HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF LEICESTERSHIRE. Reader! Seek not on this perishable stone an elogium on her Sir HENRY WOOD (son of Thomas Wood 1, of many virtues! They are far more indelibly engraven on the hearts Hackney^ esq.)j " Treasurer to the late Queen- of her surviving Parents, her afflicted Husband, her Infant Children, and sympathizing Friends! mother, and one df the council to Queen Catherine," William, her only sori, married a daughter of the Rev. Michael Gardiner, aged one year and five days, rector of Greenford, Middlesex, by whom he had happily unconscious of his irreparable loss! one daughter Mary, who was married to Charles rejoined his affectionate Mother, April 6, 1776." Palmer earl of Southampton, afterwards duke of 3. " Here rest the remains of Martha Nichols, second wife of Mr. Deputy Nichols. Southampton and Cleveland. Exemplary in every relation she held in society; I once possessed (but gave to my" friend Dr. Bre- fervent but unobtrusive in religious duties; ton) copies of the original settlement2 and of the her pure spirit, freed from the anxieties of life, last will of sir Henry Wood. The will is dated sought repose in the bosom of her Maker, " May 24, 1671, after dinner," only one day before Feb. 29, 1788, in her 33d year. 3 One son, Thomas-Cleiveland Nichols, the death of sir Henry ; " who was buried after a died April 2,1782, aged 10 months, fantastical way4, in the church near Loudham-hall," and is deposited in an adjoining grave. as Anthony Wood was told by sir William Dugdale. Another, Charles-Howard Nichols, died Nov. 13, 1786, aged only 10 weeks; Sir Henry Wood had three brothers, who all died and is placed on his mothw's coffin. before him; 1. John, a citizen of London; 2. Tho- Mr. Charles Green, of Hinckley, her brother, • 5 Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry who died March 16, 1785, aged 27, mas is also here buried." 1692; 3. William, clerk of the spicery at Whitehall; and two sisters; 1. Mary 6, married- first to Samuel George Mason, the third son of Dr. Mason, born Cranmer, sheriff of London in 1631 ; and secondly May 19, 166*5, was a silk-mercer at the Hen and to sir Henry Chester, of Luthington, Bedfordshire, Chickens, Ludgate-hill; and was dead in 1722. His knight of the Bath; 2. Elizabeth, married to An- only daughter, Catherine, was married to Mr. James thony Webb, father to Thomas, in whom the estate Gough, a stock-broker; and died at Camberwell, a of the Woods settled in remainder after the decease widow, and s. p. in May 1771. of sir Cæsar Cranmer. William Mason, the fourth son, was baptized Mr. Thomas JVebb died Jan. 18, I709; leaving Jan. 18, 1666-7 ; and died Nov. 4, 1677. one son, John, who died s. p. July 3, 1713 ; and Of the daughters; 1. Emmet, bom July 4, 1656; three daughters ; 1. Susanna, married to Robert married George Savile; by whom she had three Onebye, esq.; 2. Elizabeth, .married to William sons, George (of Staple-inn), Charles, and Richard. Chapman, esq. who was knighted by king George I. 2. Anne, born Oct. 8, 1658 ; married, Sept. 5, in 1714, created a baronet in 1720, and died May 7, 1678, to the rev. Henry Courtis; who died March 29, *737> leaving two sons, successively baronets; sir 1693. They had one daughter, who was married John, who died s. p.; and sir William, who died to the Rev. Mr. Hooper, of Leicestershire, and died also without issue, Feb. 9, 1785 ; 3. Grace, married, June 6, 1728, in her 46th year. first, to Bressey (by whom she had one son, William, who died . s. p.) ; secondly, to Mr. 3. Elizabeth, born Aug. 20, 1660; died single, Seward; whose daughter and heir, Grace, was mar- 1680. ried to Josiah Roberts; who in 1785, in her right j 4. Dorothy, born Sept. 9, MJ63 ; married —— claimed (unsuccessfully) the estates in Suffolk, &c. Ewin. as next of kin to Robert Onebye, esq. (see p. 729.) * The Family of FIREBRACE' are supposed to be originally Normans ; and, it is t( Rex concessit Waltero Ferebras, quod quando- presumed, derived their name from Fier a bras, or cunque contigerit tallagium assideri in civitate Lon- Bras de Fer, which is, strong of arm. When they don, non tallietur ultra dimidiam marcam sine spe- first came into England, or under what reign, can- ciali precepto regis ; et mandatum est majori et vie. not now be determined; but, by the following ex- London, quod predictum Walterum ultra dimidiam tracts out of the records in the Tower 9, it appears marcam non tallierint vel talliari permittant. Teste they were very early seated in this kingdom : xxxiij0." 10 1 Serjeant of the pastry to king Charles I. He married Susan daughter and heir of —— Cranmer, of London, merchant; and died in May 1649, aged 84; and his widow Oct. 17, 1650, aged SO. They were both buried at Hackney, where there are inscrip- tions to their memory. This gentleman (son of Henry Wood, of Hackney, esq. servant to queen Elizabeth, and grandson to Thotna3 Wood of Burnley in the county of Lancaster) was lineally descended from le Sieur de Boys, dauphin in France; whose arms (a lion rampant Argent, in a field Gules) were granted to this Thomas by sir Richard St. George, knight, Clarenceux, June 28, 1634. See Grants, vol. H. p. 664,, in the College of Arms. • The substance of the settlement may be seen in Bibl. Top. Brit. No. VII. p. 145. 3 Sir Henry Wood's daughter died Nov. 15,. 1680. 4 This does not exactly agree with the will; which says, " I desiremy body may be buried in the parish-church of Ufford, in the county of Suffolk, in such decent and private manner as my executors shall think fit, with as little cost as may be convenient." s " Educated in the college school at Westminster; elected student of Christ Church in 1627, or thereabouts; took the degrees in arts ; holy orders ; and, by the endeavours of sir Henry Wood his elder brother, was made qhaplain in ordinary to king Charles I. being but 28 years of age. In 1641 he took the degrees in divinity, by virtue of a dispensation for allowance of terms, and about that time was rector of Wickham, in the bishoprick of Durham. In the time of the grand rebellion against king Charles I. he left the nation, and his preferments, and travelled to Rome, and to other places in Italy, where he spent some years ; and, after his" return, lived a retired life in the country._ In the jubilee year of 1660 he was restored to his rectory; and, in reward of his sufferings, had a prebend in the church of Durham conferred on him {installed therein Dec. 10 the same year) ; and, upon the promotion of Dr. William Paul to the see of Oxon, he was made dean of Litchfield in the latter end of 1663. In 1670 he was promoted to the see of Litchfield, on the death of Dr. John Hacket, by the endeavours of his said brother sir Henry (whose daughter and heir was married to Charles Fitz-Roy duke of Southampton, natural son of king Charles II.) ; whereupon, being consecrated on the second day of July (being the second Sunday after that of Trinity), anno 1671 (at which time Dr. Crew was consecrated Bishop of Oxon), enjoyed that honour, though a person of no merit, unless it was for his preaching, to the time of his death. But so it was, that he not caring to live at Lichfield or Eccleshall (where is a seat belonging to the see), either for not being beloved, or to save charges, he con- uses ; among them, 30002. to the junior masters of Christ Chxirch, and an estate of 200/. per annum in Norfolk to the senior masters." Wood, Ath. Ox. II. 1176.—When the cathedral at Lichfield was repairing after the Restoration, it appears, from an authentic paper printed by Mr. Pennant (Journey from Chester, p. 424), from the MSS. of Mr. Greene of Litchfield, that Up. Wood, when Dean, gave— ^.50 And since Bishop — — — — xo And promised (saith Dean Smallwood) more — 100 " See her epitaph in Le Neve, vol. IV. p. 194. » See their Pedigree at large in Bibl. Top. Brit. No. XLIII. p. *34O. • See Kennutt's Register, pp. 422. 567. 9 Communicated to Mr. Collins by sir Cordell Firebrace, Bart, »' Claus. 33 Hen. III. n». 2. "Rex.