1 late Prince of Wales, was appointed Master of his horse. His Lordship, succeeding his father, was also constituted, on Nov. 2d, 1727, Lord-Lieutenant of North-Wales, and Lord-Eieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the county of Chester, also Chamberlain of Chester. In May, 1735 (having resigned his post of Master of the horse to the Prince), he was constituted one of the Commissioners of the Treasury; and in May, 1735, was appointed Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, and sworn of the Privy-council. On Dec. 10th, 1743, his Majesty having been pleased to grant to his Lordship the office of Keeper of his Majesty's Privy-seal,' he was, three days after, sworn into the said office at St. James's, his Majesty being present in council, and took his place at the board accordingly. And on resigning it, his Lordship was, on Dec. 27th, 1744, appointed joint Vice-treasurer, Receiver-general, and Paymaster-general of Ireland (which he resigned in 1762), and Treasurer of war in the same kingdom, having resigned the Privy-seal to the Lord Gower. In 1745, at the breaking out of the rebellion in Scotland, his Lordship raised a regiment of foot for his Majesty's service. His Lordship married, on September 14th, 1723, Mary, only lawful daughter of Sir Robert Walpole, first Earl of Orford; and by her Ladyship,m who died in 1731, at Aix in Provence, and was buried at Malpas, had issue three sons; viz. 1. George, late Lord Viscount Malpas; 2. Robert; and, 3. Frederick, who died April 27th, 1734, and is buried at St. Martins in the Fields; and one daughter, who died soon after her birth. His Lordship was continued by his present Majesty, in his posts of Lord-lieutenant, Custos Rotulorum, and Vice-admiral of Cheshire, Governor of Chester castle, Steward of the royal manor of Sheene, in Surrey, and one of his Privycouncil. Robert Cholmondeley, the second son, born on 1st, and baptized 28th, Nov. 1727, was some time an officer in the army: but preferring an ecclesiastical to a military life, he entered into holy orders; and beside the church-livings of St. Andrew's in Hertford, and Hertingfordbury, near that town, enjoyed the office of Auditor-general of his Majesty's revenues in America. He died June 6th, 1804. He married Mary, daughter of — Woffington, by whom he had issue three sons and four daughters; viz. George-James, born Feb. 22d, 1752, baptized March 20th, in the parish of St. George, Hanover Square, who, in 1782, was ap See Coxe's Sir R. Walpole, 1. 735. m Aged 26. pointed a Commissioner of the Excise, from which he retired in 1801; Horace, born Feb. 18th, 1753, baptized March 16th, in St. George's, Hanover Square, but died young, and was buried at Teddington; Robert-Francis, born June 24th, 1756, baptized July 22d. in St. George's, Hanover Square; Mary-Harriet, born April 4th, 1754, baptized in the parish of St.James, Westminster, killed by the overturn of the Princess of Wales's barouche, Oct. 2d, 1806; Jane-Elizabeth, born October 22d, 1758, baptized November 20th, in the parish of St. George, Hanover Square, and died an infant; Margaret, born July 8th, 1761, baptized Nov. 20th, in St. George's, Hanover Square, and died an infant; HesterFrances, born July 8th, 1763, baptized Aug. 2d, in St. George's, Hanover Square, married Dec. 3d, 1783, Sir William Bellingham, Baronet; Frederick died an infant; Charlotte died young. His Lordship's eldest son and heir, George, Lord Viscount Malpas, born on Oct. 17th, 1724, served as a volunteer at the battle of Fontenoy, on May 11th, 1745, N. S. and immediately after was appointed Aid-de-camp to Sir John Ligonier, and after had a company of foot conferred on him, in Lieutenant-general Howard's regiment of foot. On the rebellion that happened at that time, he was appointed Lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of foot raised by his father, the Earl of Cholmondeley, for the suppression of the rebels. He served in the Parliament, 1768, for Corffe castle, in Dorsetshire; and for Bramber, in Sussex, in 1762; and was Colonel of the Cheshire Militia, and of the 65th regiment of foot. His Lordship married, on Jan. 19th, 1746-7, Hester, daughter and heir of Sir Francis Edwards, of Grete, and of the College in Shrewsbury, both in the county of Salop, Bart. His Lordship died on March 15th, 1764, leaving, by his said Lady (who survived him) one son, George James, now Earl of Cholmondeley; and a daughter, Hester, born in 1755, at Burhill, near Cobham, in Surrey, who married, Sept. 6th, 1773, William Clapcot Lisle, Esq. since deceased; by whom she had a daughter, born July 9th, 1774, married, Feb. 23d, 1799, Charles Arbuthnot, Esq. George, THIRD EARL OF CHOLMONDELEY, died June 10th, 1770, aged seventy, was buried at Malpas, in the county of Chester, on 21st of the same month, and was succeeded in honours and estates by his grandson, GEORGE JAMES, the present and FOURTH EARL OF CHOLMONDELEY; born April 30th, 1749, in the parish of Hardingstone, in the county of Northampton. His Lordship was for some years Lord-lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the county of Chester, and Governor of Chester castle. His Lordship, on June 14th, 1782, was appointed his Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of Berlin; on April 25th, 1783, he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, which he retained till 1804; and was at the same time sworn a Privy Counsellor. On the death of the late Horace Earl of Orford, he succeeded to the ancient Walpole estates at Houghton, &c. in Norfolk. His Lordship married, April 25th, 1791, Lady GeorgianaCharlotte Bertie, sister and coheir (with Lady Willoughby of Eresby), to Robert late duke of Ancaster; by whom he has issue, 1. George-James, Viscount Malpas, born Jan. 17th, 1792. 2. Lady Charlotte. 3. William-Henry. Titles.] George-James Cholmondeley, Earl of Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas, and Viscount Cholmondeley of Kellis, Baron Cholmondeley, of Wich-Malbank, alias Namptwich, and baron of Newburgh. Creations.] Baron Cholmondeley, of Wich-Malbank, alias Namptwich, April 10th (1689) 1 Wll. and Mar. Viscount Malpas, and Earl of Cholmondeley, all in the county of Chester, Dec. 27th (1706) 5 Q. Anne; and Baron of Newburgh, in the Isle of Anglesey, in North-Wales, July 2d (1716) 3 Geo. I. Also Baron of Newburgh, in com. Wexford, March 15th (1714) 1 Geo. I. and Viscount Cholmondeley, of Kellis, in the county of East-Meath, March 29th (1661) 13 Car. II. Irish honours. Arms.] Gules, two Esquire's Helmets in chief, proper, garnished, Or; in Base, a Garb of the third. Crest.] On a Wreath, a Demi-Griphon, rampant, Sable, beaked, winged, and membered, Or, holding an Helmet, as those in the arms. Supporters.] On the dexter Side, a Griphon, Sable, its Beak, Wings, and Fore-Legs, Or; on the sinister, a Wolf of the second, gorged, with a Collar perflew, Vaire. Motto.] CASSIS TUTISSIMA VIRTUS. Chief Seat.] At Cholmondeley, in the county of Chester, and at Houghton, in Norfolk. HARLEY, EARL OF OXFORD, AND EARL SOME have deduced the house of Harlai, in France (one of the most eminent in that kingdom) from a branch of this ancient and noble family in England: and according to Moreri, there are French authors of this opinion; for he acknowledges,a" It has been reported, they are derived from our country: though others maintain, that they are denominated from the town of Arlai, in the Franche Compté of Burgundy, and pretend to have proof thereof." The family of Harley, in England, is undoubtedly more ancient than the Norman conquest; and has been so illustrious, that those in France may be descended from it; though the name may neither be of Saxon, or British, much less of French extraction: for from Hursla, a barbarous Latin word, signifying a wood, comes Hurley, and so it changed into Harley,b a town in Shropshire (the ancient seat of this family), according to the learned Sir Henry Spelman. Though others have affirmed Harley to be a Saxon name, and of the same signification with Locus Exercitus. In an ancient obiit, or ledger book of the abbey of Pershore, in Worcestershire, is a commemoration of a noble warrior of this name, who commanding an army under Ethelred, King of England, in his wars against Swane, King of Denmark, gave the Danes a great defeat near that town, about the year 1013, and thereby preserved it from spoil and destruction. We find also, that before the Norman conquest, Sir JOHN de a Grand Dict. tom. III. b Ed. Llwyd's Antiq. of Shrop. MS. p. 226. d Ibid. c Ex Collect. Hug, Thomas, MS. Harley was possessed of Harley-castle and lordship, and having married Alice, daughter of Sir Titus de Leighton, by Letitia his wife, daughter of Hugh le Brune, brother to William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, left issue, Sir WILLIAM de Harley, Knt. who is the first mentioned in the visitation of Shropshire, in the College of Arms, as Lord of Harley in that county. He was one of those eminent persons who attended Godfrey de Bulloigne, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, Alan, Lord High-steward of Scotland, and others of note, in the first memorable expedition to the Holy Land, anno 1098, where they obtained many victories against the Saracens, and conquered Jerusalem. In honour of which, this Sir William was with them made Knights of the Sepulchre, an order of knighthood instituted upon that occasion. He died in England, and was buried in the abbey of Pershore, where his tomb is still remaining, and the only ancient monument there, which was not demolished at the dissolution of abbeys in the reign of Hen. VIII. and it is observable, that the shield of his effigies is plain, without any arms, according to the custom of the most ancient times. He married Catharine, daughter of Sir Jasper Croft, who was also a knight of the Sepulchre, and by her left issue, NICHOLAS de Harley, who had to wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Warren de Bostock, of Bostock, in com. Cest. by whom he had issue WILLIAM de Harley, who married Joan, daughter of Sir John de la Bere, Knt. of Kinnersley and Clonger, in com. Salop, and by her was father of NICHOLAS de Harley, who wedded Alice, daughter of Ralph Prestrop, of Prestrop, in Shropshire, and from them proceeded their son and heir, ROBERT, who married Alice, daughter and heir of Sir Roger Pulisdon, of Pulisdon, in com. Salop, by whom he had issue, Sir RICHARD de Harley, continuator of the line, and Malcolm de Harley; all which descents are in the visitation of Shropshire, beforementioned; but all our public records have not been generally preserved till the reign of Hen. III. e Vincent's Visitat. de Salop. ann. 1623. MS. p. 246. g Vincent ut supra. -f Ibid, p. 198 Henry, Lord of Harley, died in 1281, 9 Edw. I. and by Joan his wife, had six sons, all monks: John, the eldest, became professed in the monastery at Worcester, October 21, 1279, Annal. Wigorn, in Anglia Sacra, Vol. I. p. 502. This John, on his father's death, obtained an indulgence of 1185 days, in his convent, for the souls of his parents. The other five brothers were, Richard, a |