Seaton Carew, co. Durham.
Sir,
Having been engaged by Miss Cotgreave, of Notherlegh House, near
Chester, to inspect and arrange the title-deeds and other documents
which belonged to her father, the late Sir John Cotgreave, I find a
very ancient pedigree of the Cotgreaves de Hargrave in that county;
which family became extinct in the direct male line in the year 1724,
but which was represented through females by the above Sir J. C.
It is the work of the great Camden, anno 1598, from documents in the
possession of the Cotgreave family, and contains the descents of five
generations of the Dixons of Beeston, in the county of York, and
Congleton, Cheshire, together with their marriages and armorial
bearings, commencing with "Ralph Dixon, Esq., de Beeston and Congleton,
living temp. Hen. VI., who was slain whilst fighting on the part of the
Yorkists, at the battle of Wakefield, A.D. 1460."
Presuming that you are descended from this ancient family, I will (if
you think proper) transmit to you extracts from the aforesaid pedigree,
as far as relates to your distinguished progenitors, conditionally that
you remunerate me for the information and definition of the armorial
bearings, there being five shields, containing twelve quarterings
connected with the family of Dixon.
Miss Cotgreave will allow me to make the extracts, and has kindly
consented to attest the same.
The arms of Dixon, as depicted in the Cotgreave pedigree, are "Sable, a
fleur-de-lis or, a chief ermine," quartering the ensigns of the noble
houses of "Robert Fitz-Hugh, Baron of Malpas in the county of Chester,
temp. William the Conqueror; Eustace Crewe de Montalt, Lord of
Hawarden, Flintshire, during the said reign; Robert de Umfreville, Lord
of Tours, and Vian, and Reddesdale, in Northumberland, who flourished
in the same reign also; Pole, Talboys, Welles, Latimer," and others.
In the pedigree, Camden states that the aforesaid "Ralph Dixon
quartered the ensigns of the above noble families in right of his
mother Maude, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Ralph Fitz-Hugh de
Congleton and Elton in the county palatine of Chester."
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your very obedient humble servant,
WILLIAM SIDNEY SPENCE.
Priory Place, Birkenhead,
Chester.
Dec. 14. 1848.
* * * * *
Minor Queries.
_Atherstone Family._--Can any of your readers oblige me with information
concerning the Atherstone family? Is it an old name, or was it first given
some three or four generations back to a foundling, picked up near the town
of Atherston?