16 Earls of Wiltshire. 



The Arms borne by the Staffords, Earls of Wilts, were, Quarterly, 

 1. France and England in a bordure argent; 2. Bohun, azure abend 

 argent cotised between six lions rampant or ; 3. Bohun, azure on a 

 bend argent, cottised or, between six lions rampant of the third, three 

 mullets sable ; 4. or, a chevron gules, with a crescent for difference. 



IV. Hexry Stafford, Eaul of Wiltshire. 1509. 



Very few years were allowed to elapse before the dignity was 

 again revived in the person of Henry Stafford, younger son of 

 Henry, second Duke of Buckingham and seventh Earl of Stafford, 

 and cousin therefore of Edward the last Earl of Wiltshire. He 

 was created Earl of Wiltshire by Henry VIII. on his accession to 

 the throne in 1509. He had been elected a Knight of the Garter 

 by Henry VII. in 1495. He married Muriel, sister and coheir of 

 John Grey, Viscount Lisle, but died without issue in 1523 ; when 

 the Earldom again became extinct. 



His father, Henry, Duke of Buckingham, held as heir to Hum- 

 phrey Bohun Earl of Hereford, the following Manors in Wiltshire, 

 Pool, Manyngford, Upavon, Nether-Avon, Farley Court, and 

 Wokesey. But it does not appear that the Earl himself possessed 

 any estates within the county. He bore the same Arms as the 

 preceding Earls of the same family. 



V. BoLEYN, Earl of Wiltshire. 1529. 



Within the brief space of six years the Earldom was once more 

 revived by Henry VIII., in the person of his Treasurer of the 

 Household, Sir Thomas Boleyn, (otherwise BoUen or BuUen), of 

 Blickling, in Norfolk, Knight. This Nobleman being son and heir 

 of Sir William Boleyn and Margaret his wife, daughter and coheir 

 of Thomas Butler sixth Earl of Ormond, the brother and heir of 

 James Butler Earl of Wiltshire, above mentioned, might be con- 

 sidered to have some hereditary claim to the dignity. He was 

 created Viscount Rochford in 1525, from Rochford in Essex, which 

 with other large estates in the same county, he had inherited from 

 the Ormonds. Sir Thomas Boleyn was also allied to many others 

 of the nobility. He had married Anne, daughter of Thomas 



