ANCIENTT MKMORIAL HRASSES OF DORSET. 279 



fbavve tbc ID. also bcre Ivtb ^aIne ^obait Brool? 

 tbe w\)fc of tbc snvbc ZTbomas tbc wbicbc Me& 

 tbc r ^av? of Bpr\>n. Hbc \?crc of our lorbc 

 /IDCCCC (X rnvij auD tbe jv \>crc of ffv^noc If^arr^ 

 tbe vn : on wbo Soules ooD bave inerc^ «J^ pite 

 tbat for us ^\>e^ on tbe IRoDe tree. Bnie." 



Sir Thomas Brook, of Holditch, Knt., is included by Pole 

 among "the men of best worth in Devon," during the -reigns of 

 Rich. II., Henry IV., Henry V. (1377- 141 3.) In him we reach 

 the most important member of the family ru/n7e resident in the 

 West (see Cohham for their glories elsewhere), owing in large 

 measure to his marriage with the wealthy widow of Robert 

 Cheddar, which gave him considerable influence in the counties 

 of Somerset and Devon. He was sheriff of Somerset, 1389, and 

 of Devon, 1394, Kt. of the Shire for Somerset, 10, 11, 15, 20, and 

 21, Rich. II. He appears to have had two sons by Joan: 

 Thomas and IMichell. The former having married Joan, only 

 sur\'iving child and sole heiress of Joan de la Pole, Lady of 

 Cobham, moved to baronial Cobham, where his name and 

 posterity, enobled and otherwise greatly honoured, flourished for 

 several generations. 



OwERMoiGXE, St. ]\Iichael. 



Haines mentions no brasses here. 



One inscribed brass remains, 4in. by 23in., to John Sturton, 

 Esq., and is unusual of the period, inasmuch as it states that the 

 deceased caused " this wyndowc to be made." 



"Ibere Ivietb 5obn Sturton, esquier, tbe wbicb 

 becess\?& tbe i\\\ ^ay of Januar^^ tbe i?ere of our 

 Xor5 /IIM)ci^5 ; tbe wbicb 5obn caused tbis 

 w^n6o\vc to be lna^e tbe v^ere aforesai&. ®n 

 wbose soul 3esus bave nierc^." 



