Filding Earl of Denbigh▪

[18 Iac.]

THough none of this Family did arrive to the degree and dignity of Peers in this Realm, until the time of King Iames his Reign, yet were they persons of great Note and Eminency, for many ages before, and Paternally descended from the Earls of Has∣purgh, (which were Count Palatines in Ger∣many,) as is most apparent from a Lettera of Atturney, made by Geffrey Fildyng,* bearing date at Munsterton, in com. Leic. on the feast day of St. Barnabas the Apostle, 9 E. 2. wherein he calls himself Filius Galfridi Filii Galfridi Com. de Hap spurgh, & domini de Laufenburg, & Rinfilding in Germaniâ; and by the consent of Agnes de Napton, his wife, gives power to William Pure∣fey, to deliver seis• of his Mannor of Mun∣sterton, unto Sir Rauf de Stanlow, and of one yard Land in Lutterworth, which his Mother Maud de Colville, sometime held: as also from an antient Parchment,b written about King Ed∣ward the Fourths time, which sheweth the occasion of the same Geffry his coming into England, in these words; Memorandum, quod Galfridus Comes Hapspurgicus, propter oppressio∣nes sibi illatas à Comite Rodolpho, qui postea elec∣tus erat Imperator, ad summam paupertatem re∣dactus; unus ex filiis suis, nomine Galfridus, mi∣litavit in Angliâ sub Rege Henrico tertio. Et quia pater ejus Galfridus Comes, •abuit praetensiones ad certa dominia in Lauffenburg, & Rinfelden, retinuit sibi nomen de Felden Anglicè Fielding. Et reliquit, ex Matildâ de Colevile, uxore su•, Galfridum, Johannem, & Thomam, tunc pu•∣ros. Galfridus Filding, duxit in uxorem Agne∣tem, Filiam Johannis de Napton, qui fuit frater Roberti de Napton militis, ex Aliciâ filiâ Ricar∣di de Misterton, uxore suâ; & habuit exitum Willielmum Filding, q•i duxit in uxorem Johan∣nam filiam Willielmi Prudhome, ex Julianâ fi∣li• & haerede Roberti de Newnham: & ex illâ ge∣nuit Johannem Filding militem, qui ex Marga∣reta Purfrey uxore suâ, genuit Willielmum Fil∣ding militem; qui quidem Willielmus duxit in uxorem Agnetem de Seyton, & habuit exitum, Johannem, Everardum, Edwardum, & Marti∣nam Filding.

It seems that King Henry the Third, much tendered the low condition of this Geffrey, who was thus in Arms on his behalf, here in Eng∣land; and that by reason thereof, he gave him certain Rewts and Fees, lying in sundry places, fo• his support: for in a Rollc of them, yet extant, written in Edward the Thirds time, whereunto the title is, Redditus & Feoda Willi∣elmi Filding, filii Galfridi, filii Galfridi, filii Galfridi, Comitis de Hapsberg, Lauffenburg, & Rhinfelden; in the margent thereof is this Inscription, Ex dono quondam Regis Henri•i, filii Regis Iohannis.

As the testimony of these things, is really of much honour to this Family, so is it appa∣rent, that it hath heretofore been of no small estimation amongst them; for in an old Book, d sometime belonging to the Hospital of St. Iohn Page  441 Baptist, in Lutterworth, I find this written; Notum sit omnibus hunc librum visuris, quod ego Willielmus Veysey, Magister Hospitalis St. Joh. Bapt. de Luterworth, praesens fui, quando Jo∣hannes Fylding, qui postea erat miles; eodem an no, quo inserviebat Johannem Ducem Bedfordiae, in bello contra Gallos, tradidit multas veteres scrip∣turas custodiendas. Thomae Bellers Gentilman; quae certificabant dominum Galfridum Feldyng filium fuisse Galfridi Comitis de Hapspurgh, &c. (ut supra.) And likewise this following ex∣pression, made by Sir William Filding Knight, who lived in the time of King Henry the Eighth; The Evidence of all these things was left with William Cave, the son of Thomas Cave Gentle∣man, by Sir William Filding, before the Bat∣tel of Tewksbury: and a Bill of Remembrance of the same, after given to Richard Cave, which was also written in the same Book of William Vey∣sy, Master of the Hospital of St. John Baptist of Lutterworth.

This was the Bok of my Fader

Sir Everard Fylding.