SIR THOMAS BEAUFORT, having attained some eminence in the reign of RICHARD II.. was appointed admiral of the whole fleet to the northwards, in the 5th of HENRY IV., and retained to serve the king in that command with 300 men-at-arms. himself and one banneret being part of the number. In the 10th of the same monarch he was made captain of Calais, and in the next year had another grant of the office of admiral, both of the northern and western seas, for life. In which employments Sir Thomas deported himself with so much discretion that he was soon afterwards (2nd HENRY IV.) appointed lord chancellor of England, with a pension of 800 marks per annum, over and above the ordinary fees and wages of that high office, to enjoy from 31 January preceding, so long as he should hold the same. He obtained likewise a grant of some of the forfeited lands of Sir Robert Belknap, and in addition to the command of the northern and western seas, the admiralship of Ireland, Aquitaine, and Picardy, with six tuns of wine yearly from the port of Kingston-upon-Hull. In the 13th of HENRY IV. he was elevated to the peerage as EARL OF DORSET, and upon the accession of HENRY V.. being then lieutenant of Aquitaine, he was retained to serve the king in that capacity for one halfyear, with 240 men-at-arms and 1.200 archers. In the 2nd year of the new monarch his lordship was one of the ambassadors to negotiate a marriage between his royal master and Cathe-Thomas, Duke of Clarence), and had issue, rine, dau. of the king of France: and in the next year he had the honour of commanding the rear-guard at the celebrated battle of Agincourt. "consisting of archers, and such as were armed with spears halberds, and bills," and was constituted lieutenant of Normandy. In the 4th of HENRY V. (1416-17), his lordship was created DUKE OF EXETER, for life only, in the parliament then held at London, having therewith a grant of £1,000 per annum out of the exchequer, and £40 per annum more payable from the city of Exeter. During the remainder of the martial reign of the gallant HENRY V., at whose solemn funeral he assisted as a mourner, his grace continued constantly engaged upon the plains of Normandy, and reaped fresh laurels in each succeeding campaign. Upon the accession of the new monarch (HENRY VI.) the duke's services in France were retained, with three bannerets, three knights, 182 men-at-arms, and 600 archers, and he obtained in the same year the office of justice of North Wales. His grace m. Margaret, dau. and co-heiress of Sir Thomas Nevil, of Horneby, co. SOMERSET. His lordship was advanced in the next year (also in open parliament) to the Marquisate of Dorset, a dignity which he soon afterwards resigned; and was created on the day of his resignation MARQUESS Of Somerset He bore, how ever, subsequently, the former title, and as Marquess of Dorset, was made constable of Wallingford Castle, and constable of Dover Castle, and warden of the Cinque Ports. In the same year his lordship had extensive grants from the crown, and was appointed admiral of the king's fleet, both to the north and west; but upon the accession of HENRY IV., having been one of the accusers of Thomas de Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, his right to the marquisate of Dorset was declared void by parlia ment, and his only title then remaining was Earl of Somerset, by which, in the same year, he was constituted lord chamberlain of England. In the 4th of the new monarch, the commons in parliament, however, petitioned for his restitution to the marquisate of Dorset; but the earl seemed unwilling to readopt the designation of marquess, that being then so new a dignity in England. His lordship did at length, though, re sume it, for we find him in a few years after appointed, as Mar quess of Dorset, lord high admiral of England. The marquess m. Margaret, dau. of Thomas Holland, and sister and co-heiress of Thomas, both Earls of Kent (who m. after his decease, Lincoln, Knt., but had no issue. He d. 27 December, 1417, when the earldom of Dorset and dukedom of Exeter EXPIRED, but his great landed possessions devolved upon his nephew, John, Duke of Somerset. In the last testament of this eminent person, dated 29 December, in the 5th of HENRY VI., he ordains that as soon after his decease (viz., the first day, if possible, or the second or third at the furthest), a thousand masses should be solemnly sung for his soul, &c., that no great cost should be incurred at his funeral and that five tapers only, in so many candlesticks, should be placed round his remains. That as many poor men as he should be years of age at the time of his death should carry a torch at his funeral, each of them having a gown or hood of white cloth, and as many pence as he himself had lived years; likewise the same number of poor women to be similarly attired and remunerated. Furthermore, he bequeathed to each poor body coming to his funeral a penny; and he appoints that at every anniversary of himself, and Margaret his wife, that the abbot of St. Edmundsbury, if present, should have 68. 8d.; the prior, if present, 38. 4d.; and every monk there at that time 20d.; giving to the monastery for the support of these anniversaries 400 marks. To Joane, his sister, Countess of Westmorland, he gives a book, called Tristram, and to Thomas Swineford, a cup of silver gilt, with a cover. To the use of poor scholars in Queen's College, Oxon, he bequeaths £100, to be deposited in a chest, to the end that they might have some relief thereby, in loan, desiring that the borrowers should in charity pray for his soul, &c., and upon the like terms he bequeaths £100 more, to be similarly placed to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. The deceased duke was a knight of the Garter. BEAUFORT-EARLS AND DUKES OF SOMERSET. Earldom, by Letters Patent, anno 1397. Lineage. HENRY, who s. as 2nd Earl of Somerset. Edmund, who, in the 9th of HENRY VI., was appointed, under Jane, m. to JAMES I. King of Scotland, who has celebrated her in his poems. Margaret, m. to Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon. His lordship, who, among other honours, was a knight of the HENRY BEAUFORT, 2nd Earl of Somerset, god-son to King HENRY IV., who, dying in his minority, in 1418, was s. by his brother, JOHN BEAUFORT, 3rd Earl of Somerset, K.G., a distinguished military commander in the reigns of HENRY V. and HENRY VI., by the latter of whom he was created, in 1443, Earl of Kendal and Duke of Somerset, by which title he was made lieutenantgeneral of Aquitaine, and of the whole realm of France, and Duchy of Normandy. His grace m. Margaret, dau. of Sir John Beanchamp, of Blesto, Knt., and heiress of John, her brother (which lady m. after the duke's decease, Sir Leode Welles), by whom he left an only dau. and heiress, Margaret, who m. Edmund Tudor, surnamed of Hadham, Earl HENRY, EARL OF RICHMOND, who ascended the throne as Her ladyship m. 2ndly, Sir Henry Stafford, Knt., and 3rdly, John, Duke of Somerset, d. in 1444, when that dignity and the Earldom of Kendal EXPIRED; but the Earldom of Somerset devolved upon his brother, EDMUND BEAUFORT, Marquess of Dorset, as 4th Earl of Somerset. This nobleman commanded, in the 10th of HENRY VI., one of the divisions of the Duke of Bedford's army in Normandy, and upon the death of that eminent general, was appointed joint commander, with Richard, Duke of York, of all the English forces in the duchy. He subsequently (15th HENRY VI.) laid successful siege to Harfleur; and afterwards crossing the Somme, invested, with equal fortune, the Fort of Fulleville, following, he acquired an accession of renown by his relief of when he formed a junction with Lord Talbot. In a few years Calais, then invested by the Duke of Burgundy, and for his good services upon that occasion, was created (24 August, 1441) Earl of Dorset. His lordship continuing to distinguish himself in arms, was advanced, on 24 June, 1442, to the Marquisate of Dorset, by which title he inherited the Earldom of Somerset at the decease of his brother in 1444, and the next year was constituted Regent of France. In three years afterwards (31 March, 1448) he was created Duke of Somerset. His grace was also knight of the Garter, and lord high constable. But the fortune of war veering soon after, and Caen falling into the hands of the French, the Duke had to encoun In the 20th year of RICHARD II., the Lord Chancellor having ter a storm of unpopularity in England, to which he was declared in parliament that the King had created SIR JOHN BEAUFORT, Knt., eldest son of John of Gaunt, by Catharine Swineford (see Beaufort, Duke of Exeter), EARL OF recalled, with the hostility of Richard, Duke of York, and espousing the Lancastrian cause, in the lamentable war of the Roses, which about that period broke out, he fell in the first battle of St. Alban's in 1455. His grace had m. Alianore, one of the daus. and co-heiresses of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and had issue, HENRY, Earl of Morteign, his successor. John, slain at the battle of Tewkesbury. Alianore, m. 1st, to James Boteler, Earl of Wiltshire, and 2ndly, to Sir Robert Spencer, Knt. Joane, m. to the Lord Howth, of Ireland, and afterwards to Sir Richard Fry, Knt. Anne, m. to Sir William Paston, Knt. had a further grant of the Isle of Man, to hold for life, by the services which the lords thereof had usually performed to the kings of Scotland. In the preceding year he had been constituted governor of Roxburgh Castle, and deputed, with Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and Robert de Clifford, to guard the marches. About this period he espoused Alice, dau. and eventually heiress of Alexander Cumyn, Earl of Boghan, constable of Scotland, and, doing his homage, in the 6th of EDWARD II. (1312-13), had livery of her lands. In the 10th of the same monarch, Lord Beaumont (he had been previously Margaret, m. to Humphrey, Earl of Stafford, and afterwards styled "consanguineous regis," says Nicolas, and summoned to Sir Richard Darell, Knt. Elizabeth, m. to Sir Henry Lewes, Knt. The duke was 8. by his eldest son, HENRY BEAUFORT, 2nd Duke of Somerset, K.G., a very distinguished personage in the York and Lancaster contest. His lordship, like his father, being a staunch Lancastrian, was constituted, in the 36th of HENRY VI., governor of the Isle of Wight, with the castle of Carisbroke, and in the following year appointed captain of Calais. He subsequently continued high in the confidence of his royal master, until the defeat sustained by the Lancastrians at Towton, on 12 March, 1461, when flying from the field with the unfortunate HENRY, he is accused of abandoning the fallen monarch at Berwick, and of making his peace with the new king (EDWARD IV.) by the surrender of Bamburgh Castle. Certain it is that he was taken into favour by that prince, and obtained a grant from him of 1,000 marks per annum. In the next year, however, upon the appearance of Margaret of Anjou in the north, at the head of a considerable force, his grace resumed "the Red Rose," but falling into the hands of the Yorkists at Hexham, in 1463, he was beheaded the day after the battle, and attainted by parliament in the 5th of EDWARD IV. The duke had no legitimate issue, but left by Joane Hill an illegitimate son, Sir Charles Somerset, K.G., Knight Banneret, from whom the SOMERSETS, DUKES OF BEAUFORT, directly descend. His grace was s. by his brother, EDMUND BEAUFORT, who after enduring a miserable exile with his brother John in France, is said to have been restored to the honours of his family (49th HENRY VI.) upon the temporary re-establishment of the Lancastrian power, and the 10th of EDWARD IV., when he is said to have been summoned to parliament as Duke of Somerset, though he is absent from the list of summonses for that year, as observes Sir H. Nicolas. His grace commanded the archers at the battle of Barnetfield, in the next year, and upon the loss of that battle fled into Wales, to the Earl of Pembroke. He was subsequently in command at Tewkesbury, where the ill-fortune of the day was attributed to his defection. His grace fled the field, but he was soon overtaken, and paid the forfeit of his head (anno 1471). As he died without issue, all his honours EXPIRED, leaving attainders out of the question, while his sisters or their representatives became his heirs. to parliament as a BARON on 4 March, 1309), being then the king's lieutenant in the north, accompanying thither two cardinals who had come from Rome, partly to reconcile the king to the Earl of Lancaster, and partly to inthronize his lordship's brother, Lewis de Beaumont, in the bishopric of Durham, was attacked, near Darlington, by a band of robbers, headed by Gilbert de Middleton, and despoiled of all his treasure, horses, and everything else of value, as were likewise his companions. His lordship and his brother were also made prisoners, the former being conveyed to the castle of Mitford, and the latter to that of Durham, there to remain until ransomed. From this period the baron continued to bask in the sunshine of royal favour, and to receive from the crown further augmentations to his territorial possessions, until the 16th of EDWARD II., when, being required to give his advice in council, regarding a truce then meditated with the Scots, he declined, contemptuously observing, "that he would give none therein," which so irritated the king, that his lordship was ordered to depart the council, and he retired, saying, "he had rather begone than stay." He was in consequence committed, with the consent of the lords present, to prison, but soon after released upon the bail of Henry de Perci, and Ralph de Nevile. He seems within a short time, however, again to enjoy the king's favour, for we find him in two years constituted one of the plenipotentiaries to treat of peace with France, and in two years subsequently nominated guardian to David, son and heir of David de Strabolgi, Earl of Athol, deceased, in consideration of the sum of £1,000. His lordship after this time, entirely deserting his royal master, sided with the queen consort Isabella, and was the very person to deliver up the unhappy monarch to his enemies, upon his abortive attempt to fly beyond the sea. The king thereupon was committed close prisoner to Berkeley Castle, where he was inhumanly murdered in 1327. For this act of treachery Lord Beaumont received a grant of the manor of Loughborough, part of the possessions of Hugh le Despenser, the attainted Earl of Winchester, and was summoned to parliament on 22 January, 1334, 7th EDWARD III., as EARL OF BOGHAN. His lordship, during the reign of EDWARD III., had many high and confidential employments, and took a prominent part in the affairs of Scotland being at one time sent as constable of the king's army into that country for defence of the realm. The earl d. in 1340, leaving Arms.-Quarterly, France and England, a border gobony, by Alice Cumyn, of Buchan, his wife, four sons and six daus, arg. and az. BEAUMONT-EARLS OF LEICESTER. See BELLOMONT. BEAUMONT-VISCOUNTS BEAUMONT. By Letters Patent, dated 12 February, 1440. Lineage. The original descent of this noble family does not appear to have been clearly ascertained. Some authorities deduce it from Lewis, son of Charles, Earl of Anjou, a younger son of LEWIS VIII, king of France; some from Lewis de Brienne, 2nd son of John de Brienne, the last king of Jerusalem; and some from the Viscounts Beaumont, of Normandy. Certain it is, however, that in the reign of EDWARD I., mention is made of Isabel de Beaumont, wife of John de Vesci; of Lewis, who, in 1294, was treasurer of the church of Salisbury, and afterwards Bishop of Durham; and of HENRY DE BEAUMONT, who attending the king, 30th EDWARD I. (1301-2), in his expedition against the Scots, obtained a precept to the collectors of the fifteenth in Yorkshire for 200 marks towards his support in those wars. In the 1st year of King EDWARD II. this Henry had a grant in fee of the manors of Folkynham, Edenham, and Barton-upon-Humber, and of all the knight's fees belonging to Gilbert de Gant, which Laura de Gant, his widow, held in dower, and in three years afterwards 36 viz., JOHN, his heir; Richard; John; Thomas, of Bolton Percy; Alice; Elizabeth, m. to Nicholas de Audley; Joan, m. to Fulk, Lord FitzWarine; Isabel, m. to Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Lancaster; Beatrice, m. to the Count de Dammartin; and Catherine, m. to David, Earl of Athole. His lordship inherited, upon the decease of his sister, Isabel, wife of John de Vesci, of Alnwick. in Northumberland (one of the most powerful barons of the North), a lady of great eminence in her time, without issue, large possessions in the co. Lincoln, which, added to his own acquirements, placed him amongst the most wealthy nobles in the kingdom at the period of his death. He was 8. by his son, JOHN DE BEAUMONT, 2nd BARON BEAUMONT, styled in the summons to parliament, 25 February, 1342, "Johannes de Bello-monte," but never entitled Earl of Boghan. His lordship m. Lady Alianore Plantagenet, 5th dau. of Henry, Earl of Lancaster, and great grand-dau. of King HENRY III., by whom he had an only child, Henry, born in Brabant, during her ladyship's attendance upon Phillippa, Queen Consort of EDWARD III. This nobleman, like his father, was much engaged in the Scottish wars. His lordship d. in 1342, leaving by the Lady Alianore Plantagenet his wife (who m. 2ndly Richard Earl of Arundel) an only son, HENRY DE BEAUMONT, 3rd Baron, whose legitimacy (owing to his being born beyond the sea) was ratified by act of par liament, in the 25th of EDWARD III. In the 34th of the same monarch, being then of full age, his lordship did homage and had livery of his lands, and was summoned to parliament from 14 August, 1362, to 24 February, 1368. He m. Margaret, dan. of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and dying in 1368, left an only son, JOHN, and a dau., Eleanor, m. to —- de Molines. The only son was placed, in the 47th EDWARD III., under the guardianship of William Lord Latimer. JOHN DE BEAUMONT, 4th baron, K.G., attaining maturity in the 6th RICHARD II. (1382-3), had livery of his lands, and in the same year with Henry de Spencer, bishop of Norwich, was in the English army sent to oppose the adherents of Pope CLEMENT VII. In four years afterwards his lordship accompanied JOHN OF GAUNT, then called King of Castile and Leon, into Spain, but before the close of that year, he was expelled the court, as one of the king's evil advisers, by the great lords assembled at Haringey Park. Soon afterwards, however, he made his peace, and had license to repair to Calais, in order to engage in a tournament, and he had then the honour of tilting with the Lord Chamberlain of the King of France. In the 12th RICHARD II., he was made admiral of the king's fleets to the northwards, and one of the wardens of the marches towards Scotland; "whereupon he entered that country forty miles, spoyled the Market at FowкE, and brought many prisoners back." In the next year he had the castle of Cherburgh in France committed to his custody, and about that time was specially enjoined to abstain from exercising any feats of arms with the French, without permission from Henry de Perci, Earl of Northumberland. In the 16th of the same reign, his lordship received a pension of £100 per annum for his services, and was constituted constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports; and in the 19th, he was appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate a marriage between the King of England and Isabell, dau. of the King of France. His lordship m. Katherine, dau. of Thomas de Everingham of Laxton, in the co. Nottingham, and had issue, HENRY, his successor. THOMAS, Lord of Basquerville and Captain of Galliarde, ancestor of the BEAUMONTS, of Cole Orton, co. Leicester, Barts. (of England, and Viscounts Beaumont, of Ireland), and of the BEAUMONTS of Stoughton Grange, also in Leicestershire, now represented by SIR GEORGE HOWLAND BEAUMONT, Bart. Richard. Elizabeth, m. to William, 3rd Lord Botreaux. The baron, who had been summoned to parliament from 20 August, 1383, to 13 November, 1393, and had the honour of being a KNIGHT OF THE GARTER, d. in 1396, and was s. by his eldest son, HENRY DE BEAUMONT, 5th baron, who received the honour of knighthood at the coronation of King HENRY IV.; and in the 11th of the same monarch's reign, was constituted one of the commissioners to treat of peace with France. His lordship m Elizabeth, dau. of William Lord Willoughby de Eresby, and had issue, JOHN, his heir. Henry, from whom the Beaumonts of Wednesbury, in the co. Stafford, descended. Lord Beaumont, who had been summoned to parliament from 25 August, 1404, to 22 March, 1413, d. in the latter year, and was . by his eldest son, JOHN DE BEAUMONT, 6th baron, a very distinguished personage in the reign of HENRY VI., and high in that monarch's favour, under whom he enjoyed the most lucrative and honourable employments, and in whose service he eventually laid down his life. In the 14th of King HENRY (1435-6) his lordship obtained by letters patent, to himself and his heirs male, the Earldom of Boloine, being at that time upon his march for the relief of Calais, and in four years afterwards, 12 February, 1440, he was created VISCOUNT BEAUMONT (being the first person dignified with such a title), with precedency above all barons of the realm, and with a yearly fee of 20 marks out of the revenues of the co. Lincoln. His lordship received, subsequently, a patent of precedency (23rd HENRY VI.) above all viscounts thenceforth to be created; and in five years afterwards was constituted Lord High Chamberlain of England. The viscount finally lost his life at the battle of Northampton, fighting under the Lancastrian banner, on 10 July, 1459. His lordship was a knight of the Garter, and had been summoned to parliament, in the BARONY OF BEAUMONT, from 26 February 1432, to 26 September, 1439. He had m. Elizabeth, only dau. and heiress of Sir William Phelip, Lord Bardolf, by whom he left, WILLIAM, his successor. Joane, m. to John, Lord Lovel, of Tichmersh, and dying before her brother, left a son (who succeeded as Lord Lovel, but d. without issue,) and two daus., viz., 1 Joane, m. to Sir Brian Stapleton, of Carlton, Knt., from which marriage lineally descended Miles Thomas Stapleton, Esq., of Carleton, who established his co-heirship to the Barony of Beaumont, and was summoned by writ to the House of Peers 16 October. 1840. He was b. 4 June, 1805, and d. 1854, having m. 9 September, 1844, the Hon. Isabella Browne, dan. of Lord Kilmaine, by whom he had issue, HENRY, now Baron Beaumont, b. 11 August, 1848. 2 Fridiswide, m. to Sir Edward Norris, of Yattenden, Knight, whose eldest son, John, d. 8. p. and whose second, Henry, having been attainted, 1536, his portion of inheritance in the barony was confiscated to the crown. The son of Henry, Sir Henry Norris, was summoned to parliament, 14th ELIZABETH, 1572, as Baron Norris, of Rycote, a barony now merged in the Earldom of Abingdon. John, Viscount Beaumont, was s. by his only son, WILLIAM DE BEAUMONT, 2nd viscount and 7th baron, who inherited likewise large possessions from his mother, the heiress of the Bardolfs. This nobleman adhering faithfully to the Lancastrian interest, was made prisoner by the Yorkists at Towton Field, in the 1st year of Edward IV. (1461-2), when he was attainted, and his large possessions bestowed upon Lord Hastings. From this period until the accession of King HENRY VII., his lordship shared the fallen fortunes of his party, but rising with that event, he was restored to his honours and estates by act of Parliament, passed on 7 November, 1485, in the 1st year of the new monarch's reign. The viscount m. 1st, Elizabeth, dau. of Richard Scrope, and niece of Lord Scrope, of Bolton; and 2ndly, Joane, dau. of Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, but d. without issue in 1507, when the viscountcy EXPIRED, while the Barony of Beaumont fell into ABEYANCE, and so continued, according to the decision upon the claim of Mr. Stapleton in 1798, "between the co-heirs of William, Viscount Beaumont (in whom it was vested by descent from his father, John, Lord Beaumont, who was summoned to and sat in parliament, 2nd HENRY VI. (1423-4), as a baron in fee), descended from his sister Joane, and that the petitioner Thomas Stapleton, Esq., was one of those coheirs." The barony, however, as already stated, was revived and assigned forty-two years subsequently to Mr. Stapleton's grand-nephew, Miles-Thomas Stapleton, Esq. Arms.-Az., semée de lis, a lion rampant, or. BEAUMONT-VISCOUNT BEAUMONT. By Letters Patent, dated 1622. NICHOLAS BEAUMONT, Esq., M.P. for the co. Leicester, temp. ELIZABETH, lineally descended from Thomas, 2nd son of John Beaumont, 4th Lord Beaumont, in the peerage of England, m. Anne, dau. of Wm. Saunders, Esq., of Welford, in Northamptonshire, and had, with other issue, two sons, HENRY, his heir; and Thomas, ancestor of the present SIR GEORGEHOWLAND BEAUMONT, Bart., of Stoughton Grange, co. Leicester. The eldest son, SIR HENRY BEAUMONT, Knt., petitioned JAMES I. ineffectually to revive in his person the Viscounty of Beaumont, forfeited by John, Viscount Beaumont, who fell at the battle of Northampton, on the side of the Lancastrians. Sir Henry m. Elizabeth, dau. and heir of Thomas Lewis, Esq., and was s. by his only son, SIR THOMAS BEAUMONT, of Cole Orton, M.P., who was created a Baronet of England in 1619, and raised to the peerage of Ireland, as VISCOUNT BEAUMONT, of Swords, in 1622. His lordship was a staunch supporter of the royal cause and had to compound for his estates. He m. Elizabeth, dau. and heir of Henry Sapcote, Esq., of Elton, co. Huntingdon, and left a son and successor, SIR SAPCOTE BEAUMONT, Bart., 2nd Viscount Beaumont, who, like his father, suffered deeply for his adherence to the royal cause, and died before the Restoration. He m. Elizabeth, dau of Sir Thomas Monson, Knt., and had issue, I. THOMAS, his heir. II. John, governor of Dover Castle, d. s. p., 3 July, 1701. 1. Elizabeth, m. Sir John Hotham, Bart., and left a son and heir, Sir John Hotham, Bart., who died without male issue in 1691. The son and heir, SIR THOMAS BEAUMONT, 3rd Viscount Beaumont, m. Mary, dau. of Sir Erasmus Fountain, Knt., but d. without issue, 11 June, 1702, when the peerage became EXTINCT. The estates his lordship bequeathed to Sir George Beaumont, 4th bart of Stoughton Grange, and they are now possessed by Sir George's descendant, the present Bart. of Stoughton Grange. Arms.-Az., semée de-lis, a lion rampant, or. BEAUMONT-EARL OF BEDFORD. (See BEAUMONT, Earl of Leicester.) BEAUMONT-BARON CRAMOND. (See RICHARDSON, Baron Cramond.) BEC OR BEKE-BARONS BEKE OF By Writ of Summons, dated 23 June, 1295. WALTER BEC, Lord of Eresby, co. Lincoln, m. Agnes, dau. and heiress of Hugh, the son of Pinco, and had issue, 1. Hugh, who d. s. p. in his return from the Holy Land. 11. Henry, being a person of weak understanding, his two next brothers shared with him the inheritance. III. Walter, participators, with their brother Henry, in their IV. John, father's lands. Nicholas, inherited the church patronage of his father. The eldest surviving son, He m. HENRY BEKE, inherited Eresby and other manors. Hawse or Alice de Multon, sister of Thomas de Multon, and was 8. by his son, WALTER BEKE, Lord of Eresby, who m. Eva, niece of Walter de Grey, archbishop of York, and had issue, 1. JOHN, his successor in the lordship of Eresby. II. THOMAS, bishop of St. David's, d. 14 April, 1293. III. Anthony, the celebrated bishop of Durham, and patriarch of Jerusalem. "This Anthony," says Dugdale, "was signed with the cross in the 54th HENRY III., in order to his going to the Holy Land with Prince Edward; and on the 3rd of EDWARD I., being then a clerk, was made constable of the Tower of London. Moreover, in anno 1283, being present at the translation of St. William, archbishop of York, and at the whole charge of that great solemnity (the king, queen, and many of the nobility being also there), he was then consecrated bishop of Durham, by William Wickwane, archbishop of York, in the church of St. Peter, within that city. After which, anno 1294 (22nd EDWARD I.), the king discerning his great losses in Gascoigne, he was sent to Rodolph, king of Almaine, to make a league with him; and the same year, upon the arrival of the cardinals to treat of peace between King EDWARD and the King of France, he readily answered their proposals in the French tongue. Furthermore, in anno 1296, King EDWARD entered Scotland with a powerful army; he brought thither to him no less than 500 horse and 1,000 foot, besides a multitude of Welsh and Irish. After which, the same year, being sent ambassador into that realm, he was solemnly met by the king and nobles; and after much dispute, brought them to such an accord that they totally submitted themselves to the pleasure of King EDWARD. Also, upon that rebellion, which again broke out there the next year following (at which time they used great cruelties to the English), he was again sent thither to inquire the truth, and to advertise the king thereof. And in the 26th of EDWARD I. was again sent into Scotland, with certain forces, at which time he assaulted the castle of Dulton, and took it. And lastly, in 33rd of EDWARD I., being with the Earl of Lincoln, and some other bishops, sent to Rome, to present divers vessels of pure gold from King EDWARD to the Pope, his holiness taking especial notice of his courtly behaviour and magnanimity of spirit, advanced him to the title of Patriarch of Jerusalem.'" "Amongst other works of this great prelate," continues Dugdale, "he founded the collegiate churches of Chester and Langcester, as also the collegiate chappel at Bishops-Auckland, all in the county palatine of Durham. Moreover, it is reported that no man in all the realm, except the king, did equal him for habit, behaviour, and military pomp, and that he was more versed in state affairs than in ecclesiastical duties; ever assisting the king most powerfully in his wars; having sometimes in Scotland 26 standard-bearers, and of his ordinary retinue 140 knights; so that he was thought to be rather a temporal prince than a priest or bishop; and lastly, that he d 3 March, 1310, and was buried above the high altar in his cathedral of Durham." This prelate was the first bishop that presumed to lie in the church, on account of the interment of the holy St. Cuthbert, and so superstitious were they in those days that they dared not bring in the remains at the doors, but broke a hole in the wall, to convey them in at the end of the church, which breech is said to be still visible. 1. Margaret, m. to Galfridus de Thorpe. 11. Another dau., a nun The eldest son, JOHN BEKE, 8. his father in the feudal lordship of Eresby, and was summoned to parliament as Baron Beke of Eresby, on 23 June, 20 September, and 2 November, 1295, and 26 August, 1296, having previously (4th of EDWARD I., 1275-6) had license to make a castle of his manor-house at Eresby; his lordship m. and had issue, I. WALTER, who must have d. 8. p. and vitd patris, before the gift of Eresby to Robert Willoughby. 1. Alice, m. to Sir William de Willoughby, Knt., and had issue, ROBERT WILLOUGHBY, who inherited, at the decease of his grand uncle, Anthony Beke, bishop of Durham, the great possessions of that eminent prelate, and was summoned to parliament, temp. EDWARD II., as LORD WILLOUGHBY DE ERESBY. (See that dignity in BURKE'S Peerage and Baronetage.) II. Margaret, m. to Sir Richard de Harcourt, Knt., ancestor of the Harcourts, Earls of Harcourt. III. Mary, d unm. Lord Beke gave Eresby to his grandson, Robert Willoughby, and d. 1303-4, when the Barony fell into ABEYANCE between his two daus. and co-heirs, the Ladies Willoughby and Har court, and so continues amongst their descendants. Arms.-Gules, a cross moline, arg. BECHE-BARONS LA BECHE. By Writ of Summons, dated 25 February, 1342. Of this family, De la Beche, of Aldworth, co. Bucks, NICHOLAS DE LA BECHE was constituted constable of the Tower of London in the 9th of EDWARD III., and had a grant from the crown in two years afterwards of the manor of Whitchurch, with other lands. About this period, too, he obtained license to encastellate his houses at De La Beche, Beaumys, and Watlyington. He was subsequently distinguished in the wars in Brittany, and was summoned to Parliament as a baron on 25 February, 1342. In 1343 his lordship became seneschal of Gascony, and the next year was constituted one of the commissioners to treat with ALPHONSUS, king of Castile, touching a marriage between the eldest son of that monarch and Joane, dau. of the king of England. Lord de la Beche d. in 1347, and leaving no issue, the Barony EXPIRED, but the estates passed to the sisters of John de la Beche, who d. nineteen years previously, and is supposed to have been the elder brother of the baron; consequently the co-heiresses were his lordship's sisters likewise. Of those ladies, the elder, JOAN, m. 1st, Sir Andrew Sackville, and 2ndly, Sir Thomas Langford; and the younger m. Robert Danvers. Arms.-Vairée arg. and gules. This eminent Norman family deduced an uninterrupted descent from BELASIUS, one of the commanders in the army of the Conqueror, distinguished for having suppressed the adherents of Edgar Ethling, in the Isle of Ely, whence the spot where he had pitched his camp was named Belasius Hill, now known by the corrupted designation of Belsar's Hill. The son of this gallant soldier, ROWLAND, marrying Elgiva, dau. and heiress of Ralph de Belasyse, of Belasyse, co. Durham, assumed, upon succeeding to the inheritance of his wife, the surname of "Belasyse, of Belasyse," and his descendants ever afterwards adhered to the same designation, although the spelling has frequently varied. The great-grandson of this Rowland Belasyse, SIR ROWLAND BELASYSE attained the honour of knighthood by his gallant bearing at the battle of Lewes, in the 48th of HENRY III. Sir Rowland m. Mary, dau. and heiress of Sir 1. Elizabeth, m. 1st, to Thomas Bingham, Esq., and 2ndly, to Sir John Cranlington, Knt. II. Julian, m. 1st, to John Fishburn, of Fishburn, in the bishopric of Durham, and 2ndly, to Sir John Waddon. Knt. ROBERT BELASYSE, m. Alice, dau. of Robert Lamplugh, of Lamplugh, in Cumberland, and by her had four sons, JOHN, WILLIAM, ROBERT, and GEOFFREY. JOHN BELASYSE, m. Jonetta, dau. of Thomas Tipping, Esq., and d. 18th HENRY VII., leaving a dau, Alice. His brother, WILLIAM BELASYSE, Esq., of Belaxyse, who m. 1st, Cecily, dau. and heiress of William Hotton, Esq., and had a son, THOMAS BELASYSE, m. Margery, dau. of Richard Dalton, Esq., and by her had two daus., who both d. young. The Rev. Richard Belasyse d. 1 November, 1721. His elder son, THOMAS BELASYSE, Esq., of Haughton-le-Skerne, m. Alice, dau. of Robert Hilton, and widow, 1st, of Christopher Blacket, Esq., of Newham; 2ndly, of Francis Smart, Esq., and by her (who d. November, 1761), had a sole child and heiress, Martha-Maria Belasyse, b. 8 March, 1721, who m. January, 1740-1, at Cleasby, co. York, Richard Bowes, Esq., of Darlington, descended from Bowes, of Boythorp and Bugthorpe, co. York, and d. July 1767, leaving a son, Thomas Bowes, Esq., of Darlington, bapt. 15 Aug. 1753, Stephenson, m. 8 February, 1776, Dorothy, dau. of Esq., of Huntingdon, and d. April, 1806, leaving a son, THOMAS BOWES, Esq., of Darlington, bapt. 23 February, 1777; m. 31 December, 1807, Elizabeth, dau. of David Crawford, Esq., of Howledge Hall, co. Durham, and d. 3 October, 1846, leaving issue, 1. THOMAS, of Darlington, co. Durham, b. 1813. II. Richard, m. Hester, dau. of Mons. Le Forestier, of Havre de Grâce, France. I. George. 1. Dorothy. II. Catherine. III. Elizabeth, m. to John Hull Fell, Esq., of Belmont, Uxbridge. Sir William d. at an advanced age, 13 April, 1604, and was s. by his eldest son, SIR HENRY BELASYSE, of Newborough, co. York, who, having received the honour of knighthood from King JAMES I., at Hem. 2ndly, Margaret, dau. of Sir Lancelot Thirkeld, of York, in his majesty's journey to London, 17 April, 1603, was Malmerby, in Yorshire, Knt., and had issue, RICHARD, his successor. Anthony, LL.D., master in Chancery in 1545, when he was one of the four especially appointed to hear causes and pass decrees in the Court of Chancery, in the absence of the lord chancellor, Sir Thomas Wriothesley. And in the reign of EDWARD VI., being written Anthony Belasis, Esq., was one of the king's council in the north. On the dissolution of the monastries he obtained from the crown a grant of Newburgh Abbey, co. York, which he afterwards gave to his nephew, Sir William Belasyse. Elizabeth, m. to William Clervaux, of Crofts, co. York. RICHARD BELASYSE, Esq., LL.D., the son and heir, was constituted constable of Durham for life, to officiate in person, or by deputy. He m. Margery, eldest dau. and heiress of Richard Errington, Esq., of Cockley, in Northumberland, and dying 26 March, 1540, left issue, William, who d. an infant; WILLIAM, his heir; Anthony Francis, Thomas, Anthony, Richard, who all d. unm.; Cecilia; Anne; Margaret, n. to Wm. Pulleyne, Esq., of Scotton, co. York; and Jane, m. John, son and heir of Sir Ralph Hedworth, of Harraton, in Durham. created a BARONET upon the institution of that dignity, 29 June, 1611. Sir Henry m. Ursula, dau. of Sir Thomas Fairfax, of Denton, co. York, and had issue, THOMAS, his successor. Dorothy, m. to Sir Conyers Darcy, Knt. of Hornby. He was 8. at his decease by his son, SIR THOMAS BELASYSE, 2nd baronet, b. 1557, and advanced to the peerage by the title of BARON FAUCONBERG, of Yarm, co. York, 25 May, 1627. His lordship, adhering faithfully to the fortunes of King CHARLES I., was created, 31 January, 1643, VISCOUNT FAUCONBERG, of Henknowle, co. palatine of Durham. His lordship was subsequently at the siege of York, and at the battle of Marston Moor, under the Duke of Newcastle, with whom he fled to the continent after that unfortunate defeat. He m. Barbara, dau. of Sir Henry Cholmondeley, Bart., of Roxby, co. York, and had issue, HENRY, M.P. for co. York; of whom Clarendon writes:Harry Belasis, with the Lord Fairfax, the two knights who served in parliament for Yorkshire, signed articles for a neutrality for that county, being nearly allied together, and of great kindness, till their several opinions and affections had divided them in this quarrel; the Lord Fairfax adhering to the parliament, and the other, with great courage and sobriety, to the king." Mr. Belasyse m. Grace, dau. and heiress of Sir Thomas Barton, of Smithells, co. Lancaster, and dying in the lifetime of his father, left issue, THOMAS, successor to his grandfather. Henry, d. unm. Rowland (Sir), K.B., m. Anne, eldest dau. and heiress of James-Humphrey Davenport, Esq., of Sutton, co. Chester, and dying in 1699, left THOMAS, Who s. as 3rd Viscount Fauconberg. |