John Hooke
#5719
John and Mary Pritchard were married before February 1636/37.
In addition to the court or 'close tennys play' at Hampton Court-where there was also an 'open tennys play,' which appears to have been constructed for a game resembling lawn tennis (History of Hampton Ct.i, 140) -Henry VIII also built courts both at Whitehall and St. James's Palace.
With regard to that at Whitehall, Stow in his Survey of London says that on the right hand, beyond the gallery connecting the two portions of the royal palace at Westminster, were 'divers fayre Tennis Courts, bowling Alleys and Cockpits, all built by King Henry VIII.' (Stow, Surv. (ed STrupe), vol ii, bk. vi, 6) Though it is clearly shown in a map of 1658 by Fordham, no traces now exist of this court, (Ann. of Tennis 65, 66) while the site of that erected by Henry VIII at St. James's Palace, in which both Henry Prince of Wales and his brother Charles I are recorded to have played, (Ann. of Tennis, 76, 79, 81) is also unknown. (Ann. of Tennis, 65, 66) An order was issued 27 July 1649 to 'John Hooke, keeper of the tennis court at St. James's' to deliver the keys to Colonel Thomas Pride 'to enable him to quarter his soldiers there,' and Mr. Marshall suggests that it may have been converted into a sort of guard house or prison. (Ann. of Tennis, 83) It is, however, referred to as the tennis court at St. James's in a warrant of 19 August, 1729, from the lords of the Treasury to the Clerk of the Pipe with respect to the lease of a piece of ground adjoining it. (Cal. of Treas. Books and Papers, i, no. 533, p. 133)
Charles II built a new court at Whitehall in 1662-the dimensions of which were taken from that at Hampton Court (Hist of Hampton Ct. ii, 202, 204) -which appears to have been commonly called 'Longs,' (Ann. of Tennis, 86) and an entry of 28 December in that year in Pepys' Diary describes a game, which must have been one of the first played there, by the king and Sir A. Slingsby against Lord Suffolk and Lord Chesterfield. 'The king,' he says, 'beat three and lost two sets, they all, and he particularly playing well I thought.' (Memoirs of Samuel Pepys [ed. Lord Braybrooke], ii, 136) Recording another game on 4 January, 1663, the diarist again says that Charles 'did play very well,' but observes that 'to see how the king's play was extolled without any cause at all was a loathsome sight.' (Pepys, 138) He also mentions 'a great match' at this court, on 2 September, 1667, 'between Prince Rupert and Captain Cooke against Bab May and the elder Chichely, when the king was at the court, and it seems that they are the best players at tennis in the nation.' (Pepys, iii, 348.)
Who was the "John Hooke" who apparently married Mary (Pritchard) Hooker around 1636?
In July 1654, in an attempt to "clean up the books" regarding the "King's servants and creditors" there is a report that includes, "The business is a close design, the contrivers of which, Mr. Oldisworth and Wm. Thomas, do not appear. Those who appear for the servants and creditors are Thos. Manley, clerk of the kitchen, who should not be admitted because he went to Oxford, but he pretends to be a discoverer; Mr. Jackson of the sequestration office, who has bought at a low scale many warrants of the creditors, &c; and Mr. Hooke, keeper of the Tennis Court, St. James's, who has had more than his due from the Committee for sale of goods, Mr. Rous being his kinsman."
Who is "Mr Rous?" Well, in 1653, he was apparently, Francis Rous, the Speaker of Cromwell's Barebones Parliament, among other things. He would be a descendant of the Rous of Branshott.
A John Hooke married Barbara Rous, (say 1580) and daughter Ann married John Pym (1604). So, we are talking a couple of generations removed. But, family is family.
By 1637 (when John Hooke apparently married the widow of Thomas Hooker) and later was identified as the keeper of the Tennis Court, and as a member of the parliament (council) he was in London.
Other documents, actually, have the same information, but with the name "Hooker" and relating to the Rev'd Hooker that came to the US. More research needs be done.
In addition to the court or 'close tennys play' at Hampton Court-where there was also an 'open tennys play,' which appears to have been constructed for a game resembling lawn tennis (History of Hampton Ct.i, 140) -Henry VIII also built courts both at Whitehall and St. James's Palace.
With regard to that at Whitehall, Stow in his Survey of London says that on the right hand, beyond the gallery connecting the two portions of the royal palace at Westminster, were 'divers fayre Tennis Courts, bowling Alleys and Cockpits, all built by King Henry VIII.' (Stow, Surv. (ed STrupe), vol ii, bk. vi, 6) Though it is clearly shown in a map of 1658 by Fordham, no traces now exist of this court, (Ann. of Tennis 65, 66) while the site of that erected by Henry VIII at St. James's Palace, in which both Henry Prince of Wales and his brother Charles I are recorded to have played, (Ann. of Tennis, 76, 79, 81) is also unknown. (Ann. of Tennis, 65, 66) An order was issued 27 July 1649 to 'John Hooke, keeper of the tennis court at St. James's' to deliver the keys to Colonel Thomas Pride 'to enable him to quarter his soldiers there,' and Mr. Marshall suggests that it may have been converted into a sort of guard house or prison. (Ann. of Tennis, 83) It is, however, referred to as the tennis court at St. James's in a warrant of 19 August, 1729, from the lords of the Treasury to the Clerk of the Pipe with respect to the lease of a piece of ground adjoining it. (Cal. of Treas. Books and Papers, i, no. 533, p. 133)
Charles II built a new court at Whitehall in 1662-the dimensions of which were taken from that at Hampton Court (Hist of Hampton Ct. ii, 202, 204) -which appears to have been commonly called 'Longs,' (Ann. of Tennis, 86) and an entry of 28 December in that year in Pepys' Diary describes a game, which must have been one of the first played there, by the king and Sir A. Slingsby against Lord Suffolk and Lord Chesterfield. 'The king,' he says, 'beat three and lost two sets, they all, and he particularly playing well I thought.' (Memoirs of Samuel Pepys [ed. Lord Braybrooke], ii, 136) Recording another game on 4 January, 1663, the diarist again says that Charles 'did play very well,' but observes that 'to see how the king's play was extolled without any cause at all was a loathsome sight.' (Pepys, 138) He also mentions 'a great match' at this court, on 2 September, 1667, 'between Prince Rupert and Captain Cooke against Bab May and the elder Chichely, when the king was at the court, and it seems that they are the best players at tennis in the nation.' (Pepys, iii, 348.)
Who was the "John Hooke" who apparently married Mary (Pritchard) Hooker around 1636?
In July 1654, in an attempt to "clean up the books" regarding the "King's servants and creditors" there is a report that includes, "The business is a close design, the contrivers of which, Mr. Oldisworth and Wm. Thomas, do not appear. Those who appear for the servants and creditors are Thos. Manley, clerk of the kitchen, who should not be admitted because he went to Oxford, but he pretends to be a discoverer; Mr. Jackson of the sequestration office, who has bought at a low scale many warrants of the creditors, &c; and Mr. Hooke, keeper of the Tennis Court, St. James's, who has had more than his due from the Committee for sale of goods, Mr. Rous being his kinsman."
Who is "Mr Rous?" Well, in 1653, he was apparently, Francis Rous, the Speaker of Cromwell's Barebones Parliament, among other things. He would be a descendant of the Rous of Branshott.
A John Hooke married Barbara Rous, (say 1580) and daughter Ann married John Pym (1604). So, we are talking a couple of generations removed. But, family is family.
By 1637 (when John Hooke apparently married the widow of Thomas Hooker) and later was identified as the keeper of the Tennis Court, and as a member of the parliament (council) he was in London.
Other documents, actually, have the same information, but with the name "Hooker" and relating to the Rev'd Hooker that came to the US. More research needs be done.
Family of John and Mary
Last Edited=23 Feb 2019