Preston on Stour, Warwickshire

"Sacred o the worthy memory of Sir Nicholas Kempe, knight, one His Majestis Justices of the Peace and an honorable member of the High Commission Courte , who had to his first wife Cicelie with whome hee lived in blessed amitie neere fortie yeares together , with Sarah his second wife, 6 yeares, and having past with much prosperite, love and credit the reverend years of 72, he changed his terestriall condition for that everlasting state of blessedness the 3d of September 1624.

Wise, loving, librall, religious, just

Those graces flld the soule of him whose dust

Lyes herein tombe all that prayse can bring forth

There are not words ynough to expres his worth

For his good works this stone canot compries

Halfe the perticulers of his pieties

What goodness ever was , is and to come

In mortall man that makes up his just summe"

 

The monument is said to have been brought from St Mary's Chapel, Islington where Nicholas & Cecily are buried "near the vault of the East family"

 

Nicholas of Finchley & Islington m1 (24th January 1577 at St. Dunston's-in- the-West ) Cecily Kester dsp June 1617

 

He m2 Sarah daughter of Roger James of Holland Essex : Sarah was the widow of Thomas Draper of Lincoln's Inn, son of Robert Draper of Islington by Elizabeth Morgan of Henley with several children including Sir Thomas Draper of Sunninghill Park Berks & Eastham Essex, Sheriff of Berkshire d1703 m Mary Carey heiress of Sunninghill ; Sarah Draper m Sir Purbecke Temple of Croydon dsp 1695 ; Elizabeth Draper m Edmond Partridge; Robert / Roger Draper of Remenham Berks; Edmond / Roger Draper of London

 

Nicholas was patron of Gilston church Hertfordshire - He was knighted by James I. at Theobald's Park on 3rd October, 1617, and was a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex from that time until his death, Despite him being a very prominent judge and active in many capacities around London, his parentage is not known,

He died without issue and left much of his property to a Ralph Kempe of Winchcombe +++, while to the University of Oxford he bequeathed £2,000. He left £500 to the Trinity almshouses at Guildford which he co-founded with George Abbott, Archbishop of Canterbury, also plate to the archbishop ;(Both there portraits still hang in the almshouses) ; To the repair of St. Paul's Cathedral, £200, and for the repair of the highway between Islington and Stroud Green as well as charity to the poor of Islington and St. Sepulchres.

To Sarah his widow he gave his coaches and horses, all his property at Islington and Stroud Green and his household effects

He gave to his "antient" servant Anthony Rigby, his windmill at St. Margaret's Hill, Southwark (which Nicholas had bought in 1606 whilst in Finchley ) also his houses in the Parish of St. Andrew's, Holborn,

 

Arms / heraldry - three sheaves within a bordiire engrailed

 

( +++ Ralph Kempe, described as of the parish of St. Margaret's Westminster, was granted a license to marry Grace Grinnell

on 22nd June, 1610- Very shortly after this date he was at Winchcombe, where he made his will in 1644. It was proved at Gloucester the following year, and bequeaths to his wife Grace certain lands lying at Winchcombe called " Hitchingsfields " for her life with reversion to son Thomas Kempe, while to his son Ralph and his heirs for ever he leaves his " inheritance." www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/frederick-hitchin--kemp/a-... )

 

archive.org/stream/generalhistoryof00kemp/generalhistoryo...

www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/zwrk/draper1.php - Church of St Mary , Preston on Stour, Warwickshire

Done