Biography of Alderman Martin Bowes 1497-1566

Henry Machyn's Diary. 22nd October 1553. The xxij day of October was bered the good [lady] [his former wife] Bowes, the wyff of ser Marten Bowesse [aged 56] late alderman and goldsmyth of London, with harolds, and with a C. men and women in gownes and cotes of .. and xxiiij gownes of mantyll frys, alff men and the [half] women, and ys howse and the strett and the chyrche hangyd with blake clothe, and with ther armes a-pon the blake .... hangyd with blake and armes, and ther wher iiij grett candyll stykes gyldyd, with iiij grett tapurs of ... and ij grett whytt branchys bornyng gyldyd, and the compeny of Clarkes, and prestes; and then cam the corpse with iiij penons of arms borne a-bowt her ... stayffes torchys bornyng a-bowt her with xij of ys servands beyryng of them; and then cam the cheyffe mornars; and then my lord mare and the swordbeyrer, and ser Hare Hubbellthorne and ser Rowland Hyll knyghtes, and mornars many, and ij knyght(s) more, and dyvers gentyllmen, and after the craft of Goldsmyth(s); and when all was done they whent, and the durge, so home to ys placsse; and the marow after a goodly masse song in Laten, and a sermon, and when all was done they whent to dener ther.

Note. P. 46. Funeral of lady Bowes. "The lady Anne Bowes, wyff to syr Martyn Bowes, departed this world the xixth of October in A. 1553, and was beryed the xxijth of the same moneth at St. Mary Wollars churche in Lombart strete." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 13b.) This was therefore the second of sir Martin's three wives, mentioned in the inscriptions on "A goodly marble close tombe under the communion table of St. Mary Wolnoth: Here lyeth buried the body of sir Martin Bowes knight, alderman and lord maior of London, and also free of the Goldsmiths' company: with Cecilia, dame Anne, and dame Elizabeth, his wives. The which sir Martin Bowes deceased the 4. day of August, An. Dom. 1566." His will was also kept in the same church "in a faire table," i. e. there was an inscription recording his having given lands to discharge the ward of Langbourne "of all Fifteenes to bee granted to the king by parliament." Sir Martin Bowes was sub-treasurer of the mint under Henry VIII. and Edward VI. and resigned that office in Jan. 1550–1: see three grants made him on that occasion in Strype, Memorials, vol. ii. pp. (271), 494. The portrait of sir Martin Bowes, still preserved at Goldsmiths' Hall, is described by Malcolm, Londinium Redivivum, ii. 411.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 5th November 1561. The v day of November was bered in sant Stephen's in Walbroke ser Rowland Hylle, latt mare and altherman and mercer and knyght, with a standard and v pennons of armes, and a cott armur and a helmet, a crest, sword, and mantyll, and xj dosen of skochyons of armes; and he gayff a c. gownes and cottes to men and women; and ther wher ij haroldes of armes, master Clarenshux [aged 51] and master Somersett, and my lord mayre [aged 65] morner, the cheyff morner; ser Recherd Lee, master Corbett, with dyvers odur morners, ser Wylliam Cordell, ser Thomas Offeley [aged 61], ser Martens Bowes [aged 64] and master Chamburlan althermen, and the ij shreyffes, and master Chambur .. and master Blakewell, with mony mo morners, and a 1. pore men in good blake gownes, besyd women; and the dene of Powlles [aged 44] mad the sermon; and after all done my lord mayre and mony and althermen whent to the Mercers' hall and the craft to dener, and the resedu to ys plase to dener, and grett mon mad [moan made] for ys deth, and he gayff myche to the pore.

Note. P. 271. Death and funeral of the good sir Rowland Hill. This reverend senator has the highest character given him in his epitaph, which was placed "on a faire stone in the south aile of St. Stephen's Walbrook:"

A friend to vertue, a lover of learning,

A foe to vice, and vehement corrector,

A prudent person, all truth supporting;

A citizen sage, and worthy counsellor;

A lover of wisdome, of justice a furtherer,

Loe, here his corps lyeth, sir Rowland Hill by name,

Of London late lord maier, and alderman of fame.

He was the son of Thomas Hill, of Hodnet in Shropshire; was sheriff 1541–2; lord mayor 1549–50. He founded a grammar school at Drayton in Shropshire, and performed other admirable acts of beneficence recorded by Stowe in his Survay, in his chapter "Honour of Citizens." "He dwelled in Walbrook, over against the said church of St. Stephen; and was buried at St. Stephen's in Walbrook 1561." Arms, Azure, two bars argent, on a canton sable a chevron between three pheons of the second, an eagle's head erased of the third, between two mullets gules. (List by Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.)