6 
came to him. In 1471, Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s courageous Queen, was 
caught with her army, by the victorious Edward, of Tewkesbury. We all know 
the result of that fatal field. After the batttle Margaret was conducted to Payne’s 
place. Master Payne and good Dame Ursula, his wife, welcomed the fallen 
Queen, and prepared for her that pretty room in the eastern wing of the house, on 
the first floor, with its great window looking out towards the sad battle-field, and 
the glorious old abbey rising over it, which still is called, in memory of that 
night, ‘‘The Queen’s Room,” and although the historians never knew it, the fact 
was handed down through all these centuries by tradition, and ‘‘The Queen’s 
Room ” is still to be seen in Payne’s place, in which Queen Margaret slept after | 
the disastrous day at Tewkesbury. 
This was in 1471, and time was tlying by, and good Master Payne remem- 
bered that some day he must die. Now there had been a nice little church here, 
at Bushley, for many a day served by the monks from Tewkesbury. It was 
nice for the neighbours to have a church close at hand, but they felt it rather hard 
that, though while living they could use the church at home, when dead they had 
to be carried across the river, all the way to Tewkesbury, to be buried, and all 
because there was no churchyard at Bushley ; and so Master Payne busied himself 
about the matter. He went round to all his neighbours to get them to sign a 
petition to the Abbot of Tewkesbury, to ask him to grant them land for a church- 
yard, and to get it consecrated, and, after the usual fuss, I suppose the petition 
was granted, and is still to be seen at Pull Court, bearing the mark, or signature, 
or seal of all the leading parishioners, though the seal of the Abbey is gone. The 
deed was dated April 12, 16 Ed. IV., 1477-8, and Thomas Payne died in March, 
1500, and was buried in the churchyard which his zeal had obtained for his fellow- 
parishioners. The brass effigies of himself, and his wife, and his children, were 
placed in Bushley Church, with the following inscription :-— 
** Hic jacet Thomas Payne et Ursula uxor ejus: per cujus quidem Thomae 
“‘laborem instantiam, licentia prius habita fuit et obtenta ad sepeliendum in hac 
‘* ecclesia et ejusdem cemetrio fidelium corpora. Quivero Thomas obiit penultimo 
‘*die mensis Octobris A.D. milesimo quingentesimo. Quorum animabus pro- 
“‘pitietur Deus.” 
Beneath this inscription were the effigies of their seven sons and four daughters. 
In the lapse of time the inscription, together with the figures of the children, 
disappeared, the two principal figures of Thomas Payne and his wife alone re- 
maining. ‘The words of the inscription, however, having been preserved in Dr. 
Nash’s History of Worcestershire, they were again transferred to a brass plate, and 
restored to their proper place in connection with the brasses. 
By his will, which is preserved at Somerset House, we find that he left his 
house at Bushley, with all his goods, to Ursula his wife. 
Fifty years after Thomas Payne’s death, we have a family of the name of 
Stratford settled at Payne’s place, which family, for more than 100 years, lived 
there highly respected. This was a branch of a very ancient family which had 
held large possessions in the parishes of Farmcote, Temple Guyting, Hawling, &c., 
since the year 1320, The head of the family resided at Farmcote, and Mr. Strat- 
