The family settled in Herefordshire at two seats, Holme Lacy and Kentchurch Court, before lines moved to Devon, Somerset and Derbyshire.

[2] A Ralph mentioned in Domesday Book as a tenant under Alfred of Marlborough may have been an ancestor of the family, though the first well-documented bearer of the surname is found in the 12th century.

[3][4] The family subsequently split into two lines, with one holding manors in Upton Scudamore, Wiltshire and in Devon, with several early members who were knighted.

This branch then moved firstly to the Mendip Hills in Somerset, and then to Eyam in Derbyshire through the lead mining trade.

This branch split into two, with the senior line seated at Kentchurch Court (where they still reside), and the junior at Holme Lacy.