220 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book IV. 



Newmarket he went along with his Majesty to Royston, 

 Theobalds, London, and with my continuall attendance." * 



^^ Sir John Villiers, Knight, elder brother of James I.'s cele- 

 brated favourite George Villiers, ist Duke of Buckingham, 

 was elevated to the peerage July 19, 16 19, as Baron Villiers, 

 of Stoke, county Buckinghamshire, and ViSCOUNT PuRBECK, 

 county Dorset. He was Master of the Wardrobe to Charles, 

 Prince of Wales. He married, first, Frances, daughter of Chief 

 Justice (Sir Edward) Coke, a lady who eloped from him, in 

 1 62 1, with Sir Robert Howard, and after her misconduct as- 

 sumed the name of Wright, and gave birth, privately, to a 

 son, who also bore that surname. She died in the garrison 

 of Charles I., at Oxford, in 1645, and was buried in St. Mary's 

 church. He married, secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir 

 William Singsby, of Kippax, county York, but had no issue. 

 Viscount Purbeck died in 1657, when the Barony of Villiers, 

 of Stoke, and the Viscounty of Purbeck became extinct. 



^'^ Among the natives of Scotland who accompanied James 

 I. into England was a gillie of the name of James Hay, of 

 whom Sir Anthony Weldon has left a very faithful but 

 uncomplimentary account. This celebrated favourite shared 

 with the king many of the good things derived " by the new 

 conquest." By the influence of his royal master he obtained 

 Honora, daughter and heiress of Edward, Lord Denny, in 

 marriage, had a grant of the name and title of Lord Hay, 

 with precedence next to barons of England, but no place or 

 voice in Parliament. On June 29, 161 5, he was, however, ad- 

 vanced to the dignity of a baron of the realm, under the title 

 of Lord Hay, of Langley, county York, without any solemn 

 investiture, and thereby {more Scotia) saved the fees incident 

 to the creation, his lordship being the first ever so created, 

 the lawyers then declaring that the delivery of letters patent 

 was sufficient without any ceremony. He was next year sent 

 ambassador to the court of France. In March, 161 7, he was 

 sworn of the Privy Council, and created ViSCOUNT DoN- 



* " PhiloxeniSj" p. 61. 



