Mr. Aylef, being elected on 1st August, 1548, served the office of Sheriff 1548–9, and in Wriothesley’s Chronicle under date 1549 we read—
The third daie of March being Shrove Sondaie Mr Henry Amcottes Lord Maior of London was presented to the Kinges Maiestie at his pallace at Westminster. And after the oration made by Mr Recorder to his Maiestie and aunswere again by my Lord Chauncelor unto the maior and aldermen, the Kinges Maiestie made my Lord Maior, Knight, and Mr William Locke, Alderman, and Mr John Ayliffe, barbar surgeon, sheriffes of London for this yeare, were made knightes also in the Chambre of Presens, the Kinges Maiestie standing under his cloath of estate.
SIR JOHN AYLEF
From the original painting by Holbein,
at Barber’s Hall.
Two days afterwards Sir John had a grant of arms from Sir Thomas Hawley, Clarencieux, and shortly after was elected Alderman of Dowgate Ward. He seems to have relinquished his profession of a Surgeon and to have become a Merchant, holding the important office of Master of Blackwell Hall, one of the greatest commercial centres of the period, and residing at the Hall, in the parish of St. Michael Bassishaw.
On the 28th May, 1550, he was chosen the first Alderman of the newly-created ward of Bridge Without, some interesting particulars of which may be seen in Stow’s Survey (ed. 1633, p. 446); while in Wriothesley’s Chronicle, under date 1550, we also read—
Memorandum. Wednesday in the Whitson weeke, at a Court of the Aldermen kept in the Guyldhall, Sir John Aliffe, Knight, and master of Blackwell Hall, was sworne an alderman of the Bridg ward without, and to have the jurisdiction of the Borough of Southwark, and 2 deputies to be appointed there to assist him, which was the first alderman that ever was there, which was done by the advise of my Lord Mayor and thˀ Aldermen, for the better order to be kept there, and for the more quietnes of the Mayors hereafter to come, and the good order of the Kinges subjectes there, accordinge to the lawes of the City; and the Fryday after he rode with my Lord Mayor all the precint of Southwarke, my Lord Mayor havinge a certeine nomber of the honest persons of the borough at the bridg-house, to whom he shewed theyr alderman, and appointed deputies under him, and so hereafter to see a good order to be kept in the Borough, as in other wardes of the citye of London.
Sir John subsequently removed to his old ward of Dowgate (and continued Alderman there till his death, his successor being chosen 12th November, 1556). After his election as Alderman he was translated to the Grocers’ Company, of which ancient guild he was crowned Upper Warden, 9th June, 1556, in view of his election as Lord Mayor for which he stood next in nomination, and to which office, had he lived but a few weeks longer, he would in all probability have been chosen. He was married to Isabel Buckell of Warwickshire, and by her had four children, John, Erkynwald, Mary and Alice. His son John and great grandson George, were both knighted. His widow, Dame Isabel, had a grant of arms by Thomas Hawley (3 & 4 Ph. & M.) ar. a fesse vaire or and az. betw. three doves ppr. bearing in their beaks a branch gu. Sir John Aylef’s funeral is thus recorded in Machyn’s Diary, 1556—
The xx of October was bered ser John Olyff knyght and altherman, and sum-tym he was surgantt[314] unto kyng Henry the viijth, and after he was shreyff of London; and he had levyd tylle the next yere he had byn mayre, for he tornyd from the Surgens unto the Grosers; and bered at sant Myghelles in Bassynghall, with a harold of armes bayryng ys cott armur, and with a standard and a pennon of armes, and iiij baners of emages, and ij grett whytt branchys, and iiij grett tapurs and . . . . . dosen of torchys; and mony powre men had gownes; and with a elmett, targat, and sword; and the crest a crowne and a holyfftre[315] standyng with-in the crowne.