6 THE CECILS
of the house of Alterinis, I gave out the charge to be yours, which amounted to 100." l
Matthew, William's only son, was dangerously ill at the time and died soon afterwards, not with- out having tried to oppose his father's will. Two of the sons-in-law also appealed to Lord Burghley, on the ground that William, " wishing to continue the name of Cecil in that house," had conveyed the property to Sir Robert Cecil and his heirs, " to the disherison of his own issue." They also accused Paul de la Hay and another of the sons-in-law of having seized all William's valuable personal property " under a disorderly will which was written by a servant of the said De la Hay."
Nor did the altercations and dissensions in the family end here. Matthew's widow, Catherine, caused great trouble, and De la Hay charges her with " playing a lewd part of purpose to raise seed to disinherit Sir Robert : with waste of goods, with harbouring Lloyd a murderer, of purpose to murder him [De la Hay], and with beating and starving Alice the aged sister of William Cecil." De la Hay, by arrangement with Sir Robert, assumed control of the property, which however he found so hampered with debts, dowries, heriots and legacies that he says, " I shall have as good a bargain as an egg for a penny."
Finally the estate was sold and came into the possession of Guy's Hospital. And so we may take leave of the Herefordshire Cecils.
1 Cal. of Hatfield MSS., VIII. 82. The details that follow are also obtained from the Hatfield papers.
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