24 HISTORY OF NORTON. 



the restoration of their former rights. What became of the Kirke's 

 interest I do not quite know; but on 24th Dec, 1660, Col. 

 Temple writes a letter to Thomas Povey, in which he complains 

 that the King has granted the country he possesses to Thomas 

 Elliott, of the Bedchamber. He goes on to boast of his allegiance 

 to the late King. " One of the last commands that he [the King] 

 whispered to Kirke, was to charge this King to have a care of 

 honest Tom Temple." He hopes the King will not ruin him. 

 " Whither," he says, " shall afflicted and oppressed supplicants fly 

 if not to the throne of princes?" 



In giving this account of the Kirkes, which is taken entirely 

 from the Colonial State Papers, I have digressed somewhat from 

 the rightful province of local history ; but I have done so to 

 bring more fully into prominence the distinguished sons of a 

 stout-hearted man, who left Greenhill nearly 300 years ago, and 

 played a foremost part in the establishment of British dominion 

 in the West. 



I have prepared the pedigree which concludes this essay mainly 

 through the kind assistance of Colonel Chester, who collected his 

 facts when engaged on his famous edition of the Registers of 

 Westminster Abbey. Colonel Chester informs me that his 

 endeavour was to identify the notorious George Kirke, Groom of 

 the Bed-chamber to Charles I., with the Greenhill family. He 

 does not appear, however, to be in any way connected with them. 

 His coat of anns and crest are quite different from those borne by 

 the Derbyshire Kirkes. I have only followed the descents of 

 Thurstan Kirke's eldest son Gervase, and contented myself with 

 merely giving the names of his brothers. 



Something remains to be said about John Kirke, 4th son of 

 Gervase, and brother of Sir David — 



There is a will of a Sir John Kirke, of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 

 Middlesex, Knight, dated 12 June, 1685, and proved the 24th 

 of the same month, in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, by his 

 relict, Dame Anne. He was buried at St. Martin's, 23 June, 1685, 

 as " Sir John Keirkman." She was buried there, 13 Ap., 1686, as 

 "Lady Ann Kirke," and her will, dated 17 Jan., 1685-6, was 

 proved (P.C.C.) 21 Ap., 1686. 



