his son, the present RICHARD WILLIAM ASTELL, Esq. of Everton House, Huntingdonshire, Lieut.-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards.

BEDFORD, SAMUEL, sat for the county in the Cromwellian Parliaments of 1654-56. He was the brother of James Bedford, Rector of Blunsham and Erith, in Huntingdonshire, mentioned in Wood's Athenæ Oxoniensis. His father was minister of Clifton in Bedfordshire. Mr. Bedford was a Justice of the Peace for this county, and also, in the time of Cromwell, a Receiver of the Revenues, to which office was attached the salary of £300 per annum. His name appears among those who voted for a King, and that that title and the crown should be offered to Cromwell. He was one of the committee who waited upon the Protector, in 1657, with this proposition.

BECHER, SIR WILLIAM, sat for the borough in the Parliament of 1661. The Bechers, who were of Howbery, in Renhold, as early as Henry VIII. possessed considerable estates in that neighbourhood, which were sold about the year 1780, to the Polhills. Though not extinct, they have no longer any property in the county. In the interior of the parish church of All Saints, there are some monuments in white marble in memory of them. William, of this family, served the office of High Sheriff of Bedford, 10 James I. Sir William, the borough member, was returned to Parliament on the demise of Mr. Taylor in 1667. His name appears among the list of those who were named as fit and qualified to be made KNIGHTS OF THE ROYAL OAK, an order which was intended by Charles II. as a reward to several of his followers, but it was thought advisable to lay it aside, lest it might create feuds and animosities, which it was at that time considered prudent to allay.

BOTELER. The family of Boteler was settled at Biddenham for ten generations. Its estates consisted of the manors of Bromham, derived from the Wakes, of Higham- Gobion, obtained by marriage with the Gobions in 1301, a property which it preserved for many generations,-of Meppershall, which devolved to it by marriage with the Meppershalls in the fifteenth century, the principal manor of Sharnbrook, where it was seated for a length of time, but which was ultimately sold by Sir Philip Boteler, Bart. of Teston, in Kent, to Admiral Cornish,-the manor of Tofte, held by a grant from the crown, but which with Temple-Hills was also sold to Admiral Cornish,-part of the manor of Souldrop, similarly disposed of,— the manor of Streatly, obtained by the marriage with the Gobions above alluded to, which ultimately descended to the Nodes, -and the manor of Hoo, likewise disposed of to Admiral Cornish. The family removed, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to Teston, in Kent. that county, temp. James, they were designated as ancient Wm. Philipot, rouge-dragon, marshal, and to William Camden, Clarencieux King at arms. The Botelers served the office of High Sheriff of Bedford and Bucks, 6 & 13 Edw. IV. and High Sheriff of Bedford, 13 Charles I. and 3 William and Mary.

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In the visitation of Right Worshipful and deputy for said county,

WILLIAM sat for the borough in the Parliament of 1586.

SIR WILLIAM, KNT. sat for the county in the Cromwellian Parliaments of 1654-56. In what relationship this gentleman stands to the Botelers of Teston we are unable to state, as he is clearly not the Sir William Boteler mentioned in Collins' Baronetage, who was created a Baronet, 17 Charles I.

and who is mentioned by Clarendon, in his History of the Rebellion, as having raised and armed a regiment in the service of the king, and as having fallen at the battle of Cropedy-Bridge, 29 June, 1644.

WILLIAM sat for the county in the Parliament of 1685.

BRACE, JOHN THURLOE, sat for the borough, in the Parliament of 1715-22. Mr. Brace was seized, in right of his mother, in 1735, of the estate of Astwood, in Buckinghamshire, holden as of the manor of Newport-Pagnell and Henow, of Ampthill. As will be seen on reference to our Chronological List of Members for this borough, Mr. Brace succeeded to his seat in the Parliament of 1722, on the acceptance of office of his predecessor, Mr. Huxley, in 1725. His re-election in 1727, was declared to be void. On the motion being made in 1716, for a bill to repeal the Triennial Act, and making Parliament septennial, Mr. Brace voted with the majority in its favour. In 1719, he declared himself in favour of the motion for strengthening the Protestant Interest, and in the December of the same year, voted for the Peerage Bill. He was the son of Francis Brace, Attorney-at-Law, of Bedford, by Anne, daughter of John Thurloe, Esq., the well-known Secretary of Oliver Cromwell.

BROWNE. The possessions of this family in Bedfordshire, consisted of the manors of Astwick, disposed of to Michael Angelo Taylor, Esq.-of Little Barford or Berkford, subsequently the property of the Williamsons of Baldock-and of Longford.

SAMUEL sat for the borough, in the Cromwellian Parliament of 1658, and for the county in the Parliament of 1660. He was a Sergeant-at-Law. In the parish church of Arlesey, there is erected a monument to the memory of a Sir Samuel Browne, the son of Nicholas Browne, Esq. of Polebrook, Northamptonshire, by a granddaughter of Oliver, Lord St. John. This gentleman, who received the honour of knighthood, was one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. In the house he exerted himself much against Archbishop Laud, being the person who carried up the attainder against that prelate to the House of Lords, a.d. 1644. He was also one of the Commissioners appointed to treat with the King in the Isle of Wight, and in October 1648, was made a Sergeant-at-Law, one of the Justices of the Common Pleas, and a Commissioner of the Great Seal. On 3rd Nov. 1660, he was restored or confirmed in his office of Justice of the Common Pleas, and d. in 1668, being then in the possession of lands at Aylesbury, Bucks.

THOMAS, sat for the county, in the Parliament of 1689.

BRUCE, LORD, sat for the county, in the Parliaments of 1660-1. Prior to the purchase of their lands in this county, by John, Duke of Bedford, in 1738, we find the Bruces in possession of considerable local influence. In 1613 they became lessees of the manor of Ampthill. In 1630, Houghton Park was granted in fee to Lord Bruce, and was for a considerable time the county seat of his descendants, who were Earls of Elgin and Ailesbury. In reference to this fact, Fuller observes, "that Toddington, Ampthill, (by which he means Houghton Park, the seat of the Earls of Ailesbury, partly in Ampthill parish) and Woburn, carried away the credit among the houses of the nobility." The other possessions of the Bruces in this county, consisted of the manors of Moulden, sold to them by Sir Thomas Dacre, in 1635; of Ragons, with lands in Pulloxhill and Flitton, purchased of the Hill family in 1691; of Rennox, sold by the Blofields, in 1704; and of

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Camelton-cum-Shefford, which, as parcel of the honour of Ampthill, was for many years leased to them.

As we shall have to speak further of this family, in our account of WILTSHIRE, (for Marlborough, in which county it has most generally returned members to Parliament,) we shall here confine ourselves to the noble representative of Bedfordshire. His lordship, the eldest son of Thomas, 3rd Lord Bruce, of Kinloss, and 1st Earl of Elgin, whom he succeeded in 1663, was, with Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Cleveland, on 26 July, 1660, constituted jointly or separately, lord lieutenant of the county. Having adhered to the fortunes of Charles I., throughout the Great Rebellion, we find his lordship's name among the list of peers and commoners, who proceeded to the Hague, to solicit the return of that monarch's son to the throne. “These persons," says CLARENDON, "presented the humble invitation and supplication of the parliament, that his majesty would be pleased to return, and take the government of the kingdom into his hand; where he should find all possible affection, duty and obedience from all his subjects; and lest his return, so much longed for, might be retarded by the want of money, to discharge those debts, which he could not but have contracted, they presented from the parliament the sum of fifty thousand pounds to his majesty, having likewise order to pay the sum of ten thousand pounds to the Duke of York, and five thousand to the Duke of Gloucester, which was a very good supply to their several necessities. The king treated all the committee very graciously together, and every one of them severally and particularly, very obligingly.' As a reward for his services, Lord Bruce was created, 18 March, 1663-4, BARON BRUCE, of Skelton, in the county of York; Viscount Bruce, of Ampthill, in the county of Bedford, and EARL OF AILESBURY, in the county of Bucks. On March 29, 1697, he was constituted sole lord lieutenant of this county, on the death of the Earl of Cleveland, and the king, in the same year, having promised both houses of parliament that he would constitute commissioners for taking the amount of such monies, as had been raised and assigned to his majesty, during the late war with the Dutch, his lordship was one of the six peers, who with twelve of the House of Commons, were commissioned for that enquiry. On 18 October, 1678, he was sworn of the Privy Council, to his majesty, and in the same reign was one of the gentlemen of the royal bedchamber, and in commission for executing the office of earl marshal of England, as deputy to Henry, Duke of Norfolk. On the accession of James II. to the throne, he was one of the lords, who at the coronation, 23 April, 1685, bore St. Edward's staff, and on July 30 following was appointed lord chamberlain of his household; but in October 20, of the same year, died much lamented at his house at Ampthill, and was buried in the columbarium, beneath the mausoleum attached to the parish church of Moulden. In pourtraying his character, MR. WOOD, in his Oxoniensis, observes-" He was a learned person, and otherwise well qualified; was well versed in English history and antiquities, a lover of all such as were professors of these studies, and a curious collector of manuscripts, especially of those which related to England, and English antiquities. Besides also, he was a lover of the regular clergy, as those of Bedfordshire and Bucks know well enough."

BURGOYNE. "This," says COLLINS in his Baronetage, "is certainly a family of great antiquity, and has been long seated in this county; (according to tradition, ever since King John's time) whether they are the younger branch of the Burgoynes, that were anciently seated at Impington and

Long Stanton, in the county of Cambridge, or whether those seated there were descended from this branch, we cannot determine." This family, one of the most ancient in Bedfordshire, first appears on record, as possessed of lands in the county, about the year 1456, when William Burgoyne died seized of part of the manor of Wooton. Richard Burgoyne, who died in 1463, had the manor of Bozems, in Wooton and other lands: Thomas, who died in 1516, and was buried at Sutton, is the first who appears to have been connected with that parish; the family, apparently not becoming possessed of the manor, till after the year 1568, when it was probably purchased from the Powleys. The other manors which passed into this family were those of Potton, afterwards disposed of to the Torringtons, and subsequently to the Whitbreads; and Hasells, which belonged to them as early as the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and sold by John Burgoyne, 1633. The members of this family, who have served the office of high sheriff of the county, are, ROGER, 14 James I.; JOHN, 16 Charles I.; SIR JOHN, 12 William and Mary, and SIR JOHN, in 1820. A baronetcy was conferred on the family, in the person of Sir John Burgoyne, M.P. for WARWICKSHIRE, (which see), who was raised to that dignity 15 July, 1641. present representative is Sir John Montague Burgoyne, three of whose ancestors have been returned to the Commons House for the county and its borough, viz.—

JOHN, who sat for the borough, in the Parliament of 1562.

The

SIR ROGER, Bart., who sat for the county, in the 2nd Parliament of 1640, (returned on the elevation of Lord Wentworth, to the peerage), and for Warwickshire, in 1656. This gentleman, the son of the first baronet, had the honour of knighthood conferred on him, in the life-time of his father. In 1643, he subscribed the famous league and covenant entered into with the Scots, for the preservation of the Protestant religion. He died 16 Sept. 1677. From the inscription over his tomb, in the church of Sutton, he appears to have been a man "without blemish, in performing all the duties of religion, of singular prudence and sincerity, munificent to the needy, to others hospitable, candid and courteous to all men." Dr. Stillingfleet, in a complimentary address, dedicated his ORIGINES SACRE to him, as his most honoured friend and patron.

SIR ROGER, Bart., who sat for the county, in the Parliaments of 1734-41, was the sixth baronet, and a commissioner of the navy victualling office, from 1752 to the period of his death in 1781. On the occasion of the memorable debate in 1742, as to whether the Hanoverian troops should be taken into British pay, Sir Roger voted with the minority against the Hanoverians. The baronet was first cousin to the Right Hon. General Burgoyne, M.P. for Preston, (for whom, see LANCASHIRE.)

BYNG, HON. PATTEE, sat for the county in the Parliaments of 1727. and resigned his seat on succeeding his father, (one of the most distinguished officers in the naval annals of Great Britain,) as 2nd Viscount Torrington in 1733, having previously represented PLYMOUTH in the parliaments of 1715-22. The first viscount, whose family appears to have been seated in KENT (which see), purchased an estate in Southill parish, in this county, which was sold to the late Mr. Whitbread in 1795. The present lord of the manor of Southill is Lord Ongley. In 1729, Mr. Pattee Byng voted for granting £115,000 for making good the arrears of the civil list. As the parliamentary services of this gentleman are more connected with his seat for Plymouth, further particulars will be given of him in our account of DEVONSHIRE.

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CARTERET, Hon. EDWARD, sat for the borough in the Parliament of 1702, having previously represented Huntingdon in the Parliament of 1695, (on the demise, in 1697, of Richard Montague, Esq.,) and subsequently Bere-Alston, in the Parliament of 1715, succeeding to the representation of that borough on the appointment, in 1717, of its previous member, Oratio Walpole, Esq., to the office of surveyor and auditorgeneral of his majesty's revenues arising in America. Mr. Carteret resigned this seat on being constituted, 4 April, 1721, joint post mastergeneral with Galfridus Walpole, Esq. The duties of this office he continued to execute till the period of his death, which took place 15 April, 1739. When in Parliament, he voted in 1704, with the majority, against tacking on the Occasional Conformity Bill to the Land Tax Bill, and in 1719, for the bill for strengthening the Protestant interest, and against the Peerage Bill. The family of Carteret derived its surname from the seigniory of Carteret in Normandy, of which it formerly held the lordship. The borough member's grandfather, Sir GEORGE, purchased the manor of Hawnes, in this county, in 1667, of Sir Humphrey Winch. This gentleman, a naval officer of high reputation, and a royalist, was created a baronet 9 May, 1645; he was appointed Governor of Jersey, and at the breaking out of the civil war held the office of comptroller of the navy. His defence of Elizabeth castle in that island procured him great fame, as the fortress was the last that lowered the roval banner. At the restoration he was appointed vice-chamberlain. Dying in 1679, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir PHILIP, who eminently distinguished himself in the civil wars, and was knighted by King Charles II. on his arrival in Jersey. He was governor of Mount Orgueil castle at the time of its siege and surrender (owing to its neglected condition) in 1651 to the Parliamentarians, who, contrary to their usual custom, restored to him, on petition, his lands, which otherwise would have been considered as confiscated. the famous sea-fight, 28 May, 1672, off Solebay, with the Dutch fleet, Sir Philip was present in the ROYAL JAMES with his father-in-law, Lord Sandwich, vice-admiral of England. That vessel, after sustaining a fierce engagement of five hours with two Dutch men-of-war, one of them commanded by Rear-Admiral De Ruyter, which were bravely repulsed, was finally blown up, when all on board perished. Sir Philip left, besides the borough member above mentioned and a son Philip, captain of marines, lost at sea in 1693, another and an elder son Sir GEORGE, who was created BARON CARTERET of Hawnes in 1681, a title which became extinct in 1776, when Henry Frederick, second son of Thomas, Viscount Weymouth, inheriting Hawnes and other estates, took the name of Carteret, and, in 1784 was created Baron Carteret of Hawnes. The present Lord Carteret is lord of the manor of Hawnes and Wilhamsted, he succeeded his brother as 3rd Baron in 1838. For the members of this family (the THYNNES) who have served in Parliament.-See CORNWALL, DORSETSHIRE, HEREFORDSHIRE, SOMERSETSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE, WILTSHIRE.

In

CATER. This family, possessed formerly of the manors of KempstonDaubeney and Kempston-Hardwick in this county, has since sold its estates,, and no longer enjoys any local influence. William Cater, of Kempston, served the office of High Sheriff of the county 6 Charles I. as did also James in the 2nd William and Mary.

EDWARD, sat for the county in the Cromwellian Parliament of 1653. JOHN, sat for the borough in the Parliaments of 1710-13, and for the