It is further remarkable that, if we mount only three generations higher than Louis the Dauphin, we find the young Queen descended from all the four children of Henri IV. and from his grandson Philip Duke of Orleans in two different ways. Thus the lines of the little Queen's descent from Henri le Grand amount to the following: Through Louis XIV. and the Dauphin, as shown in the first Table Through the three daughters of Henri IV. That is to say, her Majesty, being eighth in lineal paternal descent from Henri le Grand (compare the two tables), is likewise eighth in descent from him through her mother, through her maternal grandmother, and through Philip Duke of Parma; and ninth in descent from him through six other different channels. J. G. N. HISTORY OF THE COSBY FAMILY. Mr. URBAN,-The following extracts of a MS. history of the Cosby family are interesting in many points of view. They are a memorial of the cruelty and barbarity of the golden days of good Queen Bess!" and of the sufferings of the Irish. They likewise point out the means by which an Anglo-Irish family rose to opulence; and what has rendered them interesting in my eyes, they furnish us with a history of a member of the noble house of Sidney. The MS. was written by one of the Cosbys, and is transcribed into one of the Egerton MSS. in the British Museum. It tells us that Francis Cosby was a person much celebrated for undaunted valour, military experience, and civil abilities; that he married Mary Seamor, widow of Sir H. Leyton, and daughter of the Protector, on whose disgrace he fled to Ireland with a second wife, and served as member for Thomastown, 1559, and was appointed by Queen Mary General of the Kernes, and by Elizabeth Sheriff of Kildare. "At the same time he received a remarkable grant, empowering him to exercise, by his own authority, martial law, and inflict punishment according as he thought proper. In consequence of this great trust he erected a gallows near his house, upon the spot which is to this day called Gallows Hill, and executed such as he condemned by his own judgment, hanging them, as it is said, alive in chains, with a loaf of bread fixed before them, to render starving more painful, a severity excuseable only by the barbarity of the times which rendered such strictness necessary, and experience shewed expedient. For during his time good order was so well preserved in those parts, that Sir H. Sidney, the Lord Lieutenant," reported his success and the public tranquillity to the Queen. "Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant." But mark the just judgment of Heaven. The children of the slain increased in years and strength; and the MS. tells us, General Cosby lived with great credit and reputation to the age of 70 years, but he at length fell a victim to his constant enemies, the original Irish. Camden's Elizabeth, p. 309-310, edit. 1614. His constant enemies! Their princes had fallen in the field in defence of their liberties and religion, their fathers had perished on the gallows. Strangers held their patrimonial lands, and they were eating the bread of indigence. A deep debt of gratitude they owed to Queen Elizabeth and General Cosby! But it was not only from those whom they had oppressed that the Cosbys suffered. The General had three sons by Mary Seamour-Arnold, the third son, killed in a duel at Finchley Common, Lord Bourke, of Castleconnel, a noted Irish rebel," for which service the Queen refused to pardon him, and he was hanged 1590. Henry, the second son, died unmarried in England. Alexander, who inherited his father's cruelty, and was nearly killed by Rory Oge (Camden's Elizabeth, p. 288) I shall mention hereafter. " "F. Cosby's activity in the Queen's service, and the many good qualities he possessed, brought on a great intimacy and friendship with Sir H. Sidney, who, being himself a man of singular merit, was the more inclined to esteem the deserts of others. Their friendship brought on an alliance between their families which turned out both honourable and beneficial to us. Alexander Cosby, Francis' eldest son, espoused Mrs. Dorcas Sidney, second cousin of the Lord Lieutenant, who came over with him as will appear in its place. Although the service which General Cosby was constantly engaged in seldom allowed him to have a fixed residence, he appears to have used the Abbey of Stradbally as the seat of his family. It was then a very extensive and handsome pile of building, as was evident from the ruins which remained so late as 1722; but Colonel Dudley Cosby having then let the ground to Colonel Mitchell, he pulled down most part of the venerable remains of antiquity for materials to build his house, and left nothing but part of an old chapel, which is still to be seen." It appears that Alexander by his authority continued the power of martial law which had been granted to his father by Queen Elizabeth, and the tradition of the country records that he used to hang multitudes of his enemies on a Sally tree near the abbey, and he is said to have used the expression, that his Sally was melancholy and unfurnished whenever he saw it without one or other of his opposers hanging upon its boughs.' From this circumstance came the name of Silloge, or of the Sally, which the Irish, through reproach, gave the family. He found it, however, necessary to get a patent of indemnity for those irregular though necessary acts of strictness." Would James have granted an indemnity to Jefferys or Kirke? Yet their ferocity was mildness compared to this. However, the sequel will show that the blood of his victims drew down vengeance on him and his children. "It has been already mentioned that he married Mrs. Dorcas Sidney, daughter of William Sidney, of Otford, county of Kent, and cousin to Sir H. Sidney, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This lady, who had been of the household of Queen Elizabeth, by means of her great connections, obtained grants of vast tracts of land in heir, so that the family at one time possessed one half of the Queen's county and a township over. Among other lands, she held the towns of Ballynakil, Ballegroan, and Moun trath, and a great part of Maryborough; the lordships of Gallen, Rushall, Timahoe, the parish of Cloneagh, Cashel, and various other estates. Of all these, the only inheritance remaining from her is Timahoe, which, being held in right of her, entitles the possessor of it to bear the Sidney arms, and has been the reason of the frequency of the name of Sidney in our family." This is remarkable, as not a word is said of her being an heiress. If she was not an heiress, the Peerage of 1769 is in error. Were Sir John and others mentioned in Gentleman's Magazine 1832, p. 215, her brothers? The patents granting her lands are extant, and bear date 22nd November, 1570; 28th November, 1590; 18th September, 1593; 6th August, 1593. To proceed, "It will hereafter be related under the head of Richard Cosby, her son, how the family lost most of the above estates; but the town of Ballynakil and lordship of Gallin she sold for 1007., which she received in silver shillings, of so little value did she reckon lands which her husband and sons were constantly obliged to defend with the sword." However, she kept her mother but shabbily; for among the MSS. lately on sale by Mr. Thorpe, I saw a receipt signed Alice Sidney (see Gentleman's Magazine for March 1832, p. 214), dated about 1601, acknowledging the payment of 201., an annual bounty allowed her by the goodness of Sir R. Sidney, afterwards Earl of Leicester. How is the name of Alice here, and on her tombstone, reconcileable with the Abbot pedigree, that makes her name Elizabeth? "It is remarkable that in all grants, and even in private writings, this lady constantly used the name of Sidney, and never assumed that of her husband, which was probably owing to the great share of family pride the Sidneys were always remarkable for. Alexander Cosby and his wife, for many years, made frequent visits to their relations at Penshurst, in Kent; and in ancient writing, under Dorcas Sidney's own hand, there is a memorandum, that she lay in of her second daughter, Rose Cosby, at the Queen's house at Oatford, Kent, on the 20th November 1582, She bore to Alexander Cosby, her husband, fifteen children, and they lived together in great credit and reputation, inhabiting the Abbey of Stradbally, till the year 1596; but that year Anthony Oathouse, the head of the rebellious clan that bore his name, sent a serf to demand of Alexander Cosby a passage over Stradbally-bridge, which being looked upon as a formal challenge was accordingly refused, and preparation made to oppose him. On the 19th of May Alexander, hearing the O'Mores were on the march, headed his kerne, and set himself to defend the bridge, taking with him his eldest son Francis Cosby, who was born on the 1st of January 1571, and christened with much ceremony in St. Patrick's Church, the Lord Deputy standing godfather. He had been married about a year before to Helena Harpole, of Shrule, and had a son William Cosby, born but nine weeks before this fatal day. Dorcas Sidney and Helena Harpole placed themselves at a window of the Abbey to see the fight, and for some time beheld their husbands violently fighting according to their constant custom; but at length Alexander Cosby, as he was pressing forward, was shot, and dropped dead, upon which his kerne, with melancholy and mournful outcries, began to give way; and Francis Cosby, the son, being in danger of being abandoned, leaped over the bridge endeavouring to make his escape into the abbey; but in the instant that he leaped over the battlements was shot and fell dead into the river. This, one would have imagined, must have been horribly shocking to the widowed ladies who beheld it from the Abbey; nevertheless it is recorded that Helena Harpole, with the coolest presence of mind, addressed herself to Dorcas Sidney, saying, Remember, mother, that my father was shot before my husband, and that thereupon the latter was the legal possessor of the estate, and consequently I am entitled to my thirds and dower.'" This story is completely corroborated by an Inq. p. m. 17 Aug. 1596, Com. Reginæ Hiberniæ, which enumerates the immense domains of Francis Cosby : p'd. Francis' occisus fuit p. rebellis et obiit post patrē suu Alex. similiter interfect. apud Stradbally, 19 Maii 1596. Wil. Cosbye est fil. et her. dict. Francis' et p'd. Wil. fuit etat. 9 hebdomad. tempore mortis p'd. Francis' et non maritat. Dorcas Cosbye al. Sydney nup. ux. dict. Alex. Cosbye patris p'd. Francis' dotabil. existit de terc. p'te ōiù ter' et ten. p'd. Helen Hartpoole al. Cosbye nup. ux. dict. Francisci Cosbye est etiam dotabil. de terc' p'te resid'. ter'. p'd'. On the 12th September, 38th Elizabeth, a patent was granted to Dorcas and Helenu of the wardship of William Cosby, who soon after died. But these were not all the calamities with which the Cosbys were punished. Their property had been gained by the plunder of the O'Mores, hereditary princes of Leix. These endeavoured to regain their possessions from Richard Cosby, who, as fourth but eldest surviving son of Dorcas Sidney, had succeeded her grandson William Cosby. They failed; seventeen of the family of the O'Mores were slain, and their cause ruined. Richard Cosby was conveyed dangerously wounded to Dysart House, the seat of Sir Robert Pigot. Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert, being his nurse, captivated the wounded warrior's heart. He married, however, without his mother's consent, and thus lost her princely fortune. Dorcas, through dislike to the Pigots, married Sir Thomas Zouch, or Cooch, who died in 1625. She left little of her estates to the Cosbys; the Patent rolls contain many licenses of alienation to Sir Thomas and Dorcas.2nd September 1605; 5th, 6th, and 14th July 1607, pp. 106-110 of the - Calendar. As a supplement, I will add one or two more facts concerning the stray members of the Sidney family. Pat. 2 James I. p. 55 of Calendar, xvii. 36, is a grant to Captain Walter (a mistake for William) Sidney of a daily pension of 4 s. for life, 24th September. It appears in an inquisition at Lifford, 16th April, 19th Jac I. 1621, that this William Sidney had purchased lands from Sir H. Docwra under whom he had served (Gent. Mag. March 1832, p. 215), and sold them to Cahir O'Doghertee. Sir H. Docwra mentions Captain Sir J. Sidney with honour in a history which he wrote of his wars in Londonderry, and in which he gives a detail of operations he himself directed.* I should rather imagine that Francis Sidney (Gent. Mag. March 1832, p. 215), great-uncle to the Earl of Leicester, died without male issue; as it appears from the Prerogative Court, that about 1561 Ann Sidney, widow, of Ash, county of Kent, died, and a daughter of the name of Dorothy Middleton administered to her effects. A GENEALOGICAL INQUIRER. PRECEDENCE OF THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON. MR. URBAN, -It appearing, by the newspaper reports of the evidence given by the City officers before the Commissioners appointed to make inquiry touching the Corporation of London, that a misunderstanding exists relative to the precise nature and extent of the privilege allowed or conceded by the royal warrant, which was issued on occasion of the funeral of Lord Nelson, during the mayoralty of Sir James Shaw; I send you a copy of that instrument, which I believe has not hitherto been printed, although frequent reference has been made to it. "GEORGE R. "Whereas doubts having arisen concerning the place of our Lord Mayor of the City of London in the procession from Temple-bar to Our cathedral church of St. Paul, on occasion of the approaching interment of Horatio late Viscount Nelson; and whereas it has been humbly represented to us on the part of the Lord Mayor of Our City of London, that in all ceremonies and processions whereat we are present within the City of London, it appears to have been the custom for the Lord Mayor, bearing the city sword, to take his station in the procession next to Ourselves; and whereas it hath been moreover humbly represented to Us on the part of the Lord Mayor, that in all commissions of gaol delivery for the City of London and County of Middlesex he * Of this many MS. copies are extant; one being in Cotton's MSS. Titus B. x. p. 307. This history would be a good accompaniment to Fynes Moryson's History of Ireland from January 21, 1599, to April 21, 1603, and gives the author a just claim to admittance into the Catalogue of Noble Authors. Sir H. Docwra was appointed Governor of Loughfoyle by Privy Seal March 22, 1603; and by Patent June 4, 1604, he obtained a fee of 20s. a-day for life. Having been ennobled by the title of Lord Docwra, Baron of Culmore, county of Derry, May 15, 1621, he was appointed a Keeper of the Signet 1627. Neither Clutterbuck in his History of Herts, nor Parry in his account of Woburn, have been able to deduce the noble lord's pedigree from the Hert's family of that name. If the pedigree be hereafter sought, it may be found in Addit. MSS. 5819, p. 109. is named first by Us, and before Our Chancellor, Judges, and all other persons named therein; and whereas Our officers of Arms having, in obedience to the directions of Our Earl Marshal, made search for precedents on the subject of the claim of the Lord Mayor of London to precedency above all subjects whatever, in Our absence, in processions within the City of London; and that, upon the examination hitherto made by them of the records in Our college, they have not found any precedent to justify the said claim; and whereas the time will not admit of so complete an investigation of the Lord Mayor's claim of precedency as might lead to a final adjudication on the same; it is Our royal will and pleasure that Our Garter Principal King of Arms do, on the present occasion, marshal and place the Lord Mayor of London in the same station where he would have been placed if We had been present, bearing the city sword; provided, nevertheless, that this declaration of Our pleasure be for this especial occasion only, and not construed into a precedent for the future, to the prejudice of the rights and precedency of any person or persons whatsoeuer. Given at Our Court at Saint James's, the sixth day of January 1806, in the fifty-sixth year of Our reign. By His Majesty's Command, 66 "HAWKESBURY." In virtue of the above authority, upon the arrival of the procession within Temple-bar, the Lord Mayor was placed above the Prince of Wales, namely, between His Royal Highness and the herald who preceded the great banner, upon a condition that his lordship should carry the city sword unattended by any of his officers. But although this concession was at the time often alluded to, in votes of thanks, toasts, and otherwise, as an important privilege obtained for the City, the publication of the grant itself would have shown that it had been made upon the pressure of the moment, and was to be in force for that occasion only, and not to be considered as a precedent for the future. The Lord Mayor takes rank above all citizens of London; but, when mixed with other classes of his fellow subjects, within or without the city, his precedency is governed by certain rules or by custom; and it would be absurd to suppose that he would be entitled, in right of his office, to place himself anywhere above all other subjects of the realm. His accidental station in public processions of the King in the city, has arisen in the following manner. The presence of the Sovereign within the city may be deemed to supersede all authority for the time being of the Lord Mayor. That high officer, therefore, goes to the gate of the city to meet the King, and to resign into his hands the City Sword, being the emblem of that authority. This sword must be carried before his Majesty by some person, and in a situation as near to the Sovereign as possible, without interfering with the superior rank of the sword of state, the ensign of the government of the kingdom at large. The King returns the city sword with some complimentary speech to the Lord Mayor, desiring him to continue to carry it; and he thus obtains a temporary high rank in the procession, which would appear to be rather that of the sword than of the individual. In the records of several processions of this kind a note occurs to prevent the circumstance from being drawn into a precedent for the rank of the Lord Mayor on similar occasions. It was never supposed that the case could arise in any procession of the great officers of state and the nobility through the city, the king not being present; nor was any attempt made to support the claim in question upon any other authority than the commissions of gaol delivery, in which the Lord Mayor is stated to be mentioned before the Judges. There are, on the other hand, not wanting instances more applicable to the immediate occasion. At the funeral of Sir Philip Sydney, who was slain at the battle of Zutphen, in 1586, and whose remains were conveyed for interment to England, landed at the Tower, and conducted with great pomp to St. Paul's, no pretensions were offered by the Lord Mayor to rank, within the walls of the city, above the noble personages who attended to do honour to the memory of the deceased. His lordship and the rest of the city officers, followed by the city guard, closed the whole procession. At the funeral of the Earl of Sandwich, who perished in "the Solebay fight". in 1672, and which was solemnized in Westminster Abbey on the 3d July in |