counts, from the records and writings belonging to them; but, as many others, (as at the firft,) have still continued filent to our call upon them, we apprehend, we fhall have no need, after this, to befpeak the readers farther excuse, as to the defects obfervable in fuch accounts, for which the families themselves, and not we, will be accountable to them and yet we have not failed doing our best, towards filling up the chasms to be found in them, which we have done however, with all due caution, to prevent mistakes ; as we have made it our care, no less throughout the whole, to fpeak well of every one concerned, which we thought our felves obliged to do, when speaking of an order, to which we muft own our felves strongly attached by inclination, as well as duty.

In this undertaking, the editor must acknowledge, that he has received very confiderable affistance, towards bringing it to the perfection it now appears in, from several kilful antiquaries, and other gentlemen, and more espe cially; that curious antiquary, the late Sir Holland Egerton, Bart to whom he is indebted, not only for the ufe of his colletions, and draughts of arms, (from which most of the coats, in the front of the work, are engraven,) but also for a great many materials, and genealogies, proper to it, he was fo very obliging to communicate to him, though at that time, an abfolute ftranger to him.

He must no lefs own himself to be very greatly obliged to Arthur Collins, Efq; (the author of the Peerage of England, in 4 vol. lately publifh'd,) for his part in affifting him, who, at the request of several of the order, communicated the accounts of their families, and furnifhed him likewife with what he had collected of feveral others.

The late Mr. William Holman, of Halftead, in Effex, (who wrote the Antiquities of that county,) favoured him alfo with what he had collected of feveral families, both of that, and other counties.

To the visitation-books, and MSS. courteously lent him by feveral gentlemen, he is equally in debt; and the printed antiquities of counties, have contributed their share to the perfecting of his undertaking.

Among the MSS. however, he is under more than ordinary obligation to thofe, collected by that very curious

and

and unwearied antiquary, Peter Le Neve, Efq; (late Norroy King at arms,) which he had the good fortune to meet with at the fale of them, which take in fuch a variety of materials, proper to fuch works, as have been of the greateft ufe to the editor, in his, and will ftill be of a great deal more, if it should be thought worthy hereafter of another impreffion.

As the accounts which are here inferted, will be feen to. vary pretty much, (gentlemen taking their own method in putting them together,) it is hoped, that each Baronet, on viewing what is printed, will send us an account of what he obferves either faulty, or deficient in his own family, or those of others within his knowledge, that whatever is wanting, or wrong, may be fet right, and added to the work, whenever it may come to another edition. Our design in it is, to publifh the account of every family as full as poffible, and to fhew the antiquity of each, as far as it can be traced by fufficient authority, (for which, our vouchers appear at the bottom of the page,) with their defcents, marriages, and iffues, down to the prefent time, together with fuch hiftorical memoirs, that bear relation, and ferve to illuftrate, or in any respect to do honour to them.

To these, we have added monumental infcriptions, which, as they are allowed to be an ornament to fuch collections, as giving us the best pictures of thofe perfons, on whom they are made, we have endeavoured to procure as many of them as we could; though it is a thing very much to be wifh'd, that in fome of them, now published, more care had been used in having them correctly copied and pointed, (more particularly thofe which are done in Latin, where thefe helps are most wanted,) and indeed it is great pity, that fuch infcriptions were not more carefully engraven at the first, than many of them are found to be; especially fuch as are most ancient, in which, probably, the engravers want of skill, in the orthography, and language, has fometimes been rendered the greater, by the badnefs of the copy given him to engrave from: as this must be the editor's excufe to the more intelligent of his readers, for any mistakes of this nature, (which yet he has taken all poffible pains to have corrected, by having recourfe afresh to the A 2 chief

chief of those infcriptions that are found faulty; but without effect; the mistakes being the fame on the monuments themselves, he either met with in printed accounts, or had communicated to him by private hands,) fo he would think himself greatly obliged to any curious perfons, who fhall enable him to fet right any fuch errors they fhall obferve in his work, as now printed; or furnish him with those inscriptions they fhall fee wanting, if they relate to the heads of the families treated of, the feveral Baronets, and their ladies, or fuch others, members of them, that are done with elegance, or contain a character fit to be remembred by pofterity: and this favour, he would more efpecially intreat of the reverend the clergy, who are most able to affift him with copies from their refpective churches, and may easily find an opportunity of conveying them to him, for the further embellishing of his work, in any future impreffion.

The noble actions of perfons famous in their generations, challenge, of course, a place in this hiftory, as fo many patterns worthy the imitation of pofterity, and more so still, of their immediate defcendants; as is no lefs proper, we fhould take notice of what preferments they feverally obtained, or honours and dignities they arrived at, either in church or ftate; the times of their ferving in parliament, and the places they ferved for; which have borne the of fice of fheriff, in what county, and in what reign, and year of it, as far as they are capable of being afcertained; and likewife, what charitable foundations, any of them have been the authors of; together with fuch other hiftorical matters, as may render the accounts both entertaining and useful.

It is thought, the Baronets hereafter mentioned, are all that are in being, of the English creation; the strictest enquiry having been made in every county, to get the best information relating to those who are extinct; and 'tis hop'd rone are here inferted, tho' fome have become extinct during the time of printing this book, fo that fuch account's and arms will be found, tho' the title has fail'd.

The accounts of thofe Baronets, who are Peers of GreatBritain, or Ireland, are not printed, their creations being fwallowed up in higher titles, and their genealogies already publifh'd, to which we refer; tho' vacant places are left in

the

the arms, at the end of each reign, if it thould happen any Baronets title, may furvive the Peerage, as was the cafe of the prefent Sir George Savile, who became heir to this dignity, on the death of Sir John Savile, who fucceeded the laft marquis of Hallifax, of that name, in the title of Baronet; being defcended from Sir George Savile, the first Baronet, and next heir male to this dignity, after the extinction of the Peers, who were the elder branch, derived from the eldest fon, as the faid Sir John, and prefent Sir George, were, from the younger fons of the firit Sir George Savile, Bart.

'Tis believ'd, (notwithstanding the great trouble and difficulty attending this work,) the arms are the most correct, and the omiffions, or mifplacing, fewer, than in any book of this kind; all poffible care having been taken to correct the errors, and fupply the many defects of the printed lifts extant,

We have treated of this order of Baronets, at the latter end of this work, which contains many particulars omitted by moft other authors, who have wrote upon this fubject, efpecially with refpect to the privileges, precedencies, &c. of Baronets, their wives, fons, and daughters; which is collected from patents, decrees, and establishments of King James, and King Charles I.

Though the Baronets of Nova Scotia, (or Scots Baronets,) inftituted by King Charles I. are not inferted in this work, yet, as fome few of that order, still remaining, are of Englifh families, we have been defired, (and judged it not improper,) to add the accounts of thefe, at the end of it; but, for the reft, we have wholly omitted them, as, besides their not belonging to the order we purpofely treat of, are not properly of our country, or refident therein, as the others are; neither has it been thought proper to take notice of feveral, who, tho' they affume the title, have either no patent, or fufficient authority for their fo doing, to make out their claim to it; or elfe, tho' they themselves may be truly within the limitations of a patent, the dignity has been forfeited long fince, and extinguished in their families,by an act of attainder; as, Sir James Harrington, of Ridlington, in Rutland hire, and others. We had, nevertheless, fome thoughts of publishing the accounts of Sir Thomas J'anfon, Sir James Bunce, Sir William Courtenay, and fome others,

2

whofe

whose ancestors procured a fign-manual for this title, but never took out their patents for it; and as they still labour under this defect, we have therefore omitted them in this prefent edition.

informa

It being a thing impracticable to obtain any tion that can be depended on, of fuch foreigners, as have had this title conferred upon them, a lift only of their names, fpecifying the times of their refpective creations; as it is all that can be had, is as much therefore as can be reafonably expected.

Some perfons have feem'd doubtful, whether Baronets may be properly ftiled honourable; but fince 'tis an epithet now given to their inferiors, viz. knights-bannerets, (not made by the King himself, perfonally prefent in the field of battle, by displaying the royal banner,) knights of the Bath, colonels, &c. it can't be thought unapplicable to Baronets, who have an establish'd precedence of them.

Notwithstanding the application made to every one of this order, it is furprising to fee, how very indifferent fome are ftill about their ancestors, and with what difficulty others were perfuaded to take any the leaft pains, in furnishing the accounts of them; enough to have dif couraged any one from pursuing a design of this nature, if the editor had not been relieved and confiderably affifted by feveral curious and able gentlemen, as well of this order, as others, by which means the work is brought forward to the perfection it now has, and in which it prefents it self to the favourable acceptance of the publick.

N. B. The greateft part of this work having been printed off, before the diffolution of the late parliament, the alterations that have fince happened, by the removal of fome, and the choice of others into the new one, the reader is defired to correct; as alfo thofe, that have happened by deaths, marriages, &c. of which kind there have been a great many, fince it first went to the prefs. Such informations and additions, as have, fince then, come to hand, will be found in the appendix: the literal errors of the prefs, and falfe pointings, he is defired likewise to excufe; as he is alfo fuch omiffion of names in the index, as have been occafioned by the cancelling of feveral leaves, after they were printed off,

BARO