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THE VAVASOURS. 327
Sir Henry Lee, one of the Queen's " challengers," ruined her fair prospects,
and brought her to a dishonoured grave in Quarrendon church, near
Aylesbury. Sir Thomas Vavasour was a loyal supporter of King Charles,
and made a baronet by him, although he had to pay, for his recusancy, a
composition of ^150 per annum. His eldest son raised a regiment of
horse for the King's service, and fought under the. Duke of Newcastle.
His second son, William, served in the same regiment and his ;
youngest
son, Thomas, was slain at Marston Moor, 1644. Ex parte regis.
In the Calendar of State Papers, vol. 1638, the following mention is
made of the eldest son of Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight, of Copmanthorpe,
Sir Charles Vavasour, of Killingthorpe, county Lincoln, created a
baronet, 1631, who died unmarried, 1665: "Bishop Morton, of Durham,
" to Sir Charles Windebank :
" " He (Thomas Morton) thought I
might
" do well to appoint Sir Charles Vavasour colonel for this county, who
" without any condition or expectation of payment, until the day of action,
" in his true zeal in his Majesty's service, was willing to undertake it,
" notwithstanding whatsoever hazard of his life." His younger brother
William was also created a baronet, and slain when serving as majorgeneral
to the King of Sweden, at the siege of Copenhagen, 1659, sine
prole.*
In vol. 1639, p. 34, of the Calendar of State Papers, there is mention
of a Nicholas Vavasour, who was a son of Nicholas Vavasour, of Waltham,
Essex: " Bond of Nicholas Vavasour, of St. Andrews, Holborn, stationer:
" Francis Mitchell, of Thoydon Garison, Essex, gentleman, and Patrick
" Winch, of Waltham Cross, Essex, gentleman, in ,500, conditioned for
" the said Vavasour at the Council board upon three days' warning,
" to answer such matters as shall be objected to against him." What
those matters were we may gather from the following extract from vol.
1639, p. 526: "The Duke of Northumberland, Lord General and Lord
"Admiral of England, to Sir Thomas Roe:" "I have, according to your
" desire, provided well for Capt. Minore, having made him Lieutenant-
" " Colonel to Vavasour (Nicholas, colonel).
On the Feast of the Purification, February ist, 1829, the disastrous fire
took place, by the act of a lunatic, one Jonathan Martin, which consumed
the internal fittings and the roofs of the choir, seriously damaged the
walls and pillars, and left the lately beautiful building a hideous ruin.
Amongst the first to tender assistance towards the restoration was the
late Sir Edward Vavasour, who sent " with an offer of stone from the
"quarries from which the church was built, ,25." This truly enlightened
and liberal act of hereditary munificence was cordially accepted and
;
Brown records in his History of York Minster that the stone required for
* Yorkshire Pedigrees.