
Nicholas Marston (died 14 May 1624) was a
16th century
The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. It is uncertain whether his appointment as
Archdeacon of Cornwall
The Archdeacon of Cornwall is a senior cleric in the Church of England Diocese of Truro and one of two archdeacons in the diocese.
History and composition
The archdeaconry of Cornwall was created in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 11th centu ...
in 1574 took effect. He was one of three brothers (at least two of whom attended the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
), who had ecclesiastical careers in the
Cathedral church of Exeter, and in that
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
within Cornwall and Devon. Their father was a wealthy
citizen Haberdasher in the city of London who gave financial support to the early career of his wife's brother
William Bradbridge
William Bradbridge (or Brodebridge) (1501–1578) was an English bishop of Exeter.
Life
He was born in London and took his B.A. degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, on 15 July 1528. In 1529 he became a fellow of his college, M.A. on 6 June 1532, ...
, later
bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024.
From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
. Thomas's daughters made advantageous City marriages, and the network of their mercantile patronage and relations with the bishops,
deans Deans may refer to: People
* Austen Deans (1915–2011), New Zealand painter and war artist; grandfather of Julia Deans
* Bob Deans (1884–1908), New Zealand rugby union player; grandson of John and Jane Deans
* Bruce Deans (1960–2019), New Zeal ...
and
chapters
Chapter or Chapters may refer to:
Books
* Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document
* Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10
* Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
of Exeter and of
Bath and Wells
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, and with the University of Oxford, spanned several decades of the Tudor and early Stuart period.
Life
Background and Education
Nicholas Marston was the second son of Thomas Marston, citizen and
Haberdasher
__NOTOC__
In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing st ...
and
Merchant Adventurer of London,
probably by his wife Sybill (since that name was given to at least three granddaughters): his elder brother William was born c. 1544. Sybill was certainly the wife of Thomas in 1557, when Robert Austyn,
Grocer
A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...
, received licence to grant his messuage and lands in
St Mary Colechurch
St Mary Colechurch was a parish church in the City of London. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt.
History
The church was situated at the junction of Poultry and the south end of Old Jewry. Named after its first ...
to them and their heirs. Sybill was a sister of
William Bradbridge
William Bradbridge (or Brodebridge) (1501–1578) was an English bishop of Exeter.
Life
He was born in London and took his B.A. degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, on 15 July 1528. In 1529 he became a fellow of his college, M.A. on 6 June 1532, ...
of Chichester, the future bishop of Exeter (as shown by
Henry Chauncy
Sir Henry Chauncy (12 April 1632 – April 1719) was an English lawyer, topographer and antiquarian. He is best known for his county history of Hertfordshire, published in 1700.
Life
He was born in Ardeley (then known as Yardley), Hertfordshir ...
),
['Pedigree of Robinson', in H. Chauncy, ''The Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire'' (Ben Griffin ''et al.'', London 1700)]
p. 302
(Google). and is claimed as "my sister Marston" in the will of
Alice Barnham, nee Bradbridge.
[L.C. Orlin, ''Locating Privacy in Tudor London'' (Oxford University Press, 2007)]
p. 284
and passim (Google). Thomas Marston acquired his property at The Bell in
St Stephen Coleman Street
St. Stephen's Church, Coleman Street, also called "St Stephen's in the Jewry", was a church in the City of London, at the corner of Coleman Street and what is now Gresham Street (and in Coleman Street Ward), first mentioned in the 12th century. ...
in 1545.
The Composition Books of the Office of
First Fruits and Tenths
Annates ( or ; , from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the collating authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appropriation of th ...
show that Thomas Marston, Haberdasher, of St Mary Colechurch, London, with William Bradbridge, mercer (thrice mayor of
Chichester
Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
, died 1546), stood surety for compositions on behalf of
William Bradbridge
William Bradbridge (or Brodebridge) (1501–1578) was an English bishop of Exeter.
Life
He was born in London and took his B.A. degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, on 15 July 1528. In 1529 he became a fellow of his college, M.A. on 6 June 1532, ...
(future bishop) for the vicarage of
East Dean, West Sussex
East Dean is a village and civil parish in the Chichester (district), District of Chichester in West Sussex, England. The village is in a valley in the South Downs, north-northeast of Chichester on a narrow road between Singleton, West Sussex ...
, in 1541; for the chantry of
Northiam
Northiam is a village and civil parish in the Rother District, Rother district, in East Sussex, England, 13 miles (21 km) north of Hastings in the valley of the River Rother, East Sussex, River Rother. The A28 road to Ashford, Kent, Ashford ...
, Sussex, also 1541; and, with Francis Barnham,
Draper
Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher.
History
Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...
, for
West Thorney
West Thorney is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district in West Sussex, England located west of Chichester south of the A27 road.
West Thorney is a village and civil parish on Thorney Island, the southern part of a peninsula of ...
in Sussex in 1547.
Francis Barnham married
Alice Bradbridge
Alice Barnham (''née'' Bradbridge; 7 September 1523 – May 1604) was an English silk merchant, and a leading figure in the London silk trade from the 1560s onward. She is chiefly remembered for commissioning a family portrait in 1557 which is on ...
(daughter of mercer William), at about this time.
['Barnham', in J.J. Howard and G.J. Armytage (eds), ''The Visitation of London in the year 1568'', etc., Harleian Society I (London 1869)]
p. 88
(Internet Archive). In the 2nd and 3rd years of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
, Marston was churchwarden of St Mary Colechurch, and was of
St Mildred, Poultry
St Mildred, Poultry, was a parish church in the Cheap ward of the City of London dedicated to Anglo-Saxon Saint Mildred. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London, and demolished in 1872. St Mildred in the Poultry was the burial place of ...
, for a composition for Bradbridge for
St Mary's Hospital, Chichester, in August 1554.
['William Bradbridge', in T.F. Mayer and C.B. Walters, ''The Correspondence of Reginald Pole'', IV: Biographical Companion: The British Isles. St Andrews Studies in Reformation History (Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot 2008)]
p. 80
(Google). In December 1558 Thomas Marston and Frances Barnham were two of the group of six Guildsmen commoners deputed by the Court of Aldermen to prepare the section of Queen Elizabeth's coronation route around the Great Conduit in Cheap.
These connections go some way to explain the advances of Marston's sons in the diocese of Exeter under Bradbridge's jurisdiction over the following decades. Nicholas was educated at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, graduating BA on 1 February 1564/65 and MA 9 July 1567.
William, Nicholas and Vincent Marston

The elder brother of Nicholas, William Marston,
[A. a Wood, ed. P. Bliss, ''Fasti Oxonienses, or Annals of the University of Oxford'', New edition with additions (F.C. and J. Rivington, London 1815), Part I: 1500-1640]
col. 196 (anno 1574)
(Google). after some study at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, was presented in April 1560 (aged 16) to the rectory of
Shobrooke
Shobrooke is a village, parish and former Manorialism, manor in Devon, England. The village is situated about 1 1/2 miles north-east of Crediton. It is located close to Shobrooke park. The river Shobrooke Lake flows through the village. It had ...
, Devon, by his father Thomas Marston of the city of London (to whom in 1549 Bishop
John Vesey
John Vesey or Veysey ( – 23 October 1554) was Bishop of Exeter from 1519 until his death in 1554, having been briefly deposed 1551–3 by King Edward VI for his opposition to the Reformation.
Origins
He was born (as "John Harman"), probab ...
had assigned the next presentation). This institution was performed with John Incent as Marston's proxy, under the jurisdiction of
Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker (6 August 1504 – 17 May 1575) was an English bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England from 1559 to his death. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder (with Thomas Cranmer ...
, during the vacancy in the see of Exeter created by the deposition of
Bishop Turberville, who had refused the oath of supremacy. (Thomas Marston had attempted to present Richard Prestwood in 1555, but a ''caveat'' was entered.) At
William Bradbridge
William Bradbridge (or Brodebridge) (1501–1578) was an English bishop of Exeter.
Life
He was born in London and took his B.A. degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, on 15 July 1528. In 1529 he became a fellow of his college, M.A. on 6 June 1532, ...
's succession to that bishopric (1571-1578), William Marston (the elder brother) was collated a
prebendary
A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...
of
St Peter's Cathedral church of Exeter in May 1571, received the rectory of
Bridestowe
Bridestowe () is a civil parish and village in the district of West Devon, Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Bratton Clovelly, Sourton, Bridestowe and Sourton Common, Lydford, Lewtrenchard ...
with
Sourton
Sourton is a small village and civil parish in West Devon, England. It lies about south-west of Okehampton. It is at the north-western extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales, and lies along the A386 road. The historic ma ...
in June 1571, and his appointment as
precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...
of Exeter Cathedral on 19 December of that year,
[G. Oliver, ''Lives of the Bishops of Exeter, and a History of the Cathedral'' (William Roberts, Exeter 1861)]
p. 279
(Google). at which time he held the degree of
Bachelor of Laws
A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
(LL.B.).
Nicholas, then, the second brother, was collated under Bradbridge in June 1571 to the perpetual vicarage of
St Gluvias
St Gluvias is a settlement in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is now a suburb on the northern edge of Penryn which is northwest of Falmouth. Until 1 April 2021 there was a civil parish called St Gluvias which doesn't include t ...
with the free chapel of
Budock, and in February 1571/72 as prebendary of Exeter Cathedral, being installed in the rectory of
Clayhidon
Clayhidon () is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon, England. The parish church is St. Andrews. The parish is in the Blackdown Hills and its northern and eastern boundaries form part of the Devon – Somerset border. From the south-east it h ...
one month later.
['Marston, Nicholas (Marson)', in J. Foster (ed.), ''Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714'' (Oxford, 1891)]
pp. 956-982
(British History Online, accessed 16 October 2022). In May 1572 he supplicated at Oxford for the degree of
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies.
...
, but was not admitted. The Crown added the rectory of
Exbourne
Exbourne is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. The Anglo-Saxon origin of the name is ''Gæces Burn'' - Cuckoo Stream. It occupies a hillside location between the River Okement and the Hole Brook, about 5 miles north of O ...
in July 1572, and as
residentiary canon
Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule.
Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...
of Exeter he therefore vacated St Gluvias in December 1572. On 10 June 1574 he was installed
Archdeacon of Cornwall
The Archdeacon of Cornwall is a senior cleric in the Church of England Diocese of Truro and one of two archdeacons in the diocese.
History and composition
The archdeaconry of Cornwall was created in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 11th centu ...
, at the presentation of his father Thomas Marston of London. However this appointment may have been provisional or adjuvant, for
Thomas Somaster had been presented to that office by the Crown in 1570, and it was by the death of Somaster in 1603 that it next became vacant. Nicholas Marston supplicated for B.D. again on 19 March 1574/75, and again Christ Church did not admit him, nor several other applicants (including
John Woolton
John Woolton (or Wolton) (1535? – 13 March 1594) served as Bishop of Exeter in Devon, England, from 1579 to 1594.
Origins
He was born at Whalley, Lancashire in about 1535, the son of John Woolton of Wigan, by his wife Isabella Nowell, a daught ...
), to the degree.
The third brother, Vincent Marston, was an
exhibitioner
An exhibition is a type of historical financial scholarship or bursary awarded in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Purpose
An exhibition is historically a small financial award or grant, of lower status than a "scholarship", given to an individu ...
at
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...
in November 1567, but he had left his place there by March 1568/69, and took his BA from
St Alban's Hall (
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
) on 16 February 1570/71. Vincent's ordination as deacon on 27 September 1572, and as priest on 29 September, took place in his brother William's parish church of Shobrooke. He became chaplain of
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university.
The college was founde ...
on 12 October 1572 and graduated MA on 1 July 1573. In July 1576 Sir Gavin Carew presented him to the living of Clare, one of the four portions of the church of
Tiverton, and on 12 December 1576, in ''pleno jure'', William Bradbridge collated him to the rectory of
Lezant
Lezant () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Lezant village is about five miles (8 kilometres) south of Launceston, Cornwall, Launceston. The population of the parish in the 2001 c ...
, Cornwall (which the bishop held ''
in commendam
In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastica ...
''). Appointed a canon of Exeter Cathedral, Marston resigned the chaplaincy of Exeter College, and held Lezant until 1581.
[C.R. Boase, ''Registrum Collegii Exoniensis. Register of Exeter College, Oxford'', Oxford Historical Society: New Edition (Clarendon Press, Oxford 1894)]
p. 77
(Google).
Their father Thomas Marston, the haberdasher Edmond Calthorp and grocer John Wanton, were in 1576 deemed to be "men well acquainted with the manner of exchanges and rechanges, to and from the City of London, and to and from foreign parts"; they were formally appointed to issue warrants to all persons for any such exchange and rechange of coin, under their own signatures or handwriting. Marston died in 1581 naming his three sons his successive heirs subject to lifetime tenures by his widow Sybill,
the escheator finding William Marston, aged 30 and above (37, if 16 in 1560), to be principal heir.
In 1581 Nicholas gave up Clayhidon and, under patronage of Sir
William Courtney, became rector of
Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe (), and it is surrounded clockwise from the ...
, Devon, and held it until his death 43 years later. In the same year, Vincent Marston was presented to the rectory of
Lanreath
Lanreath () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated five miles (8 km) west-northwest of Looe. The name Lanreath (pronounced Lanreth) means 'church (La ...
, Cornwall, by his brother William the precentor of Exeter, to whom the advowson had been granted by Sibilla Trevanian of
St Michael Caerhays
St Michael Caerhays () is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about south-southwest of St Austell. The population as of the 2011 census was 96
St Michael Caerhays lies within the Cornwall Area of Out ...
. A vacancy is reported in the rectory of Lanreath in October 1583, after which Vincent's name appears only (as of Lezant) in a burial record for Lanrethon, pointing to his death late in 1583. In 1584 William Marston was installed as Rector of Caerhays Stephens (
St Stephen-in-Brannel
St Stephen-in-Brannel (known locally as ''St Stephen's'' or ''St Stephen'') () is a civil parish and village in mid Cornwall, England. The village is four miles (6.5 km) west of St Austell on the southern edge of Cornwall's china clay dis ...
) with the chapelry of St Dennis, in Cornwall, Bishop
John Woolton
John Woolton (or Wolton) (1535? – 13 March 1594) served as Bishop of Exeter in Devon, England, from 1579 to 1594.
Origins
He was born at Whalley, Lancashire in about 1535, the son of John Woolton of Wigan, by his wife Isabella Nowell, a daught ...
and the Crown being patrons.
Merchant kinsfolk and bishop Godwin

In 1584
Thomas Godwin (of
Wokingham
Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...
, Berkshire), who had been Dean of Christ Church in Oxford in 1565-67, was appointed
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.
The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...
. His son
Francis Godwin
Francis Godwin (1562–1633) was an English historian, science fiction author and priest, who was Bishop of Llandaff and of Hereford.
Life
He was the son of Thomas Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells, born at Hannington, Northamptonshire. He wa ...
, the historian, also studied at Christ Church and became subdean of Exeter in 1587: his brother Matthew Godwin became Master of Music at Canterbury and Exeter but died aged 17 in 1588 and has his monument at Exeter. In July 1587 Sir
George Carew sought the release of some lands from the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, to which William and Nicholas Marston and four others, for the Chapter, sent a favourable response to
Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598), was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from ...
.
In mid-1589, at Godwin's mandate, William Marston the precentor was admitted and installed to the prebend of Combe I, as a prebendary of
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...
. William Marston's last Exonian preferment was to
Silverton, Devon
Silverton is a large village and civil parish, about north of Exeter, in the English county of Devon. It is one of the oldest villages in Devon and dates from the first years of the Saxon occupation.
It has been suggested that the medieval man ...
, in June 1592. He died in 1599, and in his will is styled "Dr", "LL.D", making his brother Nicholas his executor. His office of precentor, with his canonicate, were granted to bishop
William Cotton: they passed to the bishop's son
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
in 1607.
Bishop Cotton also accepted the rectories of Silverton and Shobrooke, which later passed to his sons William and
Edward Cotton respectively.
Bishop Godwin, a widower at his succession to Bath and Wells in 1584, had soon married a second wife, a widow of London named Sibyll, who died late in 1587 and was buried at
Banwell
Banwell is a village and civil parish on the River Banwell in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its population was 3,251 according to the 2021 census.
Toponymy
Banwell's name is first securely attested around the year 900 i ...
in North Somerset. Godwin made the centre of his operations at Banwell and built a grand mansion there, named Ockingham House.
The parish register records:
"1587. Sibyll, the wife of the Right Reverent Father in God Thomas Godwin by God's providence '' ied' 23 of ('' November'), buried the first of December."
This brief alliance had earned him the disapproval of Queen
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth''
* Princess Elizabeth ...
, upon rumours that she was much younger than him (though she had a son aged over 40), and that the "intempestive mariadge" was had for reasons of wealth. At his death in 1590 many of Godwin's possessions were dispersed informally to certain London merchants, including (notably) Peter Robinson,
Salter, and John Johnson of Watling Street,
Merchant Taylor.
[P.M. Hembry, 'The death of Thomas Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells (1584-90)', ''Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society'' XCVI Part II (1951)]
pp. 78-107 passim
(full pageviews, Society's pdf, Alaris Capture Pro Software), and at pp. 92, 94-95. These men were immediate kinsmen, actually brothers-in-law, of Nicholas and William Marston.
Robinson, who married Anne Marston, had been a witness in Thomas Marston's will of 1581.
[cf. Will of Thomas Marston, Haberdasher of London (P.C.C. 1581, Darcy quire).] Johnson, Alice Marston's second husband, was an eminent Guildsman, being elected Master of the Merchant Taylors, and then presiding, at the Company's feast attended ceremonially by King
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
* James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
* James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
* James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334� ...
in 1607. Their involvement in Godwin's funeral, the dispersal of his estate, and their careful inventories of goods received, might be explained if Sybil Godwin was the former Sybil Marston, née Bradbridge.

Another sister, Elizabeth Marston, first married George Utley, Draper of London (an associate of Robert Offley's), who died in 1579 leaving her with two sons. In around 1582 Elizabeth became the second wife of Sir
Cuthbert Buckle, Lord Mayor of London in 1593-94:
['Funeral Certificate: Sir Cuthbert Buckle, 1594', in J.J. Howard (ed.), ''Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica'', New Series, Vol. IV (Hamilton, Adams, and Co., London 1884)]
p. 7
(Google). both died in 1594. In her will, Elizabeth referred (among many others) to her brothers and sisters, her aunt
Alice Barnham
Alice Barnham, Viscountess St Albans (14 May 1592 – 1650) was the wife of English scientific philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon.
Family
She was born 14 May 1592, to Benedict Barnham and his wife, Dorothy, née Smith. Benedict Barnham ...
, and to her cousins (Alice's sons)
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...
, Martin and
Benedict Barnham
Benedict Barnham (baptised 1559 – 1598) was a London merchant, alderman and sheriff of London and MP.
Life
Barnham was born the fourth son of the merchant Francis Barnham (died 1575), a draper, alderman and sheriff of London in 1570, and Ali ...
.
[Abstracts in R.G. Rice, 'The Buckles of Banstead, Co. Surrey', in G.W. Marshall (ed.), ''The Genealogist'', Vol. III (George Bell & Sons, London 1879), pp. 251-58]
at pp. 252-53
(Google). Francis Barnham, a prominent, wealthy Alderman and Sheriff, and Master Draper in 1568-69 and 1571-72, by his will of 1576 had remembered Thomas Marston, his wife and children, and among the trustees of a legacy to
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex.
T ...
he had also named George Utley, Elizabeth Buckle's then husband. Christopher, the orphaned son of Cuthbert and Elizabeth Buckle, in his minority became the ward of Martin Barnham,
and afterwards married Martin's daughter Catherina.
The tie of kinship underlying Bradbridge patronage towards the Marstons is reiterated by Benedict Barnham, Alderman and Sheriff in 1591, in his will of 1597,
[Will of Benedicte Barnham, Alderman of London (P.C.C. 1598, Lewyn quire), leaving gowns to his "cosyn William Marston" and to his "cozyns vizt Robynson, Johnson and Leavinge", and "to every of theire wyves".] and by Alice Barnham herself:
"I give to Anne Robinson, Alice Johnson and Susan Levynge, the daughters of my late sister Marstone, to every of them the some of ten pounds... nd...unto George Utley and John Utley, unto either of them a black gowne."[Will of Alice Barneham or Branham, Widow of Saint Clement Eastcheap, City of London (P.C.C. 1604, Harte quire).]
Later life, and death
Nicholas Marston married a wife named Susan and had a daughter Sibilla, whose married name was Hyde.
In December 1597 he was granted a dispensation by the Faculty Office to be a "preacher of God's word", as vicar of
St Marychurch
St Marychurch is an area of Torquay, in the Torbay district, in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is one of the oldest settlements in South Devon. Its name derives from the church of St Mary, which was founded in Anglo-Saxon times. The w ...
, Exeter. The Archdeaconry of Cornwall was awarded to William Hutchinson on 5 September 1603: but Marston held the rectory of Exbourne until 1619, and was holding the rectory of Moretonhampstead and the vicarage of St Marychurch as canon and prebendary of Exeter at his death on 14 May 1624.
By his brief will, dated 1 October 1611, he gave to Sibilla the lands he had lately purchased lying outside the East Gate of Exeter in the parish of St Sidwell: Allan Hyde, probably his son-in-law, was one of the witnesses. The will was proved in June 1624 by his widow Susan Marston.
[Will of Nicholas Marston, Prebendary of Saint Peter Exeter, Devon (P.C.C. 1624, Byrde quire).]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marston, Nicholas
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Archdeacons of Cornwall
16th-century English clergy
17th-century English people
1624 deaths