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A VISIT TO THE TOMB OF THEODORO PALEOLOGUS.

By John Thomas Towson, Esq.

(READ 21ST MAY, 1857.)

During a recent visit to the west of England it occurred to me that it might be interesting to this Society to obtain such information connected with the latter part of the history of the family of the Paleologi, as the records of the parish of Landulph afford, and also to procure a rubbing from a monumental brass on the wall of the Church over the tomb of Theodoro Paleologus. Having introduced myself as a member of this Society, I received every courtesy and attention from the Rector, the Rev. W. Seymour. It is the result of this visit I have now the honour of laying before this Society.

Landulph is a parish in Cornwall, situated on the banks of the Tamar, two miles beyond Saltash. Its Church is a very ancient one, and bears many records, extending over at least three centuries, of the connexion that existed between the principal families of this parish and the affairs of those allied to the house of Paleologus. Although the Church is said to have been rebuilt at or about the commencement of the fourteenth century, by Nicholas D'Awney or Dawney, one of the Crusaders who returned after the fall of Ptolemais, still an inspection of the building leads us to believe that it was rather enlarged than rebuilt at that period. The arch of entrance, and the "bustos" at each side of the ceiling between the chancel and nave, appear to be Saxon. At the period named, there can be no doubt that the lord of the manor of Landulph was much interested in Byzantine affairs. About the middle of the fourteenth century Sir Edward Courtenay inherited the manor, by marriage with Emmeline, daughter and heiress to Sir John Dawney. Between the years 1477 and 1486, Peter Courtenay, Bishop of Exeter, was lord of the manor, except during the time he was attainted in 1484 and part of 1485. The Bishop had joined Sir Edward

Courtenay (afterwards Earl of Devon), in the conspiracy with Richmond against Richard III., which having failed, he fled with the Earl, but returning with him to the battle of Bosworth, in which he was personally engaged, the attainder was removed, and the manor of Landulph restored by Henry VII.

The Archæologia of Landulph settles a disputed point on which Cleveland differs from most other historians in asserting that Peter, Bishop of Exeter, was son of Sir Philip Courtenay, of Powderham Cleveland is decidedly wrong. The Courtenays of Powderham had no family connexion with the D'Awneys, by which they could inherit Landulph. The Bishop was brother of the Earl of Devon, as most historians assert, being a descendant from Sir Edward Courtenay. This is proved by his arms, and those of the Earl of Devon, impaling those of the D'Awney family, from whom the manor of Landulph was inherited. After the restoration of the manor of Landulph to Peter Courtenay in 1485, it remained with that family till 1539, when in consequence of the attainder of the Marquis of Exeter, it was lost; and although Queen Mary removed the attainder, and restored Edward Courtenay to the Earldom of Devon, and the Manor of Landulph is specially mentioned in the Act of Restoration, it has ever since its confiscation remained de facto a portion of the Duchy of Cornwall.

I need scarcely here detail how intimately the family of the Courtenays were connected, during a considerable portion of this period, with Byzantine affairs, but merely remark that on this account, in chapter 61 of the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," Gibbon has thought it necessary to introduce a “digression on the family of Courtenay," and that three members of that family were Emperors of Constantinople during the thirteenth century.

The principal seats in Landulph Church were erected by Peter Courtenay, and a large number of those curious carvings on the panels, common at that period, still remain. The most interesting of these are the armorial bearings of the principal families who have resided in this parish. In the nave there are the arms of the see of Exeter, a sword in pale surmounted by two keys in saltire; arms of Courtenay, three torteaux with label of three points; in the chancel the arms of Courtenay, surmounted by a mitre and the arms of the Bishopric of Exeter. On the Clifton seats are the arms of Lower, Moyle, Trethirf, Flamank, Trevarthin, Valetort, Densil,

Bodragan, Prideaux, Carminow, Reskymer, Arundell, Killigrew, Langdon, Trevenor, Upton, Trefry, Treveerbyn and Talbot. There is in like manner the arms of a knight who had been engaged in the Crusades, a chevron between three Saracen heads affrontes.

At the commencement of the seventeenth century we find that Sir Nicholas Lower was the principal inhabitant of Landulph, as occupier of Clifton, the mansion of the Arundells. It appears that he was collaterally connected with the family of Paleologus, his brother Sir Francis Lower, having married a lady of Grecian origin, a native of Constantinople, and in some way connected with the family of Paleologus. Her name was Antonetao Mulier Turcom, daughter of Ocker, the son of Sizzeksen. It is supposed, however, that Sir Nicholas was more directly connected with the Paleologi, since Theodoro Paleologus, with his family of five children, became guests of Sir Nicholas Lower, at Clifton, between the years 1620 and 1630, and continued so till his death.

Dame, the wife of Sir Nicholas Lower, died in 1638, and Sir Nicholas seventeen years after the death of his wife. Their monumental inscriptions read as follows:

HEERE LYETH BVRIED THE BODY OF DAME ELIZABETH LOWER LATE WIFE VNTO SR NICHOLAS LOWER OF CLIFTON KT DAVGHTER VNTO SR HENRY KIlligrew of LONDON KT ANTIENTLY DESCENDED FROM YE HOVSE OF ARWENNICH IN CORNWALL AND FROM YE YOUNGEST OF THE LEARNED DAVGHTERS OF SR ANTHONY COOKE KT A MAIDE OF HONOVR TO QUEENE ELIZABETH WHO FOR TREW VIRTVE PIETY & LEARNING CAME NOTHING SHORT (THAT I MAY MODESTLY SPEAKE) OF ANY HER ANCESTORS AND FOR HER SINGVLAR COVRTESY TO ALL & AMIABLE SVBJECTION TO HER HYSBAND (A VERTVE RARE & HIGH) I

THINKE CAN HARDLY BE MATCHD WHO DESERVES A FAR AMPLER CHARACTER THAN CAN BE

CONTAIND IN SO NARROW A ROOME, SHE DYED AT CLIFTON IN CORNWALL THE SIXT DAY OF JVNE IN THE YEARE of ovr LORD 1638 AND EXPECTS HEERE A GLORIVS RESVRRECTION.

This mural brass is surmounted by the arms of Killigrew, impaled by that of Lower, chevron between three roses, crest unicorn's head, the same as that on the black marble tomb in which Sir Nicholas and his lady were buried.

The mural inscription of Sir Nicholas Lower is as follows:

HERE LYETH BVRIED YE BODY OF SR NICHOLAS LOWER OF CLIFTON KNIGHT, DESCENDED OF THE HOVSE OF ST. WINOWE) THE SONNE OF THOMAS LOWER AND JANE HIS WIFE ONE OF THE COEHEYRES OF RESKYMER WHO HAD ISSVE SIX SONNES VIZ SR WILLIAM LOWER KNIGHT DESCEASED IN CARMARTHENSHIRE, JOHN LOWER, THE (SAID SR NICHOLAS LOWER) SIR FRANCIS LOWER KNIGHT THOMAS LOWER DESCEASED IN LONDON AND ALEXANDER

LOWER) (HE MARRIED WITH ELIZABETH ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF SR HENRY KILLEGRVE OF London Kngt dyed with ovT ISSVE SVRRENDRING HIS SOVLE TO HIS REDEEMER AT CLIFTON YE 17TH OF MAYE AO DNI 1655.

The arms are the same, except that the crest and mullet of difference are omitted.

Theodoro Paleologus died in 1636. The monumental brass over his tomb is one of considerable interest, and I have the honour of presenting to this Society a rubbing, a copy of which is annexed. The inscription is surmounted by the imperial arms proper of the empire of Greece. An eagle displayed with two heads, legs resting on the houses of Rome and Constantinople, an imperial crown over, and the crescent of difference for second son between the gates. Thomas was the fifth son of Manuel but the second to Constantine, to whom the arms proper as Emperor belonged.

The family of Theodoro continued to reside at Clifton, after the death of Sir Nicholas, and Maria Paleologus remained a resident there till her death, which occurred in 1674. Some believe that the family of Lady Lower, that of Killigrew, was connected with that of Paleologus, and support this hypothesis by reference to the amorial bearings of that family. It is an eagle displayed with two heads within border bezanty. The eagle on the brasses is the same as that of Paleologus, the gates and imperial crown being omitted, and the border bezanty added. The border bezanty proves that the baronet who first bore this coat was a Crusader, and this strengthens the probability that such a connexion might have existed. The name Killigrew, the armorial bearing, and the baronetcy, were conferred at the same time. The last became extinct about the middle of the seventeenth century, but some collateral branches of that family retain both the name and arms to the present day.

Had the result of our investigations been consistent with the testimony of Byzantine historians, we should have little further to add than to trace the five children of Theodoro; having come to this conclusion that Theodoro was the eldest son of Camilio, the eldest son of Prosper, the eldest son of Theodoro, the eldest son of John, the eldest son of Thomas, the next brother to Constantine. But Gibbon designates Andrew the eldest son of Thomas, and Manuel the second son. He refers to these two sons as though they were his only children. In chapter 68 he says, "It is not

easy to pronounce whether the servitude of Demetrius, or the exile of his brother Thomas, be the most inglorious. On the conquest of the Morea the Despot (Thomas) escaped to Corfu, and from thence to Italy, with some naked adherents: his name, his sufferings, and the head of the apostle St. Andrew entitled him to the hospitality of the Vatican; and his misery was prolonged by a pension of six thousand ducats from the Pope and Cardinals. His two sons Andrew and Manuel were educated in Italy, but the eldest, contemptible to his enemies and burthensome to his friends, was degraded by the baseness of his life and marriage. A title was his sole inheritance, and that inheritance he successively sold to the kings of France and Arragon." And again, in the same chapter, "Manuel Paleologus, the second son, was tempted to revisit his native country. His visit might be grateful, and could not be dangerous to the Porte: he was maintained at Constantinople in safety and ease; and an honourable train of Christians and Moslems attended him to his grave. If there be animals of so generous a nature that they refuse to propagate in a domestic state, the last of the imperial race must be ascribed to an inferior kind he accepted from the Sultan's liberality two beautiful females; and his surviving son was lost in the habit and religion of a Turkish slave." Thus Gibbon ignores altogether the existence of John, the son of Thomas.

This at first appears a most serious difficulty to surmount, but we believe that the Archæologia of Landulph alone is sufficient to prove that this omission must have been an error on the part of Gibbon. Some years since the tomb in which Theodoro is said to have been buried, was accidentally opened, and a body was there found in a single oak coffin, in so perfect a state as to determine that he was in stature far beyond the common height, that his features were oval, and nose very aquiline, all of which are family traits. He had a very white beard, low down on his breast.

There is therefore no doubt that some one, believed to have been Theodoro Paleologus, was buried there, and the registers of this and other neighbouring parishes, as we shall hereafter find, establish the fact that a person representing himself to have been such, had lived and died in Landulph. And it is most improbable that an impostor could have succeeded in deceiving the residents of this parish. We must not, in this investigation, regard Landulph as an obscure parish, in a remote part of England, but as the residence at times of the Talbots, the Killigrews, the Valetorts, and several others who owed their family prestige to their ancestors having been Crusaders, and there

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