250 NOTES TO THE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



VI. The Hon. Lewis Latham, Falconer to 

 Charles L, born 1555, died 1655. From an ori- 

 ginal portrait in the possession of his descendant, Mr. 

 F. A. Holden, of Hyattsville, Maryland, U.S.A. 



Lewis Latham, of Elstow, in the county of Bedford, gentleman, 

 was descended from a younger branch of the Lathams, of Latham 

 House, near Ormskirk, Lancashire. The old moated house, 

 which in 1644 withstood a siege by the Parliamentary forces 

 under General Fairfax, gave way in 1750 to a more modern one, 

 which was built by the celebrated architect Leoni. 



The office of falconer in the tim.e of Charles I. was one 

 of importance. The Master Falconer was Sir Patrick Hume, 

 who had succeeded Sir Thomas Monson (1615-1618), and who 

 had thirty-three other gentlemen associated with him as falconers, 

 one of whom was Lewis Latham, who also served under Andrew 

 Pitcairn. After Sir Patrick Hume the Master Falconer was 

 Sir Allen Apsley (1669), who was succeeded in 1682 by Charles, 

 Earl of Burford, afterwards created Duke of St. Albans, who, 

 by letters patent bearing date July 5, 1686, was appointed to 

 the office of " Master Surveyor and Keeper of the Hawks," and 

 created Hereditary Grand Falconer (Patent Roll, 3 James II., 

 part 7, membrane 19), an office only recently abolished. 



The following records relate to Lewis Latham : — 



1625, July 15. — Warrant to pay Andrew Pitcairn, Master of 

 the Hawks, to the use of Lewis Latham, Eustace Norton, 

 and the rest of the under-falconers, the stipend formerly 

 allowed them when the King was Prince of Wales. 



1627, Aug. 18. — Warrant from Secretary Conway to Attorney- 

 General Heath to prepare grants of the place of Serjeant 

 of the Hawks to Lewis Latham with ^6^ per annum, 

 and of the place he held of falconer to Richard Berwick. 



1655, May 15. — Lewis Latham, gent., deceased the 15th day 

 of May, at Elstow, Bedford. 



1655, Sept. I. — His will, dated 6th May 1653, proved at 

 London by his wife and executrix, Winifred Latham, and 

 registered in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. His 

 two sons, Henry and John, and five daughters, Ann, 

 Frances, Katharine, Elizabeth, and Ellen, named as 

 legatees : residue to Wife. 



