n of Rowland, &c. My mother was Alice, the daughter of Edward
Barham, of Fiskerton Mills, in Nottinghamshire, two miles from Newark
upon Trent: this Edward Barham was born in Norwich, and well remembered
the rebellion of Kett the Tanner, in the days of Edward VI.

Our family have continued many ages in this town as yeomen; besides the
farm my father and his ancestors lived in, both my father and
grandfather had much free land, and many houses in the town, not
belonging to the college, as the farm wherein they were all born doth,
and is now at this present of the value of forty pounds per annum, and
in possession of my brother's son; but the freehold land and houses,
formerly purchased by my ancestors, were all sold by my grandfather and
father; so that now our family depend wholly upon a college lease. Of my
infancy I can speak little, only I do remember that in the fourth year
of my age I had the measles.

I was, during my minority, put to learn at such schools, and of such
masters, as the rudeness of the place and country afforded; my mother
intending I should be a scholar from my infancy, seeing my father's
back-slidings in the world, and no hopes by plain husbandry to recruit a
decayed estate; therefore upon Trinity Tuesday, 1613, my father had me
to Ashby de la Zouch, to be instructed by one Mr. John Brinsley; one, in
those times, of great abilities for instruction of youth in the Latin
and Greek tongues; he was very severe in his life and conversation, and
did breed up many scholars for the universities: in religion he was a
strict Puritan, not conformable wholly to the ceremonies of the Church
of England. In this town of Ashby de la Zouch, for many years together,
Mr. Arthur Hildersham exercised his ministry at my being there; and all
the while I continued at Ashby, he was silenced. This is that famous
Hildersham, who left behind him a commentary on the fifty-first psalm;
as also many sermons upon the fourth of John, both which are printed; he
was an excellent textuary, of exemplary life, pleasant in discourse, a
strong enemy to the Brownists, and dissented not from the Church of
England in any article of faith, but only about wearing the surplice,
baptizing with the cross, and kneeling at the sacrament; most of the
people in town were directed by his judgement, and so continued, and yet
do continue presbyterianly affected; for when the Lord of Loughborough
in 1642, 1643, 1644, and 1645, had his garrison in that