By the Rev. W. P. &. Bingham. 97 
Lord Treasurer and raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Ley, 
of Canons Ley, in Devonshire. He did not hold this office long, 
for the King died, and in the next year, and soon after the accession 
of Charles I. he was removed from his office on pretence of his age 
and infirmities, but really to make room for Sir Thomas Weston, a 
favourite of Buckingham, who was at that time all-powerful with 
the King. Lord Campbell refers to Lord Clarendon’s opinion of 
his incompetence as a reason for the removal of Lord Ley from the 
office of High Treasurer, but all that Clarendon says is that if his 
age and incompetency had been a sufficient reason for his removal, 
they would have been equally a reason for his never being appointed, 
as only two years had elapsed. If’ he had really been incompetent, 
he would scarcely have been made President of the Council soon 
afterwards, and advanced to the earldom of Marlborough. 
His second wife had died in the interim, and he had married again, 
Jane, daughter of Lord Butler, of Bramfield, and niece to the Duke 
of Buckingham. No doubt it was through her influence that the 
earldom of Marlborough was obtained, as it was settled on the issue 
of this marriage with remainder to his own heirs. As there was 
no issue by this marriage the earldom went with the barony to his 
eldest son. No slight, however, was intended to his children when 
Lord Ley accepted an earldom, which was first of all settled on 
possible children, who, as events turned out, were never born, for 
his eldest son was about the same time called to the upper house by 
his father’s barony. He had represented Westbury in Parliament 
from 1623 to 1625, and had previously sat for Devizes. It is 
probable that all the members of the family were not as easily 
pacified as the eldest son. Serious differences arosé with the Longs, 
of Draycot. Hitherto the earl had been on the most affectionate 
terms with Lady Ann, his daughter, and Sir Walter Long, her 
husband. He had been so much at home at Draycot that he had 
built a gateway there and put his arms upon it, but afterwards there 
was a fierce quarrel, which probably arose from some remonstrance 
on the marriage of the Earl with a young wife, or else from the 
limitation of the patent. It seems never to have been healed during 
his life, for in his will he “ begged pardon of the Lady Ann on the 
VOL, XXV.—NO. LXXIII. H 
