Nicholas Brigham

Esquire, was born, if I mistake not, at, or near to, Caversham in Oxfordshire, (where his elder Brother Thom. Brigham had lands of inheritance, and died there 6. Ed. 6. but descended from those of Brigham in Yorks.) received his Academical education in this University, particularly, as I conceive, in Hart Hall, wherein I find several of his Sirname (without Christian names before them) to have studied in the time of Hen. 8. but whether he took a Degree, it doth not appear in our registers that are somewhat imperfect in the latter end of that King’s Reign. When he continued in the University, and afterwards in one of the Inns of Court, he exercised his muse much in Poetry, and took great delight in the works of Jeffry Chaucer: For whose memory he had so great a respect, that he removed his bones into the South cross Isle or trancept of St. Peters Church in Westminster, in the Year 1556. Which being so done, he erected a comely Monument over them, with Chaucers Effigies, and an Epitaph in Prose and Verse; which to this day remains against the East Wall of the said Isle. At riper years our Author Brigham addicted himself much to the study of the municipal Law, became noted for it, and without doubt had not death snatched him untimely away, he would have communicated some Specimen of that faculty to the World. His genie also was much inclin’d to English History, in which faculty he published a Book, which some (h)(h) Joh. Bale. & Joh. [〈◊〉] entitle,

De venationibus rerum memorabilum. It contains the discovery or finding out of several memories of eminent Men of, and things done in, England. Which being perused by John Bale, he hath cull’d out many things thence for his purpose, and quotes it when he hath occasion to mention several eminent Writers. See in his Book De Scriptorib. Maj. Britan. cent. 10. nu. 72. cent. 11. num. 6. 42. 52. 95. &c. and in cent. 12. nu. 24. 79. 82. 95. &c.

Memoires by way of Dia [•] e, in 12 Books.—And wrot also his youth.

Miscellaneous Poems.—with other things which I have not seen, being, as I suppose, irrecoverable and quite lost. This ingenious and curious Person, who was admirably well vers’d in Histories and Antiquities, yeilded up his last breath to the great regret of all those that knew his worth, within the City of Westminster in the month of Dec. in Fifteen hundred fifty and nine, 1559 (which was the second year of Queen Elizabeth) but where buried, unless near to the bones of Chaucer, I cannot tell.