on their return home, fpoke much againft him, fa t that the king and his council had information of it, and were highly difpleafed with him. When fir Robert heard of this, he fent oyer his two prin-cipal fquires to explain every thing, and to clear him of whatever might be faid againft him * in-fomuch that the king and his council were fatisfied they had been wrongly informed, and thought as favourably of him as before. ' Sir Aleyne Boxhull, and other knights who were favourites with the king, affifted in his difculpation, and made fir John Menftreworth pay dearly for what he had done :' he was taken, and publicly executed in the city of He was created a knight of the garter, Richard II. and is the 74th knight. Knolles earl of Banbury, took his defcent from fir Robert Knolles.—Dugdale* s Baronage, Lobineau fays, Derval, &c. was given to him and his de-fendants. In 1373, the duke* going into England, left his government to fir Robert Knolles : but few lords obeyed him. The French bcfieged his caftle of Derval, which he had left in the cuitody of Hugh Broc his kinfinao, who capitulated to furrender if not relieved in two months, during which time no perfon was to be received there. But Knolles difavowed the aft of his nephew, alledging he could not treat without his confent ; fo that the duke of Anjou fent his herald to fay, that having done contrary to his capitulation in admitting Knolles, in cafe he did not furrender, he would put to death the two knights and a fquire who were the hoftages ; which being done, Knolles immediately executed three French knights and a fquire, and threw their bodies into the ditch ; whereupon the iege was raifed,—»£C£/»*H*, p. 409. London* 199