THE first of this noble family, who had the title of Earl of Abingdon, was JAMES Bertie, LORD NORREYS OF RYCOTE, son and heir of Montagu Bertie (the second Earl of Lindsey) by Bridget, his second wife, BARONESS NORREYS OF RYCOTE, widow of Edward Sackville, second son of Edward fourth Earl of Dorset, and daughter and sole heir to Edward Wray, Esq. Groom of the bedchamber to King James I. (third son to Sir William Wray, of Glentworth in the county of Lincoln, Knight and Bart.) by Elizabeth his wife, sole daughter and heir to Francis Norris, or NORREYS, Viscount Thame, and Earl of Berkshire: and the barony of Norreys descending to him, as heir to his mother, he was, by reason of his illustrious descent, and eminent services to King Charles II, faithfully performed (as his patent sets forth) created EARL OF ABINGDON, on November 30th, 1682.

The other children of the said Montagu, Earl of Lindsey, by his second wife, were Edward, who died young; the Honourable captain Henry Bertie; and Lady Mary, married to Charles Dor

a He was created Earl of Berkshire January 28th, 18th of James I. and soon afterwards mortally wounded himself at his house at Rycote, and died on the Wednesday following. See Memoirs of King James's Peers, vol. i p. 465. He was grandson of Sir Henry Norris, who was summoned to parliament 14 Eliz as Lord Norreys of Rycote, having married Isabel, eldest daughter and coheir of John Williams, Lord Williams of Thame, and who was son of the unfortunate Sir Henry Norris, who fell a sacrifice to the jealousy of King Henry VIII. at the same time with Queen Anne Boleyne. See List of Queen Elizabeth's Peers, annexed to Reflections on the Augmentations of the Peerage, (1798, octavo) p. 100.

mer, second Earl of Caernarvon, who died without issue male, on November 29th, 1709.

Captain Henry, before-mentioned (who was member for the city of Oxford, in 1685, 1689, and 1690) married Philadelphia, daughter to Sir Edward Norreys, of Weston-on-the-Green in the county of Oxford, and by her had issue two sons and three daughters. James, the eldest, married Elizabeth, daughter to Roger Harris, of the city of Winchester, Esq. and by her left one son, Norreys Bertie, Esq. who inherited Weston-on-the-Green, aforesaid, as also Nuttley abbey in Buckinghamshire, Yattendun and Hamstead Norreys in Berkshire, &c. and was one of the knights of the shire for the county of Oxford in the ninth and tenth parliaments of Great Britain, respectively summoned in 1741 and 1747. Charles-Montagu Bertie, second son of the said captain Henry Bertie, was rector of Uffington in Lincolnshire, and died a bachelor. Eleanora and Anne, the captain's two eldest daughters, died unmarried; and Catherine, the youngest, was wedded to Francis Clark, of North-Weston in Oxfordshire, Esq. The said captain Henry married to his second wife Catherine, sister to Sir Henry Featherstone, Bart. but by her, who died February 8th, 1736, and is buried at Stanford in Essex, left no issue; and departing this life at Chesterton in Oxfordshire, in December, 1734, was there buried.

The aforesaid James, 1st Earl of Abingdon, was lord lieutenant of the county of Oxford, from 1674 to 1687; was one of those peers, who, in 1688, joined in the invitation to William, Prince of Orange, and depended so much on his Highness acting the part of a disinterested mediator between King James and the people, that he contributed 30,000 7. towards his expedition: but when he suspected that his Highness aimed at the crown, he did all in his power to thwart his views; and not only gave his own vote against declaring the throne vacant, and filling it with the Prince and Princess of Orange, but exerted his influence with his friends to concur with him. However, being a nobleman of respectable character, it was thought proper to nominate him lord lieutenant and custos rotulorum of the said county of Oxford, and he continued in those offices till 1697, though he strenuously opposed the favourite measures of the court. His Lordship was also chief justice in eyre of all the royal forests, &c. south of Trent; and high steward of the city of Oxford.

b Salmon's Essex, p. 309.

He married to his first wife Eleanora, eldest daughter and at last sole heir to Sir Henry Lee, of Ditchley in the county of Oxford, Bart. by Anne his wife, daughter of Sir John Danvers, and sister and coheir to Henry Danvers, Esq. nephew and heir to Henry, Earl of Danby. She died on May 31st, 1691, and was interred at Rycote, leaving six sons.

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First, Montagu; second, James; third, Henry; fourth, Robert; fifth, Peregrine; and, sixth, Charles.

Also three daughters; Lady Bridget, married to Richard, fourth Viscount Bulkeley of the kingdom of Ireland; Lady Anne, to Sir William Courtenay, of Powderham castle in com. Devon. Bart. ancestor to the present Viscount; and Lady Mary, who died unmarried.

In the year 1698, his Lordship took his second wife Catherine, eldest daughter and coheir to Sir Thomas Chamberlayne, of Northbrooke and Wickham in Oxfordshire, Bart. and widow of Richard, fourth Viscount Wenman: and she, surviving him, married Francis Broughton, of Escot (or Heskitt) in Wiltshire, Esq.

d

His Lordship departed this life, on Monday, May 22d, 1699, in the forty-sixth year of his age, to the general lamentation of his country, of whose liberty and religion he was a constant and zealous asserter: all which is set forth on his Lordship's coffin at Rycote in Oxfordshire, where he lies buried.

James, his second son, born on March 13th, 1673, was seated at Stanwell, in Middlesex, which he had with his wife, and was one of the representatives of the county of Middlesex, in the three last parliaments of Queen Anne, the two following called by George I. and in the first summoned by George II. On January 5th, 1691-2, he married Elizabeth, the only surviving daughter to George Willoughby, seventh Lord Willoughby, of Parham, and by the death of her brother John, eighth Lord Willoughby of Parham (to whom she was heir) and by the will of her uncle Charles, the tenth Lord (who left no issue) inherited a great estate and by her (who was born on April 29, 1673, and dying in childbed on September 26th, 1715, was buried at Stanwell aforesaid) he had fourteen children, whereof only six lived to maturity,

viz.

First, Willoughby, his heir, and, in the sequel, third Earl of Abingdon.

Second, Edward, who died on September 21st, 1733.

• See Dryden's Elegy on her.

• Quere Wroughton ?

Third, William, D. D. and rector of Albury in Oxfordshire, and had issue, James, Richard, Frances, Sophia, and Anne.

Fourth, Henry.

Fifth, Reverend John, who married Mary, daughter of Clerk Nicholas, Esq. and had issue four sons, John, William, and Norreys, who all died young, and Willoughby. Also nine daughters, Anne, Mary, Bridget, Elizabeth, Frances-Mary, Eleanora, Isabella, Mary, and Sophia-Eustacia; their father was rector of Ken in Devonshire, and prebendary of Exeter: he died February 1st, 1774.

And, sixth, Bridget, who wedded Robert Coytmor (or Coetmor) of Coytmor in Caernarvonshire, North Wales, Esq.

The said James, who distinguished himself as a friend to the liberties of his country, departed this life in the year 1735, and was succeeded by Willoughby his eldest son, afterwards third Earl of Abingdon.

Henry, Earl James's third son, born on May 4th, 1675, wedded, in July, 1708, Annabella-Susanna, daughter of.... Viscount Glenoly in Ireland, and widow of Marcus Trevor, Viscount Dungannon; and she dying on December 10th, 1708, without issue, he married, secondly, Mary, daughter and one of the coheirs of Peregrine Bertie, son of Montagu, second Earl of Lindsey, and widow of Anthony Henley, of the Grange in Hampshire, Esq. by whom he had an only daughter, Susannah, who married Charles Bertie, son of her uncle Charles, LL. D. He also survived this Lady, and died in December, 1735.

Robert, his fourth son, born on February 28th, 1676, was seated at Beenham in Berkshire, and had to wife Catherine, daughter to Richard, fourth Viscount Wenman aforesaid, but died on August 16th, 1710, without issue; and his widow afterwards married Sir William Osbaldeston, of Chadlington and Nethercote in Oxfordshire, Bart.

Peregrine, his fifth son, born on February 2d, 1677, was captain of the Panther man of war, in the action under Sir George Rooke in the Streights on August 13th, 1704, when he behaved with remarkable bravery. He was afterwards captain of the Ruby, in which ship, after a gallant defence in a warm encounter at sea, he was taken prisoner by Monsieur Fourbin; and died in France, A. D. 1709, unmarried.

d One of these daughters married Samuel Ryder Weston, D. D. Canon Residentiary of St. Paul's.

Charles the sixth son, LL. D. born on February 6th, 1678, was fellow of All-Souls, and afterwards professor of natural philosophy, in the University of Oxford, and rector of Kenne in the county of Devon, when he died in March, 1746. He married Elizabeth, daughter to the Reverend Mr. John Kerry, rector of Treddington in Worcestershire, by whom he had issue one son, Charles, rector of St. Mary le Strand, London, who married his cousin Susanna Bertie, as before observed; and two daughters, Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Walker of Exeter; and Anne, wife of Dr. Fienes.

MONTAGU, the eldest son, succeeded as SECOND EARL OF ABINGDON, was sworn of the privy-council to Queen Anne on April 21st, 1702; and, on May 27th following, was constituted constable of the Tower of London, and lord lieutenant of the hamlets thereof; also on June 10th, 1702, lord lieutenant and custos rotulorum of Oxfordshire: but in September, 1705, was removed from his employments. However, upon another change of the ministry, in 1710, he was constituted chief justice, and justice in eyre, of all her Majesty's forests, chaces, parks, &c. on the south side of Trent; and was again sworn of her Majesty's privycouncil; and on May 17th, 1712, constituted lord lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

At the demise of the Queen, he was one of the nineteen lords justices nominated by her successor (pursuant to an act of parlia ment) for the government of the kingdom till his arrival from Hanover and a new privy-council being appointed by his Majesty to meet on October 1st, 1714, he was sworn thereof. He was also, on the 16th of the same month, appointed lord lieutenant of Oxfordshire, as also custos rotulorum of the said county; and soon after made chief justice in Eyre, &c. South of Trent: but his Lordship kept those places but a short time; being no friend to the measures of the administration, which he opposed with great spirit in that and the succeeding reign, as may be seen from the debates and protests in the house of peers. e His Lordship was likewise recorder and high steward of the city of Os

ford.

His Lordship married, first, Anne, daughter and heir to Peter Venables, Baron of Kinderton, who left him a widower on April 28th, 1715, and was buried at Rycote in Oxfordshire, with this inscription on her coffin :

• History of the City of Oxford.