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THE DE LEYBOURNES. 119
Thus translated :
" William de Leybourne, a valiant man, without
but, without if,
had there a banner, and a large pennon of blue with six
white lions rampant."
He married Juliana, the daughter of Sir Henry de Sandwich, of
Preston, near Wingham, in Kent ("a wealthy Kentish gentleman," who
supported Archdeacon Langton in receiving the first body of Franciscans
at Canterbury, 1224. "The Coming of the Friars," Rev. A. Jessop), and
seems to have removed there, leaving Leybourne Castle to his son.
Sir William died in 1309, leaving two sons, Sir Thomas and Sir Henry.
The latter was outlawed ; the former married Alice, sister and heiress
of Robert de Tong, and died "vit. patris," 1307, leaving one daughter,
Juliana, an heiress of so great dignity and possessions that she acquired
the soubriquet of "the Infanta of Kent." She made two great marriages,
her first husband being John Lord Hastings and Abergavenny, son
of Isabel, the eldest sister and co-heir of Aymer de Valence, Earl
of Pembroke. Her second husband was Thomas de Blount (Burke).
Her third husband was William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon,
who left a daughter (Burke), married to Sir John Fitzwilliam, of Sprotborough,
but as she did not inherit the barony of Clinton, she was probably
illegitimate, and not by Juliana. It would naturally be expected that all
her great wealth would have passed to her son but ;
by an entry on the
Close Rolls it
appears that on Feb. 2oth, 36 Edward III., she conferred
divers manors in Kent and elsewhere (amongst them the manor of Preston)
to trustees, who, on March 15 of the same year, conveyed them to her for
life, with remainder to the King for subsequent grants to religious houses.
This appears to have been a not uncommon " modus operand!
" in effecting
religious endowments ;
and though the King did not always carry out
the donors' intentions, eventually the endowments seem to have reached
their destination. The amount must have been very great, for it
comprised
twelve manors in Kent, besides manors in Norfolk. She seems, however,
to have retained the chattels in her manor-houses as her own property, and
by will on October 30, 1367, she bequeathed them to Sir Alexander Wayte,
canon of Wyngham Sir
; John Amublee, rector of the church of Harrietsham
and
; John de Middleton, " that they may dispose" of them " for my
soul, in rewards to my servants, and other works of charity, as to them
may seem most expedient." She died the following day, November ist,
and the inventories of the chattels in her houses, which seem to have been
thirteen in number, have been preserved in the Surrenden Collection.
In the " Archosologia Cantiana" vol. i.,
that in the houses at Preston
is printed, and contains some curious items, casting a light upon the
manners and customs of those days. " Pecunia numerata," i.e., ready
money, _ i, 241 6*. %d. a large sum to keep in the house, even according