428 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 56. 



of Arms to Sir John Newton of East Harptree, 

 Somerset, in 1567 ; in which, on the authority of 

 the heralds of the day, arg. on a chevron az. 

 3 garbs or, are granted to him in the first quarter 

 as the arms of Robert Cradock alias Newton. The 

 Judge seems to have been the first of the family 

 who dropped the name of Cradock. His fore- 

 fathers, for several generations (from Howel ap 

 Grononye, who was Lord of Newton, in Rouse or 

 Trenewith, in Poursland), went by the name of 

 Cradog Dom. de Newton. 



Robert Cradock, mentioned in the Grant I have 

 quoted, married Margaret Sherborne. He was 

 the Judge's great-great-grandfather. Sir John 

 Newton, to whom the grant was made, lies bviried 

 at East Harptree ; and on his tomb may be seen 

 (besides his effigies as large as life) tlie twelve 

 quarterings in their original (?) blazoning, impaled 

 with those of his wife, one of the Pointz family. 

 The same arms (of Newton) are still discernible 

 on a beautifully wrought, though now much 

 mutilated shield, over one of the doors of Barres 

 Court, at East Hanham, in Bitton, Gloucestershire, 

 where Newton also had a residence, where John 

 Leland on his itinerary visited him, and says (^Itin. 

 vol. vii. p. 87.) " his very propre name is Caradoc," 

 &e. This property Newton inherited as a de- 

 scendant from the De Bittons or Button (through 

 Hampton), a family of great note in their day, 

 and residents on the site of Barres Court, a " fayr 

 manner place of stone," which e\ idently took its 

 name from Sir John Barre, who married Joan, the 

 relict of Robert Greyndon, and daughter of 

 Thomas Roug by Catherine, who was the last 

 heiress of that branch of De Bittons — (she died 

 1485, and is buried with her first husband at 

 Newlond). Of the same family were the three 

 bishops of that name, in the reigns of the early 

 Edwards ; one of which, Thomas, Bishop of 

 E.xeter in 1299, was the pious founder of a chan- 

 try chapel adjoining Bitton Church, over the 

 bodies of his father and mother, who were buried 

 there; the building itself is quite fin architectural 

 gem. The said bishop must also have resided 

 there, for in 1287, when Dean of Wells, the Lord 

 of the Manor of that part of Bitton where his 

 estate lay, impounded some of his cattle, and had 

 a trial thereon at Gloucester, as appears by a 

 Placite Roll of that date. 



I send you a copy of the Grant of Arms, as it 

 may be interesting to i)ublish — besides, it is a 

 reply to the latter part of S. A. Y.'s Query. It is 

 copied from the Ashmol. ]\ISS. No. 834. p. 34. 



Of the Newtons of Yorkshire I know nothing ; 

 but if S. A. Y. wishes to question me further, I 

 shall be happy to receive his communication under 

 his own proper sign-manual. 



In Nichols' Leicestershire, vol. iv. pt. 2. p. 807., 

 is a jiedigree of Cradock bearing the same arms, 

 and it is there laid down that Howel ap Gronow 



was slain by the French in 1096, and buried at 

 Llandilo Vawr ; also that the Judge was called 

 Newton from his birth-place. (It is in Mont- 

 gomeryshire, I believe.) Matthew Cradock, who 

 lies in Swansea Church, bore different arms. 



" To all and singular as well iioblfs and gentills as 

 others to whom these presents shall come, we, Sir 

 Gilbert Dethicke, knight, alias Garter, principal! kinge 

 of armes for the Order of the Garter, Rohte. Cooke, 

 alias Clarenciaiilt, kinge of armes of the south, William 

 Flower alias Norroy, kiiige of armes of the northe, and 

 all others the heruauldes of armes send humble com- 

 meiidacion and gretinge : that whereas we being re- 

 quired by Sir John Newton, of Richmond Castill, in 

 the countie of Somersett, knight, to make serche for 

 the ancient armes descendinge to him from his ancetors 

 [sic], at whose requeste we, the said kinges and he- 

 reauldes of armes Iiave not only made diligent serche in 

 our regesters, but also therewithal! perused diverse of his 

 ancient evidence and other monumentes, whereuppon 

 we doe fynd tliat tlie said Sir John Newton, knight, 

 maye beare twelve several! cotes, that is to say, the 

 armes of Robte. Cradocke alias Newton, the armes of 

 Robte. Sherborne, the arms of Steven Angle, the armes 

 of Steven Pirot, the armes of Jolui Harvie, the armes 

 of Sir John Slieder, knight, the armes of Richard 

 Hampton, the armes of Sir John Bitton, knight, the 

 armes of Sir Matthewe Ffurneault, knight, tlie armes of 

 Walter Cawdecot, llie armes of Sir Aunsell Corney, 

 knight, and the armes of Sir Henry Harterie, knight. 

 All which armes doth plaiidie appere depicted in the 

 IMargent; and for that the said Sir John Newton is 

 yncertaine of any creaste which he ought to beare by 

 his owne proper name, he therefore hath also required 

 vs, the said kings and hereauldes of armes, to assigne 

 and confirme vnto him and Ids posteritie for ever, the 

 creaste of Sir Auncell Corney, knight, which Sir Auncell 

 Corney, as it doth appere by divers ancient evidence 

 and other monuments of the said Sir John Newton, 

 was at the winnynge of Acom with Kinge Richard the 

 First, where he toke i)risoner a kinge of the Mores : and 

 farther, the said Sir John Newton, knight, hath made 

 goode proofe for the bearinge of the sime creaste, that 

 the heires male of the said Sir Auncell Corney is ex- 

 tingueshed, and the heires general! do only remaine in 

 him. In consideracion whereof wee, the said kinges and 

 herehauldes of arms, do give, confirme, and grant vnto 

 the said Sir John Newton and his posteritie for ever, 

 the said creaste of Sir Auncell Corney, knight, that is 

 to say, vppon his helme on a torce silver and asure, a 

 kinge of the Mores armed in male, crowned gold, 

 knelinge vpon his left knee rendring vppe his sworde, 

 as more plainly aperith depicted in this Margent, 

 to have and to horold the said creast to liim and his 

 posteretie, with there due difference to vse, beare, and 

 show in shelde, cote armour, or otlierwise, for ever, at 

 his or their lihertie and pleasure, without impediment, 

 let, or interruption of any parson or parsons. In vvit- 

 nesse whereof we, the said kinges and hereauldes of 

 arms, have caused these letters to be made patentes, and 

 set herevnto our common scale of corporation, given at 

 the olTice of arms in London, thetwelvetlieof December, 

 and in the tenthe yeare of the reigne of our sovereign 



