Hoary and worn and frayed,--
Old cross,--
By ruin's hand arrayed,
Time's dross:--
What message never stayed,
Speaks from thy lips decayed?
"Strife of the years is gone,
Not me,--
Drooping, bereft, and lone,
Here see
Pilgrim, by days undone,
Heaven's pleading-still, milestone.
"Ah! many eyes as thine
Have come,
Met this old gaze of mine,
Then home,
Would their glad steps incline,
Bearing my tale divine.
"Where are they now? O say--
No sound,--
Ask the memorials gray,
Around,--
They came again this way,
And down beside me lay."
Lord Willoughby de Broke by his wife Blanche Champernowne, left one
son Robert, his heir, and a daughter Elizabeth, married (as his second
wife) to William Fitz-Alan, seventeenth Earl of Arundel, K.G. who died
in 1543, and was buried at Arundel.
Robert Willoughby, the second Lord Willoughby de Broke, married first
Elizabeth, eldest of the three daughters and coheiresses of Sir
Richard Beauchamp, second Lord Beauchamp of Powyke, who died 1503, by
his wife Elizabeth daughter of Sir Humphrey Stafford, knt.
This marriage of Lord Beauchamp and Elizabeth Stafford, took place in
the private chapel of his manor-house of Beauchamp's-Court near
Alcester, by special license of the Bishop of Worcester.
The manor of Alcester belonged to the Beauchamps. Walter de Beauchamp,
brother to William de Beauchamp, the first Earl of Warwick of that
line, purchased a moiety of the manor, and had one of his seats at
Beauchamp's-Court near that town, the other being at Powyke, in
Worcestershire. His descendant Sir John de Beauchamp, K.G., who was
created Baron Beauchamp of Powyke, 2 May, 1447, by Henry VI. and who
was also Lord Treasurer of England, purchased the other portion of the
manor of Thomas Bottreaux, a representative of the antient Cornish
family of that name, who had held it for several descents. He died in
1478, and at his death left the whole manor to his son and heir,
Richard, the second baron; and he at the marriage of his daughter
Elizabeth with Robert Willoughby, settled its reversion, subject to
his own life, upon her.
By this his first marriage, Robert, the second Lord Willoughby de
Broke had one son Edward. More concerning him presently.
Secondly he married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Grey, Marquis of
Dorset, K.G.--by his wife Cicely, the heiress of the Lords Bonville
and Harington. By her he had two sons Henry and William (who died
young of the sweating sickness)[6] and two daughters, Elizabeth
married to John Paulet, second Marquis of Winchester who died in 1576,
and Anne wedded to Charles Blount, fifth Lord Montjoy, who died in
1545, son and heir of William, fourth Lord Montjoy, whom her mother
Dorothy Grey subsequently married as her second husband. Of the public
services of this nobleman we hear little beyond his being attached to
the expedition under the command of his father-in-law the Marquis of
Dorset, sent to Spain early in 1512 by Henry VIII. on behalf of
Ferdinand of Arragon, and which returned to England somewhat
ingloriously in the November of the same year. He survived his son
Edward, and gave a considerable portion of his large property to the
daughters of his second wife. He made his will 1 Oct., 1521, and
"_bequeathed his body to be buried in the Hospital called the Savoy,
in the suburbs of London, before the image of St. John the Baptist,
appointing a priest of honest conversation should be provided to sing
and pray for his soul, as also for his wife's soul, and all his
ancestors souls for ever, in the place where he should be buried
taking for his yearly salary seven pounds_." After making bequests to
his illegitimate children, he gives "_to his son Henry, all his
harness, bows, arrows, and all other his weapons defensive, to the
intent he should be therewith ready to serve his prince, in time of
need_." "And departing this life shortly after by a pestilential air
10 Nov. 13 Henry VIII.--1521,--was buried in the church of
Beer-Ferrers." (Dugdale.)
[6] Bacon thus describes the pestilence:--"This disease (Sweating
Sickness) had a swift course both in the sick body, and in the
time and period of the lasting thereof, for they that were taken
with it, upon four and twenty hours escaping were thought almost
assured. It was a pestilent fever but as it seemed not seated in
the veins or humours, for that there followed no carbuncle, no
purple nor livid spots, or the like, the mass of the body being
not tainted, only a malign vapour flew to the heart and seized
the vital spirits, which stirred Nature to strive to send it
forth in an extreme sweat. And it appeared by experience that
this disease was rather a surprise of Nature, than obstinate to
remedies, if it were in time looked unto; for if the patient were
kept in an equal temper, both for clothes, fire, and drink
moderately warm, with temperate cordials, whereby Nature's work
were neither irritated by heat, nor turned back by cold, he
commonly recovered. But infinite persons died suddenly of it,
before the manner of the cure and the attendance were known."
Edward Willoughby, son of the foregoing, married Margaret daughter of
Richard Nevill, second Lord Latimer[7] of the second creation (by Anne
Stafford his wife), who died in 1530. By her he had three daughters,
Elizabeth, Anne, and Blanche. Anne died unmarried, Blanche married Sir
Francis Dautry, knt., and dying leaving no issue, Elizabeth the eldest
was left at length, says Collins,--
"sole heir to the last Lord Broke, her grandfather; also to her
grandmother Elizabeth, eldest of the daughters and coheirs of the
last Lord Beauchamp of Powyke; and thus in her own person, united
the illustrious successions of those two noble families. As the
sole heir to her grandmother, she came to be seized in fee of the
whole manor of Alcester, in consequence of which, letters-patent
of exemplification were granted 3 Elizabeth, to her then a widow,
confirming all the grants of fairs, markets, &c., made in the
time of her ancestors. And as the sole heir of her grandfather,
it appears by an inquisition taken after her death, that she died
seized in fee, not only of the manor of Alcester, but of sundry
other manors and lands, in the counties of Warwick, Worcester,
Lincoln, Leicester, Somerset, and divers others; the whole
amounting to so great a value, that she might well have been
esteemed one of the richest heiresses of her time, as well as one
of the best descended."
[7] Memorable also is this Richard, Lord Latimer, for the dispute
he had with Robert, Lord Broke, touching the Barony of Latimer;
to which as next heir in blood to John, Lord Latimer of Danby,
who died without issue 9 Henry VI., he claimed a right. But to
end the contention the Lord Broke was informed by an herald, that
Sir George Nevill, grandfather to Sir Richard, was created Lord
Latimer by a new title, which therefore lineally descended to
Richard, by Henry, son and heir of the said George; and that the
Lord Broke had made a wrong claim; who should have claimed his
style from William Latimer, first created Lord Latimer of Danby,
(the head manor of this Barony) temp. Edward II; on this, the
Lord Broke perceiving his error, and having a title of his own,
was contented to conclude a match between their children, and
Richard suffered a recovery on certain manors and lordships
demanded by the Lord Broke, with which adjustment both parties
were well satisfied.--BANKS.
Here was a lady rivalling in illustrious birth and immenseness of
possessions the famed west country heiress Cicely Bonville, one of
whose daughters her grandfather had married as his second wife. What
fortunate youth was destined to make prize of this high-born and
wealthy orphan,--with whom was to reside the influence of the bestowal
of her hand, fortune, and let us hope also, her heart?
There resided not far away from the home of this fatherless,
richly-dowered girl, an old and well descended race of gentlemen
called Greville. Leland, who wrote his itinerary contemporary with the
little lady's existence in the flesh, thus describes them,--
"Sum hold Opinion, that the gravilles cam originally in at the
conquest. The veri ancient house of the gravilles, is at draiton
by banburi, in oxfordshire. But ther is an nother manor place of
the chief stok of the Gravilles, caullid Milcot, yn Warwickshire,
where a late is a newer, fairer and more commodious house. And
court rolles remayne yet at Draiton, that the Gravilles had
landes ons by yere 3300 marks. And Gravilles had Knap Castel, and
Bewbush Parke, and other landes in Southfax, by descentes of
their name.
"Grevill an ancient Gent. dwelleth at Milcote, scant a mile lower
than Stratford towards _Avon ripa dextra_."
This "ancient gent" residing at Milcote, only a comparatively short
distance from Beauchamps-Court, Sir Edward Greville by name, although
of considerable social standing, did not rank in influence with the
Brokes and Beauchamps. He appears to have been an assiduous attendant
at the Court of Henry VIII.,
"was in the commission of the peace for Warwickshire, and in 1514
at the seiges of Terouen and Tournay, also at the battle that
ensued, called by our historians the Battle of Spurs, from the
swiftness of the French running away. He received the honour of
Knighthood 13 October for his valiant behaviour. In 1523, he was
appointed one of the Knights to attend the King (Henry VIII.) and
Queen to Canterbury, and from thence to Calais, and Guisnes, to
the meeting of the French king; every one of that degree having a
chaplain, eleven servants, and eight horses."
Sir Edward married Anne, daughter of John Denton of Amersden in the
county of Bucks, died in 1529, and was buried in the Chapel of St.
Anne in the church of Weston-upon-Avon. By his wife he had four sons,
John, Fulke, Thomas, and Edward, and like a prudent far-seeing father,
he naturally looked about for good matches for them, and one prize at
least was in view, and near at home, if he could obtain her reversion.
So making use of his Court influence, on his return from the Field of
the Cloth of Gold, he
"in 13 Henry VIII., 1522, obtained the wardship of Elizabeth, one
of the daughters and coheirs, and eventually the sole heir of
Edward Willoughby the only son of Robert, the second Lord Broke;
a grant which in its consequences, greatly contributed to
aggrandize his family as will appear from what followed."
Theoretically it would be presumed the "obtaining a wardship from the
Crown," was simply that of a philanthropic trusteeship, but
practically it meant something of a much more sordid nature, even the
disposal of the person and possessions of the ward, for its own
selfish uses and purposes, a monstrous privilege, or rather power,
which was the chief object of their acquisition, and as a rule duly
enforced. Therefore in accordance, we learn further that
"Sir Edward intended her for John his eldest son, but she
preferred in affection Fulke his younger son, and we get the
following account of this marriage from a manuscript entitled
'_The Genealogie, Life, and Death of Robert, Lord
Brooke_,'--wrote in 1644, and in possession of Francis Earl
Brooke,[8]--'In the days of king Henry the Eighth, I read of Sir
Edward Grevill of Milcote, who had the wardship of Elizabeth, one
of the daughters of the Lord Brook's son. This Knight made a
motion to his ward, to be married to John his eldest son; but she
refused, saying, that she did like better of Fulke his second
son. He told her, that he (Fulke) had no estate of land to
maintain her, and that he was in the King's service of warre,
beyond the seas, and therefore his returne was very doubtful. She
replyed and said, that shee had an estate sufficient for both,
for him, and for herselfe, and that shee would pray for his
safeties, and waite for his coming. Upon his returne home, for
the worthy service he had performed, he was by king Henry
honoured with knighthood; and then he married Elizabeth, the
daughter of the Lord Brooke's son.'"
[8] Collins, _Peerage_, edition 1756, and probably now among the
muniments of the Earl of Warwick.
After all, Sir Edward did not have it exactly his own way, some little
romance was mixed up with this "matter of mere attorneyship," and the
evidently high-spirited girl had a will of her own, and preferred the
sailor youth, to the more prosaic stay-at-home son. It is well perhaps
her inclinations did not lead her for choice outside Sir Edward's
family circle, and doubtless the knight was sufficiently reconciled to
find one of his boys in possession of the heiress.
By this marriage Sir Fulke settled himself at Beauchamp's-Court, and
with his wife's large property, and others acquired afterward by
purchase, became of high distinction and position in the county of
Warwick, and it further appears that
"he was an affectionate husband and tender parent; that he had
encountered great difficulties, in securing the inheritance of
his wife (the daughters of the late Lord Broke, claiming as
coheirs), and that he was remarkably accurate in his accounts,
and adhered strictly to justice in all his transactions, appears
by the whole tenor of his will, dated 12 Elizabeth, in which
towards the end he thus expresses himself, '_and my especial
requests to my executors (his wife and eldest son) for the love I
have borne them, and for the travel I have taken in establishing
the hole inheritance, with my great costs also to be considered,
I most earnestly require them, and on God's behalf charge them,
that my debts be paied, if I die before the accomplishments
thereof_.'"
So it fortunately turned out, that the Lady Elizabeth was happily
wedded to a kind, honourable, and just man. She bore him seven
children, three sons and four daughters,--Fulke, who succeeded his
father,--Robert, of Thorpe-Latimer, Lincolnshire, ancestor of the
Earls Brooke and of Warwick,--Edward, of Harrold Park, Waltham-Abbey,
Essex, whose line terminated in two daughters coheiresses,--Mary,
married to William Harris of Hayne, Devon,--Eleanor, to Sir John
Conway, of Arrow, and Ragley, in Warwick, who died in 1603, father of
Edward, first Baron Conway,--Catherine, to Charles Read, of the county
of Gloucester, and Blanche who died unmarried.
This evidently attached couple did not long survive each other, Sir
Fulke died 10 Nov., 1559, and his wife followed him to the tomb the
year following--1560.
They were buried under a magnificent monument that originally stood at
the end of the south aisle, near the chancel in Alcester church, but
which is now removed to a position near the tower at the west end.
Considering Alcester church was almost wholly rebuilt about a century
and a half since, at an era when memorials of the dead were not too
circumspectly cared for, this noble tomb with its recumbent figures,
and wealth of ornament has been wonderfully preserved from injury.
Except that the coloured decoration is somewhat softened by Time, it
is otherwise but little mutilated, and displays all its antient
splendour almost unimpaired.
[Illustration: EFFIGIES OF SIR FULKE AND LADY ELIZABETH GREVILLE]
On a black marble table are their effigies in alabaster, richly
painted and gilded. Sir Fulke, bare-headed, is in full armour, two
chains around the breast, from the lower depends a Maltese cross (or
star) of five arms, sword and misericorde, feet in broad sabbatons
puffed at the toes, and resting on a lion,--rings on his fingers, head
reclining on a helmet, with crest _a greyhound's head couped at the
shoulders sable, collared or_. Lady Elizabeth wears a close fitting
cap, hair parted in the centre and brought across the brow, ruff,
three small chains around the neck, gown with collar, sleeves having
dependant lappets, and putted, knotted and slashed at the shoulders,
with robe over fastened across the breast with cordon and tassels. Her
head rests on double cushions, rings are on her fingers, and from her
girdle, suspended by a chain, a gold pomander or pix, with double rose
ornament on the lid. By her left foot is a little dog, sable and
collared. The effigies are in a fine state of preservation, and around
the edge of the table this inscription:--
=Here lyeth the bodyes of s ffoulke grevile knyght & lady
Elizabeth his wefe the doughter & heire of edward willoughbye
esquyre the sone & heyre of Robert willoughbye knyght lord of
broke & lady Elizabeth one of the doughters & coheyres of the
lord beauchamps of powycke whiche s ffoulke dyed the x day of
november a'no d'ni M^o d^o lix and the seid lady Elizabeth
hys wyff deperted the day of in the yere of o^r lord god M^o
d^o lx of whose soules god have mercy amen=
On the sides of the tomb below are a series of small figures, and an
elaborate heraldic display, which claims special notice. Under the
knight are seven figures: 1, a knight in full armour, bareheaded,
sword, and chain round neck; 2 and 3, two ladies, with black hair,
chains round their necks, their gowns red, lined with black. On the
other side of the large shield, four figures: 4 and 5, two ladies with
black hair, gold chains, and black gowns lined with red; 6, apparently
a chrism child, with hood and clothes wound round in red, laced across
the chest, knees, and ankles with a black band; 7, another lady
clothed as 1 and 2. Under the cornice eight small shields:--1. _Sable,
a cross engrailed or_ (UFFORD).--2. _Gules, a cross moline or_
(BEC).--3. _Gules, a cross fleurie or_ (LATIMER).--4. _Sable, a fess
between three fleurs-de-lys or._--5. _Gules, four fusils in fess
or,[9] each charged with an escallop sable_ (CHENEY).--6. _Gules,
three mullets pierced, or._--7. _Azure, a cross fleurettee or_
(Paveley?).--8. _Gules, a lion rampant or._ Below them inscribed in
the centre,
=Arma Edwardi grevile de milcote militis.=
under the inscription a large escutcheon quarterly of four,--1 and 4.
_Gules, a fess between six martlets or._--2 and 3. _Or, on a fess
azure, three fleurs-de-lys of the first._ Round the shield on a blue
riband,