Forster, had entered England in favour of the Pretender, he was an officer of Dragoons under General Carpenter, who was dispatched to fupprefs them, and coming to an engagement with the enemy, at Preston in Lancashire, behaved with great bravery, and was wounded in the action.

On 11 December 1714 he was appointed lieutenant of the ordnance; was returned member for the borough of Swords to the first parliament of K. George I. and 19 March 1724, fucceeded Major-General Thomas Whetham in the command of his regiment of foot.-5 October 1731 he fat first in the House of Lords, on the death of his brother; and 31 May 1732, fucceeded General Crofts in his regiment of Dragoons, was fworn 26 October 1733, of his Majefty's privy council; made a Major-General, 18 December 1735, and in February following a Brigadier-Ge. neral on the establishment.-19 September 1736 he was constituted (and fworn the next day) with John, Archbishop of Dublin, and Arthur, Bishop of Meath, keepers of the Great Seal of Ireland, during the Lord Chancellor's abfence, which commiffion ceased 2 February following by his return. 27 June 1737 he fucceeded Lieutenant-Ge neral Owen Wynne who died 28 February 1736, in the VOL. V. command

L

"and fome furprife by Colonel Conftant, who faid, He equally rejoiced and wondered at his escape, and that he doubted not, but he Should foon fee him at the head of a regiment.

"He then told him, that the Duke had got between the lines, and was gone towards the centre; to which, while the Captain was making his way as well as he could on foot, he, by chance, met "with a foreign foldier holding the Duke's horfe by the bridle; "who, upon his claiming the horfe, and giving him a patacoon, immediately refigned him, and then the Captain mounting that "horfe, purfued his way in queft of his Grace.

"He found him upon a rifing ground fronting the village of Ra"millies, with a number of general officers and others about him, to whom he was diftributing his orders, and when he faw the Cap"tain, he said, he hoped he was not hurt.

The Captain, foon after, obferving that his horfe (which the "Duke ftill mounted) was a little unquiet, fhewed him his own, andfaid, that might probably prove lefs troublefome to him, upon "which his Grace, fhifting back to his own horfe, and Colonel Bringfield (his first Escuyer) holding his ftirrup, the enemy juft at "that time difcharged a battery from the village of Ramilles which came among the groupe of us, and one of the balls, after grazing, "rofe under the horfe's belly, and took Mr. Bringfield in the "head."

Lord's Jour. ILI. 149.

145

command of the Royal Irish Dragoons; was promoted 17 July 1739 to the rank of Lieutenant-General of his Majefty's armies; as he was, I January following, to the post of Mafter-General of the Ordnance in the room of Francis, Marquefs of Montander, who died 8 August 1739'; being alfo, in July 1742, appointed Lieutenant-General on the establishment, with the fee of 9721. a year; a General of horse 24 March 1746; and in September 1751, Lieutenant-General and Commander in Chief of his Majesty's forces in Ireland; was Fellow of the Royal Society; a Trustee for the Barracks; a Governor of the Royal Hofpital near Kilminham; and Field-Marshal of his Majesty's forces.

His Lordship married first Jane, daughter to Mr. Lucas of Dublin; and by her, who died 1 April 1742, and was buried at Swords, had one fon, who died an infant, and three daughters, viz. Mary, married 8 Auguft 1736 to Robert, created Earl of Belvidere; Letitia, married in October 1753, to Lieutenant-Colonel James Molefworth, and died 16 June 1787; and Amelia, who died unmarried 30 January 1758.

On 7 February 1743 he married fecondly Mary *, daughter of Rev. William Usher, Archdeacon of Clonfert (who died 17 of the fame month) and deceased 12 October 1758, aged 78, having had iffue by his lady who died 6 May 1763†, one fon Richard Nassau, and seven daugh

ters,

By privy feal dated at St. James's 3 December 1755, and by patent 15 January 1756, the King granted feveral penfions to Mary Lady Vifcountefs Molefworth, and his Lordship's children, viz. to her Ladyship 500l. a year; to Amelia, his daughter by his first wife, Harriet, Melefina, Mary, Louifa, Elizabeth, and Charlotte, 7ol. each yearly, from the day of his Lordship's demife. (Rot. 29 Geo. H. 3. p. D,

+ Extract of a letter, dated London, 7 May, 1763. -It is with the utmost horror that I relate to you the difmal catastrophe which befel poor Lady Molefworth and her family yesterday morning about 5 o'clock, when a fire fuddenly broke forth in her house, by the careleffnefs of a fervant in the nursery; in which fhe herself, two of her daughters, her brother who was Captain of a man of war, the children's governefs, and two other maid fervants perifhed. The other three daughters are indeed not confumed, but scarce in a condition preferable, the eldeft jumping out of a fecond floor window, was caught upon the iron palifades, which tore her thigh fo miferably, that the furgeons were obliged to cut it off directly four ches above the knee; another has her thigh bone broke close to the

* Collect;

hip;

ters, viz. Mary, born 24 September 1744, died foon after its birth; Henrietta, born in July 1745; Melefina, born 27 December 1746, and Mary, born 30 November 1747, perished with their mother; Louifa, born 23 October 1749, married to William Brabazon Ponsonby, Efq.; Elizabeth, born 17 September 1751; and Charlotte, born 2 October 1755, in Henrietta-ftreet, Dublin.

Richard-Naffau, the fourth and prefent Viscount RichardMolesworth, was born 4 November 1748.

Naffau,

4

TITLES.] Richard-Naffau Molefworth, Viscount Molef- Viscount worth of Swords in the county of Dublin, and Baron of Philipftown in the King's County.

CREATION.] So created 16 July 1716, 2 Geo. I. ARMS.] Vair, on a Bordure Ruby, 8 Croflets, Topaz. CREST.] On a Wreath, an armed Arm embowed at the Elbow, Proper, holding a Croflet, Topaz.

SUPPORTERS.] Two Pegasus's; the Dexter, Pearl, crined, winged and unguled, Topaz. The finifter, Ruby, alike crined, winged and unguled, and feme of Croilets, Gold.

MOTTO.]

VINCIT AMOR PATRIÆ. SEAT.] Breckdenstown in the county of Dublin, 6 miles from the metropolis:

hip; a third bruifed from head to foot, and both much fcorched.The Hon. Coote Molefworth and his wife, who, unluckily for them, happened to be her guests, have escaped. He had the presence of mind to throw his bedding out of the back windows, upon which his wife and two children fell, otherwise they must have been dashed to pieces, for the children came from the garret down to the back area, no less than four stories high. Mr. Molefworth hung by an iron on the outfide of the two pair of ftairs windows, till a neighbouring carpenter brought him a ladder.—Lift of faved: Lord Molefworth fortunately at fchool; Mifs Harriet, thigh cut off, and the other leg much torn with spikes; Mifs Loaifa, thigh broke near the hip, but fet, and hopes of cure without amputation; head cut but not fractured, Mr. and Mrs. Molefworth; Mifs Betty, much bruised and scorched.- -Perifhed: Lady Molefworth; Mifs Melefina: Mifs Molly; Capt. Ufher; Mrs. Morelle, governess to the children; Mrs. Patterson, Lady Molefworth's woman: the young ladies maid; Capt. Ufher's man, who got out, but perished by returning to fave his master; and two black footmen.- -From Faulkner's Dublin Journal.

23

CHETWYND, VISCOUNT CHETWYND.

THE family of Chetwynd affumed a furname from the

place of their refidence in the county of Salop, whereof Adam. Adam de Chetwynd was of fuch dutinction in those early times, as to marry Agnes, daughter of John, Lord Luvel, Baron of Dockinges, and lord of Minfter-Lavel in OxSir John. fordshire; and by her was father of Sir John de Chetwynd of Chetwynd, Knt. to whom K. Henry III. in 37 of his reign, granted a charter of free-warren throughout all his demefne lands in the counties of Stafford, Salop, and Warwick; and about the beginning of Edward I. reign he received a grant of the manor of Baxterly in the last mentioned county from John, fon of William Luvel, his kinfman, rendering to him and his heirs, or to Richard de Harecourt, Chief Lord of the fee, a pound of pepper yearly, at Eafter, as the deed fets forth. After which, viz. in 1280 (9 Edw. I.) it was found by inquifition, that he had certain customary tenants there, who paid him one hundred fhillings annual rent, and did fuit twice a year at his leet; the extent of his poffeffions here being certified at four yard-lands (a quantity of different computation in different places; vergata terræ, or a yard-land containing in fome countries 10, in fome 20, in some 24, and in fome 30 acres) but it appears, that 17 Edw. III. he had 16 mesfuages, 6 yard-lands, 6 acres of pasture, and two of wood in Baxterley, where the family however did not long continue. He married Ifabel, daughter and heir to Philip de Mitton, with whom he had the Lordships of Ingeftre, Salte, and Gretwyche, in the county of Stafford; and had iffue, William de Chetwynd, whofe refidence was fome time at Oddefton in the county of Leicester, and who had two fons, Roger, and Philip, both Knights; and Sir Ralph de Grendon, of Grendon in the county of Warwick (defeended from Roger de Grendon, living in the time of K.

William.

Stephen)

Stephen) having three daughters by his fecond wife Anne de Clinton; Joan, the eldest, was married to this Sir Roger de Chetwynd; and, in 1343, by their joint deed, they released and quit claim to Robert de Grendon, all their right in the manors of Grendon, and Shenefton.And, Sir Philip, his brother, marrying Alice, the next Sir Philip. daughter of the faid Sir Ralph de Grendon, became poffef

fed, in her right, of that Lordship, where William, his Sir fon and heir, feated himself, was knighted; and 16 Rich, William. II. obtained a licence from the Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, to have divine fervice within a private chapel for his houfe. Towards the latter end of the reign of Edward III. he was retained, by indenture, with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, that King's fourth fon, to ferve him, as well in time of peace as war, for the allow ance of ten marcs a year; which indenture, being loft, was renewed by the Duke, 50 Edw. III. with an increase. of the fee to 10l. and, 10 Rich., II. that Duke, recounting his many faithful fervices, gave him 10l. a year more, to be received out of the iffues of his honour of Tutburic.

The year after he was Sheriff of the county of Stafford, and the learned Dugdale is of opinion, that a great part of Grendon church was new built by him; for (fays he) "it

is evident, that the pictures in glass of many of this family, in their furcoats of arms, were fet up there about " that time."

By his wife Aliva, or Alicia, who was a widow in 1404, (4 Hen. IV.) he had two fons, Richard, and John; and a daughter, Margaret, married to William Purefoy of Shireford in Warwickshire, Efq. by whom she was mother of William Purefoy, of the fame place, who died 6 Edw. IV. John, the younger fon, refided at Alfpath (now called Meriden) near Coventry, in Warwickshire, of which county he was one of the chief fubfcribers of the articles, concluded in the parliament of 12 Hen. VI. 15 of that reign, ferved as one of its reprefentatives; and, from 17 to 20 Hen. VI. inclufive, was in commiffion for prefervation of the peace. He married Margaret, fifter to the faid William Purefoy, and (probably) died without iffue, the estate of Meriden defcending to the family at Ingeftre, who fold it, in the reign of Edward VI. to John Hales of Coventry.

Richard Chetwynd, the elder fon, in 1406, married Richard. Thomafine, daughter of William Frodsham, and was fa

ther of