William Vaughan (philanthropist)
Encyclopedia
William Vaughan was an English
landowner, farmer and philanthropist
who lived in the mid-16th century in the Dartford
and Erith
area of north-west Kent
. He was one of the yeoman to King Henry VIII
and Queen Elizabeth I, but is remembered today mainly for his role in the foundation of Dartford Grammar School
.
. In his will William Vaughan left bequests to the poor of the parishes of Dartford (40/-); Stone
(13/4d) and Erith (20/-); this may indicate his principal area of interest although he also held land at Tonbridge
in mid-Kent.
There seems to be no evidence of Vaughan’s connection to Dartford before 1536. At that time he was said to be one of King Henry VIII’s gentlemen of the wardrobe
when he obtained a grant of the manor of Bignors. This manor, also known as Portbridge, had long been an asset of the Sisters of the Order of St. Augustine in the Dominican
nunnery at Dartford having been given to the king by John de Bikenore of Clavering in about 1366. As the dissolution of the nunnery loomed, the sisters in 1534 leased to George Tusser of Dartford the manor with their two water-mills called the Wheat Mill and the Malt Mill. Vaughan obtained the lease of the manor (and the mills) in 1536 and had his last renewal of it between 17 November 1569 and 16 November 1570. After Vaughan's death, the lease of these mills passed to John Spilman
, an early manufacturer of paper
. From the details of Spilman's mill, one of the mills operated by Vaughan can be placed upstream from Dartford on the River Darenth where it meets Powdermill Lane.
In 1545 a muster of potential fighting men in Dartford included Vaughan as an able man and an archer in the company led by John Byer (or Beere), a distant relative by marriage and also a prominent local philanthropist. In 1572 he paid rent of 2/4d (Two shillings and fourpence) to the Manor of Erith.
, London
, to Alice Lane, formerly Wallis. It appears that Vaughan knew both her previous husbands. Alice died in 1581 and may have been buried at Erith as no record of her burial is found in the Dartford parish registers.
Vaughan had at least two children, both apparently by his first wife, Joan. A son, Charles, was born probably no later than 1544. Charles was buried at Dartford on 26 January 1570/71 Vaughan’s second child, Elizabeth was born in about 1541; she married William Death (1527–1590), a lawyer of Staple Inn
, London, and was buried at Dartford on 13 April 1582.
On 24 March 1576 Vaughan together with his son-in-law William Death and Edward Gwynn of London executed a deed conveying a house and garden on the High Street of Dartford to trustees, with the purpose of using the rent from the house to pay a master for the Grammar School. The original deed was lost between 1723 and 1829, but its substance was re-iterated in a deed of 11 January 1660. The 1576 deed is generally taken as the date of establishment of the Grammar School. Unlike deeds establishing other grammar schools at about this time, there was no provision for school premises. This appears to have been because a room above the Market House was used as a school room.
Vaughan died in 1580 and was buried at Dartford on 8 May that year. His will included the following bequests:-
Apart from a substantial bequest of livestock to his granddaughter Johane Vaughan (daughter of his deceased son Charles) most of his assets passed to the family of his daughter, Elizabeth. A complicated arrangement compensates his second wife, Alice, for the sale of some land during their marriage that would otherwise have formed part of her dower. He mentions a sister who has not been identified “…my Syster Dethegye 40s, (yf she be lyvyng at the tyme of my decease) and to Wyllyam and Luce her chyldren to every of theym 20s. “ and his cousin “unto my cosyn James Vaughan of Swannescombe 40s.” There were small bequests to several friends, a servant and “my cosyn Thomas Edwardes my best saten doublet”.
The name of William Vaughan is still remembered in Dartford today in the name of one of the houses at the Grammar School.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
landowner, farmer and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who lived in the mid-16th century in the Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
and Erith
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
area of north-west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He was one of the yeoman to King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Queen Elizabeth I, but is remembered today mainly for his role in the foundation of Dartford Grammar School
Dartford Grammar School
Dartford Grammar School is a selective secondary foundation school for boys in Dartford, Kent, England, which admits girls to its sixth form . All of the students joining the school are from the top 25% of the ability range...
.
Family connections
Nothing seems to be known about his parentage or early years, although he had a cousin, James Vaughan who lived in SwanscombeSwanscombe
Swanscombe is a small town, part of the Borough of Dartford on the north Kent coast in England. It is part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.-Prehistory:...
. In his will William Vaughan left bequests to the poor of the parishes of Dartford (40/-); Stone
Stone, Kent
Stone, also known as Stone-next-Dartford, is one of a string of villages lying along the Dartford to Gravesend road on the south bank of the River Thames in Kent, England.-History:...
(13/4d) and Erith (20/-); this may indicate his principal area of interest although he also held land at Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
in mid-Kent.
There seems to be no evidence of Vaughan’s connection to Dartford before 1536. At that time he was said to be one of King Henry VIII’s gentlemen of the wardrobe
Wardrobe (government)
The wardrobe, along with the chamber, made up the personal part of medieval English government known as the king's household. Its chief officer went under the title of Master or Keeper of the Great Wardrobe. As a result, the wardrobe often appropriated large funds from the exchequer, the main...
when he obtained a grant of the manor of Bignors. This manor, also known as Portbridge, had long been an asset of the Sisters of the Order of St. Augustine in the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
nunnery at Dartford having been given to the king by John de Bikenore of Clavering in about 1366. As the dissolution of the nunnery loomed, the sisters in 1534 leased to George Tusser of Dartford the manor with their two water-mills called the Wheat Mill and the Malt Mill. Vaughan obtained the lease of the manor (and the mills) in 1536 and had his last renewal of it between 17 November 1569 and 16 November 1570. After Vaughan's death, the lease of these mills passed to John Spilman
John Spilman
Sir John Spilman was a Lindau, German-born entrepreneur who founded the first commercially successful paper-mill in England, establishing a factory on the River Darenth in Dartford, Kent in 1588...
, an early manufacturer of paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
. From the details of Spilman's mill, one of the mills operated by Vaughan can be placed upstream from Dartford on the River Darenth where it meets Powdermill Lane.
In 1545 a muster of potential fighting men in Dartford included Vaughan as an able man and an archer in the company led by John Byer (or Beere), a distant relative by marriage and also a prominent local philanthropist. In 1572 he paid rent of 2/4d (Two shillings and fourpence) to the Manor of Erith.
Marriages
Vaughan was married at least twice. His first known wife, Joan, was buried at Dartford on 9 September 1569. Vaughan remarried on 16 August 1571 at St Dionis BackchurchSt Dionis Backchurch
St Dionis Backchurch was a parish church in the Langbourn ward of the City of London.-History:The church of St Dionis was dedicated to Dionysus the Areopagite, a follower of St Paul, said to have converted the French to Christianity. He became the patron saint of France, where he is known as St Denis...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to Alice Lane, formerly Wallis. It appears that Vaughan knew both her previous husbands. Alice died in 1581 and may have been buried at Erith as no record of her burial is found in the Dartford parish registers.
Vaughan had at least two children, both apparently by his first wife, Joan. A son, Charles, was born probably no later than 1544. Charles was buried at Dartford on 26 January 1570/71 Vaughan’s second child, Elizabeth was born in about 1541; she married William Death (1527–1590), a lawyer of Staple Inn
Staple Inn
Staple Inn is a building on the south side of High Holborn in London, England. Located near Chancery Lane tube station, it is used as the London office of the Institute of Actuaries and is the last surviving Inn of Chancery and is a listed building....
, London, and was buried at Dartford on 13 April 1582.
Philanthropy
On 20 September 1569, only a couple of weeks after the burial of his wife Joan, Vaughan executed a deed giving a newly erected house and its garden on the south side of Dartford High Street for the use of the poor in Dartford. The original deed was still at the church in 1829 but had been lost by 1933. This house was rebuilt in 1769; the garden was sold in 1871 and the house sold in 1919 for £1450. At the time of this deed Vaughan was a yeoman of the chamber to the Queen.On 24 March 1576 Vaughan together with his son-in-law William Death and Edward Gwynn of London executed a deed conveying a house and garden on the High Street of Dartford to trustees, with the purpose of using the rent from the house to pay a master for the Grammar School. The original deed was lost between 1723 and 1829, but its substance was re-iterated in a deed of 11 January 1660. The 1576 deed is generally taken as the date of establishment of the Grammar School. Unlike deeds establishing other grammar schools at about this time, there was no provision for school premises. This appears to have been because a room above the Market House was used as a school room.
Vaughan died in 1580 and was buried at Dartford on 8 May that year. His will included the following bequests:-
- "to the moste poorest people of Darteford aforeseyd clothe to the valewe of 40s to make theym cotes."
- "to the pore and needy people of Stone nere Dartford 13s 4d"
- "unto the poore people of Erythe 20s"
Apart from a substantial bequest of livestock to his granddaughter Johane Vaughan (daughter of his deceased son Charles) most of his assets passed to the family of his daughter, Elizabeth. A complicated arrangement compensates his second wife, Alice, for the sale of some land during their marriage that would otherwise have formed part of her dower. He mentions a sister who has not been identified “…my Syster Dethegye 40s, (yf she be lyvyng at the tyme of my decease) and to Wyllyam and Luce her chyldren to every of theym 20s. “ and his cousin “unto my cosyn James Vaughan of Swannescombe 40s.” There were small bequests to several friends, a servant and “my cosyn Thomas Edwardes my best saten doublet”.
The name of William Vaughan is still remembered in Dartford today in the name of one of the houses at the Grammar School.