Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 11.djvu/465

 ii s. XL JUNE 12, 1915.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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REFUSAL, OF KNIGHTHOOD : EDWABD LAMBE. In the 'Municipal Records of Hythe, Kent/ extracted by the late George Wilks, Town Clerk (author of 'The Barons of the Cinque Ports '), it is stated, 1635 :

" The last entry in the book is a letter received from one Edward Lambe, who claimed the assist- ance of the Cinque Ports in defending himself from a fine levied upon him by the Sheriff of Kent, in consequence of his not attending at his Majesty's coronation to take the order of knighthood."

Apparently Mr. Wilks did not know much about Edward Lambe, who does not figure as mayor or in Hythe history as far as I can discover. Where can I obtain any particulars of him ? R. J. FYNMORE. Sandgate.

THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON. Was it in favour of the plaintiff or of the defendant ?

ST. SWITHIN.

DE GORGES. (9 S xii. 21, 41, 154, 251 ; 11 S. xi. 434.)

RALPH (3) DE GORGES, " BARON GORGES," was son and heir of Sir Ralph, " the Marshal," by his marriage with Maud (whose family name has not been traced). He served under his father in Gascony in the campaign of 1294, and was probably taken prisoner with him at Risune (evidence of this will be given later on). He was still in captivity on 2 April, 1299, as shown by the following excerpt : " Protection for Ralph de Gorges, for as long as he remains a prisoner with the King of France" (Pat. Rolls, 1292-1301, p. 402, m. 33). He was present at the celebrated siege of Carlaverock in 1300, and Hoare (' Hist, of Wilts.,' ii.-iii. 29) says : " He is celebrated by the minstrels of the siege as one of the foremost chieftains who assisted in the assault of that noted fortress, clad in a coat ' mascle de or e de azur.' "

There more than once the new-dubbed Knight Sir Ralph de Georges I saw ; hemmed round,

And by the press, and by the flight Of stones, as often beat to ground.

In May, 1308, Sir Ralph's claim to be reimbursed for the losses he and his father had sustained in the Gascony expedition is dealt With :

" 1308, May 4. To the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer. Order to allow to Ralph de Gorges in the debts due from him the arrears of the wages due to him, arid his father Ralph, for the time when they were in the late King's service in Gascony in the 22nd year of his reign, and for the restitution of

their horses, their loot, and also for the wool of his father seized for the use of the late King." Pat. Rolls, 1307-13.

There seems to have been some difficulty found in carrying out the order, for entered on the Close Rolls (1307-13, p. 104, m. 26) is the following :

"1310, July 16. To the Treasurer, &c. Order to

allow to Ralph de Georges for the debts that

the late King owed to him and his father for the loss of their horses, &c., according to the King's former order, which they were not able to execute because they were not notified of the number or price of the said horses, or of their loss. Whereupon the King commanded John de Bretania, Earl of Richmond, then supplying the King's place in the duchy (of Aquitaine), to certify them of the loss of the said horses, and commanded Thomas de Counterbrig, clerk, then receiver of the late King's moneys for the expense of knights and horses in his service in those parts, to certify them of the number and price, &c. They are now to allow the said Ralph for the horses according to what they shall learn by inspection of the rolls and other memoranda of the Exchequer."

The foregoing excerpts are all important as showing that the pedigrees given in the Peerages are in error, seeing they make Ralph, who was " Marshal " of the King's army in 1294, and who died before May, 1297, identical with Ralph, " Baron Gorges," who died in 1324. It is clear from the above that in 1294 Ralph, " the Marshal," was accompanied by a son and namesake, then old enough to take part in the campaign, who must be identified with Ralph (3) de Gorges, who died 17 Edward II.

Sir Ralph was summoned to Parliament, by writ, 4 March, 1308/9 to 18 Sept., 1322, and died 1324, leaving Ralph de Gorges, his son and heir, aged 16, who was never sum- moned to Parliament, and appears to have died s. p. ante 1400 (Sir Harris Nicolas, 'Historic Peerage,' p. 216, ed. Courthope).

It is outside the scope of this paper to enter all the particulars of Sir Ralph's career, and it suffices to say that in the 34th of Edward I. he was again in the Scotch wars, in the retinue with Hugh le Despenser ; was sheriff of Devon, 1307-8 ; and in February, 1321, was chosen to hold the important office of Justiciary in Ireland, with an honorarium of 500Z. a year as long as he shall keep the said office (Pat. Rolls, p. 546, m. 7d). From other sources it would seem that Sir Ralph never got over to Ireland, but was turned aside on his way thither and sent into Wales to oppose the Mortimer faction. He was taken prisoner there; and entered on the Rolls under date 2 July, 1321, is a " grant to Ralph de Gorges, taken prisoner while on the King's service, of 500 marks," &c. (Pat. Rolls, 1321-4, m. 5,