marrying Charles, son and heir of Dudley, lord North, he thereby became possessed of Rolleston estate and manor, which she had in jointure, and was by special writ summoned to Parliament, by the title of lord North and Grey of Rolleston, 25 Car. II.

Oswald Mosley, Esq. a descendant from the second branch of the family, afterwards possessed this estate and manor, with the perpetual advowson of the rectory; he was high sheriff for the county of Stafford, in 1715, and was created baronet the 6th of George the First. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Thornhagh, of Fenton, in the county of Nottingham, and had issue Sir Oswald, who died unmarried, Feb. 26, 1757, when the title and estate descended to his brother, the Rev. Sir John Mosley, Bart.* and now, we believe, belongs to Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart.

Sir John was a very singular character, and possessed all the oddities of an old bachelor, yet was not destitute of many excellent qualities. His seat here, the old mansion of his ancestors, was a poor neglected building; yet, instead of rebuilding this, he would amuse himself with having vast quantities of bricks made, heaped into immense walls about his ground, and sometimes buried beneath them. He was rector of his own parish, and served the church himself many years, til dying unmarried he was succeeded in his estate by a distant relation of the same name near Manchester; who afterwards resided here, greatly improved the place, and built a good house, though in a flat situation, which may be seen from the road.

The baronetage has been recreated in him. The church is a small spire, and has some very old monuments in it. The living is in the gift of the Mosley family, and is valued in the king's books, at 131. 19s. 7d.

To the account of Tutbury already given, we add the following,

Kimber's baronetage, Vol. III. p. 61.

one Henry, being first duke of Lancaster, had issue Blanch, an only daughter, who was married to John of Gaunt, son to Edward III. and father to king Henry IV. The castle, which was sometimes the lord's habitation and capital mansion, is builded very stately within a park on the north side of the town of Tutbury, upon the height of a round rock of alabaster, and is inclosed for the most part, with a wall of stone embattled, whereupon may be seen all the lordships and manors pertaining to the honor in the counties of Stafford, Derby, and Leicester. The castle was not builded in that place, without marvellous consideration, for in all the honor wit could not have been so planted for wholesome air, for the commodious view and prospect of the country, for the strength of the place, the plenty of all things, necessary for the provision of hospitality, and also for hunting, hawking, fishing, fowling, and all the commodities, pleasures, and pastimes to recreate the body and delight the mind. For as the river or water of Dove doth from Uttoxeter to the river of Trent, divide the counties of Stafford and Derby, so did it also at the begining divide the champain and woodland; for the one side of the water, being the county of Derby, is all champain, and very good and bateful meadow, pasture, and corn soil, extending from Tutbury to the Peake in distance miles, and all the Peak Hills and Moorlands, being also parçel of the honor, And on the other very good sheeps pasture and large wastes.

side of the river, in the county of Stafford, for the more part all Woodland, as appears by divers auncient grants, made to the lords William, and Robert Ferrers, sometime earls of Derby, and lords of the honor, in the time of Richard I. king John, and the beginning of the reign of Henry III. and now by mens industry converted to tillage and pasture.

And whether the castle were builded before the conquest or not, I find no mention in writing, but in the south-west corner of the scyte of the castle, within the compass of the utter wall standith an auncient round tower, called Julius's Tower,

which, as it is reported, was builded by Julius Cæsar, but I suppose that to be but old men's fables.* The buildings within the wall, and also the wall have been augmented and renewed by divers of the queen's majesty's progenitors, since the possessions were united to the crown; and also before, as doth appear upon several auncient accounts, and are kept indifferently well repaired.

And albeit I find no particular grant in writing, how earl Ferrers came to the same possessions, yet I gather they were given him, by William the Conqueror; and that the manors within the county of Stafford (viz.) Rolleston, Tatenhall, Barton, Tunstall, Handbury, Agardisley, and Uttoxeter, had not so large bounds as they have at present; for the hamlet of Culingwood, which is now within Barton, was granted out of the forest of Needwood, by several times, and by several grants to one of earl Ferrers' servants, by the name of Rado de Bosco Calumpniato; the hamlet of Horecross, which is now within Agardisley, Hugoni de Melburne et Thome de Cruce, by the said earls, by several grants, and to hold by several services; and the most part of Agardisley was taken out of the said forest, by the said earls, and granted to the tenants by copy, by the name of Mattock-lands. The hamlets of Lande Morton, Drayton, Coton Hornehill, Slubbylone, Woodland, and Thorny-hills, which now are within Marchington, were granted to divers gentlemen, that served the said earls out of the same forest, to hold to them by several services, so that I gather, that at the first entry of earl Robert, founder of Tutbury priory, he took the towns and villages of Rolston, Barton, Tunstal, Marchington, and Uttoxeter, as his demesnes of the castle, and part of them he granted (as it should seem) to his bond-men, for no freeman would be contented to take land with such villane-customs, as I find in auncient record at Tutbury, called The Cowcher," made in the 2nd year of Henry V, the tenants

were

• We expressed our disbelief of this tradition on a former page. Vide ante, p. 763.

1

were bound to observe and perform by the tenure of their land. And yet he reserved in every of the manors, a certain in demean of meadow and arable. And the said bond tenants were bound by the tenure of their lands, to mow the grass in the meadow, make the hay, and carry it to the castle ; and the arable land, to plough it, sow it, reap it, mow it, and also to carry it, either to the lord's manor house in the manor, or else to the castle, at their own costs and charges. They were bound also to divers customs, carriages, and services, which at the making of the old Cowcher, were reduced into annual rent, until the king's majesty, or the lords of the honour, should come, and lye at the castle again, and then to be at their liberty.

And albeit those bond-tenants, held their lands, and had their grants from the lords of the honor of Tutbury, yet did they not all pass in one nature, nor by one especial name or grant, for the manors of Rolston, Barton, and Tunstall, past by the name of yard lands, and Marchington, by the name of Oxgangs of land; and Uttoxeter, by the name of a tenement and certain acres of land. Yardland containeth 24 acres, and every oxgang 8 acres, and the rents were certain. But since that time they have alienated their lands, so that some yardlands hath but 10 acres, and some other 12 or 14, and yet the rent continueth; for he that for his yardland or organg, hath but half the content of his land, payeth the whole rent, and he that hath double as much payeth the whole rent. And when the lords had made their provisions for hospitality, that the greatest burden of their ordinary of household should be without charge or trouble, and directed themselves to be served by their poor villains in time of peace, of all things necessary for their property and furniture, of themselves and families at home, then began they to devise to increase their possessions with people, to defend themselves and their county in time of war, and to make the honor more populous and stately, erected free-boroughs within 6 miles of the castle; one

at