of Chirton, whose son Robert married a daughter of Richard Lavington, of Wilsford, and so was brother-in-law, (if not a nearer relation,) to the head of the All Cannings branch. The first of the GOUGH family that was connected with All Cannings, was the Rector of 1593. His family belonged originally, it would seem, to Stratford, in South Wilts. He was presented to the Prebend of All Cannings also by Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, who claimed the right to that appointment as well as to the Rectory. A law-suit ensued, of which we shall say more in an account of the Prebend of All Cannings in a subsequent page, the result of which was the establishment of the right of the Dean and Canons of Windsor to the patronage of the Prebend. Hugh Gough had a large family, several of whom rose to positions of eminence, his eldest son becoming first of all Chancellor of the Cathedral in Limerick, and afterwards Bishop of that See; another being Chaplain to the Earl of Hertford; and a third Steward to the Earl of Warwick. One of his younger daughters was married to John Willis, a Fellow of the College at Winchester. The SHELLEY family belonged originally to the county of Sussex. In the time of Henry VII. by the marriage of John Shelley with Elizabeth, heiress of John Michelgrove, of Michelgrove, in the above-named county, that place became the principal seat of their family. Their connexion with All Cannings, in which there is no trace of their ever having been residents, commenced with Edward Shelley, who in 1555 became the Lessee of the manor from Dame Elizabeth Shelley, (probably his sister,) the last Abbess of St. Mary, Winchester, as related in a preceding page (p. 12), and terminated most likely with the expiration of their lease in 1595. They were a distinguished family;—as early as the reign of Henry VI. one of them represented Rye in Parliament; another was Justice of the Common Pleas1 in the time of Henry VIII., and 1 Stow, in his Annals, tells us, that Judge Shelley, in the time of Henry VIII., was sent by that King to Cardinal Wolsey, then Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor, to demand the surrender of York Place (now Whitehall) belonging to his See, into the King's hands. The Judge told the Cardinal, "That the King had sent for all the Judges and all his learned Council to know their opinions thereon, whose opinions were that his Grace (the Archbishop) must make a recognisance before a Judge acknowledging the right thereof to belong to the King and his successors, and that therefore the King had appointed and his son was the last salem in the reig the interest of Cal the upper House of and above all lay last Abbess of St. which we give ext each of them exist granted to them. manor of Easton, ir in 1643, and some fi Hoare's History of Bowles.1 The family of Ni as early as the time five centuries to be wards found in otl Coate in Bishops ( in 1553;-at Seer 1756, and at Asht of the family will Archdeacon Macdo sent him (the Judge) affiance as that he woul Shelley, I know that tl ling more than justice § I counsel you and al more into his head tha him this is the law, conscience, for law wi council, for every Co before the rigour of t to mitigate the rigour Cardinal, nevertheless, Shelley this message subject, obediencer, a would in no way disob of the law say that he he most humbly desir that there is both a H 1 Hist ་ Edward, bap. 1579 at 1. Richard, mar. EDWARD NICHOLAS, of All Cannings,Catherine, dau, of bur. there April 3rd, 1623. See W. A. Mag. (3rd son.., 184. Richard Franklin. ROBERT NICHOLAS, of All Cannings, bap. there 27th Nov. 1597. Elisabeth. Idith. All Canninga of Spatchley, co. Worcester. Philip Sheldon, Elizabeth, dau. of Ashing Philip, t. 6 weeks (2nd wife.) Mary in 1623. t.sept. Mary Aug.. bap. 678. born 8th N Philipov. Edward, born 13th Feb., born erbert Robert, 1677. John. Henry 'The branch of the family that settled at All Cannings, with which alone we have any concern, seems to have been founded by Robert Nicholas, of Coate, who was the son of John Nicholas of Roundway, who died 1502. The estate descended from father to son for many generations, as will be seen from an inspection of the pedigree (No. I.), in which the names of those who appear to have possessed it are printed in capitals. Early in the 18th century it came into the possession, how it does not clearly appear, of a collateral branch of the family who were descended from John Nicholas, of Winterbourn Earls, for it was then in the possession of John Nicholas, who is described as of All Cannings, and who died without issue in 1737. (See pedigree No. II.) There was a close connexion between these two branches, for Anthony Wood says distinctly that Robert Nicholas, who was born at All Cannings in 1597, of whom we shall presently speak more at length, was of the same family as Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary of State to Charles I., and Dr. Matthew Nicholas, Dean of St. Paul's, both of whom were born at Winterbourn Earls, and belonged to that branch of the family. As the said John Nicholas died without issue in 1737, the estate devolved on his sister Elizabeth who died unmarried, and devised it to her great nephew Nicholas Heath, who was Rector of the parish in 1807. His daughter Georgiana, who inherited the estate, married Philip Gell, Esq., of Hopton Hall, co. Derby. As we have already mentioned, the estate of the Nicholas family in All Cannings became afterwards, by purchase, the property of Lord Ashburton. Of what was strictly speaking the All Cannings branch, one only, as far as we know, rose to distinction. This was ROBERT NICHOLAS, who was born at All Cannings in 1597. The entries in the parish register1 at the time of his birth, seem to indicate that he was the younger of twins, the elder of whom, also named Robert, died shortly after his birth. Robert Nicholas was educated for the law, and admitted to the Inner Temple, 25th July, 1614. In 1640, together with Colonel 1 The entries are as follows::- -"Robert Nicholas was baptized the 17th day of November, 1597."—"Idem Robt. Nicholas sepult. fuit eodem die et anno.”"Robt. Nicholas minor was baptized the 22nd of November eodem anno." |