THE ancient Register Book of the Lords of Gormanston is primarily an entry book of the title-deeds of their estates at the end of the fourteenth century. It was compiled for the most part in the years 1397-8 for the then lord of that manor, Sir Christopher de Preston, elder son of Sir Robert de Preston, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Bench, and afterwards Keeper of the Great Seal in Ireland, who had died in the preceding year, 1396.

Sir Christopher was at this time about forty years of age, and was possessed of considerable fortune through his marriage with the co-heiress of Sir William de Londres. Having now inherited his father's estates, and being settled in his chief manor of Gormanston, he seems to have turned his attention to the family muniment chest. Two generations of lawyers, and several marriages with heiresses representing some of the great houses descended from the chiefs of the Norman Settlement, had added much to the large mass of ordinary conveyances of lands or houses which represented the accumulation during three generations of active business men steadily building up the family property. All helped to fill the muniment chest at the chief manor house at Gormanston.

Sir Christopher must have looked upon the old deeds largely in the light of their antiquarian interest, for though the primary purpose of the book was to preserve in convenient form a record of the evidences of the titles of the family estates, he happily admitted into the collection transcripts of many early documents, including some of the largest entries in the book, which did not relate to property ever in the possession of his family, and which could have interested him only as an antiquary. Many of these early documents would have remained unknown to history but for Sir Christopher's happy preservation of them here.

It will be convenient briefly to sketch the history of the Preston family and its connexions so far as they are illustrated in the documents preserved here.

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PRESTON FAMILY AND ITS DOCUMENTS.

The family of Preston, as told in the documents recorded in the Register, originated with one Adam, son of Philip, a townsman of Preston in Lancashire, towards the close of the thirteenth century. The property acquired by this Adam and his family may be traced among the Preston section of deeds (pp. 87 to 110 of this book). It was very considerable, but the statement made by D'Alton in his History of Drogheda that they were lords of Preston is obviously unfounded. The want of a fixed surname at first and the frequent recurrence of the same Christian name make it sometimes difficult to be certain of all the family connexions. Thus a Robert, son of Roger, is frequently mentioned among the early deeds in the Register, and therefore was probably a member of the family, but he obviously belonged to an earlier generation than the bearer of that name in the Gormanston pedigree. This earlier Robert, son of Roger, was in 1307 one of the Members of Parliament for Preston in conjunction with Richard Banastre, to whom he was probably related.

Adam, son of Philip of Preston, had three sons, William, Richard, and Roger. The two former were merchants who frequently traded across the Irish sea. Nearly opposite Preston on the western side of the sea stands Drogheda. The rich plains to which Drogheda and Dublin afford access from the sea were at this time great wheat-producing lands. The wars of Edward I had drawn freely on these parts for the supply of grain for the maintenance of the armies in Wales and Scotland, and even in Gascony. The already extensive wine trade of Drogheda was further stimulated by large demands for supplies of wine for Edward's armies in his Scottish wars. These demands led to greatly increased traffic between Drogheda and Scotland and the North of England. Wine could be brought from Bordeaux more directly to Drogheda and thence to the military base at Carlisle, or on the west coast of Scotland, than by the use of any English port. The long continuance of these wars may well have given the impression to the Preston people that the trade centres were passing to the other side of the sea, and that the ports there offered a more active field for their energies, ambition, and capital.

Early in the fourteenth century, two of the sons of Adam, son of Philip, are found in Drogheda. The family had not yet adopted a fixed surname. Its members in Preston were known as "Roger son of Adam," "Adam son of Philip." When abroad they were naturally further described as "of Preston." And henceforth "de Preston" or "of Preston," and finally simply "Preston" became the recognized family name.

The first of the brothers to establish himself permanently in Drogheda was William. In 1307 he married Margery or Margaret, daughter of one

John Cosyn of that town, and received with her, as a marriage portion, a messuage in the East Street of Drogheda. Between 1311 and 1321 we find him adding to his stake in the town by acquiring conveyances of nine other tenements. By 1313 he was fully established there, and described as burgess of the town. By this time his brother Richard had thrown in his lot with William, and in this year and 1316 they jointly received conveyances of four premises in the town.

They had not, however, wholly severed their connexion with Lancashire. In 1318 we find the names of Richard de Preston and William de Preston among the adherents of the Earl of Lancaster who were pardoned by the king. It is not perhaps certain that these were the two sons of Adam, son of Philip. But it is noteworthy that henceforward both brothers are found fixed in Drogheda and acting much together.

Four years later they had so thriven that the two brothers were in 1322 recipients of a special letter from the King, asking their aid to Sir Robert de Leyburn, admiral of the ships in the western sea, in the king's service against the Scots.

In this and the following year they were actively engaged in trade with England, and, no doubt in return for their assistance to the King's navy, they received special letters of protection and safe conduct to facilitate them in their journeys. They on their part undertook not to convey victuals to, or communicate with, the Scots or Flemings.

In 1326 Richard de Preston was appointed by the Crown, Constable of the Castle of Drogheda. The constableship was at this time probably not a military appointment. Later in this century all that remained unruined of the castle was the gaol, and this may very likely have been the case at the time of Richard's appointment, though as a sum had been spent in putting the fortification of the town in repair during Bruce's invasion, the castle may still have been in a defensive state.

Meanwhile the brothers had begun to acquire landed property. In 1319 William became possessed of Gaffney, Co. Meath; and in 1327 he obtained from the King a grant of the land of Arthurstown or Fingalstown, forfeited by Sir Hugh de Lacy for rebellion in joining with the Scottish invaders (p. 53). In this year also Richard received a grant of Richardstown.

In 1333 they severed their connexion with Preston, transferring their possessions there to their brother Roger (p. 90). By 1346 they were so far forgotten in their former home, that William, finding it necessary to send a deed there, under his seal, had to get it verified by having affixed

the seal of the town of Drogheda, as his own seal "is unknown to many" (p. 90).

Meanwhile the third brother of the Preston family remained in England, where he must have studied and practised law. He, too, was much in his native town, where he is found acquiring property in 1314 and 1315. He married a lady of the same town, Matilda, daughter of Robert, son of Adam of Preston. This marriage may have taken place about 1312, when the bride's mother, Margaret Banastre, a member of a leading Preston family, at this time a widow, is found confirming her daughter's possession of the land given by her father (p. 108).

Roger does not appear in Ireland until 1326. As at this time his brothers seem to have been in favour here, it may have been through their influence that he was appointed 8th July, 1326, second justice of the Justiciar's Court, which at this time represented the later Court of King's Bench. In 1328 (22nd Aug.), after the accession of Edward III, he had a new patent to this office. On 27th February, 1331, he was transferred to the Bench or Court of Common Pleas.

By this time he had made a home near his brothers in Drogheda, where he had acquired two houses in 1329 and three others in 1331, in which year we find him described as a burgess of that town.

He had also kept up his connexion with his old home in Preston, where he received four conveyances in the years 1328-9. By 1333 he seems again to have settled there, and we find (p. 90) his brothers conveying their property in that town to him. But he was not permitted

to remain away from Ireland. At the beginning of the following year, 7th January, 1334, he received the royal command to return to Ireland and again take up his old duties as one of the justices of the Justiciar's Court, for which the King's commission had been sent in the preceding October. He had of course now to set out for Ireland, leaving his affairs in England in the hands of Albred, son of Robert, his brotherin-law.

In 1337, August 10th, he was removed from office, receiving probably as a matter of additional security the King's pardon for any liability for trespasses with which he might be charged.

In 1341 he made the beginning of his Irish landed estate by acquiring Ministown or Midnightstown (p. 37).

In 1342 (17th October), he was again recalled from retirement to fill the office of second justice of the Bench. He seems to have held this office until 1346, receiving in 1344 a special allowance of 12 marks for his expenses while attending on the King's business. He died before

1350, probably in 1346, in which year we find his brother William granting his possessions in Preston to Roger's son Robert, which he had before given to Roger. His death in this year would also explain the reason for the appointment by Robert, the son, in 1346, of attorneys to look after his affairs in Ireland, which if his father had died would mean taking possession of his father's property on the part of his son and heir.

Roger, as already mentioned, married Matilda, daughter of one Robert, son of Adam of Preston, and his wife Margaret Banastre (p. 108). Her brother Albred, or Albric, owned much property in Preston, and was one of the bailiffs or chief magistrates of that town in 1320. He seems to have acted as agent for Roger during his absences from the town. He married one Alice, or Agnes, but probably had no family, as Matilda, wife of Roger, is described as his heir. In 1350 Matilda is found giving her lands, messuages, and tenements in Preston inherited from her brother, and which she had, the gift of her mother, to her son Robert.

In 1359 to 1361 we find her in Dublin acquiring a stone house and plots of ground in that city, described as in the lane running from Fishers' Street (Fishamble-street) to the Church of St. Mary del Dam (at Cork Hill). These plots probably represent the large space known afterwards as Preston's Inns. Matilda had probably died by 1364, when Robert de Preston is found dealing with some of this property.

Robert, son of the judge, Roger de Preston, followed in his father's footsteps in adopting the legal profession. As a youth he may have acquired his first experience in his father's court in Dublin. But he must early have gone to England to pursue his studies, and gain sufficient experience for his future career. In 1346 he was in England, and is found appointing attorneys to look after his affairs in Ireland. But at this time he seems to have contemplated making Preston his headquarters, for we find him acquiring property there in 1344, 1345, 1346, and 1350.

In 1353 he married Margaret, then only thirteen years of age, only surviving daughter of Sir Walter de Bermyngham of Castlecarbury, Co. Kildare, who had been Justiciar of Ireland a few years previously, 1346-1349, and who died in England in the year following his retirement from office. A kinsman of Sir Walter's wife, Sir Thomas de Multon, was lord of Gilsland, near Preston. Perhaps at his place Robert may have met his future wife. This lady did not, at her marriage, bring her husband any landed property, but as her father and stepbrother were wealthy, she no doubt had a good marriage portion.