lkes, of Willenhall (1690-1760).

Willenhall's most illustrous son was Dr. Richard Wilkes, Antiquary, whose
house still stands on the Walsall Road. He came of good family of county
rank, and his personal character raised him to the eminence of a
notability in Staffordshire. His portrait appears in Shaw's history of
this county of which his (Wilkes') valuable and voluminous MSS. formed
the nucleus. Though settled in this locality, adding to their little
patrimony from time to time for 300 or 400 years, the family came
originally from Hertfordshire.

The pedigree of Wilkes, according to the Heralds' Visitation in 1614,
commences with John Wylkys de Darlaston, who was witness to a Deed of
Roger, Lord of Darlaston, in the time of Edward III. (1331). There is a
Richard Wylkys, of Willenhall, who witnessed a Bentley Deed in 1413. To
this Richard and his wife Juliana, daughter and heir of William Wilkes, a
grant of lands in Bentley was made by Humphrey, Earl of Stafford. The
son of this couple was William Wilkes of Willnall (1505). Protonotary of
the Court of Common Pleas, 15 Henry VIII. The family tree is very
complete in Shaw.

One John Wilkes married a widow Parkhouse, _nee_ Margery Garbet, of
Nether Penn; another John, his nephew, was Rector of Lum, and evidently a
Puritan, as his two sons bear the striking biblical names, Ephraim and
Manasses. Richard seems to have been the favourite name for the eldest
son. One Richard married Mercy Drakeford, of Stafford (see Salt. Vol.
VIII.); his son, also named Richard, became the father of our Willenhall
worthy, whose mother was Lucretia, youngest daughter of Jonas Astley, of
Wood Eaton, in this county.

Richard Wilkes, M.D., was born in March, 1690, and had his school
education at Trentham. In his 19th year he was entered at St. John's
College, Cambridge, and was admitted scholar 1710. In April, 1711, he
began to attend Mr. Saunderson's mathematical lectures, and became very
proficient in algebra. In January, 1713, he took his B.A degree; three
years later he was chosen Fellow, and in 1718 he was appointed Linacre
Lecturer.

It does not appear when or where he took his degrees in medicine. He
seems to have taken pupils and taught mathematics in college from the
year 1715 till he left it, and to have been engaged thus early in
literary matters, particularly in the collection of material for
subsequent use. It was by his literary labours, particularly in
antiqu