Lilreshull, which was further endowed by his brother, Philip de Belmeis. 

 This Philip had issue Philip, whose only daughter and heiress, Adeliza Beau- 

 meis, brought this manor into the "possession of the Zouches by marriage 

 with Alan le Zouch, son of Geoffry le Zouch, Viscount of Rouen, by Con- 

 stantia, his wife, daughter of Conan the Gross, Earl of Bretagne, and his wife, 

 Maud, natural daughter of Henry I. Geoffry le Zouch, the father, bore gules, 

 10 mascles pierced, or, and Alan bore gules, 10 bezants, or. 



The name Zouch signifies a "stock," because in the reign of Hen. II., 

 Geoffry, coming over into England, became the founder of another stock 

 here propagated from him. The Zouches of Somersetshire had for their crest, 

 " On a staff (or stock) couped and raguly, or, sprouting, at the dexter point a 

 raven with wings expanded, arg.' : This crest was probably adopted in allusion 

 to the family name. 



There are two seals depicted in Nichols' Leicestershire, each inscribed with 

 the name " Alan le Zouch," bat bearing different arms. One has, " Gules, 

 io bezants, or" and the other, " Gules, a fesse, or, between 3 pears, ppr." 



The Zouches of Haringworth (descended from Eudo, younger brother of 

 Roger, great grandson of the first Alan of Ashby) bore, " Gules, 12 bezants, 

 a canton, ermine.'" 



This quarter ermine was adopted because of descent from the daughter and 

 heir of Conan the Gross, Duke of Bretagne, who bore a shield ermine only. 

 This, too, was the cognizance of the Zouches of Codnor Castle, Derbyshire, 

 descended from Sir John Zouch (second son of William le Zouch, of Haring- 

 worth), which Sir John married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Richard 

 Lord Grey, of Codnor. Six generations of the Zouches were lords of Codnor. 

 Five generations of Zouches of the senior branch were lords of Ashby. Alan, 

 the last of this line, had no male issue, and he, instead of bequeathing the 

 estates to his cousin, William le Zouch, of Haringworth, son of his uncle Eudo, 

 his nearest of kin, traced his next heir through his remote ancestor Geoffry le 

 Zouch, Viscount of Rouen, to William le Zouch, of Mortimer and Richard's 

 Castle, passing through no less than nine descents. Of this line, four genera- 

 tions were lords of Ashby, the last of whom (Hugh) died in 1399 without 

 issue. 



The next heiress was Joice Botetourt, also descended from William le Zouch, 

 of Mortimer and Richard's Castle. She was the wife of Sir Hugh Burnell, 

 who took possession of all the estates, and died in 1420, seized of Ashby. 



This Sir Hugh had two sons, the younger of whom left three daughters, 

 Joice, the wife of John Erdington, Margaret, the wife of Edward Hungerford, 

 and Katharine. 



After the death of Sir Hugh Burnell in 1420, the history of the transmission 

 of the estates is not very clear. 



James Butler, fifth Earl of Ormond, a Lancastrian, taken prisoner at 

 Towton in 14*60, died seized of Ashby, but how he got it is unknown. 

 After his death, Ashby was granted to Sir William, afterwards Lord Hastings, 

 in 146 1. 



It is an interesting fact that Catharine Nevil, the wife of this William, Lord 



