His Grace married, secondly, March 11th, 1794, the Hon. Margery Forbes, daughter of James, Lord Forbes, relict of Lord Macleod, by whom he has

A daughter, born in 1795, who died an infant.

A son, born January, 1799.

His Grace is Lord of the Isle of Man,y Lord Lieutenant of Perthshire, Keeper of Falkland, K. T. and F.R.S.

Titles. John Murray, Baron Strange, Earl Strange, and Lord of Man and the Isles.—Also Duke and Marquis of Atholl, Earl of Tullibardine, Viscount Glenalmond, Lord Murray. Scotch honours.

Creation. Baron Strange, by writ of summons to Parliament, February 13th, 1627-8, 3 Cha. I.; Earl Strange by letters patent, August 8th, 1786.

Arms. Quarterly, the first quarter, Azure, three mullets Argent, within a double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered with Fleur-de-lis, Or, for Murray; second quarter, Gules, three legs in armour proper, conjoined at the upper part of the thighs, flexed in triangles, garnished and spurred Or, for the Isle of Man; third quarter, quarterly 1st and 4th Argent on a bend Azure, three stags heads caboshed, Or, for Stanley; 2d and 3d Gules, two lions passant Argent, for Strange; fourth quarter, quarterly the 1st and 4th, Or, a Fess checky Argent and Azure for Stuart; the 2d and 3d, Paley of 6, Or and Sable, for the title of Atholl.

By a late act of parliament, his Grace has received an additional remuneration for the sale of the sovereignty of the Isle of Man.

VOL. V.

THIS family, denominated from the manor of Eggecomb, Egecomb, and Edgecomb (as it has been variously written in former records), in the parish of Cheriton Fitz-Pain, near Crediton, has been of great antiquity in Devonshire; and in that church is Edgecomb's isle, adorned with divers coats of arms belonging to the family.

b

But in the reign of King Edward III. WILLIAM de Eggecomb taking to wife Hillaria, daughter and heir of William de Cotehele, of Cotehele, in the county of Cornwall, chiefly resided there. It is now wrote Cuttail, and is separated from Devonshire only by the breadth of the river Tamer. In 1378, the said William de Eggecomb, writing himself of Cotehele, in Cornwall, granted lands in Middleton to the convent of Tavistock, in Devonshire. He died 1380, and left issue by her

WILLIAM Edgecomb, Esq. who married the daughter and heir of Denset; he had a grant, in 6 Henry V. with Robert Hethe,d of the custody of the lead-mines, with the silver ore therein, which were in Devonshire. He left issue,

PETER Edgecomb, Esq. who in 12 Henry VI. was returned among the chief of the county of Devon, who made oath for themselves, and retainers, to observe the laws then existing. By his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Richard Holland, Esq. be was father of Sir Richard Edgecomb, Knt.

Which Sir RICHARD was a person of great note in the reigns of

Prince's Worthies of Devon, p. 281.

b M3. de Cornub. penes Ric. Dom. Edgecumbe.

d Rot. Fin. 6. Hen. V. m. 6.

Desda, &c. in Collect. Guil. Pole,

e Fuller's Worthies, p. 267.

King Edward IV. Richard III. and Henry VII. In 7 Edw. IV. fhe served in parliament for Tavistock, in Devonshire; and in the same year was escheator of the county of Cornwall; an office in those times of great trust. But when Richard III. had (as is generally supposed), put to death his nephews, King Ed ward V. and the Duke of York, he, detesting his tyranny and cruelty, appeared in arms on that rising of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, who, not being able to join his friends in the West (where an army was raised to assist him), and being forced to fly, was taken and beheaded. After which, those forces in Devonshire and Cornwall dispersed; and King Richard causing divers to be apprehended (some whereof were executed at Exeter), this Sir Richard Edgecomb very narrowly escaped. He concealed himself for some time in those woods that overlook the river Tamer, which belonged to his house at Cuttail; and being hotly pursued, and narrowly searched for, extremity taught him a sudden policy to deceive his pursuers. He put stones in his cap, and tumbling them into the water, those who were at his heels hear ing the noise, and seeing the cap swimming, supposed he had desperately drowned himself, and gave over the pursuit. He had the good fortune soon after to get into Britany, to the Earl of Richmond, with Peter Courtenay, Bishop of Exeter, Sir Edward Courtenay, his brother, and others; and was among the chief of those which the Earl of Richmond consulted with, in order to his expedition into England: and behaving himself with great valour and intrepidity at Bosworth, on Aug. 22d, 1485, where Richard III. was slain,' he was knighted in the field of battle.

When the said Earl of Richmond, by that decisive victory at Bosworth, became King by the name of Henry VII. he was not unmindful of Sir Richard Edgecomb, who had ventured his life and fortune in his service. He immediately made him Comptroller of his household, and a member of his privy-council. Also on June 7th, 1486, the first year of his reign, in consideration m (as expressed in the patent), of the good and acceptable services of his beloved and faithful servant, Sir Richard Eggecombe, Knt. heretofore performed, as well in foreign parts as in England, and which he still continues to perform,' he grants to him and his

f Willis's Not. Parl. Vol. II. p. 352 h Stow's Annals, p. 466, 467.

k Stow, p. 466.

Rot. Fin. 7 Edw. IV. m. i Prince's Worthies, præd.

Ibid. p. 571. & MS. sub Effig. Claudius, c. 3. p. 10, in Bibl. Getton,
Pat. 1 Henry VII. p. 3.

heirs, the castle, honour, lordship, and the manor of Totness; and the lordship and manor of Cornworthy; the manors of Huishe and Lodeswelle, with their members and appurtenances; together with all rents, which were John Lord Zouch's, in Huishe, and Lodeswelle; and all the messuages, lands, &c. which were the said John's in Totness, Cornworthy, Huishe, and Lodeswelle, aforesaid; and in North Moulton, in com. Devon; together with the knights fees, advowson, &c. And further grants to the said Sir Richard the manor of Kidlington, in Rutlandshire, which was Francis Viscount Lovel's, &c.

These accessions to his estate brought to his remembrance the providence of God, in his happy deliverance from the tyranny of Richard III. and therefore he was so piously disposed, that he built a chapel in the same place where he concealed himself; the ruins whereof still remained, as is observed by Sir William Pole, a curious antiquary in Devonshire.

On December 5th, 1485,° the King, most fully confident in the loyalty, care, and industry, of Sir Richard Edgecomb, Knt. Comptroller of his household, and one of his Privy Council, appoints him, with John Arundel, dean of St. Peter's church, in Exeter, and of his Privy Council, and John Badiswell, LL.D. Clerk of the Council, to meet and treat with all captains, lieutenants, officers, persons paying tribute, or inhabitants, in the town of Calais, tower of Risebank, tower and castle of Guynes, castle of Hammes, and marches thereof, relating to all matters concerning the crown. of England, in the said places, and to admit all persons therein to their allegiance.

In the statute of resumptions, made in the first year of King Henry VII. there is an exception, that the same shall not extend to Sir Richard Eggecomb, Knt. for the offices of feodary of the duchy of Cornwall, the constableship of the castle of Launceston in Cornwall, and of the castle of Hertford, and manor of Bushey, in the county of Hertford.'

In 1487P he was Sheriff of Devonshire; and that year brought aid to the King at the battle of Stoke, near Newark, on June 16th, where John, Earl of Lincoln, the Lord Lovel, and their adherents, were vanquished. After which, the King removing to Lincoln, and from thence into Yorkshire, came about the middle of August to Newcastle upon Tyne; where, as Stow

n Sir William Pole's Cat. of famous Statesmen, MS.

Rymer's Fœdera, Vol. XII. p. 279.

P Fuller's Worthies, p. 270.

writes, he sent Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchesser (Lord Privy Seal), and Sir Richard Edgecomb, Knt. Comptroller of his house," ambassadors into Scotland, to conclude a peace, or truce, with James III. King of that realm. The English ambassadors were honourably received by the Scottish Monarch, but as the Scots were averse to the proposed terms of peace, could only obtain a truce for seven years; and the King staid at Newcastle till their

return.

He was afterwards sent into Ireland, being a person of singular prudence' (as Sir James Ware observes, in his Annals of Ireland, p. 10), to administer the oaths of allegiance and obedience, as well to the nobility, gentry, and prime officers, as to the commonalty of the realm; and brought over with him 500 armed

men.

Among the manuscripts in the Cotton Library, is a journal of his expedition, containing many particulars unobserved by our historians, both of England and Ireland. Therefore I shall recite the most material parts of the said Journal, which Mr. Anstis, late Garter King of Arms, believed to be written by himself.

On June 23d, 1488, Sir Richard Eggecomb, Knt. took shipping at Mount's-bay, in Cornwall, in the Anne of Foway, and arrived at Kingsale the 27th. He landed there 28th June, at the request of the Lord Courcy, and of the portreve, who delivered him the keys of the town in the King's name, and he then gave them the King's pardon, and took the oaths of allegiance and fealty of the Lord Thomas Parry. The same night he embarked and sailed towards Develyn [Dublin], and the 29th crossed the seas, the wind being contrary.

30th June, at six in the morning, he arrived at Waterford, and landed in the afternoon, where the mayor and worshipful men honourably received him; and he lodged at the mayor's house.

1st July, the mayor had him about the city, shewed him the walls and reparations, and then went to the Guildhall, where the council was assembled, and there the mayor shewed him the state of the city, and the disposition of divers great men, and of the common people; telling him, he understood that he had brought with him the King's pardon for the Earl of Kildare, always an enemy to their city. At night he went on board, and put to sea, July 2d, sailing towards Develyn, the wind con trary.

3d July, with great difficulty, and tempestuous sea, he made

↑ Annals, p. 273, a and b.