he disturbances in Normandy, 1208, a new dispute arose between
Engelger, the son of Franco FitzSavaric, and Thomas, the son of Ralph
Arden, which ended in a new compromise.

The offices held by Ralph were numerous. He was Sheriff of Hereford
1184-89,[455] and also justice itinerant. He married a second wife in
1194, Agnes de la Mara, heiress of the Barony of Holgate in Shropshire,
after which he regained royal favour. He received a gift from the King
of land in Essex, for which he paid[456] L362 16s. 8d. He was made
custodian of the temporalities of Canterbury at the time of the troubles
there Bailiff of Pont-Audemar in Normandy, 1198; in 1202 attended King
John at La Suse in Anjou; in 1203 was sent on an embassy to Otho, King
of the Romans; in 1204 went to Flanders on the King's service. He was
said to have acted as justice at Shrewsbury, 1208, but Foss[457]
believes this was his grandson, and states that Coke says so. Ralph de
Arderne endowed the Priory of Butey, Sussex, founded by Ralph de
Glanville, with half the town of Bawdsey. He founded the Priory of
Shulbrede, near Midhurst, and endowed it with half a knight's fee in
Lavington. His son Thomas was engaged in a lawsuit[458] with his aunt
about the partition of his grandfather Glanville's property. "Thomas de
Ardern, et Radulphus filius Roberti ponunt loco suo Mag. Will. de Lecton
_versus_ Will. de Auberville et Matilda uxorem ejus," etc. There is no
mention of Thomas after 14 John, 1213. Lands in Hereford, Sussex, Essex,
and Yorkshire were known to have belonged to him, and many scattered
branches in later periods may represent his descendants. I have not
found his arms; were they the same as William de Ardern of Hampton's,
already referred to?

Though Shakespeareans are only concerned with the Ardens who remained in
their own county, genealogists are interested in the fortunes of the
whole family. A volume would be necessary for a complete account, and at
present I only attempt to collect and preserve the scattered facts I
have found in various printed and manuscript authorities.

It is too often taken for granted that individuals do not belong to a
family because their names do not appear in the pedigrees collected at
the Visitations. We know that the descendants of younger sons and
daughters are frequently omitted, and the sons and daughters themselves
occasionally ignored. For instance, the Sir Robert Arden who was
executed in the time of Henry VI., 1451, i