her, in a short time, to remove every vestige of devastation which the civil wars had left. These great works she was not backward to commemorate. Most of her erections bore, mutatis mu tandis, the same inscription; and perhaps there is no English character so frequently and so copiously recorded in stone and marble as the Countess Pembroke. "An early taste for poetry and history was instilled into her by her tutor, Daniel, who was eminent in both. These services she repaid by an epitaph, in which her own name, as usual, is not forgotten. She erected the monument of Spenser in Westminster Abbey, and that of her father at Skipton, (where she reinscribed the tomb of the first and second Earl of Cumberland) together with a statue of her beloved mother at Appleby. "It is still more to her honour that she patronized the poets of her youth, and the distressed loyalists of her maturer age; that she enabled her aged servants to end their lives in ease and independence; and, above all, that she educated and portioned the illegitimate children of her first husband, the Earl of Dorset. Removing from castle to castle, she diffused plenty and happiness around her, by consuming on the spot the produce of her vast domains in hospitality and charity. Equally remote from the undistinguishing profusion of ancient times, and the parsimonious elegance of modern habits, her house was a school for the young, and a retreat for the aged, an asylum for the persecuted, a college for the learned, and a pattern for all. "The favourite authors of her early days may be conjectured from the library depicted on her great family portrait. When her eyes began to fail, she employed a reader, who marked on every volume or pamphlet the day when he began and ended his task. Many books so noted yet remain in the evidence-room at Skipton. Ingenuous curiosity, and perhaps too the necessary investigation of her claims to the baronies of the family, led her to compile their history, an industrious and diffuse, not always an accurate work, in which more perbaps might have been expected from the assistance of Sir Matthew Hale, who, though a languid writer, was a man of great acuteness and comprehension. "Her life was extended by the especial blessing of Providence, gA MS. copy of "Part of the Civile Wars" by this Poet, is among her evidences at Skipton. Whitaker. h See Stone the "Statuarie's Diary," published by Lord Orford. Spenser was patronized by her father, to whom the poet has inscribed not the best sonnet prefixed to the Fairy Queene." Ibid. frequently bestowed on eminently virtuous characters, to a period beyond which she could no longer hope to enjoy herself, or be useful to others; and she died March 22d, 1675, aged eighty seven. "Her person was tall and upright; her dress, after she resided in the North, usually of black serge; her features more expressive of tirmness than benignity. The principles of physiognomy are certainly fallacious; for no one who ever saw the picture of Lady Pembroke, without knowing whom it represented, would suppose it to have been meant for a beneficent and amiable woman. "Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, having died during the heat of the contest with Earl Francis, would probably have been refused interment at Skipton at all events she was buried at Appleby, where her illustrious daughter, partly from affection to her, and partly, it may be, from aversion to her uncle and cousin, whose bodies, as hath been said, did not completely close the vault, chose to accompany her; and a monument in that church, not unworthy of her name and virtues, commemorates, and I hope, will long commemorate, Anne Countess Dowager of Pembroke, Dorset, and Montgomery." i : On her decease, the BARONIES OF CLIFFORD, WESTMORELAND, AND VESCY, devolved (no issue remaining from Isabella, her youngest daughter) on her grandson, THOMAS, Sixth Farl of Thanet, son of Lady Margaret Sackville, daughter of the said Anne, Baroness de Clifford, by John Tufton, second Earl of Thanet. This Earl bringing his claim before the house of peers, their Lordships resolved, December 12, 1691, "That Thomas, Earl of Thanet, is the sole, lineal, and right heir to ROBERT DE CLIFFORD, first summoned to parlia ment as LORD DE CLIFFORD, dated December 29th, 28 Edw. I. and that the said title of LORD DE CLIFFORD, doth of right belong to the said Earl of Thanet, and his heirs." This Earl died July 30th, 1729, having married Lady Catherine, daughter of Henry Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, by whom he had three sons, who died infants, and five daughters, his coheirs. First, Lady Catherine, married, 1708, Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes, and had a daughter, married to Edward Southwell, whose son, Edward Southwell, was confirmed LORD DE CLIFFORD, 1776. i From Dr. Whitaker. Second, Lady Anne, married James, Earl of Salisbury. Third, Lady Margaret, married Thomas Coke, Earl of Lei cester. Fourth, Lady Mary, married, first, Anthony Grey, Earl of Harold; and secondly, John, first Earl Gower. Fifth, Lady Isabella, married Lord Nassau Powlett.i MARGARET, third daughter of the said Earl, and wife of THOMAS, late EARL OF LEICESTER, was confirmed BARONESS DE CLIFFORD, with all privileges, &c. thereto belonging, August 13, 1734; and her Ladyship had one only son, EDWARD, Viscount Coke, who died in 1753, and her husband, the Earl of Leicester, died April, 1759, upon which the title of Earl of Leicester became extinct; and her Ladyship dying without issue, February 28th, 1775, aged seventy-four, The BARONIES OF CLIFFORD, WESTMORELAND, and VESCY, were, in April, 1776, confirmed to k EDWARD SOUTHWELL, Esq. (grandson of Lady Catherine, eldest daughter of Thomas, Earl of Thanet), who was then member of parliament for the county of Gloucester, to which he had been first returned in 1763, and again in 1768, and 1774. i See vol. iii. p. 444. The ancient and honourable family of SOUTHWELL, derives its name from the town of Suelle, Sewel, Suthwell, or Southwell, (for so it is written in different records in the county of Nottingham); the chief branch whereof continued in residence there, and were lords thereof until the reign of Hen. VI. when the family began to flourish in the eastern and southern counties of England, many collateral branches being in that reign transplanted and dispersed into Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, &c. and were many of them persons of distinguished worth and eminence. JOHN SOUTHWELL,+ of Felix-hall, in the county of Essex, Esq. was representative in parliament for Lewes in Sussex, in 28 and 29 Hen. VI. and by his wife ‡ daughter of Samon, alias Pryde, had two sons, first, Robert; second, John, ancestor to the Viscounts Southwell, of the kingdom of Ireland. ROBERT, the eldest son and heir, was in 1415, made trustee to the Duke of Norfolk; and marrying § Isabella, daughter of John Boys, of Norfolk, Esq. had RICHARD, his heir, who, in the Act of Resumption, 3 and 4 Ed. IV. had his grant from the King saved; he married two wives, first, Amy, daughter and heir of Sir Edmund Wychingham, of Woodrising, in Norfolk, Lodge's Peerage, vol. iv. p. 223. +Ibid. p. 225. Visit. of Suffolk, anno 1561, fo. 39, in British Museum. ments, fo. 549 His Lordship married Sophia, third daughter of Samuel Campbell, of Mount Campbell, in the county of Leitrim, in Ireland, governess to the Princess Charlotte of Wales, and had issue, Knight, (by Alice, daughter and heir of Sir John Falstolfe, Knight) with whom he obtained that manor, where (quitting Felix-hall) he fixed his residence, and there his posterity had a noble seat and fine park, which continued in the family for many generations; and by her he had two sons, First, Sir ROBERT, who died in 1513, and whose first wife was Ursula, daughter and heir of John Bohun, of Mydhurst in Sussex, Esq. and his second was Ursula, daughter of Sir Philip Calthorpe, Knight, but he had no issue by them. Second, Francis, ancestor to the present Lord de Clifford, as will be declared presently. Also three daughters; Elizabeth, married to John Holdich; Alice, to John Burney; and Amy, to Ralph Burney. And by his second wife, who was Catherine, daughter of John Williams, Esq. and relict of Sturges, he had five sons; Thomas and Robert, who died young; Richard, (who left four daughters and coheirs); Thomas and Richard: also five daughters; Mary, Elizabeth, Amy, Catherine, and Frances. FRANCIS SOUTHWELL, above mentioned, becoming heir to his brother, Sir Robert, possessed the estate at Woodrising; he was Auditor of the Exchequer to Hen. VIII. and married* Dorothy, daughter and coheir of William Tendring, Esq. by Agnes, daughter and heir of Holbrook, by whom he had four sons; first, Sir Richard, his heir; second, Sir Robert, Master of the Rolls, whose descendants were seated at Woodrising; third, Francis, ancestor to the Southwells, of Longstratton in Norfolk; fourth, Anthony. SIR RICHARD, the eldest son, received the honour of Knighthood, and having married two wives, had by the first, who was Thomasine, daughter of Sir Roger Darcy, of Danbury in Essex, an only daughter, Elizabeth, married to George Heneage, of Hainton in com. Linc. Esq.; and having taken to his second wife Mary, daughter of Thomas Darcy, of Danbury aforesaid, had one son, Richard, of Horsham St. Faith's in Norwich; and two daughters, Catherine, married to Thomas Audley, of Berechurch in Essex, Esq; and Mary, who died in 1622, and was buried in St. Mary's church, Old Fishstreet, London; having had four husbands, first, Henry, son and heir of Sir Thomas Paston; second, William Drury, LL. D. Judge of the Prerogative Court, and Master of Chancery, to whom she was married in 1573, ‡ and he dying on December 15th, 1589, was buried at St. Mary Magdalen's, in Old Fish-street, London; third, Forde, of Dorsetshire; fourth, Sir Tho mas Gresley, of Staffordshire. RICHARD SOUTHWELL, of Horsham St. Faith's in Norwich, Esq. mar Visit of Norfolk, anno 1613, in Brit. Mus. Harl. MSS. No. 5823. Pedigree of Drury, MS. penes meips. See his character in Lodge's Holbein Heads, where his legitimacy is questioned. First, Edward, the present Lord. Second, Robert-Campbell, died July 15th, 1793. ried Bridget, daughter of Sir Roger Copley, of Roughay in Suffolk, Knt. and had one son RICHARD, who died in his father's lifetime, but having married Alice, third and youngest daughter of Sir Thomas Cornwallis, of Brome in Suffolk, Knt. ancestor to Earl Cornwallis, left by her two sons. First, Sir THOMAS, of Polylong in Ireland, Knt, who died June 12th, 1626, and by his wife Anne, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Harris, of Cornworthy in Devonshire, Knt. left two daughters and coheirs; Elizabeth, the eldest, was first married to Sir Edward Dowdall, of Kilfinney, in the county of Limerick, Knt.; secondly, to Donogh, son and heir of Sir Daniel O'Brien, of Carrigichoulta, in the county of Clare, Knt; and Frances, the youngest, married to William Lenthall, of Lachford, in com. Oxon. Second, ANTHONY, who died in Ireland, in 1623, and left by his first wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Ralph Shelton, Knt. ROBERT, his heir, who dying on April 3d, 1673, aged seventy, was buried in St. Multon's church, in Kinsale; he married Helena, daughter of Major Robert Gore, of Sherston in com. Wilts, and by her, who departed this life July 1st, 1679, aged sixty-six, and was buried at St Multon's, had two sons. First, Sir Robert. Second, Thomas, born November 24th, 1639, who died October 1, 1648, and was buried at St. Multon's; and a daughter, Catherine, born at Kinsale, September 1st, 1637, married May 4th, 1656-7, to Sir John Percival, Knt. (ancestor to the Earls of Egmont), and died August 17th, 1679. SIR ROBERT, the eldest son and heir, was born at Battin-Warwick, on the river of Bandon, near Kinsale, December 31st, 1635. He came for his education into England, in 1650, and spent his younger years at Queen's college, in Oxford, at Lincoln's Inn, and in travel abroad. He was clerk of the privy council to King Charles II. received the honour of Knighthood, November 20th, 1665; was the same year appointed envoy extraordinary to the 'court of Lisbon; in 1671, envoy extraordinary to the Conde de Monterey (Viceroy for the King of Spain), of the Spanish Netherlands; resigned the clerkship of the privy-council, December, 1679, and was appointed envoy extraordinary to the Elector of Brandenburg, in February following, attending in his way the Prince of Orange, at the Hague, by whose counsel that negociation was to be directed after his return he retired from public business, living at KingsWeston, till King William was advanced to the throne. He was then by his Majesty, made principal secretary of state for Ireland, and attended him in his expedition in 1690, for the reduction of that kingdom; holding the same office to his death. He had served in three parliaments; was five times chosen President of the Royal Society; and was member of the privy-council for the kingdom of Ireland. + He died at Kings-Weston, in Gloucestershire, September 11th, 1702, aged sixty-six years, and was buried at Henbury, in the same county, where a monument is erected to his memory. He was married on June 26th, 1064, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir * Lodge præd. p 228, Note, + Le Neve's Mon. Angl. vol. iv. p. 37 |