Alexander Prescott

Alexander Prescott Goldsmith 1562/3 - 1621 Alexander Prescott was baptised on 8 March 1562/3 the son of William, and Margaret his first wife, of Coppull, a village in Standish parish lying between Chorley and Wigan in Lancashire. William was married twice, the second time to Matilda on 11 February 1582/3. The family was large; four brothers and a sister were living and named in Alexander's will of 1616: Richard, Jeffrey, Edward, Thomas and Elizabeth (Phillips). Richard is recorded at his death in 1631 as resident in a property called Haltes House, later Holt House in Wigan Lane, Coppull.

Alexander came to London, and in 1580 was apprenticed to John Pemberton (d1603), a goldsmith and a member of the Goldsmiths' Company. On 26 Nov 1593 he married John's daughter, Martha (1576-1616), at St Mary's Church, Twickenham ('Master Alexander Pescott & Pemerton Marthe' in the Register). John was a brother of James Pemberton, also a goldsmith of London who had been born at Wrightington, son of a farmer from nearby Heskin in the parish of Eccleston in Lancashire. Eccleston is just to the west of Chorley, a few miles from Coppull. It is likely, though speculative, that the two families knew each other in Lancashire and this led Alexander to London where he probably met Martha. Their marriage in Twickenham suggests residence for one or both of the parties, most probably Martha because her uncle owned land and property there. The holdings of Sir James Pemberton are shown on the map drawn by Ralph Tresswell the Younger in 1607.

No children of Alexander and Martha are recorded in the baptismal registers for St Mary's, Twickenham. There are, however, two burials, the first on 23 Aug 1604, of Elizabeth 'dau of Mr (Prescot) of London' and the second, on 10 Jan 1625, William Prescott, possibly a brother. Alexander, in his will (PCC Prob11/139) mentioned five surviving children: Alexander, Edward, John, Mary and Martha. Martha married Richard Turnor the Younger, citizen and Merchant Tailor of London, in 1633.

Alexander did not lose touch with his origins: in 1608 he presented a chalice and paten to his church at Standish. He also gave to the Borough of Wigan its earliest insignia of office of the Mayoralty. At some time he acquired, or inherited, the manors (so described in his will) of Standish and Chorley, and another, possibly Radmynton, nearby. It is likely that these were, in fact, fractions of larger manors, nevertheless their possession is indicative of considerable substance. And not only in property: he left £1000 to each of his five children.

Property in London and Twickenham

Appointed an Alderman (for Cordwainer Ward) on 13 February 1612/13 Alexander continued to spend time in London where he leased a house from the Goldsmiths' Company in Cheapside. In 1619 he was engaged with the construction of a “great messuage” in Wood Street, near Goldsmiths' Hall.

At some date he acquired property in Twickenham, possibly through his wife, taking up residence in the parish and becoming a member of the Vestry. He is referred to as “Mr Alderman Prestcote” in the minutes of a Vestry meeting held on 21 June 1618. He died in January 1621/2, and was replaced on the vestry following a meeting held on 6 October 1622. He was buried, probably beside his wife, in the church of St Vedast in Foster Lane, off Cheapside. Another Alexander (presumably his son?) having died, was also replaced on the Vestry in 1626.

The exact position and extent of the land and property owned by Prescotts in Twickenham has not been established, but some at least lay along the south side of Richmond Road in the area which later became Lord Strafford's estate and, later still, Lebanon Park. This land is shown as an orchard on Moses Glover's map of 1635. There is a reference to "Edward Prescott, Gentleman" in an Admission at the Manorial Court for some adjacent waste land (London Metropolitan Archives ACC1379/29/f.47)

He may have acquired property in Essex in 1707. An entry in the State Papers Domestic of James I for July 17, 1607 notes a Grant to Alex. Prescott, of the manor of Radminton Hall, in Essex. [Ind. Wt. Bk., p. 66.]

(From: 'James I: Volume 28: July-December, 1607', Calendar of State Papers Domestic: James I, 1603-1610 (1857), pp. 362-393. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15013)