Butt, of Arlingham, in Gloucestershire, Esq. and by her had issue, John, fourth Earl; And, second, Vere, born in May 1761; who in 1808 became a Lieutenant General in the Army, and is now on half-pay. He married Miss Beecher (since dead), by whom he has issue, MaryAnne; Anne-Lucy; John; Vere-Bridget; Harriet-Jane; and Charlotte Anne. In 1790, and 1806, he was elected M. P. for Bridgwater. JOHN, eldest son, succeeded his father in 1788, as FOURTH EARL POULETT. He was born April 7th, 1756. He was married at St. George's, Hanover Square, 11th June 1782, to Miss Pococke, daughter of the late Admiral Sir George Pococke, Knight of the Bath, by whom he has issue, 1. John, Lord Hinton, born July 5th, 1783. 2. Sophia, born March 16th, 1785. 3. William, born Sept. 12th, 1789, in the Army; died Dec. 1805. 4. Vere, born Dec. 7th, 1791. 5. Harriet-Bridget-Anne, born July 4th, 1793. 6. Frederick-Charles, born July 6th, 1794. His Lordship was in 1795 appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber, which office he still holds; was Colonel of the Somersetshire Regiment of Fencible Cavalry in the late war; and is Colonel of the Militia of that county. Titles. John Poulett, Earl Poulett, Viscount and Baron Poulett, of Hinton St. George. Creations. Baron Poulett, of Hinton St. George, in the county of Somerset, June 23d, 1627, 3 Car. I. Viscount of the same place, and Earl Poulett, Dec. 24th, 1706, 5th of Queen Anne. Arms. Sable, three swords in pile, their points in base, Argent, pomels and hilts Or. Crest. On a wreath, an arm embowed in armour, and brandishing a sword, all proper. Supporters. On the dexter side, a savage man; on the sinister, a woman, both proper, wreathed about their loins and temples with ivy, Vert. Motto. Gardez la foy. Chief-Seats. At Hinton St. George in the county of Somerset; and at Buckland in the county of Dorset. Ir is singular, that the two great Cheshire families of EGERTON and CHOLMONDELEY, though they early took different surnames, sprung from the same male stock. That names of men and places have been variously written, is well known to all who have looked into our records, whereof there is an instance in this family of Cholmondeley, denominated from the lordship of Cholmondeley, in the hundred of Broxtor, in Cheshire, the name having been written twenty-five several ways; viz. Chulmundele, Chulmundelly, Chelmonsleigh, Chelmundelegh, Cholmonelegh, &c. as is evident from divers old deeds in the custody of the present Earl of Cholmondeley. In Domesday-Book (which contains an account of the lands, lordships, &c. in the several counties in England, except Westmoreland, Cumberland, Northumberland, and Durham, and was begun in the 14th of William the Conqueror, as the Red-book in the Exchequer manifests, but not finished till the 20th, as the book itself declares), it was wrote Calmundelei, and at that time was part of the possessions of ROBERT, son of HUGH, Baron of Malpas. Which Hugh also held in Cestrescire, as the same book testifies (besides the lordship of Calmundelei), the manors of Bedesfeld, Burwardeston, Hurdingebery, Depenbeche (now called Malpas), Tillestone, Christestone, Eghe, Hantone, Lawechedone, Dochintone, Cetelea, Brosse, Overtone, Cuntitone, Socheliche, Tusigeham, Bicheley, Bieretone, Burwardesley, Creuballe, Tidnistane, Bristone, Bolebery, Tivertone, Spurrestowe, Fentone, Sudetone, Butelege, and Cocneche. But the said a Spelman's Glossary, p. 176. Robert dying without issue male, the barony of Malpas, with the lordship of Calmundelei, &c. devolved on his only daughter and beir Lettice, married to RICHARD DE BELWARD, whose son (or grandson), WILLIAM de Belward, was married to Beatrix, daughter of Hugh Kiviliock, the fifth earl of Chester, and coheir to her brother Randal, Earl of Chester. He was, in right of his mother, Baron of Malpas, though it is said by some, that he had only half of the barony; but it is agreed by Sir William Dugdale, and other of our antiquaries, that he left issue three sons; David, Robert, bereafter mentioned, and Richard. DAVID, who from being Clerk (or Secretary), to the Earl of Chester, was sometimes wrote le Clerk, as also de Malpas, succeeded his father at Malpas; and after the earldom of Chester was annexed to the crown,f was Sheriff of the county of Chester, in 36 Henry III. bearing the name of David de Malpas. He left issue Sir William de Malpas, who died without lawful issue; Philip, second son, who seating himself at EGERTON, left that surname to his posterity, from whom the family of EGERTON is b Camden, in his Treatise on Surnames, says: "For variety and alteration of names in one family, upon diverse respects, I will give you one Cheshire example for all, out of an ancient roll belonging to Sir William Brereton, of Brereton, Knight, which I saw twenty years since. "Not long after the Conquest, William Belward, lord of the moiety of Malpas, had two sons, Dan David, of Malpas, surnamed Le Clerke, and Richard. Dan David had William, his eldest son, surnamed de Malpas; his second son was named Philip Gogh, one of the issue of whose eldest sons took the name of Egerton; a third son took the name of David Golborne; and one of his sons the name of Goodman. Richard, the other son of the aforesaid William Belward, had three sons, who took also divers names; viz. Thomas de Cotgrave; William de Overton; and Richard Little, who had two fons; the one named Ken Clarke, and the other John Richardson. Herein you may note alteration of names in respect of habitation, in Egerton, Cotgrave, Overton. In respect of colour, in Gogh, that is, Reds in respect of quality, in him that was called Goodman ; in respect of stature, in Richard Little; in respect of learning, in Ken-Clarke; in respect of the father's Christian name, in Richardson: all descending from William Belward. "And verily, the gentlemen of those so different names in Cheshire, would not easily be induced to believe they were descended from one house, if it were not warranted by so ancient a proof." Camd. Rem. 1637. p. 141. Records, &c. hujus Fam. MS. p. 103, 104. penes Præhon. Geo. com. Cholmondeley. 4 Banks supposes her to have been illegitimate. Extinct Peerage, 1. 203. e Ex Stemmate penes Joh. Egerton de Oulton, Arm. f Leicester's Antiquities of Cheshire, p. 178. 3 Ex Stemmate de Famil. de Egerton, penes Joh. Egerton, præd. VOL. IV. descended, whereof the present Earls of Bridgwater and Wilton are derived. Peter, another of the sons of the said David, took the name of Clerk; and his posterity, seated at Thornton, bore that surname, as was customary in those times. Which line terminated in the reign of Edward III. in six daughters and coheirs of Sir Peter le Clerk. I now return to ROBERT, second son of William, Baron of Malpas, of whom I am principally to treat, being the direct ancestor to this family of Cholmondeley, as all antiquaries agree; for having, by the gift of his father, the lordship of CHOLMONDELEY, and fixing his residence there, he assumed that surname (as was most usual in those times), which his posterity hath ever since retained. He married Mabel, daughter of Robert Fitz-Nigel, Baron of Halton, with whom he had the lordship of Christleton, and a release of the hospital of Cholmondeley. kTheir son and heir was Sir HUGH DE CHELMUNDELEIGH, as the name was then wrote in a charter,' without date, of Robert, son of Liulph, and Mabilla his wife, whereunto the said Sir Hugh de Chelmundeligh, and Robert, his son, were witnesses. He had a release from Ranulph,m Earl of Chester, for himself and his heirs, of all right of suits of courts, and justice, owing to the hundred of Broxstone, for his lands of Cholmundeley. Which release is without date (as in old times was usual), but is witnessed by Philip de Orebie, Justice of Chester, in the "beginning of the reign of Henry III. and many others. The said Sir Hugh is also mentioned in a fine, in 14 Henry III. between Sibil, daughter of William de Goldburne, and William Clerk, of Handley, levied before William de Vernon, then Justice of Chester. He married Felice, natural daughter of Ranulph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester and Lincoln, by whom he had the beforementioned Robert, his son and heir; Richard, second son; and a daughter, Felice. Which ROBERT, in several old deeds, is written Lord of Cholmondeley; and Simon de Christelton, styling him nepoti suo, releases to him his claim of two bovates of land, with the ap h MS. de Famil. de Cholmondeley, præd. p. 104. 1 Cart. penes Hen. Manwaring de Croxton, Arm. n Leicester's Antiquities of Cheshire, p. 178. k Ibid. 9 MS. ut antea, p. 6. purtenances in Christelton, which Sir Hugh de Chelmundeley, brother to him the said Simon de Christelton, gave to him. Which land, this Robert de Chelmundeley gave by charter to the abbey of Chester, with his body to be buried in the churchyard of St. Werbugh: Richard de Chelmundeley, his brother, releasing his claim thereto, as is evident from charters entered in the ledger book of the abbey of Chester. He married Beatrix, daughter to Urian St. Peire," or (as others), daughter of David le Clerk, baron of half the barony of Malpas, and sister to Idonea, the wife of Urian de St. Peire, by whom he had issue his son and heir, RICHARD, wrote Lord of Cholmondeley, in a deed without date, wherein he grants to Hugh, his son and heir, all his lands in Cholmondeley, Wythall, &c. He married Margery, sister and coheir of Richard de Kingsley,' and daughter of Sir Richard de Kingsley (Lord of Kingsley, Norley, Newton, Codington, and of the baily wick of Delamere-forest), who was great-grandson of Randle de Kingsley, who had the forestership of Delamere, of the grant of Randle, the first Earl of Chester of that name. The said Margery is mentioned in 29 Henry III. as one of the coheirs of Richard de Kingsley, her brother; and surviving her husband, grants, by deed without date," to Hugh de Camera, ber kinsman, and his heirs, one plow-land in Aston, paying one pair of white gloves yearly, at the feast of the Nativity of St. John Baptist, and one lance every second year; whereunto are witnesses, Robert de Celmundele, and others; and her seal, appendant, is a branch of a tree, circumscribed, in old characters, S. Margarie Celmundele. She had issue three sons (of whom, Richard, the eldest, died without issue); and several daughters. The eldest surviving son was HUGH de Cholmondeley, mentioned in several deeds, in the reign of Edward I. and II. He married Catherine, daughter of William de Spurstow, and left issue, Richard, his son and heir; William, hereafter mentioned; Robert, and Thomas. Robert is wrote son of Hugh de Cholmundelegh, in a writ of error, 23 Edward III. concerning lands in Wyncham, near Picmer; wherein he, and Alice his wife (daughter and coheir to John de Wasteneys, of Wyncham, in Cheshire), were, with TM MS. p. 86. Ex Collect. Will. Vernon de Shakerley. Ex Stemmate de Kingsley. u Cart. penes Tho. Aston de Aston, Bar. x Ex Origin. in Castro Cestr. |