12« 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 277. 



the ancient family of the "Skynners" of that 

 county ; and from the same family (although at a 

 very early period), according to tradition, the old 

 family of the " Skynners" of the county of Here- 

 ford was descended. But the arms are entirely 

 different, the Skinners of Hereford bearing — Sable, 

 a chevron or, between three griffins' heads erased 

 argent. And there still exists in one of the old 

 windows of the church of " Little Malvern," on 

 the borders of Herefordshire (which formerly 

 belonged to the monastery of the Benedictine 

 monks), the following inscription : 



" Orate pro animabus Roberti Skinner et Isabelle uxoris 

 ejus, et filiorum suorum et flliarum." 



From a junior branch of this family was de- 

 scended Anthony Skinner, of Shelford Park, in 

 the county of AVarwick ; who married Joane, one 

 of the daughters of Chief Justice Billinge, temp. 

 Henry VI. and Edward IV. Also, from another 

 branch was descended the ancestor of the cele- 

 brated Dr. Robert Skinner, Bishop of Oxford in 

 the reign of Charles I. ; who is remarkable from 

 the circumstance of his being the only bishop who 

 continued to ordain ministers during the period of 

 the Commonwealth, and after the Restoration he 

 was created Bishop of Worcester. 



A much-valued friend of mine, who belongs to 

 the ancient branch of the Hereford Skinners, pos- 

 sesses a very curious history of the original family 

 of the " Skynners ;" and which I think com- 

 mences near the time of the Conquest, and which 

 appears to have been written upwards of a cen- 

 tury and a half since. And he has also a very 

 curious will of one of his ancestors, Edward 

 Skynner of Ledbury, in co. Herefordshire, made 

 in the reign of Philip and Mary ; but as he is now 

 in the country, I cannot ascertain the particulars. 

 But should your correspondent Me. Hesleden 

 wish for farther information, I feel quite certain 

 my friend will be most happy to forward you any- 

 thing which you may think at all useful or enter- 

 taining. Chaetham. 



SIE BEVII. GRENVIXLB. 



(Vol. X., p. 417. ; Vol. xi., p. 71.) 



I readily reply to the inquiries of G. G. as far 

 aa it is in my power. 



John, the third son of Sir Bevil Grenville, suc- 

 ceeded to the Stow property on the death of his 

 two elder brothers without issue, and was created 

 Earl of Bath. He rebuilt Stow about 1680. The 

 cedar wainscottings of the chapel, so greatly ad- 

 mired, were said to have been taken out of a 

 Spanish prize. He died 21st August, 1701, 

 leaving an eldest son Charles, who was created 

 Viscount Lansdowne in his father's lifetime, but 

 who died from an accident a few days after his 

 father, leaving an only son William Henry, who 



died under age in 1712, and with him the title 

 became extinct. But the property appears to 

 have descended, on the death of William Henry, 

 to Grace, the sister of Charles, and aunt of Wil- 

 liam Henry, who was then the widow of George, 

 Lord Carteret, and created Countess Grenville, 

 and through whom it has come to the present pos- 

 sessor, Lord John Thynne. 



George, Lord Lansdowne, the poet, was the 

 second son of Bernard Grenville, who was the 

 fifth son of Sir Bevil. He was created Baron 

 Lansdowne in 1712, and does not appear to have 

 possessed the Stow property. The mansion was 

 dismantled in 1720, and the materials sold by 

 public auction. George, Lord Lansdowne, had 

 four daughters, three of whom died without issue, 

 and the fourth was married to Lord Foley, by 

 whom she had issue. The last male branch of the 

 line of Sir Bevil was Bernard, who was the son of 

 Bernard, the brother of George, Lord Lans- 

 downe, and who died 5th July, 1775. 



Many boxes of letters are said to have been 

 sent some years since to George, Lord Carteret, 

 the late possessor of the Stow estate, and he is 

 reported to have committed them to the flames. 

 A few original letters of Sir Bevil and his wife, 

 and others, are still in existence, and also copies 

 of other letters to and from Sir Bevil and his 

 family. Sir Bevil was in a direct line of descent 

 from Sir Richard de Grenville, who endowed the 

 monastery at Neath about the year 1100. Sir 

 Richard was one of the twelve knights among 

 whom Wales was divided by Robert Fitz Hamon, 

 who conquered it ; but Sir Richard appears not 

 to have retained the gift, but to have bestowed 

 the whole on the monastery, and to have returned 

 to Bydeford, where he was settled. T. E. D. 



COrWT NBIBEHG, ETC. 



(Vol. X., p. 265.) 



The following letter, the original of which is in 



the possession of a friend of mine, seems pertinent 



to W. C.'s inquiry. To whom it was addressed 



does not appear. G. A. C. 



Lynn R*. 10th Novemb'", 1731. 



I am extreamly obliged to you for yo"^ kind 

 remembrance of the 1'* instant. And since I 

 observe, by what you there mention, that you have 

 been lately in London, I account it my misfortune 

 that I had not known it, because I verily believe 

 I was in London at the same time, where I should 

 have readily imbrac'd the pleasure of waiting 

 ^upon you, and have been proud to accompany you 

 to Chelsea, when you went to dine there with 

 S' Rob' Walpole. 



I left London a week sooner than I should have 



