John BRUEN Esquire ^57,58,132

  General Notes:

When a small child, John was sent to his uncle Dutton of Dutton, wherefor three years he was taught by the schoolmaster James Roe. He becamean expert dancer. When about 17, John and his brother, Thomas, were sentas gentlemen-commoners to St. Alban Hall, Oxford, where they remainedabout two years. John left the university in 1579.

At this time, John keenly enjoyed the pleasures of the chase, and, inconjunction with Ralph Done, kept fourteen couples of great moutheddogs. On the death of his father, in 1587, his means were reduced and hecast off his dogs, killed the game, and disparked the land.

John was an Esquire from Stapleford, county Chester, England. Hisbiography was published in 1641, and republished in Cheshire, England,1799, and in New York, 1857, by his descendant Alexander McWhorter Bruen,under the title, The Very Singular Life of John Bruen, Esq., of BruenStapleford Cheshire, by Rev. William Heide. His biography is also inChristopher Morton's Monuments of the Fathers and Reformers, London, 1706.

The Archbishop of Ireland said of John, "In him was the very beauty ofholiness, and he was of so amiable and cheerful a countenance that when Ibeheld him I was reminded of Moses, whose very face shone as if honoringsome more than ordinary eminency of grace in his heart."

John's children were brought up strictly, and his choice of servants fellupon the sober and pious. In summer, John rose between 3 and 4, and inwinter at 5, and read prayers twice a day. His own seasons for prayerwere 7 times daily. He removed the stained glass in Tarvin Church anddefaced the sculptured images. On Sunday, he walked from his house, amile distant, to the church, and was followed by the greater part of hisservants, and called upon such of his tenants as lived on the way, sothat when he reached the church it was at the head of a goodlyprocession. He rarely went home to dinner after morning prayers, butcontinued in the church until after the evening service. He maintained apreacher at his own house, and afterwards for the parish.

John's house became celebrated and a number of gentlemen of rank becamedesirious of sojourning under his roof for their better information inthe way of God and the more effectual reclaiming of themselves and theirfamilies.

After his second marriage, he lived at his mother-in-law's house atRhodes, near Manchester, England, for a year. He then returned to BruenStapleford and again his house became the abode of many scions ofgentility. When his second wife, Anne, died after ten years of marriage,John broke up his household with its twenty-one boarders and retired toChester, England, where he cleared the debt of his estate, saw some ofhis children settled, and maintained the poor of his parish by theproduce of two mills in Stapleford, whither he returned with this thirdwife.

John died after an illness at the age of 65.

"Arms: Quarterly 1, Argent, an Eagle displayed Sable; 2, Gules, a scytheArgent; 3, Argent, a fess dancettee between three cross corslets fitcheeSable; 4, Sable, two bars Argent, on a canton of the first a garb betweenfor Acorns Or. "Crest: An Oak tree eradicated proper." [The Record Society of London:Volume VI, Relating to Lancashire and Cheshire, pages 50, 51].

The Funderal Certificate of John Bruen follows: "John Bruen of Bruen Stableford, in the County of Chester, Esquier,departed this mortall life the 18 January 1625[-6], at his hall of BruenStableford, and was buried in Tarvin Church, in the County aforsayd. Hemarried 3 wives: the first was Elizabeth, da. to Henry Hardware ofChester, Alderman and Justice of the Peace, after of Peele Co. Cest, therelict of Jo. Couper, of Chester, Alderman, and by her had yssue Gilbert,who dyed yonge; John, second sonne and heyre, of the age of 42 yeares orthere about at tyme of his father's death; he married Judeth, daughter ofJohn Amyas of Stotisdon, in the County of Salop, Esqr, and by her hathyssue Jonathan Bruen, of the age of 15 at his grandfather's decease,Sarah, and Mary. Henry, 2 sonn to the defunct, dyed yonge. Caluen Bruenof Chester, 3 sonne to the defunct, married Elizabeth, daughter to RafeLittler of Walescot, in the County of Chester, gent., and hath issue Johnand Samuell Bruen; Anne, eldest daughter to the defunct by the firstwife, married Edward Puliston of Arlington, in the County of Denbigh,Esq., and hath no yssue; 21y she married Robert Santhy of Burton, and hadSamuell, John Nathaniell, and Margret. "Elizabeth, 2 daughter to the defunct married George Mainwaring ofCalvely, in the County of Chester, gentleman. "The sayd defunct married to his 2 wife, Anne, daughter to Willm Fox ofRodes, in the County of Lancaster, and hath yssue Samuell, Obadiah, andKathrine Bruen, all unmarried. "The sayd defunct married to his 3 wife Margret, daughter to John Allenof Chester, draper, somtyme sheriff of Chester, and widow of John Rutterof Nantwich, gent., by whom he had Joseph Bruen, now living, and 10 yearsold at his father's death, and other dyed yonge. "This certificate was taken at Bruen Stableford aforesayd by Randle Holmeof the Citty of Chester, Alderman and Deputy to the Office of Armes, uponthe 20th day of November, 1637 and testified under the hand of John Bruenof Bruen Stableford, Esq., sonne and heire to ye defunct, being 12 yearsand more after the death of the sayd John Bruen.
[Signed] Jo. Bruen

Facts about this person:

Baptism September 19, 1567


Source: FAV.FTW Author: Charles Mackenzie Medium: Other Date of Import: Dec 2, 2001

Burial January 23, 1625/26 Tarvin Church, Tarvin, county Chester, England

Source: FAV.FTW Author: Charles Mackenzie Medium: Other Date of Import: Dec 2, 2001

John married Margaret ALLEN, daughter of Unknown and Unknown, WFT Est 1579-1621. (Margaret ALLEN was born WFT Est 1560-1600 and died WFT Est 1624-1687.)

John next married Elizabeth HARDWARE, daughter of Unknown and Unknown, in 1580. (Elizabeth HARDWARE was born WFT Est 1541-1566 and died WFT Est 1586-1655.)

John next married Anne FOX, daughter of William FOX and Margaret ORRELL, after 1596.⁵⁷ (Anne FOX was born about 1581 ⁵⁷ and died WFT Est 1610-1675.)