days set him at liberty, upon good sureties for his appearance before your Lordship within twenty days. Your Lordship's at commandment, THOMAS WHARTON. No. XXVI. (Talbot Papers, Vol. D. fol. 13.) LORD WHARTON TO THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY. Right honourable and my singular good Lord, WITH my due commendations, it may please your Lordship to be advertised that, upon the affray at Ford,* where Robert Barrowe, Mayor, and Giles The castle of Ford, under which is Flodden Field, was an ancient, though not the original, seat of the Herons of Northumberland. Hadeston, the Sedes Baronialis of the Land-barony of Heron, was the place of their residence from the grant thereof to their ancestor, in 1100, until it descended, on the decease of William Heron, in the 25th of Edward I. to Emeline Heron, his grand-daughter and heir, afterwards Baroness Darcy. This Landbarony was forfeited in 1537 by the attainder of Thomas Lord Darcy, her descendant and heir.-Ford, Crucum Kynmerston, and Hetpole, which came to the above-named William Heron about the middle of the thirteenth century, in right of his mother, Mary, the daughter and heir of Odonel de Ford; and Bockenfield, granted to his father in 1254 by Roger Bertram of Mitford, with other estates in Northumberland, went on his decease to Roger Heron, his eldest surviving son, and heir male. William, the descendant of William Heron and Mary de Ford, embattled his mansionhouse of Ford by virtue of a license obtained in the 12th of Edward III., and that Prince, in the 14th year of his reign, granted to him and his heirs to hold it, per nomen castri, for defence of those parts against the Scots. This William was the first Heron who had summons after the Land-barony descended to Lady Darcy. Ford Castle continued in his male posterity till the 27th of Henry VIII. when, on the death of Sir William Heron, Elizabeth, Heron, Treasurer of Berwick, were cruelly slain, the Mayor had such wounds on him that he never spake more; the Treasurer had fifteen bloody wounds upon him: some of the offenders are in Scotland, at Robin Carry's house, Lord of Graydon; and have with them the Treasurer's hat, and his dagger. I wrote two several letters to the Sheriff and Justices of the Peace immediately after this affray, copies of both which letters I send unto your Lordship here inclosed. George Heron of Chipchase, brother to Giles, and others of his friends, came to me with the under-sheriff, as I appointed, of whom I have taken good sureties, in good sums, for preservation of the peace; and George Heron, and one other, to make their appearance at the city of York, the 17th of May next, before your Lordship, and to obey all your Lordship's commandments for trial of the truth, and unto all others as was commanded unto me in the King and Queen's Majesties' letters from his grand daughter, was by an inquisitio post mortem found to be his sole heir. She married Thomas Carr, who possessed Ford castle, &c. without interruption, till his death, a little before the date of this letter; when George Heron of Chipchase having set up a claim to these estates under an entail made by Sir William Heron in the reign of Henry VIII., the friends of the two parties immediately engaged in the contest with that ferocious spirit which usually attended such disputes on the borders. On the 27th of March, 1557, John Dixon, with a part of the garrison of Berwick, probably hired for that purpose, seized Ford castle for George Heron, and on the following morning the tragical fray occurred which is the subject of the letter before us. I was indebted for these particulars to the Right Honourable Sir Richard Heron, Baronet, who was so good as to lend me his very curious MS. collections relative to his ancient family. That gentleman's father, Robert Heron of Newark, was heir male of the Herons of Bockenfield, as appears by various records in the College of Arms. York of the last of March. The other party has He not come before me. George Heron, and his friends, say that Sir Robert Ellerker, Sheriff, is party, and beareth with the offenders. exhibited a bill unto me, which I have thought good to send unto your Lordship herewith. I shall endeavour myself to do in that matter, and in all others, the best I can for peace and quietness in this troublous country; and shall obey your Lordship's commandments, from time to time, the best I may. For news in these parts; Mr. Dr. Hussey rode from Edinburgh to Stirling the 5th of April, in my Lady Lennox's causes, as he is commanded from the Queen's Highness. Of his doings there I cannot write to your Lordship at this time, saving that there is much spoken of the French King's great armies which the Scots say he has in Picardy with himself, and with the Duke of Guise in Piedmont, and aiding the Pope in Naples; and that the great Turk hath great armies ready; all these the Scots speak for the French King's glory. The Scots look for war or peace as the King and Queen's Majesties shall order with Sir Robert Carnegie, who is passed to their Highnesses in commission for Scotland. And Almighty God send unto your Lordship most long and prosperous health, to your Lordship's noble heart's desire. At the castle of Berwick, the 9th of April, 1557 I have received four of the King and Queen's Majesty's letters, three of them to the Justices of Peace and to me, the fourth to myself, besides one I received of the last of March, all from the city of York. I have sent the letters to the Justices of Peace, and shall be ready myself to do in all their Highnesses have commanded, and shall certify your Lordship what shall be done upon the same. As to such of the garrison as were at Ford, there were three; John Selby the younger, Robert Story, and one Milbourne, whom I have committed, and intend not that they shall serve here; others, except the treasurer, I have not heard of as yet. The bonds I have taken of George Heron is £500; and have myself, two of the chief of his name, and others, gentlemen of inheritance, sureties therefor I shall now call on Ralph Gray, Sir John Foster, the Herons, again, and all others; and give order as their Highnesses have commanded. I do assure your Lordship of their unlawful doings, or of their unlawful assemblies, or any unlawful act, I was not of knowledge, nor am contented therewith; their own deeds must try themselves; and my doings shall appear before your Lordship and all others to be dutifully done, and to seek the preservation and quiet of the country where I have charge, the subjects wherein I do wish should rule themselves as to their duties belongs, and then should I not be disdained nor wrong reported; howbeit many officers before my time have had overmuch care and trouble with the undutiful demeanours in Northumberland. Yesterday Sir John Foster, one of my deputies, met the Lord Hume, who made deliverance for all the bills that were that day to be demanded to this He de realm at the East Marches, except one. livered for three or four great bills, but he would not enter for the Middle Marches. They have appointed to meet there again the 26th of this month. Your Lordship's at command, THOMAS WHARTON. To the right honourable my singular good Lord the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord President of the King and Queen's most honourable Council in the North. No. XXVII. (Talbot Papers, Vol. D. fol. 17.) LAWRENCE HUSSEY TO LORD WHARTON. Right honourable and my singular good Lord, In most humble wise it may please your Honour to understand that I, having had an answer at the Dowager's hands, am repaired to Edinburgh, to what intent your Lordship shall understand by my next, and that shortly; deferring to advertise your Lordship of my whole proceedings till I shall have more leisure to write. This messenger, Nesbet, servant to the Lord of Blaketower, came very gently to me, and offered me all kindness, which I know to have been done for your Lordship's sake. At my being at Sterling, I understood of divers that the French King has had a great discomfit in Italy.* The Duke of Nemours, a young man, but This was a false report, for the French army, according to Mezeray, remained inactive in Italy till after the 9th of April. |