RUDHALL, HEREFORDSHIRE. ^ 25 



Rud halls is one of the ancientest in this county of Hereford, 

 supposed by some of the family to be descended from the 

 Saxons, blessed with a very large estate of nearly 3000/. per 

 annum of reserved rents, before it was diminished by my great 

 uncle John Rudhall. By Frances he had issue four sons, 

 Herbert, William, James, and Samuel ; the two last died un- 

 married, and five daughters, Anne, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, 

 and Frances ; the two last died unmarried. To his second son 

 William, whose posterity now live at Grafton, near Hereford, he 

 gave the great tithes of Marcle and the Mills at Bromyard. 



Anne married Murders, of Burghill. Elizabeth, to whom 



he gave his freehold lands in Hampton, in portion, married 



Whittington, of the Castle. Mary, to whom he gave his lease 



of Warham, married Elmhurst, a divine. The eldest son, 



Herbert, was bred up in Lincoln College, Oxford, a good scholar. 

 He was a very virtuous, prudent man. His father settled on him 

 only Mansell, out of which he was to pay 60/. per annum. He 

 had several children. He lived in good repute, and kept within 

 the bounds of his small estate. He died near 40 years of age, at 

 his house at Mansell, of the small pox, in the life time of his 

 father. In all probability it had been much happier for his 

 posterity if he had survived his father some years. He was 

 buried in Mansell Church. He married Elizabeth, the daughter 

 of John Frogmore, of Claines, in the county of Worcester, and 

 left issue four sons, Herbert, John, William, and James, the 

 three last died unmarried ; and three daughters, Frances, died 

 unmarried, Elizabeth, married John Barnes, of Hartleton, and 

 Anne, who died a child. Herbert, the eldest, who is my father, 

 Avas bred up in the time of the civil wars, which prevented his 

 being kept to his book. The estate which descended to him was 

 the lordship of Mansell and the leases at Hampton Bishop. 

 About his age of 28 years he was chosen a member of convo- 

 cation for Hereford, which brought in King Charles the 2nd, 

 which was soon dissolved, when he was chosen again for Hereford 

 for the Parliament which sat 18 years. In Jiis second election 

 he had great opposition from Sir Edward Hopton, who likewise 

 endeavoured for Hereford, and was falsely returned by the mayor. 

 We have heard that this election and his contest in the House of 

 Commons cost 1200/. In his time my uncles John and William 

 Rudhall, dying without issue, the remaining estate of Rudhall 

 unsold, was divided by the heirs of the sisters into eighteen 

 shares, as appears by the will, whereof my father had four shares, 

 and being descended from the eldest daughter of the Rudhalls, 

 had the house, and a larger allotment than any of the others, with 

 a proportion of timber for rebuilding Rudhall House. But the 

 wood was sold, and nothing done but the rebuilding of the malt- 

 house. He was a person of an extraordinary good nature, which, 

 in many things, turned to his prejudice, as his being bound for 

 NO. I. E ♦ 



