Laurence Nowell

the third Son of John Nowell of Great Meerley in Lancashire (where his ancestors had lived several generations before him) by Dowsabell his Wife, Daughter of Thomas Hesketh of Rufford in the said County Esq. was born, as I conceive, at Great Meerley before-mentioned, or at least in the said County, sent to Brasnose Coll. to obtain Academical learning, about 1536, where applying his Muse to the study of Logick for a little while, went to Cambridge, where taking the Degree of Bach. of Arts, return’d to Oxon. and was incorporated in the said Degree in July 1542. In the year following he was licensed to proceed in Arts, and about that time being in sacred orders became Master of the Free-school at Sutton-Colfield in Warwickshire, where he continued for some years. In the Reign of Qu. Mary he absconded for a time in the house of Sir Joh. Perrot called Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire, where, besides that Knight, he found two of his perswasion, viz. Mr. Perrot (Sir Johns Unkle) who had been reader of the Greek tongue in the Reign of K. Ed. 6. and another Gent. called Banister: But before that Queen died, he went into Garmany, where finding out his Brother Alexander Nowell, sorted himself among the English Exiles there. After Qu. Elizabeth came to the Crown he was made Archdeacon of Derby and Dean of Lichfield, which he kept (with one or more benefices, besides that Prebendship of Ampleford in the Ch. of York, which he obtained upon the relignation of Will. Day Bach. of Div. 27. May 1566.) to his dying day. He was a most diligent searcher into venerable antiquity, a right learned Clerk also in the Saxon Language, and was one of the first that recalled the study thereof. When he abode in Lincolns Inn, in the lodgings of one of his brethren, who was a Counsellour of note there, he was a tutor in those studies to Will. Lambard the Antiquary of Kent, who was esteemed the second best in them, and made use of his assistance and notes when he compiled his book De priscis Anglorum legibus. Our famous Antiquary Will. Camden tells (f)(f) In Britannia in Cornwall. us that he (Laur. Nowell) was a Man of good note for his singular learning, and was the first in our age that brought into ure againe, and revived the Language of our Ancestours the Saxons, which through disuse lay forlet and buried in oblivion. He hath written,

Vocabularium Saxonium, or a Saxon English Dictionary.—Written in 1567. ’Tis a MS. in qu. and was sometimes in the hands of the learned Selden, but now in Bodlies Library. Franc. Junius who maketh honourable mention of the Author, had a Copy of it, and Will. Somner the Antiquary of Canterbury made use of the original when he compiled his Saxon Dictionary. He also (L. Nowell) made several collections from antique historical MSS. which, as rarities, are kept to this day in the Cottonian Library. One of them is thus entituled.

Collectanea ex Chronicis Gregorii Caerquent Monachi Coenobii Glocestrensis, ab an. 681. ad an. 1290. ’Tis under Vespasians head A. 5. with other collections out of the Registers of Worcester and Glocester. This eminent Antiquary died, as it seems, 1576 in Fifteen hundred seventy and six, (his will being dated 7. Oct. the same year) aged 60 or more, but where buried unless in the Cath. Ch. at Lichfield I cannot tell. He left behind him a Son of both his names, who was a Commoner of Brasnose Coll. 1590. aged 18, and had, if I mistake not, for his successor in his Deanery one George (*)(*) The said George Bulleyn became Rector of Bangor on the translation of Will. Chaderton from the See of [〈◊〉] to Li [••] in June. an 1575. Bulleyn D. D. who dying in Januar. 1602, was succeeded by Dr. Will. Tooker. One Hen. Boleyne D. D. was sometimes Chauntor and Residentiary of Lincolne, Archdeacon of Chichester and Rector of Borneford, who dyed 1491. but what relation George had to this Henry, I know not.