Chart 34. London. Sir James Pemberton, Lord Mayor.

Sir James was born at Wrightington in the Parish of Eccleston, Lancashire. His arms show a crescent for difference, indicating that he was the second son, so probably Sir John (No. 3) was the eldest of the family.

The future Sir James came to London some time before 1581, and lived at “The black Spread Eagle in West Cheap.” He was Sheriff in 1602-3, and consequently at the Accession of King James I., by whom he was knighted. Nine years later he became Lord Mayor.

Besides this family and that of Gough House, given in the next Chart, there were several Pemberton families in London, from the 15th Century onwards. Of these the three principal ones were:

(1) Family of Hugh Pemberton, Merchant Taylor, who lived in the Parish of St. Martin, Outwich. He died in 1500, and a monument to him and his wife Katherine (Rypon) who died 1508, was erected in St. Martin’s Church, and on the demolition of that Church in 1874 was removed to St. Helen’s, Bishopsgate. Hugh was Sheriff in 1490. He had a brother, Robert, a clerk at Wells Cathedral, and probably the Rev. John Pemberton, Rector of St. Mary’s, Whitechapel, 1502, was another brother. Hugh had four sons, Thomas, Sir Robot, Knight of Rhodes, Rowland and Matthew (d. 1517). The last named was the only one to marry; his wife’s name was Mary, and she subsequently married William Whaddam. Matthew had two sons, William (b. 1513), and Thomas (b. 1517), and a daughter, Katherine, and owned land in Eltham, Kent. A Thomas, probably his son, also owned land there in 1552, so there is probably a connection between this family and that of Eltham (Chart 36).

(2) The family of John Pemberton, citizen and stationer of Fleet Street (d. 1739), who had four sons and a daughter by his wife Rebecca (d. 1748). The two elder sons, John and Henry, carried on their father’s business. The names of the two younger were George and Thomas, but nothing is known of them.

(3) The family of Dr. Henry Pemberton, F.R S. (b 1694, d. 1771). His grandfather married Jane Angier of Reading, whose Will is dated 1698. She left three sons, Edward, John and William, and a daughter Elizabeth, who married Luke Wise. Edward was a citizen and fruiterer of London, and he and his wife Elizabeth had three sons, John, Henry and Edward, and two daughters. The elder son, John, was also a fruiterer. Dr. Henry was a very famous surgeon and Professor of Physics at Gresham College. Nothing is known of the third son, Edward, or of the two sons (John and Edward) of his Uncle William.