Brief Lives, Vol. 2

Sir John Popham (1531-1607).

[703]Sir John Popham[AV], Lord Chiefe Justice of the King's Bench, was the ... son of ... Popham, of ... in the countie of Somerset.

He was of the Societie of ... and for severall <years> addicted himselfe but little to the studie of the lawes, but profligate company, and was wont to tak a purse with them. His wife considered her and his condition, and at last prevailed with him to lead another life, and to stick to the studie of the lawe: which, upon her importunity, he did, being then about thirtie yeares old. <He> spake to his wife to provide a very good entertainment for his camerades to take his leave of them; and after that day fell extremely hard to his studie, and profited exceedingly. He was a strong, stout man, and could endure to sit at it day and night[LIX.]; became eminent in his calling, had good practise; called to be a Serjeant <1578>, a Judge <1592>: vide Origines Juridiciales.

Sir ... (John, I think) Dayrell, of Littlecote, in com. Wilts, having gott his ladie's waiting woman with child, when her travell came, sent a servant with a horse for a midwife, whom he was to bring hood-winked. She was brought, and layd the woman, but as soon as the child was borne, she sawe the knight take the child and murther it, and burnt it in the fire in the chamber. She having donne her businesse was extraordinarily rewarded for her paines, and sent blinfold away. This horrid action did much run in her mind, and she had a desire to discover it, but knew not where 'twas. She considerd with herselfe the time that she was riding, and how many miles might be rode at that rate in that time, and that it must be some great person's house, for the roome was 12 foot high; and she could know the chamber if she sawe it. She went to a Justice of Peace, and search was made. The very chamber found. The knight was brought to his tryall; and to be short, this judge had this noble howse, parke, and mannor, and (I thinke) more, for a bribe to save his life[LX.].

I have seen his picture; he was a huge, heavie, ugly man. He left a vast estate to his son, Sir Francis (I thinke ten thousand pounds, per annum); he lived[705] like a hog, but his sonne John was a great waster, and dyed in his father's time.

He[706] was the greatest howse-keeper in England; would have at Littlecote 4 or 5 or more lords at a time. His wife (Harvey) was worth to him, I thinke, 60000 li., and she was as vaine as he, and she sayd that she had brought such an estate, and she scorned but she would live as high as he did; and in her husband's absence would have all the woemen of the countrey thither, and feast them, and make them drunke, as she would be herselfe. They both dyed by excesse; and by luxury and cosonage by their servants, when he dyed, there was, I thinke, a hundred thousand pound debt.

Old Sir Francis, he lived like a hog, at Hownstret in Somerset, all this while with a moderate pittance.

Mr. John would say that his wive's estate was ill gott, and that was the reason they prospered no better; she would say that the old judge gott the estate unjustly, and thus they would twitt one another, and that with matter of trueth.

I remember this epitaph was made on Mr. John Popham:—

[707]Memorandum:—at the hall in Wellington[AW] in the countie of Somerset (the ancient seate of the Pophams), and which was this Sir John's, Lord Chiefe Justice, (but quaere if he did not buy it?) did hang iron shackells, of which the tradicion of the countrey is that, long agoe, one of the Pophams (lord of this place) was taken and kept a slave by the Turkes for a good while, and that by his ladie's great pietie, and continuall prayers, he was brought to this place by an invisible power, with these shackells on his legges, which were here hung up as a memoriall, and continued till the house (being a garrison) was burn't. All the countrey people steadfastly beleeve the trueth hereof.

[708]Lord Chief Justice Popham first brought in (i.e. revived) brick building in London (scil. after Lincolne's Inne and St. James's); and first sett-afoote the Plantations,—e.g. Virginia (from Fabian Philips)—which he stockt or planted out of all the gaoles of England.