252 Charles, Lord Stourton, Sfc. 



Bonham Henry Symes who was appointed to watche the howse, 

 went into the same and brought ought the two Hertgilles and 

 bringing them to a close joyning hard to Sturtone ^ they were 

 knocked in the heades ^ with two clubbes, wherwith, kneling on 

 their knees and their handes fast bounde behinde them, being at 

 one strooke felled, they receyved afterward sondry strookes till the 

 murderers thought they had bene starck dedde, My Lorde in the 

 meane seasone standing at the gallery dore which was not a good 

 coyte's cast from the place of execucion. This doon they wrapped 

 them in their owne gownes and so caryed the bodyes among them 

 through a gardeyn into my Lorde's gallerye, at the dore wherof 

 they founde my Lorde according as he had promysed, and from 

 thens into a lytle place in th'ende therof, my saide Lorde bearing 

 the candle before them, where he that caryed olde Hertgill, missing 

 a plancke, fell downe into a hole and the body with him. 



This place was hard by my Lorde's chamber, to the which place 

 being the bodies brought (sic) not full dedd, they groned very 

 sore, specially th'eldre Hertgil, which hering, William Farre, one 

 of the murderers, swearing " By Godde's bloude they wer not yet 

 dedd," and Henry Symes saying " It were a good deede to rydde 

 them owte of their paynes," and my Lorde him self bidding their 

 throotes to bee cutte leaste a French preeste ^ lyeng nere to the 

 place might here, the said Farre tooke owte his knj'fe and cutt 

 bothe their throotes, my Lorde standing by with the candel in his 

 hande. And one of the murderers then sayed "Ah my Lorde! 

 this is a pytiouse sight : hadde I thought that I now thincke, be- 

 fore the thing was doon, your hole land could not have woon me to 

 consent to soch an acte." My Lorde answered " What, fainte 



^ The close was then called ''The Worth, near the garden of the capital 

 mansion of the said Lord Stourton," (No. 60.) 



2 John Hartgill, the son, was the first knocked down by Wm. Farre aliat 

 Cutter. "William Hartgill was then felled by Henry Symes, (No. 60.) It may 

 be here stated that in Burke's Peerage, (Edit. 184G) under " Stourton," a great 

 mistake is made, in saying that Charles, Lord Stourton " was aided by hit ton$ " 

 in this murder. His eldest son John was at the time just four years old. 



^ Probably the Priest of a private chapel of the Stourton s formerly at Stourton 

 House. 



