esq.), (died 1749),''Old and New London'', Volume 2, Walter Thornbury, 1878 tobacconist of

Newgate Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...

street, Chamberlain of the City of London, ''master Edward Dod, late of Cornhill, now of Austin Friars, linen draper, and John Miller, senior, of Dunstable, wholesale dealer in straw and oatts'' ic were the trustees.

Descendants

All his sons Philip, Thomas and Chew pre-deceased him. Philip (died 1737, aged c. 30) was admitted a

gentleman commoner A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and commons, typically contrasted with scholars and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees. Cambridge ...

December 24, 1724 and matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1725, and had was given his MA in 1728, having been admitted to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

on 4 February 1725/26. He married Valentina Wight, of St. George, Hanover Square (died 1745), the granddaughter of Daniel Wight ''the younger'' (died 1705), of Southwark, distiller, and owner of, amongst other things in Holborn and Borough,

The George Inn, Southwark The George Inn, or The George, is a public house established in the medieval period on Borough High Street in Southwark, London, owned and leased by the National Trust. It is located about from the south side of the River Thames near London Br ...

. A marriage settlement (Q/EV/116) dated 3 January 1706/07, shows the extent of some property that remained with the Aynscombe family into the 1840s. :Contents: (1) ''Daniel Wight II of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, distiller, son and heir of Daniel Wight, citizen and distiller, of London, dec.'' (2) ''Thos. Malyn of Southwark, Brewer, & Valentina alyn his eldest daughter; Saml. Wight, citizen and skinner, of London; & Edmond Halsey of Southwark, Brewer'': : ''12 messuages in Johnsons Court

Dr. Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary criticism, critic, biographer, editor and lexicogra ...

lived at no. 7 Johnsons Court c. 1759–1776) ] alias Morecrofts Ct., Fleet St., St Dunstan-in-the-West, St. Dunstan's in the West, purchased from Jn. & Wm. Morecroft; The George Inn, Southwark, George Inn, Southwark Cathedral, St. Saviours, Southwark, purchased of Sir Jn. Sweetaple, Knt.; 3 messuages in Compter ounterLane, St. Saviours est-side of Borough purchased of Susan Morell & her son, Richard M''. Philip Aynscombe died at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

in 1737, probably in debt, subsequently Thomas Aynscombe became entrusted with his son's property (see above) and spent the end of his life defending this, his granddaughter's, Valentina's, inheritance (£12,000) in the courts; see Frederick v Aynscombe (1738–39). Aynscombe's only granddaughter, heir-at-law and devisee, Valentina (died 3 April 1771, near Windsor), the only child of his only surviving son Philip, married Lillie Smith (c. 1715 – 10 February 1791, buried

Clewer Clewer (also known as Clewer Village) is an ecclesiastical parish and an area of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the county of Berkshire, England. Clewer makes up three Ward (electoral subdivision), wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maid ...

). As demanded by the will of Thomas Aynscombe, by Act of Parliament 1747 (20 Geo II, c.7), Lillie Smith changed his surname to Aynscombe, or as the ''House of Lords Journal'', of February 9, 1747, called it: 'Smith's Bill to take name of Aynscombe'. In 1757 he used another private Act of Parliament to re-settle his father-in-law's property. Lillie was the elder son of Robert Smith (c. 1672 –

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...

11 January 1748), a freeman of London and ''eminent'' merchant, of Thames Street, of the parish of

St James Garlickhythe St James Garlickhythe is a Church of England parish church in Vintry ward of the City of London, nicknamed "Wren's lantern" owing to its profusion of windows. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London ...

, Worcester Place (near Kennet wharf), of Mortlake, and Coldashby in Northamptonshire. Robert Smith had given Lillie £10,000 and ''moiety or half part of my trade'' on his marriage to Valentina in c. 1746; and then left him in his will 50 shares in the

Sun Fire Office Sun Alliance Group plc was a large insurance business with its main offices in the City of London and later Horsham. It was created in 1959 by the merger of Sun Insurance, founded in 1710, and Alliance Assurance founded in 1824. In 1996 Sun Alli ...

. Smith had acquired his share of the Sun Fire Office on 24 August 1720 (Dickson, page 271). Lillie Smith Aynscombe was a director of the Sun Fire Office from, at latest, 1754 until his death in 1791. Around 1750 he bought and rebuilt the ''Hermitage'', St. Leonard's Hill, Clewer, Windsor, and lived there to 1773 when he sold it to the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

who renamed it ''Sophia Farm''. The site formed part of the

Windsor Safari Park Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St Leonard's Hill on the outskirts of the town of Windsor in Berkshire, England; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor. Billed as "The African Adventure", the ...

and today is within

Legoland Legoland (, trademark in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family theme parks focusing on the construction toy system Lego. They are not fully owned by The Lego Group itself; rather, they are owned and operated by the British theme park com ...

. When Lillie Aynscombe died in 1791

The Scots Magazine ''The Scots Magazine'' is a magazine containing articles on subjects of Scottish interest. It claims to be the oldest magazine in the world still in publication, although there have been several gaps in its publication history. It has reported on ...

, (vol. 53, p. 102), reported it thus: :''10. At his seat at Mortlake, Lillie Ains-'' :''combe, Esq; one of the directors of the Sun'' :''Fire assurance-office. He has left seven sis-'' :''ters, whose ages, computed with his own,'' :''some little time before his death, made 572'' :''years''. He also left three daughters (all died sine prole (d.s.p.)): * Valentina Aynscombe (c. 1749 – 23 March 1841 (GM 556), aged 92), of Cromwell house, Mortlake. On death the

described her as "the only remaining daughter of the late Lillie Smith Aynscombe of St. Leonard's Hill, Berks". In 1828 she donated £100 towards the establishment of

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. (Old) Cromwell House was demolished in 1857, though the gate piers remain (down Aynscombe Lane). The Bristol benefactor and slave-dealer

Edward Colston Edward Colston (2 November 1636 – 11 October 1721) was an English merchant, slave trader, philanthropist, and Tory Member of Parliament. Colston followed his father in the family business becoming a sea merchant, initially trading in wine ...

had died there in 1721. * Mary Aynscombe (died 1828) married the Rev. John Mossop (1774–1849), vicar of

Hothfield Hothfield is a village and civil parish in the Ashford Borough of Kent, England and is 3 miles north-west of Ashford on the A20. It is completely split in two by Hothfield Common. Geography In the north west is Hothfield Common, 58 hectares ( ...

in Kent from 1802 to 1849. Mossop remarried, 1 August 1843, and had two children: John Henry Mossop and Mary Aynscombe Mossop. (John Henry Mossop was ''Captain of Boats'' (rowing) at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

in 1865, and was in the Oppidan Wall and Field XIs of 1864. After

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

he lived at 50 Charles street, Berkeley Square). Charlotte Aynscombe and Alexander Cozens Landskip circa 1750s, now in BM

* Charlotte Anne Aynscombe, (1760 at Clewer - died 1799, Mortlake), there is a tablet in the vestry of the church in Mortlake. Drawing maestro

Alexander Cozens Alexander Cozens (1717–1786) was a British landscape painter in watercolours, born in Russia, in Saint Petersburg. He taught drawing and wrote treatises on the subject, evolving a method in which imaginative drawings of landscapes could be wor ...

is thought to have taught her (see Kim Sloan), and probably both her siblings, and certainly their first cousin, Henry Stebbing (1752–1818). They acquired in 1794 an album of Cozens' which contained amongst the 121 etchings, prints and drawings, work by Alexander Cozens,

John Robert Cozens John Robert Cozens (1752 – 14 December 1797) was a British draftsman and painter of romantic watercolour landscapes. Cozens executed watercolors in curious atmospheric effects and illusions which had an influence on Thomas Girtin and J.M.W ...

, and possibly their own copies of Cozens' work (Christie's, June 1982 and July 1991, and see Kim Sloan). A great-nephew of Thomas Aynscombe's grandson-in-law Lillie Smith Aynscombe,

Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner (1788–1872) DL, JP, was a British gentleman and militia colonel. He enlarged the former country house and landscape garden at Portnall Park, Virginia Water (then considered Egham Heath), and so laid the foun ...

(1788-1872), of Portnall Park, Virginia Water, was his family's eventual heir.

References

* R. de Salis, ''Beneficiary Bisse : Colonel Chaloner Bisse-Challoner, heir and his heirs''. London, 2008. * ''Musgrave's Obituary'', Harleian Society no. 44, (six volumes, 1899–1901 (Sir William Musgrave, Bart.) * Rachel and Cecil de Salis, ''Notes of Past Days'', Henley-on-Thames, 1939 (chapter three: ''My Uncle Challoner'', pps. 121–126). * ''The Mayors of Norwich 1403 to 1835'', by Basil Cozens-Hardy, FSA and Ernest A. Kent, FSA, Jarrold and sons, Ltd, Norwich, 1938. (a note on Phillip Stebbing, page 101). * ''Seventeenth-Century Norwich, Politics, Religion and Government, 1620–1690'', John T. Evans, Oxford, 1979. * Percy Millican, ''The Register of The Freeman of Norwich, 1548–1713'', Jarrold, Norwich, 1934. * Mark Knights, ''Representation and Misrepresentation in Later Stuart Britain, Partisanship and Political Culture'', Oxford University Press, 2005. * ''Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery: In the Time of Lord Chancellor Hardwicke'' 736–1754 by John Tracy Atkyns, Philip Yorke Hardwicke, Great Britain Court of Chancery, William Newnam, Great Britain, Court of Chancery, Printed for J. Wenman, Oxford, 1781. (Frederick v Aynscombe, 1739). * Peter G. M. Dickson, ''The Sun Insurance Office, 1710–1960'', Oxford, 1960. * Kim Sloan, 'A New Chronology for Alexander Cozens part II: 1759-86', ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation sin ...

'', Volume 127, No. 987 (June, 1985), pp. 355–363. *

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

London, ''British drawings sale'', 15 June 1982, lots 5 - 10 (Cozens' album associated one of the Aynscombes. * Christie's London, 9 July 1991, lot 32 (above album, less half its contents).
L.C.C., Survey of London, volume 22, ''Bankside''
Sir H. Roberts & Walter Godfrey (editors), 1950. * ''Topographical Dictionary, London and its Environs, etc.'', by James Elmes, M.R.I.A., Architect; Surveyor to the Port of London; London. Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot, MDCCCXXXI (1831). * Prerogative Court of Canterbury (P.C.C.) wills for, amongst others: Daniel Wight (1705); Elizabeth Aynscombe (1711); Philip Stebbing (1715); Jane Elliott (1718); Thomas Aynscombe (1740); Robert Smith (1748); George Challoner (1770); William Fraigneau (1778); Charlotte Anne Aynscombe (1799); Lydia Challoner (1803); Catherine Fraigneau (1807); Phoebe Macpheadris (1821); William Townsend (1823); Rev. Thomas Bisse (1828); Valentina Aynscombe (1841); and Mary Barnard (1842). (Available on-line from P.R.O. Kew, aka National Archives). * ''An Act for Vesting the Settled Estates of Lillie Smith Aynscombe, Esquire, and Valentina His Wife, in Trustees, to be Sold; and for Applying the Money Arising by Such Sale in the Purchase of Other Freehold Lands'', 1757 * ''An Act to Enable Lillie Smith, and His Heirs, by Valentina His Wife (formerly Valentina Aynscombe) to Take and Use the Surname of Aynscombe, Pursuant to the Will of Thomas Aynscombe ... Deceased'', 1747. * ''A Cozens Album in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth'', by Paul Joyner and Kim Sloan, ''Walpole Society'', volume 57, 1993–1994.

External links