it appears that he had for his part seventeen knights fees and an half, though the other part of the barony seems to have been the head, several of these fees being held of it.
In the first of King John, Robert Fitz-Roger, a great baron in Northumberland, gave 300 marks for Aliva, the younger daughter of Hubert de Rhie, to marry to his nephew; and in the thirteenth of the same King, John Marshal, the nephew, answered for seventeen fees and an half of that barony; in the ninth of King John he had obtained a grant in fee of the office of Marshal of Ireland, and had livery of it in the seventeenth of that King. He died in 1234, Aliva his wife surviving him, who, by the death of Isabell de Cressi, her sister, was heiress to the whole barony of Rhie; and agreeable to this, in the record called Testa de Nevil, it is found that
Roger de Cressi held one fee in this town, of Walter FitzRobert, and that
Matthew de Morley held another fee, which was formerly Robert de Morley's, of Aliva Le-Marshal, as of her barony of Rhie, of which it was ever after held. It was this Robert that, in 1253, had a grant of free-warren to this manor, which was allowed in Eire, in 1285. At the death of Matthew aforesaid it descended to
Sir William de Morle, Knt. who died before 1304, for in that year William Marshal, of Ireland, presented as guardian to
Robert, son of Sir William de Morley, Knt.; this Robert afterwards married Hawise, sister and heiress of John, son of the said William Marshal, whereby the barony of Rhie, the marshalship of Ireland, and all the inheritance of the Marshals, came into the Morley family. William Marshal, the father, died about 1313, and John, his son, in 1316, Ela, wife of the said William, then surviving. Upon this match it was that the arms of arg. a lion rampant sab. double quevee, came to be quartered, and often born, by the Morleys, it being the arms of Roger de Cressi, whose inheritance went to the Morleys, as is before observed. This Robert, in 1326, settled the manor on
William de Morley, his son, for life, and Cecily, daughter of Thomas Bardolf, his son's wife, and their heirs, as part of the jointure of the said Cecily, with remainder, for want of such heirs, to Robert de Morle, his son, and his heirs male. Cecily outlived her husband, and enjoyed it; but for want of heirs, it descended to the aforesaid
Robert de Morley, Knt. Marshal of Ireland, who, in 1361, settled it (with his wife Cecily's consent) on Sir Thomas Felton, Knt. for life; but he lived not long; for in 1386 the said Cecily was lady; and in 1387
Thomas de Morley, son of Robert de Morley, Marshal of Ireland, was in possession, who, in 1416, died seized, and left it to
Elizabeth, his widow, for life; after to
Margaret, his daughter and heir, then one year old; she afterwards married
Thomas Ratclyff, who, in 1487, died seized, leaving it to
Jeffrey Ratclyff of Framesden, in Suffolk, Esq. his son, who was then nine years old; and dying in 1504, without heirs male, the manor came to his three daughters coheiresses:
Elizabeth,
