56 Amye Robsart. 
Here Mr. Pettigrew was at fault. I discovered among the papers 
at Longleat a letter dated from Warwick, 20th April, 1560 (six 
months before Amye’s death), addressed “ To the Rt. honourable and 
my verry good lorde, the lorde Robert Dudley, Mr. of th’ horses to 
the Quene’s Majestie at Court,” signed “ Ricnarp VERNEY.” 
The name, of course, caught my attention; and the next thing 
was to find out, if possible, something about the writer. The letter 
itself was of the common kind from one friend and gentleman to 
another; referring to the loss of some favourite hawks of Dudley’s 
which had been entrusted’ to the care of one of the writer’s ser- 
vants, and which had been unfortunately mismanaged. So there was 
nothing to help me in the letter itself. But luckily the sea/, not in 
wax but on wafer, was preserved, and the device was an antelope with 
long horns. On examining it closely with a glass, I observed that the 
animal’s ¢a7/ ended not with the usual single tuft of hair, but in a 
tripartite finish, something like a fleur-de-lis. The letter being dated 
from Warwick, I immediately turned to Dugdale’s History of that 
county, and found on reference to the name of Verney, an engraved 
plate of a monumental coat of arms, the two supporters to which were 
two antelopes with the peculiar tripartite caudal finish. At Longleat 
is a parchment deed signed by the same Richard Verney,where the seal 
is preserved in wax, and presents the same peculiarity. This identified 
the family of the writer of the letter, who, in short, turned out to be 
Sir Richard Verney, of Compton Verney, in Warwickshire, a family 
now represeuted, and place occupied by his descendant, Lord Wil- 
loughby de Broke. Lord Robert Dudley himself was a Warwickshire 
man. He had already property in that county (before Kenilworth 
was given to him), from his father: and Sir Richard Verney was a 
neighbour and friend, of whom I am not able to discover any thing 
but what is perfectly respectable. For example, I produce a letter 
to Lord Robert Dudley, Master of the Queen’s Horse, from Sir 
Ambrose Cave, one of the Queen’s Ministers, and M.P. for Co. 
Warwick, written 16th July, 1559, a year before Amye’s death. 
Certain commissioners were wanted for the county:: and Sir Ambrose, 
writing in the name of the Council, says: “ And whereas for the 
execution of the charge committed unto us we resolved of certain 
