148 THE HISTORY OF BREADSALL PRIORY. 



Cutler, knt., of Stainburgh, Yorkshire. Sir Gervase was killed 

 at the siege of Pontefract Castle in 1645. By his will, dated 

 1638, he left his body to be buried in the chancel of Silkston 

 church. His daughter Mary brought the priory to her husband, 

 Sir Alfred Moseley, Bart., of the Hough, Lancashire. By this 

 marriage there were one son and two daughters. The son, Sir 

 Edward Moseley, of the Hough, Bart., died without issue in 

 1665, and that baronetcy became extinct. He left, however, 

 the Breadsall and other estates by will to his distant cousin, 

 Sir Edward Moseley, of Hulme, knt. ; and it was this Sir 

 Edward's sole daughter and heiress, Anne, who married Sir 

 John Bland, Bart, of Kippax Park, Yorkshire, in 1685. 



During his lifetime, namely, in 1693, Sir Edward Moseley 

 granted the estate of the priory of Breadsall to his son-in-law, 

 Sir John Bland. In 1702 Sir John Bland sold this property 

 for ,£1,675 to Thomas Leacroft, of Wirksworth. In the 

 following year Thomas Leacroft parted with it for a like 

 sum to Andrew Greensmith. Andrew Greensmith died 

 intestate, and the property passed to his brother, Robert 

 Greensmith. The latter, by will of 1734, left this part of 

 his estate to his wife, Hannah. Hannah Greensmith died in 

 1740, whereupon Herbert Greensmith, the eldest son, entered 

 upon the real estate, including Breadsall Priory. By Herbert's 

 will, dated 1750, this property was left to his wife, Anne, 

 who died in the following year. The Priory next passed to 

 Herbert Greensmith, the only son of Herbert and Anne. The 

 estate then became mortgaged, and in 1771 was sold by Herbert 

 Greensmith, subject to the mortgage, to Samuel Beard. 

 Herbert Greensmith, Beard and his brothers sold the property 

 in 1799 to Erasmus Darwin, of Derby. Among the Wolley 

 MSS. of the British Museum is a long abstract of the title 

 to the Priory estate from 1693 to the end of the next century. 

 Owing to frequent changes and mortgages on this and other 

 parts of the property of the Greensmiths and Beards, the 

 title had become much involved, and counsel's opinion had 

 to be taken prior to the sale of 1 799-1800.* 



*Add. MSS. 6688, f. 364-388. 



