Biography of Dean Alexander Nowell 1517-1602
Around 1517 Dean Alexander Nowell was born.
On 29 May 1559 Dean Alexander Nowell (age 42) was appointed Dean of St Paul's Cathedral.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 29 May 1559. The xxix day of May was depreved of ys byshopepryke of London doctur Boner (age 59), and in ys plasse master Gryndall (age 40); and [Nowell] (age 42) electyd dene of Powlles, and the old dene depreved, master [Cole] (age 59).
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20 Feb 1560. The xx day of Feybruary dyd pryche at Powlles crosse [Map] master Nowell (age 43); and ther was a man dyd pennans for he would have a-nodur wyffe, the wyche he had on afore.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 18 Feb 1561. The xviij day of Feybruary dyd pryche at the cowrt master Nowell (age 44), the dene of Powlles, Wednysday the furst [ie in Lent].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 19 Feb 1561. The xix day of Feybruary dyd pryche a-for the quen (age 27) master Nevell (age 44), the [dean of Saint Paul's,] and he mad a godly sermon, and gret [audience].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20 Mar 1561. The xx day dyd pryche at the courtt the [dean] of Powlles, master Nowell (age 44).
Henry Machyn's Diary. 15 Jun 1561. The xv day dyd pryche at Powlles crosse [Map] master Nowell (age 44) the dene of Powlles, and mad a goodly sermon, and my lord mayre (age 52) and the althermen and the most of the worshephull craftes wher commondyd to be ther, and ther wher grett audyense.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 25 Oct 1561. The sam tyme was delt thrugh alle the wardes of London xijd. a howse for ser Rowland Hylle, late mayre of London, behyng vere syke that time.... master Nowelle (age 44), the dene of Powlles.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 05 Nov 1561. The v day of November was bered in sant Stephen's in Walbroke ser Rowland Hylle, latt mare and altherman and mercer and knyght, with a standard and v pennons of armes, and a cott armur and a helmet, a crest, sword, and mantyll, and xj dosen of skochyons of armes; and he gayff a c. gownes and cottes to men and women; and ther wher ij haroldes of armes, master Clarenshux (age 51) and master Somersett, and my lord mayre (age 65) morner, the cheyff morner; ser Recherd Lee, master Corbett, with dyvers odur morners, ser Wylliam Cordell, ser Thomas Offeley (age 61), ser Martens Bowes (age 64) and master Chamburlan althermen, and the ij shreyffes, and master Chambur .. and master Blakewell, with mony mo morners, and a 1. pore men in good blake gownes, besyd women; and the dene of Powlles (age 44) mad the sermon; and after all done my lord mayre (age 65) and mony and althermen whent to the Mercers' hall and the craft to dener, and the resedu to ys plase to dener, and grett mon mad [moan made] for ys deth, and he gayff myche to the pore.
Note. P. 271. Death and funeral of the good sir Rowland Hill. This reverend senator has the highest character given him in his epitaph, which was placed "on a faire stone in the south aile of St. Stephen's Walbrook:"
A friend to vertue, a lover of learning,
A foe to vice, and vehement corrector,
A prudent person, all truth supporting;
A citizen sage, and worthy counsellor;
A lover of wisdome, of justice a furtherer,
Loe, here his corps lyeth, sir Rowland Hill by name,
Of London late lord maier, and alderman of fame.
He was the son of Thomas Hill, of Hodnet in Shropshire; was sheriff 1541–2; lord mayor 1549–50. He founded a grammar school at Drayton in Shropshire, and performed other admirable acts of beneficence recorded by Stowe in his Survay, in his chapter "Honour of Citizens." "He dwelled in Walbrook, over against the said church of St. Stephen; and was buried at St. Stephen's in Walbrook 1561." Arms, Azure, two bars argent, on a canton sable a chevron between three pheons of the second, an eagle's head erased of the third, between two mullets gules. (List by Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. 04 Jan 1562. The iiij day dyd pryche at Powlles crosse [Map] [the] dene of Powlles (age 45), and ther dyd a man pennans; he was dume, but the masters of Brydwell mad ym [speak], and for that cause he was there.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 11 Feb 1562. The xj day of February, was Aswednysday, dyd pryche a-for the quen (age 28) master Nowelle (age 45) the dene of [saint Paul's.]
Henry Machyn's Diary. 11 Mar 1562. The xj day dyd pryche at the cowrt the dene of Powlles master Nowell (age 45), that was wedynsday.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 13 Mar 1562. The sam day dyd pryche at the cowrte, that was fryday a-for Passyon sonday, master Nowell (age 45) the dene of Powlles.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 15 Mar 1562. The xv day of Marche dyd pryche at the cowrt, the wyche was the v sonday and Passyon sonday, master Nowell (age 45) the dene of Powlles, for the byshope of London master Gryndall (age 43); he dyd pryche be-cause the byshope was syke that day.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 31 Mar 1562. The xxxj day of Marche dyd pryche at the [court], that was Ester tuwysday, master Nowelle (age 45) the dene of Powlles.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 02 Apr 1562. The ij day of Aprell was bered in the parryche of Allhallows in Bredstrett master Robart Melys (deceased), latt master of the Marchand [taylors,] and he gayff in gownes and cottes to the number of iijxx [coats of] rattes coller of vijs. the yerd to the pore men, and the chylderyn of the hospetall ij and ij together, and [masters] of the hospetall with ther gren stayffes in ther [hands; and master] Nowelle (age 45) the dene of Powlles dyd pryche; and after to dener at ys sune howse.
Note. P. 279. Funeral of Robert Mellish. Died March, 1562. Epitaph in Stowe.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 19 Apr 1562. The xix day of Aprell dyd pryche at Powlles crosse master Nowelle (age 45) the dene of Powlles.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 25 May 1562. The xxv day of May was bered master Godderyke (age 56) sqwyer, the wyche he ded at ys place with-in Whyt-freres, and cared unto sant Andrew's in Holborne [Map] to be bered; and ther was the compene of the Clarkes syngyng pryke-song, and then cam a morner careng ys pennon of armes, and then cam master Yorke beyryng ys cott armur, and after master Clarenshus (age 52); and then cam the corse with a ryche palle of tynsell and ryche cloth of sylver with armes of bokeram; and then the morners, and after the byshope of Canturbere (age 57) and the byshope of Ely (age 69) and the byshope of London (age 43), and next my lord keper (age 51) and my lord cheyffe justus of England and mony worshephull men, and after ij C [200] of the ines of the cowrt folowd; and the dene of Powlles (age 45) dyd pryche for hym.
Note. P. 283. Funeral of master Godderyke. It seems not improbable, from the attendance at this funeral, that this was a brother or near relative of the late bishop of Ely and lord chancellor. In the register of St. Andrew's he is styled sir Richard Goodricke. (Malcolm.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. After 25 May 1562. [The .. day of May was the funeral of lady Cheyne, late wife of ser Thomas Cheyne councillor to] kyng Edward the vj and unto quen Mary and queen Elesabett (age 28) tyll he ded, and she was beried at Toddington [Map] with mony mornars; master Garter (age 52) and master Norrey (age 64) [were] the haroldes, and (the) dene of Powlles (age 45) dyd pryc[h the sermon,] for ther was grett chere, and a grett dole [as ever] in that contrey sene-iij mylles from Donstabull.
Note. P. 282. Funeral of lady Cheney. See the note on sir Thomas Cheney in p. 369. There is an effigy of the lady at Toddington; see the Topographer, 1846, vol. i. p. 156.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 30 Sep 1562. The xxx day of September was raylles mad at sant Giles's withwtt Crepull-gatte [Map], and hangyd with blake and armes, [for the] gentyll knyght ser Hare Gray (deceased), and was brodur unto the earl of Kent [Note. Hare Gray (deceased) was Earl but didn't use the title.], with ij haroldes of armes, master Clarenshux (age 52) kynge, and , and he bare the helme and crest, master Clarenshux the cott of armes, and then the standard and [banners of] armes; and the clarkes syngyng; and then the corse covered [with a bla]ke velvett pall with a whyt crosse of saten and armes a-p[on it,] and many mornars in blake; and ther dyd pryche master (Nowell) (age 45) the [dean of] Powlles; and after he was bered home to the plase to d[inner, where] ther was good chere, dener after dener tyll iiij of the [clock.]
Note. P. 293. Funeral of sir Harry Grey, brother to the earl of Kent. Richard earl of Kent, having much wasted his estate by gaming, died at the sign of the George in Lombardstreet, in 15 Hen. VIII. and was buried at the White Friars in Fleet-street. Whereupon his brother and heir male, sir Henry Grey of Wrest, by reason of his slender estate, declined to take upon him the title of Earl. (Ralph Brooke's Catalogue of Nobilitie.) He died Sept. 24, 1562; and in his epitaph at St. Giles's, Cripplegate, was styled "Sir Henry Grey knight, sonne and heire to George lord Grey of Ruthen and earl of Kent." (Stowe's Survay.) The dignity was resumed by his grandson Reginald, in 1571. "Sir Harry Grey knight dyed at his howsse in London in Sant Gyles parishe the xvjth day of September, in the 4th yere of our soveraigne lady quene Elizabethe, and was buryed in the parishe churche there the xxijth of the same mounthe, and lyeth in the chapel of the south syde the quere. The said sir Henry maryd Anne doghter of John Blenerhasset, in the county of Suffolk." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 20b, where his issue is also stated.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. 12 Jan 1563. [The xij day of January the Queen's second Parliament began to sit at Westminster, and the] lordes and byshopes rod in ther [parliament robes, and] the Quen('s) (age 29) grase in cremesun welvett, [and the earl of] Northumburland (age 35) bare the sword a-for the quen; [all the] haroldes of armes in ther cotte armurs, and all the trumpettes [blowing], and lythe at owre lade of Grace chapell, and they [went in]to the abbay, and ther was a sermon (by Nowell (age 46), dean of Saint Paul's.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. 14 Apr 1563. The xiiij day of Aprell dyd pryche at the spyttylle the wedynsday the dene of Powlles (age 46) in Ester wyke.
On 13 Feb 1602 Dean Alexander Nowell (age 85) died.