| Back |
The Brewster family of Gloucester and Bromley |
The Gloucester Family - The first John Brewster
My 10 greats grandfather, John Brewster, born about 1550, married Katherine Atkins on 19th June 1575 at Holy Trinity, Gloucester. At the marriage he was called John Brewster alias Skinner, the latter perhaps reflecting his trade. He was a furrier and was Sheriff of the city of Gloucester in 1594 and 1598. He was an Alderman from 1606, and Mayor in 1609. He has written his will on 14th March 1605/6 and had died in about 1610 as his will was proved on 6th December 1610. See here for his will. Katherine wrote her will and it was proved in 1617, see here. John had 5 children.
The second John Brewster, a Puritan supporter and Church battles against Puritanism
Their eldest son was John Brewster, born around 1570-80. He was a maltster by trade, and was Sheriff of the City of Gloucester in 1612 and 1617, became and Alderman from 1630, and was mayor in 1632 (possibly also in 1648). It seems that John and the town council were staunch puritans. Parts of the Church of England were tending toward High Church/Catholicism and were incidentally also quite corrupt and many of the parishes in the area had no incumbents. The city had appointed a Puritan lecturer, John Workman, in 1619 to lecture at St Michael's and St Nicholas. In 1622 he was also appointed to the ministry of St Nicholas. At the time it seems that the Bishop of Gloucester was tolerant to this. However a new Bishop, Godfrey Goodman in 1622 opposed a move for John Workman to preach at the Cathedral, aided by Dean Laud, and in 1627 the Bishop suspended Workman from St Nicholas. The council voted to grant Workman his stipend, whether he preached or not. By 1633, Dean Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury, and had Workman and the City Council arrested and tried, and a heavy fine imposed. John Workman continued to be pursued by the Church, though the council continued to support him though, until he died aged 50 and was buried in St Nicholas. (Laud himself was eventually tried).
For more information see the following: -
http://www.workmanfamily.org/histories/AndersonBook/Surname.html
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42282
http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v066/bg066219.pdf
In his personal life, John Brewster was married to Catherine Lyttle at St Nicholas on 20th July 1601. They had six children including the third John Brewster, born in about 1608. It is not clear what happened to Catherine, but John (the father) had a second wife Elizabeth as John must have died by March 1649, as a PCC administration of 1655 stated: -
left unadministered by Elizabeth Brewster the relict and Adminis-trat[or] of the goodes, chattels & debts of the sd dec[ease]d since alsoe dec[ease]d, he being first legally sworne truely to administer.The Eighteen day there issued forth letters of Admon [administration] unto John Brewster the natural & lawfull sonne of John Brewster late of the Citty of Gloucester, gent., dec[ease]d to administer the goodes, chattels & debts of the said decd
Elizabeth died in 1652 and was buried on 22nd March 1652 at St Michael's Gloucester.
Catherine Lytle was daughter of John Lytle, whose will of 1602 is here.
The Third John Brewster, now known to be brother of my ancestor Edward Brewster
As above, John Brewster was born about 1611, and was baptised on 27th December 1611 at St Michael's Gloucester. .. In 1648/9 he was made a freeman of the City.
It appears he later lived in Barton Court, Eardisland, Herefordshire, and had maybe two or three wives. He later bought Burton Court in Eardisland, Herefordshire. He died there in 1684, and left a will not reproduced here. See this page for this family. https://www.eardisland.org.uk/downloads/history/families/Brewster%20Family.pdf. Note the site does not include all children as he had three more daughter n Gloucester in the 1650's
Edward Brewster
Edward was brother of the above John and son of John and Catherine. Edward was born in around in 1629 in Gloucester, he was baptised on 16th April 1629 at St Michael's Gloucester, and he was apprenticed in 6th September, 1645 to an apothecary in London, James Martin. His apprenticeship records that his father was John Brewster of Gloucester He became a citizen and apothecary himself. He married Dorothy Neesham (Newsham on the parish record of the marriage) at St Martin's, Ludgate, London on 24th May 1654. Dorothy was the daughter of the Rev Thomas Neesham, Rector of Stoke D'Abernon, Surrey, and Catalina Cole. See the Neesham Page. From his children's baptisms lived at Ludgate until 1661, and at least from 1671 lived at Bromley. He acted for the Wroth family in the purchase of Blendon Hall at Bexley.
Edward and Dorothy had 9 children in total, though at least 4 died relatively young.
Edward himself died on 1st March 1674 at Bromley and was buried there on 4th March. His will can be seen here. His grave in the Church, and covered by pews reads: -
Hic jacet Edwardus Brewsterus, pharmacpoae us Londinensis. Obijt primo Martij, Ano domini 1674.
Dorothy appears to have next married Edmund Lees, the Rector of Ibstock in Leicestershire, as per these National Archives documents: -
E 214/858, E 214/859 & E 214/860-5
See Edmund in the Priests page.
Edmund died on the 28th October 1699 in Ibstock, Leicestershire, and was buried there on 2nd November. Dorothy also died there on 16th May 1700 and was buried there on 19th May
Edward and Dorothy's daughter Catalina married John Pickford of Macclesfield at Bromley, but they lived in Ibstock initially (some children baptised there) before relocating to Ashton under Lyne in Lancashire.