178 THE ORIGIN OF THE SHIRLEYS AND OF THE GRESLEYS. 



He tells us, of " these Derbyshire historians," that " it is to 

 avoid a repetition of their mistakes, to point them out, and 

 to correct them, that these records are here printed."* He 

 cannot complain if I follow his example, and endeavour to 

 correct some of his mistakes. 



It is " curious," as he would say, how many puzzles disappear 

 when we abandon fantastic theories for the plain evidence 

 of records. Take, for instance, the descent of Catton in 

 Croxall. This, Mr. Yeatman himself insists, was held at the 

 time of Domesday, under Ferrers, by Nigel de Albini of 

 Cainhoe, and descended from him to his co-heir, Almaric de 

 St. Amand, who undoubtedly held it, as one fee, under the 

 holder of the Ferrers fief, in 1284-6.! If so, it must have 

 been held in 11 66 by Nigel de Albini's heir, and that heir 

 was admittedly Robert de Albini of Cainhoe. J Therefore, we 

 ought to find Robert de Albini holding one fee under Ferrers 

 in 1 166; and we do so find him.§ Nothing could be clearer 

 or neater. Not so, however, for Mr. Yeatman. According to 

 him — 



It is not clear whether this Robert was the son of William of the time 

 of Henry II., or his uncle, as the first Robert died without male issue; 

 the latter relationship is the most probable. Here, doubtless, we get the 

 stem of the family of Abney in Hope (which Derbyshire historians have 

 mistaken for Habenai, the wasted manor of Wm. Peverel), who are now 

 represented by the Abneys of Willersley.H 



Here is one of the alleged errors of the hapless " Derbyshire 

 historians." Mr. Yeatman indicts them as follows : — 



A curious instance of the danger of rashly accepting a possible identity 

 exists in the case of Abney. Every Derbyshire historian, without excep- 

 tion, identifies it with Henry Ferrars' (sic**) wasted manor of Habenai. 



* Preface to Feudal History of Derbyshire, p. ix. I must here again 

 point out that Mr. Yeatman only prints his own translations of the 

 " records " referred to, not their actual text. 



t Feudal Aids, i, 248. 



X Compare Red Book of the Exchequer, p. 324. 



§ Robertus de Albeneio, feodum 1 militis " (Ibid., p. 339). 



|| On the contrary, he was succeeded by his son and heir at Cainhoe, 

 according to Mr. Yeatman's own pedigree of the famil (see p. 173.). 



11 Sec. ii., p. 308. 

 ** It should not be overlooked that in the preceding extract it is (rightly) 

 a manor of " William Peverel " ! 



