DALE'S WILL 397 



There can, therefore, be no doubt that there was such a person : 

 the trouble is to identify him among the numerous Dales who were 

 Hving at the time. Unfortunately his christian name is nowhere 

 mentioned. I was at first inclined to think that Sir D'Arcy Power, 

 who has the credit of a first attempt, was right in identifying 

 Dr. Dale with the Dr. Robert Dale, said to be of Magdalen 

 College, who was admitted an Extra- Licentiate of the College of 

 Physicians in 1663.^ But this is rather too late a date for our 

 botanist, Merrett alludes to his death, but not as if it were 

 a recent event. It may have occurred before the Fire and the 

 Plague, probably shortly before Goodyer's own death in 1664, for 

 else it would be hard to explain the presence of Dale MSS. among 

 the Goodyer papers. 



While engaged in an unsuccessful hunt, for Robert Dale's will at 

 Somerset House, I found the will of Dr. John Dale, which connects 

 many of the clues and is a surer guide to the identity of our 

 botanist. 



JOHN DALE, Doctor of Physick, of the parish of St. Martin's in the Fields, 

 bequeaths to poore neighbours of St. Martin's Parish ^5 ; to poore of East 

 Meon £s ! to poore of Petersfield ^5 ; to poore of Gosport £s 5 to Mr. Hunt 

 £S ; to Mr. Gray ^^5 ; to brother Andrew Vidian and wife ^5 ; to sister Codd 

 20^., to sister Browne 20^., to Mr. Darlaston and wife 40s., for rings ; to wife 

 Blanche Dale, his sole exor, lease of house in Long Acre and lease of his impro- 

 priate parsonage of East Meon. Brother-in-law Andrew Vidian and ' my very 

 good friend John Goodyer of Petersfield ' to be overseers and to have a ring of 

 40s. Will dated 30 Apr. in the presence of W. Darlaston, Mary Robinson, 

 Eliz. Coleman. Proved 27 May 1662, after the death of Blanche his widow. — 

 Abstract ofV. C. C. Laud. 63. 



We hope that some local genealogist will follow the family 

 further. ' Sister Browne ' may have been related to the Brownes 

 of East Hoo, already mentioned ; and Mr. Gray may have been 

 the herborist friend of O. Bilson (p. 201), but the names are loo 

 widespread to be a trustworthy guide. 



•* Munk records that Robert Dale was a Bachelor of Arts of Magdalen 

 College, Oxford, who practised medicine at Stourbridge in Worcestershire and 

 was admitted an Extra-Licentiate of the College of Physicians of London on 

 October ist 1663. {Roll of the Royal College of Physiciatis.) But I have not 

 as yet been able to find any Robert Dale in the books of Magdalen College. 

 John Ward elsewhere refers to an incident in the practice of a ' Mr ' Dale, and, 

 in the next sentence, to ' An ichneumon frequent about Sturbridge'. Unfor- 

 tunately Ward nowhere mentions his Dales' Christian names. Sir D'Arcy 

 Power, to whom I mentioned the difficulty, has again investigated the matter, 

 and has found among the Prattinton MS., vol. 31, at the Society of Antiquaries, 

 an entry : ' Robert Dale Ludimagister of Free school at Stourbridge, 9 Nov, 

 1661'. 



