First Earl of Pembroke of the Present Creation. 101 



with the Duke of Northumberland and the Marquis of Northampton 

 his brother-in-law, should have been assassinated; whereby he 

 became linked in with those two overtopping men. He was 

 made president of the Council for the Marches of Wales in 1552. 

 And in this last year of the king, he made two great purchases of 

 land and lordships from the crown, which cost him upwards of £1800. 

 He was made the first and chief of a commission to view and survey 

 all church g'oods, plate, furniture, &c., belonging to any churchy 

 chapel, or guild, in the county of Chester. The king also bestowed 

 upon him the office of keeping the forests and parks of Claringdon, 

 Pauncet, Buckholt, and Melthurst, in Wilts; to him and his son 

 for their lives. And he obtained, as of the king's gift, the manor of 

 Dungate, in Somersetshire, with other lands and possessions." 1 



As the health of the king was visibly declining, Northumberland 

 began to prepare his scheme for diverting the succession. There 

 were rumours of disagreement at the council board. It was said 

 that Lord Pembroke had desired to leave London, and had been 

 compelled forcibly to remain. However that may be, Pembroke 

 joined Northumberland in his plans, for the startling announcement 



1 Stiype, Ecc. Mem., vol. ii., p. 74. It is difficult to arrive at any exact 

 estimate of the grants made on the part of the crown to Lord Pembroke during 

 the reign of Edward VI. Mr. Froude credits him with having received a larger 

 share than any other member of the Council, and refers to a report made to 

 Parliament on the accession of Mary, professing to give the particulars of the 

 various gifts made by Edward to his ministers. This document is evidently 

 drawn up with the intention of giving as little information as possible. In this 

 report (State Papers, Domestic, Edw. VI. vol. 19) there are thirteen entries of 

 grants to Lord Pembroke, including some exchanges and purchases, but in only 

 some cases are the values given, and the exact localities are in no instances men- 

 tioned. The grant of the 10th October, 1551, on the occasion of Pembroke's 

 advancement to the peerage (Particulars for Grants, Exchequer, Court of Aug- 

 mentation, 5th Edw. VI., Sect, iv.), refers to the rents reserved originally on the 

 Wilton and other estates by Henry VIII. Also to Baynard's Castle, of which 

 he had previously been " keeper of the same by virtue of letters patent to him 

 thereof made." Also to the manor of Bishopston, formerly a possession of the 

 late Bishop of Winchester. 



On Gardiner's return to power in the time of Queen Mary, he did not fail to 

 remind Pembroke, at the first meeting of the council, that lie was in possession 

 of estates which had been taken from the see of Winchester. 



