MRP: Sir Maximilian Dallison
Sir Maximilian Dallison
Sir Maximilian Dallison was the only son of William Dallison of Lincolnshire and Kent and of Silvester, daughter of Robert Dene, gent., of Halling, Kent, and Margaret Whyte. His father, William Dallison, died before his mother, who went on to marry the lawyer and writer, William Lambarde, by whom she had four further children. As a result Sir Maximilian had one full elder sister, named Silvester after her mother, and four half brothers and sisters. Sir Maximilian eventually inherited the Bishop's Palace in Halling, which he passed subsequently to his own son, William, Elizabeth Dallison's husband. Just as Sir Maximilian's father died before his own majority, so Sir Maximilian died before his own son's majority (TBC).
A church brass survives in the parish church of Lower Halling, Kent, depicting Sir Maximilian's mother on her death bed, with her six children - Silvester and the future Sir Maximilian stand to her left, and to her right her four children by her second husband, with William and Margaret standing and with twins Gore and Fane in a cradle.
See - church brass of Sir Maximilian's mother
See - detail of church brass of Sir Maximilian's mother
Sir Maximilian studied at Gray's Inn, and inherited his father's legal books and chamber at Gray's Inn, which had been bequeathed in his minority to his father's brother. He was active in north Kent gentry and Rochester town circles, serving as bridge warden for the Rochester bridge, as a trustee of a local hospital, and as Sheriff of Kent.
Sir Maximilian Dallison's will, 1630
Sir Maximillian Dallison's will is an interesting one. He refers to his two daughters Penelope and Theodoria, together with his sons, William, Phillip, Arthur, John and Spencer. He chose to split guardianship responsibilities, entrusting Penelope and Theodoria to his wife, and his younger sons to his executors. He was concerned about discipline and instructed that "in case any of my said younger sons shall prove refractory" and shall not accept the advice and governance of his executors then their legacies should be void. As executors he chose Sir Edward Hales and the Chancery lawyer William Lambarde. One of his three executors was Ralph Whitfield esq., who is possibly the lawyer of that name who later became brother-in-law to Robert Raworth, Elizabeth Dalyson's friend and lawyer. He chose his kinsman Charles Dallison Esquire and Thomas Clottery of the Inner Temple, gent., as his remaining overseers. A separate part of his will deals with his disposition of real estate. In this part he refers to two sets of conveyances. Four conveyances dated May 2nd 1627 and four conveyances dated Janaury 18th 1629/30.
Sources
Image credits
Engraving of Silvester Dene on her deathbed, taken from church brass of the same event in Halling parish church, Anonymous, Profile of Lambarde family in 'Visitation of the county of Kent', in Archaeologica cantiania, vol. 5 (London, 1863), p. 250. Image is out of copyright
Seal of Sir Maximilian Dalyson. Reproduced in XXXXX. Image is out of copyright
