Thomas Aynscombe
Encyclopedia
Thomas Aynscombe, early 18th century Dunstable
and Smithfield, London
landlord and minor benefactor.
Thomas Aynscombe (died October 1740) of Charterhouse yard
, and Northall in Buckinghamshire, was the son of Henry Aynscombe (d.1697), of St. Mary Woolnoth (where he was buried, in the chancel), citizen and haberdasher
of London, by his wife Elizabeth (d.1711), daughter of Thomas Chew, Dunstable haberdasher, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of William Marsh of Dunstable
in 1639.
His mother, Elizabeth Chew (aka Mrs. Henry Aynscombe), was one of the three sisters and coheirs of William Chew (another brother Thomas Chew, of Dunstable, (d. 20 July 1698, aged 52 (Neve)), distiller, of Dunstable, who died unmarried and intestate 18 March 1712/13, aged 58, leaving an estate worth £28,000, this included property in St. John Street, Smithfield, and several coaching inn
s in Dunstable, the Windmill and Still (theirs since the 17th century [V.C.H.]), and the Sugar Loaf (acquired by 1713), one of the most famous coaching inns of the 18th century. It also included 14 farms in Dunstable, Luton, Kensworth, Caddington
, Gravenhurst and Edlesborough
, the manors (in Bedfordshire) of Fitzhugh
, Edlesborough, Bowells and Northall (Buckinghamshire), the two inns (and the Maypole and Black Lion) and several other cottages and pieces of land in Dunstable, a house in London, and houses in the parish of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
, leased to London tradesmen. William Chew had been sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1709 and in 1703 had obtained a grant of arms with a device of Catherine wheels and griffins' heads, this was later to be the badge of the Foundation scholars. He was buried, like his nephew Thomas Chew Cart (d.1722) and sisters Frances Ashton (d.1727), Jane Cart (d.1736) and Elizabeth Aynscombe (d.1711) (all have monumental inscriptions), in Dunstable Priory
. He is in the north aisle where Thomas Green of Camberwell did his monument.
William Chew's estate was inherited by his sisters Frances (d.1727), who had married William Ashton, a London distiller, and Jane (d.1736) who had married James Cart (d.1706), citizen and distiller of London, and their nephew, Thomas Aynscombe in lieu of his mother, Elizabeth, who had died in 1711. These last three then created Chew's Foundation in Dunstable, which opened in September 1724. The school house still stands and records their names on its front.
Aynscombe's first wife Jane, they married in 1706 in Norwich, was daughter of (major) Philip Stebbing (c.1641-d.1705), grocer and Freeman of Norwich, and Deputy Lieutenant
(D.L.) for the City and County of Norwich from 1701. He was apprenticed to the successful grocer and sometime MP for Norwich, Augustin Briggs, Esq. (senior), (c1618-1684), 3 August 1674. Was constable for the St. Peter Mancroft ward of Norwich in 1674; a Royalist (Tory) councillor (councilman) for the same ward, 1676–1682; chamberlain's council 1679-1681; alderman for the Berstreet ward, 1683–1688; alderman for the North Conisford ward, November 1688-1706; sheriff of Norwich 1682; and Mayor of Norwich 1687. As sheriffs he and Lawrence Goodwin had 'established a well-deserved reputation as merciless persecutors of non-conformists with a special animus for Quakers' (Evans p. 297). In February 1696 he was forced publicly to deny that on reading a 'printed paper' about the Jacobite
plot to assassinate King William III
he had gone to the Half Moon Coffee-house and declared that: 'the plott is mine Arse all over', (Norfolk Record Office, Mayor's Court books, vol. 26 f.10, via Mark Knights, 2005, page 158).
He is buried in St Peter Mancroft
, by the side of his wife, Anne Andrews (d.1702), and three children. One son was Georgius Stebbing, grocer, freeman, Norwich 24 March 1704, while another Philip Stebbing of Norwich, then of Sprowston
, with property in Wymondham
, died 1715 (also buried in St. Peter Mancroft) making his brother-in-law Thomas Aynscombe his heir; leaving him his messuages, lands, tenements, premises and hereditaments there (will dated 21 April 1715).
, and £10 to charity schools in the Cities of London or Westminster. She asked to be buried in the chancell of the church in Lombard street
as near my dear ffather as possible, but as her brother's will of 1739 suggests she was buried instead in St. Sepulchre. His other sister Elizabeth Gilbert (Christened 30 February 1674-still alive in 1739) had a son Thomas Chew Gilbert (died June 1739, buried Paddington).
: as near the grave of my late dear wife and children and my affectionate sister Mrs Jane Elliott [died 1718] as conveniently may be willing and desiring that a sum not exceeding one hundred guineas be laid out in a handsome monument there to be erected for me and that the further sum of two hundred pounds be laid out upon my funeral which I desire
may be from Hicks Hall in St John Street out of which sum I desire all my tenants that pay me rent to the value of ten pounds a year may have a fflowered ring of the respective value of twelve shillings...
Aynscombe was governor and benefactor of several hospitals, so claimed the Gentleman's Magazine. He left £200 each to Christ's Hospital
and to St. Bart's. hospital
, and £20 to the charity school of St. Sepulchre. He is buried at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
. (Sir) John Bosworth, (Esq.), tobacconist of Newgate
street, chamberlain of the City of London, master Edward Dod, late of Cornhill, now of Austin Friars, linen draper, and John Miller, senior, of Dunstable, wholesale dealer in straw and oatts [sic], were the trustees.
Philip (died 1737, aged c30) was admitted a gentleman commoner December 24, 1724 and matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1725, and had was given his MA in 1728, having been admitted to Lincoln's Inn
on 4 February 1725/26. He married Valentina Wight, of St. George, Hanover Square
(died 1745), the grand-daughter of Daniel Wight the younger (d.1705), of Southwark, distiller, and owner of, amongst other things in Holborn and Borough, The George Inn, Southwark
.
A marriage settlement (Q/EV/116) dated 3 Jan., 1706/7, shows the extent of some property that remained with the Aynscombe family into the 1840s.
(1) Daniel Wight [III], of Southwark
, distiller, son & heir of Daniel Wight, citizen & distiller, of London, dec.
(2) Thos. Malyn of Southwark, Brewer, & Valentina [Malyn], his eldest daughter; Saml. Wight, citizen & skinner, of London; & Edmond Halsey of Southwark, Brewer:
Philip Aynscombe died at Boulogne
in 1737, probably in debt, subsequently Thomas Aynscombe became entrusted with his son's property (see above) and spent the end of his life defending this, his grand-daughter's, Valentina's, inheritance (£12,000) in the courts; see Frederick v Aynscombe (1738–39).
Aynscombe's only grand-daughter, heir-at-law and devisee, Valentina (d.3 April 1771, near Windsor), the only child of his only surviving son Philip, married Lillie Smith (c. 1715 - d. 10 February 1791, buried Clewer
). As demanded by the will of Thomas Aynscombe, by Act of Parliament 1747 (20 Geo II, c.7), Lillie Smith changed his surname to Aynscombe, or as the House of Lords Journal, of February 9, 1747, called it: 'Smith's Bill to take name of Aynscombe'. In 1757 he used another private Act of Parliament to re-settle his father-in-law's property. Lillie was the elder son of Robert Smith (c1672-Mortlake
11 Jan. 1748), a freeman of London and eminent merchant, of Thames Street, of the parish of St James Garlickhythe
, Worcester Place (near Kennet wharf), of Mortlake, and Coldashby in Northamptonshire.
Robert Smith had given Lillie £10,000 and moiety or half part of my trade on his marriage to Valentina in c1746; and then left him in his will 50 shares in the Sun Fire Office. Smith had acquired his share of the Sun Fire Office on 24 August 1720 (Dickson, page 271).
Lillie Smith Aynscombe was a director of the Sun Fire Office from, at latest, 1754 until his death in 1791.
Around 1750 he bought and rebuilt the Hermitage, St. Leonard's Hill, Clewer, Windsor, and lived there to 1773 when he sold it to the Duke of Gloucester
who renamed it Sophia Farm. The site formed part of the Windsor Safari Park
and today is within Legoland
.
When Lillie Aynscombe died in 1791 The Scots Magazine
, (vol. 53,
p. 102), reported it thus:
He also left three daughters (all died sine prole (d.s.p.)):
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
and Smithfield, London
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
landlord and minor benefactor.
Thomas Aynscombe (died October 1740) of Charterhouse yard
Charterhouse Square
Charterhouse Square is a historic square in Smithfield, between Charterhouse Street and Clerkenwell Road. It lies in the extreme south of the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London....
, and Northall in Buckinghamshire, was the son of Henry Aynscombe (d.1697), of St. Mary Woolnoth (where he was buried, in the chancel), citizen and haberdasher
Haberdasher
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...
of London, by his wife Elizabeth (d.1711), daughter of Thomas Chew, Dunstable haberdasher, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of William Marsh of Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
in 1639.
His mother, Elizabeth Chew (aka Mrs. Henry Aynscombe), was one of the three sisters and coheirs of William Chew (another brother Thomas Chew, of Dunstable, (d. 20 July 1698, aged 52 (Neve)), distiller, of Dunstable, who died unmarried and intestate 18 March 1712/13, aged 58, leaving an estate worth £28,000, this included property in St. John Street, Smithfield, and several coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s in Dunstable, the Windmill and Still (theirs since the 17th century [V.C.H.]), and the Sugar Loaf (acquired by 1713), one of the most famous coaching inns of the 18th century. It also included 14 farms in Dunstable, Luton, Kensworth, Caddington
Caddington
Caddington is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is between the Dunstable/Luton urban area , and Hertfordshire ....
, Gravenhurst and Edlesborough
Edlesborough
Edlesborough is a village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is adjacent to the village of Eaton Bray over the county boundary in Bedfordshire, about three miles WSW of Dunstable....
, the manors (in Bedfordshire) of Fitzhugh
Fitzhugh
Fitzhugh is an English Anglo-Norman surname originating in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire.. It is patronymic as the prefix Fitz- derives from the Latin filius, meaning "son of". Its variants include FitzHugh, Fitz-Hugh, Fitz Hugh, fitz Hugh, and its associated given name turned surname Hugh....
, Edlesborough, Bowells and Northall (Buckinghamshire), the two inns (and the Maypole and Black Lion) and several other cottages and pieces of land in Dunstable, a house in London, and houses in the parish of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey...
, leased to London tradesmen. William Chew had been sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1709 and in 1703 had obtained a grant of arms with a device of Catherine wheels and griffins' heads, this was later to be the badge of the Foundation scholars. He was buried, like his nephew Thomas Chew Cart (d.1722) and sisters Frances Ashton (d.1727), Jane Cart (d.1736) and Elizabeth Aynscombe (d.1711) (all have monumental inscriptions), in Dunstable Priory
Dunstable Priory
The Priory Church of St Peter with its monastery was founded in 1132 by Henry I for Augustinian Canons in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. St Peter’s today is a large and impressive building, but this is only the nave of what remains of an originally much larger Augustinian priory church...
. He is in the north aisle where Thomas Green of Camberwell did his monument.
Wife and father-in-law
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(D.L.) for the City and County of Norwich from 1701. He was apprenticed to the successful grocer and sometime MP for Norwich, Augustin Briggs, Esq. (senior), (c1618-1684), 3 August 1674. Was constable for the St. Peter Mancroft ward of Norwich in 1674; a Royalist (Tory) councillor (councilman) for the same ward, 1676–1682; chamberlain's council 1679-1681; alderman for the Berstreet ward, 1683–1688; alderman for the North Conisford ward, November 1688-1706; sheriff of Norwich 1682; and Mayor of Norwich 1687. As sheriffs he and Lawrence Goodwin had 'established a well-deserved reputation as merciless persecutors of non-conformists with a special animus for Quakers' (Evans p. 297). In February 1696 he was forced publicly to deny that on reading a 'printed paper' about the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
plot to assassinate King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
he had gone to the Half Moon Coffee-house and declared that: 'the plott is mine Arse all over', (Norfolk Record Office, Mayor's Court books, vol. 26 f.10, via Mark Knights, 2005, page 158).
He is buried in St Peter Mancroft
St Peter Mancroft
St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England, in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. It is the largest church in Norwich and was built between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place...
, by the side of his wife, Anne Andrews (d.1702), and three children. One son was Georgius Stebbing, grocer, freeman, Norwich 24 March 1704, while another Philip Stebbing of Norwich, then of Sprowston
Sprowston
Sprowston is a small town bordering Norwich in Norfolk, England. It is bounded by Heartsease to the east, Mousehold Heath and the suburb of New Sprowston to the south , Old Catton to the west, and by the open farmland of Beeston St Andrew to the north.It was the largest parish in Norfolk and the...
, with property in Wymondham
Wymondham
Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...
, died 1715 (also buried in St. Peter Mancroft) making his brother-in-law Thomas Aynscombe his heir; leaving him his messuages, lands, tenements, premises and hereditaments there (will dated 21 April 1715).
Sister
Aynscombe's sister Jane Elliott (d.1718) also of Charterhouse yard, left him the interest on £3,000; £100 to Christ's HospitalChrist's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
, and £10 to charity schools in the Cities of London or Westminster. She asked to be buried in the chancell of the church in Lombard street
St Mary Woolnoth
St. Mary Woolnoth is an Anglican church in the City of London, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, located on the corner of Lombard Street and King William Street near the Bank of England.- Early history :...
as near my dear ffather as possible, but as her brother's will of 1739 suggests she was buried instead in St. Sepulchre. His other sister Elizabeth Gilbert (Christened 30 February 1674-still alive in 1739) had a son Thomas Chew Gilbert (died June 1739, buried Paddington).
Will
Aynscombe desired to be buried in the parish of St SepulchreSt Sepulchre
St Sepulchre was an ancient parish partly within the City of London and partly within Middlesex, England.For civil purposes it was divided into two civil parishes, each called St Sepulchre, although the parish in the City of London was also known as St Sepulchre without Newgate...
: as near the grave of my late dear wife and children and my affectionate sister Mrs Jane Elliott [died 1718] as conveniently may be willing and desiring that a sum not exceeding one hundred guineas be laid out in a handsome monument there to be erected for me and that the further sum of two hundred pounds be laid out upon my funeral which I desire
may be from Hicks Hall in St John Street out of which sum I desire all my tenants that pay me rent to the value of ten pounds a year may have a fflowered ring of the respective value of twelve shillings...
Aynscombe was governor and benefactor of several hospitals, so claimed the Gentleman's Magazine. He left £200 each to Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
and to St. Bart's. hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
, and £20 to the charity school of St. Sepulchre. He is buried at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey...
. (Sir) John Bosworth, (Esq.), tobacconist of Newgate
Newgate
Newgate at the west end of Newgate Street was one of the historic seven gates of London Wall round the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. From it a Roman road led west to Silchester...
street, chamberlain of the City of London, master Edward Dod, late of Cornhill, now of Austin Friars, linen draper, and John Miller, senior, of Dunstable, wholesale dealer in straw and oatts [sic], were the trustees.
Descendants
All his sons Philip, Thomas and Chew pre-deceased him.Philip (died 1737, aged c30) was admitted a gentleman commoner December 24, 1724 and matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1725, and had was given his MA in 1728, having been admitted to Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
on 4 February 1725/26. He married Valentina Wight, of St. George, Hanover Square
Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London W1, England, situated to the south west of Oxford Circus, the major junction where Oxford Street meets Regent Street....
(died 1745), the grand-daughter of Daniel Wight the younger (d.1705), of Southwark, distiller, and owner of, amongst other things in Holborn and Borough, The George Inn, Southwark
The George Inn, Southwark
The George, or George Inn, is a public house established in the medieval period on Borough High Street in Southwark, London. Currently owned and leased by the National Trust, it is located on the south side of the River Thames near London Bridge. It is the only surviving galleried London coaching...
.
A marriage settlement (Q/EV/116) dated 3 Jan., 1706/7, shows the extent of some property that remained with the Aynscombe family into the 1840s.
- Contents:
(1) Daniel Wight [III], of Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, distiller, son & heir of Daniel Wight, citizen & distiller, of London, dec.
(2) Thos. Malyn of Southwark, Brewer, & Valentina [Malyn], his eldest daughter; Saml. Wight, citizen & skinner, of London; & Edmond Halsey of Southwark, Brewer:
- 12 messuages in Johnsons Court [ Dr. JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
lived at no. 7 Johnsons Court c1759-1776) ] alias Morecrofts Ct., Fleet St., St. Dunstan's in the WestSt Dunstan-in-the-WestThe Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in London, England. An octagonal-shaped building, it is dedicated to a former bishop of London and archbishop of Canterbury.-History:...
, purchased from Jn. & Wm. Morecroft; George InnThe George Inn, SouthwarkThe George, or George Inn, is a public house established in the medieval period on Borough High Street in Southwark, London. Currently owned and leased by the National Trust, it is located on the south side of the River Thames near London Bridge. It is the only surviving galleried London coaching...
, St. Saviours, SouthwarkSouthwark CathedralSouthwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
, purchased of Sir Jn. Sweetaple, Knt.; 3 messuages in Compter [Counter] Lane, St. Saviours [west-side of Borough], purchased of Susan Morell & her son, Richard M.
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
in 1737, probably in debt, subsequently Thomas Aynscombe became entrusted with his son's property (see above) and spent the end of his life defending this, his grand-daughter's, Valentina's, inheritance (£12,000) in the courts; see Frederick v Aynscombe (1738–39).
Aynscombe's only grand-daughter, heir-at-law and devisee, Valentina (d.3 April 1771, near Windsor), the only child of his only surviving son Philip, married Lillie Smith (c. 1715 - d. 10 February 1791, buried Clewer
Clewer
Clewer is an ecclesiastical parish and region of Windsor making up three wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
). As demanded by the will of Thomas Aynscombe, by Act of Parliament 1747 (20 Geo II, c.7), Lillie Smith changed his surname to Aynscombe, or as the House of Lords Journal, of February 9, 1747, called it: 'Smith's Bill to take name of Aynscombe'. In 1757 he used another private Act of Parliament to re-settle his father-in-law's property. Lillie was the elder son of Robert Smith (c1672-Mortlake
Mortlake
Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes with East Sheen inland to the south. Mortlake was part of Surrey until 1965.-History:...
11 Jan. 1748), a freeman of London and eminent merchant, of Thames Street, of the parish of St James Garlickhythe
St James Garlickhythe
St. James Garlickhythe is a Church of England parish church in Vintry ward of the City of London, nicknamed ‘Wren’s lantern’ owing to its profusion of windows. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher...
, Worcester Place (near Kennet wharf), of Mortlake, and Coldashby in Northamptonshire.
Robert Smith had given Lillie £10,000 and moiety or half part of my trade on his marriage to Valentina in c1746; and then left him in his will 50 shares in the Sun Fire Office. Smith had acquired his share of the Sun Fire Office on 24 August 1720 (Dickson, page 271).
Around 1750 he bought and rebuilt the Hermitage, St. Leonard's Hill, Clewer, Windsor, and lived there to 1773 when he sold it to the Duke of Gloucester
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
who renamed it Sophia Farm. The site formed part of the Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the English town of Windsor in Berkshire; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor...
and today is within Legoland
Legoland Windsor
Legoland Windsor is a child-oriented theme park in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego toy system. The park opened in 1996 on the former Windsor Safari Park as the second Legoland after Legoland Billund in Denmark. The park is located within close distance of Windsor Castle and...
.
When Lillie Aynscombe died in 1791 The Scots Magazine
The Scots Magazine
The Scots Magazine is a magazine containing articles on subjects of Scottish interest. It is the oldest magazine in the world still in publication although there have been several gaps in its publication history...
, (vol. 53,
p. 102), reported it thus:
- 10. At his seat at Mortlake, Lillie Ains-
- combe, Esq; one of the directors of the Sun
- Fire assurance-office. He has left seven sis-
- ters, whose ages, computed with his own,
- some little time before his death, made 572
- years.
He also left three daughters (all died sine prole (d.s.p.)):
- Valentina Aynscombe (c 1749-d. 23 March 1841 (GM 556), aged 92), of Cromwell house, Mortlake. On death the Gentleman's Magazine described her as "the only remaining daughter of the late Lillie Smith Aynscombe of St. Leonard's Hill, Berks". In 1828 she donated £100 towards the establishment of King's College, London. (Old) Cromwell House was demolished in 1857, though the gate piers remain (down Aynscombe Lane). The now slightly controversial Bristol benefactor and slave-dealer Edward ColstonEdward ColstonEdward Colston was a Bristol-born English merchant and Member of Parliament. Much of his wealth, although used often for philanthropic purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves...
died there in 1721. - Mary Aynscombe (died 1828) married the Rev. John Mossop (1774–1849), vicar of HothfieldHothfieldHothfield is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England and is located north-west of Ashford town.The village is located to the south of the A20 road. To the north west is Hothfield Common, 58 hectares of heathland and lowland valley bogs: a nature reserve managed by...
in Kent from 1802-1849. Mossop remarried, 1 August 1843, and had two children: John Henry Mossop and Mary Aynscombe Mossop. (John Henry Mossop was Captain of Boats (rowing) at EtonEton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in 1865, and was in the Oppidan Wall and Field XIs of 1864. After Christ Church, OxfordChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
he lived at 50 Charles street, Berkeley Square).
- Charlotte Anne Aynscombe, (1760 at Clewer - died 1799, Mortlake), there is a tablet in the vestry of the church in Mortlake. Drawing maestro Alexander CozensAlexander CozensAlexander Cozens was a British landscape painter in watercolours, a published teacher of painting, and father of John Robert Cozens.-Life:...
is thought to have taught her (see Kim Sloan), and probably both her siblings, and certainly their first cousin, Henry Stebbing (1752–1818). They acquired in 1794 an album of Cozens' which contained amongst the 121 etchings, prints and drawings, work by Alexander Cozens, John Robert CozensJohn Robert CozensJohn Robert Cozens was a British draftsman and painter of romantic watercolour landscapes.-Biography:The son of the Russian-born drawing master and watercolorist, Alexander Cozens, John Robert Cozens was born in London. He studied under his father and began to exhibit some early drawings with the...
, and possibly their own copies of Cozens' work (Christie's, June 1982 and July 1991, and see Kim Sloan).