pointed a Commissioner of the Excise, from which he retired in 1801; Horace, born Feb. 18th, 1753, baptized March 16th, in St. George's, Hanover Square, but died young, and was buried at Teddington; Robert-Francis, born June 24th, 1756, baptized July 22d. in St. George's, Hanover Square; Mary-Harriet, born April 4th, 1754, baptized in the parish of St.James, Westminster, killed by the overturn of the Princess of Wales's barouche, Oct. 2d, 1806; Jane-Elizabeth, born October 22d, 1758, baptized November 20th, in the parish of St. George, Hanover Square, and died an infant; Margaret, born July 8th, 1761, baptized Nov. 20th, in St. George's, Hanover Square, and died an infant; HesterFrances, born July 8th, 1763, baptized Aug. 2d, in St. George's, Hanover Square, married Dec. 3d, 1783, Sir William Bellingham, Baronet; Frederick died an infant; Charlotte died young.

His Lordship's eldest son and heir, George, Lord Viscount Malpas, born on Oct. 17th, 1724, served as a volunteer at the battle of Fontenoy, on May 11th, 1745, N. S. and immediately after was appointed Aid-de-camp to Sir John Ligonier, and after had a company of foot conferred on him, in Lieutenant-general Howard's regiment of foot. On the rebellion that happened at that time, he was appointed Lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of foot raised by his father, the Earl of Cholmondeley, for the suppression of the rebels. He served in the Parliament, 1768, for Corffe castle, in Dorsetshire; and for Bramber, in Sussex, in 1762; and was Colonel of the Cheshire Militia, and of the 65th regiment of foot. His Lordship married, on Jan. 19th, 1746-7, Hester, daughter and heir of Sir Francis Edwards, of Grete, and of the College in Shrewsbury, both in the county of Salop, Bart. His Lordship died on March 15th, 1764, leaving, by his said. Lady (who survived him) one son, George James, now Earl of Cholmondeley; and a daughter, Hester, born in 1755, at Burhill, near Cobham, in Surrey, who married, Sept. 6th, 1773, William Clapcot Lisle, Esq. since deceased; by whom she had a daughter, born July 9th, 1774, married, Feb. 23d, 1799, Charles Arbuthnot, Esq.

George, THIRD EARL OF CHOLMONDELEY, died June 10th, 1770, aged seventy, was buried at Malpas, in the county of Chester, on 21st of the same month, and was succeeded in honours and estates by his grandson,

GEORGE JAMES, the present and FOURTH EARL OF CHOLMONDELEY; born April 30th, 1749, in the parish of Hardingstone, in the county of Northampton. His Lordship was for some years

Lord-lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the county of Chester, and Governor of Chester castle. His Lordship, on June 14th, 1782, was appointed his Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of Berlin; on April 25th, 1783, he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, which he retained till 1804; and was at the same time sworn a Privy Counsellor. On the death of the late Horace Earl of Orford, he succeeded to the ancient Walpole estates at Houghton, &c. in Norfolk.

His Lordship married, April 25th, 1791, Lady GeorgianaCharlotte Bertie, sister and coheir (with Lady Willoughby of Eresby), to Robert late duke of Ancaster; by whom he has issue, 1. George-James, Viscount Malpas, born Jan. 17th, 1792. 2. Lady Charlotte.

3. William-Henry.

Titles.] George-James Cholmondeley, Earl of Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas, and Viscount Cholmondeley of Kellis, Baron Cholmondeley, of Wich-Malbank, alias Namptwich, and baron of Newburgh.

Creations.] Baron Cholmondeley, of Wich-Malbank, alias Namptwich, April 10th (1689) 1 Wll. and Mar. Viscount Malpas, and Earl of Cholmondeley, all in the county of Chester, Dec. 27th (1706) 5 Q. Anne; and Baron of Newburgh, in the Isle of Anglesey, in North-Wales, July 2d (1716) 3 Geo. I. Also Baron of Newburgh, in com. Wexford, March 15th (1714) 1 Geo. I. and Viscount Cholmondeley, of Kellis, in the county of East-Meath, March 29th (1661) 13 Car. II. Irish honours.

Arms.] Gules, two Esquire's Helmets in chief, proper, garnished, Or; in Base, a Garb of the third.

Crest.] On a Wreath, a Demi-Griphon, rampant, Sable, beaked, winged, and membered, Or, holding an Helmet, as those in the arms.

Supporters.] On the dexter Side, a Griphon, Sable, its Beak, Wings, and Fore-Legs, Or; on the sinister, a Wolf of the second, gorged, with a Collar perflew, Vaire.

Motto.] CASSIS TUTISSIMA VIRTUS.

Chief Seat.] At Cholmondeley, in the county of Chester, and at Houghton, in Norfolk.

HARLEY, EARL OF OXFORD, AND EARL
MORTIMER.

a

SOME have deduced the house of Harlai, in France (one of the most eminent in that kingdom) from a branch of this ancient and noble family in England: and according to Moreri, there are French authors of this opinion; for he acknowledges, "It has been reported, they are derived from our country: though others maintain, that they are denominated from the town of Arlai, in the Franche Compté of Burgundy, and pretend to have proof thereof."

The family of Harley, in England, is undoubtedly more ancient than the Norman conquest; and has been so illustrious, that those in France may be descended from it; though the name may neither be of Saxon, or British, much less of French extraction: for from Hursla, a barbarous Latin word, signifying a wood, comes Hurley, and so it changed into Harley,b a town in Shropshire (the ancient seat of this family), according to the learned Sir Henry Spelman. Though others have affirmed Harley to be a Saxon name, and of the same signification with Locus Exercitus.

In an ancient obiit, or ledger book of the abbey of Pershore, in Worcestershire, is a commemoration of a noble warrior of this name, who commanding an army under Ethelred, King of England, in his wars against Swane, King of Denmark, gave the Danes a great defeat near that town, about the year 1013, and thereby preserved it from spoil and destruction.

We find also, that before the Norman conquest, Sir JOHN de b Ed. Llwyd's Antiq. of Shrop. MS. F. 226. d Ibid.

Grand Dict. tom. III.

Ex Collect, Hug, Thomas, MS.

Harley was possessed of Harley-castle and lordship, and having married Alice, daughter of Sir Titus de Leighton, by Letitia his wife, daughter of Hugh le Brune, brother to William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, left issue,

Sir WILLIAM de Harley, Knt. who is the first mentioned in the visitation of Shropshire, in the College of Arms, as Lord of Harley in that county. He was one of those eminent persons who attended Godfrey de Bulloigne, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, Alan, Lord High-steward of Scotland, and others of note, in the first memorable expedition to the Holy Land, anno 1098, where they obtained many victories against the Saracens, and conquered Jerusalem. In honour of which, this Sir William was with them made Knights of the Sepulchre, an order of knighthood instituted upon that occasion. He died in England, and was buried in the abbey of Pershore, where his tomb is still remaining, and the only ancient monument there, which was not demolished at the dissolution of abbeys in the reign of Hen. VIII. and it is observable, that the shield of his effigies is plain, without any arms, according to the custom of the most ancient times. He married Catharine, daughter of Sir Jasper Croft, who was also a knight of the Sepulchre, and by her left issue,

NICHOLAS de Harley, who had to wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Warren de Bostock, of Bostock, in com. Cest, by whom he bad issue WILLIAM de Harley, who married Joan, daughter of Sir John de la Bere, Knt. of Kinnersley and Clonger, in com. Salop, and by her was father of

NICHOLAS de Harley, who wedded Alice, daughter of Ralph Prestrop, of Prestrop, in Shropshire, and from them proceeded their son and heir,

ROBERT, who married Alice, daughter and heir of Sir Roger Pulisdon, of Pulisdon, in com. Salop, by whom he had issue,

Sir RICHARD de Harley, continuator of the line, and Malcolm de Harley; all which descents are in the visitation of Shropshire, beforementioned; but all our public records have not been generally preserved till the reign of Hen. III.

• Vincent's Visitat. de Salop. ann. 1623. MS. p. 246.
g Vincent ut supra.

f Ibid. p. 198

h Henry, Lord of Harley, died in 1281, 9 Edw. I. and by Joan his wife, had six sons, all monks: John, the eldest, became professed in the monastery at Worcester, October 21, 1279, Annal. Wigorn, in Anglia Sacra, Vol. I. p. 502. This John, on his father's death, obtained an indulgence of 1185 days, in his Bonvent, for the souls of his parents. The other five brothers were, Richard, a

The youngest son, MALCOLM de Harley, or Harleigh, as it was sometimes wrote, was chaplain to Edw. I. and much in his favour; being employed in the management of the revenues of that glorious monarch, and was his Escheator on this side Trent, an office of great honour and trust in those days. In 11 Edw. I. he and Sir Guischard de Charne, or Charran, had the custody of the bishoprick of Durham, and accounted for the issues thereof to the King during the vacancy,i viz. from June 13th, to Sept 4th, the same year, and paid into the Exchequer 13191. for rents of assize of the manors in the ferm of the city of Durham, and in certainties for guard of burgs and ovens, or bake-houses; also 11931. 19s. 1d. for tallage assessed upon the manors of the bishoprick, and other sums for divers other parts of the revenue thereof; in all, 26201. 7s. 91d. In 1296, the King grants to this Malcolm de Harleigh (as it was then wrote), styling him his beloved Clerk, the marriage of Margaret, eldest daughter, and one of the heirs, of Brian de Brampton, deceased, for his nephew Robert de Harleigh, son of Richard, dated at Vghtragharder (Aughterarder) June 21st. On August 224, 1297,1 he was with the King at sea, in the ship called Cog. Edward, near Winchelsea, and was one of the witnesses to the King's delivery of the Great-seal to John de Benesteed, in the said ship. And attending that monarch abroad, who did not return to England till March 14th, 1298, died soon after: for the King, by writ of Privy-seal, 26 Edw. I. reciting that he was his Escheator on this side Trent, and that Philip de Willoughby, the Treasurer's Lieutenant, and the Barons of the Exchequer, would probably seize his goods and chattels, he commands them to leave enough in the hands of his kindred for the honourable interment of his body, and that they should send some fit person to all places where he had any goods, to take a true and exact inventory of them, that the King, when he should be certified thereof, might give such orders therein as he thought proper. Accordingly Thomas de Boyvil was assigned,

n

monk, at Beaulieu, in Hampshire; William, at Hales- abbey, in Gloucestershire; Walter, at Bordesley, in Worcestershire; Nicholas, at Rufford, in Nottinghamshire; and Roger, in a convent beyond sea. Ibid. p. 505. Sir Richard, mentioned above as continuator of the line, was, perhaps, brother and heir to this Henry, father of the six monks, though he is ftyled Lord of Harley before the 9th of Edw. I. but that might be by the resignation of Henry.

i Madox's Hist. of the Excheq. p. 496, 497. Prynne, 3, 307, 353, &c. * Pat. 24 Edw. I. m. 14. 1 Rymer's Fot. Vol. II. p. 791. 813.

Hift. of the Excheq. p, 665, 666.

Ibid.