286 The Descent of the Manor of Stockton. 
Company on April 24th, 1556, by apprenticeship to Henry Suckley, 
and entered into partnership with a worthy Freeman, one John Toppe 
(Warden in 1580-4, Master in 1587), against. whom he appears to 
have instituted a suit in the Lord Mayor’s Court in or about 1573, 
which was ultimately settled by the award of Walter Fish (the 
Master), acting with the Wardens, on November 23rd, 1573. Like 
an ill-conditioned fellow, as he probably was, Eden went to the Star 
Chamber on bill, alleging against Walter Fish and his colleagues 
perjury and divers other misdemeanors, of which the court held that 
there was no proof at all, but on the contrary that the Master and 
Wardens had acted simply and plainly with the parties’ full consent, 
and without any manner of corruption or suspicion, and the case 
was dismissed with costs.” 
Another entry is found, by which we learn that:—“On 11th 
July, 1588, the late Master (John Toppe) gave the house £100 
towards the new skreen in the Hall.” 
It further appears that a John Topp was apprenticed to the above 
—he took up the freedom by servitude on 24th November, 1587. 
This second John Topp was never a member of the court of the 
company. He was, in all probability, a son of the purchaser of the 
manor, and might have been the builder of Stockton House. From 
the parish registers of Stockton it seems that the Topps had a ecus- 
tom of giving the name of John to more than one living member 
of the same family. They seem to have continued their connection 
with the City of London, as we find in the “ Merchant Taylors 
School Register” the name of John Topp entered on the 11th 
March, 1694-5—he having been born 15th December, 1682. 
The subsequent history of the Topp family is fully given by Mr. 
Miles and Sir R. C. Hoare. Besides building the picturesque 
mansion at Stockton they founded and endowed the still-existing 
almshouse there. The Topps held the manor until about the middle 
of the last century, when it passed into the possession of the Biggs 
family. The present owner is Colonel Yeatman Biggs. 
