HISTORY 135E

Department of History
University of California, Irvine
 Instructor:    Dr. Barbara J. Becker
 
Week 5.  Improving Processes

excerpts from
The Last Will of Sir Thomas Gresham (1575)

 
THIS IS THE LASTE WILL WRITTEN and disposition of me Sir Thomas Gresham of the cittye of London knighte, concerninge all my mannors, landes, tenementes, and hereditamentes, mentioned and conteyned in one quadripartite indenture, made betweene me the said Sir Thomas Gresham and dame Anne my wife on the one partye, and Phillippe Scudamore gent. and Thomas Celey on thother partie, dated the 20 day of May, in the seaventeenth yere of the raigne of our soveraigne lady queene Elizabeth....

Sir Thomas Gresham (c.1519-1579)

AND I will and dispose, that ... the said maior and corporation of the said cittye [London] ... shall give and distribute to and for the sustentation, mayntenaunce, and findinge foure persons from tyme to tyme to be chosen, nominated, and appointed by the said maior and cominalty and cittezens and theire successors, mete to read the lectures of divynitye, astronomy, musicke, and geometry, within myne owne dwellinge house in the parishe of St. Hellynes in Bishopsgate streete and St. Peeters the pore in the cittye of London ... the somme of two hundred pounds of lawfull money of England, in manner and forme followinge, viz. to every of the said readers for the tyme beinge the somme of fifty pounds of lawfull money of England yerely, for theire sallaries and stipendes, mete for foure sufficiently learned to read the said lectures; the same stipendes and sallaries , and every of them, to be paid at two usuall tearmes in the yere yerely, that is to say, at the feastes of thannunciation of St. Mary the Virgin and of St. Mighell tharchangell, by even portions to be paid....

AND ... that they and theire successors every yere yerely shall give, and pay, and distribute to and for the findinge, sustentation and maynetenaunce of three persons, by them the said wardeins and cominalty and theire successors from tyme to tyme to be chossen and appointed, meete to reade the lectures of law, phissicke, and rethoricke, within myne nowe dwellinge house in the parrishe of St. Hellyns in Bishopesgate streete and St. Peters the pore, in the said cittye of London ... the somme of one hundred and fifty poundes of lawfull money of England, in manner and forme followinge, viz. to every of the said readers for the tyme beinge the somme of fiftye poundes, for theire sallaries and stipendes, mete for three sufficeintly learned to reade the said lectures, at two usuall tearmes in the yere, that is to say, at the feast of thannunciation of the blessed Virgin Marye and of St. Mighell the Archangell, by even portions to be paid....

Thomas Gresham's mansion converted into an instructional facility with lodgings and research space for professors of Law, Physics, Music, Divinity, Geometry, Rhetoric, and Astronomy.

AND ... shall permitte and suffer seaven persons, by them from tyme to tyme to be elected and appointed in manner and forme aforesaid, meete and sufficiently learned to reade the said seaven lectures, to have the occupation of all my said mansion house, gardeins, and of all other thappurtenaunces, for them and every of them there to inhabite, study, and daylie to reade the said severall lectures.  And my will is, that none shall be chossen to reade any of the said lectures, so longe as he shall be married, nor be suffered to reade any of the said lectures after that he shalbe married, neither shall receave any fee or stipend appointed for the readinge of the said lectures....

IN WITNES whereof I the said Sir Thomas Gresham have written this will all with myne owne hand, and to each of the eight leaves have subscribed my name ; and to a labell fixed there unto all the eight leaves have setto my seal with the grashopper, the 5 day of July, in the seventeenth yere of the raigne of our soveraigne lady queene Elizabeth, and in the yere of our Lord God, ann. 1575.

By me THOMAS GRESHAM
Witnesses to this last will and testament of the said Sir Thomas Gresham the persons whose names be subscribed,
PH. SCUDAMOR,
THOMAS BILLINGFORD,
HENRY NOWELL.
 
The First Century of Gresham Professors
Geometry
Astronomy
Divinity
1596
1620
1630
1643
1648
1657
1662
1664
1665
Henry Briggs
Peter Turner
John Greaves
Ralph Button
Daniel Whistler
Laurence Rooke
Isaac Barrow
Arthur Dacres
Robert Hooke
1596
1613
1619
1626
1636
1637
1641
1652
1657
1660
1687
1691
Edward Brerewood
Thomas Williams
Edmund Gunter
Henry Gellibrand
Samuel Foster
Mungo Murray
Samuel Foster
Lawrence Rooke
Christopher Wren
Walter Pope
Daniel Man
Alexander Torriano
1596
1599
1604
1606
1610
1612
1629
1641
1661
1686
1691
Anthony Wotton
Hugo Gray
William Dakins
George Mountayne
William Osbolston
Samuel Brooke
Richard Holdsworth
Thomas Horton
George Gifford
Henry Wells
Edward Lany
           
Music
Rhetoric
Medicine
1596
1607
1610
1638
1650
1660
1681
1696
John Bull
Thomas Clayton
John Taverner
Richard Knight
William Petty
Thomas Baynes
William Perry
John Newey
1596
1598
1613
1619
1627
1638
1654
1659
1670
1676
1686
1696
Caleb Willis
Richard Ball
Charles Croke
Henry Croke
Edward Wilkinson
John Goodridge
Richard Hunt
William Croune
Henry Jenkes
John King
Charles Gresham
Edward Martyn
1596
1607
1615
1643
1652
1655
1675
1679
?
1692
Matthew Gwinne
Peter Mounsell
Thomas Winston
Paul de Laune
Thomas Winston
Jonathan Goddard
John Mapletoft
Henry Paman
Edward Stillingfleet
John Woodward
           
Law
1596
1607
1613
1640
1644
1649
1650
1660
1667
1670
1672
1687
Henry Mowtlow
Clement Corbet
Thomas Eden
Benjamin Thorneton
Joshua Crosse
Thomas Leonard
John Bond
Benjamin Thorneton
Richard Pearson
John Clarke
Roger Meredith
Robert Briggs
   
 
Go to:
  • "The Preface" to Micrographia (1665), by Robert Hooke (1635-1703).
Weekly Readings
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10
Lecture Notes
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19
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Riddley Guides
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