Hi

back again.
One of my prized possesions is an 1870 edition of "The Diary of Abraham De La Pryme" the Yorkshire antiquary and I have spent most of the afternoon trawling through it.
Abraham's father was Charles De La Pryme who came over to England in 1628 and died leaving two sons, in the diary there is a mention of one named Mathias.
In April 1670 Mathias married Sarah Smaque, the daughter of Peter Smaque, a rich Frenchman who had to flee Paris because of his faith, (interestingly there is still today a "Smaque Farm" on the A18 Scunthorpe road, a couple of miles past the Black Bull public house), the book then goes on to say:
"In 1680 he removed to Crowtrees Hall a large house in the levels built by
Mynheer van Valkenbroch, one of the original drainers................"
Now off to check maps.
Frank.