By W. L. Barker, Esq. 163 



Intimately connected with the History of Hungerford in bygone 

 years, was an ancient and noble family, who derived their name 

 and origin from the town where they resided and possessed property. 

 Everard de Hungerford who flourished in 1160, is the first of the 

 name. A long interval separates him from his descendant, Walter 

 de Hungerford, Baron of Hopgrass, who died in 1308. Hopgrass 

 is an estate about a mile distant, and is known at the present day 

 by the name it bore 500 years ago. The earliest intelligence we 

 have of Sir Robert de Hungerford is that he died in the year 1354, 

 and a monument is erected to his memory in Hungerford Church 

 bearing an inscription in Norman French, now illegible, which 

 promises " on the word of 14 Bishops, that whoever shall pray for 

 Robert de Hungerford, shall have whilst he lives and for his soul 

 after death 550 days of pardon," These words are surrounded by 

 some Latin sentences, which run thus ; " I believe that I shall rise 

 again from the dead, that in my flesh I shall see the Lord my 

 Saviour, that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one Holy God, 

 that the same God will judge every-one according to his works, 

 that through the power of God the Father, through the wisdom 

 of the Son, and the mercy of the Holy Spirit, I shall obtain a 

 blessed eternity." A stone figure of an armed warrior now lying 

 in Hungerford church-yard, probably belonged to his tomb. A 

 Sir Giles Hungerford fought at Cressy in 1347. 



Sir Robert Hungerford, described as Lord of Farley, Wellow 

 and Heytesbury, in Somersetshire, a nephew of Sir Robert's, was 

 Steward and Confident to John O. Gaunt, and through his influence 

 became the first speaker of the House of Commons. He was a 

 citizen and merchant of Salisbury, and filled the office of Mayor 

 for that city. He was also Sheriff for the County of Wilts. He 

 amassed an ample fortune in trade, and purchased large estates in. 

 Wiltshire and Somersetshire. Having fortified his castle of 

 Hungerford without the Royal License, he had to pay a fine of 

 1000 marcs to obtain pardon. He was buried in a chapel annexed 

 to Farley Castle in 1398. The chapel contains in its vault six 

 bodies of the Hungerfords, encased in lead like mummies, and 

 several monuments of the family were placed in the chapel. 



VOL. XI. — NO. XXXII. M 



