Crest. On a wreath, a buffalo's head erased, sable, crowned and gorged with a ducal coronet, and armed, or.

Supporters. Two man-tigers affrontée, or, their visages like the human, proper.

Motto. IN VERITATE VICTORIA, and HONORANTES NE HONORABO.

Chief Seat.

At Donnington-park, in the county of Leicester, which his Lordship has lately rebuilt in a Gothic manner; and at Moira in Ireland.

SIR ROBERT WILLOUGHBY, LORD WILLOUGHBY OF ERESBY, who died 1397, had issue by his first wife, Alice Skipwith, first, William, Lord Willoughby of Eresby, ancestor to the present peeress of that title.

By his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Lord Zouch, of Haringworth, he had (besides a son who died young),

Sir THOMAS Willoughby, second son, who married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of John Nevile, Lord Latimer, by whom he

had

Sir JOHN WILLOUGHBY, Knight, his only son and heir, who by Joan, daughter and heir of ....... Welby, had

Sir JOHN Willoughby, Knight, his only son and heir, who married Anne, daughter and coheir of Sir Edmund Cheney, of Broke in the county of Wilts, Knight, by Alice his wife, daughter and coheir of Sir Humphry Stafford, of Hooke, Knight, and by her had issue,

First, Sir Robert, of whom presently.

Second, Sir William, seated at Turner's Piddel com. Dorset ; third, Richard, seated at Sibton com. Dorset; fourth, Edward; fifth, Cicely, a nun; sixth, Elizabeth, married William Currant, of Tuinber com. Somerset.

Sir ROBERT Willoughby, Knight, son and heir, FIRST LORD WILLOUGHBY DE BROKE, was a great partizan of Henry, Earl of Richmond, with whom he had a share in the battle of Bosworth, after which, on the Earl's succession to the throne by the title of HENRY VII. he was for his fidelity and services advanced to the peerage, by a writ of summons, 7 Hen. VII. by the title of LORD

WILLOUGHBY DE BROKE, (the place of his residence near Westbury in Wiltshire, so called from the little torrent running there.)

He was captain-general of the forces sent in aid of the Duke of Britanny against the French, 4 Hen. VII.; and marshal of the English army sent into France, 8 Hen. VII. He was one of the chief commanders against the Cornish insurrection, 12 Hen. VII.

Having been summoned to parliament in 11 and 12 Hen. VII. he made his will August 19th, 1502; and soon after died, the probate bearing date 25th December following. He married Blanch, daughter and heir of Sir John Champernoun, Knight, by whom he had Sir Robert, his son and heir; and a daughter, Elizabeth, married to John, Lord Dynham.

ROBERT, SECOND LORD WILLOUGHBY DE BROKE, was in 3 Hen. VIII. one of the chief commanders of those forces then sent into Biscay, on the behalf of Ferdinand, King of Arragon, against the French, with design to invade Guyen.

He died of a pestilential disorder, November 10th, 13 Hen. VIII. having married two wives. a

His first wife was Elizabeth, eldest of the three daughters and coheirs of Richard, Lord Beauchamp of Powyck, in the county of Worcester, and of Alcester in the county of Warwick. By her he had,

First, Edward, his son and heir, of whom presently.

By his second wife Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset (who, surviving him, re-married William Blount, Lord Montjoy), he had two sons, and two daughters, viz.

Second and third, Henry and William, who died of the sweating sickness.

and

Elizabeth, married to John Powlett, Marquis of Winchester;

Anne, to Charles Blount, son and heir to William, Lord Montjoy.

EDWARD Willoughby, eldest son and heir apparent, died in his father's lifetime, having married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Nevile, Lord Latimer, by whom he left three daughters, his coleirs, viz.

First, Elizabeth, married to Fulke Grevile, second son of Sir Fulke Grevile, of Milcote in Warwickshire, Knight.

a He had also two bastard sons, William and George Willoughby, and a bastard daughter, Margaret.

Second, Anne, died single.

Third, Blanch, married Sir Francis Dautry, Knight, but died issueless.

By ELIZABETH Willoughby, the eldest daughter and coheir, Sir FULKE GREVILE had issue,

First, Sir Fulke, of whom presently.

Second, Robert, ancestor to the present Earl of Warwick, and Earl Brooke.

Third, Sir Edward.

Sir FULKE, eldest son, died in 1606, having married Anne, daughter of Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmoreland, by whom he had issue,

First, Sir FULKE, created LORD BROKE OF BEAUCHAMP'S COURT, 1620. He died unmarried, September 30th, 1628.

b

Second, MARGARET, sister and sole heir, married Sir RICHARD VERNEY, Knight, of Compton-Murdac com. Warwick, who was born in 1563.

son,

son,

b This family is descended from* WILLIAM DE VERNAI, whose

WILLIAM, is mentioned to be living A. D. 1119; and A. D. 1148. His

ROGER de Vernai, was living in the reign of Henry II, and had issue ROGER de Vernai, or Verney, seated at Bromshulfe in com. Stafford, who had issue

SIMON de Vernai, living in the reign of Richard I. He married Agnes, + daughter of William Bagot, of the Hide in com. Stafford, and sister of Hervey Bagot, of that place (progenitor of the Barons of Stafford) and by her had issue

HERVEY de Verney, of Bromshulfe aforesaid, living in the reign of Edward I. who had issue

RICHARD, his son and heir, who lived at Madeley in com. Hereford, in 7 Edward II. and had issue

SIMON de Verney, of Madeley, in 21 Edward II. and he had issue, WILLIAM de Verney, mentioned in 14 and 27 Edward III. who married. Alice, sister and coheir to Thomas de Langley; (after whose decease, she married to her second husband, Gyles de Bassingburne, and to her third, John Hemington). The said William had issue by her, ||

First, SIMON de Verney, who died in 41 Edward II.; and,

Second, WILLIAM de Verney, born 20 Edward III. possessed of the lordship of Byfield cum Trafford in com. Northampton, who was living in 51 Edward III. and by Elizabeth, his wife, had issue

Ex Collect. MS. T. Meller.

Dugd. Antiq. of Warw. p. 435, 567.
§ Ibid.

Ex Collect. præd,

Ibid.

They were both buried in Compton church; for whom was erected in the chancel an altar-monument, their effigies in full proportion lying thereon, and on the verge this inscription:

c

JOHN de Verney, who was escheator of the county of Worcester, in Henry VI. and by Alice, his wife, had issue,

First, Richard; and,

Second, John Verney, rector of Breedon in com. Worcester, + made dean of Litchfield in 1432, and was also supervisor and receiver-general to Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, but died without issue.

The said RICHARD de Verney, in ‡ 20 Henry VI. was in possession of the manor of Compton-Murdock in Warwickshire, and built a noble manorhouse there; wherein, besides his own arms, with the matches of his ancestors, he then set up, in a fair canton.window towards the upper end of the hall, the arms of King Henry VI. Queen Margaret, Humphrey, Earl of Stafford, (afterwards created Duke of Buckingham) Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, and the Lord Zouch, with some others; by which it appeareth, that he was one of those that adhered to the house of Lancaster. In 21 Henry VI. he was in commission for conservation of the § peace, and continued therein till 14 Edward IV. (except for the first six years of King Edward's reign) being also in || 38 Henry VI. a commissioner for arraying all men able to bear arms in the county of Warwick; and the next year received the honour of kinghthood. He ¶ departed this world in 5 Henry VII. leav ing, by Eleanor his wife, daughter and heir of John Loutham, of Northampton, a daughter, Anne, married to Sir Richard Montfort, Knight; and Edmund, his son and heir, forty-nine years of age.

Which EDMUND had special letters ** of protection from Thomas, Lord. Stanley, steward of the household to Edward IV. dated November 3d, 8 Ed. IV. exempting him from being subject to any seizure on his corn, beeves, muttons, or any thing else, for the King's household provision, without payment of ready money for the same; and in 21 Edw. IV. bore the office ++ of escheator of the counties of Warwick and Leicester.

In 2 Rich. III. he was in ‡‡ commission for arraying of men in the county of Warwick; and by his last will, bearing date §§ February 24th, 1494, bequeathed his body to be interred in the conventual church of the friars preachers at Warwick, between the altar of our lady, and the altar of St. Dominic, on the north part; ordering that, by the care of his executors, a lamp should be continually maintained burning in the chancel of that church before the host; and ||| died within two days after, leaving by Elizabeth his c Dugd. Antiq. of Warw. p. 437.