The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PEDIGREE OF THE THREE SISTERS AND CO-HEIRS OF WILLIAM GODOLPHIN, ESQ., WHO DIED IN 1781.

MARY GODOLPHIN, RICHARD CHALONER COBB,
3d sister of Wm. of the City of Winchester.
Godolphin, Esq.

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MARY, dau. of GODOLPHIN WILLIAM BURSLEM, ANN, dau. and
-Parker, M.D. of Ranston, Leicestershire.
Widow of John
Wadman, Esq.,
of Imber,
Wilts.

In the reign of James the First, and Charles the First, lived Sir John Gayer, a wealthy citizen and eminent merchant in the Ward of Aldgate, London. He was a liberal benefactor to the church and poor of St. Catharine Cree Parish, in which he resided. He owed his rank and opulence to his spirit of commercial adventure. It seems he had planned a mercantile speculation, the success of which depended upon his own personal superintendance. With this view he embarked on board a richly freighted vessel, and sailed for the coasts of Asia. His adventures by sea are unknown, but having occasion to cross the deserts of Arabia with a caravan of merchants, he was by some accident separated from his company, and night overtook him before he was sensible of his danger. No refuge was at hand, and he seemed destined to become the prey of savage beasts who were roaring at no great distance from him. In this awful situation neither his courage, presence of mind, nor trust in God forsook him. He knew that his own exertions were vain. Only One could help him, but He was mighty to save. He therefore fell upon his knees and prayed, devoutly promising that should it please God to rescue him from his present danger, the whole of the rich produce of the adventure he was engaged in, should be devoted to charitable purposes, when he returned to his own land.

At this moment a lion of tremendous size approached him, and a horrible death seemed inevitable; but the noble beast, after prowling round him for a time, and eyeing him fiercely, suddenly stopt short, turned from the kneeling knight, and walked quietly away. Sir John remained in prayer till the morning dawned, when he proceeded on his way, and happily overtook his friends, who had given him up for lost. The remainder of his journey was prosperous, and he returned to England with the rich profits of his adventurous undertaking. He did not on his return forget the vow he had made in the desert, but at once devoted to charitable purposes the wealth he had brought home. He was, as already stated, an especial benefactor to his own parish, and amongst other donations, left £200 to the church of St. Catharine Cree, to be laid out in land, the profits to be given to the poor, on condition that

a sermon should occasionally be preached in the church, to commemorate his deliverance from the jaws of the lion. This was called "The Lion Sermon," and it was preached on one occasion by the Rector of St. Catharine's from this text, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he may devour." In the conclusion of his discourse on this text, the preacher alluded to the charity, piety, and devout confidence of Sir John Gayer, as an example worthy of imitation.

It is singular, however, that neither the will of Sir John, nor his funeral sermon, has any mention of this wonderful escape, more especially as the former is of a religious character, and the latter refers to some passages in the life of the worthy knight, which caused the preacher to comment on the fact that "he died in his owne house not in a prison; after all his sufferings quietly breathing forth his last in his owne bed." His will is dated 19th December, 1648, and names his sons John and Robert, who did not attain their majority till 1657; Katharine, wife of Robert Abdy, Merchant; Mary Gayer, Sarah Gayer, and Elizabeth Gayer, (the wife afterwards of Francis Godolphin). At the time of his death, he was President of Christ's Hospital, to which, and to other city charities, he left benefactions; as also to the Fishmongers' Company. £200 to endow Catharine Cree Sermon on 16th October; charitable bequests to the town of Plymouth where he was born, cloth "to be dyed of a sad haire coloar," and made into clothing to be distributed at Plymouth, on the 16th October, yearly, "if not the Saboth day:" he leaves money to glaze the windows of Poplar Chapel, and Plymouth New Church, his Armes to be set in the east window of the same: the residue of his estate, which appears to have been considerable, to his sons, and if they chance to die, £5000 to his nephew John, the son of Humphrey Gayer.

It is also remarkable that the Catharine Cree Sermon, and distribution of clothing, both take place on the same day, a sort of perpetual thank offering, supposing it to be the anniversary of his escape from the lion; but the absence of any allusion to that circumstance in the funeral sermon, seems to make the alleged origin of the charity questionable.

Administration of the Effects of Thomas Lambe, of Trowbridge, Bachelor, (Coffin Plate, No. 2.), was granted to William Godolphin, Esq., the guardian of Meliora Lambe, sister and heir of Thomas Lambe.

Roger Lambe, buried at Trowbridge, 1720, is the only person of the name recorded in the Registers there, and there is, at present, no evidence of his being related to the above-mentioned Thomas Lambe.

The earliest part of the annexed Pedigree of Lambe, of Coulston, appears in the Visitation of the county of Wilts, 1623, as printed by Sir Thomas Phillipps; and supplementary information is now solicited from genealogists, to establish the fact stated on the Coffin Plate, No. 2., that Thomas Lambe who died 1741, was great grandson of Sir John Lambe of Coulston.

The Arms of Lambe, (as depicted on the Hatchment of Richard Long, Esq., in Steeple Ashton Church, (the second husband of Meliora Lambe), are as follows:

Sable, on a fess or, between three Cinquefoils argent, two mullets of the field.

Aubrey, ("Collections for Wilts," II, 18,) in describing the Shields on the Tomb of Sir William Button, at Alton Priors, gives the name of Lambe to the Coat of Burrard. Both families had intermarried with the Buttons, and hence probably arose the mistake. It is a matter of regret, that successive coats of whitewash, have now quite concealed the several Shields setting forth the alliances of the Buttons, as given by Aubrey in the above-mentioned book.

In Wilts Visitation, 1565

Adam Lambe, of Coulston, had in Goods £60.

From the Manuscript Family History, compiled by Thomas Gore, of Alderton, now in the possession of Mr. Poulett Scrope, it appears that in

1602. Edward Gore, of Surrendell, releases to John Lambe, of

Coulston, all his Estate in certain lands at Steeple Ashton,
Semington, Henton, and Littleton.

1623. Sir John Lambe, Knight, was High Sheriff of Wilts.