288 Lord Clarendon and his Trowbridge Ancestry. 



the garter-plate of Laurence (Earl of Rochester) son of Lord 

 Clarendon, you may also see this coat of Langford quarterly with 

 Hyde allowed by competent authority. Surely this almost osten- 

 tatious parading of the arms of Langford would imply that they 

 themselves considered that the Wiltshire marriages were no dimi- 

 nution from the honour, as certainly they were none from the 

 pecuniary means, of the family of Hyde. 



I hope I may take it for granted that it is thus proved that we must 

 look elsewhere than in Trowbridge for an interpretation of this 

 tradition. 



It is hardly a part of our task to pursue the enquiry further. 

 A statement however, was made in Notes and Queries, 1 some 

 time ago, that the tale had been told of the mother of Lady 

 Clarendon, the wife in fact of Sir Thomas Aylesbury. Her 

 name was Frances Denman, and she was the daughter of 

 Francis Denman, of East Retford county Notts, by Ann Blount, 

 of Eckington county Derby, relict of Nicholas Towers. I have 

 been able to learn but little, indeed almost nothing, concerning 

 her. The Denmans, of West Retford, and the Blounts, of 

 Eckington, were both families of great repute, but this proves little. 2 

 A chance observation nevertheless in Pepys* diary has certainly 

 impressed me with the idea that possibly, after all, Sir Thomas 

 Aylesbury may have been the young lawyer, and his wife the 

 original tub-woman. Under date 13th November, 1661, Pepys 

 says : — " The Duke of York is in mourning for his wife's grand- 

 mother (i.e. Lady Aylesbury), which is thought a great piece of 

 fondness." The expression is certainly strong, if it imply no more 

 than that it was an unnecessary compliment from a prince of the 

 blood towards one who was his inferior in rank and station. 3 



On the whole I am inclined to think that the tale has arisen 

 from the too probable fact, that during the troubles of Lord 

 Clarendon, and also of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, (for he, on account 

 of his loyalty, was deprived of his places and estates) some of 



1 Notes and Queries, vii , 634. (New Series.) 

 2 See Gentleman's Magazine, March, 1851, p. 283. 

 3 See also Popys' Diary, 7th October, 1GG0, and also 24th October, 1600, on 

 Ann Hyde's marriage. 



