Page:Sussex Archaeological Collections, volume 6.djvu/106

 Lunsfords. This family owned property at an early period in East Sussex. Henry de Pleystede occurs in a Calendar of Sussex Fines anno 33 Edward III. There is a pedigree of this family in the Visitation of Sussex for 1634.

One other family, though not taking their name from any place in East Sussex, there seem to be good grounds for believing to have borne the charges under consideration, viz., that of Cobden. Godfrey de Coppedene (in Sullington) was one of the manucaptors of Roger de Covert, in 1278, (Parl. Writs.) In 1314, Adam de Coppdenne was for Chichester. 9 Edward IV, Ralph Playstede holds the Manor of Cobden by knight's service of the manor of Wartling, (Burr, MSS. Brit. Mus., 5679, p. 222.) As it is probable that every owner of a manor in early times was ranked among the gentry, though many would occupy the lowest class, and that they bore coat armour, the first Cobden of Cobden might reasonably be supposed to have had that distinction, and was probably a cadet of some armigerous family, and assumed, as was the custom, the name of his estate. No arms of "Cobden" are to be met with in the heraldic dictionaries, but Copyn and Cobbin are said to bear party per pale 3 boars' heads (25). Now Thomas Cobbin was for Horsham in 1385, and considering the various orthographies of that age, and the place, there need be no scruple in regarding this individual as one of the Cobdens. The manor of Cobden seems to have very early passed away into another family by sale or marriage, but others of the race would disperse, and some of them, who were of sufficient consideration, would still in other counties perpetuate their arms, though varying their name. The above suppositions countenance this view of the case,—that the first Cobden of Cobden was a cadet of Playsted, and varied the paternal coat armour by giving the field party per pale, the charges remaining the same,—that Ralph Playstede, in 9 Edward IV, or his ancestor, had married the heiress of his kinsman, and that the Copyns and Cobbins, who bear party per pale 3 boars' heads, derive both male descent and arms from the Cobdens of Cobden. But the name of Cobden nevertheless seems to have kept unchanged for centuries in western Sussex. In 1588, Thomas Cobden subscribed £25 to the defence of the kingdom. In 1734, five or six of this name recorded their votes