EARLY HISTORY OF THE MOUNT EDGCUMBE FAMILY. 135 



prove that she was of age to choose for herself. Probably she 

 had chosen already. At any rate she was married within the 

 year, for a deed dated 1353 bears the names of "William 

 Eggcombe, of Cotehele, and Hillaria his wife. 



The grandson of Hillaria was Eichard Eggcombe, who in 

 the 7th year of Edward the 4th served in Parliament for 

 Tavistock, and was Escheator of the County of Cornwall. This 

 was an office of great trust in those times, so he must have been 

 in favour with the king, yet he seems not to have taken any 

 active part in the Civil wars of this troubled reign, but to have 

 lived at home as quietly as circumstances would permit. 



He had, however, a troublesome neighbour in Robert 

 Willoughby, who now occupied the castellated mansion of the 

 Ferrers family at Bere Ferrers, and who seems to have delighted 

 in committing depredation upon his property and assaults upon 

 his retainers, as set forth at length in ' ' the ComplajTites of 

 Eichard Eggcombe, Squyer, of certyne and dyvers injures and 

 wronges doon to him by Wylughly, Squyer," (19th Edward IV.) 



This quaint Dociunent tells how on the 30th of April 1480, 

 as Eichard Eggcombe was riding from the house of his friend 

 William Trethewy, at Kendal, to his own " mansyon place" of 

 Cotehele, Eobert Willoughby with 34 men armed with 

 " Jackes, Salettes, and Scythes lay in a wayte to have mordered 

 and slayne him, and uppon him made a saute " so that he was 

 " putte to flighte" and chased to " Leskarde '' and was "in 

 grete jep''^' of his litf." Then " on phlyppe is day and Jacob " 

 Willoughby came to Cotehele "shot arowes" at Eggcombe's 

 servants, " brake dyvers dores," and threatened to burn the 

 place, while one of his men " drugh his swerde sayinge to the 

 childer he woulde kutte off there koys, and to John Dowrygge he 

 wold have kutte his throte " unless they " wold " confess where 

 their master was, and that same night Willoughby attacked 

 Eggcombe at Krokedon with 24 men and put him to flight. On 

 other occasions Eobert (as Willoughby is generally called) or 

 his men " contrewayted " Richard at " Pilyton Brigge " and at 

 " Klaper Brigge" so that he might nought pass no case for 

 jupertye of his liff," and carrying off one of his servants kept 

 him seven days prisoner at Bere Ferrers. Again Eobert came 

 one day to Cotehele with 1 5 men and took several of Richard's 

 prisoners to Bere Ferrers, and his servants "lay dayly and 



