Of this book two hundred copies only were printed of which this is :J(oJG.5. ........ " Fit audience find, though few." SKRINE OF W ARLEIGH SKRINE SKRINE OF W ARLEIGH IN THE COUNTY OF SOMERSET WITH PEDIGREES BEING SOME MATERIALS FOR A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE FAMILY OF SKRINE BY E. W. AINLEY WALKER, D.M., D.Sc. Fellow of University College, Oxford PRIVATELY PRINTED AT THE WESSEX PRESS, TAUNTON MCMXXXVI "There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported." " And some there be have no memorial." Eccl,eai,a,stic'UB XLIV, v. 8, 9. Foreword OR much of the history of the family of Skrine, and for the main F pedigree of the W arleigh branch the writer is indebted to the researches of the late Henry Duncan Skrine, Esqr., of Warleigh Manor (1815-1901 ), who is referred to in the text as H.D.S. On his scattered notes and papers, as now existing, together with additions made to them by his eldest son, the late Colonel Henry Mills Skrine of Warleigh Manor (H.M.S. in the text), the present sketch has drawn extensively. These, together with the pedigree drawn up by the late Sir Everard Green, Garter King of Arms, have been made available by the kindness of Miss Anna Dorothea Skrine, now Lady of the Manor of W arleigh. Much information has also been obtained from Wills, Court Rolls, Marriage Settlements, Leases and other Deeds, Diocesan Records and similar sources. A special debt of thanks must be most gratefully acknowledged to my friend A. W. Vivian-Neal, Esqr., M.c., F.S.A., of Poundisford Park, Taunton (A.W.V-N. in the text). Without his help and counsel this little study could hardly have been carried out. His assistance and advice have led to the discovery of new facts, and the elimination of a number of errors. For such errors as still remain the writer must accept a sole responsibility. Thanks are also due to all the numerous friends and correspondents who have so kindly assisted in the slow process of collecting and verifying details of information; to B. W. Taylor, Esq., Librarian of Clifton College, for his care and skill in preparing the Index ; and not least to the printers, The Wessex Press, Taunton, for their unfailing attention and courtesy. As the title implies, the object of the work has not so much been to write a family history of the Skrines and their connections, as to collect ••• Vl 11 Foreword together so far as possible, and while still recoverable, materials rele­ vant to such a history, for some future use. Accordingly the narrative does not confine itself exclusively to documented evidence. Though attaching primary importance only to such statements as are fully established by the results of searches already completed, it does not hesitate to record items of family tradition, for what they may be worth; since future search may throw new light of value on the~ origin and meaning. For the same reason, where speculation and inquiry have led to the formation of provisional ,vorking hypotheses, these speculations are recorded as suggesting useful lines for future study and investigation; since in the writer's experience most of the new documented evidence which he has been able to put together has been discovered, not by mere searching, but by the careful use of these methods. Much yet remains to be done; but the flight of time 1nakes it de­ sirable that the results of searches, which have already occupied much of the leisure of the last six or seven years, should now assume per­ manent form. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD, January, 1936. Contents CHAPTER PAGE I. The Skrines of Forde and Warley :-the early Skrines of Bathford-their supposed origin-coat of arms-source of the family fortunes-the purchase of the manor-its parti­ tion between three co-purchasers. I II. The Manor of Forde with Warley :-a short account of the manor, and its early history, taken chiefly from a Paper read before the Bath Literary Club in 1871 by Henry Duncan Skrine of Warleigh, Esqr., entitled "A sketch of the early hist,ory of Bathford and its neighbourhood." .. 10 III. The Skrines of Warleigh Manor :-genealogical account of the Warleigh family from the earliest mention of Skrines in Bathford (1446) to the present day-including Harcourt Skrines, Huntley Skrines and Clarmont Skrines. A short account of the family portraits-contributed by A. W. Vivian-Neal, Esqr., F.S.A. • • . • • • 18 IV. The Skrines of Bathford Court and Lower House, Bath­ . ford :-genealogical account of the Bathford branch of the Skrine family, and their descendants, from Thomas Skrine, one of the co-purchasers of the manor, to the present day. 94 V. Collateral branches; and various scattered references:­ the Skrines of Queenhithe, and other short pedigrees-lists of Skrine births, marriages and deaths from various sources -Chancery proceedings-references to Wills. 110 VI. The Marriages of the Skrines of Warleigh :-bringing in the families of Mountjoy, Dickson, Weston, Tryon, Chalie, Harcourt, Spry, Mills and Gore-Langton. 129 VII. Kinship by Marriage :-dealing chiefly with family con­ nections brought in by Mills and Spry through Barrington of Barrington Hall, Essex, Harris of Radford, Devon, Hatch of Claybury Hall, Essex, Huntley of Boxwell Court, Gloucestershire, and Hume-including Basset, Carew, Champernowne, Grenville, Rashleigh, and Sawle of Penrice. 161 X Contents CHAPTER PA.GE VIII. Some Other Notable Descents :-the remoter ancest-rv., of the Skrines, including descents from many families and persons of historica1 interest-Beauchamp, Beaufort, Bohun, de Clare, Courtenay, Ferrera, de Grey, Mortimer, Mowbray, Mohun, Neville, Percy, Stafford, Warren. 187 IX. Some Royal Descents :-including sixteen from Edward III, and fiftv-two., from Edward I. 213 X. Descents from Founder Knights of the Order of the Garter. 222 XI. Skrene of Skrene Manor, Writtle, Essex, in the fifteenth century. 226 XIl. The Skemes of Dorset, and the Skernes of Yorkshire, Lin- co]nshire, Essex, Surrey, etc. .. 234 Index . • • . .. .. 257 ABBREVIATTONR L.G.-Burke's Landed Gentry. L.G., vol. 2-Burke's Landed Gentry of lrel,and. Peerage--Bnrke's (also Debrett; Complete Peeragr, G.F..C l Extinct Peerage-Burke's. D.N.B.-Dictionary of Nat,ional Biography. Ruvigny-Plantaµ:enet Rol1 of the Blood Roya]. s.-son. da.-daughter. b.-born. bapt.-baptised. m.-married. d.-died. bur.-buried. h.-heir or heiress. s.p.-without issue. ~.p.rn.-without male issue. m.s. p. and o.s. p.--died without issue. v.p.-during his father's lifetime. S. ii., S. ds.--descent or descent@ to Skrine of Warleigh. CORRECTIONS AND SUPPLEl\iENTARY NOTES p. 11, l. I for Hams read Hruh. p. 26, 1. 29 add: or rather between 1679 and 1.682, since in May 1679 his son was spoken of as ' haeres apparens '. p. 32, last line but one, for 17 54 read 17 52. p. 48, ). 11 for was read became. p. 51, I. 11 from foot of page, after co.fJee-pla.nter alter the stop to a comma, and for He read having. p. 5S, I. 15 continue : Hem. 27 October 1921, Helen Barbara Izabel, du. of Robert John Ralph Borcel, Ee:;qr. (see Peerage, Boreel, Bart.), and has issue. p. 58, 1. 10 from foot of page, continue : He married in ,Tune 1934, at Borne, Switzerland, Carlotta (b. 18 Sep­ tember 1899 at Bulle, Switzerland) da. of Pai'tor Roemer of the Swiss Church at Berne by his wife Sophie, nee Schwartz. Issue: Peter Norman Skrine, born in London 19 December 1935. p. 58, I. 7 from foot of page, continue : She was married, 17 Sept,ember 1934, to Walter Burrell Wigg Esqr. of Didsbury, Lanes. p. 65, l. 3 from foot of page, continue : It was at a League Meeting at Claverton that the Right Hon. Winston Spencer Churchill made his first public political speech. A charming account of the occasion may be found in Mr. Churchill's book " My Early Days". p. G6, add: The account of Henry Duncan Skrine given on pages 63-66 indicates his literary interests and activities, but may be supplemented by the titles of !,Orne of his published works~ an almost complete list of which is given in Bibliotheca Somersetensis, iii, 250, 251. The Sacred Songs of Marc Antonio Flaminio. Translated by H. D. Skrine. Privately printed. The Eclogues of Virgil, translated into English Ver8e. Privately printed. Bath, 1868. Selections from the ()des of Anacreon~ tran8lated ·into Engli.'lh V ,,rse. Private circulation. Bath, 1869. Schiller's Song. ,~f the Bell, translated into Engli8h Verse. Private circu­ lation. Bath, 1870. Fugitive Verse8. Bath, 1898. .. XU Corrections and Supplementary Notes p. 6~tinued. In addition to the above, H.D.S. published a few other translations and original poems. He also contributed several papers on archmologicsl subjects to local periodicals. His account of his Grand Tour, "Remi­ niscences of Travel, 1840-41 ", remains in manuscript. It is a very interesting account of a journey through France and Italy to Malta, Greece and Constantinople. He had already visited previously France, Germany and Italy, and was before his marriage enterprising in his ex­ cursions on the Continent, considering the primitive conditions of travel in pre-railway days. p. 73, after I. 8 insert : 3. Wilton Otho FitzGerald, b. 7 May 1882, d. 21 July 1882. p. 77, in the Chart Pedigree, for V imenne 7lregg read Vivienne J ewJ,wine, nee Gregg. p. 87, between iv and v insert : v. Arthur Henry Douglas, b. 19 September 1889, d.