387] Robert was from the age of eight years a ward of
Joan Beauchamp, Lady of Bergavenny. He married Elizabeth, daughter and
heir of Richard de Clodeshall; was in the King's service, was Sheriff of
the County, and Knight of the Shire. He sided with the Yorkists in the
Wars of the Roses, was taken, attainted of high treason by James, Earl
of Wiltshire, and other judges appointed to try such cases, and was
condemned. He was executed on Saturday after the Feast of St. Laurence
the Martyr, 30 Henry VI. The custody of his lands was granted to Thomas
Littleton, Serjeant-at-Law, Thomas Greswold and John Gamell, Esquires.

Two years after his death his son Walter obtained the King's precept to
his escheator to hand over the lands of his mother's inheritance to him,
and shortly afterwards he secured his father's also. He married Eleanor,
daughter of John Hampden of Hampden, in Buckinghamshire, and appears in
the register of the Guild of Knowle, 1457, with his "wife Alianore." He
had a large family, each of them in some special point interesting to
the genealogist, and therefore worthy of some attention and of careful
detail. It must not be forgotten that his father's attainder and the
Wars of the Roses had temporarily crippled the resources of the family.

Walter Arden's will, July 31, 1502, is preserved at Somerset House,[388]
an interesting will in many ways. His eldest son and heir was John,
Esquire of the Body to Henry VII., who was to pay 20 marks for his
funeral. "Item. I will that my sonne Thomas have during his lief x marc,
which I have given him; and that my sonne Martyn have the manor of
Nafford during his lief, accordyng as I thereof made him astate yf it
canne be recorded, and yf not, thenne I will that the same Martyn and
every of my other sonnes, Robert, Henry and William have eche of them 5
marc by yere during eche of their lives, and that my feoffees of my
landes make eche of them a sufficient astate of londes & tenements to
the yerely value of 5 marc during every of their lives." He left his
wife, Eleanor, executrix, Edward Belknap and John Bracebridge, Squiers,
and John Boteler of Solihull, overseers, "Richard Slystre, Vicar of
Aston, John Charnell[389] & Thomas Ardern,[390] Squiers, witnesses."

Dugdale seems to have read the will, and is interested in the mortuary
bequest, but, curiously enough, supposes Martin to be older than Thomas.
Perhaps this error arose from the testator's desire to settle Natford
upo