f the
family plate for his Majesty's service.

For this, and other sacrifices and merits, his Majesty, by patent under
the Privy Seal, dated Oxford, Jan., 1643, was pleased to advance Sir
Francis Esmond to the dignity of Viscount Castlewood, of Shandon, in
Ireland: and the Viscount's estate being much impoverished by loans to
the King, which in those troublesome times his Majesty could not repay,
a grant of land in the plantations of Virginia was given to the Lord
Viscount.; part of which land is in possession of descendants of his
family to the present day.

The first Viscount Castlewood died full of years, and within a few
months after he had been advanced to his honors. He was succeeded by his
eldest son, the before-named George; and left issue besides, Thomas,
a colonel in the King's army, who afterwards joined the Usurper's
Government; and Francis, in holy orders, who was slain whilst defending
the House of Castlewood against the Parliament, anno 1647.

George Lord Castlewood (the second Viscount), of King Charles the
First's time, had no male issue save his one son, Eustace Esmond, who
was killed, with half of the Castlewood men beside him, at Worcester
fight. The lands about Castlewood were sold and apportioned to the
Commonwealth men; Castlewood being concerned in almost all of the plots
against the Protector, after the death of the King, and up to King
Charles the Second's restoration. My lord followed that king's Court
about in its exile, having ruined himself in its service. He had but one
daughter, who was of no great comfort to her father; for misfortune had
not taught those exiles sobriety of life; and it is said that the Duke
of York and his brother the King both quarrelled about Isabel Esmond.
She was maid of honor to the Queen Henrietta Maria; she early joined the
Roman Church; her father, a weak man, following her not long after at
Breda.

On the death of Eustace Esmond at Worcester, Thomas Esmond, nephew to
my Lord Castlewood, and then a stripling, became heir to the title. His
father had taken the Parliament side in the quarrels, and so had been
estranged from the chief of his house; and my Lord Castlewood was at
first so much enraged to think that his title (albeit little more than
an empty one now) should pass to a rascally Roundhead, that he would
have married again, and indeed proposed to do so to a vintner's daughter
at Bruges, to whom his lordship owed a score for lodging when the King
was