NORBURY MANOR HOUSE AND THE FITZHERBERTS. 247 
county, and compelled to pay for their own maintenance in those 
families. 
Returning to Candlemas-day, 1587, we find that though John 
Fitzherbert was not in the house at Padley at the time of the 
apprehension of the priests, Anthony, his seventh son, was present. 
Anthony was therefore also taken to Derby gaol, where he was 
seriously ill of the gaol fever that kept constantly breaking out 
there, and after nearly two years’ detention set at liberty, but only 
to be again apprehended when in London. As to the other 
children of John Fitzherbert, the two eldest sons died in their 
youth, the fourth, fifth, and sixth sons entered into holy orders in 
the Church of Rome, and Thomas, the third son, played the 
noble part of betraying his aged grandfather, Sir Thomas Fitzher- 
bert, and securing his final imprisonment. The husbands of three 
of the five daughters of John Fitzherbert—viz., Thomas Draycott, 
Thomas Barlow, and Thomas Eyre—all suffered fines and impri- 
sonment for simple recusancy. Maud, the wife of Thomas 
Barlow, was also imprisoned in the pestiferous Derby gaol for 
several years, and her sister, Jane Eyre, was given into the private 
custody of Mr. Sale, rector of Weston-on-Trent. 
An old MS. pedigree of the Eyre family, and another indepen- 
dent MS., zemp. James I., establish the following extra piece of 
villany in the case of poor John Fitzherbert. He was condemned 
to death for harbouring priests, and the estates of Padley were 
confiscated for a like reason; but it was intimated that his life 
might be saved if the then most enormous sum of £10,000 could 
be raised. His son-in-law, Thomas Eyre, of Holme Hall, sold 
his manor of Whittington, and, with the help of others, gathered 
together the whole sum. It is said that it was also stipulated that 
John Fitzherbert should be set at liberty, but, as this was a secret 
transaction, the recipients of the money could not be brought to 
task, and he died in prison. 
Thomas Fitzherbert was duped into conforming to the Church 
of England, and into the betrayal of his grandfather and other 
of his relatives and former friends, by the wiles and instigation of 
that prince of villains, and favourite tool of the Privy Council, 
* 
