Edward Stradling

, son of Sir Tho. Stradling Knight by Cath. his Wife, Daughter of Sir Tho Gamage of Coyty Knight, was born of, and lineally descended from, an antient and Knightly family of his name living at S. Donates castle in Glamorganshire, educated in several sorts of learning in this University, but before he took a degree, he left it, travelled into various Countries, spent some time at Rome, returned an accomplished Gentleman, and retiring to his Patrimony, which was large, did build a firm structure upon that foundation of literature that he had laid here and elsewhere. In 1575. or the year after, he received the Honour of Knighthood, was made a Justice of Peace, became a very useful Man in his Country, and was at the charge of such Herculean (a)(a) See in Jo. Stradings Epigrams, lib. 4. p. 151. 161. &c. works for the publick good, that no Man in his time went beyond him. But above all he is to be remembred for his singular knowledge in the British Language and Antiquities, for his eminent encouragement of learning and learned Men, and for his great expence and indefatigable industry in collecting together several Monuments and ancient Manuscripts of Learning and Antiquity. All which with other books were reduced into a well ordered Library at St. Donates, to the great credit and renown of that place and his Family. He hath written,

A Welsh Grammar.—When or where printed I know not. Of which book, written mostly in Latin, one of his (b)(b) Humph. Prichard in his Pref. to Dr. Jo. D [••] Rhese his book, intit. Cambrobritanicae Cymeraecave linguae institutione, &c. Lond. 1592. Country-men gives this character. Hae institutiones Grammaticae adeò concinnè sunt compositae, & omnibus suis numeris absolutae, ut nec eis addi quicquam, nec ab eis demi (meo judicio) quicquam poterit; nisi secundam hujus operis author in posterume editionem maturet. He hath also written,

The winning of the Lordship of Glamorgan or Morgannwe out of the Welsh-mens hands, &c.—Of which book you may see more in The History of Cambria, now called Wales, &c. Printed 1584. p. 122. and 141. This learned and worthy person hath written other things, but such I have not yet seen, nor can I say more him, only that he paid his last debt to nature in the Summer time, in sixteen hundred and nine, 1609 aged 80. or more, and was buried in a Chappel built by his Father, (dedicated to the Virgin Mary,) joyning to the Parish Church of St. Donate, between the bodies of his Great-Grandfather and Grandmother on the North side, and the body of his Father on the South side. He died without Male Issue, whereupon the Estate went to his next Kinsman Sir John Stradling Knight, who was soon after made a Baronet: From whom was descended Sir Edw. Stradling Baronet, (a Colonel in the Army of K. Ch. 1.) buried in Jesus coll. Chappel, 21. June 1644.