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"[extrac]tions and propogations from Mowbray, Warren, Bruce,
Dalbray, Marshall, Segrave, Plantagenett, Brotherton, Bigot,
Fitz-Allen, Maltraver, Buckingham, Oxford, and Dacres. The
father of Heward, (Speed calls him Hereward, but Cambden
says Herwardus,) was Leofric, Lord of Bourne and the
adjacent country in Lincolnshire: his mother was the Lady
Edina, descended from the great Ostac, a Duke amongst the
Easterlings in King Edgar's time, in whose family I also
find a noble kinsman of his called Haward, (to note obiter.)
This Haward was of a noble and magnificent note, a goodly
personage, answered with an equal strength and valour: at
nimium Bellicosus, much, or too much devoted to Mars.
"He served in the wars of Northumberland, Cornwall, Ireland,
and after in the Lower Germany, where he made up much of his
fame, and married a fair lady called Turfrida, the daughter
of a nobleman in Flanders, where he continued till the death
of his father brought him home. About this time, William
Duke of Normandy made his conquest of the kingdom, and had
gratified Johannes Talbois, the French Counte, now Earl of
Holland, with Leofrick's country of Holland, in the
Marshland; and the Counte very rudely had expulsed the lady
his mother out of her possessions and dower. Hewardus set
upon him with such forces as he could speedily raise, took
and held him prisoner, in despite of the Conqueror, until he
redeemed himself, and accompted for what he had done, with a
large sum of money.
"This drew those of the nobility to the protection of his
sword which the Conqueror had chased out of their country,
who had fortified themselves in the Isle of Ely, and made
Herwardus their General, where he built a castle, that a
long time after had his name. But the Normans took the
advantage to infest his country, and put him again to the
recovery of it, which he so fortunately settled, that the
Conqueror was contented to make him his, and hold him in
good favour whilst he lived. He was buried in Crayland
Abbey. Concerning his issue by the Lady Turfrida there is no
mention, only of a daughter named Turfrida, married to Hugo
Enermua, Lord of Deeping. But circumstances will persuade us
he had other issue, if we consider him in the likelihood of
his strength and ability, and that divers continued of his
sirname in that country a long time after him, which makes
it probable he had a natural son, (at least bearing his name
of Heward,) that next to him was the original ancestor of
this house of Howards. And let it not be thought any
disparagement for a noble family to be raised from a natural
issue; for many princely families have been derived from,
and propagated from natural sons; as was Eneas Romulus, the
founder of the Roman families; so was Thesus and
Themistocles, as Plutarch writeth: others say as much of
Hercules, &c. The King of Spain descended from Henry de
Throstamara, base son of Alphonsu the Justicu, King of
Castile. And who doth not honour the princely race of
William the Conqueror, bastard son to Duke of Normandy?
Where was a more heroical man than Robert Earl of
Gloucester, base son of King Henry the I.? The Earls of
Warren descended from a base son of Geoffry Plantagenet Earl
of Anjou. The noble Herberts are also said to come from a
base son of King Henry the I.; and the Dukes and Earls of
Somerset, (which followed the red Rose,) were the offspring
of the Beauforts, natural sons of John de Gaunt. For a
further conjecture why these Howards must be descended from
Hewardus or Herewardus, (for so some writers call him; but
Jugulfus, who best knew him, constantly calls him Hewardus,)
both names may signify in the Saxon or old Dutch, a chief
captain of an army, whom the Romans called Imperator; and
that the titles and names of great offices have given
sirnames to many noble families, we have examples plenty,
particularly in the Viscounts of Milan, the Chamberlains of
Normandy, the Stewards of Scotland, the Butlers of Ireland,
and divers others, who had their sirnames from the offices
of their ancestors and fathers. And the same presumption or
argument may be for taking the sirname of Howard, and the
origin of their family from Hewardus: the Howards, from the
time of Heward, dwelling in the countries of Holland and
Marshland, and were lords of some lands belonging to him,
until by their matches with the daughters and heirs of
Fitton, Tendring, Mowbray,
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