Culme of Moland in Devonshire, ancestor by her to Sir Thomas Culme (or Cullum) of Haftede in Suffolk, created a Baronet 18 June 1660. William Tracy, Efq. the elder fon, in 12 Hen. VI. was William. returned by the King's commiffioners, one of the gentry of the county of Gloucefter, of which he was high fheriff 22 and 23 of that reign, he left his eftate to his fon William, William. who served the fame office in 1449 (29 Hen. VI.) and in 1456 was a commiffioner of array. He married Margery, daughter of Sir John Pauncefoot, and left two fons Henry Henry. and Richard; the elder of whom married Alice, daughter and coheir to Thomas Baldington of Adderbury in the county of Oxford, Efq. and had iffue three fons and two daughters, viz. William his heir; Richard; and Ralph, a monk, who was buried in Todington, church near the pulpit, with his mother, as is expreffed by an inscription in brass. Sir Sir William Tracy of Todington, the eldest fon, being honoured with knighthood, was sheriff of his county in William. 1513, (5 Hen. VIII.); was a person of diftinguished parts and found learning, and is memorable for being one of the first that embraced the reformed religion in England, as appears by his laft will, dated in 1530 (22 Hen. VIII.) * He *This will was condemned, as Heretical, in the Bishop of London's court, and an order on that account iffued to Parker, Chancellor of Worcester, to raise his body, according to the law of the church; who too officioufly burning the corpfe, was two years after fued by the heirs of Sir William, fined 400l, and turned out of his Chancellorship.-The preamble to the will runs thus ; "In the name of God, Amen. I William Tracy of Todington "in the county of Gloucester, Efq. make my teftament and laft " will, as hereafter followeth, -Firft, and before all other things, "I commit myself to God, and to his mercy, believing, without 26 any doubt or mistrust, that, by his grace and the merits of Jefus "Chrift, and by the virtue of his paffion and refurrection, I have and fhall have, remiffion of all my fins, and refurrection of body " and foul, according as it is written, I believe that my Redeemer liveth, and that at the last day I shall rife out of the earth, and in my fleft fall fee my Saviour. This, my hope, is laid up in my " bosom.-And touching the wealth of my foul, the faith that I "have taken and rehearfed is fufficient (as I fuppofe) without any "other man's works or merits. My ground and belief is, that "there is but one God, and one Mediator between God and man, which is Jefus Chrift; fo that I accept none in heaven or in earth to be mediator between me and God, but only Jefus Chrift; all "others to be but as petitioners in receiving of grace, but none able to give influence of grace; and therefore will I beflow no part of my He married Margaret, fecond daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton of Corfe-Court in the county of Gloucefter, and had iffue two daughters, and three fons, William, ancestor to the Lord Tracy; Richard; and Robert, who left no children. Family of Richard, the fecond fon, had by his father's gift, the Stanway, manor of Stanway in the county of Gloucester, part of Barts. the poffeffions of the abbey of Tewksbury, granted to him by the crown upon the diffolution of monafteries. He was well educated, and wrote feveral learned and judicious treatises in defence of his father's faith . 66 In my goods for that intent, that any man fhall fay or do to help my foul, for therein I truft only to the proifes of Chrift. He "that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.-As touching the burying of my body, it "availeth me not whatsoever be done thereto; for St. Auguftine faith, De Cura agenda pro Mortuis, that the funeral pomps are " rather the folace of them that live, than the wealth and comfort “of them that are dead; and therefore I remit it wholly to the dif"cretion of my executors.-- And touching the diftribution of my temporal goods, my purpofe is, by the grace of God, to bestow "them to be accepted as the fruits of faith; fo that I do not fuppofe that my merit fhall be by the good beftowing of them, but "my merit is the faith of Jefus Chrift only, by whom fuch "works are good; according to the words of our Lord, I was hungry, and thou gavest me meat, &c. and it followeth, That ye have "done to the leaft of my brethren, ye have done it to me: And ever we should confider that true faying, That a good work maketh not a good man, but a good man maketh a good work, for faith "maketh a man both good and righteous; for a righteous man liv-` eth by faith, and whatfoever fpringeth not of faith, is fin." * Who died in 1472 (12 Edw. IV.) by his wife Margaret, daughter and coheir to Sir Robert Olney of Wefton in the county of Buckingham, defcended from John de Throckmertona, Lord of Throckmorton in Worcestershire 1130, of which the family was poffeffed Jong before the entrance of the Normans, and had enriched themfelves by the marriage of Eleanor, younger daughter and coheir to Sir Guy De-la-Spine, and fifter to the great-grandmother of this Sir William Tracy. Among which was that remarkable one, entitled, Preparations to the Cross, written experimentally (fay the Decem Scriptores} having fuffered much in his eftate for his father's reputed heretical will: He alfo wrote prophetically in 1550 (two or three years before Q. Mary's reign) another treatife, To teach one to Die, which was annexed to the former when reprinted, and falfely afcribed by the Editor to John Frith; being one of the three, found in the belly of a cod, brought in 1626 to be fold in the market of Cambridge, wrapped in canvafs, which probably had been devoured by that voracious fifh, out of the pocket of fome fhipwrecked feaman: On which occafion the wits of that Univerfity diverted themselves; one of them in his verfes having this diftich; If fishes thus do bring us books, then we In 2 Eliz. he was fheriff of the county of Gloucester, and by Barbara, third and youngest daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy of Cherlecote by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Empfon of Eafton-Nefton in the county of Northampton, had three daughters, and as many fons, Paul, Nathaniel, and Samuel; the eldest of whom fucceeding, ferved the fame office of sheriff, 28 Eliz. and 8 James I. which King conferred on him the dignity of a Baronet 29 June 1611, being the thirtieth created from the inftitution of the order. He married Anne, daughter of Sir Ralph Shakerley, by whom he had twenty children, ten of each fex, viz. Richard his fucceffor; Paul (whofe fon of his name died 1 June 1618, and was buried under a white marble in the chancel of Banfted-church, Surry, bearing the figure of a child in swadling clothes, with this infcription; Here under lieth the corpfe of Paule Tracy, who Shakerley; Alexander; William; Nathaniel; Thomas; Nathaniel; John; Vicefimus (fo called from being the twentieth child); Anne, married to Edward Hall of the county of Worcester, Efq.; Lucia, to Bray Aylworth of Aylworth in the county of Gloucester, Efq.; Alice; Hefther; Elizabeth; two of the name of Sufan; Barbara; Margaret; and another. The furviving Sufan was married to William Price of Winchester, Efq. one of the grooms of the King's privy chamber, and dying 13 March 1632, before fhe had been married full 14 weeks, was buried in St. Martin's church in the fields, London, under a very fair table, fastened to a pillar near the pulpit, curiously adorned with emblems of mortality, and a very long infcription, *So the Baronetage of England hath it; but on the grave-stone of Paul Tracy in Banfted church, fhe is faid to be Margaret, daughter of Philip Mofs of Cannon in Surry, Efq. and he is alfo faid to marry Anne, daughter of Sir Ambrofe Nicholas, Lord Mayor of London, and widow to William Dutton of Shireburne in Gloucester hire, Efq. 28' ! Lodge Collect, 2 ? Idem, inscription, that part of which over the figure of Death, is an address to the ladies, as follows; Ibimus omnes. Your purest Beauties fee, There's no Content on Earth, Joys foon are fled, I was as you are now, Sir Richard Tracy, the fecond Baronet, was knighted in his father's life-time, and in 1628 was sheriff of the county of Gloucester. He married Anne, third daughter of Sir Thomas Coningsby of Hampton-court in the county of Hereford, by Philippa, fecond daughter of Sir William Fitz-William, L. D. of Ireland, and had issue three fons, Humphry Richard; and John, who all fucceeded to the title. Sir Humphry, the third Baronet, was fheriff of Gloucestershire in 1639, and for his loyalty to K. Charles I. had his estate sequestered, for the poffeffion of which he paid 1600l. compofition money *He died without iffue in 1651, being fucceeded by his brother Richard, who left the title to his brother John, the fifth Baronet, who deceafing in 1677 alfo without iffue, the title became extinct, and he left the manor of Stanway, with all his eftate, to Ferdinando Tracy, the fecond fon of John, Viscount Tracy, as will follow. We *Mr. Sandford, in his Genealogical Hiftory of the Kings of England, page 15, obferves, that the monument of Robert, Duke of Normandy, eldest fon of K. William the Conqueror, fet up in St. Peter's church at Gloucester, ftood firm, until the parliament having garrifoned that city against K. Charles I. the rebellious foldiers tore it to pieces; but the parcels thereof (ready to be burnt) were by the care of a loyal perfon (this Sir Humphry) bought of the foldiers, and privately laid up till the Restoration, when they were repaired and beautified with gold and colours at the charge of that worthy perfon (but rather his brother, for he was then dead) who added a wire fkreen, in form of an arch, for its future prefervation. We now return to William, eldest fon of Sir William William. Tracy, who made the memorable will. He fucceeded at Todington, and marrying the daughter of Sir Simon Digby of Coles-hill in the county of Warwick, was father of John (or Henry) Tracy, who married Elizabeth, fecond John, daughter of John, the first Lord Chandos of Sudeley (anceftor to the Duke of Chandos) died in 1551, and was buried at Todington, having iffue five fons, John; Giles; Edward; Francis; Nicholas; and a daughter Eleanor, married to Anthony Kington of Quenington, Efq.-Sir Sir John. John Tracy of Todington, the eldest fon, on 1 March 1572 was appointed by his uncle Edmond, Lord Chandos, overseer of his last will, in which he left him the best gelding he would chufe among all his geldings; and in 1574 Q. Elizabeth, in her progrefs to Bristol, knighted him, 20 of whofe reign he was sheriff of the county of Gloucefter, and in the 39 its reprefentative in parliament.He deceased in 1591, and was buried at Todington, where his effigies is in the chancel; and having married Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton of Corse-court, Knt. by his wife Margaret, daughter and coheir to Thomas Whittington of Pauntly in Gloucestershire, Efq. had iffue five fons and two daughters who furvived, viz. John, his heir; Thomas; William, who married Mary, daughter of Sir John Conway of Arrow, and fifter to Edward, Lord Conway; Anthony; Henry; Dorothy, first married to Edmund, fon and heir to Edmund Bray of Barrington in Gloucestershire, Efq. and fecondly to Sir Edward Conway of Arrow in Warwickshire, created Lord Conway; and Mary, (the youngest of his fifteen children) was born 18 May 1581, three days after which her mother died; fhe was married firft, when 19 years old, to Mr. William Hoby, by whom he had two fons, who died unmarried, the elder in his 23 year, and the younger in his 14; and fecondly to Sir Horatio Vere, Baron of Tilbury, one of the greatest generals of his age; and dying 25 December 1671, she was buried 10 January at Castle-Heveningham in Effex *. Sir She had iffue by him, who was buried in Westminster-abbey S May 1635, five daughters his coheirs, Elizabeth, married to John Holles, Earl of Clare; Mary, first married to Sir Roger Townshend of Raynham in Norfolk, ancestor to the Marquefs Townfhend_of Raynham, and fecondly to Mildmay, Earl of Weftmorland; Ca 1 Lodge Collect. tharine, |