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Memorial and Mortuary Rings: John

In the 'Wills from Doctors' Commons, 1495 to 1695' (Camden Society), Cecily, Duchess of York (1495), gives to John Metcalfe and Alice his wife 'all the ringes that I have, except such as hang by my bedes and Agnus, and also except my signet.' Anne Barett (1504) bequeaths to Our Lady of Walsingham 'my maryeng ryng, with all thyngys hangyng theron.' Agnes Hals (1554) leaves to her son 'a rynge with the Passion of gold,' and to her niece 'my ringe with the wepinge eie;' to another son 'my rynge with the dead manes head.' Jasper Despotin, M.D. (1648), wills and appoints 'tenrings of gold to be made of the value of twenty shillings a peece sterling, with a death's head vpon some of them, within one moneth after my depture, and to be disposed of amongst my friends as my executrices shall thinke meet.' To Mr. Gibbon, 'fortie shillings sterling to buy him a ring for a memoriall of me.' Lady Anne Drury (1621) bequeaths 'tenne pounds a peece to all my brothers to buy them ringes, and twentie pounds to be bestowed in ringes of tenne shillinges amongest my freinds whom they shall thinke fitte.' Edmund Lee (1535) mentions in his will 'my ij wrethed rynge of gold, whych I ware on my thombe;' also 'my gold ryng wt a turkes, and a crampe ryng of gold wt all.' Dame Maude Parr (1529), amongst other bequests of rings, mentions one 'with a table diamontt sett with blacke aniell, meate for my little finger.' Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester (1557), bequeaths, 'to my Lord Legate's Grace (Cardinal Pole) a ring with a dyamounte, not so bigge as he is wourthie to have, but such as his poore orator is able to geve.' Speaker Lenthall (1682) appoints his executor 'to give my friends Sir John Lenthall, his lady and hildren, and other my cozens and nephews, 50 gold rings with this motto, "Oritur non Moritur."" In a codicil he adds: 'I also desire that my son will weare his mother's wedding-ring about his arme in remembrance of her.' William Prynne (1699) bequeaths 'to my deare brother, Mr. Thomas Prynne, my best gold ring with my father's armes.' armes.' To Katheryne Clerke, 'my best serjeant's ring.' To her husband, one of my gold rings. Item. I give to every one of their sonnes and daughters who shal be living at the tyme of my decease one gold ring, and one hundred pounds a peece.' In the will of Sir Richard Gresham (died 1548), father of the founder of the Exchange, he bequeathed a ring to the Protector, Duke of Somerset, and another to the profligate Duchess of Somerset, each of the value of five pounds, and he also left rings to all his friends.