Southern Roots
Ancestors from the Courts of Kings to the American Presidency !
The LANIER Family - Pg. 1
Descendants of Nicholas Lanier, The Elder
1-Nicholas LANIER, The Elder was born before _____-_____-1544 in
France, died after _____-_____-1611 in England, and was buried
_____-_____-_____ in __________, __________, __________.
General Notes: Compiled by Wayne D. Lanier:
Nicholas Lanier
1544 - 1611
In 1561 the Earl of Hertford was visiting in Paris, and met there,
young Nicholas Laniere, who had been in the Court of the late King
Henry II; he was recommended as a good flute player and also the
cornet. He was considered to be sober, honest, and born at Rouen. He
was engaged to serve as messenger and a replacement for Peter
Guillaume, one of the Queen's flute players lately dead. Confirmation
of his services under Henry II is to be found in the lists of
"chantres et autres Jouers d'instruments" of the French King's
Chambers, which include Nicholas Lasnier for the years of 1559 and
1560. (Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Supplement 1962, p.
255),
Nicholas Lanier moved to East Greenwich, County Kent, where he was
one of the musicians to the Court until his death about 1612. He was
a very wealthy man, having extensive holdings in Blackheath, and the
surrounding country; this section was south of the Thames and about
five miles east of the London Bridge. One of the many palaces was
here, the Royal Hospital, and many other buildings of early
importance. In early 1700 an old house was taken down; it was
described as being fitted up for a theater, probably by the Laniers
who were musicians and dramatists.
Nicholas Lanier, who was in the Court of King Henry II of France, and
also the Court of Queen Elizabeth and King James of England, was the
founder of the Lanier family of musicians and the ancestor of the
American Laniers. He married before 1566, Lucreece Bassano, perhaps
the daughter of one of the Italian musicians in the Royal Orchestra.
They had six sons, all of whom were musicians to the Queen and Kings;
there were also four daughters and eight or more grandsons who became
members of the Royal Orchestra, making three generations serving the
Royal family.
In 1604 Nicholas Lanier, Sr. was named "Musician of the Flutes" and
after his death his son Andrea succeeded him "for life".
The will of Nicholas Lanier Gent. was dated January 28, 1611/12, and
proved July 1612, Rochester XIX, folia 514. "To Lucreece my wife, all
my lands, and goods; to sons John, Alphonse, Innocent, Jerome,
Clement, 12 shillings; to Andrea 20 pounds if he does not have my
place; my four daughters, three of whom are unmarried, I leave to the
discretion of my wife Lucreece, my sole executrix." (LANIER by Louise
Ingersoll)
Research Notes: Nicholas Lanier [Lanière, Lasnier], the Elder
(ca. 1530 - 1618)
French musician, played the flute and the cornet. He was born in
Rouen, France, and died in England. Nicholas Lanier the Elder served
as a court musician to King Henry II in France (listed as the royal
flutist on the Chantres et autres Jouers d'instruments for 1559-60).
During the Protestant persecutions in France, the Lanier family fled
as Huguenots to England. It is said that safe passage was arranged by
Queen Catherine de Medici. Nicholas arrived in 1561 and settled in
St. Olave Parish, Hart Street, London. After arrival in England he
served in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, reported first in 1561. The
name of Lanier's first wife is unknown (he married her some time
before 1565), but following the custom that at court, marriages were
arranged or at least approved by the Queen. Nicholas Lanier was
paired with Lucreece Bassano, daughter of Anthony Bassano . The
couple prospered, acquiring a great deal of property in East
Greenwich, Blackheath, and nearby. Their home was reportedly fitted
up with a theatre. Nicholas Lanier was apponted Musician of the
Flutes in 1604. He served Henry II of France and Elizabeth I and
James I of England. Three generations of this remarkable family
served British royalty as court musicians, poets and artists; their
efforts are well-documented and their efforts were well-rewarded.
As noted, Nicholas Lanier's first wife's name is unknown, however,
they did have two, or possibly three children, of whom one was John
Lanier , father of the artist-musician Nicholas Lanier , the most
famous of the Laniers. With Lucreece Bassano, he had nine children,
including the musicians Alphonso , Innocent , Jerome , Clement and
Andrea , and Ellen Lanier, who married Alphonse Ferrabosco II . After
his death, Andrea succeeded him as Musician of the Flutes for life.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LanierN1.html
Noted events in his life were:
* He worked as a Court Musician to King Henry II of France from
1559 to 1560.
* He immigrated Arrived in London in 1561.
* He worked as a Musician of the Flutes to Elizabeth I of England
in 1604.
Nicholas married Lucreece BASSANO, daughter of ____________
____________ and ____________ ____________, after 1561 in London,
England. Lucreece was born in Italy and died in England. They had
seven children: John, Alphonse, Innocent, Clement, Jerome, Andrea,
and Ellen.
Marriage Notes: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
about Nicholas Lanier
Name:Nicholas Lanier Gender:male Spouse Name:Lucreece ??? Number
Pages:1
2-John LANIER, I was born before 1565 in England and died about
1616 in England.
Research Notes: John Lanier 1
(before 1565 - 1616)
English musician, flute player. John Lanier was a son of Nicholas
Lanier , the Elder, by his first wife, and father of Nicholas Lanier
, the artist-musician. He was appointed in 1582 a musician to court
of Elizabeth I. Served James I as Gentleman of the King' s Chamber.
He married Frances Galliardello, who was from a family of Italian
musicians who came to the court of Henry VIII; her father, Mark
Anthony Galliardello, was a Venetian and had been sent for by Henry
VIII. She had a brother Caesar Galliardello.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LanierJohn.html
Noted events in his life were:
* He worked as a Court Musician to Elizabeth I in 1582.
* He worked as a Gentleman of the King's Chamber to James I.
John married Frances GALLIARDELLO, daughter of ____________
____________ and ____________ ____________. Frances was born in
Venice, Italy and died in England. They had one son: Nicholas.
3-Nicholas LANIER, The Younger was born about 1588 in England and
died about 1666 in England about age 78.
Research Notes: Nicholas Lanier (Lanière)
(1588-1666)
Nicholas Lanier c. 1625 by Van Dyck
English composer, lutenist, singer and painter. He was a descendant
of a French family of musicians that settled in England in the
mid-16th century. He served the Earl of Salisbury to 1607, and the
Cecil family between 1605 and 1613 as a domestic musician. Lanier
joined the King's Musick as Musician in Ordinary for the lutes and
voices in 1616; in addition to his position as lutenist, Lanier was a
singer, and performer on the viol. He was named Master of the Musick
of Prince Charles in 1618, and in 1626 he became the first holder of
the title 'Master of the King's Musick.' He was Singer in the King's
Consorte 1625-42, and Groom in Ordinary for the Queen's Privy
Chamber1639. It was Lanier who convinced the King to bring Van Dyck
to England. His own portrait was painted by VanDyck and the work
hangs in Vienna at the Kunsthistoiches Museum. Nicholas was sent
abroad to acquire artworks for the King (see Gordon Callon's bio of
Nicholas Lanier II) and he assembled a vast collection for the king--
all of which were later dispersed when Charles I was executed--
indeed, some of the paintings were purchased by Laniers, in order to
save them-- his uncles Clement Lanier and Jerome Lanier bought
several. John Evelyn, in his diary, noted seeing at "Old Jerome
Laniere's, Greenwich, some pictures which surely had been the
King's." Nicholas the Younger bought four of the paintings. Nicholas
lost his position during the Civil War, but was restored by Charles
II, serving as Musician in Ordinary 1660-66. He served as first
Marshall (for life) of the Corporation for Regulating the Art and
Science of Music.
Lanier performed in a masque in 1613, and provided music for court
entertainments, including the 1617 masque Lovers Made Men, the first
appearance in England of the Italianate stile recitativo. This is
lost, but some songs and occasional pieces survive in MS. As a
composer, Lanier was recognized in his own day, and is chiefly
remembered now as one of the composers who introduced this new style
of Italian monody to seventeenth-century English music. He was
unquestionably an important composer of music for court masques,
especially those of Ben Jonson. Indeed, if we are to take Jonson's
remarks at face value, he was the first English composer to write
music for a masque that was sung throughout, and thus may be
considered the beginning of a sort of opera in England--Jonson, in
his introductory stage directions to Lovers Made Men, states, "the
whole Masque was sung (after the Italian manner) Stylo recitativo, by
Master Nicholas Lanier; who ordered and made both the Scene, and the
Musicke." Jonson also mentions Lanier (along with Lanier's uncle,
Alfonso Ferrabosco) as composer of music for his Masque of Augurs.
Lanier's character as revealed in his songs is somewhat aloof;
elevated in serious vein, yet he can be charming in a rather
old-fashioned way, especially in lighter songs. He show a penchant
for lyrics that, for all their 'lily whites' and'blushing reds', are
quite colorless.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/Lanier.html
Noted events in his life were:
* He worked as a Domestic Musician to the Earl of Salisbury in
1607.
* He worked as a Musician in Ordinary in 1616.
* He was honored for named Master of the Musick of Prince Charles
in 1618.
* He was honored for became the first holder of the title 'Master
of the King's Musick.' in 1626.
* He worked as a Singer in the King's Consorte from 1625 to 1642.
* He was honored for Groom in Ordinary for the Queen's Privy
Chamber in 1639.
Name: Lanier, Nicholas Birth - Death: 1588-1666 Source Citation: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Sixth edition. Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, . (BakBD 6) Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Seventh edition. Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Schirmer Books, 1984. (BakBD 7) Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Eighth edition. Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992. (BakBD 8) Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Ninth edition. Edited by Laura Kuhn. New York: Schirmer Books, 2001. (BakBD 9) A Biographical Dictionary of Renaissance Poets and Dramatists, 1520- 1650. By J.W. Saunders. Sussex, England: The Harvester Press, 1983. (BiDRP&D) Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 5: September, 1958-August, 1961. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1962. (BioIn 5) Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 20: September, 1994-August, 1995. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1995. (BioIn 20) Britannica Book of Music. Edited by Benjamin Hadley. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1980. (BriBkM) The Dictionary of National Biography. The Concise Dictionary. Part 1, From the beginnings to 1900. London: Oxford University Press, 1953. Contains abstracts of the biographies found in The Dictionary of National Biography (21 volumes, New York: Macmillan Co.; London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1908). (DcNaB) Music Makers. By Clive Unger-Hamilton. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1979. Use the 'Alphabetical List of Entries' at the front of the book to locate biographies. (MusMk) The New American Dictionary of Music. By Philip D. Morehead with Anne MacNeil. New York: Dutton, 1991. (NewAmDM) The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20 volumes. Edited by Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980. (NewGrDM) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Four volumes. Edited by Stanley Sadie. New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, . (NewGrDO) The New Oxford Companion to Music. Two volumes. Edited by Denis Arnold. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1983. (NewOxM) Name: Lanier, Nicholas Birth - Death: d1666 Source Citation:
The Oxford Companion to Music. 2002 edition. Edited by Alison Latham. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. (OxCMus 2002)
2-Alphonse LANIER was born about 1572 in England and died about
1613 in England about age 41.
Research Notes: Alphonse Lanier
(ca. 1572 - 1613)
English musician, son of Nicholas Lanier , the Elder, hence uncle of
Nicholas Lanier , the artist-musician. Alphonse Lanier was appointed
in 1591 Musician in Ordinary for the Recorder to Elizabeth I (he is
noted as playing at her funeral) and later James I. He was a Captain
in Irish Service. Married 1592 in England to the feminist poet Emelia
Bassano, illegitimate daughter of Italian musician Baptista Bassano
and Margaret Johnson. There was a son Henry Lanier (a flute player)
and a daughter Odilla Lanier who died as an infant.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LanierAlph1.html
| Name: Lanier, Alfonso |
| Birth - Death: d1613 |
Source Citation:
|
* He worked as a Musician in Ordinary for the Recorder to
Elizabeth I and later James I. in 1591.
* He worked as a Captain in Irish Service.
Alphonse married Emelia BASSANO, daughter of Baptista BASSANO and
Margaret JOHNSON, about 1592 in England. Emelia died on an unknown
date. They had two children: Henry and Odilla.
Noted events in her life were:
* She worked as a feminist poet.
3-Henry LANIER died on an unknown date.
Noted events in his life were:
* He worked as a Flute player.
3-Odilla LANIER died on an unknown date.
2-Innocent LANIER was born about 1573 in England and died about
1625 in England about age 52.
General Notes: Innocent Lanier never married.
Research Notes: Innocent Lanier
(ca. 1573 - 1625)
English musician, son of Nicholas Lanier , the Elder, hence uncle of
Nicholas Lanier , the artist-musician. Innocent Lanier was appointed
in 1592 a musician to court of Elizabeth I. Served James I as
Gentleman of the King' s Chamber. Musician in Ordinary on flutes
1603-25. Never married.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LanierInn.html
| Name: Lanier, Innocent |
| Birth - Death: d1625 |
Source Citation:
|
* He worked as an Appointed Musician of Court to Elizabeth I of
England in 1592.
* He was honored for Gentleman of the King' s Chamber to James I
of England in 1592.
* He worked as a Musician in Ordinary on flutes from 1603 to 1625.
2-Clement LANIER was born about 1575 in England and died in 1661 in
England about age 86.
Research Notes: Clement Lanier
(ca. 1575 - 1659)
English musician, recorder player, son of Nicholas Lanier , the
Elder, hence uncle of Nicholas Lanier , the artist-musician. Clement
Lanier was Gentleman of the King' s Chamber to James I and Charles
I--that title was often afforded musicians and actors--of the day.
Musician in Ordinary on recorders 1625; King's musician of wind
instruments 1633-42. Clement Lanier and Hannah Collett married in
March of 1628 at St. Margaret's, Lee. When Charles I was executed,
the Laniers suffered financial setbacks and hardships while they
supported the Prince of Wales (later Charles II) and his struggles to
regain the throne. Clement' s cousin Nicholas Lanier (son of John and
Frances) had assembled a great art collection for their sovereign
Charles I. During the Protectorate, the collection was dispersed at
auction. Clement and his brother Jerome were able to purchase some
of the paintings.After the Restoration, the Laniers were able to
regain some of their fortunes. He was Musician for the flute 1660-62.
Clement and Hannah are the progenitors of both the American line of
Laniers and the Barbados line.
Source: http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LanierClement.html
Name: Lanier, Clement Birth - Death: d1661 Source Citation:
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20 volumes. Edited
by Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980. (NewGrDM)
Noted events in his life were:
* He was honored for Gentleman of the King' s Chamber to James I
and Charles I.
* He was honored for Musician in Ordinary in 1625.
* He was honored for King's musician of wind instruments from 1633
to 1642.
* He worked as a Musician for the flute from 1660 to 1662.
Clement married Hannah COLLETT, daughter of ____________
____________ and ____________ ____________, in 1628. They had two
children: John and Robert.
Marriage Notes: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
about Clement Lanier
Name:Clement Lanier Gender:male Spouse Name:Hannah Collet
Marriage Year:1628 Number Pages:1
U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
about Clement Lanier
Name:Clement Lanier Gender:male Spouse Name:Lee Hannah Collet
Number Pages:1
3-John LANIER, Sr. was born about 1631 in Kent, England and died
after 1683 in Charles City, Virginia.
Noted events in his life were:
* He immigrated in 1657 to Virginia. Passenger and Immigration
Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
about John Lanier
Name:John Lanier Year:1657 Place:Virginia Source Publication
Code:1262 Primary Immigrant:Lanier, John Annotation:Date and
place of settlement or date and place of arrival. Names not
restricted to the Order of Founders and Patriots of America.
Source Bibliography:COLKET, MEREDITH B., JR. Founders of Early
American Families: Emigrants from Europe, 1607-1657. Cleveland:
General Court of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America,
1975. 366p. Page:172
John married Lucretia "Lucreese" ____________, daughter of
____________ ____________ and ____________ ____________. Lucretia
was born on an unknown date and died in Charles City, Virginia.
They had two children: John and Katherine.