erred to the great preiudice of the honourable Lord viscount Monta-cute the Lord Cobham and the Baron Wentworth with manie other now liuing descended of the same honourable familie the true discent here following will explaine Michael De-la-Poole Lord Wingfield Earle of Suffolke and knight of the noble order of the Garter sonne and heire of Sir William De-la-Poole knight Banneret and of Katherine his wife sister of sir Iohn Norwich knight had issue Michaell De-la-Poole the second Earle of Suffolke who died at Haresflew 1415. leauing issue two sonnes Michaell De-la-Poole Earle of Suffolk that died at the battell of Agincourt in the 3. yeare of Henry the fift without issue William De-la-Poole Marques and afterward Duke of Suffolke who was beheaded on the seas 26. of king Henrie the sixt whom you make sonne to his grandfather Michaell the first of that name And for the better satisfying of the world that this Michaell De-la-Poole the first Earle of Suffolke of that familie was not basely descended nor a marchant of Hull as you and others after you haue written I haue hereto added a deede of the said Michaels before he was Earle which doth proue his father mother brother sister and children MIchael De-la-poole dominus Wingfield c. I Michael De-la-Poole Lord Wingfield doe confirme certaine landes to the religious house of Saintcleare neare vnto Kingstone vpon Hull the which lands were before giuen by sir William De-la-Pole knight my father to pray for the good estate of king Richard and for Michaell De-la-poole Iohn Thomas William Richard and Margaret my children and for sir Edmond De-la-Poole knight my Brother and Margaret Neuill my sister and for the soules of sir William De-la-Poole my father and Katherin my mother c. Witnesses Alexander Archbishop of York Henrie Percie Earle of Northumberland Thomas Sutton Robert de Hilton and Walter Fawconbridge knights with manie others Dated at Hull the first of March the seuenth yeare of the reigne of King Richard the second HEngham the Barons thereof were called the Barons of Rhia who discended from Iohn Marshall nephew of William Marshall Earle of Penbroke by his brother to whome King Iohn gaue the lands of Hugh Gurney a traitor togither with the daughter and coheire of Hubert de Rhia From the Marshals the same came to the Morleys and from them by the Louels to Parker now Lord Morley Pag. 360. NOw comming to speake of the Barons of Rhia let mee by your patience put you in minde of a late conference had before the now right honourable Earle marshall of England concerning the true coates of the two families of Bygot Earle of Norfolke and Marshall Earle of Penbroke Master Garter hauing before that time set downe and quartered in diuerse noble personages atchieuements for Marshals coate quarterly gold and vert a Lion passant Gules a coate latelie deuised and for Bygots coate perpale golde and vert a Lion rampant Gules neither of them both being in truth their right coates My selfe being commaunded to say what I knew touching these matters shewed for Marshals coate one faire deed with a seale of Armes thereto of Iohn Marshall father of William Marshall Earle of Penbroke and Anselme that was father to Iohn Marshall Baron of Rhia on which seale was written Iohn Marshall and in his shield or escucheon a bend fuzulie Also I shewed a transcript of an other deed of the said Iohn in which was written Iohn sonne of Iohn the Kinges Marshall with the same Armes of a bend fuzulie testified vnder the hand of an Officer of armes long before that time deceased Lastly I shewed an old roll of Armes wrought in colorus in Henrie the thirds time wherein was the same coate viz. Gules a bende fuzulie golde and ouer the heade thereof written the name of Marshall All which proofes notwithstanding your selfe being there then present verie stedfastlie denied the same to bee the coate of Marshall Earle of Penbroke affirming that bend fuzulie to be the peculiar coate of Marshall Baron of Rhia who was as you then said of no consanguinitie to Marshall Earle of Penbroke For further maintaining of which your speach you then shewed two newe petegrees lately contriued and made by your consent declaring the saide two Marshals to bee seuerall families and not one Since which time perusing well your Britannia fol. 360 I finde the same there auouched by yourselfe for truth which at that time you so confidently denied before the said Earle Marshall viz. That Iohn Marshall Baron of Rhia was nephew to William Marshall Earle of Penbroke by his brother which is quite contrarie to your speeches before vsed By this your information of these Marshals to be seuerall families without which you had no colour to maintaine your errour for that the Barons of Rhia alwayes vsed for their coate of Armes the said bend fuzulie the right coate of Marshall is like now to bee neglected and the Lion in the parted field vsed in stead thereof the same being the peculiar coate borne by Marshall and Bygot when they were Marshals of Englnd and not belonging to anie one priuate name as by many other good proofes it may appeare And because I would not haue any heareafter to stand doubtfull which of vs both are to be beleeued touching these two Marshals to bee discended of one parent I will here set downe the record that doth warrant the same Which being proued I trust you will shew vs some reason why the yonger brother did beare the bend fuzulie if not discended to him from his father That done I will then shew you proofe howe and when both the elder Marshall and Bygot did beare the Lion on the parted field which you missed to find in Master Somersets Notes and Master Leylands twelue bookes lent you by master Iohn Stow in whose custodie I haue seene diuerse of them being most excellent and rare works touching the description of this Countrey written not vpon here-say and reportes but vpon his eye-sight and long trauell from towne to towne and place to place vpon the Kings charge and Commission which Bookes I wish might bee published in the right Authours name EX Rotulo cartarum de Anno quinto Regis Iohannis Iohannes Mariscallus nepos Guilielmi Marescalli comitis Penbroc Habet terras in Norfolke Suffolke quae fuerunt Hugonis de Gornaco proditoris regis terram quae fuit Hugonis de Angee in Norfolke Kantelee Castre c. Testibus I. Norwich Episcopo Gulielmo Marescallo Comit. Penbroc Galfrid filio Petri Comit. Essex Roberto filio Rogeri Hugone de Neuill Dat. apud Merleberge 16. Ianuarii KIng Stephen gaue Norwich to his sonne William from whom king Henrie the second tooke it againe and kept it himself although that Henrie his sonne called the yong King had when hee had aspired vnto the crowne with great protestation promised the same vnto Hugh Bygot whom he had drawne vnto his faction Bygot notwithstanding following the yong kings side who
coulde not containe his hope offered touching the kingdome within the bounds of right and reason grieuouslie afflicted this citie And afterward being made Earle of Norfolke he is thought to haue builded that Castle vpon a high hill neare to the Church which being maruailous deepely entrenched about was in those dayes thought impregnable But Lewis the Frenchman to whom the seditious Barons of England had sworne their fidelitie easilie tooke the same by composition We thinke in deed that Bygot did build this Castle because we haue seene their Lyons saliant in the same forme engrauen in stone as the Bygots vsed them in their seales before they obtained the honour of Marshals Pag. 363. IF your wordes here had beene but coniecturall or gathered by reports as in many other places they are you should haue lesse discredited your selfe then by affirming you had seene that which in truth you did neuer see for where you say We thinke that the Bygots builded this Castle because wee haue there seene Lions saliant in the same forme engrauen in stone as the Bygots vsed in their seales before they obtained the honour and office of Marshall certaine it is that on the said Castle there are no Lions saliant nor any such Ensigne or token as the Bygots did beare in seale or shield or any Armes at all And for that you did of late as before vpon conference had before the now Earle Marshall of England affirme the saide Lious saliant vpon the Castle walles of Norwich to bee the true Armes of the Bygots before they came to bee Marshals of England my selfe hauing seene diuerse deedes of the said Bygots to prooue the contrarie the Seales whereof were Shieldes charged onelie with a plaine Crosse which coate you then auouched to be the Armes of Vlster whervpon I for my better satisfaction therein did ride to Norwich for to search the truth of your speach and going into the said castle I founde ouer the first gate two great stones fixed of some yarde square and vppon each of them a Lyon passant cowardie their tayles turning vnder their bellies and comming ouer their backes but in no Shielde or Escucheon And seeking more diligentlie all other places about the saide Castle I did finde ouer the hall doore other two like stones with a Lyon also vppon each of them but contrarie to the former for these were passant regardants with their tayles ouer their backes and the endes in their mouthes yet neither in Shielde nor Escucheon And therefore no such coate armour is there vppon the Castell of Norwich as you sayde you had seene that the Bygots did vse in their Shieldes and Seales In consideration of this my great paines and iourney I desire but that you will from hencefoorth make a difference betweene the Antique fictions of a caruers braine and the right ensignes of our auncient Nobilitie which you say Were in King Henrie the thirds time but euerie mans owne inuentions they being long time before the honorable rewardes and tokens of valorous persons VVOrmegay commonly called wrongay was giuen by William the third Earle Warren and Surrey to Reignald de Warren his younger brother by whose grandchilde Nicholea daughter of William his sonne it was forthwith translated to the Bardolphs who bare for their armes in a shield Azur three Cinkfoyles golde a great part of whose inheritance togither with the dignitie fell to William Philips and by his daughter vnto the viscount Beaumount Pag. 369. YOur bare imagination coÌ„cerning the gift of Wormegay by William Earle Warren to his yonger brother is nothing probable for Reignald de Warren had the same by marriage with the daughter heire of William de Wormegay not by any gift of his brother And where you affirme the said Reignald had a grandchild by his sonne William named Nicholea married to Bardolph I say he neuer had anie such grandchild but two others called Beatrix and Isabell which Beatrix was married to Bardolph as by the testimonie of seuerall deedes here following it may appeare NOtum sit omnibus tam praesentibus quam futuris quod ego Reginaldus de Warren c. Be it knowne vnto all men aswell present as they that shall be hereafter that I Reignald de Warren haue giuen my church of PlumbtoÌ„ to the Canons of Southwark for the health of my soule and of Alice my wife William my sonne Isabel the Countesse my mother and William Earle Warren my brother and of William de wormegay father of Alice my said wife c. SCiant praesentes futuri quod ego Gulielmus de Warren c. Let those men know that are present and they that shall come hereafter that I William de Warren do giue and confirme to the Canons of Southwarke thirtie Acres of land in â—otisâ—ray for the health of mine owne soule my father Reignald my mother Alice and my wife Beatrix my sonne Reignald and my daughters Beatrix and Isabell and for all my auncestors c. VVIlliam the Conquerour made Raph the first Earle of Norfolke who as I haue saide stirring vp newe Rebellion had for his successor Hugh Bygot Earle of Norfolke who had the third pennie of the said Countie as appeareth in his Charter of creation giuen him by king Henrie the first whose stewarde he was After whom in direct succession from father to sonne followed Hugh that tooke part with Henrie the yong king against king Henrie the second his father Roger which flourished in king Iohns time Hugh who died in the yeare of our Lord 1225. Roger who in right of his wife brought into his familie the Honor of Marshall of England for he married Maude the eldest daughter and one of the heires of William Marshall Earle of Penbroke by whom he had issue Roger earle of Norfolke who being wounded with running at the tilt died without issue and Hugh Bygot Lord chiefe Iustice being slaine in the battell of Lewis his sonne Roger was placed after his vncles death in the Earldome of Norfolke and dignitie of Marshal who incurring the displeasure of king Edward the second was inforced to passe ouer all his honours and almost his whole inheritance to the king Pag. 370. THe errors herein are these first you say that Hugh Bygot was Earle of Norfolke and had the third pennie of that Countie as appeareth by his Charter of creation giuen him by king H. the first For answere I say you haue not seene nor can proue any such Charter as you here auouch neither was he the said Hugh or any of that familie Earle before the first yeare of king Stephen who then made him Earle of Norfolke because he being present at the death of king Henrie the first testifie before the Archbishop of Canterburie and other the Barons of this realme that hee heard king Henry vpon his death bed say his will was that his Nephew Stephen and not Maude his daughter should succeede him in his kingdome of England Secondly where you reckon a confused
A DISCOVERIE OF CERTAINE ERROVRS PVBLISHED IN PRINT IN the much commended Britannia 1594. Very preiudiciall to the discentes and successions of the auncient Nobilitie of this Realme By Yorke Herault Quam quisque norit artem in hac se exerceat TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE ROBERT EARLE OF ESSEX Earle Marshal of England Viscount Hereford and Bourchier Lo. Ferrers of Chartley Bourchier and Louayne Knight of the most Noble order of the Garter c. Lord generall of her Maiesties Forces in her Realme of Irelande And to all other the Nobilitie of England RIght Honorable hauing vpon deligent search apprehended within the compasse of my profession and science of Heraldry certaine errours in descentes and successions such as may be scandolous to the gray heares of Antiquitie and preiudiciall to the branches of our Nobilitie I thought it my duetie to present them as Captiues at your Honors feete being the vndoubted Champion of trueth and the worthy Marshall of all Heroike magnanimitie and honour vnto whom I humble my selfe for a fauourable censure and protection of this my poore seruice As no childe is so deformed but the father commonly hath a naturall affection towardes it so these errours will no doubt be both fathered and fauoured of the Author whose reputation for Learning is so great and beard of Antiquitie lately growne so long that the goodly Britannia Mother of vs all is become his daughter trayned vp and taught to speake Latine in his Schoole onely she lisps and makes no good congruitie in these principles of Herauldy For which I challendge him not that my exception and challendge is about the wordes and tearmes of our Arte that is the least but touching the falsifiyng of Noble discentes depriuing some Nobles of issue to succeede them who had issue of whom are discended many worthie families Naming others to haue but one sole Daughter and heyre when they had diuers Sonnes and Daughters Denying Barons and Earles that were and making Barons and Earles of others that were not mistaking the Father for the Sonne and the Sonne for the Father affirming legittimate children to be illigittimate and illigittimate to be legittimate those to be basely borne who were in deede discended of very honourable Parentage assigning Armes and ensignes of Honour to others not their owne Lastly the framing incestious and vnnaturall mariages making the Father to marrie his Sonnes wife and the Sonne his owne Mother These and such like matters of importaunce are the errours that I haue examined and attached to abide your Honours censure and reformation For whom with bowed hart and knee I pray to God for all increase of honor harts contentment and happie victorie Your Honours in all duetie Ra. Brooke Yorke Herault at Armes TO MAISTER CAMDEN WHere as You expect thankes at the handes of her Maiesties Heraults for entermedling so sparingly and gently with that which appertaineth to their profession Contrarie to your expectation and answerable to your deserts my selfe being the most vnable haue vndertaken to answere your vnkinde speeches as also your vntrue and erronious writing touching matters of our profession and science published in your Britannia In deede you dealt but sparingly and after a sort gently as you say in the handling of our misteries at the first but in your fourth and last Edition though your Preface spake as it did sparingly still yet your Booke hath swelled with large additions of Herauldrie in which you haue by your patience been too busie and venterous except your proceedinges in those poyntes had been more firmely grounded vpon experience And I doubt not but the grouth and encrease of your Booke hath sprung from some of those Heraults labours which you so much holde in scorne Nay it can not be denyed but since the death of Glouer late Somerset Herault 1588. you haue gleaned not onely handfuls but whole sheaues out of his industrious collections being reserued in the Librarie of that Honorable Lord Treasurer deceased and by that meanes incommoned to your vse and free recourse I would his Gloues might haue fitted your handes in such sort as you might haue smoothly carried them away his Notes I meane I wish you had neither misunderstood nor misreported as contrariwise you haue in such palpable maner that me thinks euer hereafter you should distrust your selfe in the search of such mysticall poyntes without the aduice of an Herault better experimented then your selfe I prognosticate alreadie what entertainement in these mine aduertisementes I shall haue It will be obiected from your selfe that I vnderstande not your Booke I confesse mine intelligence not so great but my feare is the greater and my care the more to vnderstande you by helpes so that the trust in my selfe is the lesse And this suspition I hope will force me to make sure worke in that I vndertake Valure they say may be too bolde and Learning too full of quillities the one standing more vpon the brauerie of his fyght then the goodnes of the quarrell the other more vpon the generalitie of his knowledge then the trueth of his cause The mother tongue of euery Nation as you affirme is the best conseruer of Originall names And your selfe endeuour to get a more ample credite in Historie by auouching that you haue read ouer many home-bredd Historinas By your example therefore I am induced to beleeue that English Authors and English Heraults though they haue concealed their trauayles from the worlde and not published a Rapiamus generall vpon euerie light occasion are to be credited for the trueth of English successions discentes and reportes of all honorable designementes Againe who is more vnfit to describe the trueth of actions in their proper nature then such affectate Nouices as haue their mouthes and pennes running ouer with the foaming Muste of vn-refined Eloquence who chouse rather to let the trueth of the matter slip then to abate one title of their selfe-pleasing phrase Therefore I haue heard meny great statsmen affirme that the Court hath affourded more absolute Wisemen for any actiue employment in the Common-wealth then the Schooles which falleth out especially because to these proceedinges of the one in Arte there hath not been added some lecture of discretion to qualifie the same withall which is to be had dayly by examples and practise in the other And doubtles for a meere Scholler to be an Historian that must take vp all by hearesay and vncertaine rumors not being acquainted with the secretes and occurrences of state matters I take it as many others affirme with me verie vnfit and dangerous I hope you will in some sort acknowledge this to be true if indifferently you take a viewe of these errours by your selfe committed a man of so rare knowledge and singular industrie Yet no one man so generally well seene in all thinges but an inferior person in some one speciall matter may goe beyonde him In regarde whereof contemne not these few Collections of mine wherein I haue not vaunted my Learning
had issue Richard Earle of Clare which was slaine by the Welshmen This Richard had issue three sonnes Gilbert Earle of Clare that dyed without issue Roger Earle of Clare created Earle of Hertford by Henry the second and Robert his third sonne from whom the familie of Fitz-Walters discended Roger begat Richard Earle of Clare Hertford who marryed Amicia yongest daughter and heire of William Earle of Glocester Pag. 350. YOur historicall reportes are very changeable for in the title of Haresfield Pag. 312. you tell vs that Richard was Earle of Clare in William the Conquerors time and now here you affirme that Gilbert his sonne was the first Earle of Clare of that familie And againe in the title of Dunmowe there haue you set downe this Robert the third sonne of Earle Richard truely to be the sonne of the first Richard that came into this land with William the Conqueror but here will you haue him to be great grand-child to the same Richard Which by no meanes the now Earle of Sussex will consent vnto because thereby he shall loose two of his greattest auncestors with their wiues they being the daughters and heires of Saint-Lyce Earle of Northampton and the Lord Lucy which were both marryed the one to the said Robert and the other to Walter his sonne as more plainely doth appeare by the true discent here following Richard sonne of Gilbert Earle of Angy in Normandye was Lorde of Tunbridge and Clare in England by the gift of William the Conqueror and had issue Gilbert Earle of Clare Roger that dyed without issue 1173. and Robert who was Sewer to king Henry the first and Lord of Dunmow by the said kings gift He maryed Matilda de Sainct-Lice lady of Bradham and had issue Walter Lord and Baron of Woodham that had to wife Matilde the daughter and coheire of Richard Lucy Lord chiefe Iustice of England in Henry the seconds time Of which Walter the honorable familie of Fitz-walters tooke first their surname He dyed 1198. leauing the second Robert his sonne to succeede him who dyed in the 19. yeare of king Henry the third So that by this your mistaking you would cut off the first Robert and Walter his sonne making the second Robert to be the first that came from the maine line of the familie of Clares And for proofe hereof I wish you to examine Gemiticensis who will affirme the same to be true that I haue here said GEffery Magnauill made Walden the seate and head of his honor and Earledome Pag. 342. THe dignitie and Earledome of the Magnauills whilest they were honored with the title of Earles was Essex and not Walden Well that familie might be Lordes and owners thereof but that neuer the head of their honour and Earledome Wherefore if your Author so write hee did it rather like a nouice then an Herauld and your discretion may be suspected in that you played not rather your parte to teach him to speake more Herauld-lyke then to bring in his absurd tearmes for a testimonie amongst Earledomes and Honors THe first Earles of Essex of the Norman race was Geffrey Magnauill commonly called Mandeuill sonne of William by Margaret heire of Eudo the Sewer who was slaine in battell in king Stephens time There succeeded him two sonnes Geffrey and William from whome by a daughter that honour went to Geffrey Fitz-Pieres whose two sonnes Geffrey and William succeeded in that honor Geffrey dyed yong slayne at the Tilte William tooke parte with Lewis of Fraunce against king Iohn and dyed without issue 1227. After whome succeeded Humfrey de Bohun Earle of Hereford and Constable of England who had marryed their sister Pag. 343. YOur vndiscreete wordes vsed in this place may make those noble personages deceased to be called in question for that which nature abhorreth but it were better your penne should prooue a false witnesse then so heynous a matter true Shall we surmise as you write in this page that Humfrey de Bohun sonne of Henry did marrye his owne mother Assuredly we might seeme in so dooing not onely ouer-credulous but also irreligious Yet you say here Humfrey Bohun marryed the sister and heire of William Magnauill Earle of Essex who dyed without issue 1227. Which by no meanes we may beleeue because the match were against nature if it be true that Henry Bohun marryed with that sister and heire of William Magnauill aforesaid which is so vndoubted a trueth that voluntarily it drops out of your owne penne Pag. 479. of your booke in the title of the Earles of Hereford Besides that it is most euident that the saide Henrie in the right of his wife aboue mencioned was the first Earle of Essex of that familie as appeareth by a Charter of king Henrie the thirde in the 25. yeare of his reigne concerning lands that he gaue to the Abbay of Westminster whereunto the said Henrie was a witnesse by the name of Henrie de Bohun Earle of Hereford and Essex and Constable of England And further to manifest that it was not Humfrey the sonne of this Henrie that married with Matilda Know you that she died 1236. in the one and twentie yeare of king Henrie the third which was during the life of the said Henry her husband and foure years before he was a witnesse to the kings Charter aforesaide AFter the death of the familie of Bigots and Vffords Richard the second aduanced Michael De-la-Poole from a Marchant to the Honour and dignitie of Earle of Suffolke and Lorde Chauncellor of England King Henrie the sixt created William his sonne first Marques and after Duke of Suffolke He was beheaded on the Seas and left issue Iohn who married the sister of king Edward the fourth Pag. 357. VVHat is it that you will not vndertake to write and publish of a meane person when you verie vniustly haue wrōged that honorable familie of De-la-Pooles reporting Michael De-la-Poole the first Earle of that name to haue beene aduaunced by Richard the second from a Merchant of Hull Pag. 549. to the dignitie of Earle of Suffolke he being a knight of the noble order of the Garter by the Satutes whereof none can bee elected vnlesse hee be borne gentle three discents both of father and mother Also it doth appeare by an inquisition taken the 9. of Edwarde the third that sir William De-la-Poole knight Banneret father of this Michael was sonne and heire of sir William De-la-Poole knight All which testimonies might haue satisfied you or any other reasonable person both to haue thought and written more reuerentlie of him But not herewith contented you after depriue him the saide Michaell both of his sonne and eldest grandchild which succeeded him in the said dignitie the one after the other by the names of Michaell the second and Michaell the thirde placing in their rowmes as immediate successor and son to the foresaid first Michaell William De-la-Poole duke of Suffolke his second grandchilde In both which points howe much you haue