JOHN PEN.

Much time has been spent in the endeavour to ascertain John Pen’s parentage, but without success. Among the Domestic State Papers, Henry VIII, Vol. I (No. 4064) is the grant of a corrody or sustentation from the Monastery of Abbotsbury to Robert Pen “one of the Gentlemen of the Chapel” and to John Pen, his son, for life. The date of this document is 9th March, 1514, and as John Pen was a retainer of the King’s, which this grant would also seem to imply, and had a son whom he named Robert, there is the possibility that this Robert Pen, the Gentleman of the Chapel, was his father.

John Pen was admitted to the freedom of the Barbers in 1527, and his birth may probably be put at 1500–1505. He was by profession a barber, and evidently a friend of King Henry VIII, who advanced him from Groom of the Privy Chamber to the honorable position of King’s Barber, an office which was only bestowed upon the most trusty and confidential of the King’s attendants; the life of the sovereign being in his barber’s hands. (See pp. 90 and 91.)

Pen served the office of Master in 1539, and his portrait is in the Holbein picture. He married, about 1530, Lucy, daughter and heiress of Edmond Chevall of Sissivernes, in Codicote, Herts, and by her he had a good estate. In 1545 Henry granted him the manor of Codicote and the demesne lands of the late dissolved Abbey of St. Alban’s for £826 9s. 4¹⁄₂d., to hold by the forty-fifth part of a knight’s fee. The King also bequeathed him 100 marks by his will. By an Inquisition taken at West Barnet 18th October, 5 & 6 Ph. & M., it was found that John Pen died 21st August, 1558, and that Thomas, his son and heir, was then of the age of 25 years and 9 months. John Pen’s Will, dated 15th August, 1558, was proved by his widow on the 6th May, 1559. Coleman in his list of Wills of the Pen family states that a second grant of Probate was taken of this Will by Gyles Pen on 10th October, 1560, but this is absolutely incorrect; on this date the Will of one Gyles Peny of Halstocke in Dorsetshire was proved, and Mr. Coleman has confounded this in a remarkable way with John Pen’s Will, with which it has no connection whatever. That Pen was not, or did not know that he was, a connection of the Pens of Bucks, is most likely, as he obtained a grant of arms for himself, in which the combs on either side of the lion of England are typical of his office of King’s Barber. These arms were 1^st & 4^th Ar. on a fesse gu. betw. three peacocks az. a lyon pass. guar. or betw. two combs of the first (Pen) 2^d & 3^rd Or three horses’ heads couped sa. bridled ar. (Cheval).

The following is the text of his will:—

In the name of god amen The xv^th day of August Annis v^to et vj^to Regꝭ et Regine I John Penne Esquyre being sicke in body but whole and pˀfitt in mynde make this my Testament conteynyng therin my last will in manˀ and fourme following that is to saye ffirst my soule I bequeth almightie god &c. and my body to be buryed in the church of Codynte &c. Item I bequeth to the high Alter of Codynte &c. xx^d Item to the high Alter of Welwyn xx^d Item my will and pleasure is That all wills and declaracons therof heretofore mayde by me at any tyme heretofore to be voyed and of none effecte and that this my last will and Testament be takyn reputed to be my last will and none other Item I give to evˀy of my doughters Elen Elizabeth and Dorothye fortie poundes in money to be paied at their marriage daye or when they shall come to thˀage of xvj^th yeres. Yf any of theis iij childern dep̃te this world before their mˀriage or xvj^th yeres of age That then the survivors to have the ptꝭ of theym that ar depˀted to god. The saied legacꝭ of my saied childern to be levyed out of the manˀ of Sycesvrñs w^th thappurtenncꝭ Item I give to Robert Penne his wif two kyne. Item my wyll and pleasure is and also I give to Robert Pen my soune and to his heires my myll of Codynte payng yerely to Willm̃ my sonne twentie shillingꝭ during his naturall lif. The Resydewe of my goodes my debtes and legacꝭ paid I give to Lucy my wif whom I make my sole executrix. Witnesses by me John Pen by me michaell hogkyn.