4 SIR JOHN PRESTWICH. 



Crown. At the head of the [Eoyalist] party in Manchester we 

 find the names of Holland, Egerton, Prestwich, Stanley, &c. 

 Sequestration and confiscation were put in force against the con- 

 quered in a manner most revolting. It was after this that in 

 1660 the sale of Hulme Hall took place, and this sale was con- 

 firmed by Act of Parliament in 1673. Towards the close of the 

 Civil War, Sir Thomas refused to give further assistance to the 

 royal cause, but that his mother prevailed upon him to continue 

 his allegiance, telling him that she had hidden treasures where- 

 with to supply his needs ; but unfortunately the old lady was 

 seized with apoplexy, and died before she could reveal her 

 secret. 



It was supposed that this treasure was buried in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Hulme Hall, and for a long time afterwards gipsies 

 wandering about the country made considerable profit out of 

 this by selling the secret, which they pretended to know. 



The baronetcy had been for many years in abeyance, 

 when it was assumed by John Prestwich (a cousin of 

 our geologist's father) ; but his claim to the title was 

 not legally acknowledged : he was not descended from 

 the first baronet, but from his cousin, and from a 

 younger son of that cousin. The father and grand- 

 father of the geologist repeatedly stated that they 

 were in possession of papers showing their descent. 

 One day, however, the father went to an election with 

 the said papers in his pocket ; on returning home the 

 pocket was empty, and the papers have never since 

 been heard of. 



Sir John, who left no family, was greatly interested 

 in the Prestwich genealogy, and many volumes in MS., 

 containing extracts from documents in the British 

 Museum, heralds' visitations, deeds, &c., which related 

 to the subject, were written by him with extreme care. 

 He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a 

 manuscript by him on Earthquakes was published in 



