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The earl d. 7 January, 1381, leaving Alianore, his niece, wife of, Henry Talboys, his heir of the whole blood, and Thomas Umfravill, his brother of the half blood, his next male heir, but none of the family were ever subsequently summoned to parliament. The Barony of Umfravill, created by writ of 23rd EDWARD I., is, however, vested in the descendants and representatives of the said Thomas de Umfravill-(see children of Robert, 2nd Earl of Angus, by his 2nd wife).

Arms-Gu., a cinquefoil within an orle of cross crosslets, or.

UMFRAVILLE-EARL OF ANGUS. (See UMFRAVILLE, Baron Umfraville.)

UVEDALE-BARON UVEDALE.

By Writ of Summons, dated 27 January, 1332.

Lineage.

PETER DE UVEDALE was summoned to parliament as a Baron, from 27 January, 1332, to 22 January, 1336. He appears to have d. s. p., when the Barony of Uvedale became EXTINCT. From Thomas, his brother, derived descent, according to Banks, the UVEDALES, of Wickham, Hants, and the UVEDALES, of More Crichill, co. Dorset.

VALENCE-EARLS OF PEMBROKE.

Lineage.

WILLIAM DE LUSIGUAN, otherwise DE VALENCE, son of Hugh le Brun, Comte de la Marche, in Poictou, by Isabel, his wife, dau of Aymer, Comte d'Angouleme, and widow of King JOHN, derived his surname from the place of his birth, as the rest of his brothers did from theirs, and being so nearly allied to King HENRY III. (half brother, by the mother), was brought into England, in 1247, with Guy de Lazinian, his elder brother, and Alice, his sister, in consequence of being oppressed by the King of France. Not many months after his arrival he was made governor of Goderich Castle, and through the influence of the king, obtained the hand of Joane, dau. and eventually heir of Warine de Monchensy, by Joane, his wife, 2nd sister and co-heir of Anselme Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. "Moreover," says Sir William Dugdale, "shortly after this, the king solemnizing the festival of St. Edward's translation, in the church of Westminster, with great state, sitting on the royal throne, in a rich robe of Baudekyn, and the crown on his head, caused this William (with divers other young noblemen,) to be brought before him, and girt him with the sword of knighthood, and whilst he thus sate in his royal seat, casting his eye upon him, who penned down all particulars of the great solemnity, he called him nearer, and commanded him to sit upon the middle step, betwixt his chair and the floor, and said to him; 'Hast thou taken notice of all these things, and perfectly committed them to memory?" He answered, 'Sir, I have so, deeming this famous ceremonial worthy to be recorded.' Whereupon the king replied, 'I am fully satisfied that God Almighty, as a pledge of his further favours and benefits, hath vouchsafed to work one glorious miracle this morning, for which I give him thanks. I therefore intreat thee, and intreating require, that thou record these things exactly and fully, and write them in a book, lest that the memory of them should in time be lost.' And having so said, invited him with whom he had this discourse to dinner that day, with three of his fellows; commanding likewise, that all other monks, who then came thither, with the whole convent of Westminster, should at this charge, be that day feasted at the public refectory there."

William de Valence had, subsequently, a grant from the crown of the castle and honour of Hertford, as also another grant to himself and his lady, and to their issue, of all those debts which William de Lancaster did then owe to the Jews throughout the whole realm. "About this time," writes Dugdale, "this William de Valence, residing at Hertford Castle, rode to the Park at Haethfel, belonging to the bishop of Ely,

and there hunting without any leave, went to the bishop's manor house, and readily finding nothing to drink but ordinary beer, broke open the buttery doors, and swearing and cursing the drink, and those who made it; after all his company had drunk their fills, pulled the spigots out of the vessels, and let out the rest on the floor; and that a servant of the house hearing the noise, and coming to see what the matter was, they laughed him to scorn, and so departed."

In the 34th HENRY III., William de Valence was in the Holy Land, and in the 42nd had a military suminons to march against the Welsh, but he was soon afterwards obliged to fly the kingdom, when the barons took up arms against the influence of himself and other foreigners; he came back, however, after an exile of only two years, under the protection of the king, but was not suffered to land by the barons, until he had sworn to observe the ordinances of Oxford. Nevertheless, the contest again breaking out, he had a chief command in the royal army, and with the prince, assaulted successfully the town of Northampton, when the whole baronial force was put to the rout, but soon rallying, owing to the junction of the Londoners, the battle of Lewes ensued, and victory deserted the regal banner. In this action, the king and his son became prisoners; but Valence, who then bore the title of EARL OF PEMBROKE, with the Earl of Warren, and others, escaped by flight, first to Pevensey, and thence into France. His lands were, however, seized by the triumphant barons, and his wife, who was residing at Windsor Castle, ordered to retire immediately into some religious house. The battle of Evesham again, however, changing the fortune of war, and the power of the king being re-established, the Earl of Pembroke, with the other stanch adherents of royalty, were restored to their possessions; and his lordship had, subsequently, large grants from the crown. In the 18th EDWARD I., the earl, with Joane, his wife, presented a petition to parliament, setting forth, "that, whereas, upon the death of William de Monchensi (brother to her, the said Joane), they had obtained a bull from the Pope directed to the archbishop of Canterbury, touching the inheritance of the lands of the said William de Monchensi, thereby desiring that the king would please to commit the tuition of Dionysia, the daughter of the said William, unto some person who might appear before the said archbishop, and such other judges as were named in the bull." But it was answered, that the admission of that bull would tend to the diminution of the king's authority and power, by reason that such cases of hereditary succession ought not to be determined but in his own courts. Wherefore, inasmuch, as it did appear, that the object of the earl was to invalidate the sentence of the bishop of Worcester, which had declared the said Dionysia to be legitimate, and his design to make her a bastard, in order that he might enjoy her estate, his lordship and his lady were prohibited to prosecute their appeal any further. His lordship was afterwards engaged in the wars of France, and was slain there in 1296, when his remains were conveyed to England, and interred in Westminster Abbey, under a splendid monument. The earl had issue by the heiress of Monchensi three sons and four daus., viz.,

1. John, who d. young.

11. William, killed by the Welsh, v. p. III. AYMER, his successor.

1. Anne, m. 1st, to Maurice Fitz-Gerald; 2ndly, to Hugh de Baliol, and 3rdly, to John de Avennes, but had no issue. II. Isabel, m. to John de Hastings.

III. Joan, m. to John Comyn, feudal lord of Badenoch (son of John Comyn, by Mary, his wife, dau. of John Baliol), Lord of Barnard Castle, and sister of King John Baliol, and had issue,

John Comyn, slain at Striveling in 1314, s. p.

William Comyn, made prisoner in the same action, d. s. p. Joan Comyn, b. 1296, m. to David de Strathbogie, Earl of

Atholl.

Elizabeth Comyn, b. 1300, m. to Richard, 2nd Lord Talbot, ancestor, by her, of the Earls of Shrewsbury. IV. Margaret.

His lordship was 8. by his only surviving son,

AYMER DE VALENCE, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. This nobleman was in the wars of Scotland, temp. EDWARD I., and obtained considerable grants from the crown, in that kingdom. His lordship being with King EDWARD at Burgh upon the Sands, immediately before the monarch's death, was one of those to whom the king recommended his son, and enjoined him not to suffer Piers de Gaveston to come into England again. For which he was ever after much hated by Piers, "being called by him Joseph the Jew, in regard he was tall and pale of countenance." His lordship subsequently joined the coalition against the power of Gaveston, and assisted at the siege of Scarborough Castle, in which, upon its surrender, the favourite was made prisoner, and was soon afterwards beheaded, by orders of the Earl of Warwick, at Blackton Hill, near Warwick.

In the 8th EDWARD II., his lordship was constituted general of all the king's forces, from the river Trent, northwards, to Roxborough, and he obtained license to make a castle of his house at Bampton, in Oxfordshire. Two years later he was again in the Scottish wars, but being made prisoner in his journey towards the court of Rome, by John Moilley, a Burgundian, and sent to the emperor, he was constrained to give twenty thousand pounds of silver for his ransom; by reason, Moilley alleged, that he himself having served the King of England, had not been paid his wages. After obtaining his liberty, his lordship returned to the wars of Scotland, and for several subsequent years was engaged in that kingdom. In the 15th EDWARD II. he was one of the lords who sat in judgment upon Thomas Plantagenet, Earl of Lancaster, and condemned that prince to death: "but this mercenary and time serving act of infamy," it is said, was speedily atoned for by his own death, which occurred in two years after in France, where, attending Queen Isabel, he was murdered, 27 June, 1323. His lordship m. 1st, Beatrix, dau. of Ralph de Clermont, Seigneur de Nele, constable of France; 2ndly, a dau. of the Comte de Barre, and 3rdly, Mary, dau. of Guy de Chastillon, Comte de St. Paul, but had no issue. His remains were conveyed to England, and buried in Westminster Abbey. On his lordship's decease, his estates passed to his sisters as co-heirs, and the Earldom of Pembroke became }XTINCT.

Arms-Barry, arg. and az., an orle of martlets, gu.

VANE-BARON AND VISCOUNT VANE.

By Letters Patent, dated 13 September, 1720.
Lineage.

The HON. WILLIAM VANE, of Fairlawn, Kent, M.P. for co. Durham, and afterwards for Steyning, 2nd son of Christopher, Lord Barnard, was created a peer of Ireland, 13 September, 1720, as Baron Vane, of Dungannon, and VISCOUNT VANE. His lordship m. Lucy, dau. and co-heir of William Jolliffe, Esq., of Caveswell, co. Stafford, and by her (who d. 27 March, 1742) had three sons, Christopher, John, and WILLIAM. The two elder d. under age, unm., the 3rd,

WILLIAM VANE, 2nd Viscount Vane, 8. his father, 20 May, 1734, and dissipated in reckless extravagance, the large fortune he then inherited. His lordship m. 19 May, 1735, Anne, dau. and heir of Francis Hawes, Esq., of Purley Hall, Berks, and widow of Lord William Hamilton, but d. s. p. in 1789, when the honours became EXTINCT.

Arms-Az., three sinister gauntlets, or, on a canton, erm., a pile, sa., charged with a mullet of five points, arg.

VANSITTART-BARON BEXLEY.

By Letters Patent, dated 1 March, 1823.
Lineage.

The Vansittarts are of German origin, and have been established in England nearly two centuries.

PETER VANSITTART, the 1st settler in England, was son of William-J. Van Sittart, of Dantzic, and became an eminent Russian merchant. He m. Susannah, dau. of Robert Saunderson, of London; and d. in 1705, leaving, inter alios, a 5th son, ARTHUR VANSITTART, Esq., of Shottesbrook, verdurer of Windsor Forest, who m. in 1723, Martha, eldest dau. of Sir John Stonhouse, Bart. of Radley; and dying in 1760, left issue,

1. ARTHUR, of Shottesbrook, Berks, M.P. for that co., m. Anne, sister of Lord Coleraine, and left, at his decease, in 1804, three sons,

1 ARTHUR, of Shottesbrook, who m. the Hon. Caroline Eden, and d. in 1829, leaving by her (who d. 3 March, 1851,) four daus., Caroline, m. in 1828, George, Lord Vaux;

* This lady, who was great-grand-dau., maternally, of King HENRY III., founded by grant from her cousin EDWARD III., the college of Mary de Valence, in Cambridge, now called Pembroke Hall.

Charlotte-Eleanor, m. in 1842, the Rev. Edward-Serocold Pearce-Serocold; Louisa, m. in 1841, William Chapman, Esq. of Southill, co. Westmeath; and Sophia, m. in 1840, to Thomas-A. Anstruther, Esq. several sons, of whom the eldest, Arthur Vansittart, Esq., of Shottesbrook, sc. Diana, dau. of General Sir John Crosbie, of Watergate, Sussex, and d. 1859, leaving issue. (See BURKE'S Lunded Gestry). 2 Robert, d. 26 December, 1838.

3 William, D.D., prebendary of Carlisle, m. Charlotte, dan of General Warde, and left issue.

11. Robert, d. unm. in 1789, professor of civil law at Oxford. III. HENRY, of whom presently.

IV. George, of Bisham Abbey, M.P. for Berks, b. 15 September, 1745; m. Sarah, dau. of Sir James Stonhouse, Bart.. by Anne, his wife, eldest dau. of John Neale, Esq., of Allesley, co. Warwick, and d. in 1825. leaving issue,

1 George-Henry, a general officer, m. in 1818, Anna-Maria, only surviving child of Thomas Copson, Esq., and d. in 1824, leaving two sons, GEORGE-HENRY, of Bisham Abbey, co. Berks, b. in 1823; and Augustus-Arthur, b. in 1824. (See BURKE'S Landed Gentry.)

2 Edward, rector of Taplow, Bucks, assumed by sign manual, the surname of NEALE in 1805. He m. twice, and had issue. (See BURKE's Landed Gentry).

3 Henry, rear-admiral of the red, d. in March, 1843.

4 Caroline-Anne, m. to Augustus-Henry East, Esq., who & in 1928.

5 Laura, m. Fulwar Craven, then of Chilton House, Esq, and d. in 1844.

6 Henrietta.

v. Susannah.

VI. Anne, m. to Sir Robert Palk, Bart. The 3rd son,

HENRY VANSITTART, Esq., governor of Bengal, b. in 1732, m. Amelia, dau. of Nicholas Morse, Esq., governor of Madras by whom (who d. in 1819) he had issue,

1. Henry, m. Catherine-Maria Powney, and by her (whom. 2ndly, George-Nesbitt Thomson, Esq., of Penton Lodge, near Andover) left at his decease, 12 October, 1787, a son, Henry, of Kirkleatham, co. York, high sheriff, in 1820, b. 10 July, 1784; m. in 1812, Hon. Theresa-Gleadowe Newcomen, 2nd dau. of Charlotte, Viscountess Newcomen, and Sir William-Gleadowe Newcomen, Bart, and widow of Sir Charles Turner, Bart., and d. 22 April, 1848, leaving a dau.,

THERESA, m. 11 May, 1841, to ARTHUR NEWCOMEN, Esq., of the royal horse artillery.

II. NICHOLAS, of whom presently. 1. Sophia, deceased.

II. Emilia, m. to Edward Perry, Esq., and is deceased. Governor Vansittart was one of the committee of three, appointed by the directors of the East India Company, supervisors of their affairs in the east, who were lost, in 1770, on board the "Aurora" frigate. The 2nd son,

The RIGHT HON. NICHOLAS VANSITTART, F.R.S. and S.A., of Bexley, co. Kent; b. 29 April, 1766, was for many years a member of administration, and filled the office of chancellor of the exchequer from 1812 to the beginning of 1823. In the latter year (1 March), on retiring, he was created BARON BEXLEY, of Bexley, co. Kent. Lord Bexley was a commissioner of the land-tax and of the Royal Military College, a director of Greenwich Hospital, and a privy councillor for Great Britain and Ireland. He m. 22 July, 1806, Catherine-Isabella, 2nd dau. of William, 1st Lord Auckland; became a widower 10 August, 1810; and d. s. p. 8 February, 1851, when the title became

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and which the king permitted him to use, when Parker was slain accidentally as it would seem in the first encounter. From the following entry in a book of the first household expenses of King HENRY VII., it appears that Hugh Vaughan was living, and in his service in 1497. "It. to Hugh Vaughan for ij harpers, xiiis. 10d., 2 Jan., 1497." He m. Jane, dau. of Morris ap Owen, and had one son,

JOHN VAUGHAN, Esq., of Golden Grove, who having m. Katherine, dau. of Henry Morgan, Esq., of Moddlescombe, was father of one son,

WALTER VAUGHAN, of Golden Grove, living in 1590, who m. Katherine, dau. of Griffith ap Rhys of Newton, co. Carmarthen, and grand-dau. of Rhys ap Griffith, by Katherine, his wife, who was dau. of Thomas Howard, first Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England, K.G., &c., by his 1st wife, Agnes, sister and co-heir of Sir Philip Tilney of Boston, co. Lincoln, and consequently a relation in blood to Queen ELIZABETH, who was great grand-dau. of the said Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, by his 2nd wife, Elizabeth, dau. and heir of Sir Frederic Tilney, Knt. By the said Katherine, his wife, Walter Vaughan had issue,

1. JOHN (Sir), of whom presently.

II. William (Sir), Knt., of Terracoyd, co. Carmarthen, who had also lands in Newfoundland and America, was living in England in 1630. He m. Anne, dau. and heir of John Christmas, of Colchester, co. Essex, and had with other issue a son,

SIR EDWARD VAUGHAN, of Terracoyd, who m. Jemima,
dau. of Nicholas Bacon, Esq., of Shrubland, co. Suffolk,
and had, with other issue, an eldest son,

RICHARD VAUGHAN, Esq., of Terracoyd, and afterwards of
Shenfield, co. Essex, who m. 1st, Jemima, dau. of John
Vaughan, Esq., of Llanelly, and had issue.
He m.
2ndly, Elizabeth, dau. and co-heir of Sir William Apple-
ton, Bart., of Shenfield, and had with other issue, a son,
JOHN VAUGHAN, of Shenfield, who succeeded to the estate
of Golden Grove, by will of Anne, Duchess of Bolton.
He m. 1st, Ellen, dau. and heir or co-heir of Nicholas
Partridge, Esq., of Doddinghurst, co. Essex; and
2ndly, Elizabeth, dau. and co-heir of John Vaughan,
Fsq., of Court Derllys, and widow of Thomas Lloyd,
Esq., of Danyrallt, who d. 20 January, 1754. He d.
27 January, and was buried at Shenfield, 5 February,
1765, having had issue, by his 1st wife, one son,
RICHARD VAUGHAN, Esq., of Shenfield, and of
Golden Grove, who m. 1st, Elizabeth-Philippa, dau.
of Charles Phillips, Esq., of Llanelly, and had by her,
two sons, John, of Shenfield and Golden Grove, and
Charles-Richard, who both d. s. p. He m. 2ndly,
12 September, 1767, Susannah, dau. of John Warner,
Esq., of Swansea, and d. at Shenfield, in 1781,
having by her (who d. March, 1810) had an only
dau.,

SUSANNA ELEANORA VAUGHAN, b. 21 December,
1768, who m. at Marylebone, 22 January, 1795, the
lev. Thomas Watkins, M.A., F.R.S., F.S.A., &c.,
of Pennoyre, co. Brecon, rector of Llandefailog,
and Landefalley, and left, with other issue,
JOHN-LLOYD-VAUGHAN WATKINS, Esq., late of
Pennoyre and Rhosferig, co. Brecon, and
Broadway, co. Carmarthen. (See BURKE'S
Landed Gentry.)

The elder son,

SIR JOHN VAUGHAN, Knt., of Golden Grove, co. Carmarthen, was created a peer of Ireland, as LORD VAUGHAN, of Mullingar, co. Westmeath, 29 July, 1621, and 5 August, 1628, advanced to the dignity of EARL OF CARBERY, also in Ireland. His lordship m. 1st, Margaret, dau. of Sir Gilly Meyrick, Knt., by whom he had one surviving son, RICHARD, his successor, and a dau., Mary, m. to Sir Francis Lloyd. He m. 2ndly, Jane, dau. of Sir Thomas Palmer, Knt., but had no issue. His lordship was s. at his decease, by his son,

RICHARD VAUGHAN, 2nd Earl of Carbery, who was made a knight of the Bath, at the coronation of King CHARLES I., and was afterwards distinguished in the civil wars as a cavalier leader, being lieutenant-general for the cos. of Carmarthen, Pembroke, and Cardigan; in which command, acting with great zeal and gallantry, he was rewarded with a peerage of England, 25 October, 1643, as BARON VAUGHAN, of Emlyn, co. Carmarthen; and he was constituted after the Restoration, lord president of the principality of Wales. His lordship, m. 1st, Bridget, dau. and heir of Thomas Lloyd, Esq., of Llanleer, co.

Cardigan, by whom he had no surviving issue. He m. 2ndly, Frances, dau. and co-heir of Sir John Altham, Knt., of Oxby, in Hertfordshire, by whom he had issue,

Francis, who m. Lady Rachel Wriothesley, dau. of Thomas,
Earl of Southampton, and d. s. p., v. p.
JOHN, his successor.

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He m. 3rdly, Lady Alice Egerton, dau. of John, Earl of Bridgewater, but had no issue. His lordship d. in 1687, and was s. by his elder surviving son,

JOHN VAUGHAN, 3rd Earl of Carbery, and 2nd Lord Vaughan, of Emlyn. This nobleman was for some time governor of Jamaica. His lordship m. Mary, dau. of George Brown, Esq., of Green Castle, co. Carmarthen, but had no issue. He m. 2ndly, Lady Anne Montagu, dau. of George, Marquess of Halifax, and by her had an on'y dau. and heir,

LADY ANNE VAUGHAN, who m. Charles Paulet, Marquess of
Winchester, afterwards Duke of Bolton.

The earl d. 16 January, 1712, when the Barony of Vaughan, of
Emlyn and his Irish honours became EXTINCT.
Arms-Or, a lion rampant, gu.

VAVASOUR-BARON VAVASOUR.

By Writ of Summons, dated 6 February, 1299.

Lineage.

Of this family, which derived its surname from the high office of "King's Valvasor" (a dignity little inferior to the baronial), and flourished for many ages in Yorkshire, was,

SIR ROBERT LE VAVASOUR, who in the 9th King JOHN, paid a fine of 1,200 marks and two palfreys, that Maud, his dau., widow of Theobald Walter, might be married to Fulke Fitz-Warine, an eminent baron in those days. In the 31st HENRY III., he was sheriff of the cos. Nottingham and Derby, and so continued until the 39th of the same reign, having in the interim had the custody of the honour of Peverell committed to his charge. He m. Juliana, dau. of Gilbert de Ros, of Steeton, in Yorkshire, and was 8. by his son,

SIR JOHN LE VAVASOUR, whom. Alice, dau. of Sir Robert Cockfield, Knt., and had two sons, WILLIAM, his heir; and MALGER, ancestor of the VAVASOURS of Denton, and of Weston Hall, co. York, who preserved a male succession until recent times.

SIR WILLIAM LE VAVASOUR (the elder son) had, 18th EDWARD I., license to make a castle of his manor house at Haslewood, co. York, and in three years afterwards was in an expedition made into Gascony. He was subsequently in the wars of Scotland, and had summons to parliament as a Baron from 6 February, 1299, to 7 January, 1313. His lordship m. Nicola, dau. of Sir Stephen Wallis, and had three sons, WALTER, ROBERT (Sir), and HENRY, and was 8. at his decease by the eldest,

WALTER LE VAVASOUR, 2nd baron, summoned to parliament 26 July, 1313, who d. s. p. Accounts vary as to his heir: Mr. Courthope (Historic Peerage) states that his niece, Elizabeth, only child of Sir Robert le Vavasour, was his heir, and that she m. Sir Robert Strelly, Knt., of Nottinghamshire: but two inquisitions taken on Sir Robert le Vavasour's death, find that Henry le Vavasour, his brother, was his heir. This HENRY LE VAVASOUR, was the direct ancestor of Thomas Vavasour, Esq., of Hazlewood, who was created a baronet in 1628.

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III. William, of Brisingham, co. Norfolk, witness to a charter. A.D. 1100, ancestor of the VERDONS of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Northampton.

The eldest son,

NORMAN DE VERDON, living 1140, m. Lasceline, dau. of Geoffrey de Clinton, lord-chamberlain and treasurer to King HENRY I., and had issue,

1. BERTRAM, his heir.

II. Nicholas, abbot of Burton.

11. Robert, m. Joan, dau. and co-heir of Henry de Bourton, of Warwickshire, and was ancestor of the VERDONS of Draycot, co. Warwick, and of Ibstock, co. Leicester.

IV. Simon.

1. Alicia, m. to Ivo de Pantulf, of Wem, co. Salop.

BERTRAM DE VERDON, the eldest son, was sheriff of Leicestershire, from the 16th to the 30th of King HENRY II.'s reign, inclusive. He subsequently attended RICHARD I. to the Holy Land, and was at the siege of Acon, which place, upon its surrender, was committed to his custody. This Bertram founded the abbey of Croxden, co. Stafford, anno 1176, and was otherwise a liberal benefactor to the church. He m. 1st, Maud, dau. of Robert de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, by whom he had no issue; and 2ndly, Roesia, but of what family is unknown. He d. at Joppa, in 1192, having had issue,

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THOMAS DE VERDON, m. Eustachia, dau. of Gilbert Bassett, and by her (who m. 2ndly, Richard Camville,) he had no issue. He d. in Ireland, anno 1199, s. p., when he was 8. by his brother,

NICHOLAS DE VERDON, who, in the 6th JOHN, paid to the king £100, as also a courser and palfrey, for livery of those lands in Ireland whereof his father died possessed. But in twelve years afterwards, he took part with the rebellious barons, whereupon all his lands were seized by special precepts from the crown to the sheriffs of Warwick, Leicester, Stafford, Lincoln, Bucks, and Oxford, and placed in the custody of William de Cantilupe, during the king's pleasure. On his submission, however, to King HENRY III., those lands were restored to him in the first year of that monarch, and he appears afterwards to have enjoyed the favour of the king. He died in 1231, leaving (by Joan, his wife,) an only dau. and heiress,

ROESIA DE VERDON, who m. THEOBALD LE BOTILLER, of the noble family of Butler, of Ireland, but being so great an heiress, retained her maiden name after marriage, which her husband adopted. At the time of her father's decease, she appears to have been a widow. This lady, who founded the abbey of Grace Dieu, for Cistertian Monks, at Beldon, in Leicestershire, d. in 1248, leaving issue,

JOHN, her heir.

Humphrey, rector of Alveton, d. at Paris, 1285.

Nicholas, who had the manor of Clumore, in Ireland, d. 8. p. THEOBALD DE VERDON, ancestor of the VERDONS, Lords of Darlaston and Biddulph, co. Stafford

Maud, m. to John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel.

Roesia was s. by her eldest son,

JOHN DE VERDON (alias Le Botiller). This great feudal lord, being one of the barons marchers, had orders, in the 44th HENRY III., on the incursions of the Welsh, to keep his residence upon the borders. After which he was one of the barons who adhered to the king, in the conflict between the crown and the nobles; and upon the triumph of the royal cause at Evesham, he was commissioned to raise forces in Worcestershire, for the purpose of attacking the only remaining hold of the barons, at Kenilworth. But these troubles being at length ended, John de Verdon was signed with the cross, and accompanied Prince Edward to the Holy Land. John de Verdon m. 1st, Margerie,dau. of Gilbert de Lacie, and co-heir to her grandfather, Walter de Lacie, Lord Palatine of Meath, in Ireland, by which alliance the castle of Weobley, co. Hereford, came into the Verdon family; and 2ndly, Alianore, whose surname is unknown. At his death, being slain in Ireland, 1278, he left issue,

1. NICHOLAS (Sir), of Ewyas Lacie, d. v. p. and s. p. 1271.
II. John, Lord of Weobley, d.8. p., circa 1295.
III. THEOBALD, of whom presently.

IV. Thomas, of Staffordshire; returned as a man-at-arms, 17th EDWARD II.; ancestor, it is believed, of Sir Thomas de Verdon, Knt., of Denston, co. Stafford, and of his brother, Sir John de Verdon, sheriff of Staffordshire, 34th EDWARD III., who d. s. p., leaving his sister, JOAN, wife of JOHN DE WHITMORE, Lord of Whitmore, his heir. This Joan left two daus, and co-heirs, viz.: Joan, m. to Henry Clerk, of Ruyton,

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THEOBALD DE VERDON, lord of the moiety of Meath, in Ire

land, had, in the 3rd EDWARD I., on doing homage, livery of his lands, paying £100 for his relief. At this period, he held the office of constable of Ireland. For some years subsequently, this eminent person seems to have enjoyed the favour of the crown, and to have received several immunities; but in the 19th of EDWARD's reign, we find him arraigned for treason, and divers other misdemeanors, before the king and council, at Bergavenny, and condemned to imprisonment and confiscation; the king, however, taking into consideration the good services of his ancestors, and his own submission, freed him for a fine of 500 marks; and he was soon after summoned to parliament as BARON VERDON. In the 29th of the same reign (EDWARD I.), his lordship was one of the barons in the parliament of Lincoln, who, by a public instrument, under their seals, sent to Pope BONIFACE VIII., asserted the right of King EDWARD, as superior lord of the whole realm of Scotland. Lord Verdon having had summons to parliament to 3 November, 1306, d. in 1309. By Margery, or Elenor, his wife, he had issue,

1. John (Sir), d. v. p. and 8. p., 1297. II. THEOBALD, of whom presently.

The elder son,

SIR THEOBALD DE VERDON, 2nd baron, had summons to parliament in the life-time of his father, as "Theobald de Verdon, junior," from 29 December, 1299, to 22 February, 1307, and afterwards, without the word "Junior," from 4 March, 1309, to 24 October, 1314. This nobleman, in the 6th EDWARD IL, was constituted justice of Ireland, having likewise the lieutenancy of that realm, and the fee of £500 per annum, then granted to him. His lordship m. 1st, Maud, dau. of Edmund, Lord Mortimer, of Wigmore, by whom, who d. at Alveton Castle, 1315, he had issue,

1. John, d. 8. p.

11. William. d. s. p.

1. JOAN, m. 1st, William de Montagu; and 2ndly, Thomas
de Furnival, 2nd Lord Furnival, and d. in 1334. Joan had
the castle of Alveton as co-heiress of her father.
II. ELIZABETH, M. to Bartholomew, Lord de Burghersh.
Elizabeth had the castle of Ewyas Lacie as her share.
III. MARGARET, m. 1st, Marcus Hussee; 2ndly, William le
Blount; and 3rdly, Sir John Crophull. Margaret had the
castle of Weobley, as 3rd co-heiress. By Sir John Crophull,
she had a son,

Thomas Crophull, whose dau. and heiress,
Agnes, m. Sir Walter Devereux, Knt.

He m. 2ndly, Elizabeth, widow of John de Burgh, Earl of
Ulster, and dau. and eventually co-heir of Gilbert de Clare,
Earl of Gloucester, by Jane Plantagenet, dau. of King EDWARD
I., by whom (who m. 3rdly, Sir Roger d'Amorie) he had an
only dau.,

IV. ISABEL, who had the Castle of Ludlow, as 4th co-heiress, m. to Henry Ferrers, Lord Ferrers, of Groby, which Henry d. 17th EDWARD III., leaving by the said Isabel,

William, Lord Ferrers.

Philippa, m. to Guy de Beauchamp.
Elizabeth, m. to- de Assells.

Theobald, Lord Verdon, d. at Alveton Castle, and was buried at Croxden, aged circa thirty-four, in 1316, when the Barony of Verdon fell into ABEYANCE amongst his daus., and so continues with their representatives.

Arms-Or, a fret, gu.

VERDON-BARON VERDON.

By Writ of Summons, dated 27 January, 1332.
Lineage.

WILLIAM DE VERDON, of Brisingham, co. Norfolk, 3rd son of Bertram de Verdun the Norman (see preceding memoir), was ancestor of the Verdons of Brisingham, whose representative, JOHN DE VERDUN, a minor at his father's decease, m. Margaret, dau. and heir of Simon Fitz de Lisle, of Brixworth, co. Northampton, and d. circa 1300, having had issue,

1. JOHN, d. circa 1302.

II. THOMAS, of whom presently.

1. Susan, wife of Sir Nicholas Seyton.

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The 2nd son,

THOMAS DE VERDUN, Lord of Brisingham, Brixworth, &c., d. 9th EDWARD II., leaving a son,

SIR JOHN DE VERDUN, Knt., of Marthesham, co. Suffolk (having removed from Brisingham), who, dying 1346, left by Maud, his wife, three sons,

1. Thomas (Sir). on whom Brixworth was settled in 1329; he d. v. p., leaving by his wife, Alice, an only son, Thomas, who d. s. p. before 25th EDWARD III. II. JOHN, of whom presently. III. Christopher (Sir).

The 2nd son,

SIR JOHN DE VERDON, was summoned to parliament as a Baron, from 27 January, 1332, to 22 January, 1336, and again 25 February, 1342. He m. twice: by Maud, his 1st wife, he had a son, Edmund, who d. s. p., v. p., and a dau., MARGARET, m. 1st, to Hugh or Henry Bradshaw; and 2ndly, to Sir John Pilkington; and by Isabel, his 2nd wife, dau. of Sir John Vise de Lore, he had a dau., Isabel, m. to Sir Imbert Noon, Knt., among whose heirs-general this Barony of Verdon is now in

ABEYANCE.

VERE — EARLS OF OXFORD, MARQUESS OF DUBLIN, DUKE OF IRELAND.

Earldom, Creation of the Empress MAUD, and confirmed by
HENRY II., anno 1135.

Marquessate, Creation of RICHARD II., 1385.
Dukedom, Creation of RICHARD II., 1386.

Lineage.

"The noblest subject in England, and indeed, as Englishmen loved to say, the noblest subject in Europe, was Aubrey de Vere, twentieth and last of the old Earls of Oxford. He derived his title through an uninterrupted male descent, from a time when the families of Howard and Seymour were still obscure, when the Nevills and Percys enjoyed only a provincial celebrity, and when even the great name of Plantagenet had not yet been heard in England. One chief of the house of De Vere had held high command at Hastings; another had marched, with Godfrey and Tancred, over heaps of slaughtered Moslems, to the sepulchre of Christ. The first Earl of Oxford had been minister of Henry Beauclerc. The third earl had been conspicuous among the lords who extorted the great charter from JOHN. The seventh earl had fought bravely at Cressy and Poictiers. The thirteenth carl had, through many vicissitudes of fortune, been the chief of the party of the Red Rose, and had led the van on the decisive day of Bosworth. The seventeenth earl had shone at the court of ELIZABETH, and had won for himself an honourable place among the early masters of English poetry. The nineteenth earl had fallen in arms for the Protestant religion, and for the liberties of Europe, under the walls of Maestricht. His son, Aubrey, in whom closed the longest and most illustrious line of nobles that England has seen, a man of loose morals, but of inoffensive temper, and of courtly manners, was lord-lieutenant of Essex and colonel of the Blues." To these remarks, the author of this work, in his Vicissitudes of Families, ventured thus to refer:

"Such is Macaulay's glowing and eloquent eulogium on the De Veres-so eloquent, indeed, that one regrets that the panegyric is somewhat exaggerated, and scarcely consistent with

recorded fact. The line of the Earls of Oxford was certainly

the longest, but as certainly, not the most illustrious that England has seen. In personal achievement and historical importance the De Veres can bear no comparison with the Talbots, the Howards, the Nevills, the Percys, or the Scropes; in antiquity of descent, the Courtenays, the De Bohuns, and the Beauchamps were in all respects their equals, and in splendour of alliances, many a less distinguished family far surpassed them. There was scarcely one of our grand old houses of the times of the HENRYS and the EDWARDS that had not more of royal blood. Nevertheless, I must freely admit, although I cannot subscribe to the pre-eminence Macaulay assigns, that this famous house, if inferior to any, was only so to the very first, to the most historic and to the most illustrious of our ancient nobility."

The first mention of the De Veres is in the General Survey of England, made by WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, wherein

ALBERIC DE VER possessed numerous lordships in different shires, of which Chenisiton (now Kensington), co. Middlesex, was one, and Hedingham, co. Essex, where his castle was situated, and where he chiefly resided, another. This Alberic

m. Beatrix, Countess of Ghisnes in her own right, by whom he had five sons, Alberic, Geoffrey, Roger, Robert, and William. Alberic de Vere, in the latter end of his days assumed the cowl, and d. a monk in 1088; he was buried in the church of Colne Priory, which he founded, and was s. by his son,

ALBERIC LE VERE, who being in high favour with King HENRY I., was constituted by that monarch Great Chamberlain of England, to hold the same in fee, to himself and his heirs, with all dignities and liberties thereunto appertaining, as fully and honourably as Robert Malet, lord of the honour of Eye, in Suffolk, who had then been banished and disinherited, had holden the said office. His lordship m. Adeliza, dau. of Gilbert de Clare (or, according to Collins, Adeline, dau. of Roger de Yvery), and had issue,

Alberic, or Aubrey, his successor.

canon of St. Osyth's, in Essex.

Robert, Lord of Twiwell, co. Northampton.
Geffery.

William, chancellor of England.
Adeliza, m. to Henry de Essex.

Juliana, m. to Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.

Rohesia, m. 1st, to Geoffrey Mandeville, Earl of Oxford, and 2ndly, Payne Beauchamp, of Bedford.

In the 5th year of King STEPHEN, when joint sheriff (with Richard Basset, then justice of England,) of Surrey, Cambridge, Essex, and several other counties, his lordship was slain in a popular tumult at London, and was s. by his eldest

son,

AUBREY DE VERE, who, for his fidelity to the Empress MAUD, was confirmed by that princess in the office of Great Lord Chamberlain, and all his father's territorial possessions. He had likewise other important grants with the Earldom of Cambridge, provided that dignity was not vested in the King of Scots, but if it were, then his lordship was to have his choice of the Earldoms of Oxford, Berkshire, Wiltshire, or Dorsetshire, all which grants being ratified by King HENRY II., his lordship was created EARL OF OXFORD, with the usual grant to earls, of the third penny of the pleas of the county. In the 12th King HENRY II., on the levy of the aid for portioning the king's daughter, the Earl of Oxford certified his knights' fees to be in number twenty-eight, for which he paid £20, and in the 2nd year of King RICHARD I., he paid a fine of 500 marks to the king, "for the sister of Walter de Bolebec, to make a wife for his son." In four years afterwards his lordship contributed £30 2s. 6d. for the knights' fees he then held, towards the sum at that time raised for the ransom of the king. The earl m. 1st, Euphamia, dau. of Sir William de Cantilupe, by whom he had no issue, and 2ndly, Lucia, dau. and heiress of William de Abrincis, by whom he had

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AUBREY DE VERE, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Great Chamberlain. This nobleman was sheriff of Essex and Herefordshire from the 10th to the 15th King JCHN, inclusive, and was reputed one of the evil councillors of that monarch. His lordship d. in 1214, and having no issue, was 8. by his brother,

ROBERT DE VERE, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Great Chamberlain, who, pursuing a different course from that of his deceased brother, was one of the celebrated twenty-five barons ap

pointed to enforce the observance of Magna Charta. In the beginning of the reign of HENRY III., having made his peace, his lordship appears, from a fine levied before him and others, to have been one of the judges in the Court of King's Bench. He m. Isabel, dau. of Hugh, and sister and heir of Walter de Bolebec, by whom he had issue,

I. HUGH, his successor.

II. Henry (Sir), of Great Addington, co. Northampton, whose son, SIR ROBERT, was father of

Richard de Vere, who m. Isabel, dan. of John Greene, Esq., of Drayton, and heiress of her brother, whereby the manor of Drayton, co. Northampton, came into this branch of the Vere family, the male line of which terminated with

Sir Henry Vere, of Great Addington, Drayton, &c., who left by his wife, Isabel, dau. of Sir Thomas Tresham, four daus., his co-heirs, viz.,

Elizabeth, m. to John, Lord Mordaunt.

Anne, m. to Sir Humphrey Brown, chief justice of the
Common Pleas, 34th HENRY VIII.

Constance, m. to John Parr, Esq., younger son of Sir
William Parr, K.G.

Etheldred, m. to John Brown, Esq.

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