176 THE ORIGIN OF THE SHIRLEYS AND OF THE GRESLEYS. 



with the Albinis " ? Why, it is my ' critic himself ! Here is 

 an extract from his great work, to which he refers " the learned 

 reader " ■ — 



Nigel de Stafford held Gresley and Drakelowe. ... It would seem 

 probable that he was a Toesni, and the brother of Robert Todeni of 

 Stafford, younger son of Roger de Conches. It seems probable that 

 he was also called at other times Nigel Albini.* 



What has " the learned reader " to say to that ? 



I now proceed to meet, fairly and squarely, Mr. Yeatman's 

 charge against me of " tampering with the records by most 

 unwarrantable addition and glosses " of my own. Here is his 

 chief example of my doing so : — 



And here it is imperative to notice another and most astounding instance 

 of Mr. Round's mode of writing history. At p. 213 of his Feudal 

 England. . . . He then adds :—" . . . William de Gresley, holder 

 of Linton (a Derbyshire hamlet close to Gresley) had succeeded there 

 and at " Widesers " Nigel, a tenant of Henry de Ferrars in 1086 (D.B., i., 

 233 b). ..." 



It is not the fact, as Mr. Round asserts, that " William de Gresley had 

 succeeded at Linton and Widersers, Nigel, the tenant of Henry Ferrar 

 (sic), in 1086." Domesday shows that Henry Ferrars (sic) held both 

 these manors, but it does not state that Nigel was his under-tenant ; in 

 fact that record proves that he held them in demesne. It is equally untrue 

 that, etc., etc.t 



There is no possibility, in this matter, of misunderstanding 

 or of doubt, for Mr. Yeatman quotes, it will be seen, the 

 reference I give for my statement, namely, Domesday Book, 

 "I-j 2 33^-" On turning to that page, "the learned reader" 

 will discover that the only entries relating to those manors 

 are these : — 



Nigellfus] ten[et] de H[enrico] in Windesers III. car terrae vastas. . . 



Nigell[us] ten[et] de H[enrico] in Lintone I. car. terrae vastam. 

 in absolute accordance with my statement. And on turning 

 to the text of " The Leicestershire Survey," first published 

 by me in Feudal England (p. 200), he will read : — 



In Widesers III. car. Willelmi de Greseel[e]. Idem in Lintona I. car. 



Is it, then, or is it not the case that Nigel, tenant of Henry 

 de Ferrers, was succeeded here by William de Gresley? And 

 which of us is guilty, in Mr. Yeatman's words, of an " untrue " 

 statement ? 



* History of the House of Arundel, p. 41. 

 t Sec. vii., p. 124. 



