e and co-heir to her brother Humphrey, Earl of Buckingham; and secondly, Beatrix, an illegitimate daughter of John I. King of Portugal, and widow of Thomas Earl of Arundel, as appears by a letter from the King her father to Sir John Pelham, in 4 Hen. V. who being a favourite of that monarch, the King of Portugal desires him "To shew the Lady Beatrix, his daughter, (being deprived of her husband the Earl of Arundel) the same favour he had before shewn to her." This Lady Beatrix was, thirdly, the wife of John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon; and, after his death, of John Fettiplace, ancestor, by her, of the late Baronets of that name, seated at Childry in Berkshire. By the Lord Talbot she had an only daughter, Ankaret," who died in the fourth year of her age, on December 13th, 1421: whereupon Sir John Talbot, Knight, her uncle (viz. next brother to the last mentioned Gilbert her father) became her next heir. This was that famous Sir JoHN Talbot, FIRST EARL OF SHREWSBURY, whom our historians do so deservedly extol for his great and heroic achievements, some of whose memorable actions I shall briefly relate. Having married Maud, eldest of the two daughters and coheirs of Thomas Nevil, Lord Furnival, he was first summoned k to parliament in 11 Hen. IV. by that title; and after by the name of John Talbot of Hallamshire, that, with the castle of Sheffield, being part of her inheritance. In 1412, he was appointed lord justice of Ireland; on November 16th, 1413, he was committed prisoner to the Tower of London, though for what cause the record does not mention. However, in February followlowing he was in such favour, that he was constituted lord lieutenant of Ireland; and landing at Dalkie (an island in the bay of Dublin,) immediately made a circular progress, and brought the Irish, who had before rebelled, to be obedient, and seek peace. He also sent the Earl of Kilmain, with 1600 men, to aid the King in France; and they landed at Harfleur, and did excellent service. He continued in that kingdom as lieutenant about n Ypod. Neust. 175, n. 40. Ex Autog, penes Tho. Ducem Novi Castri. ® Ex Stem. h Esc. 9 Hen. V. n. 44. i Rot. Fin. 8 H. IV. m 11. Esc 10 Hen IV. n. 25. Rot. Fin 10 Hen. IV. m. 5. * Claus. 11 H. IV. in dorso, &c. Claus. 1 H. V.m. 14 m Pat. 1 H. V. p 5, m 13. "Borlace's Reduction of Ireland, p. 73, and Cox, p 150. • Cox's Hist. of Ireland, p. 150, 151. seven years; and his government there was so well approved of, and what he did was held so considerable, that the lords and gentlemen of the English pale sent, a certificate of his great services to the King Having, P in May 1419, taken prisoner there Donald Mac Murrough, a great rebel, for his more secure custody he brought him into England the same year; and having committed him to the Tower of London, he afterwards (in 3 Hen. VI.) got licence to make the best advantage of him. Being sent for to England, ou the death of his brother Gilbert Lord Talbot, in 7 Hen. V. he left his other brother Richard Talbot, archbishop of Dublin, lord deputy in his room. The year after he attended on the King in France, at the siege of Sene in Burgundy, and Molyn on the Seyne: he was also with the King in his triumphant entry into the city of Paris, in 1420. In 9 Hen. V. on the death of Ankaret, sole daughter and heir to Sir Gilbert Talbot, Knight, elder brother of this John, he, being found her next heir, had livery of all the lands whereof she died seized, as heir to her father; as also of those lands which descended to her as heir to Sir Thomas Talbot, Knight, her uncle. Being moreover, the same year, retained by indenture" to serve the King in his wars in France, with thirty men at arms, and ninety archers on horseback, he was at the siege of the strong city of Meaux, which did not surrender till the year after; but the conquest thereof brought many towns and fortresses to yield obedience to the King of England; and this John Lord Talbot continued in France with that victorious King till his Majesty's death. In 2 Hen. VI. he was y elected Knight of the Garter; and in 1425 was a second time appointed lord justice of Ireland. He was in the wars of France with John Duke of Bedford, the regent; when his name being terrible to a the French, by his many successful exploits against them, he was made general of the army there in 6 Hen. VI. and took several strong towns: whereupon the French, gathering all their strength, marched against him under the command of the Maid of Orleans, and gave him b P Cox's Hist. of Ireland, p. 150, 151. Pat. 3 H. IV. p. 1, m. 12. s Hall's Chron. u Ex Autog. penes Cler. Pell. r Cox, ut supra. Rot. Fin 9 H. V. m. 4. x Hall's Chron. y Ex Collect. T. Meller, Gent. z Rot, Franc. 4 H. VI. m. 8, and Rot. Franc. 6 H. VI. m. 15. a Pol Virg. p.466, n. 20. Ibid p. 472, n. 30 and 40. battle at Patay, in which he was taken prisoner, the fame whereof became so prejudicial to the English, that divers places fell off from them. This was in 1429; but in 11 Hen. VI. for a great sum of money, and enlargement of Ambrose de Lore (an eminent captain of the French) he was set at liberty. It appears from our records, that on May 28th, 1432, the King granted his letters of safe conduct to certain servants of Ponton de Sainttereraille, prisoner of the Earl of Warwick, to go into France, for setting more easily at liberty the Lord Talbot; and John Duke of Britanny had such a sense of the insupportable hardships which his Lordship underwent in paying his ransom, that he granted him 2000 muves of salt in the isle of Gerraund in Britanny; which grant his Lordship represented in a petition to the King, desiring his leave to transport the said salt into England: whereupon the King, reciting as before-mentioned, grants him licence on July 8th, 1432, to import the same custom free, into such places in the kingdom where he can best dispose of it. He had no sooner gained his liberty, but the same year, raising new forces in England, he sailed to Rohan, and thence advanced to Paris, to the Duke of Bedford; and having consulted with him, marched with some forces to Bellomont, and took it by assault. He continued in those wars, performing many successful exploits; and in 20 Hen. VI. his eldest son, Sir John Talbot, Knight, & served with him. In consideration therefore of his great merit and singular services, he was advanced to the title and dignity of EARL OF SHREWSBURY," his patent of creation bearing date May 20th, 1442, 20 Hen. VI. In 21 Hen. VI. he was constituted one of the ambassadors to treat of peace with Charles VII. King of France, or his ambassadors; and the year after, the King acknowledging himself indebted to him in the sum of ten thousand four hundred twentysix pounds, four shillings and a farthing, in consideration of his great services, as well to King Henry V. (his father) as to himself, both in France and Normandy, granted, that after the sum of twenty-one thousand pounds, wherein he stood indebted unto Henry the Cardinal Bishop of Winchester, were paid, he should receive yearly four hundred marks, out of the customs and duties issuing from the port of Kingston upon Hull. He was the same year again retained' to serve the King in his wars of France, with one baron, two knights, fourscore and sixteen men at arms, and three hundred archers, the King having given him ten thousand pounds in hand. In 23 Hen. VI. he was again constituted lieutenant of Ireland; and on July 17th the same year, having" then the titles of Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Talbot, Furnival, and Strange, in consideration of his great services and blood spilt in the wars, as also considering the devastation and spoil done in the county and city of Waterford, and barony of Dungarvan, in the realm of Ireland, by several hostilities of the rebels; to the end that the said realm of Ireland might thenceforth be better defended and preserved, he was advanced to the title and dignity of Earl of Wexford and Waterford; having the said city and county of Waterford, with 1 Ex Autogr. penes Cler Pell. m Pat. 23 H. VI. p. 2. m. 10. n Cox's Hist. of Ireland, p. 159. The state of Ireland having been much neglected for the English wars on the Continent, and the intestine broils in England, an Act in 28 Henry VIII. called the statute of Absentees, was passed in Ireland, whereby the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Berkeley, and the heirs general of the Earl of Ormond, were obliged, for their absence and carelessness in defending their rights, to surrender the same to the crown: but King Charles II. in 1661, regranted and confirmed the titles of Earl of Wexford and Waterford to this noble family. The following curious account of the deprivation of the Irish Titles, of the noble family of Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and of their restoration, is related in Lord Mountmorres's History of the early transactions of the Irish parliament. John, the first Earl of Shrewsbury, in the reign of Henry the Sixth, was created Earl of Waterford and Wexford, in the 21st year of the same prince. A large tract of land, and a great jurisdiction, were conferred upon him, by the crown, in Ireland. These titles, and this grant, were forfeited by an act of parliament, the 28th of Henry VIII. known in Ireland by the name of the Statute of Absentees, for non-residence in that country. And these titles were not inserted in the list of the Irish peers, in the journals, till after the Restoration. It may appear extraordinary, that the title should be forfeited for non-residence; but in early times, titles were not merely nominal, but they denoted also a jurisdiction and superintendance in certain territorial districts. Charles the Second restored these titles in 1660, and he was introduced, by his proxy, in the house of lords of Ireland, in the following session This custom of being introduced by proxy, was peculiar to that body, though it is not to be traced in the Lords of England; from hence the custom of protesting by proxy is derived, a privilege which is not admitted in this country, the castles, honour, lands, and barony of Dungarvan, granted to him, with jura regalia, wreck, &c. from Youghal to Waterford, to hold to himself, and the heirs male of his body; and that he and they should thenceforth be stewards of that realm, to do and execute all things to that office appertaining as fully as the steward of England did perform: which patent was granted by writ of privy-seal and authority of parliament. He returned to England the next year, leaving his brother Richard Talbot, archbishop of Dublin aforesaid, his deputy. In 29 Hen. VI. he was again in the wars of France; in 30 Hen. VI. he was made general P of the English fleet, then going out, having four thousand soldiers with him; and the year following lieutenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine: and, in consideration of his great charge in that high employment, had a grant of the thirds, and the third of the thirds, which were reserved to the King upon his retainer therein. Whereupon he marched' thither, took Bourdeaux, and put a garrison therein; which fair success caused" divers remote cities to send to him, with promise to submit to his authority. Thence hearing that the French had besieged Chastillon, he advanced thither, and gave them battle, on July 20th; but the event of that day (though for a while it stood doubtful) at length proved fatal to the English; and this renowned but in Ireland the proxy or deputy was invested with all the powers of his prine cipal. The lords of Ireland would not suffer Lord Shrewsbury to take his seat, according to the original patent in the 21st year of Henry VI. but placed him after the Earl of Montrath, agreeably to the date of the renewal of these antient titles in 1660. This proxy, though it was admitted, created a long inquiry in the house of Lords of Ireland. whether peers, who had no estates in Ireland, could create proxies? and a petition which he presented in the next session relative to his being assessed in the poll tax, though he had no landed property in Ireland, gave rise to a reference to the judges, and to a long debate, though nothing was decisively resolved, in either of those cases. This account resolves a very subtle question, how the first English Earl has been ranked so low in the peerage of Ireland, though his English and Irish titles were originally of the same reign. This Lord Shrewsbury, in whose person the titles of Earl of Waterford and Wexford were renewed, was the father of the Nobleman who was killed in a duel by the Duke of Buckingham, on account of the Countess of Shrewsbury, so celebrated in poetry, and in the annals of gallantry. P Rot. Franc 30 H VI. m 6. Pol. Virg p. 501, n. Ex Autog. penes Cler. Pell. |