lii A DISSERTATION ON DOMESDAY-BOOK. of the Conqueror into England, and one of Ms ba- lordships in Leicesterstiire, fifteen in Lincolnshire^ rons, obtained sixty-seven lordships in Leicestershire, with several others in the counties of Warwick and twenty in Northamptonshire, and several in other Gloucester. He was brother to the earl of Montgo- counties; and is memorable for having been appointed mery, and to Urso D'Abetot, hereditary sheriff of hereditary lord high steward of England. In the close Worcestershire ; father ro William le Despenser, who of life he embraced Æe monastic habit at St. Ebrulf in was steward to king Henry I; and progenitor to the Normandy, where he died in 1094. See a full ac- noble family of Spenser, now duke of Marlborough. count of this earl and his descendants in the History XX. ROBERT ihzUsitER(Hqstiarius) possessed lands of Leicester, p. 20, 21. in two lordships in this county, Claxton and Howes. XIV. HSTNRY DE irERIERES, Or DE FERRARIIS, He was the son of William the Usher; and his lord- son to Gualtheline de Ferieres, a Norman, either ac- ships devolved to Roger de Bujli. companied the Conqueror, or followed him before XXI. RALPH DE MORTIMER was allied by the the general survey; in which great service, as has mother's side to the Conqueror, accompanied him into been already stated, p. xxxiv. he was one of the com- England, and was one of the chiefest commanders io missioners. He had thirty-five lordships in Leicester- his victorious army. He was afterward sent to en- shire; one hundred and fourteen in Derbyshire, with counter Edric, earl of Shrew&ury, whorn he subdued, many in the counties of Derby, Oxford, Wells, Lin- and delivered captive to the king ; whereupon he en- coln, Bucks, and Gloucester. He was the founder joyed Wigmore castle^ and all the other lands of that bf Tutbury priory ; father to Robert the first earl of earl. He had only two lordships in Leicesterstiire, Derby; ancestor to the lords Ferrers of Chartley, Sberneston and Wejlone; but had large possessions in Groby, and Oakharh; and consequently to the present many other counties. earl of Stamford, earl Ferrers, and earl of Leicester. XXII. RALPH FITZ HUBERT held nine plough- A full account of the family of Ferrers will be seen lands at Dalby; and had property also in Derbyshire. under Wymondharh, Groby* Bredon, Leicester, &c. XXIII. WIDO DE RENBUDCURT had the lordships XV; ROBERT DETODENI, another noble Normatij of Thurfianton, Stcrmfwortb, Mifterton, Barrehorde, and standard-bearer to the Conqueror, was the founder part of Cleveliorde, and Barejworde, in Leicesterstiire * of Belvoir Castle, where his posterity have ever since and others in Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, North- been honourably seated ; John-Henry, the present amptonshire, and Lincolnshire. duke of Rutland, between whom and the founder XXIV. WIDO, or GUY, DE CREDUN came in with there have been but tweuty--two generations, being his the Conqueror, and obtained the lordships of Sionejby, immediate descendant ^ as is shewn under the History Waltbam, and Sproxton, in this county, and about 60 in of Belvoir, p. 66. Robert de Todeni died in 1088 ; Lincolnshire. He fixed the chief feat of his barony and was buried in the priory which he had himself at Freston, in the division of Holland ; where Alan founded; and in the ruins of which in 1793 his cof- his son afterward founded a priory of Benedictine fin was examined, as described in p. 79. His property monks, which he gave as a cell to Croyland, and set- in Leicesterstiire was at Horninghold, Medburn, Blafion^ tled on them the church of Stonefby. His inherit- Harby, Barkston (and Plungar), Bottesford, Redmile ance passed by a female to the family of Vaux; and (and Mujlon), Knipton, Laughton, Lubbenham, Barkby, afterward by another female into that of the lords Ros, Hungarton, Cropfion, Queniborough, Claxton, Howes^ ancestors to the present duke of Rutland. See the and Stathern. The lordship of Belvoir, not mentioned pedigrees of Creon and Vaux, under Belvoir, p. 28. in the record, was probably included in that of Wolf- XXV. WILLIAM PEVERELL was a natural son of tborpe. For a full account of this illustrious family, the Conqueror, by a concubine, afterwards the wife fee p. 23—68. of Ranulph Peverell. William had the custody of the XVI. ROBERT DE VECI, another of the Normans castle of Nottingham; with five lordships, in Leices- who assisted William the Conqueror in his expedition, terstiire (Fojion, Erendejbi, Lubbejlhorpe, Carbi, and was rewarded with the lordships of Morton, Scentone, EJfebi), and others in various parts of the kingdom j part of Cleveliorde, Giimley, Sbankton, Thorpe, Bajurde, to the number of 162. CUborne, and Newton, in Leicestershire; and with XXVI. WILLIAM BUENVALETH is mentioned only other great estates in the counties of Northampton, as holding two ploughlands in Ravenfion; which lay Warwick, and Lincoln. From Ivo, called also John waste in the time of the Confessor, and continued so. de Vesci, a great barony either brother or nearly allied He had other lauds, at the time of the survey, in to Roberts the present lord Vesci claims his descent Warwickshire. by the female line. XXVIf. WILLIAM LOVETH, or LEVET, had three XVII. ROBERT DE Buci possessed thirty lordships lordships in this county, Difwortb, Thedingworth, and in this county. Sewftern, and others in Berks and Bedfordshire. He XVIII. ROGER DE BUSLI had five lordships in Lei- had lands also in Northamptonshire, where we find cestershire ; Glojintone, Wimefwould, Salt by, Wyfordby, his posterity seated at Welford, from the reign of and Burton. He had one lordship also in Devonshire, Henry III. to that of Edward III, on a manor called eight in Derbyshire, 49 in Yorkshire, and 86 in Not- Lovet's Manor \» tinghamshire. His principal residences were at Tickili XXVIII. GEOFFREY ALSELIN had the lordships of Castle, Yorkshire 5 at Hougham, Lincolnshire; and at Alton, Godeby, Keytborpe, Bilk/don, and Rolejicn, in Blithe (near Tickhiil) on the confines of Nottingham- Leicestershire, and a considerable barony in the coun- ' shire, where he had also another castle. In 2 William ties of Nottingham, Derby, and Lincoln ; but great Rufus, he founded a priory for Benedictine monks, part of his estates, after two generations, went by a which he annexed as a cell to the abbey of St. Ca- daughter to the Bardolphs 2. tharine's on the Mount near Roan, iu Normandy. He XXIX. GEOFFREY DE WIRGE, of a noble family gave also to the monks of St. Peter's in Gloucester in Bretaigne, came over with the Conqueror; who his lordfliip of Clifford ; and, surviving king Henry I, rewarded him with twenty-seven lordships, amongst stood firm to his daughter Maud the Empress; on which was the paramount manor of Melton 3. He which account, king Stephen seized upon his castle had also large possessions in the counties of Warwick, of Tickhiil and the whole honour of Blithe, and gave Northampton, Nottingham, and Lincoln. them to Ranulph then earl of Chester. The barony- XXX. GEOFFREY DE CAMBRAI was a land-ownef terminated in John his grandson, who left one daugh- at Sproxton in this county, and had possessions also ter and heir, married to Robert de Vipont, a great in Lincolnshire. baron of that time. XXXI. GUNFRID DE CIOCHES possessed three XIX. ROBERT DESPENSER was steward to the ploughlands in Moseley; a lordship which, at the Conqueror; one of his barons j and had seventeen time of the survey, is described as lying waste. He 1 On the pannel of a pew adjoining to the wall of the North aile of Welford church is carved 53t[[ta Hofoet, 1452 ; and on each side upon the head of the pew a wolf passant. On another pannel of the fame feat, 3lifia tir-Or. fcjU/5 ; and at the head of the pew, in an escutcheon, three cinquefoils, and within a wolf passant. Bridges, vol. II. p. 274. The siist of these in- scriptions is given in plate VI. p. cliv; but the writing on the other is hid by a new pew being nailed ; gainst it. '• a Thoroton, Nottinghamshire, p. 279, ' §ee under Frarnland Iinndred, pp. 2*2. 230. ,5 had.