Family and Education

b. c.1630, 1st s. of Robert Payne of Gloucester by Elizabeth, da. of John Veale of Longford, Glos.  m. Anna (d. 1681), da. of William Capel of Gloucester, 5s. 2da.  suc. fa. 1671.1

Offices Held

Freeman, Gloucester 1653, alderman 1689, mayor 1692, 1703.2

Biography

Payne’s family had been clothiers in Gloucestershire since the late 16th century. His father had settled in Gloucester as a merchant and served on commissions of assessment and militia for the city and county in 1657, 1659 and 1660. After rising through the ranks of the civic elite, Payne stood as a Tory candidate in the parliamentary election of 1695 and was returned. Although forecast in January 1696 as a probable supporter of the government in the proposed council of trade, a subsequent marking of the list indicates that he either opposed the government in the division on 31 Jan., or was absent. There is confusion over his behaviour regarding the Association and he is shown both as signing, and as refusing to sign late in February. He none the less opposed the Court in March on fixing the price of guineas at 22s., and on 25 Nov. 1696 voted against the attainder of Sir John Fenwick†. An analyst of the House classed him as a Court supporter in a list produced around September 1698, an ascription which, though possibly erroneous, might on the other hand reflect a subsequent shift in his loyalties. He was otherwise inactive; the only references to him in the Journals record grants of leave for unspecified periods in April 1696, March 1697 and April 1698. He stood again in 1698 but it is uncertain whether he withdrew from the contest beforehand or was defeated. Continuing his active involvement in the corporation, he held the mayoral office for a second term in 1703–4. He died 20 Feb. 1713, aged 82, and was buried in his parish church of St. Mary de Crypt in Gloucester. He made a series of charitable bequests to the local poor, while the bulk of his estate, consisting of small landholdings in and around the city, was divided among his sons.3

Ref Volumes: 1690-1715

Authors: Paula Watson / Andrew A. Hanham

Notes

• 1. Vis. Glos. ed. Fenwick and Metcalfe, 132; T. D. Fosbrooke, Gloucester, 165.
• 2. Gloucester Freemen (Glos. Rec. Ser. iv), 11; VCH Glos. iv. 378; Rudder, Glos. 117.
• 3. Fosbrooke, 165; Acts and Ords. Interreg. ii. 1069, 1325, 1369; PCC 67 Leeds.