By the Rev. W. H. Jones. 361 
that time, the Abbess of Shaftesbury, as Lady of the Manor, had 
exacted her rights of wardship and marriage from the representa- 
tives of Reginald de Aula. ‘Thomas,’ the first-named in the ordinary 
pedigrees, was the great-grandson of ‘Reginald,’ and married, 
about the year 1390, Alice, daughter and, by the death of her 
brother Peter, sole heir of ‘Thomas Atte-Forde,’ (afterwards written 
‘ Atford’) from whom, no doubt, he obtained the property which is 
still called Ford Farm, and which evidently furnished a surname 
to its previous owner. The same Alice was also, through her 
mother, the ultimate heiress of Nicholas Langridge, described as 
of ‘Bradford.’ Ifa conjecture may be formed from the pedigree, 
especially the account given of it in one of the Harleian manu- 
scripts,! in which we have the various family connexions related 
narratively, it would seem that some share of the property originally 
belonging to Peter Lyttleton (described as living “next Blandford,” 
and whose date must be certainly before the commencement of the 
thirteenth century,) must have come to Alice At-ford, and aug- 
mented the goodly portion which she brought to the ‘Hall’ family. 
There is still to be seen, carved in oak, over the chimney piece of 
a panelled room at Kingston House, a shield bearing several quar- 
terings which seem to record the various early alliances made by 
members of the Hall family. An engraving of this shield has been 
given in our Magazine (i. 268.) Amongst the quarterings to which 
without difficulty a name can be assigned are those of ‘Atford’ and 
‘Besil.’ Of two, however,—the one, ‘A bend between three leo- 
pards’ (or lions’) heads erased,’ the other, ‘ An eagle sable, preying ona 
fish azure,’—it is not easy to give an accurate account. Much of 
very early heraldry is traditional, and though, in books of authority, 
we find no such coats given to the names of ‘ Langridge’ or ‘Littleton,’ 
it is not impossible that these may have originally belonged to 
1TIn the Harl. MS. N 0. 888 we have this achount of the earliest tities of the 
Hall family.—‘‘ Thomas Halle, of Bradeford in the County of Wiltes, Esquire, 
married Alice, sister and heire of Peter Atford, and heire to Thomas at — 
next Bradeford, and of Edith his wyfe, daughter and heire of Roger . 
and Ales his wyfe, daughter of Nicholas Langridge, of Blandford, which Roge ‘, 
was son to Roger. . . . and Joan his wyfe, daughter to Thomas Lyttleton, 
next Blandford, sonne and heire of Peter Lyttleton.” 
BB 
