me who they are that shall contemne the p'formance not. Melford, 24 Novembris, 1641.

OLD WILLS.NO. VI (VOL. II, P. 2

Richard Legatt, of Dennington, Suffolk, 2nd R This is the laste wylle and testament of me Rich London the seconde day of Novembyr, in the seconde the thyrde. In the name of god so be yt. ffirste, I Almyghty god, and to oure lady seynt Mary, And t of hevene. And my body to be beryd in the ch Botulffe with owte Algate, or else where as it sh I bequeth to the hey Autyr of Denyngton, vis quethe to the nownnys of Brosyerde, vis. viiid. A grey ffrerys of Donewyche, xiid. Also, it is my wy mynde at my p'rish chyrche at Denyngton, accordyng I wylle have a preste to Rome in as hasty tyme as goodly for me and for my ffrends, And for my wyfle Also, I wylle that the towne of Denyngton have purchase for the welfare of the towne as it may be sion of my Wyffe. Also, I wylle that Margrete my bonds, londs, &c., to be disposyd aftr hyr wy prey & requyre all my feffys that be infeffyd i that if my wyffys Susterys, that is to say, Johne I Edemy Basse, that if they p' forme the laste wille of mod' in lawe, & save h'melesse me & my wyffe. A my wyffe may peassably ingoye alle my seyd free lo lyffe, that thanne aftr my wyffys decesse, my sa astate of all the seyd free londs to the seyd John

sympyll. And if it fortune, that god forbide, the seid Johne, Ele, Edemy, to dye, or any of them, byfor my seyd Wyffe, that than the cyrys of hem that so is dede shall have lyke astate as the modr shulde have hadd. And if the seyd Johne, Ele, Edemy, or any of them, or ony of theyr eyrys cleyme or chalaunge of Margrett my Wyffe any mony of the bequest of Margret Penthy, my seyd modr in lawe, thanne I wylle that my seyd Wyffe p'forme the wylle of the seid Margrett Penthy, And have all my ffree londes in ffee sympyll, so that my seid wyffe, or hyr executorys selle the said free londe to the said Joh'n, Ele, or Edemy, or to any of theyr chyldryn where as it shall please best my seid wyffe. And all the resideth of my goodis, the whiche I have not bequest, I gyffe them and beque them to myn executor, The whiche I ordeyne and make Margrett my Wyffe, to dispose for me and hyr and for oure ffrendys as shalle please god.

EXTRACTS FROM PARISH REGISTERS.-NO. 22 (VOL. II, P. 345).

St. Lawrence, Norwich.

A.

Lady Catherine Nevell, daughter to my Lord the Earl of West'land, was baptised the one & Twentie daye of Julie. And the Earl of Surrey, Godfather, and Lady Knyvett, and Lady Woodhouse, Godmothers, An. Dni. 1566.

Ye day of a greate Blowe by powder in ye Citty, April 24, 1648.

Charles Emerson, executed on the Castle Deckes as one of the pretended mutineers, when the then Committee house was blown upp with 80 barryls of powder, January 2, 1648-9.

1710.

Wheatacre, Norfolk.

Eleanor & Elizabeth Morris were bur. May 15, both drowned in Sir Edmond Bacon's boat with thirteen more, one aged 20, ye other 22 years.

QUERY.

H. DAVENEY.

The Paston Arms.—1, a chief surmounted of another indented Or. 2, a chief indented party per fess. Was this an heraldic difference assumed by Clement Paston? Gwillim, in his Display of Heraldry (edition of 1679), page 40, section II, figures the coat thus, "He beareth Gules a chief Ar. surmounted of another Or," and says, "this is accounted good armoury, and signifieth a double reward given by the sovereign." As the singular augmentation explained by Guillim, and considered by him "good armoury," is found sculptured on one of the Paston ledgers in Blofield church, I shall be obliged if any of your readers will explain the cause of the "double reward" given by the sovereign to this branch of the Paston family, Any further explanation will increase the obligation.-H. DAVENEY.

This family of yeomen has been settled at Bass nearly five centuries, John Thaxter, a tenant of the cum Bassingham in 18 Richard II (1395) being me Rolls of the manor for that date.

I. Nicholas Thaxter, of Thurgarton cum Bas dated 2nd June, 1515, after directing his body to be yard of Thurgarton, gave to the high altar there 2 13s. 4d., to the church of South Reppis, 68. 8d., to 12d., to the churches of Bradffeld, North Reppis, an 20d., and 20d. respectively, to the churches of Basyng 1 combe of malt and 2 bushells of wheat each, and burghe, 3 bushells of malt. He mentions his wife Is

1. John Thaxter (hereafter mentioned), to who shopp gere, oon hors a sorreld, & a grett ketill, after wiffe."

2. Richard Thaxter, to whom he gave "vjs. vi yere of age."

3. Robert Thaxter, to whom he gave "vjs. viijd. age of xvj yeres.'

4. Alis Thaxter, to whom he gave vjs. viijd.

5. Another daughter, to whom he gave iijs. iiijd His will was proved at Metton, on the 24th July II. John Thaxter his son, was, in 1520 (11 Hen the manor of Thurgarton cum Bassingham. He wa III. William Thaxter, of Bassingham, Blacksmi place in 1573. In 1584, he was (with Edmund Tha to have been his brother*) a juror of the manor of Thu ham. His will is dated 25th March, 1607, and was p 1608. He thereby gave to his son Lawrence, land

* This Edmund Thaxter was the ancestor of another family ham, whose pedigree I will give in a separate paper.

Bassingham, and North Wood, Barningham. By his wife Margaret who survived him, and was buried either on 4th May, 1625, or 11th April, 1631 (on both of which days a Margaret Thaxter, widow, of Bassingham, was buried) he had

1. Lawrence Thaxter, baptized 10th May, 1575, was a juror of Bassingham 16 Jas. I (1619), when he held land of that manor.

He is, probably, identical with Lawrence Thaxter, of Burrough, near Aylsham, whose will (dated 2nd April, 1646) was proved in the Consistory 24th January, 1648, in which will he mentions his daughter Joan, the wife of James Fraser, and a daughter who married Robert Yaxlie, and had a son Lawrence Yaxlie, to whom he leaves a house in Wickmere.

2.

William Thaxter (of whom hereafter) baptized 4th August, 1586. 3. Johan Thaxter, who was buried 22nd March, 1573.

4. Margaret Thaxter, baptized 29th September, 1577, and buried 20th May, 1589.

5. Amy Thaxter, baptized 22nd October, and buried 19th November, 1578.

6. Mary Thaxter, baptized in 1570. By her father's will she was to have the use of a chamber in his house after his decease, until marriage, with liberty "freely to com & go to & from the fyre of my said wife.' She married in 1616, John Toley.

7. Barbara Thaxter, mentioned in her father's will.

8.

*

Phillis Thaxter, baptized 20th October, 1582.

IV. William Thaxter, of Bassingham, blacksmith, took by his father's will £20, and his shop tools belonging to his occupation of blacksmith. His will is dated 19th May, 1649. He therein describes himself as being feeble and weak in body, but sound in mind, and directs his body to be buried in the churchyard of Bassingham. He gives free and bond lands in Bassingham to his wife Dorothy, the daughter of Nicholas Makefeld, by Margaret his wife (daughter of John Mertens and Ellen Hawpe) whom he married at Bassingham, in 1627, for her life, remainder to his son Lawrence, and 24 acres of land at Thurgarton to his wife for ever, 14 acres at Thurgarton charged with certain legacies, to Laurence, if he should attain 21, remainder to his (testator's) son Thomas. He died in 1649. His will was proved 16 April, 1650. By his wife, above named, he had issue

1. Laurence Thaxter, baptized 1629, vix: 1649, mentioned above as taking his father's land at Bassingham and Thurgarton.

2.

Thomas Thaxter, baptized 1632, vix: 1649, mentioned above. He also took a legacy of £30.

3.

William Thaxter (of whom hereafter)

4. Nicholas Thaxter, baptized 23rd March, and buried 5th April, 1648. 5. Margaret Thaxter, baptized 1637, buried 1638.

6. Margaret Thaxter, baptized 1639, vix: 1649 (buried 1706 ?)

7. Barbara Thaxter, baptized 1642, vix: 1649.

8. Isidora Thaxter, baptized 1649.

* Vel Makefield or Mekylfield.

ing naa issue

1.

William Thaxter, of Bassingham, baptized 16 æt. 70, having had issue by his wife Mary (who die William Thaxter, of Matlaske, bapt by his wife, who died in 1797, had issue

1.

(a) Isidora Thaxter, baptized 1760. (b) Anne Thaxter, baptized 1762. 2. Peter Thaxter, baptized 1738, buried 3. Robert Thaxter, baptized 1740, and d 4. Mary Thaxter, baptized 1736.

5. Isidora Thaxter, baptized 1743. 2. Edmond Thaxter, baptized 1702. 3. Nicholas Thaxter, baptized 27th December, after.)

4. John Thaxter, baptized 1706 (buried 1789 ? 5. Richard Thaxter, baptized 1712, married Ma 6. Alice Thaxter, baptized 1692, at North Wal 7. Lydia Thaxter, baptized 1694, and probably 8. Anne Thaxter, baptized 1695.

Mary Thaxter, baptized 1695 (ob. infans ?) 10. Mary Thaxter, baptized 1700.

11. Sarah Thaxter, baptized 1710, married Gilb 12. Lydia Thaxter, baptized 1714.

VII. Nicholas Thaxter, of Bassingham, baptized 2 died 1756, having had issue by his wife Frances, th Youngman, of East Beckham, by Mary Townshend, married in 1733.

1. Nicholas Thaxter, who died 1785, having h Mary (who died 1780)