7/21/2019 Coombs Family 15 Generations http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/coombs-family-15-generations 1/666 Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs Page #1 The Coombs Family (information gathered from “The Coombs Family”, compiled by Eva Coombs, Mesa Arizona) Our oldest ancestor Richard Coombs in our Coombs line lived in Showyard, Oxvordshire, where he married Elizabeth and her three children were born there. She died and he married Harriet Marshall and her four children were born there. Later he went to Stafford, Staffordshire, England. He was turnkey of the kings jail in Staffordshire. In my research I have failed to find the Coombs name in this Shire prior to this time so it is my supposition that he was brought to Staffordshire to this job from some other place. (Whether he was married when he came or married Harriet Marshall and lived in Oxford where several of their children were born, cannot be proved. He was married before he married Harriet to Elizabeth. He is given as the father of three children that are not Harriet’s. Harriet had four children. ) we know very little of any of these only our ancestor George who was born 2 Feb 1815. Meriah the oldest daughter married Thomas Avans. George married Eliza Astbury, she was a small woman and an artist by trade. She painted dinner ware. There is still in the family a plate that she painted. This work caused her to be a little drooped, making her shorter than ever. She was the mother of six children. George Coombs was a very good brick mason and his boys learned to work with him. They were all masons and plasterers. The Latterday saint missionaries came into England preaching the Gospel and George and Eliza and all their family joined the church. Ephraim was a very good singer, as were the whole family. When the Eleders held their meetings they would stand Epraiam on the table so all could see him and have him sing “A Mormon Boy”. He was a very attractive little fellow and many people would come just to hear him sing. The Coombs Family took the Elders into their home and shared with them all they had. Our first George was presiding Elder of Trentvale branch in England. The Coombs Family like a lot of others wanted to go to Zion so when George was forty-nine on Saturday, May 21, 1864 there were 802 Saints sailed from Liverpool, England on the vessel McClellen with Thomase E. Jeremy, Joseph Bull and George G. Gywater in charge of the company. They sailed thirty-two days and arrived in New York City 23 June 1864. While they were on the ship Eliza fell and broke her hip and some ribs. She never fully recovered from this fall and suffered a great deal until the end of her life. The company rested seven days then started westward. They couldn’t take the train directly across the country because of the Civil War, so they took a train up toward where Chicago is now and got on a ship and floated down the Mississippi to Nauvoo. There they were met with ox teams under the direction of Joseph S. Rollins. They rested a few days then started on their westward trek. The trip was long and hard and dangerous. If they hadn’t has such great faith and trust in the Lord it would have been much more of a trial to them. They traveled from the 1 st of July to the 20 th of September. When they reached Salt Lake City, Brigham Young told them to make their camps and he would help to locate them. The Coombs family, the Shawcrofts, Olesons, Gulbradsens and Morgans and several other families were sent to Fountain Green. Of course the weather was getting could so George Coombs and boys built the house that could be made the quickest. This was a dugout on the lot where Clark Cook now lives. After he had a shelter for his own he and his boys began making adobes and made others homes, then a school house. They made houses for many others taking oxen and wagons for pay until they all had their own outfit. Later they went to the West Mountain and got logs and built two rooms and a lean-to next to the dugout. He lived in this house until his death. One of the canyons in the West Mountain is called Coombs’ Canyon because of their enterprise there.
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Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
Page #1
The Coombs Family
(information gathered from “The Coombs Family”, compiled by Eva Coombs, Mesa Arizona)
Our oldest ancestor Richard Coombs in our Coombs line lived in Showyard, Oxvordshire, where he
married Elizabeth and her three children were born there. She died and he married Harriet Marshall and
her four children were born there. Later he went to Stafford, Staffordshire, England. He was turnkey of the kings jail in Staffordshire. In my research I have failed to find the Coombs name in this Shire prior to
this time so it is my supposition that he was brought to Staffordshire to this job from some other place.
(Whether he was married when he came or married Harriet Marshall and lived in Oxford where several of
their children were born, cannot be proved. He was married before he married Harriet to Elizabeth. He is
given as the father of three children that are not Harriet’s. Harriet had four children.) we know very little
of any of these only our ancestor George who was born 2 Feb 1815. Meriah the oldest daughter married
Thomas Avans.
George married Eliza Astbury, she was a small woman and an artist by trade. She painted dinner ware.
There is still in the family a plate that she painted. This work caused her to be a little drooped, making
her shorter than ever. She was the mother of six children. George Coombs was a very good brick mason
and his boys learned to work with him. They were all masons and plasterers.
The Latterday saint missionaries came into England preaching the Gospel and George and Eliza and all
their family joined the church. Ephraim was a very good singer, as were the whole family. When the
Eleders held their meetings they would stand Epraiam on the table so all could see him and have him sing
“A Mormon Boy”. He was a very attractive little fellow and many people would come just to hear him
sing. The Coombs Family took the Elders into their home and shared with them all they had.
Our first George was presiding Elder of Trentvale branch in England. The Coombs Family like a lot of
others wanted to go to Zion so when George was forty-nine on Saturday, May 21, 1864 there were 802
Saints sailed from Liverpool, England on the vessel McClellen with Thomase E. Jeremy, Joseph Bull and
George G. Gywater in charge of the company. They sailed thirty-two days and arrived in New York City
23 June 1864. While they were on the ship Eliza fell and broke her hip and some ribs. She never fully
recovered from this fall and suffered a great deal until the end of her life.
The company rested seven days then started westward. They couldn’t take the train directly across the
country because of the Civil War, so they took a train up toward where Chicago is now and got on a ship
and floated down the Mississippi to Nauvoo.
There they were met with ox teams under the direction of Joseph S. Rollins. They rested a few days then
started on their westward trek. The trip was long and hard and dangerous. If they hadn’t has such great
faith and trust in the Lord it would have been much more of a trial to them. They traveled from the 1st of
July to the 20th of September. When they reached Salt Lake City, Brigham Young told them to make
their camps and he would help to locate them.
The Coombs family, the Shawcrofts, Olesons, Gulbradsens and Morgans and several other families were
sent to Fountain Green.
Of course the weather was getting could so George Coombs and boys built the house that could be madethe quickest. This was a dugout on the lot where Clark Cook now lives. After he had a shelter for his
own he and his boys began making adobes and made others homes, then a school house. They made
houses for many others taking oxen and wagons for pay until they all had their own outfit. Later they
went to the West Mountain and got logs and built two rooms and a lean-to next to the dugout. He lived in
this house until his death. One of the canyons in the West Mountain is called Coombs’ Canyon because of
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
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The Coombs family were all singers and musicians. They organized a choir and a band. A favorite song
of George’s was “Will you love me when I am old,” he sang this to Eliza nearly every day of his life.
For many years they were very poor and endured many hardships. After about fourteen years things got
easier for him and Eliza, but she was not privileged to live his old age with him for seventeen years after
moving to Fountain Green, Eliza died 25 August 1881 and left him alone as all the family were married
and gone. He later married Lydia Dun Rowbury and they were quite happy together. She had a daughterClara by a former marriage. George loved Clara for she was so kind and considerate of him. She had
other children across the San Pete Mountain. When they had been married about a year the three of them
were going over the mountain to Castle Valley to see her children when some freak condition caused his
foot to slip off the brake and he fell to the earth instantly breaking his neck and causing death.
He was a great man in his community. He helped the poor and needy, built homes for people, many of
which are still standing. He lent himself to all freely and his music and singing and left a host of friends
when he went away. I never heard of anyone who claimed to be his enemy. When Brigham Young called
on the saints for wagon and teams to bring in more pioneers he also did that. His sons Epraim and Joshua
with the ox team and train at the Green River Disaster.
George Coombs and his family were honest hard working people and were friends with everyone they
met. They were devout Latter Day Saints. He lived his religion every day of his life, it was not a Sunday
Cloak to be put on and off. He was a shy man when it came to preaching or public appearances, but a
great man of action when it came to doing the things the Gospel required of him.
To show the strictness of the Church authorities I wish to tell this story. When Brigham Young first
called for wagons and teams to go meet the saints and help them across the plains he had two teams and
sent on with his son Joshua, but when the second call came he had only one team and his crop to put in.
He told Brigham Young that Ephraim could go as a driver if he could find another team. The team was
found and Ephriam went, but Ge3orge was cut off from the Church. After a number of years he was
reinstated, rebaptised 30 January 1889.
He and the other families who came to Fountain Green conquered the wild land and made farms and
homes. they built a church so they could worship their Heavenly father. Many of them had herds of
sheep. It was a hard country to settle because of the dreadfully cold winters, the late and early frosts, and
the short growing season. But with indomitable courage and devout faith they made it desert to blossom
as the rose.
Among his sons Joshua and George were the bass horn. The day’s work was never so hard that Joshua
didn’t play his cornet before going to bed. George also played the violin and helped make music for
dances.
The band would serenade on all holidays and extra occasions. They had their dances and their theatrical
troop and so lived a full rich life with their own entertainment. The Coombs had their finger in every pie.
Joshua and Harriet were married in England, and Joshua married Fannie Bailey. About three years afterreaching Utah Fannie died leaving two little girls Fannie and Polly. Fannie was just who hours old when
her mother died. Eliza, Fannie’s and Polly’s grandmother took the girls to her home until her death.
Joshua later married Sarah Huggins.Harriet married James Duttan the day they took ship in Liverpool, England and moved from Souther Utah
and was seldom with her people. Ephraim married Ruth Shawcroft. Her father, John Shawcroft, was
called to go to the San Louis Valley in Southern Colorado. In two years Ephraim and Ruth followed to
establish the town of La Jara. They called it Richfield, then. This was no easy task as the country was
even colder than Fountain Green and the wind blew almost every day so it was no easy task to establish
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
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Coombs families should wish to preserve a record of their pioneer heritage, so in this book I will relate
some of the historical events in the lives of my gracious pioneer parents and the posterity.
A Sketch Of The Life Of Joshua Coombs, Senior A Pioneer Of 1864
My father, Joshua Coombs was born February 4, 1841 at Stafford, Staffordshire, England. He was thesecond son of George Coombs Senior, and Eliza Astbury. He lived the first 23 years of his life in
England and learned the masonry trade there very early in his life. His father, George was also a mason.
He used to assist his father with his building, doing inside work and thus became a skilled workman of
those days. He did the technical work on a large smoke stack for one of the factories there that took six
months to complete. I can just see him now as I often heard him tell how his boss would come and call to
him to drop his line down to see if he was building it right. He also assisted in building the factory and
many other buildings there. He married his first wife, Fanny Bailey, early in the spring on May 5, 1864.
They and all the other members of his Father’s family accepted the gospel and joined the church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints over in England. In April 1864 they all set sail for the United States of the
gospels sake. They sailed on the beautiful ship McClellin with George Firewater as their Captain and it
took them six weeks to cross the ocean. They landed in the United States on May 21, 1864, then came the
long trek across the plains with ex-teams.Our Coombs family were all good singers and musicians and thus they entertained the Saint in the
evenings around the camp fires and after arriving here, were often referred to as the Coombs entertainers.
They traveled on to Utah, and arrived at Fountain Green, Utah in the fall of 1864.
He and his wife Fanny lived in a dugout on the lot now owned by Wifford Green and on January 9, 1865,
his eldest daughter Mary Eliza was born. She was the second baby girl born in Fountain Green.
During the winter of 1864-85 he worked in a canyon nearby west of Fountain green, known to us today as
Log Canyon getting logs to build a home. There was a saw mill on the west bench of town owned by
Samuel Jewkes. Father would take some of his logs there and have them sawed into lumber for the floors
and sheeting and other necessary things to complete the buildings; the sheeting or lumber on the roof of
the house was covered with dirt. While working in this canyon getting out his building material he had to
wrap his feet in gunny sacks to keep them warm. The snow fell very deep in the canyon which renderedit very cold and difficult to labor in and thus the winter of 1864 was spent.
In the spring of 1865 he built his first log room on the lot south east from where Fay Johnson lives.
During the summer of 1865 he worked on his neighbors farms and made an adobe yard where the city’s
first pump house now stands and that is the way abode fields in Fountain Green derived their names. He
also made the first adobes in town which were made on that yard and built the first adobe house here for
Martin Lund, now owned by Robert Rassmussen. He made most of the adobes and built most of the
houses that are made of that material that are still standing in Fountain Green, there are 40 houses
standing in Fountain Green that he supervised and assisted in building at this writing, January 18, 1950.
Most of them are build from bricks. While working of this adobe yard all he had to eat for weeks was
potatoes.
On October 22, 1866 his second baby girl was born to bless that home, but his dear wife Fanny died whenthe baby was but two hours old and she was name Fanny after her beloved mother. He was left alone in
poverty and with those two baby girls to rear, but his kin mother took the baby Fanny and a kind friend,
Mary Jewkes took Mary and mothered her for him.
As the population increased in Fountain Green the demand for homes was greater and as adobes and
bricks also were available in how he was kept quite busy with his masonry and farming.
Sometime after the death of his wife Fanny, he was called to go back across the the plains with his ex-
team and bring immigrants to Utah. It was on that trip that the Green River disaster occurred; the ferry
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
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boat they were taking the wagons over the river on sank and drowned six men and some of the oxen, the
men labored many hours in the chilling stream to get their ox teams over to the opposite shore.
Six years after the death of his wife Fanny, he married Sarah Lane Huggins, July 22, 1872, in the Salt
Lake endowment house, they made the trip in to Salt Lake by ox team. She was born July 2, 1850 at
Tomes River, Ocean County, New Jersey, the daughter of William Huggins and Eleline Aker. After their
marriage he built the one room log house that is still standing on Wilford Coombs’ lot and it was here thatfive of his seven children were born. He later built the brick house still there on that lot about the year
1888. He helped to build our church house which was torn down in March of 1948 to make room for our
new chapel.
Thus my father was a builder as well as a tiller of the soil. Through his thrift and ambition he became
quite a prosperous farmer, sowing and planting his seeds by hand, reaping it also by and with his scythe,
cycle and grain cradle and then hauling his harvests home with is ox team. As man cannot live by bread
alone, he returned to his native land to preach the gospel to the people there in March of 1898, landing at
Liverpool, England, April 21, 1898, the day his first grand-son was born. He greatly enjoyed his labors
there but was unable to finish his mission there due to the ill health of his wife, Sarah and was called back
home in May of 1899 and she died August 5, 1899. He spent the remainder of his life in Fountain green
after arriving here in 1864. He had a good voice and was also a good cornet player. He was a member of
the first brass band in Fountain Green for many years.
He married a third wife, Francis Tilbey, September 5, 1905, six years after the death of Sarah. Francis
was born September 6, 1858 in Spanish Fork, Utah and died October 12, 1928 at Fountain Green.
Father was very ambitious and carried on with his masonry and farm work as long as his health would
permit. Through his thrift and ambition and the tender care of his third wife and children gave him he was
very comfortably situated at the time of his death which came November 4, 1924, at Fountain Green, at
the age of 83 years and 9 months, a life well spent in hard labor and his children have reaped the harvest
of his toiling.
Surviving to bless his memory and mourn his departure is his wife Francis, eight of his children, thirty-six
grand children and thirteen great grand children. Father was a builder, a tiller of the soil, a preacher of
righteousness, a father of nine children and one of our noble pioneers, who helped pioneer the way in
industry, in honesty, in faith in God, in love and service to his fellow men; a shining example hat where
he led it will be safe for is posterity to follow.
Edward Alonzo Coombs & Lula Amelia Bryan
The sixth child of Joshua and Sarah L. Huggins, Edward Alonzo Coombs, born October 24, 1886 at
Fountain Green Utah. He was educated in the Fountain Green Schools and lived there until 1905. He
moved to Loa, Wayne County, Utah and was employed as a sheep herder.
There he met Lula Amelia Bryan. They were married September 1, 1910 in the Manti Temple. She was
born November 6, 1887 at Fremont Wayne County, Utah. They lived at Loa where five of their seven
children were born. He moved to Lark, Utah about 1924 where he was employed at the Lark Mine until
1935. He died June 2, 1935 at the Bingham Canyon Hospital following an operation for gall stones.After his death his wife Lula was employed at the Lark School house as a janitor. She has done various
other civic jobs. She did quite a lot of paining and paper hanging, as she still has some of her children to
support. She moved to Salk Lake City about 1942 and was an employee at the garment factory on
Richard Street at the time of her death on February 14, 1944. Both are buried in The Wasatch Lawn
Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their family of seven follows:
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
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Ellen Elaine Coombs (Brady) oldest child of Alonzo and Lula was born in Loa Wayne County, Utah
December 11, 1911. (died July 15, 1971, Salt Lake City, Utah). She lived there until she was eleven years
old, then moved to Lark, Utah, where she resided until she was married to Elmo Cunningham Brady on
October 3, 1935. Elmo was born May 16, 1910 at Union, Salt Lake County, Utah. (died 21 May 1991,
Salt Lake City, Utah).
They are buried at Redwood Memorial Cemetery Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Utah, AmericaThey moved to Nephi in 1935 and resided there until 1943. It was there on August 23, 1938 that their
first child, Pamela was born.
They moved from Nephi to Salt Lake in 1943 and then to Union after the fall of that year, and there their
second child was born, Karen.
They moved to Kansas in the fall of 1943 and resided there until 1946. Elmo coached and taught school
there, as he did in Nephi. They moved to Salt Lake again in May of 1946, where Elmo became affiliated
with the Salt Lake County Recreation Department. They lived there until the fall of 1947 and they came
out to Union again. They had their third child on October 1, 1947 Barbara.
They bought a home in June of 1949 in Union with the hopes of staying there for a long time. The girls
like if very well and it is Elmo’s home town, as he was born there.
They were married and sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on April 22, 1953. They waited a long time for
this to come about, but it did and they are so very thankful that they were able to go to the House of the
Lord and be sealed for Time and Eternity. They also went to the Logan Temple on the 24th of April, and
to the Mesa Arizona Temple in June, and they visited the St. George Temple on their way home from
Arizona.
Pamela Brady married Howard Oveson
Karen Brady married Vern Lester Jr
Barbara Brady married David Rawson
The eldest son Edward Bryan was born on March 11, 1913 at Loa, Wayne County, Utah. He died
September 9, 1929, nothing is known of his life, for his family never spoke of him.
The second son Evan Ross was born at Loa, Wayne County Utah, August 8th, 1915. (died 25 Mar 1996 in
West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah, America) He was educated in Loa, Lark, and Bingham, Utah. He married
Millicent Ann Champion at Lark, Utah on November 4, 1939. Millicent was born at Mammoth, Juab,
Utah on February 28, 1921 (died 13 Dec 2003 in West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah, America), Millicent is the
daughter of Edward Champion and Elizabeth Anne Roberts.
They are buried at Redwood Memorial Cemetery Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Utah, America
(Evan was inducted at Fort Douglas, Utah on April 5, 1945. He took basic infantry training at Camp
Walters, Texas for 17 weeks. Then he went to Fort Benning, Georgia to take his training for the
paratroopers for 12 weeks. He was in Japan with the occupation forces as a member of the 11th AirborneDivision. He was only there 8 moths and came home for his discharge at Camp Beale, California on
October 30, 1946. His rank was T4 as he was finally let out. His occupation after the war was
Locomotive Engineer for the Kennecot Copper Corporation, at Bingham Canyon, Utah.)
Their children is as follows:
Janice Dee Coombs, December 30, 1940, Murray, Utah
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
Page #7
Marcie Martinez — Husbands ??
William Martinez, Jr.
Michael Martinez
Evan Martinez
Edward Brian Coombs, July 29, 1944, Bingham Canyon, Utah (died November 12, 2006 in Moab, Grand,Utah, America ... he was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Colorado River).
Kenneth Lee Coombs, June 1954, Salt Lake City Utah, America
Jill Kittel
Children:
Casey L. Coombs
Sarah Coombs
Kenneth Coombs married Jill Marie Hammill November 1, 1979, Reno, Nevada, Utah
Mickey David Coombs, 10 Dec 1956 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, America
Mickey Coombs married Julie ??
Children:
Don Rothwell Coombs, the third son, born April 29, 1920 at Loa, Wayne County, Utah (died 05 Apr 1989
in Lake Shore, Utah, Utah, America) He was educated in the Loa, Lark, schools. He also attended High
School in Bingham.
He married Lorraine Joyce Clover, she was born October 27, 1942 (died 20 Aug 2002 in Spanish Fork,
Utah, Utah, America) Thier marriage was solemized in the Salt Lake Temple October 13, 1948. Theirhome is in Spanish Fork, Utah.
(He was inducted into the army September 2, 1942. He received his training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He
was sent to Asiatic Pacific, July 28, 1945. He was in Manila and other islands in that theater of war, until
he returned home and was discharged at Fort Douglas, Utah, April 1946, he held grad T/5.)
Michael Lloyd Coombs, born July 4, 1941, Murray, Utah
Lula Lorraine Coombs September 14, 1944, Lehi, Utah
Steven Don Coombs June 6th, 1952, Spanish Fork, Utah.
Emma Coombs, born May 10, 1923, died the same day.
Shirley Coombs, born November 10, 1926 (died 09 May 2007 in Citrus Heights, Sacramento, California,
America). She lived in Lark, Utah and attended Bingham High School until after her father died in 1935.
Mother moved to Salt Lake City, at 371 East, 21st South, until she passed away on February 1944.
Shirley moved to Los Angeles, California and there she met and then married Earl Louis Gebert (born 08
Jun 1925 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, America, died 20 Mar 2007 in Citrus Heights,
Richard Coombs — George Coombs — Joshua Coombs — Edward Alonzo Coombs
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Children:
Edward Roy Gebert, Bron July 25, 1947, Vallejo, Salano, California, died December 6, 1989, Stockton,
San Joaquin, California.
Beverly Dean Gebert, born March 9, 1951 ... married Larry J. Cox
Susie Gebert, born 1955, Vallejo, Salano, California
Janice Gebert, born 1957, Vallejo, Salano, California
Thomas Dean Coombs, born June 12, 1930, Bingham, Utah, died 29 Apr 1963 in Wendover, Tooele,
Utah, America), he is buried at Redwood Memorial Cemetery Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Utah, America
He received most of his education at Lark, Utah and Salt Lake City.
(I enlisted in the Army September 12, 1949 as a recruit. I took Basic Training at Fort Ord, California, and
went to Clerk-Typist school at Fort Ord from January 6 1950 to March 14, 1950. I was promoted to
Private on December 19, 1949 and was promoted to PFC on October 10, 1950 and then to Corporal on
October 10, 1951.
From Fort Ord I was put on Order for Okinawa and left the States on May 1, 1950. I arrived at Okinawa
March 19, 1951. After this I was stationed at Camp Stoneman, California from May 15, 1952 untilDecember 18, 1952 at which time I was discharged after three years and three months and 5 days of
active service.)
Dean married Melba Joan Jackson, August 28, 1953 at the home of her parents in Salt Lake City, Utah.Joan was born July 15, 1934, Soldier Summit, Utah, to Ray William Jackson and Mildred Josephine
Eddy.
They had three children:
Mary Lyn Coombs born August 25th, 1954, Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, America
Lyn married David Manfre born 16 Nov 1952 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, America
Richard James Manfre born 03 Oct 1979 in Burlingame, San Mateo, California, America
Amelia Ellen Coombs born March 21st, 1956, Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, America
Amy married Jeffrey Nelson Masters born 29 Dec 1955 in Lafayette, Allen, Indiana, America
Molly Jeanne Masters born 18 Jan 1988 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, America
Samuel Thomas Masters born 27 Jul 1990 in The Ohio State University, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio,
America
Joni K. Coombs born May 11, 1957, Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, America
Joni married Eric Benay Haynes born 04 Aug 1956 in Bakersfield, Kern, California, America
1777-1780 , Woodbridge, Middlesex, County, New Jersey
Samuel Jaques (1707-1 May 1780)
Last Will and Testament
Jaques, Samuel Sr., 5901 – 5903L. B. 22, p. 354. W. 1781. Inv. 1780.
Jon B. Jacques, December 8, 2008
This is Samuel the first, either the son of John Jaques, who was the son of Henry Jaques Jr., or Samuel
Allen Jaques, the adopted son of John Jaques, and the natural son of John Allen and Deliverance Potter,
second wife of John Jaques. Since I have done a DNA test and found a link to male descendants of Henry
Jaques, Sr. there is now also some question about Samuel Allen Jaques references. The exact line of
descent remains a bit murky here.
Any text in italics is text that has been inserted by me, Jon Jacques. Any strange words you see are wordsas I could make them out. Strange spellings of common words are present in the document. In the area
where you might see the word probate, there is the use of the word “prolobate”. I haven’t a clue.
The eldest son, Richard is left only the sum of 5 pounds along with sharing the Society?? and Freehold
rights. The younger Samuel is essentially left the estate.Notes from Anne Lochhead Holmes; book Ezekiel Ross Jaques and Mary Evelyn Sering – Some of Their
Ancestors and Descendants; Published posthumously 1991, by John Safford Holmes, ISBN 0-9628224-0-
A, manufactured by BookCrafters, Chelsea, Michigan. Anne was the Granddaughter of Ezekiel Ross
Jaques:
“Note the names – Susannah for Samuel’s grandmother, wife of John Jaques.
Richard for Sarah’s father Richard Cutter
Mary for Sarah’s mother Mary Pike Cutter
Samuel for Samuel I
Sarah for her motherWilliam for William Cutter, grandfather of Sarah
This Samuel I always designated himself as Blacksmith – a trade of which he had every reason to be
proud. He executed at least three deeds which will be given, The one made to David Britain, executed in
1725, is very important. John Jaques, son of Henry II, died intestate in 1725. In this deed Samuel,
Blacksmith, says “I Samuel Jaques, only surviving son of John Jaques, decd.” This definitely establishes
his parentage. The other two deeds are to Charles Marsh – 1740 and to Joseph Shotwell – 1756. The latter
is interesting – evidently Mr. Shotwell had built a dwelling straddling the property line between his land
and Samuel’s and had to acquire land from Samuel to rectify his mistake.”
Regards,
Jon
Samuel Jaques Will
In the Name of God Amen and in the twenty second day of February in the Year of Our Lord Christ one
thousand and seven hundred and Seventy Seven I Samuel Jaques of Woodbridge in the County of
Blacksmith knowing Immortality and Uncertainty of life and in perfect mind and memory the words be
given to God therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all
men Once to die do make and Ordain this my Last Will and Testament that is to say principally and first
of all I give & recommend my Soul to God that gave it and for my body I recommend it to the Dust to be
buried in a Christian like and Decent Manner at the discretion of my Executors herein after named.
Nothing Doubting but at the General Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Mighty Power of
God and as Touching Such Worldly Estates where with it hath pleased god to bless me with in this Life Igive (decise?) and dispose of the same in following in manner and form. Imprimis. I give & bequeath and
do order that all my Just Debts and Funeral Charges be first paid by my Executors thereafter Named, Item
I give and bequeath to my son Richard Jaques five pounds Current Money of this province, Item I give
and bequeath to Daughter, Susannah Bird the Sum of Twenty Five pounds and to pay Daughter Marah
( Mary) Dennis the Sum of Twenty Five pounds to be paid by my Executors within one year, this my Last
Will and Testament shall be proved. Item I give and bequeath to my Son Samuel Jaques all the lands in
Woodbridge now possessed by me with the Buildings and all other Conveniences belonging thereunto
that is to say my House place and the Wood Lot also a piece of land formally belonging to Richard Kelly
also my Negro Man with the stock and Horseflesh & furniture to him and his heirs and assigns as to my
freehold and Societe rights my will is that it should be given to my two Sons.
Lastly I do hereby Nominate Constitutute and and appoints my Son Samuel Jaques and my Son In LawJoseph Bird the executors of this Last Will and Testament. I hereby Disallowing revoking and
Disannuling all other former Wills Testaments Legacies and Executors by me heretofore named and
Bequeathed Ratifying and Confirming this and No Other, to be my Last Will and Testament..
Samuel Jaques Signed Sealed Published Pronounced & Declared by the Said Samuel Jaques this to be his
Last Will and Testament. Samuel Jaques Junior (signed )
Asa Morris (signed )Enos Jaquis (signed ) Samuel Jaques Jr. & Asa Morris two of the Witnesses to the
within Will being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God did Severally Depose & say that
they and each of them saw Samuel Jaques the testator therein named Sign & Seal the same and heard him
publish pronounce & declare the Written Writing to be his Last Will and Testament, and that at the doing
thereof the said Testator was of Sound and disposing Mind & Memory as far as these deposants know andas they Verily believe and that Enos Jaquis the other subscribing ???dence was present at the same time
and Signed his Name as a witness to the s will together with these deposents in the presence of the s
Testator, Sam Jaques, Asa Morris, Sworn at Elizabeth Town 15 Day of March A Dom 1781.
before Me Robt. Ogden ??? Surrogate
The foregoing will being proved prolabate was granted by his Excellency Gov Livingston unto Sam
Jaques Jun. one of the (cannot decipher ) in the (cannot decipher ) will Named Having first been sworn
and (cannot read ) to perform His Same (cannot decipher ) a true inventory and render a just and true
account when thereto Lawfully required. Given under the prerogation Seal the day and year of (cannot
interpret ).
Bowes Reed Esq.
Samuel Jaques, one of the executors in the Witness Testament named, being duly sworn on The Holy
Evangelist of Almighty God did depose & say that the Written Instrument contains the true Last Will andTestament, of Samuel Jaques the Testator herein named, as far as he knows & as he verily believes, that
he will well & verily perform the same, by paying first the Debts of the Deceased & then the legacies as
the Testament Specifies, so far as the Goods, Chattels & Credits of the deceased can thereunto extend,and that he will make & exhibit, unto the Prerogative Office at Burlington, a true and perfect inventory of
all & singular the Goods, Chattels, & Credits of the deceased, that have or shall come to his knowledge or
possession or the possession of any other person or persons, for their use, & render a just and true account
Samuel MARSH [Parents] was born 1624 in Braintree, Essex, England. He died Sep 1683 in Trembley
Point, Union Co., New Jersey and was buried in Elizabeth, Union Co., New Jersey. Samuel married
Comfort MANN on 1647 in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut.
Samuel Marsh was born about 1621 in Braintree, Essex County, England. He immigrated to Boston about1641, then to New Haven Colony, Connecticut about 1645. About 1645 he married Comfort Mann (thereis controversy about her last name), had seven children all in New Haven Colony, Connecticut. In 1665,
the family emigrated to Elizabethtown, New Jersey, where he was one of the original settlers, to Rahway,
New Jersey about 1681 and died in Rahway in the year 1683.
The seventh child and the third son, was named Joseph, born 1663, married in the year 1697, to Sarah
Hindes, daughter of James Hindes, whose father James came from England to Salem, Massachusetts, in
the year 1637 and they went to Southold, Long Island County, (now Suffolk County), New York.
Joseph and Sarah (Hindes) Marsh’s second child and the first son was named Samuel, born 1700, who
married two women of the same name — Mary Shotwell. Date of first marriage and wife’s parentage is
unknown.
Together Samuel and Mary (Shotwell the first) Marsh were the parents of six children. He married asecond Mary Shotwell, daughter of John Junior and Mary (Thorne) Shotwell. Unto this marriage were
born eight children. They were QUAKERS and lived at Rahway. Samuel died December 13, 1773.
Comfort MANN was born about 1623 in England. She died about 1685. Comfort married Samuel
MARSH on 1647 in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut.
They had the following children:
Mary Marsh was born 1648 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut.
Samuel Marsh Junior was born 12 Feb 1650 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. He died
about 1684.
Comfort Marsh was born 22 Aug 1652 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. She died Dec1690.
Hannah Marsh was born 22 Jul 1655 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut.
Elizabeth Marsh was born 27 Dec 1657 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut.
John Marsh was born 2 May 1661 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. He died Nov 1744 in
Trembley Point, Union Co., New Jersey.
Joseph Marsh was born 1 Apr 1663 and died 20 Dec 1723.
The Marsh family is English in origins. Several different Marsh families came to America very early in
the 1600s. The first Marsh to come to America seems to be one John Marsh who came to Salem,
Massachusetts in 1633. There were many others who arrived from various parts of England during thenext few years.
Two separate Marsh families came from Braintree, Essex County, England to Boston in the 1640s. Howthe two families were related is not certain, they may have been cousins. One was that of John Marsh who
came to Boston in 1635 and then went to Hartford, Connecticut. The second was that of Samuel Marsh
and his brother Jonathan who were in Boston by 1641. The brothers were in New Haven, Connecticut by
1643. Jonathan later went to Rhode Island and Samuel to New Jersey. Our line is descended from this
Samuel Marsh.
The Marsh family were pioneers in the early New Haven Puritan Colony. This colony covered most of the
southern Connecticut shoreline and our Marshes were in the general area of Milford, Connecticut. They
went from there to the New Jersey coastal areas around Newark and Elizabeth. From there they spread
westward like so many of my ancestors seeking new lands and homes for their families.Samuel Marsh
Samuel Marsh was born in Essex County, England about the year 1620. There are references that his
father may have been John Marsh born in 1589 and his mother may have been Grace Baldwin, but I have
no proof. Some sources state he was in Boston by 1641, others state he came directly to the colony in
New Haven in the summer of 1645. Although he was not listed as an original planter, he was carried onthe records as a resident of New Haven in 1646. He was in the Militia records on April 7, 1647. It seems
he was fined two shillings six pence for missing training three times to “seek cowes”. He took the oath of
Fidelity in New Haven on May 2, 1647 and was then made a Freeman.
Samuel married about 1647. His wife was named Comfort. Most sources feel her maiden name was
Mann, but no one seems very positive about it. They appear as members of the First Church of Christ in
New Haven on List Number 2 dated February 11, 1655/56. It would seem that possibly there was a wholefamily that came from England. Samuel’s brother Jonathan was there until about 1650 when he moved to
nearby Milford, Connecticut and then to Norwalk, Connecticut by 1657. There was also a sister, Hannah,
who married Lancelot Fuller in New Haven.
Samuel and Comfort Marsh raised seven children while living in New Haven. In 1665, the family moved
to Elizabethtown, New Jersey. In that year England took possession of New Jersey from the Dutch.
Samuel Marsh was one of the original Eighty Associates who bought the Elizabeth-town Grant, East
Jersey of some five hundred thousand acres, which covered all of the present day Union County, New
Jersey. Their son, Samuel Marsh junior, was also one of the original eighty associates. Samuel took the
oath of allegiance to King Charles II on February 16, 1665.
In 1671, Samuel was in a major conflict with New Jersey Governor Carteret over land rights, but seems to
have survived without any penalties. Samuel wrote his will on June 10, 1683 and mentioned his wife andchildren John, Joseph, Elizabeth and Samuel. He stated he was living at Wawanday.
He died in September of 1683. The Will was probated on February 24, 1685. His widow, Comfort, was
John Jones, (Rev.) was born in County Northampton, England, about 1593, and died in Connecticut in
January, 1664/5. Sarah _____ was born in England about 1601. They were married in England. They had
seven children:
i. Sarah Jones was born in England about 1620, and died in Connecticut in 1683.ii. John Jones was born in England about 1624. He graduated from Harvard College in 1643; was a
preacher in Nevis, Bermuda. He died early.
iii. Ruth Jones was born in England about 1628. She married Thomas James, (Rev.).
iv. Theophilus Jones was born in England about 1631. He died young in Connecticut.
v. Rebecca Jones : She was born in England about 1633.
vi. Elizabeth Jones was born in England about 1635. She was 6 months old when the family sailed to
America. She married William Hill.
vii. Eliphalet Jones was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on January 9, 1640/1, and died in
Huntington, Long Island, about 1732.
His second marriage was to Susanna _____. She was born about 1605 and perhaps was the widow of
Richard Hollingsworth of Salem. Her daughter, Mercy, was tried for witchcraft in 1692.
John Jones matriculated sizar from Queens College, Cambridge, Michaelmas 1608, as John "Johnes";
B.A., 1612/13; M.A. 1616; ordained deacon at Peterboro, December 19, 1613. He probably was rector of
Abbot's Ripton, county Huntington, 1619–1630, when he was deprived—removed from his office.
He and his family sailed on Defence: his wife Sarah, age 34, and children Sarah 15, John 11, Ruth 7,
Theophilus 3, Rebecca 2, and Elizabeth 6 months. It was a terrifying crossing; the ship sprung a leak
during the first storm.
Upon his arrival, he was entertained by Governor Winthrop in his Boston house. He settled in Concord,
Massachusetts, with Rev. Peter Bulkeley.
Rev. Jones's will was dated January 17, 1664; his wife, Susanna, was the executrix. It contained: £50 that
he promised his wife; he owed the heirs of Capt. Cullick £7; children listed: John Jones, Elaphalet Jones,
Sarah Wilson (widow), Ruth James, Rebecca Hull, and Elizabeth Hill. The overseers were Mr. Gold andMr. Pell; the inventory was dated February 9, 1664/5.
Anthony Besse was born at England in 1609 and came to America in 1635 on board the ship named
James. Anthony was listed as 26 years old and was certified "for conformity in religion and that he was
no subsity man." Most of our information on the Besse family is taken from Descendants of Anthony
Besse 1609-1656 compiled by Mrs. Florence Besse Ballantine, 1965. We are grateful for this information
as we have spent hours trying to find further facts to fill out the information she found, to no avail.
Anthony lived briefly in Lynn, MA, then moved to Sandwich, MA where he remained until he died at the
age of 47 or 48. (His will is dated 10 Feb. 1656, proved 3 June 1657.) This will, which in all probability
he wrote himself, and a letter which remains, show him to have been educated. Sandwich records show heparticipated in public affairs, helped the projects of building a mill and a meeting house and of securing a
minister. He was before the Court only once and that for "disorderly keeping house alone" in 1638. He
received ".01 acre" (?) in the 1641 division of meadow lands and in 1643 was declared liable to bear
arms. Anthony seemed to be very concerned for the welfare of the Indians and worked with the minister
as a lay preacher for their benefit.
Anthony Besse's mother was still alive in 1656 when Anthony wrote his will as he mentions "in case my
mother send any thinge over to me as formerly she had Don that it be Disposed of among my family in
general." His will lists his six children, plus the one with which his wife was then pregnant. His widow,Jane Besse married (2) George Barlow. In 1661, Jane's daughters, Dorcas and Ann Besse, were brought
before the Court on charges of ill treating their stepfather. Ann confessed that she had. Both girls were
unmarried at the time and living "at home." George Barlow was a marshal and gained the reputation of
being a "bad fellow" because of his unfair activities under the protection of his office. In her will in 1693,
Jane Besse Barlow mentions only Ann Hallett, Elizabeth Bodfish, Nehemiah Besse, Rebecca Hunter,
John Barlow and Nathan Barlow as her children. This indicates she had at least two sons by George
FREEMAN: Oath of fidelity at Sandwich, 1639 [PCR 8:184]. (He is not in the equivalent list for 1657,
indicating that this list was compiled after Bessey's death in the first half of that year.)
EDUCATION: On 22 September 1651, "Anthony Besse" wrote a letter to an unknown correspondent,
"Concerning the Indians" and their religious practices [Florence Besse Ballantine, Descendants of
Anthony Besse, 1609-1656 (n.p. 1965), p. 9; no indication of the location of the original]. He signed his
will. His inventory included "his books and some other small things" valued at £1 16s. Her inventory
included "a Bible and some sheep's wool and feathers" valued at 8s.
OFFICES: Sandwich highway surveyor, 6 June 1654 [PCR 3:49].
In the Sandwich section of the 1643 Plymouth Colony list of men able to bear arms [PCR 8:192].
ESTATE: On 16 April 1640, "Anthony Bessy" received one acre in the division of meadow land at
Sandwich [PCR 1:149].
In his will, dated 10 February 1656/7 and proved 3 June 1657, "Anthony Bessey of Sandwidge"
bequeathed to "Jane my wife" three cows, three yearlings, two heifers, one bull, a cow, "one yearling steer
that Dorkas my daughter hath given unto Jane my wife," and "my bed"; to "Dorcas my daughter" two
heifers previously given and one more; to "Ann my daughter" one heifer; to "Nehemiah my son" one
heifer previously given; "the house and land now possessed by me unto my two sons viz: Nehemiah and
David and two steers likewise to them both"; to "Nehemiah my gun and my cutlass and my boots,"
apparel and all the meadow to be equally divided between "my two sons"; to "my daughter Mary" one
heifer; to "my daughter Jane" one heifer; to "my daughter Elizabeth" one ewe lamb in Mr. Edward
Dillingham's hands; debts owing to others for "my wife" to discharge; "in case my mother send anything
over to me as formerly she hath done, that it be disposed of among my family in general"; residue"amongst the family until my wife shall marry and then to be divided amongst my children"; if she marry,
the five "biggest" children to be "put forth and their cattle with them"; "the little one my wife goeth with
that my wife give to it a portion if god give it life"; wife executrix, "loving friends James Skiffe and
Richard Bourne" overseers [Plymouth Wills 1:328, citing PCPR 2:51; see also MD 14:152-53].
The inventory of his estate, taken 21 May 1657, was untotalled [about £70], and like most Plymouth
inventories included no real estate [Plymouth Wills 1:329, citing PCPR 2:52].
In her will, dated 6 August 1693 and proved 5 October 1693, "Jane Barlow of Sandwich" bequeathed to
"my son John Barlow ... my dwelling house and all my land on which it stands and land adjacent ...
together with my great iron kettle and the money that he owes me"; to "my son Nathan Barlow forty
shillings in money and my featherbed and the iron kettle that he now hath of mine"; to "my son Nehemiah
Bessie one cow"; to "Alce Hunter and Rebeckah Hunter the daughters of my daughter Rebeckah Hunterone cow apiece"; to "my three daughters viz: Anna Hallett, Elizabeth Bodfish and Rebeckah Hunter all
my wearing clothes and the rest of my estate to be divided between them"; "Stephen Skeffe Esq." to be
executor [PPR 1:86; MD 19:44-45].
The inventory of "the estate of Jane Barlow late of Sandwich who deceased the 22 day of August 1693,"
taken "this 4th [sic day of August 1693," totalled £38, with no real estate included [PPR 1:86; MD 19:45].
DEATH: Between 10 February 1656/7 (date of will) and 21 May 1657 (date of inventory).
MARRIAGE: By about 1639 Jane _____. She married (2) before 10 January or February 1661/2 George
Barlow [PCR 4:7], and died 22 August 1693 (assuming that the date of the inventory was correctly 24
August).
CHILDREN:
I. DORCAS, b. say 1639; living 4 March 1661/2, unmarried [PCR 4:10]; no further record.
II. ANN, b. say 1641; m. by 1662 Andrew Hallett, son of ANDREW HALLETT [TAG 26:193-95].
III. NEHEMIAH, b. about 1643 (of full age on 2 August 1664 [PCR 4:17]); m. by 1680 Mary
Ransom, daughter of Robert Ransom (eldest known child b. Sandwich [blank ] November 1680
[SandVR 1:61]; son Nehemiah b. Sandwich [blank ] July 1682/3 [sic [SandVR 1:62]; the 14
December 1697 inventory of Robert Ransom Senior included "a hores & saddle & arms he gave
to his grandson Nehemiah Bessey before he died" [PPR 1:280]).
IV. MARY, b. say 1645; living 4 March 1661/2, unmarried [PCR 4:10]; no further record.
V. JANE, b. say 1647; on 3 June 1662, "concerning a cow belonging to Jane, the daughter of
Anthony Bessey, of Sandwich, the Court have ordered G[e]orge Barlow, in whose hands the said
cow hath been for some time, to return her to the overseers of the estate of the said Anthony
Bessey, to be disposed of by them for the use and good of the said Jane Bessey" [PCR 4:17]; no
further record.
VI. DAVID, b. Sandwich 23 May 1649 [SandVR 1:4; PCR 8:9]; named in his father's will, 10
February 1656/7; no further record.
VII. ELIZABETH, b. say 1654; m. by 1674 Joseph Botfish, son of ROBERT BOTFISH.
VIII. REBECCA (posthumous), b. about summer 1657; m. Barnstable 17 February 1670[ /1?] William
Hunter [MD 6:137].
COMMENTS: On 13 July 1635, "Anto Bessy," aged 26, was enrolled at London for passage to New
England on the James [Hotten 107].
Although there is no record of the presence of Anthony Bessey in Lynn, we assume he resided there
briefly, since several of his fellow passengers on the James made that their first residence.
On 5 March 1638/9, "Anthonie Bessie [was] presented for living alone disorderly, and afterwards fortaking in an inmate without order" [PCR 1:118]. (Anthony Bessey was probably married about the time of
this presentment.)
On 10 January or February 1661/2, Anna Bessey, Dorcas Bessey and Mary Bessey posted bond,
promising "to appear at the Court to be holden at Plymouth the first Tuesday in March next, to answer for
her unnatural and cruel carriages towards George Barlow, [their] father-in-law" [PCR 4:7]. On 4 March
1661/2, "Anna Bessey, for her cruel and unnatural practices towards her father-in-law, George Barlow, in
chopping of him in the back, notwithstanding the odiousness of her fact, the Court, considering of some
circumstances, viz:, her ingenious confession, together with her present condition, being with child, and
some other particulars, have sentenced her to pay a fine of ten pounds, or to be publicly whipped at some
other convenient time when her condition will admit thereof"; "Dorcas Bessey and Mary Bessey, for
carriages of like nature towards their father-in-law, though not in so high a degreee, were both sentenced
to sit in the stocks during the pleasure of the Court, which accordingly was performed"; "the younger,viz:, Mary Bessey, was sharply reproved by the Court, as being by her disobedience the occasioner of the
evil abovementioned"; "G[e]org[e] Barlow and his wife were both severly reproved for their most
ungodly living in contention with the other, and admonished to live otherwise" [PCR 4:10].
BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE In 1950 Mrs. John E. Barclay published an account of the family of Anthony
Bessey; we have followed her judgment on the birth order of the children of the immigrant [TAG 26:193-
Edmond Freeman was born in Pulborough, Sussex, England some time before 25 July 1596,
when he was baptized. He was the son of Edmond and Alice (Coles) Freeman. He died between
21 June and 2 November 1682. He married first Bennett Hodsoll, 16 June 1617, daughter of John
and Faith (____) (Bacon) Hodsoll, who died in 1630. He married second, Elizabeth ? . He sailedfor New England with Elizabeth and four surviving children and several other people with the
same name (but unsure of relation) on the Abigail in July 1635 and settled in Saugus (Lynn) in
the Bay colony.
“This year many new inhabitants appear in Lynn, and among them worthy of note Mr. Edmond
Freeman, who presented to the Colony twenty corsletts, or pieces of plate armor.” It is interesting
to note that he was given the title of “Mr.” which, at that time, was reserved for men of
importance, who in most instances had been gentlemen in England and hence had borne the title
before coming to New England. Another clue to his status in England is the fact that he brought
with him the “twenty corsletts or pieces of plate armor” which represented a considerable amount
of money.
He was admitted freeman at Plymouth, January 2, 1655-6, and after living a short time inDuxbury was one of ten men who, on April 3, 1637, were given permission by the court at
Plymouth to establish a new settlement. About two years later this settlement was incorporated as
the town of Sandwich.
He held many positions of importance in the Colony including assistant to Governor Bradford.
Throughout his life was respected and honored for his leadership, integrity and judgments. In
spite of the evident good standing of Edmond in the community, he occasionally offended in
small matters and he was promptly taken to task, as when in 1638 he and others were fined ten
shillings apiece for “being defective in armes”; that same year he was one of several who were
presented “for keeping swine unringed”; in 1641 he was before the Court for lending a gun to an
Indian and in 1646 he was fined eighteen pence for absence from General Court.
His will dated June 21, 1682 was probated November 2, the same year, and named his three
“sons,” Edmond and John Freeman and Edward Perry, as his executors, reaffirmed all prior
conveyances and divided such lands as he then possessed. It is interesting to note that his personal
estate included “One Dixionary & gt. Bible L1-15-0” the former volume being a rare possession
in the colonies in that early day.
Children of Edmond and Bennett all born in England:
1) Alice baptized 4 April 1619in Pulborough; died 24 April 1651 at Plymouth, married William
Paddy 24 November 1639;
2) Edmond baptized 25 November 1620 in Billingshurst, died 29 March 1673 at Sandwich,
married 1st
22 April 1646 to Rebecca Prence, 2nd
18 July 1651 Margaret Perry;
3) Bennett baptized 20 January 1621 in Billingshurst, died between 28 November and January 13
1633;
4) Elizabeth baptized 11 April 1624, married prob. Aft. 1647 to John Ellis ;
5) John baptized 28 January 1627-8 At Billingshurst, died 28 October 1626-7;
6) Nathaniel baptized 2 September 1629 died ten days later.
Elizabeth may have been the mother of Mary Freeman about 1643.
John Pike (1613-1688/1689) was a founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey and a judge and politician of the
early colony of New Jersey.
Pike was born in Wiltshire, England. He came to America with his parents, John Pike (1572-1654) and
Dorothy Day, first settling in Newbury, Massachusetts.
In 1665, acting on the invitation of Governor Philip Carteret, a number of Newbury residents formed a
corporation to settle in Woodbridge, named after Rev. John Woodbridge, a Newbury clergyman.[1]
Pike,
one of the original nine "associates" (and thereby granted some 300 acres, much more than other
freeholders), was "the prominent man of the town" in its early years. He was President of Woodbridge,
and in 1671 was appointed to the Governor's Council. After 1675, he was Captain of the militia, and
afterward known as Capt. Pike. He was chosen to represent the township in the colonial General
Assembly three times: 1692-3, 1696, and 1697-8.[2]
In 1684, together with his son John, he was convicted of possession of stolen goods, a felony. After hisdeath, the New Jersey assembly passed an act clearing his name, as well as one allowing his family to sue
for defamation.[2]
Personal life
Pike married Elizabeth Fitz Randolph in 1685, although he already had several grown children: John(1634-1714), Thomas, Joseph, Hannah, Ruth, and three others who predeceased him.[2]
Pike is an ancestor of Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) explorer and army general, after whom
Pikes Peak is named.[1] He is also the patriarch of a large clan of modern day Pikes. According to
genealogist using DNA analysis, almost 25% of current Pikes in the United States are descendants from
his line. http://www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/family_history/pike/DNA/index.php?content=resul ts.html
He is also an ancestor of Albert Pike, a prominent Confederate brigadier general and an important
Freemason; and Lt. Colonel Emory Jenison Pike, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Notes for MARY SCULLARD: From "The Early Rolfe Settlers of New England"
It was after the birth of their 3rd child and while John was away from Newbury that Mary became
involved in a scandal with a Dr. Henry Greenland, a new-comer to Newbury. He was found guilty of
adultery and ordered out of Newbury. He went first to Kittery, Maine from where he was forced to leave.He then relocated to Piscataway, New Jersey where he and his family settled. Shortly after John's return
to Newbury, he, Mary and their daughters, Mary and Rebecca relocated to Nantucket where their next
five children were born. About 1672 the family relocated to a part of Cambridge that is now Arlington
where he purchased and operated "Cook's Mill". Three, possibly four of their children were born there.
The elderly gentleman dressed in black on the left is William Brewster at the famous First Thanksgiving
with the Indians in the fall of 1621. [“The First Thanksgiving” by American artist Jean Leon Gerome
Ferris (1863-1930), public domain.] Not everyone in Elder Brewster’s family had come ashore from the
‘Mayflower’ at Plymouth Rock the previous December. His daughter Patience arrived on the ship ‘Anne’with her sister Fear in July of 1623. Patience’s future husband Thomas Prence came over on the ship
‘Fortune,’ commanded by Master Thomas Barton. The first vessel to appear since the ‘Mayflower’ sailed
back to England, the ‘Fortune’ arrived at Plymouth on 9 November, 1621. This was just a few weeks after
the First Thanksgiving which occurred in October, so Thomas missed the meal too. This was more of a
secular “harvest celebration” than a religious event. According to eyewitness accounts, just after the
harvest was complete, 53 Pilgrim survivors from the ‘Mayflower’ and 90 Indians feasted over a 3-day
period, standing up, sitting down, indoors and out. There was “a great store of wild turkeys”; roasted
ducks and geese from the many wildfowl on Cape Cod Bay; codfish, lobsters, mussels, eels, and clams;
venison from deer the Indians provided; pumpkins, squash, and cabbage; wild grapes, plums, and berries;
and dried fruit. Indian corn (maize) was ground into samp, a kind of cornmeal porridge. As corn on the
cob, it was inedible. Because their rationed flour was gone, there was no bread. -LP
In the early days of New Jersey, the Dutch settlers suffered very much from Indian hostilities. It was at
the time that New Amsterdam, afterwards New York, was in the possession of the Dutch, that a ship came
from Holland, bringing passengers who intended to settle in the new country. The ship was unfortunately
wrecked in the neighborhood of Sandy Hook; but all the passengers managed to save themselves, and
reached the shore.
Among these was a young couple whose names we do not know, except that the wife’s maiden name was
Penelope Van Princis. Her husband had been very sick during the voyage; and getting ashore through the
surf from the wreck could not have been of any benefit to him, for, after he had reached dry land, he felt
even worse than he had upon shipboard, and needed all the attention his wife could give him.
Although the passengers and crew of this vessel had reached the shore, they did not by any means
consider themselves in safety; for they were very much afraid of the Indians, and desired aboveeverything to make what haste they could toward New Amsterdam. They therefore started away as
soon[Pg 58] as possible. But Penelope’s husband was too sick to go any farther at that time, and his wife
was too good a woman to leave her husband in that lonely spot; and so these two were left behind, while
the rest of the company started for New Amsterdam, promising, however, that they would send help to the
unfortunate couple.
The fears of these immigrants in regard to the Indians were not without foundation; for the main party had
not long departed, when a band of red men, probably having heard in some way of the wreck of the ship,
appeared upon the scene, and discovered poor Penelope and her sick husband. It is unfortunately the
disposition of most savages to show little pity for weakness and suffering, and the fact that the poor
young man could not do them any possible harm had no effect upon them, and they set upon him and
killed him; very much as a boy would kill a little harmless snake, for no reason whatever, except that he
was able to do it.
Then they determined to kill Penelope also, and, attacking her with their tomahawks, they so cut and
wounded her that she fell down bleeding and insensible. Having built a fire, these brave warriors cooked
themselves a comfortable meal, and then departed. But Penelope was not killed, and, coming to her
senses, her instincts told her that the first thing to do was to hide herself from these bloodthirsty red men:so, slowly and painfully, she crawled away to the edge of a wood, and found there a great hollow tree,
into which she crept.
This made but narrow and doleful quarters for a wounded woman, but it was preferable at that time to theblue sky and fresh air. She did not leave the tree until nightfall, and then she made her way to the place
where the fire was still glimmering; and by great care, and with what must have been painful labor, she
kept this fire from going out, and so managed to get a little warmth.
In this way, living in the tree the greater part of the time, and depending for food chiefly upon the fungous
excrescences and gum which grew on the outside of it,—for she was not able to go in search of berries
and other food,—poor Penelope lived for a few days, with her dead husband on the beach, and her almost
dead self in that cavern-like tree. The hours must have passed mournfully indeed to this young woman
who had set out for the New World with such bright hopes.
That she survived her terrible hardships was due entirely to the existence of the danger she most feared;
that is, the reappearance of the Indians. On the second morning, nearly famished and very weak, Penelope
was making her way slowly over the ground, endeavoring to find something she could eat, or a little dew
in the hollow of a leaf, that she might drink, when suddenly there came out of the woods two tall Indians,
who, naturally enough, were much surprised to find a wounded white woman there alone upon the
Penelope gave herself up as lost. There was nothing now for her to do but to submit to her fate. It [Pg 60]
was a pity, she thought, that she had not been slain with her husband.
But the Indians did not immediately rush at her with their tomahawks: they stood and talked together,
evidently about her, with their fierce eyes continually fixed upon her. Then their conversation became
more animated, and it was soon plain that they were disputing. Of course, she did not then know the cause
of their difference of opinion; but she found out afterwards that one of them was in favor of killing herupon the spot, and the other, an older man than his companion, was more mercifully inclined, and wished
to carry her off as a prisoner to their camp.
At last the older man got the better of the other one; and he, being determined that the poor wounded
woman should be taken care of, took her up and put her on his shoulder, and marched away with her. That
an Indian should be able to perform a feat like this is not at all surprising; for when one of them shoots a
deer in the forest, though many of those animals are heavier than Penelope was, he will put it on his back
and carry it through the forests, perhaps for miles, until he reaches his camp. And [Pg 61] so Penelope, as
if she had been a deer wounded by some other hunters, which these men had found, was carried to the
Indian camp.
There she was taken care of. Food and drink were given her. Her wounds were dressed and treated after
the Indian fashion. In due course of time she recovered her health and strength, and there—living in awigwam, among the women and children of the village, pounding corn, cooking food, carrying burdens asdid the Indian women—she remained for some time, not daring even to try to escape; for in that wild
country there was no place of safety to which it was possible for her to flee.
Although there was a good deal of bad feeling between the Indians and the whites at that time, they still
traded and communicated with each other; and when, in the course of time, it became known in New
Amsterdam that there was a white woman held as a prisoner in this Indian camp, there was every reason
to suppose that this woman was the young wife who had been left on the seacoast by the survivors of the
wreck. Consequently some of the men who had been her fellow-passengers came over to the Indian camp,
which was not far from where Middletown now stands. Here, as they had expected, they found Penelope,
and demanded that the Indians should give her up.
After some discussion, it was agreed that the matter should be left with Penelope herself; and the old
Indian who had saved her life went to her,—for of course, being an inferior, she was not present at the
conference,[Pg 62]—and put the question before her. Here she was, with a comfortable wigwam, plentyto eat and drink, good Indian clothes to wear, as well treated as any Indian woman, and, so far as he could
see, with everything to make her comfortable and happy; and here she might stay if she chose. On the
other hand, if she wished to go to New Amsterdam, she would find there no one with whom she was
acquainted, except the people who had rowed away and left her on that desolate coast, and who might
have come in search of her a long time before if they really had cared anything about her. If she wanted to
live here among friends who had been kind to her, and be taken care of, she could do so; if she wanted togo away and live among people who had deserted her, and who appeared to have forgotten her, she could
do that.
Very much to the surprise of this good Indian, Penelope declared that she should prefer to go and live
among people of her own race and country; and so, much to the regret of her Indian friends, she departedfor New Amsterdam with the men who had come for her.
A year or two after Penelope had gone back to New Amsterdam, being then about twenty-two, she
married an Englishman named Richard Stout, who afterwards became an important personage. He, withother settlers, went over to New Jersey and founded a little village, which was called Middletown, not far
from the Indian camp where Penelope had once been a prisoner. The Indians still remained in this camp,
but now they appeared to be quite friendly to the[Pg 63] whites; and the new settlers did not consider that
there was anything dangerous in having these red neighbors. The good Indian who had been Penelope’s
protector, now quite an old man, was very friendly and sociable, and often used to visit Mrs. Stout. This
friendship for the woman whom he had saved from death seemed to have been strong and sincere.
One day this old Indian came to the house of Mrs. Stout, and, seating himself in the room where she was,
remained for a long time pensive and silent. This rather unusual conduct made Penelope fear that
something had happened to him; and she questioned him, asking him why he was so silent, and why he
sighed so often. Then the old man spoke out and told her that he had come on a very important errand, inwhich he had risked his own life at the hands of his tribe; but, having saved her life once, he had
determined to do it again, no matter what might happen to himself.
Then he told her that the good will of the Indians toward their white neighbors had come to an end, and
that it had been determined in council that an attack should be made that night upon this little village,
when every person in it—men, women, and children—should be put to death, the houses burned, and the
cattle driven away. His brethren no longer wanted white people living near them.
Of course, this news was a great shock to Penelope. She had now two little children, and she could not getfar away with them and hide, as she herself had once hidden from Indian foes. But the old man told
her[Pg 64] that she need not be afraid: he could not save all the people in the village, but he was her
friend, and he had arranged to save her and her family. At a certain place, which he described so she
could not fail to find it, he had concealed a canoe; and in that she and her husband, with the children,could go over to New Amsterdam, and there would be plenty of time for them to get away before theIndians would attack the place. Having said this, and having urged her to lose no time in getting away, the
old Indian left.
As soon as he had gone, Penelope sent for her husband, who was working in the fields, and told him what
she had heard, urging him to make preparations instantly to escape with her. But Mr. Stout was not easily
frightened by news such as this. He pooh-poohed the whole story, and told his wife that the natives over
there in their camp were as well disposed and friendly as if they had been a company of white settlers,
and that, as these red men and the whites had lived together so long, trading with each other, and visiting
each other with perfect freedom, there was no reason whatever to suppose that the Indians would
suddenly determine to rise up and massacre a whole settlement of peaceable neighbors, who had never
done them any harm, and who were a great benefit to them in the way of trading. It would be all
nonsense, he said, to leave their homes, and run away from Indians so extremely friendly and good-natured as those in the neighboring camp.
But Penelope had entirely different ideas upon the subject. She thoroughly believed in the old Indian,
and[Pg 65] was sure that he would not have come and told her that story unless it had been true. If her
husband chose to stay and risk his life, she could not help it; but she would not subject herself and her
children to the terrible danger which threatened them. She had begged her husband to go with her; but as
he had refused, and had returned to his work, she and her children would escape alone.
Consequently she set out with the little ones, and with all haste possible she reached the place where the
canoe was moored among some tall reeds, and, getting in with the children, she paddled away to New
Amsterdam, hoping she might reach there in time to send assistance to Middletown before the Indians
should attack it.
When Farmer Stout found that his wife had really gone off, and had taken the children with her, he beganto consider the matter seriously, and concluded that perhaps there might be something in the news which
the old Indian had brought. He consequently called together a number of the men of the village, and they
held a consultation, in which it was determined that it would be a wise thing to prepare themselves againstthe threatened attack; and, arming themselves with all[Pg 66] the guns and pistols they could get, they
met together in one of the houses, which was well adapted for that purpose, and prepared to watch all
They did not watch in vain, for about midnight they heard from the woods that dreadful war whoop which
the white settlers now well understood. They knew it meant the same thing as the roar of the lion, who,
after silently creeping towards his intended victim, suddenly makes the rocks echo with the sound of his
terrible voice, and then gives his fatal spring.
But although these men might have been stricken with terror, had they heard such a war cry at a time
when they were not expecting it, and from Indians to whom they were strangers, they were not so terrifiedat the coming of these red men with whom, perhaps only the day before, they had been trading buttons for
venison and beans. They could not believe that these apparently mild and easy-going fellows could really
be the terrible savages they tried to make themselves appear.
So Richard Stout and his companions went boldly out, guns in hand, to meet the oncoming savages, and,
calling a parley, they declared that they had no intention of resting quietly, and allowing themselves and
families to be slaughtered and their houses burned. If the Indians, who had so long been their good
neighbors, were now determined to become bloody enemies, they would find that they would have to do a
good deal of hard fighting before they could destroy the village of Middletown; and, if they persisted in
carrying on the bloody job they had undertaken, a good[Pg 67] many of them would be killed before that
job was finished.
Now, it had been very seldom that Indians who had started out to massacre whites had met with peoplewho acted like this; and these red men in war paint thought it wise to consider what had been said tothem. A few of them may have had guns, but the majority were armed only with bows and tomahawks;
and these white men had guns and pistols, with plenty of powder and ball. It would clearly be unsafe to
fight them.
So, after discussing the matter among themselves and afterwards talking it over with the whites, the
Indians made up their minds, that, instead of endeavoring to destroy the inhabitants of Middletown, they
would shake hands with them and make a treaty of peace. They then retired; and on the following day a
general conference was held, in which the whites agreed to buy the lands on which they had built their
town, and an alliance was made for mutual protection and assistance. This compact was faithfully
observed as long as there were any Indians in the neighborhood, and Middletown grew and flourished.
Among the citizens of the place there were none who grew and flourished in a greater degree than the
Stout family. Although Penelope bore upon her body the scars of her wounds until the day of her death, it
is stated, upon good authority, that she lived to be one hundred and ten years old; so that it is plain thather constitution was not injured by the sufferings and hardships of the beginning of her life in New
Jersey.
Not only did the Stouts flourish in Middletown, but some of them went a little southward, and helped to
found the town of Hopewell; and here they increased to such a degree that one of the early historians
relates that the Baptist Church there was founded by the Stouts, and that for forty-one years the religious
meetings were held in the houses of different members of the Stout family, while, at the time he wrote,
half of the congregation of the church were still Stouts, and that, all in all, there had been at least two
hundred members of that name. So the Baptist Church in Hopewell, as well as all the churches in
Middletown, owed a great deal to the good Indian who carried poor Penelope to his village, and cured her
of her wounds.Accounts of the Shipwreck of Penelope on the Jersey Shore
abt 1640 , New Jersey and New Amsterdam
From “The History of the Stout Family First Settling in Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey in
1666” first published in 1823 by Capt. Nathan Stout:
“About the same time [about 1640] a ship from Amsterdam, in Holland, on her way to the said New
Amsterdam, was driven on the shore that is now called Middletown, in Monmouth County, in the State of
New Jersey, which ship was loaded with passengers, who with much difficulty got on shore. But the
Indians not long after fell upon them and butchered and killed the whole crew, as they thought, but soon
after the Indians were gone, a certain Penelope Van Princes, whose husband the Indians had killed, found
herself possessed of strength enough to creep to a hollow tree, where she remained some days. An Indian
happening to come that way, whose dog coming to the tree, where he found the said Penelope in a forlorn,
distressed condition. She was bruised very severely about the head, and her bowels protruded from a cut
across her abdomen; she kept them in with her hand. She had been in this fearful condition seven dayswhen the Indian found her. In his compassion he took her out of the tree and carried her to his wigwam,
where he treated her kindly and healed her wounds, and in a short time conveyed her in his canoe to New
Amsterdam, where he sold her to the Dutch, who then owned that city, now called New York.
“The man and woman from whom the whole race of Stouts descended got into the city of New
Amsterdam, where they became acquainted with each other and were married. And, notwithstanding, it
may be thought by some, that they conducted themselves with more fortitude than prudence, they
immediately crossed the bay and settled in the above said Middletown, where the said Penelope had lost
her first husband by the Indians and had been so severely wounded herself.”
An even older account of Penelope’s ordeal was published in 1790 in Benedict’s “History of theBaptists”:
“The origin of this Baptist family is no less remarkable: for they all sprang from one woman, and she as
good as dead; her history is in the mouths of most of her posterity, and is told as follows: ‘She was born
in Amsterdam, about the year 1627; her father’s name was Van Princes. (She married in Amsterdam, and)
she and her first husband, whose name is not known, sailed for New York, then New Amsterdam, about
the year 1645. The vessel was stranded at Sandy Hook. The crew got ashore and marched toward New
Amsterdam; but Penelope’s (for that was her name) husband, being hurt in the wreck, could not march
with them. Therefore, he and his wife tarried in the woods. They had not been long in the place before the
indians killed them both (as they thought) and stripped them to the skin. However, Penelope came to,
though her skull was fractured, and her left shoulder so hacked that she could never use that arm like the
other. She was also cut across the abdomen so that her bowels appeared; these she kept in with her hand.
She continued in this situation for seven days, taking shelter in a hollow tree, and eating the excrescencesof it.
“The seventh day she saw a deer passing by with arrows sticking in it, and soon after two Indians
appeared whom she was glad to see, in hope they would put her out of her misery. Accordingly, one made
toward her, to knock her on the head; but the other, who was an elderly man, prevented him; and,
throwing his matchcoat about her, carried her to his wigwam (said to have been near the site of
Middletown village), and cured her of her wounds and bruises. After that, he took her to New
Amsterdam, and made a present of her to her countrymen, that is to say, an Indian present, expecting tentimes the value in return.
“It was in New York, that one Richard Stout married her... She was now in her 22nd year, and he in his
40th. She bore him seven sons and five daughters... The mother lived to the age of 110, and saw her
The Stouts of New Jersey are descended from John Stout of Nottinghamshire, England, whose son
Richard emigrated to Long Island about 1640. A vessel from Holland, numbering among its passengers a
man named Van Princes and his wife Penelope, was stranded near Sandy Hook about the same time. Theyoung man having been ill on the voyage was unable to travel further, so they remained on the Jerseycoast where he was killed by the Indians, and Penelope, badly wounded, left to die. She crept to a hollow
tree where she was discovered by a friendly Indian, who cared for her wounds until her recovery.
Afterwards she met and married Richard Stout. This incident is fully described on page 65 of "Smith's
History of New Jersey."
Richard Stout was one of the patentees of Gravesend, Long Island, in 1645, and in 1665 he was one of the
twelve men to whom the Monmouth patent was granted, and so was one of the original and permanentsettlers of East Jersey. Richard and Penelope Stout settled on a farm about three miles west of the village
of Middletown, and are buried there.
In Richard Stout's will dated June 9, 1703, on file in the office of the Secretary of State, Trenton, he
mentions his sons, John, Richard, James Jonathan, David and Benjamin, his daughters, Mary, Alice andSarah; his daughter-in-law, Mary Stout, and her son John, and his "kinswoman, Mary Stout, the daughter
formerly of Peter Stout."
***SOURCE INFORMATION***
Pioneers of Old Hopewell
Record of the settlers of Hopewell Valley written by Ralph Ege in 1908
Richard Stout, an Englishman, born in Nottinghamshire, Eng., son of John Stout, m. Penelope VanPrincis
or VanPrinces, who, as claimed by some, was born in 1602, but by others, in 1622. The latter date is mostlikely the correct one. See the story of Penelope Stout in this Appendix, under Labaw.
The marriage of Richard and Penelope Stout must have occurred in 1644, and not in 1624, as many think.
The date of settlement in Middletown, N. J., has been given as 1648, which was shortly after theirmarriage, which also is unquestionably wrong, — the real date of their settlement in Middletown being
about 1667, or about 20 years later than the earlier date.
The union of Richard and Penelope Stout resulted in at least ten children. Nathan Stout, of Hopewell, N.
J., who in 1878, published a small history of the family, gives the names of the children in the following
however, as the daughters all come after the sons, is apparently not the true order. In N. J. Archives, First
Series, Vol. XXI, Calendar N. J. Records, 1664-1703, p. 46. E. J. Deeds, etc., Liber No. 3, Reversed Side,
we find the following:
"1675. Here begins the Rights of Land due according to the Concessions &c"
"Richard Stout of Midleton, wife, sons John, Richard, James, Peter, daughters Mary, Alice, Sarah. Mary
Stout is the wife of James Bound; Alice Stout, wife of John Trogmorton, all 1800 a."
There were three minor sons later.
According to N. J. Archives, Vol. XXIII, First Series, abstract of wills, Vol. I, 1670-1730, p. 446:
"1703, June 9. Stout, Richard, Senior, of Middletown, will of, (???) wife (???), sons, (???) John, Richard,
James, Jonathan, David, Benjamin; daughters, (???) Mary, Alse, Sarah; daughter in law Marey Stoute,and her son John, kinswoman Mary Stoute, daughter of Peter Stout. Real and Personal property.
As will be seen, the lists above given all differ in the order of the names. Nathan Stout mentions
daughters Deliverance and Penelope, whose names are not enumerated in either of the other lists; while
the second list omits the youngest three sons, who were born evidently after 1667. But the third list omits
Peter, who, however, in the meantime had died, leaving his widow Mary and a son John and a daughter
Mary. Possibly Richard and Penelope Stout had twelve children instead of ten, seven sons and fivedaughters, Deliverance and Penelope having died before 1667, or at any rate before the Land Grants were
recorded between that and 1675, although leaving descendants. It is true, Nathan Stout of Hopewell, may
have been wrong in his mention of these two names, or they may in some way have been identical with
Mary and Alice. Did these two have double names?
John Stout, although we do not know to whom, was married Jan. 13, 1671-2. Jonathan Stout married Ann
Bollen, and lived at Hopewell, N. J. This couple had a son Samuel, b. 1709, who married the widow of
James Stout, the mother of seven children by her first husband, and had an only son Samuel, b. 1738 (or
as Nathan Stout says, Feb., 1732), who married Ann VanDyke. This son was a Justice of the Peace and
also for a time served in New Jersey State Legislature. Samuel and Ann VanDyke had a son John, who m.
Hannah Rosencrans, and their son Samuel J., m. Mary Labaw, but what Mary Labaw, we do not know, —
probably the daughter of David, and granddaughter of Francis. Dr. J. E. Stillwell, of New York City, has
given us some of this information by letter. He is the author of several volumes of Genealogical andHistorical Miscellany.
David Stout, b. 1669, another son of Richard and Penelope, m. 1688, Rebecca Ashton, and lived at
Middletown, N. J. He had eight children, but the order in which we have them is uncertain, viz.: James,
James Stout, of Upper Freehold, afterwards of Amwell, N. J., son of David, m. 1712, (Jersey Genealogy,
No. 1452, Newark Evening News, says 1715, why?), Catharine Simpson or Simson. In Amwell he lived
where Abraham Runkle lived in 1878, near Wertsville. He had a son James, b. 1715, who m. Jemima
Reeder. This couple had a son Caleb who m. Elizabeth Labaw, daughter of Francis Labaw and
Deliverance Stout. Deliverance Stout (dau. of David and Rebecca Ashton Stout), who m. Francis Labaw,
who was born in England of French Protestant parents, had six children: Morris, David, Samuel, Daniel,
Moses and Elizabeth, which Elizabeth, as noted, m. Caleb Stout.
David Labaw, son of Francis and Deliverance Labaw, m. Mary Stout, sister of Caleb and dau. of Jamesand Jemima Reeder Stout, and had eight children, as follows:
Charles, James, Francis, Lewis, David, Deliverance, Mary, Daniel, which see under Labaw in this
Appendix, though they are given there in a different order. The connection of the Warnes with the Stouts
is through Charles Labaw, whose grandson, John C. Labaw, son of Lewis, m. for his second wife, Mary
Warne, dau. of George and Sarah (Fulmer) Warne.
***SOURCE INFORMATION***
A Genealogy of the Warne Family in America Principally the Descendants of Thomas Warne, born 1652,
died 1722, one of the Twenty-four Proprietors of East New Jersey
By: Rev. George Warne Labaw, Pastor Of The Reformed Church Of Preakness, New Jersey
Copyright, 1911, By: FRANK ALLABEN GENEALOGICAL COMPANY
Biography
Middletown, New Jersey
Richard Stout, son of John Stout of Nottinghamshire, England, was one of the first settlers of Gravesend,L.I. in the year 1643. In 1646, he was allotted plantation lot No. 18. At Gravesend, his name appears but
seldom on records, but was without a doubt a farmer. In 1661, he purchased lot No. 26 of Edward Griffin,
and from this time on we find frequent mention of him in various undertakings. On January 25, 1664,
Richard (along with five other men of Gravesend) made the first purchase of land in Monmouth Couny,
New Jersey from the Indians. Popomora, a Sachem, signing the deed on the behalf of his tribe. A year or
two later the settlement of Monmouth had begun. Richard Stout being one of the twelve men named in
the Monmouth patent. In the allotment of town lots at Middletown (December 30, 1667) he was given
home lot No. 6 with a large amount of land. In 1669 he was one of the Overseers. In 1675 he receivedland in right of himself, wife and sons. For many years Richard Stout was one of the most prominent men
in Middletown, and in 1690 he signed a deed of conveyance, to take effect after the death of himself and
wife, transferring to their son Benjamin the plantation whereon they lived at Hop River. Richard died
about 1705. His will dated June 9, 1703, and probated Oct. 23, 1705 and names his wife, children and
grandchildren. The inventory of his personal estate (chiefly horses, cattle and hogs), taken Oct. 6, 1705,
shows a valuation of about 64 pounds.
Tobacco Grower/Land Owner
From Tanner's "Province of New Jersey", pg. 61.
Richard found friends among some English settlers who because of their religion had fled to New
Amsterdam from neighboring colonies, among them were Lady Deborah Moody, her son, Sir HenryMoody, Richard Slater, William Browne, and Thomas Applegate. Together they obtained a charter from
the Dutch governor to found the first English settlement on Long Island at Graves End. Richard was a
resident of New Amsterdam in the spring of 1643. He was employed by Governor Kieft as a soldier in the
February uprising of that year. He was named under the 'Monmouth Patent' and accompanied LadyMoody and others to settle Gravesend between her arrival in June and October of that year. Thirty-eight
others joined Richard where he settled in 1644 on Plantation No. 18, which he had purchased five years
earlier. In 1646, he received lot 16 in Gravesend where he grew tobacco. In 1657, 17 of his 20 acres were
under cultivation. In 1661, he bought an adjoining farm of William Griffin. Richard became the largest
land owner of the group. He may have married when he settled there, if so his first wife was dead when
he met Penelope. Penelope convinced him to settle in Middletown near the Indian tribe that had helped
her. There are records of Richard's attempts to settle Middletown in 1655; but because of Indian troubles
this was aborted at that time. Later, a general conference was held in which the white men agreed to buythe lands from the Indians. Deeds were granted, signed and duly paid for and witnessed. This led to
Indeed, Pocahontas was a favorite of her father’s—–his “delight and darling”, according to the colonist
Captain Ralph Hamor[16]—–but she was not a princess in the conventional European sense of the word.
She was not in line to inherit a position as a weroance, or subchief, let alone her father’s exalted rank of
mamanatowick , or paramount chief. Some women did become weroansquas, or female chiefs, and
Powhatan’s brothers, sisters, and his sisters’ children all stood in line to succeed him.[17]
In his A Map of Virginia John Smith explained how matrilineal inheritance worked among the Powhatans:His [Powhatan’s] kingdome descendeth not to his sonnes nor children: but first to his brethren, whereof
he hath 3 namely Opitchapan, Opechanncanough, and Catataugh; and after their decease to his sisters.First to the eldest sister, then to the rest: and after them to the heires male and female of the eldest sister;
but never to the heires of the males.
In addition, Pocahontas’s mother’s status was probably lowly. In his Relation of Virginia (1609), the
colonist Henry Spelman, who had lived among the American Indians serving as an interpreter, noted
Powhatan’s many wives. Each wife gave the paramount chief one child, after which she not only resumed
her status as a commoner but was also sent back where she had come from.[18]
Interactions With The English
“Saving” John Smith
In this chromolithograph credited to the New EnglandChromo. Lith. Company, ca. 1870, Pocahontas saves
the life of John Smith. The scene is idealized and
relies on stereotypes of American Indians rather than
reliable information about the particulars of this
historical moment. There are no mountains in
Tidewater Virginia, for example, and the PowhatanIndians lived not in tipis but in thatched houses. And
the scene that Smith famously described in his
Generall Historie (1624) did not take place outdoors
but in a longhouse.
Pocahontas is most famously linked to the Englishcolonist Captain John Smith, who arrived in Virginia
with just more than a hundred other settlers in April 1607. After building a fort on a marshy peninsula
poking out into the James River, the Englishmen had numerous encounters over the next several months
with the American Indians of Tsenacommacah, some of them friendly, some hostile. Then, in December
1607, while exploring on the Chickahominy River, Smith was captured by a hunting party led by
Powhatan’s younger brother (or close relative) Opechancanough and brought to Powhatan’s capital at
Werowocomoco. In his 1608 account, Smith described a large feast followed by a long talk with
Powhatan. He does not mention Pocahontas in relation to his capture; in fact, in this account, he does not
meet Pocahontas for the first time until a few months later. [19] In 1616, however, Smith wrote a letter to
Queen Anne in anticipation of Pocahontas’s visit to England. In this new account, his capture included the
threat of his own death: “... at the minute of my execution”, he wrote, “she [Pocahontas] hazarded the
beating out of her own brains to save mine; and not only that, but so prevailed with her father, that I wassafely conducted to Jamestown.”[3]
Eight years later, in his Generall Historie, Smith expanded upon the story. Writing about himself in the
third person, he explained that after he was captured and taken to the paramount chief, “two great stones
were brought before Powhatan: then as many as could layd hands on him [Smith], dragged him to them,
and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beate out his braines, Pocahontas the Kings
dearest daughter, when no intreaty could prevaile, got his head in her armes, and laid her owne upon his
Pocahontas’s capture occurred in the context of the First Anglo-Powhatan War, a conflict between the
Jamestown settlers and the American Indians that began late in the summer of 1609. [34] In the first years
of war, the English took control of the James River, both at its mouth and at the falls. Captain Samuel
Argall, in the meantime, pursued contacts with American Indian
groups in the northern portion of Powhatan’s paramount
chiefdom. The Patawomecks, who lived on the Potomac River,
were not always loyal to Powhatan, and living with them was ayoung English interpreter named Henry Spelman. In March 1613,
Argall learned that Pocahontas was visiting the Patawomeck
village of Passapatanzy and living under the protection of the
weroance Iopassus (also known as Japazaws).[35]
With Spelman’s help translating, Argall pressured Iopassus to
assist in Pocahontas’s capture by promising an alliance with the
English against the Powhatans.[35] They tricked Pocahontas into
boarding Argall’s ship and held her for ransom, demanding the
release of English prisoners held by her father, along with various
stolen weapons and tools.[36]
Powhatan returned the prisoners, but failed to satisfy the colonists with thenumber of weapons and tools he returned. A long standoff ensued, during which the English kept
Pocahontas captive.
During the year-long wait, she was held at Henricus, in modern-day Chesterfield County, Virginia. Little
is known about her life there, although colonist Ralph Hamor wrote that she received “extraordinary
courteous usage”.[37]
Linwood “Little Bear” Custalow, in a 2007 book, asserted that Pocahontas was raped
during this time, citing oral tradition handed down over four centuries. According to Helen Rountree,“Other historians have disputed that such oral tradition survived and instead argue that any mistreatment
of Pocahontas would have gone against the interests of the English in their negotiations with
Powhatan.”[38]
At this time, the minister at Henricus, Alexander Whitaker, taught Pocahontas about Christianity and
helped her to improve her English. Upon her baptism, Pocahontas took the Christian name “Rebecca”.[39]
In March 1614, the standoff built up to a violent confrontation between hundreds of English andPowhatan men on the Pamunkey River. At Powhatan’s capital of Matchcot, the English encountered a
group of some senior American Indian leaders (but not Powhatan himself, who was away). The English
permitted Pocahontas to talk to her countrymen. Pocahontas reportedly rebuked her father for valuing her
“less than old swords, pieces, or axes”, and told the Powhatan she preferred to live with the English.[40]
Marriage To John Rolfe
During her stay in Henricus, Pocahontas met John Rolfe.
Rolfe’s English-born wife and child had died on the journey
over to Virginia. He had successfully cultivated a new strain of
tobacco there and spent much of his time there tending to hiscrop. He was a pious man who agonized over the potential
moral repercussions of marrying a heathen. In a long letter tothe governor requesting permission to wed her, he expressed
both his love for her and his belief he would be saving her soul
claiming he was:
motivated not by the unbridled desire of carnal affection, but forthe good of this plantation, for the honor of our country, for the
Glory of God, for my own salvation... namely Pocahontas, to whom my hearty and best thoughts are, and
have been a long time so entangled, and enthralled in so intricate a labyrinth that I was even a-wearied to
unwind myself thereout[41]
Pocahontas’s feelings about Rolfe and the marriage are unknown.
They were married on April 5, 1614, and lived for two years on Rolfe’s plantation, Varina Farms, which
was located across the James River from the new community of Henricus. They had a child, ThomasRolfe, born on January 30, 1615.
Their marriage was unsuccessful in winning the English captives back, but it did create a climate of peace
between the Jamestown colonists and Powhatan’s tribes for several years; in 1615, Ralph Hamor wrote:
Since the wedding we have had friendly commerce and trade not only with Powhatan but also with hissubjects round about us.[42]
England
The Virginia Company of London had long seen one of its primary goals
as the conversion of American Indians to Christianity. With the
conversion of Pocahontas and her marriage to an Englishman–all of
which helped bring an end to the First Anglo-Powhatan War–thecompany saw an opportunity to promote investment. The companydecided to bring Pocahontas to England as a symbol of the tamed New
World “savage” and the success of the Jamestown settlement.[44] In 1616,
the Rolfes traveled to England, arriving at the port of Plymouth on June
12.[45]
They journeyed to London by coach, accompanied by a group of
about eleven other Powhatans, including a holy man named
Tomocomo.[46]
John Smith was living in London at the time and whilePocahontas was in Plymouth, she learned he was still alive.[47] Smith did
not meet Pocahontas, but wrote to Queen Anne, the wife of King James,
urging that Pocahontas be treated with respect as a royal visitor. He
suggested that if she were treated badly, her “present love to us and
Christianity might turn to ... scorn and fury”, and England might lose thechance to “rightly have a Kingdom by her means”.[3]
Pocahontas was entertained at various society gatherings. On January 5,
1617, she and Tomocomo were brought before the king at the Banqueting House in Whitehall Palace at a
performance of Ben Jonson‘s masque The Vision of Delight . According to Smith, King James was so
unprepossessing that neither Pocahontas nor Tomocomo realized whom they had met until it was
explained to them afterward.[47]
Although Pocahontas was not a princess in the context of Powhatan culture, the Virginia Companynevertheless presented her as a princess to the English public. The inscription on a 1616 engraving of
Pocahontas, made for the company, reads: “MATOAKA ALS REBECCA FILIA POTENTISS : PRINC :
POWHATANI IMP:VIRGINIÆ”, which means: “Matoaka, alias Rebecca, daughter of the most powerful
prince of the Powhatan Empire of Virginia”. Many English at this time recognized Powhatan to be theruler of an empire, and they presumably accorded to his daughter what they considered appropriate status.Smith’s letter to Queen Anne refers to “Powhatan their chief King”.[3] Samuel Purchas recalled meeting
Pocahontas in London, writing that she impressed those she met because she “carried her selfe as the
daughter of a king”.[48] When he met her again in London, Smith referred to Pocahontas deferentially as a
“Kings daughter”.[49]
A photograph of the “Sedgeford
Portrait”, said to represent
Pocahontas and her son, althoughits authenticity is debated.
48. ^ Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus . Vol. 19 p. 118.
49.
^ Smith, Generall Historie, p. 261.50. ^ Qtd. in Herford and Simpson, eds. Ben Jonson, vol. 10, 568–569
51. ^ Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus , Vol. 19, p. 118
52. ^ Price, Love and Hate. p. 182.
53. ^ Dr. Linwood “Little Bear” Custalow and Angela L. Danieal “Silver Star”, The True Story of
Pocahontas: The Other Side of History
54. ^ Rolfe. Letter to Edwin Sandys. p. 71.
55. ^ Anon. “Entry in the Gravesend St. George composite parish register recording the burial of Princess Pocahontas on 21 March 1616/1617.”. Medway: City Ark Document Gallery. Medway
The four graves also match with the four important members of the colony who would have been buried
so close to the church. Kelso said there were a knight, two captains and Reverend Robert Hunt, the first
cleric to come to the site.
Pointing out where Pocahontas, Chief Powhatan's favorite daughter, would have stood when she married
an Englishman, Kelso marveled at the event's place in colonial history, allowing further settlements in
what was then foreign, hostile territory for the European settlers."With that wedding, the Indians backed off and there was no more fighting," Kelso recalled.
The Indian princess, well known to American children, was popularized through an animated Walt
Disney romance.
Renamed Rebecca, she was later to marry another Englishman, John Rolfe, before dying in England at thetender age of 21.
The next tasks for archeologists in the coming months will be to dig up the graves.
"We know the ages, we have baptism records," Kelso said, excited at the tantalizing possibility of
confirming their identities with the study of bones, teeth and possibly markings from injuries still traced
According to "Gates and Allied Families by Mary Walton Ferris, published 1931, Edmund Freeman,
senior, son of John Freeman (see source 389/ ) lived in Pulborough and was buried there on June 6, 1623at St Mary's Parish. Gravestones in the area surrounding the Parish Church, because of aging, cannot be
deciphered. This we verified when Nancy Jean and I visited the Church and burial yard in 1992. It was
also true of the graveyards at the Parish churches in Billingshurst and Cowfold. Since we did not visit the
Parish Church in Shipley, we do not know what information may be there on gravestones.
His will, dated May 30th and administered on June 18, 1623 disposed of over 800 pounds besides various
lands and tenements.
He married Alice Coles of Amberly, Sussex county, on Jan 1, 1591-2 in Pulborough.
Alice Coles was buried on Feb 14, 1651-2 at Reigate, Surrey co. She had been living there after Edmond's
burial in Pulborough with • daughter Alice and her husband John Beauchamp (one of the major financiersof the Pilgrim venture to the New Colony).
Gates indicates that there were six children, but "Thomas Tupper and His Descendants by Frankling W
Tupper, published 1945, indicates there was yet another one" Ellen, aka Eleanor". There was a younger
sister Eleanor, see below, born in 1603, but she died in 1618. Perhaps that is why Ellen was later known
as "Eleanor". These seven children are as follows: Cl Ellen Freeman aka Eleanor, "Dowager Countess of
Essex" "Old Man's Wife", who married Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick. According to "Warwick and
Holland" by John Louis Beatty, published 1965, p 82, "To a large extent the Earl of Warwick had acted as
a sort of patron saint to the Pilgrims in 1620, when he tried to get the little Separatist group to settle in
Virginia (a colony and company with which he had been personally and financially directly involved
since 1612 and which his friends and associates had promoted from the beginning)....To one historian, 'It
is a striking fact in Warwick's career that he was the only person of high rank and influence connected
with all the bodies with whom the Leyden pilgrims negotiated before they could secure a home for
themselves in the New World".As noted above, Ellen Freeman, aka Eleanor, "Old Man's Wife" was married in March 1646 to Robert
Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick. He was at that time 59 years of age.
Other chidren of Edmond Freeman, Senior, and Alice Coles included:
C2 Edmond Freeman, the Immigrant, born 1594; baptized July 25, l594 at St Mary's Church in
Pulborough, Sussex county, who married, first, Bennett Hodsoll of Cowfold on June 6, 1617, and then,
second, Elizabeth Rayment at Shipley, Sussex county. All of his children were issue of Bennett (Hodsoll).
C3 Alice Freeman, born in 1592 In Pulborough, baptized April 15, 1601 in Pulborough and married John
Beauchamp of London and Reigate, Surrey county in Pulborough on December 27, 1615. John
Beauchamp, brother-in-law to Edmond Freeman, the Immigrant, was one of the major financiers of the
Pilgrims' venture to the New World. When Edmund Freeman, Senior, died and was buried on May 2,1623 at St. Mary's Parish in Pulborough, his widow Alice (Coles) began living with daughter Alice and
son-in-law John Beauchamp in Reigate, Surrey county. She continued this until her burial in Reigate on
February 14, 1651-2.
C4 William Freeman, born in Pulborough on October 6, 1598, and baptized there in St. Mary's ParishChurch twelve, days later, married, first, Christian Hodsoll between 1617 and 1624. She was the sister of
Bennett Hodsoll who married Edmond Freeman, the Immigrant. He married secondly, widow Jane
John Rolfe and Dorothea Mason had three sons. The first, Henry, born in 1583, migrated to
Massachusetts. The second was the well know John Rolfe who was born in 1585 and marriedPocahontas in 1614. They had one son William Smith Rolfe and all Rolfes that are related to
Pocahontas are descended from him. Henry was Pocahontas’ brother in law. Henry married
Honour Rolfe (a cousin?) and had three sons and four daughters
Estate Of Henry Roffe Of Newbury
15 Mar 1642 , Source: Printed “Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts; 1635 — 1681,”
In three volumes, The Essex Institute; Salem, MA; 1916, Vol. 1, Pg. 21.)
Henry ROLFE was born before 5 Sep 1585 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England.
5,181
He wasbaptized on 5 Sep 1585 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England.181,15302
He signed a will on 15 Mar
1642 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts.181 (Estate of Henry Roffe of Newbury.
“The 15th 12th month 1642 I desire to comend my soule into the hands of the lord Jesus Christ, I
desire my goods may be equally divided to my wife & all my children, only my sonne John Roffe
must have the howse & land more then all the rest of my children and that their
porcons shalbe divided when they be 21 yeares of age if they marry not before In case my wife
dye or marry then the goods shalbe divided; otherwise not till my eldest childe come to be 21
yeares of age But still to remayne in their mothers hands with the rest till that either of them are
21 yeares of age or marry. If any of my children dye then that porcon shalbe equally divided
betweene my wife & the rest of my children I doe give vnto my wife one great
brasse pott and one great brasse pann, and a great brasse posnett and a chafing dish and fivepewter platters I doe give unto my Kinsman Thomas whittear a swarme of bees. I desire my
brother John Roffe and my Cosen John Saunders of Sallisbery and william Mondy of
Newberry to oversee my will & order it to my desire & accordinge to my will.”
Henry Roffe
Witness: Thomas Hale, Thomas Cowllman, william Mose.
Proved 28:1:1643
Ipswich Deeds, vol. 1, leaf 2.
Inventory taken 1:1:1642, by John Woodbridg, Henry Short and Richard Knight:
howse & land, £30; Six kowes, £30; foure oxen, £24;
one bull & one steere, 3 yeare old, £7. 10s.; three beasts, two
years old, £8; two beasts, one yeare old, £2. 10s.; three Calves,
Whiteer,” who was actually married to Mary Rolfe, sister of the Henry and John in this
generation. (Marrying a servant was not at all uncommon in Shakespeare’s time, and of course
did not alter Thomas Wittle’s servant status, who — according to Marie — was the son of
Richard and Mary and thus servant to his own uncle. The coincidence of the same servant family
on both sides of the Henry Henry-Honor marriage confirms that their two Rolfe lines are fairly
closely related.) Marie continues: “Thomas [Wittle]’s descendant was John Greenleaf Whittier,
who wrote a poem [“Pentucket”] about his kinsman, Samuel Rolfe, who went to Harvard and
became a minister and was killed with an axe thrown to his head standing in front of his home inMassachusetts.” (According to Whittier’s own notes on the poem, it was Benjamin Rolfe, and he
was killed by a shot through his front door.)
Henry Rolfe And His Wife, Honour Rolfe
From others info:
“Henry Rolfe’s father (John Rolfe, b. ca. 1650) was the brother of Honor Rolfe’s maternal
grandfather (believe it or not), as Honor’s mother Agnes also married a Rolfe (Richard, b. ca.
1567) who may or may not have been directly related to her.
Henry and family are said to have emigrated to New England with Henry’s brother John and asister, though apparently not on the very same ship. John and family (described differently in two
published transcriptions I’m looking at presently) sailed on the Confidence in 1638. There is no
mention of Henry in either of the transcriptions; presumably he and his family came earlier, since
son Benjamin was born on this side in that year. Henry is listed as owning land in Newbury in
1642.
Through the kindness distant cousin Jonathan Rolfe, descendant of Henry’s brother John, I have
two more transcriptions for the Confidence voyage of 1638, indicating that John (aged 50) sailed
with his wife “Ann” and their daughter Hester, plus an 18-year-old servant named Whittle or
Thomas Wittle. The ship sailed from Southampton on April 24, 1638, arriving in Boston, under
Master John Gibson (or Jobson), carrying 200 tons.
Another distant cousin, Marie Thurman-Vann, adds interesting side-notes to this story. Shepoints out that servant Thomas Wittle is part of a long-standing family relationship with the
Rolfes. Honor Rolfe’s great grandfather Henry Rolfe, in his 1558 will, leaves items to “Alis
Whytehere, my servant,” while her husband’s father, John Rolfe, in his 1625 will, leaves money
to “Richard Whiteer,” who was actually married to Mary Rolfe, sister of the Henry and John inthis generation. (Marrying a servant was not at all uncommon in Shakespeare’s time, and of
course did not alter Thomas Wittle’s servant status, who — according to Marie — was the son of
Richard and Mary and thus servant to his own uncle. The coincidence of the same servant family
on both sides of the Henry-Honor marriage confirms that their two Rolfe lines are fairly closely
related.) Marie continues: “Thomas [Wittle]’s descendant was John Greenleaf Whittier, whowrote a poem [“Pentucket”] about his kinsman, Samuel Rolfe, who went to Harvard and became
a minister and was killed with an axe thrown to his head standing in front of his home in
Massachusetts.” (According to Whittier’s own notes on the poem, it was Benjamin Rolfe, and hewas killed by a shot through his front door.)”
From “The Early Rolfe Settlers of New England”
Henry was noted as “Ye son of John Rofe”. He was the son of John and Honor Rolfe, his
Immigration: 1637 on the John and Dorothy or the Rose (combined passenger list). With wife Elizabeth
and four children: Samuel, John, Elizabeth, and Debra, and two servants: Mary Williams aged 18 years
and Anne Williams, aged 15 years. Robert was 28 years old.
Occupation: Cordwainer (shoemaker, worker of leather)
Residence: Lived in Roxbury, Mass, near Boston.
Marriages:
1. Abt 1626, Elizabeth, possibly Stalham, mother to all of his children. She died July 28, 1674 inRoxbury, aged 77.
2. Nov 3, 1675, Margaret, widow of John Fearing of Hingham. Robert would have been 67.
3. After 1676, Martha, possibly Story or Strong.
Died: Sept. 1, 1693, in Roxbury, Mass. Age 86.
Will: Robert’s will was dated Nov. 26, 1685 and proved Sept. 29, 1693. In it he mentions his three sons
Samuel, Isaac, and Stephen, his grandson Isaac, his grand child Elizabeth Robinson, and his brotherNicholas Williams.
Notable Descendants include:
William Williams, signer of the Declaration of Independence
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Princess Diana connections: those Williams descended from Samuel and Theoda (Parke) Williams and
Isaac and Martha (Parke) Williams are cousins to Princess Diana and the two princes of England. Theoda
Parke’s grandparents, Robert and Martha (Chaplin) Parke, are direct ancestors of Princess Diana.
Napoleon connection
General McClelland of the Civil War
Eli Whitney — inventor of the cotton gin and progenitor of the industrial revolution.
Louisa May Alcott — Author
Witchcraft cases in 17th century New England
(other than Salem 1692 executions)
The following information is from John Putnam Demos’ book Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the
Culture of Early New England, 1983, Oxford Univ. Press, (Appendix A, pp. 402-9):
In addition to those executed in Salem in 1692, there were 16 persons executed as witches in New
England: 14 women, 2 men.
CODE:
A = Accused. There is evidence of accusation or suspicion, with no recorded court action.
C = Complaint. Some formal step was taken towards prosecution (petition, deposition).I = Indictment/Presentment. Accused appeared before the courts, preliminary to trial.
T = Trial. A formal trial was held on the charges.
Hugh Sargent must have been born about the year 1530. He died Feb. 23,1595/6. (buried 1st of March).”
Unverified information suggests that Hugh’s father was “John Sargent b. 17 Dec 1504 Oxfordshire m.
California 1524 Elizabeth in Courteenhall and that their ancester was probably Adam Le Serjaant, a
burgess of Bridgenorth, Shropshire, England.Possibly died 1595
Courteen Hall parish records go no further back than 1538. Probable that info on Hugh’s ancestors would
be as SARIANT, variation of Sargent. Hugh was haberdasher and drapper. Info may be in Guild records
for Northamptonshire that period. Hugh probably born in East Hadden, Northamptonshire, circa 1530.
Very extensive data is published in volumes 71, 74, 75, of the New England Historical and Genealogical
Register, under their “Genealogical Research in England,” “Gifford-Sargent,” which provide exceptional
complete lineages back to the Middle Ages, and Royal Lines.
From “Sargent Genealogy” Aaron Sargent 1895:
“Hugh Sargent (Sariant), the earliest known ancestor of the family lived in Courtenhall, County of
Northhampton. Courtenhall was the inheritence of the Wake family which traces its descent back toHereward the Wake, to a time anterior to the Norman Conquest... Prefixed to the first volumn of the
parish register, which begins in the year 1538, and folded to its size, is a large piece of parchment, on
which is transcribed many pedigrees. One of them is the family of Sargent... The rector of the church,
Rev. Archibald Wake (1895), says, “The parchment show that the family were in Courtenhall in 1554,
and were of gentle blood; and possible the Sargents were in the parish before a Wake entered it.”
Margaret, wife of Hugh Sargent, was daughter of Nicholas and Agnes (Masters) Gifford, of the Abbey of
St. James, which was a western suburb of the town of Northhampton. This abbey was a religious estate of
considerable note, founded before the year 1112, by William Peverel, natural son of William the
Conqueror, and to which he (Perverel) gave forty acres of land. It is called St. James end.
SOURCE NOTES:
Weis, Frederick Lewis, Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists, 6th Edition, Baltimore: GenealogicalPublishing County 1988.
Hugh Sargent, of Haddon and later of Courteenhall co. Northampton, Gent., born probably about 1530,
died 28 Feb 1595/6, and was buried at Courteenhall 1 Mar 1595/6. He married abt. 1554 ( the exact date
of this Marriage is not known, as the parish registers of Duston,co. Northampton, where the marriage
undoubtedly took place, do not begin until the latter part of the seventeenth century.) Margaret Gifford,
born abt1535, dau. of Nickolas, Gent, and Agnes (Maister) of St. James near Northampton....
Children...
i.Elizabeth,bapt.30 june 1555/6; m. june 25 1576 Thomas Flynte...
ii. Anne...
iii. Nicholas, bapt.1 aug 1559, m. june 25, 1593 Elizabeth(-)Clark,Widow of John....
iv. Roger b. about 1560....
v. Mary bapt.30 May 1565; m. 5 May 1602 W. Osborn of Hanslope,co. Bucks.....
vi. John bapt. 25 April 1566, buried at Courteenhall 10 Dec 1614; m.20 Nov.1602 Joyce Church, bapt. at
Courteenhall 21 Dec.1574, buried there “a poor woman,” 14 May1643,dau. of Henry and Marie. Six
"John was one of twenty children (twelve of whom were boys) identified as having been born to Thomas
ap Gruffudd ap Nicholas (d.c1473/4) and of whom nine are thought to have been bastards." See sourceinfo: pg.30-31
Marries into a family of wealth and influence: The Vaughans of BredwardineHistorians believe his marriage settles him in Herefordshire, near his in-laws at Bredwardine Records:
John ap Thomas of Bredwardine served as receiver and constable of Snodhill in the 1480s Escheator of
Herefordshire in 1488 and 1491
Steward of the lordship of Hay in 1485
King's commissioner in mid-Wales in 1491 to raise finance for war
Historians conclude:
He may be the same John Ap Thomas of Herefordshire who served the royal household as yeoman of the
guard and then sergeant-at-arms in the early part of Henry VIII's reign.
Sir John Baldwin(1470-1545) was born during the end of the War of Roses in Aylesbury Bukinghamshire
England and later became a knight and chief justice under Henry VIII. The War of Roses was nothingmore than a family feud between the Lancasters and Yorks. War of Roses came about from the Red Rose
of Lancaster and the White Rose of York. The war lasted 37 years.1453-1487.If you will notice the green
leafs in the photos they symbolize a direct descendant of the lineage of the Merovingian Kings. This wasa dynasty of kings that ruled the Franks in the fifth century. Their reign ended in 751.The kings politics
involved frequent civil wars between them even though they were one big family. A popular saying intheir time was that these kings were direct descendants of Adam and Eve. In 1482 Sir John married Agnes
Dormer,a direct descendant of kings and queens, and had several children. Sir John lived under the reigns
of King Edward IV, King Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, and Henry VIII.
Sir John Baldwin
SIR JOHN BALDWIN of Buckinghamshire, died Oct 24, 1545. Inquest of his estate was held at
Aylesbury, Dec 22, 1545.
“He was a member of the inner temple and appointed reader in 1516, 1524 and 1531. He twice filled theoffice of treasurer, 1524 and 1530. He was of Bucks in 1510 (on commission of the peace). In 1520 hewas a man of sufficient mark to be nominated on the sheriff roll, but he was not selected by the king. In
1529 he was on the commission to hear causes in chancery committed to then Cardinal Wolsey, then lord
chancellor. In 1530, on Cardinal’s fall, he was selected to hold inquisition as to the extent of his property
in Bucks. He set in the House of Commons once, being burgess for Bendon in Wiltshire in 1529. In 1530
he was appointed attorney general for Wales and the Marches, and also of the county Palntine of Chester
and Flint. His patent as sergeant-in-law is dated Nov 16, 1531. According to Dugdale he and ThomasWilloughby were the first sergeant-in-law to receive the honor of knighthood. this was in 1534. In 1535,
he was appointed chief justice of common pleas and almost the first cases in which he acted in a judiciary
capacity were the trials of Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More for treason. He also acted in the same
capacity at the trials of Anne Boleyn the same year. He seemed to have lived principally at Aylesbury. He
acquired a house and site of the Grey Friars and the manors of Ellesberough and Durich” (Dist Am.Biog.)
Colonel Chester says he was given the Manor of Dunridge in Bucks by Henery VIII shortly after 1541,
and that he died in1545. When he died he left no surviving sons. The D.N.B. article says he had a son
William, who married Mary Tyringham, but died during his father’s lifetime. The estate passed to his
heirs, Thomas Packington, son and heir of his daughter Agnes, wife of Robert Packington, and to John
Burlacy, son and hair of his daughter Petronilla. The manor then passed to Thomas Packington’s son and
heir, John, who in March 1577/78 alienated to Henry and Richard Baldwin, who in 1579 paid the taxes on
the manor. These are considered by Col. Chester to be father and son. In 1553 two brothers, Richard and
John occupied Dundridge. This was but eight years after the death of Sir John. These brothers are
probably the sons of Richard — the brother of Sir John.
012 Margaret 'Baroness' Bourchier-Bryan — Biography
Page #1
Lady Margaret Bourchier
Margaret Bryan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady Margaret Bourchier Bryan (ca. 1468 — 1551/52) was Lady
Governess of all Henry VIII’s children: Princess Mary; Henry
FitzRoy; Princess Elizabeth; and Prince Edward.Margaret Bryan was born Margaret Bourchier around 1468 in
Benningborough, Yorkshire, England. She was the first child of Sir
Humphrey Bourchier (1440 / 1444 — 14 April 1471) and Elizabeth
Tilney (d. 4 April 1497). As the firstborn son of John Bourchier, 1st
Baron Berners, her father was heir to the barony; however, SirHumphrey preceded his father in death, being killed at the Battle of
Barnet in 1471. Instead, his son and Margaret’s younger brother John
succeeded his grandfather in the barony Berners. Margaret’s great-
grandmother, i.e. father’s father’s mother, was Anne Plantagenet,
therefore Margaret could boast royal Plantagenet bloodlines forherself; a fact which may have helped secure her posts with King
Henry VIII, a distant cousin.
Margaret’s mother, Elizabeth, married Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of
Norfolk after the death of her first husband, and became the Duchess of Norfolk. She and Howard had
nine children, including Lady Elizabeth Howard, mother of Anne Boleyn, the future queen of England.
Consequently, Margaret’s mother was the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth I, making Margaret a
somewhat distant cousin.
Margaret served as governess to Princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, and then was elevated to serve as governess to Princess Elizabeth Tudor after the birth of the
princess to Queen Anne Boleyn. Margaret is noted as having claimed to have been created a Baroness by
King Henry VIII, and styled herself as ‘Baroness Bryant’.
She was married thrice, first to Sir Thomas Bryan in about 1487. Her three surviving children from that
marriage were: Margaret Bryan; Elizabeth Bryan, wife of Sir Nicholas Carew; and Francis Bryan, SirKnight Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Her second and third husbands were David Zouche and John Sands,
respectively. The marriages were childless.
Margaret’s two children were elading lights at the court. Sir Francis Bryan was a known womanizer who
lost an eye in a joust in 1526. He was nicknamed ‘the Vicar of Hell’ and managed to play the game of
factions successfully. Margaret Bryan was a second cousin of both Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour,
which increased her standing at court. Her daughter Elizabeth Carew was the wife of Henry VIII’s close
friend Sir Nicholas Carew, who helped him organize liaisons with women, and whose house was used tokeep Jane Seymour over the period of Anne Boleyn’s execution. In 1514, Elizabeth was rumored to have
been involved with Henry VIII, although it may be his brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, 1st duke of
Suffolk who was the object of her affection. The King made huge presents to her over the years, including
royal jewels.Nicknamed “ Muggie” by the four-year-old Princess Elizabeth, Margaret was young Elizabeth’s first
governess appointed by her ever watchful mother Anne Boleyn[citation needed ]
MAURICE, the late lord's brother, now stripped of the ancient honours and possessions of his forefathers,
(though he continued through his life to be styled by courtesy lord Berkeley,) resided, as has been stated,at Thornbury, where, of his own and his wife's, he had a fair estate.
As soon as the inquisitions after his brother's death were returned into Chancery, Maurice commencedproceedings to recover from the Crown some of the manors which the Marquess had given away, being
advised that such alienations were illegal, and contrary to some old settlements and entails. In these
litigations he was generally successful, the late Marquess, in his anxiety to barter his lands for honours
and patronage, having often overlooked the nature of the titles by which he held them. Maurice's first
success was the recovery of the manor of Sages in Slimbridge, consisting of seven tenements and 290
acres of land, and he entered into possession and held his first court there in 1499. Many other similar
suits followed, with the like success, and while these were going on the manor and borough of Tetbury,
and several others. descended to him as one of the heirs of the lord Breouse. In 1505 he claimed and
recovered the advowson of the Church of Wotton-under-Edge, but immediately made it over to the Abbey
of Tewkesbury. He also commenced a suit to recover the advowson of Slimbridge, held by Magdalen
College, Oxford, which was settled by a compromise. The College retaining the advowson but paying
him a sum of money, and undertaking to remember him in their prayers.
In his journeys to and from London, and when visiting his manor of Callowden, near Coventry, finding
that he and his suite were not received at the Monastery of Combe, in Warwickshire, with the honour and
respect due to him as descendant from one of its founders, Maurice exhibited a bill in Chancery againstthe Abbot and Monks, claiming his rights in respect of his descent from Thomas Mowbray, Duke of
Norfolk, their founder, and obtained an acknowledgement of his claim.
Maurice died in 1506, and was buried in the Church of the Augustine Friars, in London. His eldest son,
Sir Thomas Wentworth was the son of William Wentworth and Isabel Fitz Williams. He was a Knight.
Sir Thomas Wentworth, who was knighted for his bravery at the Battle of Spurs, 16 August 1513. It willbe seen that down to this period, the successors to the estate of Wentworth-Woodhouse were almost
invariably only sons, and as invariably married heiresses or co-heiresses.
By this time, therefore, the wealth of this family had become enormous, as may be judged by the fact that
this Sir Thomas bore the sobriquet of “Golden Thomas”. He paid at one time a heavy fine to be excused
from accepting the Order of the Bath, and in 1528 obtained a license from Henry VIII to remain covered
in the royal presence. The reason alleged was his infirmity, arising from old age. But as he lived twenty
years longer, the presumption is that the license was purchased at a great price for the purpose of
gratifying a whim or some feeling of personal pride.
Sir “Golden Thomas” Wentworth
Sir Thomas Wentworth was the son of William Wentworth and Isabel Fitz Williams. He was a Knight.
Sir Thomas Wentworth, who was knighted for his bravery at the Battle of Spurs, 16 August 1513. It will
be seen that down to this period, the successors to the estate of Wentworth-Woodhouse were almostinvariably only sons, and as invariably married heiresses or co-heiresses.
By this time, therefore, the wealth of this family had become enormous, as may be judged by the fact that
this Sir Thomas bore the sobriquet of “Golden Thomas”. He paid at one time a heavy fine to be excused
from accepting the Order of the Bath, and in 1528 obtained a license from Henry VIII to remain covered
in the royal presence. The reason alleged was his infirmity, arising from old age. But as he lived twenty
years longer, the presumption is that the license was purchased at a great price for the purpose of
gratifying a whim or some feeling of personal pride.
He acted as Esquire to the body of King Henry VII and built Plas Machen after his lord gained the throne
of England at Bosworth Field in 1485. The Morgans were rewarded and were allowed to purchase the
manors of Bedwellty and Mynyddislwyn. They were rather unpromising lands back then, but the soilcontained rich mineral deposits that added greatly to the fortune of future members of the Morgan family.
Thomas married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Roger Vaughan of Brecon, and many of their children were
set up in estates of their own (the Morgans really were more of a clan than simply a family and had cadet
branches all over South Wales), their children included: Rowland (who became sheriff in 1588), Reynold
(of Llanfedw), John (of Bassaleg) and Edmund (of Bedwellty).
Thomas's grandson, another Thomas, built Ruperra Castle in 1626.
Thomas Morgan Of Machen And Tredegar And The Middle Temple
Thomas Morgan of Machen and Tredegar and the Middle Temple1567-77; sheriff 1582; M.P. for county in 1589; will, 1603.
Pencoed Castle
Pencoed (pronounced "Pen-koyd") is set in around 370 acres of rolling farmland about one km. from thevillage of Llandevaud in Gwent.
The castle is a fortified Tudor manor house thought to have been built by Sir Thomas Morgan during the
first quarter of the 16th Century on the site of a moated Norman castle held in 1270 by Sir Richard de la
More and in 1306 by Maurice and Walter de Kemeys. The manor house appears to incorporate parts of
the earlier castle. In 1485 the Battle of Bosworth had ended the Wars of the Roses and in general the
Welsh had backed the winning side. It became possible to build a large family home without having to
worry too much about arrow slits and gun ports. Pencoed reflects a peaceful (and for some) a prosperousperiod in Welsh affairs. The Morgans, a branch of the powerful Monmouthshire family, settled at
Pencoed for some time. Nearby Llanmartin Church once boasted a carefully wrought chapel with carved
effigies of an ancient Morgan knight and his wife but a later owner of the manor stripped the lead from
the chapel roof and time and decay laid low this memorial. In more recent times, Pencoed was bought by
a British admiral who sought seclusion there after a court martial. In 1914 Lord Rhondda purchased the
castle and carried out some restoration. After his death in 1918 the work ceased.
The Pencoed Morgans descended from Llewelyn ap Ivor (lord of St. Cleare) and his wife Angharad,
daughter of Sir Morgan Meredith (and representative of the Ancient Welsh Lords of Caerleon). Angharad
was born in 1300. The name Morgan was originally spelled "Morcant" in Old Welsh and only became
"Morgan" in the medieval period. Despite what you may have read on the Web, the name does not mean
1) Ralph Scrope of Upsall2) John Welles, Viscount Welles
3) Thomas Kymbe
Issue
Elizabeth Welles
Anne Welles
Robert Welles
Royal house House of York Father Edward IV of England
Mother Elizabeth Woodville
Born 20 March 1469
Westminster Palace, London
Died 24 August 1507 (aged 38)
Sandown, Isle of Wight
Cecily Of York (March 20, 1469 — August 24, 1507), was an English Princess and the third, buteventual second surviving, daughter of King Edward IV of England and his Queen consort, the former
Lady Elizabeth Woodville, daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers.
Birth And Family
Cecily was born in Westminster Palace. She was a younger sister of Elizabeth of York and Mary of York,
and an older sister of Edward V of England; Margaret of York; Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York;
Anne of York; George Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford; Catherine of York; and Bridget of York. She was a
niece of Richard III of England, senior sister-in-law of Henry VII of England, an aunt of Henry VIII of
England, and a great-aunt of Edward VI of England, Mary I of England, and Elizabeth I of England.
Reign Of Edward IV
In 1474, Edward IV contacted a marriage alliance with James III of Scotland, whereby Cecily wasbetrothed to the future James IV of Scotland. Because of this she was for a time styled Princess of Scots.
This agreement was, however, unpopular in the Kingdom of Scotland, and later military conflicts between
Edward IV and James III negated the marriage arrangement.
With her older sisters, Cecily was present at the wedding of their brother the Duke
of York in 1478. In 1480, Cecily was named a Lady of the Garter, along with her
next elder sister Mary.
In 1482, Cecily was betrothed to Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, the
younger brother of James III, who had recently allied with her father and had
personal ambitions for the Scottish throne. He was killed on August 7, 1485,
without the marriage having taken place, but the death of Edward IV in 1483 hadalready changed the marriage prospects for his daughters in any case.
Reign Of Richard III
After the death of their uncle Richard’s wife Anne Neville, it was rumored that
Richard was considering marriage with one of his nieces. These rumors included Cecily, who was now
the second eldest surviving daughter of Edward IV. According to Commines, only two of the elderdaughters of Edward IV were declared illegitimate at the time that their younger brothers were excluded
Cecily was married to Ralph Scrope of Upsall, a younger brother of Thomas Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope of
Masham, and a supporter of Richard, but the marriage was annulled on the accession of her future
brother-in-law, Henry of Richmond, as King Henry VII of England. Many published works fail to note
this earlier, nullified, marriage. Years later, Cecily’s discarded first husband succeeded another elder
brother to the family barony becoming Ralph Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Masham. He died circa 1515.
Reign Of Henry VII Of England The Lancastrian claimant, Henry, Earl of Richmond, had announced at Rennes, France that he intended to
unite the rival royal houses of Lancaster and York, by marrying a daughter of Edward IV, and thus bringto an end the conflicts of generations of descendants of Edward III now known as the Wars of the Roses.
His first choice was Elizabeth of York, the eldest of the late king’s daughters, but had she died, Henry’s
marital intentions would have turned to Cecily herself, as he stated explicitly in his declaration.
In 1487, after the accession of Henry VII of England, and his marriage to her older sister, Elizabeth,
Cecily was married to a staunch Lancastrian nobleman, John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, the son of
Lionel Welles, 6th Lord Welles and Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso. Her new husband was a maternal
half-brother of Lady Margaret Beaufort, and thus an uncle of the half-blood of Henry VII, and both by
politics and blood, a royal favorite.
Cecily played a role in various major royal ceremonies during the earlier years of Henry VII’s reign, asbefitted her position in the Royal Family, as sister of a queen consort and sister-in-law of a king regnant.
She carried her nephew, Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, at his christening; attended her sister
Elizabeth of York at her coronation as queen consort; and bore the train of Catherine of Aragon at herwedding to Prince Arthur. There is also a record of her lending money to her sister, the queen, in 1502.
Cecily, had three children, Robert, Elizabeth, and Anne
Welles, Elizabeth and Anne both died young, and
unmarried. Viscount Welles died on February 9, 1499.
Cecily’s grief was considerable, and all the correct heraldic
and religious honors were paid to her husband.
Despite her apparent mourning, some three years into her
first widowhood, and having lost two of the children by herlate husband, she contracted a marriage which has been
described as being rather for comfort than credit (see
Fuller’s Worthies, vol. 2, p. 165). Cecily’s third and final
marriage, to Thomas Kyme, Kymbe, or Keme, an obscure
Lincolnshire squire, otherwise called Sir John Keme orKene, of the Isle of Wight, took place sometime between
May 1502 and January 1504. It is thought to have been a love match, entered into entirely from the
princess’s own liking.
Green states that she chose a partner to suit herself who was also someone so unthreatening as to be
beneath the notice of the king or likely to arouse his jealousy. This wedding took place without the king’s
approval or permission. The princess appears to have miscalculated her brother-in-law’s attitude. The
king banished Cecily from court and all her estates were confiscated.
After the intervention of the king’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, some of Cecily’s lands were
restored. She was to enjoy only a lifetime interest in those remaining to her, and to have nothing to pass
on to her husband, or to any children of their union.
Cecily lived out the balance of her life quietly, far from court. In the royal account
books, there is a gap in the record of her final years. Existing details about her final
years in this last marriage are scanty and conflicting. Two children, Richard and
Margaret (or Margery) are mentioned in the enhanced copy, dated 1602, of the
heraldic Visitation of Hampshire (1576) made by Smythe, Rouge Dragon
pursuivant at the College of Arms, indicating that they lived, married, and had
offspring. The children of the princess and her last husband were granted no royaltitles or styles, nor did they enjoy any royal favors, lands, or positions at court, nor,
indeed, any public recognition whatsoever. Over the centuries, any memory of them
has been obscured, and thus the veracity their historical existence is now difficult to
substantiate.
Death And Burial
Princess Cecily died in 1507, at the age of 38, only a few years after contracting her last marriage. Shelived at East Standen in the Isle of Wight, not in great wealth.
According to Edward Hall’s Chronicle, she was buried in relative obscurity in
Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight. Horrox disputes this pointing to evidence from
the Beaufort account books that states she died at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, after
a three-week sojourn there, and was buried at a place that must have been
local, known as ‘the friars’ (perhaps the friary at Kings Langley, associated
with the House of York and where Edmund of Langley the first Duke of York
was buried). The writ of diem clausit extremum, which supplies her death date,
styles her as late wife of John, late Viscount Wells, omitting any reference to
her last husband or their children. If she was indeed buried in the precincts of
Quarr Abbey, near her last home, then Cecily’s tomb and any record of its precise location was lost when
Quarr Abbey was destroyed during the Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. Quarr’s building
materials were reused.
A stained glass portrait of Cecily, originally from a larger “royal window” depicting Edward IV’s family
is in the north transept of Canterbury Cathedral, and another stained panel is now in Glasgow’s Burrell
Collection. These are, along with another window in the parish church of Little Malvern, Worcestershire,her only surviving memorials.
3 Times Married
Cecily Of York (20 March 1469 – 24 August 1507) was an English Princess and the third, but eventual
second surviving, daughter of Edward IV, King of England and his queen consort, née Lady Elizabeth
Woodville, daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers.
Cecily was born in Westminster Palace. She was a younger sister of Elizabeth of York and Mary of York ,
and an older sister of Edward V of England; Margaret of York; Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York ;
Anne of York ; George Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford; Catherine of York ; and Bridget of York . She was a
niece of Richard III of England, senior sister-in-law of Henry VII of England, an aunt of Henry VIII of England, and a great-aunt of Edward VI of England, Mary I of England, and Elizabeth I of England.
In 1474, Edward IV contacted a marriage alliance with James III of Scotland, whereby Cecily was
betrothed to the future James IV of Scotland. Because of this she was for a time styled Princess of Scots.
This agreement was, however, unpopular in the Kingdom of Scotland, and later military conflicts between
Edward IV and James III negated the marriage arrangement.
With her older sisters, Cecily was present at the wedding of their brother the Duke of York in 1478. In
1480, Cecily was named a Lady of the Garter, along with her next elder sister Mary.
In 1482, Cecily was betrothed to Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, the younger brother of James
III, who had recently allied with her father and had personal ambitions for the Scottish throne. He was
killed on 7 August 1485, without the marriage having taken place, but the death of Edward IV in 1483
had already changed the marriage prospects for his daughters in any case.
After the death of their uncle Richard’s wife Anne Neville, it was rumoured that Richard was considering
marriage with one of his nieces. These rumours included Cecily, who was now the second eldestsurviving daughter of Edward IV. According to Commines, only two of the elder daughters of Edward IV
were declared illegitimate at the time that their younger brothers were excluded from the throne by the
Act of Titulus Regius.
Cecily was married to a Ralph Scrope of Upsall, a younger brother of Thomas Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope
of Masham, and a supporter of Richard, but the marriage was annulled on the accession of her future
brother-in-law, Henry Tudor, as King Henry VII of England. Many published works fail to note this
earlier, nullified, marriage. Years later, Cecily’s discarded first husband succeeded another elder brotherto the family barony becoming Ralph Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Masham. He died circa 1515.
The Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, had announced at Rennes, France that he
intended to unite the rival royal houses of Lancaster and York, by marrying a daughter of Edward IV, and
thus bring to an end the conflicts of generations of descendants of Edward III now known as the Wars of
the Roses. His first choice was Elizabeth of York , the eldest of the late king’s daughters, but had she died,
Henry’s marital intentions would have turned to Cecily herself, as he stated explicitly in his declaration.
In 1487, after the accession of Henry VII of England and his marriage to her older sister Elizabeth, Cecilywas married to a staunch Lancastrian nobleman, John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, the son of Lionel
Welles, 6th Lord Welles and Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso. Her new husband was a maternal half-
brother of Lady Margaret Beaufort, and thus an uncle of the half-blood of Henry VII, and a royal
favourite by both politics and blood.
Cecily had three children: Robert, Elizabeth and Anne Welles. Elizabeth and Anne both died young and
unmarried. Viscount Welles died on 9 February 1499. Cecily’s grief was considerable, and all the correct
heraldic and religious honours were paid to her husband.
Cecily played a role in various major royal ceremonies during the earlier years of Henry VII’s reign, asbefitted her position in the Royal Family, as sister of a queen consort and sister-in-law of a king regnant.
She carried her nephew Arthur, Prince of Wales, at his christening; attended her sister Elizabeth of York
at her coronation as queen consort; and bore the train of Catherine of Aragon at her wedding to Prince
Arthur. There is also a record of her lending money to her sister, the queen, in 1502.
Despite her apparent mourning, some three years into her first widowhood, and having lost two of the
children by her late husband, she contracted a marriage which has been described as being rather for
comfort than credit (see Fuller’s Worthies, vol. 2, p. 165). Cecily’s third and final marriage, to Thomas
Kyme, Kymbe, or Keme, an obscure Lincolnshire squire, otherwise called Sir John Keme or Kene, of the
Isle of Wight, took place sometime between May 1502 and January 1504. It is thought to have been a
love match, entered into entirely from the princess’s own liking.
Green states that she chose a partner to suit herself who was also someone so unthreatening as to bebeneath the notice of the king or likely to arouse his jealousy. This wedding took place without the king’sapproval or permission. The princess appears to have miscalculated her brother-in-law’s attitude. The
king banished Cecily from court and all her estates were confiscated.
After the intervention of the king’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, some of Cecily’s lands were
restored. She was to enjoy only a lifetime interest in those remaining to her, and to have nothing to pass
on to her husband, or to any children of their union.
Cecily lived out the balance of her life quietly, far from court. In the royal account books, there is a gap in
the record of her final years. Existing details about her final years in this last marriage are scanty and
conflicting. Two children, Richard and Margaret (or Margery) are mentioned in the enhanced copy, dated
1602, of the heraldic Visitation of Hampshire (1576) made by Smythe, Rouge Dragon pursuivant at the
College of Arms, indicating that they lived, married, and had offspring. The children of the princess andher last husband were granted no royal titles or styles, nor did they enjoy any royal favours, lands, or
positions at court, nor, indeed, any public recognition whatsoever. Over the centuries, any memory of
them has been obscured, and thus the veracity their historical existence is now difficult to substantiate.
Princess Cecily died in 1507, at the age of 38, only a few years after contracting her last marriage. She
lived at East Standen in the Isle of Wight, not in great wealth.
According to Edward Hall’s Chronicle, she was buried in relative obscurity in Quarr Abbey, Isle of
Wight. Horrox disputes this pointing to evidence from the Beaufort account books that states she died at
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, after a three-week sojourn there, and was buried at a place that must have been
local, known as ‘the friars’ (perhaps the friary at Kings Langley, associated with the House of York and
where Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York was buried). The writ of diem clausit extremum, which
supplies her death date, styles her as late wife of John, late Viscount Wells, omitting any reference to her
last husband or their children. If she was indeed buried in the precincts of Quarr Abbey, near her last
home, then Cecily’s tomb and any record of its precise location was lost when Quarr Abbey was
destroyed during the Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. Quarr’s building materials were reused.
A stained glass portrait of Cecily, originally from a larger “royal window” depicting Edward IV’s family
is in the north transept of Canterbury Cathedral, and another stained panel is now in Glasgow’s Burrell
Collection. These are, along with another window in the parish church of Little Malvern, Worcestershire,
in the time of Edward the Confessor by Ailric as a manor and as 2 hides. (fn. 51) This estate was later
known as the manor of KELVEDON HATCH alias KELVEDON HALL.
In 1066 Ailric 'went to take part in a naval battle' against William of Normandy. (fn. 52) Probably he
joined the fleet asembled by King Harold of the Isle of Wight during the early summer of 1066. (fn. 53)
On his return home (possibly in September 1066) he fell ill and then gave his Kelvedon Hatch estate to
Westminister Abbey. (fn. 54) In 1086, however, the Domesday Commissioners reported that this gift had
not received King William's sanction. (fn. 55) It is not clear whether the king ever confirmed the gift, but
it is certain that the manor was held by Westminister Abbey as tenant in chief until the dissolution of the
abbey in 1540. (fn. 56)
By 1225 the abbey had granted the tenancy in demesne of the manor to the Multon family of Egremont
(Lincs.). In that year Thomas de Multon was given 10 does and a buck for stocking his wood at
Kelvedon. (fn. 57) In 1232 he received licence to inclose and impark the wood. (fn. 58) He died in 1240
and his son and heir Lambert in 1246. (fn. 59) Lambert was succeeded by his son Thomas who supported
Simon de Montfort in the Barons' Wars. (fn. 60) In 1265 the manor of Kelvedon Hatch, then worth £10
0s. 6d ., was taken into the king's hands with the rest of Thomas's lands. (fn. 61) Soon afterwards,
however, he recovered the property. (fn. 62) In 1277 he subinfeudated Kelvedon Hatch to Henry, son of
Thomas de Multon (possibly his own younger son), to hold by a rent of £20 a year. After Thomas's death
Henry was to hold the manor of his heirs by a nominal rent. (fn. 63) Thomas died in 1294. His heir was
his grandson Thomas, Lord Multon (d. 1322) who was succeeded by his son John, Lord Multon (d. 1334).
(fn. 64) At his death John was mesne lord of an estate in Kelvedon Hatch which consisted of a messuage
and a carucate of land, and which was held of him by the service of ¼ knight's fee. (fn. 65) John's heirs
were his three sisters: John widow of Robert Fitz Walter, Elizabeth wife of Walter de Birmingham, and
Margaret wife of Thomas, later 2nd Lord Lucy (d. 1365). (fn. 66) It was agreed that Joan, Margaret, and
Elizabeth should each hold 1/3; of the ¼ fee. (fn. 67) No further reference has been found to the mesne
lordship of the heirs of John de Multon. In the 16th century the tenants in demesne were said to hold the
manor directly of Westminister Abbey. (fn. 68) Henry de Multon, tenant in demesne from 1277, was still living in 1314 but was dead by January 1322.
(fn. 69) His heir was his daughter Juliane wife of Richard de Welby. (fn. 70) In 1333 Richard and Juliane
made a settlement by which the manor was to pass, after their deaths, to their male issue with successive
remainders to their daughters, Elizabeth de Welby and Joan wife of John de Haugh. (fn. 71) Juliane still
held the estate in 1338. (fn. 72) Afterwards the manor passed to the heirs of her daughter Joan de Haugh.
John de Haugh, son of Joan, was living in 1347. (fn. 73) Thomas de Haugh, son of John, came into
possession of the manor during the life-time of his father. (fn. 74) In February 1370 Thomas conveyed it
to his father and other trustees to hold, apparently during the minority of his own heir John. (fn. 75) By
1383 the last named John de Haugh had reached his majority. (fn. 76) He was lord of the manor until after
1395. (fn. 77) Before 1406 he was succeeded by Thomas de Haugh, probably his son. (fn. 78) Richard deHaugh was lord of the manor before the end of 1417. (fn. 79) In November 1427 he conveyed the manor
to trustees who were to hold it first apparently for John de Haugh, probably his son, and then (presumably
if John had no issue) for Richard's daughters, Joan, Katherine, then or later wife of John Bolles, and
Agnes, then or later wife of William Haltoft. (fn. 80) John de Haugh was described as lord of the manor
in November 1450 and afterwards until May 1456. (fn. 81) He presented to the church in April 1457. (fn.
82) He was evidently dead by 1459. (fn. 83) In 1461 John Hardbene, the sole surviving trustee appointed
by Richard de Haugh in 1427, conveyed the manor to Katherine Bolles, Agnes Haltoft, and Joan Haugh.
(fn. 84) In 1466 these sisters agreed that Katherine and her husband John Bolles should have sole rights in
the manor, with remainder in default of her issue to Agnes and her issue. (fn. 85) John Bolles was alive in
November 1482 but dead by November 1495. (fn. 86) Katherine survived him and was succeeded by her
son Richard, who died in 1521 leaving as his heir his son John. (fn. 87) In 1526 John mortgaged the
manor for £200. (fn. 88) He redeemed the mortgage and died holding the manor in 1533. (fn. 89) His heir
was his brother Richard, who in 1538 sold the manor to John Wright of South Weald, yeoman, for £493.(fn. 90)
The descendants of John Wright held Kelvedon Hatch for nearly four centuries. There were ten
successive John Wrights. (fn. 91) The last of these died in 1826 and was succeeded by his grandson John
Francis Wright, who died without issue in 1868. The manor then passed to J. F. Wright's nephew, Edward
Carrington Wright, who died in 1920, leaving it to his own nephew Sir Henry J. Lawson. (fn. 92) From
1891 Kelvedon Hall had been occupied by John Algernon Jones as tenant and in 1922 it was bought by
his widow from Sir Henry Lawson. After her death it was sold in 1932 by her son J. W. B. Jones to the
Mother Superior of St. Michael's Roman Catholic School. Mr. Jones bought and moved to the old rectory
(see Church). (fn. 93) Owing to a succession of misfortunes the school did not prosper and the house
acquired the reputation of being haunted. (fn. 94) Much of the timber in the grounds was felled at thistime. (fn. 95) In 1937 the property was bought by Mr. Henry and Lady Honor Channon who restored the
house and built the entrance gateway and lodges. (fn. 96) From 1941 to 1945 it was used as a Red Cross
convalescent home. (fn. 97) It is now again the residence of Mr. Channon.
In 1838 J. F. Wright owned 880 acres in Kelvedon Hatch; the estate appears to have remained
substantially intact until after the death of Sir Henry Lawson. (fn. 98)
The manor house was entirely rebuilt by the seventh John Wright (d. 1751). (fn. 99) Later in the 18th
century the garden front and parts of the interior were altered, but otherwise the building has remained
almost unchanged. The house as it stands today remains a very good example of one of the less grandiose
country seats of the Georgian period. The restoration of 1937-8 was carried out to the designs of Lord
Gerald Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) and Trenwith Wills (fn. 1) and in sympathy with theoriginal.
The entrance front has a three-story central block with seven windows to each of the upper floors. On
either side curved screen walls connect this with identical two-story pavilions. These are set forward,
giving a three-sided forecourt. The pavilions have hipped roofs, surmounted by clock turrets and cupolas.
On their front face two round-headed panels are painted to simulate sash windows. Above oval panels are
similarly painted. The basement windows have wrought-iron grilles and the principal doorway has a
Roman Doric order with engaged columns and a pediment. The rainwater heads on this front are dated
1743. The garden front of the main block is of similar proportions but the central bay projects slightly and
is surmounted by a pediment. The porch, which is supported on columns with fluted capitals, has an
enriched entablature of about 1780. The single-story flanking wings were probably added or modified atthe same period; the north wing contained the kitchens and the south wing a private Roman Catholic
chapel dedicated to St. Joseph. (fn. 2)
Internally the best examples of the original mid18th-century rococo decoration occur in the entrance and
staircase halls and in one of the bedrooms. The staircase has a balustrade of wrought-iron scrollwork and
the walls have elaborate plasterwork panels in which are trophies representing War, Music, and the
Chase. The drawing-room, dining-room, and music room were all redecorated in the 'Adam' style of about
Philip Mede was the mayor of Bristol three times and once the MP for Bristol. He is said to have been
descended from the Mede family of Wraxall, Somerset. Master John Mede, Rector of Wraxall, Somerset,Witnissed Philips will.
In 1457 Philip Mede bought a messuage, 10 acres land, 70 acres pasture, 10 acres meadow at Rolvestonnear Banwell, Somerset.
Brass Bubbinf in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Parish, St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol
Inscription, Philip Mede Esq. and 2 wives (1475)
Coat of Arms, Gules a chevron ermine between three trefoils slipped argent
From the verger of St Mary Redcliffe,
The tomb of the Mede family is approx. 10 ft high by 18 ft by 3 ft. It contains in one compartment the
effigies of Thomas and his wife and in the other abrass of Philip and his two wives. This rectangluar brass
shows Philip Kneeling with his wife, Philip's helmet is seen in front of him liaving his head uncovered
and showing his long hair. Philip Mede's daughter married Maurice the younger brother of William 12thLord Berkeley. He was disinherited for marrying her but later became the 13th Lord Berkeley. Philip aso
supported with his men the Berkeley family at the last private battle fought on English soil at Nibley
Green in 1470. Philip Mede was Mayor of Bristol in 1459,1462,and 1469. Thomas was also Mayor but is
dressed in merchant clothing and as he had the tomb built with fine carving I suppose he managed to gain
the family wealth.
The Complete Peerage
Philip Meade lived at Meade's Place, Wraxall,
Somerset, England.1
He held the office of
Alderman of Bristol.
1
He held the office of Mayorof Bristol from 1458 to 1459.1 He held the office
of Mayor of Bristol from 1461 to 1462.1 He held
the office of Mayor of Bristol from 1468 to 1469.1
Children of Philip Meade and Isabel (?)
• Thomas Meade1
• Isabel Meade+ b. c 1444, d. a 29 May 15141
Citations
1. [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A.
Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan
Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden,editors, The Complete Peerage of England,
Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the
United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant,
new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton
Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 135. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
Sir Thomas Vaughan (c. 1410 – June 1483) was a Welsh medieval soldier and diplomat, an adherent of
Jasper Tudor and King Henry VI of England. Despite this, he was a Yorkist by inclination, as were so
many Welshmen of the time, and became ambassador to the courts of Burgundy and France on behalf of the Yorkist King Edward IV. He was knighted in 1475, on the day King Edward's eldest son was invested
as Prince of Wales, having acted for some years as Chamberlain to the young prince.
Vaughan was the son of Robert and Margaret Vaughan of Monmouth. In 1446 he was appointed to the
offices of Steward, Receiver, and Master of the Game in Herefordshire and Ewyas, and Steward,
Constable, Porter, and Receiver of Abergavenny. In 1450, he became Master of the King's Ordnance.
Despite his early association with Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, Vaughan was accused of plotting
against King Henry VI of England as early as 1459. Somehow he regained the king's favour, and in 1460
was appointed Keeper of Henry VI's "great Wardrobe".
After the defeat of Henry VI by the Yorkists, Vaughan, along with Philip Malpas and William Hatclyf ,
attempted to take the king's treasure by ship to Ireland. They fell into the hands of French pirates and
were ransomed by Edward IV, to whom Vaughan was afterwards loyal. In 1465 he became Treasurer of
the King's Chamber and Master of the King's Jewels, and was involved in diplomatic missions to
Burgundy, including the marriage negotiations for the king's sister, Margaret.
Following the sudden deposition of the prince as King Edward V, Vaughan was arrested and executed by
the future King Richard III. The execution is believed to have taken place sometime between June 13th
and June 25th at Pontefract Castle in West Yorkshire.
Warwick was also angered by Edward's constant refusal to let George Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence
marry Warwick's eldest daughter. Edward claimed hypocritically that Clarence would serve for a
diplomatic marriage and none other.
Warwick no longer exercised any control or even influenced his cousin, the King in political matters.
Thoughts turned to rebellion in Warwick's mind, a rebellion in which he already had an ally: the Duke of
Clarence, heir to the English throne.Small rebellions in the North sent the King on a slow march in that direction. With the King's back turned
Warwick's agents spread rumors stating that the King was bastard-born and that Clarence was York's true
heir.
In the North, one of Warwick's captains, calling himself Robin of Redesdale (actually a trusted Neville
captain, Sir William Conyers) started a new rebellion. When Edward heard of this he believed the
rebellion would easily be put down and mustered a small army He soon learned that the rebels in fact
outnumbered his own force and started a retreat towards Nottingham to gather more recruits.
Unfortunately the King lacked the popularity he had once had and reinforcements were few. Edwarddecided to wait in Nottingham for the Earls of Pembroke and Devon, arriving with an army from the
south.
On 12 July Warwick and Clarence declared their support for the rebels. On the 18th, Warwick leftLondon at the head of a large army to reinforce Conyers. The rebels hurried south to meet with Warwick,
bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor. The two armies
became aware of each other on the 25th July and joined in battle early in the morning of the 26th. The
opening moves were rather a one-sided affair as the Earl of Devon and his Welsh archers were some
miles away, having stayed the night in a neighbouring village. The rebels attacked across the river forcing
Pembroke to retreat and pull his men back some distance. Pembroke was attacked again in his new
position, but he put up a brave defence while awaiting Devon. At 1 o'clock the Earl received the news he
had been hoping for: Devon was rapidly advancing with all his men. However, at the same time the
advance guard of Warwick's army arrived upon the field. Rebel morale was instantly boosted. Seeing
Warwick's livery amongst the enemy, Pembroke's men presumed his whole force of expert soldiers was
upon them. The royal army broke and fled the field possibly before Devon could even reinforce them.
This article was originally written for, and submitted to Wikipedia (the free content encyclopaedia) by
the webmaster. A slightly different and constantly changing version can be found there.
014 Edmund 'Earl Of Somerset' Beaufort — Biography
Page #1
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke Of Somerset
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 4th Duke of Somerset, see Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset.
The Duke Of Somerset
Coat of arms of Beaufort, Earls and Dukes of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Successor Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke
Earl of Somerset
Predecessor John Beaufort, 1st Duke, 3rd Earl
Successor Henry Beaufort, 5th Earl
Spouse Eleanor Beauchamp
Issue
Eleanor, Countess of Ormonde, Lady Spencer
Elizabeth, Lady Fitz Lewis
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke
Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford, Lady Darell
Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke
Anne PastonJohn Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset
Joan, Lady St Lawrence, Lady Fry
Thomas Beaufort
House House of Beaufort
Father John Beaufort, 1st Earl
Mother Margaret Holland
Born 1406
Died 22 May 1455 (aged 48/9) First Battle of St Albans
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG (1406 – 22 May 1455), sometimes styled 1st Duke of
Somerset, was an English nobleman and an important figure in the Wars of the Roses and in the HundredYears' War. He also succeeded in the title of 4th Earl of Somerset and was created 1st Earl of Dorset
and 1st Marquess of Dorset (previously held by his father and later forfeited), and Count of Mortain.
He was known for his deadly rivalry with Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York .
Life
Edmund Beaufort was the third surviving son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret
Holland. His paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford. His
014 Edmund 'Earl Of Somerset' Beaufort — Biography
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maternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice FitzAlan. Alice was a daughter
of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster.
Although head of one of the greatest families in England, his inheritance was worth only 300 pounds. By
contrast his rival, Richard, Duke of York , had a net worth of 5,800 pounds. His cousin King Henry VI's
efforts to compensate Somerset with offices worth 3,000 pounds only served to offend many of the nobles
and as his quarrel with York grew more personal, the dynastic situation got worse. Another quarrel withthe Earl of Warwick over the lordships of Glamorgan and Morgannwg may have forced the leader of the
younger Nevilles into York's camp.
His brothers were taken captive at the Battle of Baugé in 1421, but Edmund was too young at the time to
fight. He acquired much military experience while his brothers were prisoners. He became a commander
in the English army in 1431. After his re-capture of Harfleur he was named a Knight of the Garter in
1436. After subsequent successes he was created Earl of Dorset (1442) and the next year Marquess of
Dorset. During the five year truce from 1444 to 1449 he served as Lieutenant of France. In March 1448
he was created Duke of Somerset. As the title had previously been held by his brother, he is usually calledthe second duke.
Somerset was appointed to replace York as commander in France in 1448. Fighting began in Normandy
in August 1449. Somerset's subsequent military failures left him vulnerable to criticism from York's
allies. Somerset was supposed to be paid £20,000; but little evidence exists that he was. He failed to
repulse French attacks, and by the summer of 1450 nearly all the English possessions in northern France
were lost. By 1453, all the English possessions in the south of France were lost as well, and the Battle of
Castillon ended the Hundred Years War.
Power had rested with Somerset from 1451 and was virtually monopolized by him until the King went
insane and York was named Lord Protector. York imprisoned Somerset in the Tower of London, and his
life was probably saved only by the King's seeming recovery late in 1454, which forced York to surrender
his office.
By now York was determined to depose Somerset by one means or another, and in May 1455 he raised an
army. He confronted Somerset and the King in an engagement known as the First Battle of St Albans
which marked the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Somerset was killed in a last wild charge from the
house where he had been sheltering. His son, Henry, never forgave Warwick and York for his father's
death, and he spent the next nine years attempting to restore his family's honour.
Family
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset married before 1436, Lady Eleanor Beauchamp, widow of
Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his first
wife, Elizabeth de Berkeley, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley and
Margaret de Lisle, 3rd Baroness Lisle. Eleanor was an older half-sister of Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke
of Warwick and Anne Neville, 16th Countess of Warwick .
Their unlicensed marriage was later pardoned on 7 March 1438, and they had the following children:
Eleanor Beaufort, Countess of Ormonde, married first James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormonde and second
Sir Robert Spencer; the parents of Margaret Spencer.[1]
Elizabeth Beaufort (d. before 1472), married Sir Henry FitzLewis.[1]
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1436–1464)[2]
Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford (bef. 1439–1474), married first Humphrey, Earl of Stafford
and second Sir Richard Darell.[2]
Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (c. 1439– 4 May 1471)[2]
were talking and resting. There is evidence they were not yet expecting to be involved in the fighting, as
many were not even wearing their helmets. Warwick charged instantly with his force, routing the
Lancastrians and killing the Duke of Somerset. [1]
On the Earl's orders, his archers then shot at the men around the King, killing several and injuring the
King and the Duke of Buckingham. The Lancastrians manning the barricades realised the Yorkists had
ouflanked them, and fearing an attack from behind abandoned their positions and fled the town.The First Battle of St Albans was relatively minor in military terms, but politically was a complete victory
for York and Warwick: York had captured the King and restored himself to complete power, while hisrival Somerset and Warwick's arch-enemies Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, and Lord de
Clifford both fell during the rout.
Shakespeare's history play Henry VI, Part 2 ends with the result of this battle.
See also
• History of St Albans
• Second Battle of St Albans
• Percy-Neville feud
References
• Burley, Elliott & Watson, The Battles of St Albans, Pen & Sword, 2007, ISBN 9781844155699
• Burne, A.H. The Battlefields of England , Classic Penguin, 2002, ISBN 0-141-39077-8
• History of Verulam and St. Alban's S. G. Shaw, 1815, Pages 63-64, at Google Books
Notes
1. ^ Popular legend has it that he was killed outside an inn called The Castle, fulfilling a soothsayer's
014 Edward 'King of England' Plantagenet IV — Biography
Page #2
George Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford
Anne of York, Countess of Surrey
Catherine of York, Countess of Devon
Bridget of York
House House of York
Father Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Mother Cecily Neville
Born28 April 1442
Rouen, Normandy
Died9 April 1483 (aged 40)
Westminster
Burial St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October
1470,[1][2]
and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England. The
first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses, but he overcamethe Lancastrian challenge to this throne at Tewkesbury in 1471 to reign in peace until his sudden death.
Before becoming king he was 4th Duke of York , 7th Earl of March, 5th Earl of Cambridge and 9th Earlof Ulster. He was also the 65th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Reign
Accession To The Throne
Edward of York was born at Rouen in France, the second child of Richard, 3rd Duke of York (who had a
strong genealogical claim to the throne of England[3]), and Cecily Neville. He was the eldest of the four
sons who survived to adulthood. His younger brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland, died along with his father
fighting for the Yorkist cause. The Duke of York's assertion of his claim to the crown in 1460 was the key
escalation of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. When his father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, Edward inherited his claim.
With the support of his cousin Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick ("The Kingmaker"), Edward
defeated the Lancastrians in a succession of battles. And while the Lancastrian Henry VI and Queen
Margaret of Anjou were campaigning in the north of England, Warwick gained control of the capital and
had Edward declared king in London in 1461. Edward strengthened his claim with a decisive victory at
the Battle of Towton in the same year, in the course of which the Lancastrian army was virtually wiped
out. Even at the age of nineteen, he had remarkable military acumen and a notable physique. His height is
estimated at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), making him the tallest among all English, Scottish & British monarchs to
date.[4]
Overthrow
Warwick, believing that he could continue to rule through Edward, pressed him to enter into a maritalalliance with a major European power. Edward then alienated Warwick by secretly marrying Elizabeth
Woodville, the widow of a Lancastrian sympathiser.
Elizabeth's mother was Jacquetta of Luxembourg, widow of Henry VI's uncle, John of Lancaster, Duke of
Bedford, but her father, Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers, was a new-minted baron. Elizabeth's
marriage to Edward IV made the unmarried among her twelve siblings desirable matrimonial catches.
014 Edward 'King of England' Plantagenet IV — Biography
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Although they posed no immediate threat to Warwick's own power, Warwick resented the influence this
group had over the King and, with the aid of Edward's disaffected younger brother George, Duke of
Clarence, Warwick led an army against Edward.
The main part of the king's army (without Edward) was defeated at the Battle of Edgecote Moor in 1469,
and Edward was subsequently captured at Olney. Warwick then attempted to rule in Edward's name, but
the nobility, many of whom owed their preferments to the king, were restive, and with the emergence of acounter-rebellion, Warwick was forced to release Edward. At this point Edward did not seek to destroy
either Warwick or Clarence but instead sought reconciliation among them.
In 1470, Warwick and Clarence rebelled again. This time they were defeated and forced to flee to France.
There, they made an alliance with Margaret of Anjou, and Warwick agreed to restore Henry VI in return
for French support in an invasion, which took place in late 1470. This time, Edward was forced to flee
when he learned the Warwick's brother, John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, had also switched to the
Lancastrian side, making Edward's military position untenable.
Restoration
Henry VI was briefly restored to the throne in 1470 in an event known as the Readeption of Henry VI,
and Edward took refuge in Burgundy, accompanied by his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
The rulers of Burgundy were his brother-in-law Charles, Duke of Burgundy, and his sister Margaret of York . Despite the fact that Charles was initially unwilling to help Edward, the French declared war on
Burgundy. This prompted Charles to give his aid to Edward, and from Burgundy he raised an army to win
back his kingdom.
When Edward returned to England with a relatively small force, he avoided capture. The city of York
only opened its gates to him after he promised that he had just come to reclaim his dukedom — just as
Henry Bolingbroke had done seventy years earlier. As he marched southwards he began to gather support,
and Clarence (who had realised that his fortunes would be better off as brother to a king than under Henry
VI) reunited with him. Edward entered London unopposed, where he took Henry VI prisoner. Edward andhis brothers then defeated Warwick at the Battle of Barnet, and with Warwick dead he eliminated the
remaining Lancastrian resistance at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. The Lancastrian heir, Edward of
Westminster, Prince of Wales, was killed on the battlefield. A few days later, on the night that Edward re-
entered London, Henry VI died. One contemporary chronicle claimed that his death was due to
"melancholy," but it is widely suspected that Edward ordered Henry's murder in order to completelyremove the Lancastrian opposition.
Edward's two younger brothers, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King
Richard III of England), were married to Isabella Neville and Anne Neville. They were both daughters of
Warwick by Anne Beauchamp and rival heirs to the considerable inheritance of their still-living mother,
leading to a dispute between the brothers. In 1478, Clarence was eventually found guilty of plotting
against Edward, imprisoned in the Tower of London and privately executed on 18 February 1478.
Later Reign And Death
Edward did not face any further rebellions after his restoration, as the Lancastrian line had virtually been
extinguished, and the only rival left was Henry Tudor, who was living in exile.In 1475, Edward declared war on France and came to terms with the Treaty of Picquigny, which provided
him with an immediate payment of 75,000 crowns and a yearly pension of 50,000 crowns. He also backed
an attempt by Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, brother of King James III of Scotland, to take the
Scottish throne in 1482. Gloucester led an invasion of Scotland that resulted in the capture of Edinburgh
and the king of Scotland himself, but Albany reneged on his agreement with Edward. Gloucester decided
to withdraw from his position of strength in Edinburgh. However, Gloucester did recover Berwick-upon-
014 Edward 'King of England' Plantagenet IV — Biography
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Edward's health began to fail, and he became subject to an increasing number of ailments. He fell fatally
ill at Easter 1483, but lingered on long enough to add some codicils to his will, the most important being
his naming of his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as Protector after his death. He died on 9 April
1483 and is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He was succeeded by his twelve-year-old son,
Edward V of England.
It is not known what actually caused Edward's death. Pneumonia and typhoid have both been conjectured,as well as poison. Some attributed his death to an unhealthy lifestyle, as he had become stout and inactive
in the years before his death.
Overview
An extremely capable and daring military commander,
Edward destroyed the House of Lancaster in a series of
spectacular military victories; he was never defeated on the
field of battle. Despite his occasional (if serious) political
setbacks — usually at the hands of his great Machiavellian
rival, Louis XI of France — Edward was a popular and very
able king. While he lacked foresight and was at times cursed
by bad judgement, he possessed an uncanny understanding of
his most useful subjects, and the vast majority of those who
served him remained unwaveringly loyal until his death.
Domestically, Edward's reign saw the restoration of law and
order in England (indeed, his royal motto was modus et ordo,
or "method and order"). The latter days of Henry VI's
government had been marked by a general breakdown in law
and order, as well as a sizable increase in both piracy and
banditry. Interestingly, Edward was also a shrewd and successful businessman and merchant, heavily
investing in several corporations within the City of London. He also made the duchy of Lancaster
property of the crown, which it still is today. During the reign of Henry there had been corruption in the
exchequer. Edward made his household gain more control over finances and even investigated old records
to see payments had been made. Documents of the exchequer show him sending letters that threatenofficials if they did not pay money. His properties allowed him to bring in large amounts of money in
order to restore royal finances.
Ultimately, despite his military and administrative genius, Edward's dynasty survived him by little more
than two years, but Edward was one of the few male members of his dynasty to die of natural causes.
Both Edward's father and brother were killed at the Battle of Wakefield, while his grandfather and another
brother were executed for treason. Edward's two sons were imprisoned and disappeared (presumed killed)
within a year of Edward's death. The king's youngest brother, Richard, was famously killed in battle
against Henry Tudor at Bosworth Field.
Issue
Edward IV had ten legitimate children by Elizabeth Woodville, seven of whom survived him. They were
declared illegitimate by Parliament in 1483, clearing the way for Richard III to become King.[5]
Elizabeth, queen consort to Henry VII of England (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503).
Mary (11 August 1467 – 23 May 1482).
Cecily of York (20 March 1469 – 24 August 1507), married first John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles
and second Thomas Kyme or Keme.
Edward (4 November 1470 – 1483?), succeeded as King of England.
014 Edward 'King of England' Plantagenet IV — Biography
Page #5
Margaret (10 April 1472 – 11 December 1472).
Richard (17 August 1473 – 1483?).
Anne (2 November 1475 – 23 November 1511), married Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk .
George (March 1477 – March 1479).
Catherine (14 August 1479 – 15 November 1527), married William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon.
Bridget (10 November 1480 – 1517), became a nun.
Edward had numerous mistresses. The best known was Elizabeth Shore, called Jane Shore.[6]
He reportedly had several illegitimate children:
By Elizabeth Lucy or Elizabeth Waite.
o Elizabeth Plantagenet (born circa 1464), married Sir Thomas Lumley in 1477.
o Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (1460s/1470s – 3 March 1542).
By unknown mother. Recent speculations suggests them as children by Lucy or Waite.
o Grace Plantagenet. She is known to have been present at the funeral of her stepmother ElizabethWoodville in 1492.
[7]
o Mary Plantagenet, married Henry Harman of Ellam, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Harman and
widower of certain Agnes.[8]
o A daughter said to have been the first wife of John Tuchet, 6th Baron Audley.[9]
Perkin Warbeck , an impostor claimant to the English throne, who claimed to be Edward's son Richard of
Shrewsbury, reportedly resembled Edward. There is unconfirmed speculation that Warbeck could have
been another of Edward's illegitimate sons.
Successors
Edward IV's eldest son was invested with the title of Prince of Wales at the age of seven months. At the
age of three, he was sent by his father to Ludlow Castle as nominal head of the Council of Wales and theMarches, a body that had originally been set up to help the future Edward V of England in his duties as
Prince of Wales. The prince was accompanied to Ludlow by his mother and by his uncle, Anthony
Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, who carried out many of the administrative duties associated with the
presidency of the Council. The king visited his son occasionally at Ludlow, though, as far as is known, he
never ventured into Wales itself. It is clear that he intended this experience of government to prepare his
son for the throne.
Although his son was quickly barred from the throne and replaced by Richard of Gloucester, Edward IV's
daughter Elizabeth of York later became the Queen consort of Henry VII of England. The grounds for
Titulus Regius, passed to justify the accession of Richard of Gloucester, were that Edward had been
contracted to marry another woman prior to his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. Lady Eleanor Butler (a
young widow, daughter of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury) and Edward were alleged to have been
precontracted; both parties were dead by this time, but a clergyman (named only by Philippe de
Commines as Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells), claimed to have carried out the ceremony.The declaration was repealed shortly after Henry VII assumed the throne, because it illegimitized
Elizabeth of York, who was to be his queen.
The final fate of Edward IV's legitimate sons, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, is unknown.
Speculation on the subject has given rise to the "Princes in the Tower" mystery.
014 Edward 'King of England' Plantagenet IV — Biography
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Was Edward Illegitimate?
Evidence of Edward's illegitimacy remains subjective and
disputed among modern historians. For centuries it was
generally accepted that the issue began as a propaganda
exercise by his younger opponents. In his time, it was noted
that Edward IV showed little resemblance to his father,especially in terms of his exceptional height when compared to
the other members of the House of York, who were not well
known for their height (though Edward's younger brother
George was also tall and fair, and said to bear a marked
resemblance to him).[10] Questions about his paternity were
raised during Edward's own reign, for example by Richard
Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, in 1469, and repeated by
George shortly before his execution in 1478, but with no
evidence; in propaganda wars, such as these, many statements
were used that perhaps had no basis in truth.
Dominic Mancini claimed that Cecily Neville, mother of both
Edward IV and Richard III, was herself the basis for the story:when she found out about Edward's marriage to ElizabethWoodville in 1464, Cecily Neville flew into a rage. Mancini
reported that the Duchess, in her anger, offered to declare him a
bastard. However, this is not supported in contemporary
sources, but is most likely reflective of contemporary opinion.
Prior to his succession, on 22 June 1483, Richard III declared that Edward V was illegitimate, and three
days later the matter was addressed by parliament. In Titulus Regius (the text of which is believed to
come word-for-word from the petition presented by Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, to the
assembly which met on June 25, 1483, to decide on the future of the monarchy), Richard III is described
as "the undoubted son and heir" of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York , and "born in this land" — an
oblique reference to his brother's birth at Rouen and baptism in circumstances which could have been
considered questionable. There is no confirmation for the view — as fictionalised in William
Shakespeare's Richard III (Act 3, Scene 5) — that Richard made any claims about his brother's
legitimacy, as his claim was based on the supposed illegitimacy of Edward IV's children. According to
Polydore Vergil, Duchess Cecily, "being falsely accused of adultery, complained afterwards in sundry
places to right many noble men, whereof some yet live, of that great injury which her son Richard had
done her." If she had indeed complained — as would befit a high-ranking lady of renowned piety, as she
had been regarded — these petitions may have had some effect: the allegations were dropped and never
again pursued.
However in a 2004 television documentary, it was noted that, from 14 July to 21 August 1441 Edward's
father was indeed away on campaign at Pontoise, several days' march from Rouen (where Cecily of York
was based). This was taken to suggest that the Duke of York could not have been available in order to
father Edward, as he was born on 28 April 1442 indicating a conception date close to 22 July 1441.Furthermore, the christening celebration of Edmund, Earl of Rutland, the second son of Richard and
Cecily, was a lavish and expensive affair, while the christening of the couple's firstborn son Edward was a
low key and private affair in a small chapel in Rouen. This could be interpreted as indicating that the
couple had more to celebrate together at the birth of Edmund. For more details about this theory, see the
TV programme Britain' s Real Monarch.
Counter-arguments to this theory are that the Duke could have returned to Rouen from Pontoise, as there
was a road in English hands or Edward could have been premature. Baptisms were often performed
Source Information: Ancestry.com. London, England, Extracted Parish Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com OperationsInc, 2001.Original data: Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.
Description:This database is a collection of historical parish registers from the county of London in the country of England. The 318,900records in this collection can range in date from the early 1500s to the mid- to late-1800s. Some non-parish records may be
included from as early as the twelfth century. The records include baptisms/christenings, burials, marriages, tombstoneinscriptions, obituaries, tax lists, wills, and other miscellaneous types of records.
Text: Eleanor, late Duchess of Somerset, daughter of Richard Beauchamp, formerly
Earl of Warwick, was seised of 1 tenement called Warwick Inne, and of 1tenement called Somerset Inn, next Baynard Castle, in the City of London,
which she held of King Edward 4th in free burgage. Warwick Inne is worth per
ann., clear, £24 13s. 4d., and Somerset Inne is worth per ann., £9 6s. 8d.Book: Burials.
Collection: London: - Abstracts of Inquisitiones Post Mortem, City of London, 1485-1561
had issue.[2] She also had two half-brothers by her mother’s first marriage to Sir Philip Butler, a member
of the noble Irish family, the Butlers of Ormond.
Her paternal grandparents were Sir William Cheney and Catherine Pabenham, and her maternal
grandparents were Sir John Cockayne, Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Ida de Grey, the daughter of
Reginald Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Ruthyn and Eleanor Le Strange of Blackmere.[3]
Marriages And Issue
On an unknown date, Elizabeth married her first husband Sir
Frederick Tilney, of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk , and Boston,
Lincolnshire. He was the son of Sir Philip Tilney and IsabelThorpe. They made their principal residence at Ashwellthorpe
Manor.[4]
Together Sir Frederick and Elizabeth had one
daughter:
Elizabeth Tilney (before 1445- 4 April 1497), married
firstly in about 1466, Sir Humphrey Bourchier, by whom
she had three children; and secondly on 30 April 1472,
Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, who later became the 2nd
Duke of Norfolk, by whom she had nine children. Thesechildren included Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk ,
Elizabeth Howard, mother of Anne Boleyn, and Lord
Edmund Howard, father of Catherine Howard.
Sir Frederick died in 1445, leaving their young daughter
Elizabeth as heiress to his estates. Shortly before 1 December
1446, Elizabeth Cheney married secondly to Sir John Say of
Broxbourne, Speaker of the House of Commons, and a
member of the household of King Henry VI. He was a memberof the embassy, led by William de la Pole, which was sent to France in 1444 to negotiate with King
Charles VII for the marriage between King Henry and Margaret of Anjou.[5]
Her father settled land worth fifty marks clear per annum upon the couple and their issue beforeCandlemas 1453.[6] They made their home at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
Together Sir John and Elizabeth had three sons and five daughters:
Sir William Say (1452- 1529), Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset (1478-79), Sheriff of Essex and
Hertfordshire (1482-83), married secondly Elizabeth Fray, widow of Sir Thomas Waldegrave, by
whom he had two daughters, Mary Say and Elizabeth Say.[7]
Mary, the eldest daughter married
Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex and 6th Baron Bourchier, by whom she had one daughter, Anne
Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Thomas Say
Rev. Leonard Say, a Roman Catholic priest
Anne Say (died 1478/1494), married Henry Wentworth, Sheriff of Yorkshire, by whom she had issue,including Margery Wentworth, mother of Jane Seymour.
Mary Say, married Sir Philip Calthorpe, by whom she had issue.
014 Elizabeth 'Consort of England' Woodville-Plantagenet — Biography
Page #2
Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire
Died8 June 1492 (age 55)
Bermondsey, London
Burial St. George’s Chapel, Windsor
Elizabeth Woodville (also spelled Wydeville or Widvile; c. 1437[1] – 8 June 1492) was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure
in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of
Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans. As the daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl
Rivers, she was the first commoner to marry an English sovereign. It was because of this that Edward’s
former staunch ally Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , known to history as “The Kingmaker”
switched his allegiance to the House of Lancaster. Her children included the Princes in the Tower and
Elizabeth of York ; the latter made her the maternal grandmother of Henry VIII. Tradition holds that she
served as a Maid of Honour to Margaret of Anjou, but the evidence of this is uncertain.[2]
Early Life And First Marriage
Elizabeth was born about 1437[3]
at Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire, the daughter of Richard Woodville,
1st Earl Rivers and his wife, the former Jacquetta of Luxembourg, widow of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford. Although spelling of the family name has sometimes been modernized to “Woodville”, it was
spelled “Wydeville” in contemporary publications by Caxton and as “Widvile” on Queen Elizabeth’s
tomb at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
She may have been a maid of honour to Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI in 1445, when she was
about eight years of age. The identification of Elizabeth as the “Isabel Grey” referred to in the record in
question is uncertain, however; as A. R. Myers and George Smith have each noted, assuming that the
eight-year-old Elizabeth was then married to John Grey, there were several women by the name of
Isabella or Elizabeth Grey, including an Elizabeth Grey who is noted as serving Margaret and as being the
widow of a Ralph Grey.[2]
In about 1452, she married Sir John Grey of Groby, who was killed at the
Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, fighting for the Lancastrian cause, which would become a source of
irony as Edward IV was the Yorkist claimant to the throne. Elizabeth had two sons from the marriage,Thomas (later Marquess of Dorset) and Richard.
Elizabeth was called “the most beautiful woman in the Island of Britain” with “heavy-lidded eyes like
those of a dragon”,[4] suggesting a perhaps unusual criterion by which beauty in late medieval England
was judged.
Queen Consort
Edward IV had many mistresses, the most notorious being Jane Shore, and did not have a reputation for
fidelity. His marriage to the widowed Lady Grey took place secretly and though the date is not accepted
as exactly accurate is traditionally said to have taken place (with only the bride’s mother and two ladies in
attendance) at her family home in Northamptonshire on 1 May 1464,[5]
just over three years after he had
taken the English throne subsequent to leading the Yorkists in an overwhelming victory over the
Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton. Elizabeth was crowned Queen on Ascension Day, 26 May 1465.
In the early years of his reign, Edward’s governance of England was dependent upon a small circle of
supporters, most notably his cousin, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick . At around the time of Edward’s
secret marriage, Warwick was negotiating an alliance with France in an effort to thwart a similar
arrangement being made by his sworn enemy Margaret of Anjou, wife of the deposed Henry VI. The plan
was that Edward should marry a French Princess. When the marriage to Elizabeth, who was a commoner,
became public, its concealment was the cause of considerable rancour on Warwick’s part.
014 Elizabeth 'Consort of England' Woodville-Plantagenet — Biography
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With the arrival on the scene of the new queen came a host of siblings who soon married into some of the
most notable families in England.[6] The marriages of her sisters to the sons of the earls of Kent, Essex
and Pembroke have left no sign of unhappiness on the parts of the parties involved, nor does that of her
sister, Catherine Woodville, to the queen’s 11-year-old ward Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham,
though the duke stood with the duke of Gloucester in opposition to the Woodvilles after the death of
Edward IV. The one marriage which may be considered shocking was that of her 20-year-old brother
John Woodville to Katherine, Duchess of Norfolk , daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland byJoan Beaufort, and widow of John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk . The wealthy Katherine had been
widowed three times and was probably in her sixties.
When Elizabeth’s relatives, especially her brother, Anthony Woodville,
2nd Earl Rivers, began to challenge Warwick’s pre-eminence in English
political society, he conspired with his son-in-law, the Duke of Clarence,
the king’s younger brother. One of his followers accused Elizabeth’s
mother, the Duchess of Bedford, of practising witchcraft. Jacquetta was
acquitted the following year.[8] Warwick and Clarence twice rose in revolt
and then fled to France. Warwick formed an uneasy alliance with the
Lancastrian Queen Margaret of Anjou and restored her husband Henry VI
to the throne in 1470, but, the following year, Edward IV returned from
exile and defeated Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and the Lancastrians
at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Henry VI was murdered soon afterwards.
Following her husband’s temporary fall from power, Elizabeth had
sought sanctuary in Westminster Abbey, where she gave birth to a son,
Edward (later Edward V of England). Her second marriage produced ten children, including another son,
Richard, Duke of York , who would later join his brother as one of the Princes in the Tower.[3]
Queen Elizabeth engaged in acts of Christian piety, which were in keeping with what was expected of a
medieval queen consort. Her acts included making pilgrimages, obtaining a papal indulgence for those
who knelt and said the Angelus three times per day, and founding the chapel of St. Erasmus in
Westminster Abbey.[9]
Queen Mother
Following Edward’s sudden death in April 1483, Elizabeth briefly became Queen Mother as her son,Edward became king, with his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester acting as Lord Protector. Fearing the
assumption of power by the Woodvilles, Richard quickly moved to take control of the young king and
had Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and Richard Grey, brother and son to Queen Elizabeth arrested
and executed. The young king was transferred to the Tower of London to await the Coronation. Elizabeth
again sought sanctuary and conspired against the Lord Protector with Baron Hastings, who was
subsequently also executed.
Richard now moved to take the throne himself and on 25 June 1483, an act of parliament, the Titulus
Regius (1 Ric. 3) declared Edward’s and Elizabeth’s children illegitimate on the grounds that Edward had
made a previous promise (known as a precontract) to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, which was considered a
legally binding contract that rendered any other marriage contract invalid. One source, the Burgundianchronicler Philippe de Commines, claims that Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, carried out
the ceremony between Edward and Eleanor. The act also contained charges of witchcraft against
Elizabeth, but gave no details and had no further repercussions. As a consequence, the Duke of
Gloucester became King Richard III. Young Edward and his brother Richard, Duke of York , remained in
the Tower of London. The exact fate of the so-called Princes in the Tower has been long debated; whether
they died, disappeared, or were murdered is still unknown.
014 Elizabeth 'Consort of England' Woodville-Plantagenet — Biography
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Life Under Richard III
Elizabeth, now referred to as Dame Elizabeth Grey,[3]
conspired to free her sons and restore her eldest to
the throne. However, when the Duke of Buckingham, one of Richard III’s closest allies, entered the
conspiracy, he claimed that the princes had been murdered. Elizabeth and Buckingham now allied
themselves with Lady Margaret Beaufort and espoused the cause of Margaret’s son Henry Tudor, a great-
great-great-grandson of King Edward III
[10]
the closest male heir of the Lancastrian claim to the thronewith some questions as to its strength.[11]
Elizabeth and Margaret agreed that Henry should marry
Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth of York . Henry agreed to this plan and in December publicly swore an
oath to that effect in the cathedral in Rennes. In the previous month, an uprising in his favour, led by
Buckingham, had been crushed.
Elizabeth’s behaviour has been a source of frustration to historians as on 1 March 1484, Elizabeth and her
daughters came out of sanctuary after Richard publicly swore an oath that her daughters would not be
harmed or ravished and that they would not be imprisoned in the Tower of London or in any other prison.
Richard III also promised to provide them with marriage portions and to marry them to “gentlemen born”.The family returned to Court, apparently reconciled to King Richard. After the death of Richard’s Queen
Anne Neville in 1485, rumours even spread that the now-widowed King was going to marry his niece
Elizabeth of York .[12]
Richard issued a denial; though according to the Crowland Chronicle he was
pressured to do this by the Woodvilles’ enemies who feared, among other things, that they would have toreturn the lands they had confiscated from the Woodvilles.
Life Under Henry VII
In 1485, Henry Tudor made his invasion and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. As King,
Henry married Elizabeth of York and had the Titulus Regius revoked. Elizabeth was accorded the title
and honours of a queen dowager.
Scholars differ about why Dowager Queen Elizabeth spent her last five years living at Bermondsey
Abbey. Among her modern biographers, David Baldwin believes that Henry VII forced her retreat fromthe Court, while Arlene Okerlund presents evidence that indicates she was planning a religious,
contemplative life as early as July 1486.[13]
At the Abbey, Elizabeth was treated with all the respect due to
a queen dowager, lived a regal life, and received a pension of £400 and small gifts from the King. She
was present at the birth of her second grandchild Margaret at Westminster Palace in November 1489. The
Queen rarely visited her, although Elizabeth’s younger daughter, Viscountess Welles, is known to havedone so more often.
Henry VII briefly contemplated marrying Elizabeth off to King James III of Scotland, when James’ wife,
Margaret of Denmark , died in 1486.[14] James was killed in battle later that year, rendering the plans of
Henry VII moot.
Elizabeth died at Bermondsey Abbey on 8 June 1492.[3]
With the exception of the Queen, who was
awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and Cecily (Viscountess Welles), her daughters attended the funeral
at Windsor Castle: Anne (the future Countess of Surrey), Catherine (the future Countess of Devon) and
Bridget (a sister at Dartford Priory). Her will specified a simple funeral. Many ardent Yorkists, who
considered themselves slighted by the ordinary and very simple burial of Edward IV’s Queen on 12 June
1492, were not pleased. Elizabeth was laid to rest in the same chantry as her husband King Edward IV inSt George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.[3]
Issue Of Elizabeth Woodville
By Sir John Grey
Thomas Grey, Earl of Huntingdon, Marquess of Dorset and Lord Ferrers de Groby (1457- 20
September 1501), married firstly Anne Holland, but she died young without issue; he married
014 Elizabeth 'Consort of England' Woodville-Plantagenet — Biography
Page #5
secondly on 18 July 1474, Cecily Bonville, suo jure Baroness Harington and Bonville, by whom he
had fourteen children.
Richard Grey (1458- 25 June 1483)
By King Edward IV
Elizabeth of York (1466–1503), Queen Consort of England
Mary of York (1467–1482), buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Cecily of York (1469–1507), Viscountess Welles
Edward V of England (1470–1483/5), one of the Princes in the Tower
Margaret of York (Apr. 1472-Dec. 1472), buried in Westminster Abbey
Richard, Duke of York (1473–1483/5), one of the Princes in the Tower
Anne of York, Countess of Surrey (1475–1511)
George Plantagenet (1477–1479), Duke of Bedford; buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Catherine of York (1479–1527), Countess of Devon
Bridget of York (1480–1517), nun at Dartford Priory, Kent
In Literature
Elizabeth is a character in the plays Richard III and Henry VI Part 3 by William Shakespeare.
Philippa Gregory‘s 2009 novel The White Queen follows a fictionalized account of Elizabeth’s life from
meeting her future husband, King Edward, up through the disappearance of her sons and the reign of her
brother-in-law, Richard III. The novel places a great deal of focus on the legend of Melusina and
Elizabeth and her mother’s ties to witchcraft.
Sympathetic fictional portraits of Elizabeth Woodville can be found in Jan Westcott‘s The White Rose and
in A Secret Alchemy by Emma Darwin (novelist). A less sympathetic picture is given in Sandra Worth’s
Lady of the Roses (2008). She is also found in Sharon Kay Penman‘s The Sunne in Splendour , where sheis seen mainly through the eyes of others. Rosemary Hawley Jarman‘s fictionalized biography of
Elizabeth Woodville is entitled The King’s Grey Mare (1972).
Screen Portrayals
Film
Richard III (1911): Elizabeth was played by Violet Farebrother
Richard III (1912): Elizabeth was played by Carey Lee.
In the French film, Les enfants d ’Édouard (1914), Elizabeth was played by Jeanne Delvair.
Jane Shore (1915): Elizabeth was played by Maud Yates.
Tower of London (1939): Elizabeth was played by Barbara O’Neil. Richard III (1955): Elizabeth was portrayed by Mary Kerridge.
In the Hungarian TV movie III. Richárd (1973) Elizabeth was played by Rita Békés.
Richard III (1995): Elizabeth was played by Annette Bening.
Looking For Richard (1996): Elizabeth was played by Penelope Allen.
Richard III (2005): Elizabeth was played by Caroline Burns Cooke.
Hicks, Michael (2004), “Elizabeth (c.1437–1492) (subscription required)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8634,
http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8634, retrieved 25 September 2010
4. ^ Jane Bingham, The Cotswolds: A Cultural History, (Oxford University Press, 2009), 66
5. ^ Robert Fabian, The New Chronicles of England and France, ed. Henry Ellis (London: Rivington,1811), 654.
6. ^ Ralph A. Griffiths, “The Court during the Wars of the Roses”. In Princes Patronage and the Nobility: The Court at the Beginning of the Modern Age, cc. 1450–1650. Edited by Ronald G. Asch
and Adolf M. Birke. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN 0199205027. 59-61.
7. ^ Boutell, Charles (1863), A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular , London: Winsor &
Newton, pp. 277
8. ^ Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1467-77, pg. 190.
9. ^ Sutton and Visser-Fuchs, “A ‘Most Benevolent Queen;’“Laynesmith, pp. 111, 118-19.
10. ^ Genealogical Tables in Morgan, (1988), p. 709.
11. ^ Henry’s claim to the throne was weak due to Henry IV’s declaration barring ascension to the
throne by any heirs of the legitimized offspring of his father, John of Gaunt (son of King Edward
III) by his third wife Katherine Swynford. The original act legitimizing the children of John of
Gaunt and Katherine Swinford passed by Parliament and the bull issued by the Pope in the matter
legitimised them fully which made the legality of Henry IV declaration questionable.
Gruffudd ap Nicolas (fl 1425-56), an esquire and a leading figure in the local administration of the
principality of South Wales in the middle of the 15th cent. Nothing is known of his early years, but it is
said that he was the posthumous son of Nicolas ap Phylip ap Syr Elidir Ddu (one of the knights of the
Sepulchre) by his wife Jennett, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn Foethus. The first authentic record of
him is as holder of the office of king's approver for the lordship and new town of Dynevor in 1425. Hewas sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1436. With Edmund Beaufort, parts of the lands of Phillip Clement
were demised to him in 1437. He was a power to be feared in West Wales in 1438, according to the
evidence of Margaret Malefant in a petition to Parliament. He was farmer of the lordship of Dynevor in
1439, and his son John shared the office with him. In that same year we find his son Thomas escheator for
Cardiganshire. In 1442-3, he again came to the notice of the authorities in London, when he and the abbot
of Whitland were summoned to the metorpolis and the Privy Council ordered the arrest of his son Owen.
Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, was his patron, and he received, 24 July 1443, the custody of the lordship
of Caron and the commote of Pennarth during the minority of Maud, heiress of William Clement. He heldsession on behalf of duke Humphrey in the counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan. When the English
inhabitants of North Wales towns petitioned Parliament in 1444, against the denization of more
Welshmen, he and William Bulkeley were excepted by name. He was placed on a commission to enquire
into the felonies committed by David ap Meredith in Aberystwyth 2 July 1445. The fall of his patron in
1447 brought him into trouble, and he was imprisoned with other members of duke Humphrey's retinue.He was soon released and managed to retain the confidence of the court, continuing to act for the Justice
of South Wales and, occasionally, for the chamberlain. John Delabere, bishop of S Davids, 1447-c. 1460,
committed his bishopric to his care, and the duke of York obtained licence, 13 May 1449, to grant him
and the bishop the castle, manor, and town of Narberth. He and his son Thomas were placed on a
commission for the defence of the ports of south-west Wales, to muster forces, and erect beacons, 7 Oct
1450. About this time, when he was at the zenith of his power, the Carmarthen eisteddfod was held. The
date and details are uncertain — reports vary between 1451 and 1453.
Some maintain that it lasted three months at his cost at Dynevor and others state that it lasted a fortnight
and that it was held at Carmarthen. It is agreed that Gruffudd ap Nicolas was judge over the poets, and
that the chair was awarded to Dafydd ab Edmwnd. It is pretty certain also that the eisteddfod revised thebardic metres and regulated the bardic fraternity. In 1454-5, the castle of Carregcennen was repaired and
garrisoned upon his command. On the verge of the Wars of the Roses, he was on good terms with the
court of Henry VI, and after the Yorkist victory at S Albans, 1455, he lost some of his offices. Yet, he
appears to have taken offence at the coming of Edmund, earl of Richmond, to Pembroke, in 1456 if he
was the 'Gruffith Suoh' who, with the earl of Richmond, was reported, 7 June 1456, by John Bocking, in a
letter to John Paston, to be at war greatly in Wales. HOwever, he and his sons, Thomas and Owen, were
granted general pardons on 26 Oct 1456. His name then disappears from the records. Had he been alive
on 1 March 1459 it is difficult to imagine that his name would have been left out of a commission
entrusted to his two sons, Thomas and Owen, with Jasper and Owen Tudor. It is, therefore, impossible to
accept the reports that he was mortally wounded either at the battle of Wakefield, 1460, or at Mortimer's
Cross, 1461. His praises were sung by Dafydd ab Edmwnd, Hywel ap Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys, Rhys
Llwyd ap Rhys ap Rhicert, Gwilym ap Ieuan He, and Lewis Glyn Cothi. It is probable that the englynionattributed to him and Owen Dwnn and Griffith Benrhaw had their origin in the humour of bardic
festivities. It is said that he was thrice m: (1) to Mabel, daughter of Meredith ap Henry Dwnn, (2) to a
daughter of Sir Thomas Perrot, and (3) to Jane, daughter of Jenkin ap Rhys ap Dafydd of Gilfach-wen.
Three of his sons have been named, John who disappears early from the records, Owen, heir of Bryn y
Beirdd, and Lewis Glyn Cothi's companion in hiding, and Thomas, who was slain in a skirmish at Pennal,
probably during lord Herbert's expedition into North Wles in 1468. He was the father of Sir Rhys ap
Thomas (1449-1525). [Dictionary of Welsh Biography p313]
This family claimed descent from Urien, the 6th century king of
Rheged (a kingdom spanning what is now the western border of
Scotland and England), and in allusion to the ravens attributed to
Urien, they adopted the arms ' Argent, a chevron Sable between three
ravens proper ' (on a silver shield, a black chevron between three black ravens). Urien was an historically
documented king who was celebrated in the poems of Taliesin and who died in battle near Lindisfarne in
577 (J.Davies p.60). However, even the genealogists could not provide a continuous line further back than
the 9th century, and the earliest historical evidence of the family is available only at the beginning of the
14th century for ELIDIR DDU, according to Griffiths' study of this family in his Sir Rhys ap Thomas (p.8). Lewys Dwnn writes that ELIDIR was a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, which would mean he had
been invested in Jerusalem as a crusader (Francis Jones, Knights, p.23). He was fined in 1303 for
withdrawing from a suit he had instituted before the hundred court of the newly created town of Newton
near Dinefwr castle (PRO, SC/215/17 m.2), and as a juror of the county he testified to the bishop's rights
in Llandeilo in 1326 ( Black Book of St. David's, p.269), as cited by Griffiths (p.9).
ELIDIR'S son, PHILIP ap ELIDIR, was one of the attorneys deputed in 1362 to deliver Carreg Cennen
castle to John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, into whose service PHILIP passed (Calendar of Close Rolls,
1360-4, 418), and he was paid by the duke in 1386 and the following year, presumably for other
important functions he had performed (PRO, Duchy of Lancaster, Rentals and Surveys, 15/1 m.3; /2 m.2),
as cited by Griffiths (p.10).
NICHOLAS ap PHILIP married a near-neighbor JONET f. GRUFFUDD ap LLYWELYN FOETHUS
(the Luxurious) , who will be taken up in the line of JOHN ap REES. Little is known of NICHOLAS, and
he may have died before he attained an office that would appear in state records, but his brother Gwilym
ap PHILIP was important enough for his knowledge of the lordship of Llandovery to be sought in 1391
when its descent was investigated at Carmarthen following the death of the title holder, and he was
receiver of the lordship of Kidwelly until 1401 (Griffiths, Sir Rhys, p.10). Gwilym married Gwladus, thedaughter of HENRY DWNN, and he became a prominent supporter of Glyn Dwr's revolt and fought
alongside his father-in-law for at least the years 1401-03 (R.R.Davies, Glyn Dwr, pp.232, 273-4). Later
Gwilym's son Rhys joined his cousin GRUFFUDD ap NICHOLAS in acting as deputy-constable of
Dinefwr castle in 1429 (Griffiths p.11), and was deputy sheriff of Carmarthen c.1443-4 (p.14).
I-376.Gruffudd Ap Nicholas
GRUFFUDD ap NICHOLAS was named after his maternal grandfather GRUFFUDD ap LLYWELYN
FOETHUS. The family then lived at Crug (mound ) near Llandeilo and within a short distance of Newton
and Dinefwr, where later GRUFFUDD and his descendants became established. GRUFFUDD surpassedhis ancestors by becoming the most powerful of the king's subjects in west Wales, and Griffiths describes
his career in "Gruffudd ap Nicholas and the Rise of the House of Dinefwr," ( NLWJ , pp.256-268.) GRUFFUDD began by being appointed in 1415 to collect money from the sale of escheated lands in
Iscennen, i.e. lands that had reverted to the king on the death of a landholder without heirs, and from 1416
an increasing number of offices and leases of land and profits came his way. From 1433 he acted as
deputy to Edmund Beaufort as steward of Kidwelly, and it was probably due to Beaufort's influence that
he received English denizenship. His connection with Dinefwr castle had begun in 1425, when he became
approver of the royal demesnes there. In 1429 he was acting as joint Constable, and in 1440 he secured a
lease on favorable terms of the lordship of Dinefwr and the town of Newton, which he held until 1456.
John Davies calls him "the most powerful of the Welsh gentry of his day" (p.209). Evans calls him "a
remarkable character who dominated West Wales in the middle of the fifteenth century," and says he "was
intensely national, and in his generous patronage of the bards he faithfully mirrors the Welsh aristocracy
of his day" (p.15).
To rise to power he made himself indispensable to successive holders of high office (primarilyEnglishmen) who had little time to devote to their Welsh duties during the troubled reign of Henry VI. He
deputized much of the time between 1443 and 1456 in the major role of Justiciar of south Wales, the
political and judicial head of royal government, responsible to the king. During this period he built up
vast landholdings in Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire, and many Welshmen complained to the king's
Council of his abuse of power, but Henry VI was too weak to take effective action. Though GRUFFUDD
used his offices to build his own estate, and his example was followed by his sons and grandsons, others
among his contemporaries were equally acquisitive (J.Davies p.209).
GRUFFUDD was also eulogized by the poets, Lewis Glyn Cothi describing him as the "Constantine of
great Carmarthen." He is credited with having summoned and presided over an eisteddfod at Carmarthen
in 1453 at which the Twenty-four Metres of Welsh prosody were agreed upon. He considered Carmarthen
Castle as his own home (J.Davies p.210).
His power was curbed after the Yorkist victory at St Albans in 1455, but he was still the main supporter
of the Lancastrians in south Wales when Queen Margaret sent her husband's step-brother Edmund Tudor
there in 1456 to re-establish the power of the crown. GRUFFUDD may have seen Edmund as a rival, and
they were reported in letters of the Paston family as personal enemies (Evans p.55; Griffiths, Welsh
History Review, Vol. II, p.225). But if he committed any offenses, he and his sons OWAIN and Thomas
received a full pardon from the new government of the Queen by 1456, according to Griffiths (p.226).
GRUFFUDD's last known act was to make over to his son OWAIN the castle and lordship of Narberth in
February 1460/1, and he is likely to have died soon afterwards (Griffiths, Sir Rhys p.24). GRUFFUDD'S
wife, MABLI DWNN, will be taken up later with her own important family.
I-188.Owain And Thomas Ap Gruffudd And Their Families Ralph Griffiths covers the activities of GRUFFUDD'S sons and grandsons in his Sir Rhys ap Thomas and
his Family. OWAIN was cast in his father's image (p.17). His activities in Pembrokeshire caused such
concern that his father was summoned before the king's Council in 1443 to explain the young man's
behavior. OWAIN was one of a number of Welsh chieftains who were outlawed during the ungoverned
decade leading to the Wars of the Roses, and the poet Lewis Glyn Cothi was also outlawed but was
sheltered by OWAIN: "When formerly I was wandering in Gwynedd, Owen gave me his gold and his
wine to save my life". OWAIN returned to Pembrokeshire, where his activities were such that in 1452 he
had to secure a pardon for a wide range of serious offences. OWAIN'S home was at Cwrt Bryn-y-beirdd
(court of the hill of the bards) opposite Carreg Cennen castle south east of Llandeilo, which still existed in
1809 as "a very large and remarkably built ancient mansion" (Fenton's Tours in Wales, quoted in Jones
Historic Carms Homes, p.17). His wife ALSWN was the daughter of the Pembrokeshire squire HENRY
MALEPHANT of Upton castle, who is thought to have Norman ancestry. OWAIN and other relationsincluding his son MORRIS BOWEN were excluded from a general pardon issued by the Yorkist Edward
IV, but their position was regularized in 1471 during the brief return to the throne of the Lancastrian
Carreg Cennen Castle, with Cwrt Bryn-y-Beirdd on the hill behind
(from Sir Rhys ap Thomas and his Family)
OWAIN'S younger brother Thomas was escheator for Cardiganshire between 1438 and 1450, and he
succeeded his father as deputy Chamberlain in 1454 and as leaseholder of Dinefwr in 1460. The two
brothers gave strong support to Jasper Tudor, who had been created earl of Pembroke, but their side was
defeated at Mortimer's Cross in 1461, where the Yorkist opposition included their cousin John DWNN.
After being captured at Carreg Cennen castle they had to make terms with Sir Roger VAUGHAN II and
Sir Richard Herbert. Thomas regained possession of Dinefwr, which he held until 1465, but hisLancastrian sympathies caused him to be excluded from all offices thereafter until his death in 1474.
Thomas's wife Elizabeth was the heiress and only child of Sir John Gruffudd (d.1471) of Abermarlais,
lord of Llansadwrn and of lands in Cardiganshire. Her family was important in Welsh history, one
ancestor having commanded Welsh troops in the French wars including Crecy in 1346, and been
knighted. More importantly, the family descended from Ednyfed Fychan, seneschal of Llywelyn the
Great, and Gwenllian, the daughter of the LORD RHYS, as did the Tudor family (J.Davies p.140). After
Elizabeth's death, Thomas married Jonet MALEPHANT, sister of OWAIN'S wife ALSWN (Griffiths, Sir
Rhys, p. 28).
All of Elizabeth's estate descended to their son Rhys ap Thomas (Griffiths, Sir Rhys, pp.16,61). Francis
Jones says that their descendants at Abermarlais took the name Jones, and much later Sir Henry Jones's
heiress married Sir Francis Cornwallis in 1665 ( Hist Carms Homes, p.4). An interesting aside for theLEIGH family is that a daughter of this marriage, Frances Cornwallis, became the second wife of Sir
Charles LLOYD, the son of BRIDGETT LEIGH and Sir Francis LLOYD of Maesyfelin.
Thomas ap GRUFFUDD'S son Rhys ap Thomas was generally considered the greatest supporter of Henry
Tudor at Bosworth, and was rewarded with a knighthood. He had a remarkable career. After Henry VIImade his eldest son Arthur the Prince of Wales, he sent the boy to Ludlow castle under Sir Rhys's
guardianship. Rhys recovered the Dinefwr estates, which his descendants continued to hold apart from a
few breaks (their mansion stands near the ruins of Dinefwr castle).
Sex: M Birth: ABT 1394 in Raglan, Monmouthshire, Death: NOV 1463 in Berkeley Castle, Thornbury,
Gloucestershire, England Burial: St Mary's Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
James de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of the 1421 creation; inherited the Castle of Berkeley and other
estates under the entail executed by his great grandfather but was hindered in obtaining posession by hiscousin the Countess of Warwick who was heir general of the 5th Lord (Baron) Berkeley; nevertheless
called by writ to Parliament 20 Oct 1421 thus being created Lord Berkeley (this Barony, being writ, is by
later doctrine held to be heritable by heirs general, which can include females, so that the + against each
living female and her issue indicates that she is/they are in remainder to this peerage), knighted 1426;contracted to marry (and perhaps actually did so) 19 April 1410, daughter of Sir John St John; married
2nd? 1415 (dsp) daughter of Sir Humphrey Stafford, of Hooke, Dorset; married 3rd? 1423/4 Isabel
Mowbray (died 27 Sep 1452), eldest daughter of 1st Duke of Norfolk of the 1396 creation and widow of
Henry Ferrers (dvp 1394), son and heir of 5th Lord (Baron) Ferrers (of Groby); married 4th? c25 July
1457 Joan Talbot (married 2nd 1487 Edmund Hungerford), daughter of 1st Earl of Shrewsbury andWaterford, and died Nov 1463, having had [William 2nd Lord (dsps 14 Feb 1491/2), Maurice de jure 3rd
Lord, James killed in France, Thomas of Dursley, Glos, died 1484] by his 3rd wife, with three daughters.
[Burke's Peerage]
James Berkeley, Lord Berkeley, born c1394 at Raglan, co Monmouth, Knight 19 May 1426, died
Berkeley Castle Nov 1463; at age 16 married (1) or contract to marry N. daughter of John St John, who
died very young, s.p.; married (2) N. daughter of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Hook; died very young, s.p.;
married (3) 1423/4 Isabel, widow of Henry Ferrers, son and heir of William, Lord Ferrers of Groby, and
1st daughter and in issue coheir of Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. She died a prisoner of
Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury, 2nd wife of John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and step-mother of
James Berkeley's 4th wife. She was granddaughter and coheir of Thomas Berkeley, Lord Berkeley, uncle
of James, from whom the title had passed to James. James married (4) Joan, daughter of John Talbot, 1st
Earl of Shrewsbury, by Maud, daughter of Thomas Nevill, Lord Furnivale. Joan married (2) 26 May 1474
Edmund Hungerford. [Magna Charta Sureties]
Barony Of Berkeley (I) 1421
JAMES (DE BERKELEY), LORD BERKELEY, nephew and heir male, being son and heir of Sir James
de Berkeley, by Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir John BLUET, of Raglan, co. Monmouth, which Sir
James, being next brother to Thomas, the last Lord Berkeley, died v.f., 13 June 1405. He was born about
1394, at Raglan, and "may bee called James the Just." He succeeded to the Castle of Berkeley (to which
the Barony of Berkeley was then very generally considered as appendant) and other estates under an
entail of his great-grandfather, but was much hindered in getting possession thereof by the Countess of
Warwick (daughter and heir of the last Lord), the heir general. By writ directed Jacobo de Berkeley, he
was summoned to Parliament 20 Oct ober 1421 to 23 May 1461, and was knighted by Henry VI, in May
1426.
In April 1410, being then aged 16, he m., 1stly, or perhaps was only contracted to, a daughter of Sir JohnST. JOHN (contract dated 19 April 1410. He married, 2ndly, 1415), a daughter, of Sir Humphrey
STAFFORD, of Hook, Dorset, but she died very young and s.p. He married, 3rdly, 1423-24, Isabel,widow of Henry FERRERS, son and heir apparent of William, Lord FERRERS (of Groby), and 1st
daughter (whose issue became coheirs) of Thomas (DE MOWBRAY), DUKE OF NORFOLK, by
Elizabeth, da. of RICHARD (FITZ ALAN), EARL OF ARUNDEL. She was, while about to appeal to the
King in Council on behalf of her husband, arrested by order of Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury
(granddaughter and coheir of the last Lord Berkeley), and imprisoned at Gloucester, where she died 27
September 1452, and was buried in the church of the Greyfriars there. He married, 4thly, (Settlment 25
July 1457) Joan, daughter of John (TALBOT), 1st EARL OF SHREWSBURY, by his 1st wife, Maud,
elder daughter and heir of Thomas (NEVILL), LORD FURNIVAL, which Joan was consequently
stepdaughter of Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury abovenamed. He died at Berkeley Castle, Nov 1463,within 36 days of having (22 Oct.) executed a deed of reconciliation with the said Countess and was
buried at Berkeley. His widow married, before 26 May 1474, Edmund Hungerford. [Complete Peerage
II:132-3, XIV:87, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]
Following copied from Berkeley Family page, www.rotwang.freeserve.co.uk/Family.html
James Lord Berkeley (1394-1463)
James Lord Berkeley, was married to Isabel Mowbray (see The Mowbray family). James was in dispute
with his uncle's heirs for most of his life. His uncle, Thomas the Magnificent, 10th Lord Berkeley (there is
a fabulous brass of him and his wife at Wooton-under-edge in Gloucestershire), left a solitary daughter,
Elizabeth, who married the powerful Richard Beauchamp (1382-1439), Earl of Warwick, and guardian of
Henry VI. They had three daughters. The eldest, Margaret, married the feared John Talbot (1388-1453),
Earl of Shrewsbury, the youngest married Richard Neville, later Earl of Warwick (1428-1471).
During the long dispute over ownership of the Berkeley estate, Isabel was captured by the Countess of
Shrewsbury and died in 1452 in prison in Gloucester. James promptly remarried the daughter of the Earl
of Shrewsbury.
The family dispute is claimed to be the longest dispute in English legal history. During this period the
village of Berkeley was burned down twice — once by each side — for 'supporting the enemy', i.e.
paying them rent. The life of ordinary people during this time must have been hard indeed. The dispute
was eventually resolved by open battle (see Battle of Nibley Green).
James and Isabel's third son James was killed in battle in France (Castillon 1453) along with John Talbot
in the closing battle of the Hundred Years War. Father and son are buried at St. Mary's Berkeley, and
there is a splendid stone effigy of them both in full armour in a small chapel to the side of the chancel.
Isabel was buried at Greyfriars in Gloucester in 1452. The abbey was destroyed in the dissolution, and is
now partly ruined, where now stands a fine Georgian building, the County music library, contained within
Raglan Castle [1] (Welsh: Castell Rhaglan) is a significant late medieval castle located just north of the
village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. Its origins lie in the 12th century
but the ruins visible today date from the 15th century and later. It is likely that the early castle followedthe motte-and-bailey design of most castles of this period and location and some traces of this early
history can still be seen. The peak of the power and splendour of the castle was attained in the 15th
century and 16th century, as the Marches fortress of the great family of Herbert. Its ruination came at the
end of one of the longest sieges of the English Civil War.
History
The present castle was begun in 1435 for Sir William ap Thomas, who married the Raglan heiress
Elizabeth Bloet in 1406. Upon his death his son, William Herbert, continued the work. Debate continues
as to which was responsible for building the Great Tower, the most prominent feature of the present site.
The castle was the boyhood home of Henry Tudor, later King Henry VII, who was placed in the custody
of William Herbert during the War of the Roses.
In the latter 16th century, the castle was re-fashioned into a grandiose and luxurious mansion by theSomersets, Earls, and later Marquesses, of Worcester, who inherited the manor of Raglan through
marriage.
The English Civil War brought about the castle's ruin. Henry Somerset, the first Marquess of Worcester,was a staunch supporter of Charles the First, whom he entertained at the castle on two occasions. In 1646,
the King's fortunes were on the wane and the major towns and castles of England and Wales were in
Parliamentarian hands. "Raglan and Pendennis, like winter fruit, hung long on." The fall of the City of
Oxford released Parliamentarian forces to supplement the siege of the castle and, after many months, the
staunchly Royalist Marquess was compelled to surrender to General Fairfax on 19 August 1646. A
systematic slighting of the castle commenced and the Great Tower was largely destroyed by mining.
Throughout the 18th century and 19th century, the castle was a picturesque ruin, and a convenient source
of building materials for the local population. In the 20th century, the Dukes of Beaufort, the Marquesses
of Worcester having been elevated yet again, placed the castle in the care of the state. It is presently
administered by Cadw.
The main part of the castle is very roughly rectangular, with the hall range in the centre, and courtyards toeither side, each of them surrounded by towers and sets of apartments. The Great Tower, or the 'Yellow
Tower of Gwent', built as the enclave for the castellan's family, stands in a moat [2], separate from the
rest of the building, to which it was connected by a drawbridge.
Entry to the castle is through the White Gate (16th century), of which little remains. Originally, this was
preceded by the Red Gate, now totally destroyed. Crossing a bridge, through the monumental Gatehouse,
one enters the Pitched Stone Court, the earliest range now extant, built, circa 1460, in the time of Sir
William Herbert. The Service Range, to the right and ending in the Kitchen Tower, is now almost
completely ruined and only the foundations indicate the extent of the original court. To the left is the
surviving wall of the Great Hall, with a superb oriel window. Above ran the Chapel and the Long Gallery,
fireplaces of which can still be seen. Through the Hall, one enters the Fountain Court, so named for the
fountain statue of a white horse, of which only the plinth remains. All around, relicts of sumptuous
apartments built in the Elizabethan reconstruction. The castle commands extensive views over thesurrounding countryside.
marriages managed to greatly expand thefamily's wealth and prestige in the years to
come, but in those uncertain few years after the
failure of Owain Glyndwr's revolt, it was a
tactical match that saved the Morgan
aspirations.
Llywelyn arranged a lucrative marriage
between his eldest son Ieuan and Elizabeth, the daughter of Thomas ap Llywelyn of Brecknock, brother
of that sworn enemy of Glyndwr, Dafydd Gam.
Dafydd Gam (or 'Dafydd of the Squint', a rather unfortunate nickname perhaps) had
long supported the King and actively opposed Glyndwr's rebellion. A man of great
personal courage he died at Agincourt fighting alongside Henry V, and some sources
credit him as having saved the King's life that day. To bring Dafydd's niece into the
Morgan fold was something of a masterstroke and it seems to have allayed any
lingering suspicions the authorities may have had about rebellious intentions still
emanating from Tredegar.
Assuming that the Morgans received their estates back soon after this marriage,
Tredegar passed on to Ieuan (or 'Jevan' as he appears in some sources) who faced the
task of re-establishing their local pre-eminence. Ieuan appears to have lived to a very
old age, so long in fact, that the Victorian antiquary Thomas Wakeman exploredclaims that Ieuan had been present at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Since his
father had come of age almost a century before that, it is unlikely that Richard III
would have been shaking in his boots at the prospect of meeting this ancient Morgan
on the field of battle.
Although, if Ieuan had been born relatively
late, he could have been present at
Bosworth in his late eighties, and although
this seems rather implausible, it was not
unknown for octagenarians to participate,
and participate valiantly, in battle at the
time.
If Ieuan was still alive at the time of
Bosworth it seems more likely that hewould have declared his support for the
014 John '1st Baron of Berners' Bourchier — Biography
Page #2
Result Decisive Yorkist victory
Belligerents
House of York House of Lancaster
Commanders and leaders
Richard, Duke of York ,
Richard, Earl of Warwick Edmund, Duke of Somerset †
Strength
3,000 2,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown 300
The First Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455 at St Albans, 22 miles (35 km) north of London,
traditionally marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard
Neville, Earl of Warwick , defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed.
York also captured Henry VI, who appointed him Constable of England.
Fighting
The Lancastrian army of 2,000 troops arrived at St Albans first, and proceeded to defend it by placing
troops along the Tonman Ditch and at the bars in Sopwell Lane and Shropshire Lane. The 3,000-strong
Yorkist army arrived and camped in Keyfield to the east. Lengthy negotiations ensued with heralds
moving back and forth between the rival commanders. After several hours, Richard, despairing of a
peaceful solution, decided to attack. The bulk of Henry’s forces were surprised by the speed of Richard’s
attack; most of the army was expecting a peaceful resolution similar to the one at Blackheath in 1452.
However, two frontal assaults down the narrow streets against the barricades made no headway and
resulted in heavy casualties for the Yorkists.
Warwick took his reserve troops through an unguarded part of the town’s defences, through back lanesand gardens. Suddenly the Earl appeared in the Market Square where the main body of Henry’s troops
were talking and resting. There is evidence they were not yet expecting to be involved in the fighting, as
many were not even wearing their helmets. Warwick charged instantly with his force, routing the
Lancastrians and killing the Duke of Somerset. [1]
On the Earl’s orders, his archers then shot at the men around the King, killing several and injuring the
King and the Duke of Buckingham. The Lancastrians manning the barricades realised the Yorkists had
ouflanked them, and fearing an attack from behind abandoned their positions and fled the town.
The First Battle of St Albans was relatively minor in military terms, but politically was a complete victory
for York and Warwick: York had captured the King and restored himself to complete power, while his
rival Somerset and Warwick’s arch-enemies Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, and Lord de
Clifford both fell during the rout.Shakespeare‘s history play Henry VI, Part 2 ends with the result of this battle.
John Barker was born in Aston, Shropshire, England about 1525, Shropshire, England.
John Barker m. Elizabeth, daughter. of Thomas Hill (the son of Humphrey and Agnes (Bird) Hill.
Humphrey Hill lived in the time of Henry V (1413-1422) at Buntingdale, Co Salop (Shropshire), Eng.
The residence of the hills in Salop can be traced to a period antecedent to the reign of Edward I (1272-1307); name, originally Hull, or Of The Hull. Sir Rowland Hill {first Protestant Lord Mayor of London,
England 1549}, s. of Thomas d.1561, leaving no issue. Agnes, wife of Humphrey Hill, was the daughter
of John Bird)
John Barker and Elizabeth, his wife, had a son Edward. who had Rowland, who had James.”
This confirms this descent in this genealogy:
John Barker m. Elizabeth, dtr of Thomas Hill
Edward Barker son of John
Rowland Barker
James Barker
James2 m. Barbara Dungan
John Barker m. Elizabeth, daughter. of Thomas Hill (the son of Humphrey and Agnes (Bird) Hill.Humphrey Hill lived in the time of Henry V (1413-1422) at Buntingdale, Co Salop (Shropshire), Eng.The residence of the hills in Salop can be traced to a period antecedent to the reign of Edward I (1272-
1307); name, originally Hull, or Of The Hull. Sir Rowland Hill {first Protestant Lord Mayor of London,
England 1549}, s. of Thomas d.1561, leaving no issue. Agnes, wife of Humphrey Hill, was the daughter
of John Bird)
John Barker and Elizabeth, his wife, had a son Edward. who had Rowland, who had James.”
“Knighted in 1582”
“John Barker and Margaret his wife, had a son Edward, whose son was Rowland, to whom a coat-of-arms
was granted. “Coat of arms, 5 escalop shells in a cross, was conferred by Robert Cooke, 17 Dec 1582, in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to Rowland Barker, of Wollerton (Wolverton), in the Co of Salop
(Shropshire), son and heir of Edward Barker, eldest son of John Barker and Elizabeth, his wife, sister and
co-heir to Sir Rowland Hill, Lord Mayor of London, England.” Wollerton, alluded to as the home of Rowland Barker, is a hamlet one mile from Hodnet and quite near “Hawkstone Park: where live the Hills.
Rowland Barker had one son, James who d.1634 at sea.
Sources:
Title: Colonial Barker Families of the United States
Author: Barker, Jesse J.
Publication: Philadelphia, 1899.
Note: Chan
Repository:
“New England Families; Genealogical and Memorial, New England Families, Vol 4.”
“The surname, Barker, is of ancient English origin, dating back to the beginning of surnames in England.
John Barker, the first of whom the American line is traced, lived in the middle of the sixteenth century.
He married Elizabeth Hill, a daughter of Thomas Hill and niece of Sir Rowland Hill, the first Protestant
In Alison Weir's 1994 book, THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER, she has to say about John Greene:
"More and Vergil say that when Richard arrived at Gloucester he sent for a man called John Green 'whom
he specially trusted.' John Green can be traced; he had been employed, in various capacities, by Richardwhen he was Duke of Gloucester, . . . He was the same John Green who is recorded in the CALENDAR
OF PATENT ROLLS for 1474-5 as working in Edward IV's household. On 30th July, 1483, John Greene
signed a warrant appointing one John Gregory to take hay, oats, horsebread, beans, peas and litter for all
expenses of the King's horses and litters for a period of six months.
The King, says More, sent John Greene 'unto Sir Robert Brackenbury, Constable of the Tower, with a
letter and credence that the same Sir Robert should in any wise put the two children to death. The king's
letter is likely to have been discreetly worded so as not to compromise himself. Green was to supply the
'credence,' the unwritten, explicit details, to Brackenbury, and both were men trusted implicitly by
Richard.
Continued More: 'This John Greene did his errand unto Brackenbury.' But Brackenbury was not the stuff
of which murderers are made. Vergil wrote he feared the consequences to his own reputation and safetyshould his complicity in what More calls 'so mean and bestial a deed' ever be made public. In Green'spresence, he knelt 'before Our Lady in the Tower' and 'plainly answered that he would never put (the
Princes) to death, though he should die therefor.' pp. 147-8
The King remained at Warwick until 15th August, when he went to Coventry. More states that John
Greene, returning from the Tower, recounted Brackenbury's refusal to comply with the order to kill the
princes 'to King Richard at Warwick.' p. 150
. . . With Tyrell rode a man whom More describes as Sir James' 'own horsekeeper, a big, broad, square,
strong knave' called John Dighton. As a groom he may well have known John Greene, who oversaw the
royal horses. pp. 156-7
. . . As for those others, who assisted Tyrell with the murder of the Princes, Forrest and Green both
received grants from the King late in 1483, and Green was appointed to several offices: Receiver of the
Isle of Wight and overseer of the Port of Southampton on 14th December 1483, and Escheator of Southampton in December 1484. On 20th September 1483 he was granted a general pardon for all
offences by the King, and in order to avoid questions being asked about his activities, his neighbours in
Warwickshire were all granted one too. Such pardons were not unusual during the aftermath of
conspiracies." p. 160
There is another reference to this John Greene in the book, WITTER GENEALOGY, written by Georgia
Cooper Washburn published in New York 1929. On page 249:
"JOHN GREENE, son of the foregoing, was sent, in 1483, by King Richard III as a messenger bearing a
letter from the King to Sir Robert Brackenbury who was then the keeper of the Tower of London. In this
letter the King gave orders that his two nephews, "the little Princes in the Tower," should be put to death.
Although this inquitous command was later obeyed by another governor of the Tower, Sir Robert refused
to commit murder at his sovereign's behest, and sent his message of refusal back to the King by John
Greene. It is a tradition that when King Henry VII came to the throne he bore enmity to this John Greene
because he had played (only) the part of a messenger for Richard III in the later's wicked designs, and that
John Greene fled from England lest he be captured by the King. It is said that "John the Fugitive" returned
to England and for safety assumed the name of John Clarke. . . Despite his change of name, the identity of
John Greene, the Fugitive was discovered, and he again fled from England, his further history being
John And Thomas Master — First Squires Of Stodmarsh Manor
Below is a transcription of the Master family who were
the first Squires of Stodmarsh Manor after King Henry
VIII took ownership of the land from St Augustine’s
Abbey when he dissolved the monasteries in 1536 and
1539.
“Some Notices of The Family of MASTER”: by Rev.
George Streynsham Master — 1874
John Master, of Sandwich, was an influential and
wealthy merchant of that port, of which he was severaltimes Mayor, supporting the dignity of his office by
maintaining a retinue of “ three score men in blue coats
and exercising a bountiful hospitality. The first notice I find of him is in March, 1520, 2nd Henry VIII.,
on the 5th of which month “ an Inquisition was held at Sandwich before Sir Edward Ponynges and others,
when it was found that John Master of Sandwich, merchant, hired, contrary to the Statute, a Breton shipfrom Bordeaux to Sandwich, when he could have had an English ship.” He was Mayor of Sandwich in
1528, 1543, 1552, 1556, and 1558, one of the Bearers of the Canopy for Queen Anne Boleyn as Wardenof the Cinque Ports at her Coronation, in 1533, and one of the Barons of Parliament for Sandwich, in
1544 and 1554. He occurs also as Feoffee of St. Thomas’ Hospital in that town, in 1554, an office which
became afterwards almost hereditary, being filled by his direct descendants for five successivegenerations. He had a grant from King Henry VIIL, in 1538 of the manor and lands of East Langdon,
which subsequently became the seat of the family, and had previously belonged to the Abbey of West
Langdon, together with the advowson of the parish and the tithes of Marton and Guston, to hold in capite
by knight’s service; and in 1544-5 of the manor of Stodmarsh by similar tenure. He was twice married;
his first wife was, I suppose, a Payne (as in his will he mentions his brother William Payne of
Canterbury), and was probably the Elizabeth Maister whose burial is recorded at S. Mary’s, Sandwich,
March 24, 1548. By this marriage he had two sons, Thomas and Peter, and a daughter, Agnes, married to
Gyflbrd. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Tomson of Canterbury. (She remarried, July 12,
1563, Henry Boteler of Eastry, Esq., and died in 1603). By her he had issue three sons, James, John, andWilliam, and two daughters, Mary and Susan, the last a posthumous child, who died about a month after
her birth. Mary and William, baptized respectively Sept. 8, 1555, and Oct. 18, 1556, may also have died
in infancy, no mention being made of them in their father’s will. His death occurred in his fifth mayoralty,
in 1558, the last of Queen Mary, a year of more than ordinary mortality at Sandwich, when the burials at
S. Mary’s, usually averaging twenty, amounted to eighty-four. By his will he directed his body to be
buried “in the Chapell of our Ladye Saynte Mary wtin the Churche of Sandwich, wher as I am wont to
sytte,” but no monument or gravestone is now to be seen. He left his Manor of Stodmarsh to his eldest
son Thomas, lands at Norwood and elsewhere to his son Peter, and his Manor of East Langdon to his son
James. His .bequest to the poor is recorded upon the tablets of Benefactions in the three churches at
Sandwich. His burial is registered at S. Mary’s, on the 2nd Sept., 1558.
Thomas Master, the eldest son, resided after his father’s death at Stodmarsh Court. At that date he had
been twice married, and by his first wife, Joan, (buried at St. Mary’s, Sandwich, July 8, 1545)3 had issue,
1. Elizabeth, bapt. at S. Mary’s, Sandwich, Jan. 1, 1539. Married there, May 12, 1557, WilliamCourthope, Esq., jurate of Sandwich, and by him had issue a son William, who afterwards inherited the
Stodmarsh property.
2. John, bapt. at S. Mary’s, Sandwich, Jan. 12, 1541. Buried there, June 18, 1543.
3. Thomas, bapt. at S. Mary’s, Sandwich, Aug. 6, 1544.1 Married at Stodmarsh, Dec. 8, 156-, Joanna
Foche : (who remarried, 1581, Richard Turner),1 was of Fordwich, where he died in 1580, and by his
1593, February 4. “The life death and buriall of Thomas Colwell prisoner in the Fleete London who died
their imprisoned for the Catholic Religion _anno_ 1593, 4 _die Februarii_, being Sonday about eleven of
the clock inn the forenone.
Regarding their son, Thomas:
29 December 1607. _In Dei nomine Amen._ Thomas Colwell borne at Feversham in Kent uppon the
Friday, and as I take it about the 10th or 11th of December in the yeare of our Lord 1531, descending bothby his father’s side and mother’s side of auncient houses in Kent, viz. his father at Feversham in Kent
who alwayes detested heresies, which then began to springe, and his mother of the house of the Maysters
in Sandwich, both which houses were then indowed with great possessions.
Whose father’s name was Richard Colwell having had a wife before by whome he had divers sonnes and
daughters, after whose death about Anno Domini 1530 he took to wife Anne Maisters nere the age of xv
yeres, being himselfe about the age of 40, who died after that he had lived with the said Anne his wife 6
yeares, having had by her twoo sonns wherof one died an infant and 1 daughter named Barbara who died
at the Abbies of St. James by North[amp]ton about 14 years of age, of the plague, but in vertuous maner
leading her life, and so departed. And coming to the said Abbie by this chaunce the said wife of Richard
Colwell being a widow at xxi yeres of age and richly left, one Nicholas Giffard brother to Sir George
Giffard of Middle Cledon in Buckinghamshire mareing with her, and after purchasing the said Abbie of
St. James, by whome shee had many sonns and daughters whom her said husband left in yong and tender
yeres to brought up by the said Anne their mother who brought them up Catholikely as she alwayes lived
and vertuously died herself after she had lived a widow nere fortie yeres.
Yet after, her said sonnes and daughters of the line of the Giffards mareing to their own wills, forsaking
her motherly admonitions and her pitifull teares often shed for them in wishing them to beware of heresie,
making small account of their first education, were supped up in the fluddes of schisme and heresie.”
(_Manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Rutland, G.C.B., preserved at Belvoir Castle, vol. I_
[Historical Manuscripts Commission, Twelfth Report, Appendix, Part IV], pp. 307ff.)
And so forth, the life of the martyr. His step-father, Mr. Nicholas Gifford, sent him to school “to my Lord
Mountegues at Boughton by Geddington in Northamptonsheir.” His step-uncle, Sir George Gifford of
Middle Cleydon, took such a liking to him that he married him to “his neece Barbara Sexten, who was theLady Giffard’s sister daughter, descended of Catholike parents both by the father and mother’s side and
brought up in the hose of the said Sir George Giffard withe his daughters, and instructed in the Latin
tongue by one Mrs. Jone Dene a nunne of Sion. . . . By which said Barbara the said Thomas Colwell had
xi sonns and daughters . . .”
From: Northampton Wills, Book V, 1578-1589, pages 138 et seq.
THE WILL OF AGNES GYFFORD of St. James near Northampton, widow, dated 18 August 1581. To
be buried in the chancel of the parish church of Duston, in said county of Northampton, on the south side
of the grave of my husband, NICHOLAS GYFFORD, Gent., if it do please God I depart this life in theparish of Duston.
As to the order of my funeral I do refer to the discretion of Roger Gyfford, Gent., my son, whom I make
sole executor of this my last will and testament.
To the poor of Duston 3s. 4d. To the poor of Upton 6s. 8d. To the poor of Dallington 6s. 8d. To every
poor household in St. James End 4d. To poor inhabitants of Northampton 10s. To the prisoners in the
Castle and in the town gaol 10s. To the Vicar of Duston 10s. To every servant my son Roger shall happen
to have at the time of my death 12d. To my daughter Amy Gyfford, my son Roger’s wife, 40s. to make a
memorial ring, my best velvet hat, and my cloth riding hood.
To the children of my said son, Roger Gyfford; to ffrauncis Gyfford, his son and heir; my mawdlyn boxx
of sylver white; to Thomas Gyfford, his second son, 20s; to Nicholas Gyfford, his third son, my best
standing bedstead with feather bed, bolster, 2 pillows and a pair of blankets, a white coverlet and my best
coverlet, 2 pairs of my best sheets, 2 pairs best pillowbeares, 2 chamber towels with little white work, a
long coffer, a long cushion, a window cloth of old silk and the great press standing in my chamber, to be
given him at the age of twenty-one years, and if he die before that age,the above legacy shall go to his
sister, Marie Gyfford; to the said Marie Gyfford 20s; to George Gyfford, son of my said son Roger
Gyfford, 20s. To my said son Roger Gyffard, the use of 3 bowl of sylver and 5 sylver spoons for his
natural life and on his death, I will that they remain to his next heir male, and so from heir male to heirmale.
Whereas my son-in-law HUGH SERGENT standeth bound to me in obligation of 20 marks, with
condition he pay L10 unto such person or persons as I shall by my last will or other writing appoint, I
bequeath 40s. thereof to my son Thomas Colwell, to make a ring, and if he die before me, then to my
nephew, Thomas Colwell; to my daughter, Barbara Colwell 20s. of the said L10, to make a ring; to my
son George Gyfford 40s to make a ring; to my daughter Anne Gyfford, his wife 20s, to make a ring; to his
sons; to Richard Gyfford 20s, to Roger Gyfford 20s, and to Edward Gyfford 20s; the 40s. residue of the
L10 I give to Gerves Morton, my son-in-law to buy him a mare. To my son Thomas Colwell the use of 1
goblet of silver which my father gave me, for life, and on his death it is to remain to Richard Colwell, his
son and then from next male heir to next male heir.
To my son Thomas Colwell 3 silver spoons for life, and on his death, they are to be divided between hissons, Richard, John and Thomas. To Lucy Colwell my best petticoat and 40s.
Certain sheep I gave to Thomas Colwell my son, as the beginning of a stock to be divided among his
children, I will my said executor do see the same divided among the said children, Richard Colwell, John
Colwell, Thomas Colwell, Lucye Colwell, Tecla Colwell, Marie Colwell and Agnes Colwell.
To the said Thomas Colwell a gold piece of 20s.
To my son George Gyfford the use of 1 silver salt and 6 silver spoons for life, to remain to his next heir
male on his decease, and so from heir male to heir male, and 2 angels.
To my daughter MARGRETT SARGEANT my ring with the Turk’s stone, half my linen wearing apparel
and the chest wherein it lieth, my best cloth gown caped with velvet, and my cloke, safegarde and skarff.
The other half of my linen wearing apparel I give to the daughters of my daughter MARGRETT, to bedivided between them at her discretion, saying that I will out of my said linen wearing apparel Elizabeth
Edwards and Agnes Sergeant shall have each of them one of my best smocks, all my fine neckerchers
made and unmade, and 4 pairs of cuffes, except my third best smock, my best kercher and neckkercher of
holland, and 1 pair of cuffes that I bequeathed to Elizabeth Allyne.
To Elizabeth Edwards my cloth gowne furred and my second best kirtle.
To my son-in-law Thomas Waldram 20s., for a ring.
To my daughter Marie Waldram, his wife, my best stuff gown, my best kirtle and my french hood.
Whereas my said son-in-law Gervis Morton has already had of me L3. 6s. 8d. for a stock of sheep to
benefit his children, I require my said executor to see such flock be continued to such time as the said
children come to the age of twenty-one or be married.
To my maid my working-daie petticoat, my working-day kirtle, one smock, and one of my working-daie
neckerchers.
Residuary legatee and executor: my son RogerGyfford.
(No witnesses.)
Proved 28 March 1584 by the executor named in the will.
I, AGNES GYFFORD of St. James nigh Northampton, wydow, commonly called ANNE
GYFFORD, ordain this my last will and testament concerning the disposition of such lands and
hereditaments as I am seized of in fee simple, in manner following:
One messuage and backsyde, with appurtenances, lying in St. James End, nigh Northampton, having the
street called Harper Street on the north and my purchased close called Abbot’s Close on the south and
west, which said messuage I purchased of Roger Carrell, Gent. And the Abbott’s Close lying in St. JamesEnd aforesaid, having the highway to Duston on the east side and a close now Frauncis Samwell’s, Gent.,
and Duston Common Meade on the south and a close called the Gridiron Close on the west, which I
purchased of Edward Watson and Henry Herdson, Gent. And am likewise seised in fee of 2 parcels of
pasture lying in St. James, one piece on the east side by the late Church of St. Margrett’s in St. James and
the other on the west side of the churchyard, with 2 pieces I bought from Roger Carrell.
My will is that George Gyffard, my son, shall have all and single the said messuage and backside.
Abbott’s Close, and 2 parcels of pasture, with all premises and appurtenances thereto belonging, for and
during his life and on his death they shall remain to such person as is his wife, and on her death to the
next heir male of the said George, and in default of such issue to Thomas Colwell, my son, and Barbary
Colwell, his wife, to them and their heirs male, and in default of sucy issue to Roger Gyfford, my son and
It was the Reverend's son, John Wright, who was the purchaser of Kelvedon Hall in Kelvedon Hatch in
1538, which is the first known residence of Wrights in Kelvedon Hatch. But, prior to the move to
Kelvedon Hall, some of the inherited lands in Havering had already formed the basis of the wellestablished Wrightsbridge estate where the family resided prior to Kelvedon Hall. There, they were
responsible for the maintenance of the King's bridge over the river, hence the name of the estate. The
estate also operated a tannery on the river there and engaged in sheep raising, raising horses, and general
farming. There was also property in the town of Romford which was passed on to later generations thatappears to have been in the family since the late 1400s. All of this they owned long before the family
bought (for 493 pounds sterling, 6s, 8d.) the tenancy of Kelvedon Hall from Richard Bolles, a descendant
of the female side of the Multon family, who had been granted the tenancy of Kelvedon Hall by
Westminster Abby in 1225. The local parish church, St. Nicholas, was located to the west of the manor
house and was said to rest on the site of an original Anglo-Saxon church named for the patron saint of theNorse seaman. When Henry VIII seized the church lands in the area surrounding Kelvedon hatch, he sold
the lordship to the Rich family of Essex. In 1547 Richard Rich was made a baron and given the Lordship
of the Ongar Hundred, of which Kelvedon Hatch was a part. In a census of his new domain of the
Hundred, Sir Richard Rich lists; "John Wright, yeoman of South Weald" as the holder of the tenancy of
the Kelvedon Hall estate. This further substantiates the claim that the family's roots were in south Essex just prior to the purchase of Kelvedon Hall, and certainly during the lifetime of the Reverend John
Wright.
Rev. John Wright, according to Morant's Essex (p. 121), was of White Notley and possessor of the
advowsom of Upminster Church. He was also holder of the manor of Hoohall in County Essex.
possibility that their castle was situated upon amound a couple of hundred yards east of the
present building, but even this has not been
established with certainty. What is certain is that
by the end of the 13th century Picton was in thehands of the Wogans, barons of Wiston, though
whether this had happened through failure of
male heirs and regrant to a cadet of the Wogan
family or through the marriage of an heiress to
one of the Wogans, is unknown. The Wogan lineof Picton ended in an heiress who married
Owain Dwnn, and the Dwnns in turn ended in an
heiress, Jane, who in the late 15th century
married Sir Thomas Philipps of Cilsant, esquire
to the body of Henry VII. The Cilsant family, which held extensive lands in West Carmarthenshire wasdescended from a late 11th-century magnate named Cadifor Fawr. Cadifor's great-grandson, Aaron ap
Rhys, took part in the Third Crusade, became a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, and is said to have added
the golden collar and chain to the back of the lion rampart which is the insignia of the Philipps family.
The Philippses have held Picton Castle since the days of Sir Thomas. When, in 1611, James I wanted to
raise money to meet the cost of keeping his army in Ireland he hit upon the idea of selling baronetcies
(hereditary knighthoods). Sir John Philipps bought one at a cost of L1,095. The sum was supposed to
cover the cost of keeping 30 soldiers in Ireland for a period of 3 years. In 1776 Sir Richard Philipps, 7th
bart., was created Lord Milford, a title currently held by Wogan Philipps, elder brother of the Honourable
Hanning Philipps of Picton.
The Castle was probably built by Sir John Wogan, who was Justiciar of Ireland between 1295 and 1308.The plan is unusual. The castle has no internal courtyard, and originally the main block was protected by
seven projecting circular towers: the two at the east end were linked to form a gatehouse, and the entrance
led straight through a portcullis into the undercroft of the hall, a very unusual feature. There was a walled
courtyard around the castle but probably no moat. Picton's closest architectural affinities are with a group
of Irish castles built in the 13th century — Carlow, Lea and Ferns — but these had four circular towers at
the corners of rectangular main blocks instead of seven as at Picton. A 1740 print by Samuel and
Nathaniel Buck (shown at right) shows slit windows with trefoil heads on the north-east tower which
were characteristic of the period about 1300.
Big traceried windows replaced smaller ones in the hall about 1400, and a grand recessed arch containing
a large window was built in the gatehouse. These features disappeared during the course of the 18th-
century alterations but may be seen in Buck's print. In 1697 Sir John Philipps, 4th bart., pulled down part
of the curtain wall, built the terrace and created a main entrance at first-floor level. He also built an extrastorey above the great hall, altered some windows and probably wainscotted some of the rooms. Sir John
Philipps, 6th bart., remodelled the interior of the castle in 1749-52. It was completely redecorated above
basement level, and had new plasterwork, panelling and joinery floors, sash windows and at least four
Maredudd ab Owain (died 999) was a King of Deheubarth, and through conquest also of Gwynedd and
Powys, kingdoms in medieval Wales.
Maredudd was the son of Owain ap Hywel and the grandson of Hywel Dda. His father was king of
Deheubarth before him. As Owain grew too old to lead in battle his son Maredudd took his place, and in
986 captured Gwynedd from Cadwallon ab Ieuaf. On Owain's death in 988 Maredudd also became rulerof Deheubarth. He may have controlled all Wales apart from Gwent and Morgannwg.
He is recorded as raiding Mercian settlements on the borders of Radnor and as paying a ransom of one
penny a head to rescue some of his subjects who had been taken captive in Viking raids. Danish raids
were a constant problem during Maredudd's reign. In 987 Godfrey Haroldson raided Anglesey, killing
one thousand and carrying away two thousand as captives; Maredudd is supposed to have paid a huge
ransom for the freedom of the hostages. Maredudd died in 999 and was described by the Brut y
Tywysogion as "the most famous King of the Britons". Following his death, the throne of Gwynedd was
recovered for the line of Idwal Foel by Cynan ap Hywel.
Philip the Good, wearing the collar of firesteels of the Order of the
Golden Fleece he instituted, copy of a Roger van der Weyden of
c.1450
Duke of Burgundy Reign: 10 September 1419–15 June 1467
Predecessor: John the Fearless
Successor: Charles the Bold
Spouse
Katherine FitzAlan
Michelle of Valois
Bonne of Artois
Isabella of Portugal
Issue: Charles the Bold
House: House of Valois-Burgundy Father: John the Fearless
Mother: Margaret of Bavaria
Born: 31 July 1396 Dijon, Burgundy
Died: 15 June 1467 (aged 70) Bruges, Flanders
Burial: Dijon, Burgundy
Philip the Good (French: Philippe le Bon), also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (July 31, 1396 – June 15,1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois
dynasty (the then Royal family of France). During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity
and prestige and became a leading center of the arts. Philip is known in history for his administrative
reforms, patronage of Flemish artists such as Jan van Eyck, and the capture of Joan of Arc. During his
reign he alternated between English and French alliances in an attempt to improve his dynasty's position.
Family And Early Life
Born in Dijon, he was the son of John the Fearless and Margaret of
Bavaria-Straubing. On 28 January 1405, he was named Count of
Charolais in appanage of his father and probably on the same day he was
engaged to Michele of Valois (1395–1422), daughter of Charles VI of
France and Isabeau of Bavaria. They were married in June 1409.
Philip subsequently married Bonne of Artois (1393–1425), daughter of
Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, and also the widow of his uncle, Philip II,
Count of Nevers, in Moulins-les-Engelbert on November 30, 1424. The
latter is sometimes confused with Philip's biological aunt, also named
Bonne (sister of John the Fearless, lived 1379 — 1399), in part due to the
Papal Dispensation required for the marriage which made no distinction
between a marital aunt and a biological aunt.
His third marriage, in Bruges on January 7, 1430 to Isabella of Portugal
(1397 — December 17, 1471), daughter of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, produced three
sons:
Antoine (September 30, 1430, Brussels – February 5, 1432, Brussels), Count of Charolais
Joseph (April 24, 1432 – aft. May 6, 1432), Count of Charolais
Charles (1433–1477), Count of Charolais and Philip's successor as Duke, called "Charles the Bold" or
"Charles the Rash"
Philip also had some eighteen illegitimate children, including Antoine, bastard of Burgundy, by twenty-
four documented mistresses [1]. Another, Philip of Burgundy (1464–1524), bishop of Utrecht, was a fine
amateur artist, and the subject of a biography in 1529.
Early Rule And Alliance With England
Philip became duke of Burgundy, count of Flanders, Artois and Franche-Comté when his father was
assassinated in 1419. Philip accused Charles, the Dauphin of France and Philip's brother-in-law of
planning the murder of his father which had taken place during ameeting between the two at Montereau, and so he continued to
prosecute the civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs.
In 1420 Philip allied himself with Henry V of England under the
Treaty of Troyes. In 1423 the alliance was strengthened by the
marriage of his sister Anne to John, Duke of Bedford, regent forHenry VI of England.
In 1430 Philip's troops captured Joan of Arc at Compiègne and
later handed her over to the English who orchestrated a heresy trialagainst her, conducted by pro-Burgundian clerics. Despite this
action against Joan of Arc, Philip's alliance with England was
broken in 1435 when Philip signed the Treaty of Arras (which
completely revoked the Treaty of Troyes) and thus recognised
Charles VII as king of France. Philip signed for a variety of
reasons, one of which may have been a desire to be recognised as
the Premier Duke in France. Philip then attacked Calais, but this
alliance with Charles was broken in 1439, with Philip supporting
the revolt of the French nobles the following year (an event known
as the Praguerie) and sheltering the Dauphin Louis.
Geographic Expansion
Philip generally was preoccupied with matters in his own territories and seldom was directly involved in
the Hundred Years' War, although he did play a role during a number of periods such as the campaignagainst Compiegne during which his troops captured Joan of Arc. He incorporated Namur into
Burgundian territory in 1429 (March 1, by purchase from John III, Marquis of Namur), Hainault and
Holland, Frisia and Zealand in 1432 (with the defeat of Countess Jacqueline in the last episode of the
Hook and Cod wars); inherited the Duchies of Brabant and Limburg and the margrave of Antwerp in
1430 (on the death of his cousin Philip of Saint-Pol); and purchased Luxembourg in 1443 from Elisabeth
of Bohemia, Duchess of Luxembourg. Philip also managed to ensure his illegitimate son, David, was
elected Bishop of Utrecht in 1456. It is not surprising that in 1435, Philip began to style himself "Grand
Duke of the West".
In 1463 Philip returned some of his territory to Louis XI. That year he also created an Estates-General
based on the French model. The first meeting of the Estates-General was to obtain a loan for a war againstFrance and to ensure support for the succession of his son, Charles I, to his dominions. Philip died in
Bruges in 1467.
Court Life And Patron Of The Arts
Rogier van der Weyden miniature 1447-8. Philip dresses his best, in an extravagant chaperon, to be
presented with a History of Hainault by the author, flanked by his son and Nicolas Rolin.
Philip's court can only be described as extravagant. Despite the flourishing bourgeois culture of
Burgundy, which the court kept in close touch with, he and the
aristocrats who formed most of his inner circle retained a world-
view dominated by knightly chivalry. He declined membership in
the English Order of the Garter in 1422, which could have been
considered an act of treason against the King of France, his feudal
overlord. Instead in 1430 he created his own Order of the GoldenFleece, based on the Knights of the Round Table and the myth of
Jason.
He had no fixed capital and moved the court between various
palaces, the main urban ones being Brussels, Bruges, or Lille. He
held grand feasts and other festivities, and the knights of his Order
frequently travelled throughout his territory participating in
tournaments. In 1454 Philip planned a crusade against the Ottoman
Empire, launching it at the Feast of the Pheasant, but this plan
never materialized. In a period from 1444-6 he is estimated to have
spent a sum equivalent to 2% of Burgundy's main tax income over
the period, the recette génerale, with a single Italian supplier of silk
and cloth of gold, Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini.[1]
His court was regarded as the most splendid in Europe, and became the accepted leader of taste and
fashion, which probably helped the Burgundian economy considerably, as Burgundian (usually
Netherlandish) luxury products became sought by the elites of other parts of Europe. During his reign, for
example, the richest English commissioners of illuminated manuscripts moved away from English and
Parisian products to those of the Netherlands, as did other foreign buyers. Philip himself is estimated to
have added six hundred manuscripts to the ducal collection, making him by a considerable margin the
most important patron of the period.[2]
Jean Miélot was one of his secretaries, translating into French such
works as Giovanni Bocaccio's Genealogia Deorum Gentilium.
Isabella Of Portugal By Roger Van Der Weyden
Philip was also a considerable patron of other arts, commissioning manytapestries (which he tended to prefer over paintings), pieces from goldsmiths,
jewellery, and other works of art. It was during his reign that the Burgundian
chapel became the musical center of Europe, with the activity of the
Burgundian School of composers and singers. Gilles Binchois, Robert
Morton, and later Guillaume Dufay, the most famous composer of the 15th
century, were all part of Philip's court chapel.
In 1428 Jan van Eyck traveled to Portugal to paint a portrait of King John I's
daughter Infanta Isabella for Philip in advance of their marriage. With help
from more experienced Portuguese shipbuilders Philip established a shipyard
in Bruges. Roger van der Weyden painted his portrait twice on panel, of
which only copies survive, wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The only original van
der Weyden of Philip to survive is a superb miniature from a manuscript (above left).[2]. The painter Hugovan der Goes, of the Flemish school, is credited with creating paintings for the church where Philip's
funeral was held.
Ancestors
Duchy of Burgundy - House of Valois, Burgundian Branch
The Yorkes Were An Extremely Successful Mercantile Family From The City Of York.
1435 , York, England
The Yorkes were an extremely successful mercantile family from the city of York. The first Sir Richard
Yorke (d. 1498) had been both mayor and M.P. for the city, and was knighted by Henry VII. The Yorkes
blazed a colorful trail through history. Sir Richard’s grandson was knighted by Edward VI before beingthrown into the Tower by Mary Tudor (Queen Mary a.k.a. “Bloody Mary”). Sir Edward Yorke repelled
the armada before circumnavigating the world with his cousin, Sir Martin Frobisher. Sir John, a staunch
catholic, was implicated in the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot. When the rebellious villagers were
compelled to go to church he hired a piper to play in the churchyard, creating “such a noyse in time of praier as the minister colde not well be hearde”. The Church of St. John the Evangelist, near Ouse-bridge,
in Mickelgate, appertains to the dean and chapter of York. The Rev. James Richardson, M.A. is the
curate. Sir Richard shifted his allegiance and his ornaments from the St. John, in Hungate, church to St.
John, in Micklegate. Sir Richard Yorke is buried in the Yorke Chantry in The Church of St. John. The
steeple was blown down by a high wind in 1551, and has never been rebuilt. In consequence of the recentimprovements near Ouse-bridge, the burying ground has been materially contracted, and the street made
more spacious in front of the church. It is currently a pub known as “The Parish”.
Will Of Richard Of York
Richardus de York merchaunt, was admitted to the freedom of the city of York by purchase, in 1456.
He was chamberlain in 1460,sheriff in 1465-66,Lord Mayor in 1469 and 1482,and was elected M.P. .in
occupation thereof, and is also to pay my said son John Gyfforde during his occupation of said lease, at
the two usual terms of the year, 20 pounds yearly, and if said John die, said George shall pay 20 pounds
yearly, equally, divided among his brethren. After the decease of said George said John Gyfforde shall
have the occupation of said farm of Cleydon during the term of forty-one years; or if said George’s term
of forty-one years expires, said John shall hold the lease for forty-one years; and for lack of him the next
brother in age, and so the remainder to follow to my other sons until the last of my said sons; and whenmy last son surviving shall die, then any years remaining shall be granted by him to the heir male of my
eldest son John, to have and to hold to him, his heirs and assigns, the residue of years yet to come. All my
other leases I will to my son George Gyfforde, to be ordered in like manner and form as the lease of the
aforesaid manor of Cleydon. If I have not, at the time of my decease, paid the 100 pounds I promised my
son Nycholas Gyforde, then my executors shall pay said Nycholas 100 pounds within one year of my
decease. My said son George shall give to my said wife Mary the annuity of 100 markes [?] and meat and
drink for her and her maid. To my son John Gyfford 100 pounds. I forgive my son George his debt of 220
pounds, he paying within thirteen months after my death to my son William Gyfforde 40 pounds and to
my son Nycholas 40 pounds. I freely forgive my son Rauffe Gyfforde the 35 pounds he oweth me.
Residuary legatee: my wife Mary. Executors: my wife Mary and my sons John Gyfforde, George, Rauffe,
William, and Nycholas. I set my seal to this my last will and testament this 28 April, 34 Henry VIII
[1542].
I give further to my son John Gifforde my three gilt goblets with the covers; to my son George my best
down bed and my best counterpoint; to every other of my sons one of my best feather beds and beds of
down, to be delivered to them after the death of my wife Mary Gifforde; to my godson Roger, my son
John Gifforde’s son, 3 pounds, 6s. 8d.; to my godson Roger, my son Rauffe Gifforde’s son, 3 pounds, 6s.
8d.; to my godson Thomas, my son George’s son, a cup of the value of 3 pounds, 6s. 8d., with this
scripture on it: “My godfather & graunde father Roger gave me Thomas this cupp”; to my daughter
Dawnsty a gilte spoon; to my sister Fongan a gilt spoon; to my brother Robert Gyfforde, 40s.
[Signed] 2 December, 34 Henry VIII [1542], my mother Mary Gyfforde, William Smythe, John Mason,and Elyn Gyfforde being then present, on the Saturday in the morning, per me, George Gyfford, as
commanded by my father, the said Roger, on the day and year last stated. Proved 8 February 1543/4 by
Robert Alen, notary public, proctor for the relict, John Gyfford, George Gyfford, Rafe Gyfford, William
Gyfford, and Nicholas Gyfford, the executors named, etc. (P.C.C., Pynnyng, 2).
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
Page #1
Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray
http://www.mowbray.ddl-web-hosting.com/page34.htm
Thomas Mowbray
Born 22 March 1365/6 (1366 in our present system), Thomas was of
the blood royal through his mother, who as noted earlier, wasdescended from Thomas of Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk and a son of
Edward I. This was the first son of the family to be named Thomas
and it is said his mother had him baptised so to mark her special
reverence for St. Thomas of Canterbury, murdered in that cathedral
as Thomas A'Becket.
Aged 17 on the death of his elder brother, Thomas inherited, in
addition to great Mowbray barony in which were merged those of de
Brewes and Segrave, the expectation of the still more splendid
heritage of the Bigod family, previous Earls of Norfolk. Thomas and
the future Richard II had been boyhood companions. By charter of 12 February1383, Richard II revived
in favour of his young cousin the title of Earl of Nottingham which Thomas's brother had borne. Before
October 1383, Thomas was given the Garter made vacant by the death of old Sir John Burley.
In the summer of 1385 Thomas was present in the expedition against the Scots which the king conducted
in person. On the eve of departure, Thomas was conferred with the office for life of Earl Marshall of
England. This office passed down through his descendants and through the Howard line of his daughter
Margaret (q.v.) so that the present-day Duke of Norfolk still retains the office. On the march northwards
through Yorkshire, Thomas, with many English knights in witness, confirmed his ancestor Roger de
Mowbray's charter of land to Byland Abbey.
Barely twenty years of age when the nobles rebelled at Court in October 1386, Thomas had been much in
the company that year of the similarly-aged king. His name does not appear amongst those of the rebels,
although he had married in 1385 a sister of Thomas, Earl of Arundel, who was the chief author of therevolution. In March 1387 he participated in the naval victory achieved by Arundel over the French,
Flemings and Spaniards. He did not however accompany Arundel in the subsequent conquest of the castle
of Brest The two were received very coldly by the Richard II when they presented themselves to report
success, so they retired to their estates to get out of harm's way.
Relations were obviously very strained between the cousins at the time,
because Thomas was one of those whose destruction the king and his
favourite, the Duke of Ireland, plotted after Easter. Yet Thomas does not
seem to have taken any part in the armed demonstration in November by
which Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick extorted from Richard a promise
that his advisers should be brought before Parliament. It was not until after
the three lords had had fled from the court, and the Duke of Ireland was
approaching with an army to relieve the king from constraint, that Thomas
followed the example of Derby and appeared in arms with Derby and theother three lords at Huntingdon on 12 December 1387. Even now, if we can
trust the story which Thomas and Derby told ten years later (when they
were assisting Richard in bringing their old associates into account for these
proceedings) they showed themselves more moderate than their elders. They
claimed to have secured the rejection of Arundel's plan to capture and
depose the king. The five confederates marched instead into Oxfordshire to
intercept the Duke of Ireland before he could pass the river Thames. They divided their forces for the
purpose on 20 December, and Thomas, like some of the others, seemingly did not come up in time to take
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
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part with Derby and Gloucester in the actual fighting at Radcot Bridge, from which the Duke of Ireland
only escaped by swimming! The victors returned through Oxford, with Arundel and Thomas bringing up
the rear. After spending Christmas Day at St. Albans they reached London on 26 December and
encamped in the fields at Clerkenwell. As the London populace was siding with the formidable host
encamped outside the city walls, the mayor opened the gates to the lords. They insisted on an interview
with Richard in the Tower of London, and entered his presence with linked arms. The helpless young
king consented to meet them next day at Westminster, and asked them to sup and stay the night with him,in a token of goodwill. Gloucester refused but Richard succeeded in keeping Derby and Thomas to
supper. Next day they formally accused the king's favourites of treason at Westminster, and Richard was
forced to order their arrest.
As one of the five appellants Thomas took part in
the so-called Merciless Parliament which met 3
February 1388. On 10 March, as Marshall, he was
joined by Gloucester, as Constable, to hear a suit
between Matthew Gournay and Louis de Sancerre,
Constable of France. In the early months of 1389
he is said to have been sent against the Scots, who
were ravaging Northumberland, but being
entrusted with only 500 lances he did not venture
an encounter with the Scottish force of 30,000. On
3 May of the same year, Richard shook off the
tutelage of the appellants, and Thomas and the
others were removed from the Privy Council. But
once his own master, Richard showed particular
anxiety to conciliate the Earl Marshall, giving himoverdue (Thomas being 23) livery of his lands,
and a week later placing him on a commission
appointed to negotiate a truce with Scotland. The
great possessions of Thomas in the north, as well
as his grandfather's career in a similar capacity, must have suggested this employment. On 1 June,
therefore, he was constituted warden of the East Marches (the eastern area on the English side of the
Border), captain of Berwick-on-Tweed and constable of Roxburgh Castle for a term of two years. By the
middle of September both he and Derby had been restored to their places at the council board, which a
month later was the scene of a hot dispute between Richard and his new chancellor, William of
Wykeham, who resisted Richard's proposal to grant a large pension to Thomas. Whatever may have been
the king's real feelings towards Gloucester and Arundel at this time, it was obviously to his interest to
attach the younger and less prominent appellants to himself. Thomas was continuously employed in the
service of the state and entrusted with responsible commands. On 28 June 1390, he was associated with
the Treasurer, John Gilbert, Bishop of St. David's, and others to obtain redress from the Scots for recent
infractions of the truce. In 1391 in an exchange of posts between him and the Earl of Northumberland, the
latter returned to the office of Warden of the Marches, while Thomas Mowbray took the captaincy of
Calais. In November 1392, this office was renewed to him for six years together with that of lieutenant of
the king in Calais, Picardy, Flanders and Artois for the same term.
On 12 January 1394, Richard II recognised Thomas' just and hereditary right to bear for his crest a golden
leopard with a crown ( in addition to the Mowbray coat of arms). In March of that year Thomas was
appointed chief justice of North Wales, and two months later justice of Chester and Flint. That
September, Thomas accompanied Richard to Ireland, and on his return was commissioned with others to
negotiate a long truce with France and a marriage for the king with Isabella, daughter of Charles VI of
France. He was present at the costly wedding festivities at Calais in October 1396. Thomas thus closely
identified himself with the French connection, which by its baneful influence on Richard's character and
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
Page #3
policy, and its unpopularity in the country contributed more than anything else to hastening his
misfortunes. In the parliament of January 1397, Richard gave Thomas another signal proof of his favour
by an express recognition of the Earl-Marshalship of England as hereditary in the Mowbray family, and
permission to bear a golden truncheon on his arms, bearing the royal arms on the upper side and his own
on the lower. At the same time Thomas secured a victory in a personal quarrel with the Earl of Warwick,
whose father had, in1352, obtained legal recognition of his claim to lordship of Gower, a part of the
Mowbray inheritance. This judgement was reversed in Thomas' favour.
Thomas was out of England from the end of February until the latter part of June on a foreign mission,
but returned to serve as one of the instruments of Richard's revenge on Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick,
his fellow-appellants of 1388. How far Thomas' conduct was justifiable is a matter of opinion, but it is not
unnatural. He was the last to join the appellants and probably the first to be reconciled to the king, and
now for eight years had been loaded with exceptional favours. He had long drifted apart from his old
associates, and with one was at open enmity. It must be confessed too that he was a considerable gainer
by the destruction of his old friends. According to the king's story, Thomas and seven other young
courtiers, all of whom were related to the royal family, advised Richard to arrest Gloucester, Arundel and
Warwick on 8 and 9 July. At Nottingham on 5 August, they agreed to appeal them of treason in the
parliament, which had been summoned to meet at Westminster on 21 September. Thomas was present
when Richard in person arrested Gloucester at his castle of Pleshy in Essex, and it was to his care as
captain of Calais that the duke was consigned. He may have himself conducted his prisoner to Calais, but
his presence at Nottingham on 5 August proves he did not mount guard personally throughout the
imprisonment. He had for some time been performing his duties at Calais by deputy.
On Friday 21 September, Thomas and his fellow-appellants "in red silk robes, banded with white silk and
powdered with letters of gold", renewed in parliament the appeal they had made at Nottingham. Arundel
was forthwith tried, condemned and beheaded on Tower Hill. Popular belief as early as 1399 has it that
Thomas led Arundel (his father-in-law) to execution, bandaged his eyes and performed the act, but he
official record has it that the despatching was carried out by Thomas' lieutenant. On the same day, the
king issued a writ, addresses to Thomas as captain of Calais, or his deputy, to bring up the Duke of
Gloucester before parliament to answer the charges of the appellants. Parliament seems to have been
adjourned to Monday 24 September, when Thomas' answer was read, curtly intimating he could produce
the duke, as he had died in his custody at Calais. Next day a confession, purporting to have been made byGloucester, was read in parliament, and the dead man was found guilty of treason. the whole affair is
shrouded in mystery, and there is a strong suspicion that Richard and Thomas were responsible for
Gloucester's death, as shortly after the accession of Henry IV, a certain John Hall, servant to Thomas
(who was by then dead), being arrested as an accomplice in the murder of Gloucester, deposed in writing
to parliament that he had been called from his bed by Thomas one night in September 1397, had been
informed that the king had ordered Gloucester to be murdered, and had been enjoined to be present with
other esquires and servants of Thomas and of the Earl of Rutland. Hall had at first refused, but Thomas
struck him on the head and said that he should obey or die. He then took an oath of secrecy with eight
other squires and yeomen, whose names he gave, in the church of Notre-Dame in the presence of his
master. Thomas then took them to a hostelry called Prince's Inn, and there left them. Gloucester was
handed over to them by John Lovetot, and was suffocated under a feather bed. Hall was at once
condemned, without being produced, and executed. However, Thomas' guilt is not proved, though thebalance of evidence is against him.
His services, whatever their extent, were rewarded on 28 September 1397 by a grant of the greater part of
the Arundel estates in Sussex and Surrey, and of seventeen of the Earl of Warwick's manors in the
midlands. The commons representing to the king that Derby and Thomas had been "innocent of malice"
in their appeal of 1388, Richard vouched for their loyalty. On 29 September, Thomas was created Duke of Norfolk, and his grandmother Margaret, Countess of Norfolk, was at the same time created Duchess of
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
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But new wealth and honours did not render Norfolk's position inviolable. The king was vindictive by
nature, and had not forgotten that Norfolk was once his enemy; he afterwards declared that Thomas had
not pursued the appeal of his old friends with such zeal as those who had never turned their coats. At the
same time the inner circle of the king's confidantes — the Earl of Kent (now Duke of Surrey), Sir William
le Scrope (now Earl of Wiltshire), and the Earl of Salisbury were urging the king to rid himself of all who
had ever been his enemies.
Thomas is said to have confided his fears to Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford (and the future Henry
IV) as they rode From Brentford to London in December 1397. Richard was informed of Norfolk's
language; obtained from Hereford, who probably was jealous of Thomas' power, obtained a written
account of the interview with Norfolk, and summoned both parties to appear before the adjourned
parliament, which was to meet at Shrewsbury on 30 January 1398. Hereford appears to have accompanied
the king on his way to Shrewsbury, for on 25 January, Richard gave him a full pardon for all treasons and
other offences of which he may have been guilty in the past. Thomas did not appear to answer the charges
that Hereford then presented against him, and on 4 February, the king ordered his sheriffs to proclaim that
he must appear within fifteen days.
At Oswestry on 23 February, Norfolk was present and gave full denial to the charges, and it was settled
by the king and council at Bristol that unless sufficient proofs of guilt were forthcoming in the meantime,
the matter should be referred to a court of chivalry at Windsor. The court met on the day appointed, anddecided that the matter should be settled by trial of battle at Coventry on 16 September. The lists were
prepared at Gosford Green outside the city, and on the day the combatants duly appeared, they were both
magnificently arrayed, Thomas, we are told having secured his armour from Germany, and Hereford's
being a present from Gian Galeaxzo of Milan. Before they joined issue, however, the king took the battle
into his own hands, on the grounds that treason was in question, and that it was undesirable that royal
blood should be dishonoured by the defeat of either. Richard then decided that inasmuch as Thomas had
confessed at Windsor to some of the charges which he had repelled at Oswestry, and was thus self-
convicted of conduct which was likely to have roused great trouble in the kingdom, he should quit the
realm before the octaves of St. Edward, to take up his residence in Germany, Bohemia and Hungary, and
"pass the great sea in pilgrimage". He was to go nowhere else in Christendom on pain of incurring the
penalties of treason. Hereford was banished to France for ten years, and communication between them
was expressly forbidden. The same veto was laid upon all intercourse with Archbishop Arundel.
Thomas' share of the lands of Arundel and Warwick, and all his offices were declared forfeited, because
he had resisted the abrogation of the acts of the 'Merciless Parliament', and failed in his duty as an
appellant. The rest of his estates were to be taken into the king's hands, and the revenues, after paying him
1,000 pounds a year, were devoted to covering the heavy losses in which it was alleged his
maladministration of his governorship of Calais had involved the king. Next day his office of Marshal of
England was granted to the king's nephew, Thomas Holland, Duke of Surrey.
On 3 October the king ordered his admirals to allow free passage to Norfolk from any port between
Scarborough and Orwell; licensed the duke to take with him a suite of 40 persons, 1,000 pounds in
money, with jewels, plate and harness, and issued a general request to all princes and nations to allow him
safe-conduct. A few days later, Thomas took ship near Lowestoft, for Dordrecht, in the presence of
several country gentry, who testified to the fact, and added that by sunset he was six leagues and morefrom that port, and was favoured with "bon vent et swef".
Of the subsequent wanderings of the banished Thomas Mowbray, we know no more than that he reached
Venice, where on 18 February 1399 the senate, at the request of King Richard, granted him (disguised in
their notes as the Duke of 'Gilforth') the loan of a galley for his intended visit to the Holy Sepulchre. He
induced some private Venetians to advance him money for his journey, on the express undertaking,
inserted in his will, that their claims should rank above all others. On the death of Thomas' grandmother,
Richard revoked the law by which Thomas had been able to receive inheritances by attorney, and thus
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
Page #5
prevented him from enjoying — even in exile — the revenue of the old Bigod (earls of Norfolk prior to
Edward I ) estates.
It cannot be regarded as certain that he ever made his journey to Palestine, for he died at Venice on 22
September of the same year (1399). The register of Newburgh Priory says, however, that it was after his
return from the Holy Land, and that he died of the plague. He was buried in Venice, and through his son
John left instructions in his will that his ashes should be brought to England. Nothing seems to have beendone until his descendant, Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk preferred a request for them to the
Venetian authorities in December 1532 through the Venetian ambassador in London.
Thomas left lands in most counties of England and Wales, whose mere enumeration fills eleven closelyprinted folio pages in the 'Inquisitiones Post Mortem'. He was twice-married. His first wife, Elizabeth,
dau. of John/Roger(?), Lord Strange of Blackmere, died almost immediately and in 1385 he married Lady
Elizabeth Fitz-Alan dau of Richard, Earl of Arundel, sister and co-heir of Thomas, Earl of Arundel and
widow of William de Montacute, by whom he had issue:
1. Thomas, who simply bore the title of Earl Marshal.
2 John, restored as Duke of Norfolk.
3 Isabel, through whom the title of Earl of Nottingham eventually passed to the Berkeleys.
4 Margaret, through whom the title of Duke of Norfolk eventually passed to the Howards.
5 Elizabeth, whose issue became extinct.
Thomas de Mowbray
Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk (22 March 1366 – 22 September 1399) was an English
nobleman.
Mowbray was the son of John de Mowbray, 4th Baron Mowbray (died 1368), and Elizabeth Segrave,Baroness Mowbray and suo jure 5th Baroness Segrave (died 1375).[1] His mother was the eldest daughter
of John de Segrave, 4th Baron Segrave and Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk , who was the eldest daughter of
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk , a son of Edward I of England[1] and his second Queen consort
Marguerite of France. Thus Mowbray was a great-great-grandson of King Edward I.
On 10 February 1382, he succeeded his brother John as 6th Baron Mowbray and 7th Baron Segrave,and soon afterwards was created Earl of Nottingham, a title that had also been created for his elder
brother. Three years later he was appointed Earl Marshal of England, and in that capacity he fought
against the Scots and then against the French.
Lord Nottingham was one of the Lords Appellant to King Richard II who deposed some of King
Richard's court favorites in 1387. The King's uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, was
imprisoned at Calais, where Nottingham was Captain. When Gloucester was killed in 1397, it was
probably at the King's orders and probably with Nottingham's involvement. A few weeks later he was
created Duke of Norfolk . His aged grandmother, the Countess of Norfolk , was still alive; she was created
Duchess of Norfolk for life. When she died the next year he also became 3rd Earl of Norfolk.
Later, in 1398, Norfolk quarrelled with Henry of Bolingbroke, 1st Duke of Hereford (later King Henry
IV), apparently due to mutual suspicions stemming from their roles in the conspiracy against the Duke of
Gloucester. The King banished them both. After Hereford returned and usurped the throne, Norfolk was
stripped of the Dukedom of Norfolk, though he retained his other titles. He died of the plague
("pestilence") in Venice, on 22 September 1399.[1]
014 Thomas 'Duke Of Norfolk' de Mowbray — Biography
Page #6
The matter of Norfolk's quarrel and subsequent banishment is depicted at the beginning of Shakespeare's
Richard II .[2]
Norfolk had no children by his first wife, Elizabeth le Strange, suo jure 3rd Baroness Strange, daughter
and heiress of John le Strange, 2nd Baron Strange. He had two sons by his second wife, Lady Elizabeth
FitzAlan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel: Thomas, later 4th Earl of Norfolk; and
John, later 5th Earl of Norfolk, later restored as 2nd Duke of Norfolk and also a daughter, MargaretMowbray, who married Sir Robert Howard, and parented John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk .
The population of Bristol throughout the 15th century was about 10,000. Bristol, as a major port, was
often visited by plague and other epidemics. Hygiene was appalling and child mortality was very high.
Couples may have had eight to ten children, if both lived so long, but seldom did more than one or two
live to adulthood. If they lived to adulthood, they died at an average age of around fifty. For this reason,
there had to be a continuous flow of new citizens coming into the city from the surrounding countrysideto seek their fortunes. Also, few families lasted in the city more than two or three generations; rarely did
dynasties have time to develop.
Thomas Mede married Margaret in 1435 and they had Thomas and John. John is mentioned in thechurchwardens' accounts in 1455 as the son of Thomas and Margaret. John, a master weaver, was a
churchwarden of St. Mary Redcliffe several times between 1473 and 1495. John married Alice and died
in 1496. Thomas, a merchant of Bristol, was granted a license in 1461 to trade with Iceland and
Finnmark, together with several other merchants. He would not have been in the churchwardens' accounts
of 1455 with his parents because he was already an adult.
In about 1435, Philip Mede married Isabel (or Elizabeth), the daughter of John Sharp and Joan. Philip
Mede and Isabel had three children who survived to adulthood. Richard, born about 1440, was married
twice, first to Elizabeth daughter of John Sharp of Bristol (son of John Sharp, Richard's maternalgrandfather), and second to Anne daughter of Thomas Pauncefoot of Hasfield in Gloucestershire. When
Richard died in 1491, he was survived by his wife Anne but they had no surviving children.
John Mede, born about 1435, was made an acolyte in 1453. He studied at St Edmund Hall, Oxford,
receiving his B.A. in 1457. He was a tutor there in 1461 and 1462. In January 1457/8 Thomas Bekynton,
the bishop of Bath and Wells, issued letters dimissory, entitling to ordination "to all holy orders for John
Mede of the parish of Redcliffe, Bristol, B.A., acolyte." John Mede M.A. became the vicar of Wraxall in
1467, witnessed by his father and brother, Philip Mede, merchant of Bristol and Richard Mede, literate.
Master John Mede, vicar of Wraxall, was a witness to Philip Mede's will in 1471. He apparently finished
his career as the prior of St. John the Baptist, Bristol, where he died in 1494.
Isabel, born about 1437, married twice. With her first husband she had three children, all of whom died
young. In 1465 she remarried, this time to Maurice Berkeley, son of James Lord Berkeley and IsabelMowbray. Maurice at his marriage was in his thirtieth year. Upon the death of her brother in 1491, Isabel
became heir to lands, messuages and tenements in Bedminster, Fayland, Wraxall and Middle Tickenham
in the county of Somerset. The couple had four children, Maurice, Thomas, James and Ann. Their
marriage was by all accounts a happy one.
The Mede Family, The Wars Of The Roses, The Battle Of Nibley Green
The Wars of the Roses had been fought off and on since the 1450s, over which descendants of Edward
III would have the throne. Although national issues were at stake, quite often local barons took the
opportunity to settle old scores.
The feud between Thomas Talbot Lord Lisle and William Berkeley got its start with the death in 1417 of Thomas Lord Berkeley, the great uncle of William and Maurice. A dispute over the inheritance arose
between the three daughters of his daughter Elizabeth on the one side, and his nephew and heir James on
the other. William Lord Berkeley inherited the feud from his father.
In the general lawlessness during the Wars of Roses, great families kept their own private armies with
which to settle disputes and augment their power. The forces of Lord Berkeley and Lord Lisle met in
battle on March 20, 1469/70 at Nibley Green in Gloucestershire. Maurice Berkeley's father-in-law, Philip
Mede, together with John Shipward, another merchant and former mayor of Bristol, raised an army of
1000 Bristolians in aid of the Berkeley family. They were victorious and Lord Lisle was slain. The Battle
of Nibley Green was the last battle fought with private armies on English soil.
In the words of John Smyth in The Lives of the Berkeley's: "This lord's (Thomas Talbot, Lord Lisle) party
lay close in the utter skirts of Michaelwood chase, out of which this lord Berkeley brake, when he first
beheld the lord Lisle with his fellowship descending down that hill from Nibley Church. The lord
Berkeley's number was about a thousand, and exceeded the other in greatness. The place of stand was atFowleshard, whence this lord William sent upon the lord Lisle the first shower of arrows. One Black Will
(so called) shot the lord Lisle as his beaver was up. Thomas Longe father of the said William was servant
to one of them who helped to carry the lord Lisle when he was slain. And thus did all the sons join in
revenge of the innocent blood of that virtuous and princely lady Isabel their mother maliciously spilt at
Gloucester seventeen years before by Margaret this viscount's grandmother."
Considering the support given by Maurice Berkeley and the Mede family to William Berkeley at Nibley
Green, William's subsequent dealings with his younger brother are even more treacherous. He
disinherited his brother on the grounds that he had married a commoner, a woman of mean and base
blood.
In the words of John Smyth (1567-1640) in The Lives of the Berkeley's, this was but a "feigned and
unbrotherly quarrel picked on purpose to give colour for his own exorbitances. Like vain were his
exceptions to his said brother and heir, for defending the virtue of his wife and the worthiness of her
parentage."
It is not for nothing that William Berkeley was called "the Wastall". In order to pay off his enormous
debts he gave his estates to Henry VII in exchange for being made a Marquis. Upon the death of William
in 1493, without surviving heirs, his younger brother Maurice became Lord Berkeley after all.
"She was a virtuous lady," writes John Smyth of Isabel, "and evermore content with better and harder
fortunes." She died in the sixth year of the reign of Henry VIII, in 1514, and was buried with great pomp
and ceremony beside her husband in the Church of the Augustinian Friars in London.
Sir William Stanley (c. 1435[1] – 10 February 1495) was an English soldier and the younger brother of
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. Stanley fought with his troops in several battles of the Wars of the
Roses.
Private Life
He was born at Lytham, Lancashire, the younger son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Lord Stanley. In 1465 he
married Joan, daughter of the first Viscount Beaumont, and widow of John, Lord Lovel. He married
secondly, c.1471, Elizabeth Hopton, daughter of Thomas Hopton with whom he had a daughter, Jane
Stanley. They lived at Holt, Norfolk .[2]
Career
A noble who originally supported the Yorkist faction, he was a celebrated military commander. He fought
on the Yorkist side at Battle of Blore Heath in 1459. In 1465 he was granted the Skipton lands and castle
of the dispossessed Lancastrian Cliffords. After the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, it was he who captured
Queen Margaret of Anjou, who led the Lancastrian faction and was made a Knight Banneret by the king.In 1483 he was made Chief Justice of North Wales. After Richard III came to the throne he was awarded
more land in North Wales for his loyal services.[3]
However, by 1485 he had decided to change sides and support the Lancastrian Henry Tudor’s bid for the
throne. Stanley is best known for his action at the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he decisively attacked
the Yorkists under Richard III, helping to secure Henry VII’s victory. In gratitude for his timely
intervention, the new king bestowed many favours on him, including the new post of Lord Chamberlain.
However, in 1495 Stanley was convicted of treason and executed for his support of the pretender Perkin
Warbeck . He readily admitted to the crime despite circumstantial evidence as he thought that through a
full confession he would escape execution.[citation needed ]
Indeed the King might have granted this, partlythrough mercy and partly to avoid upsetting Thomas, Earl of Derby. Since the King feared that by doing
this he would be putting himself in danger by encouraging others to undertake a similar act of follyWilliam was condemned to death and a few days later beheaded.
The Shadow Of The Tower
Episode 6 of the 1972 BBC drama series The Shadow of the Tower portrays the circumstances of
Stanley’s downfall. Interestingly, if – as stated above – he was in possession of the former Clifford
estates, it shows Sir Robert Clifford, who had been acting as Henry VII’s spy in the camp of Perkin
Warbeck, as the one to accuse Stanley of treason. Stanley is portrayed as a vain but careful man who,
while keeping his options open, had never committed to active support of the pretender. Detained in the
Tower while the other conspirators are on trial, he holds his tongue – apparently convinced that the affair
is a ruse by Henry to extort a large fine. He reminds Henry that it was Stanley who took Richard’s crown
at Bosworth and placed it on Henry’s head. Henry’s perception is that this was only after Stanley saw
which way the battle was going. Nevertheless Henry intends to pardon him. One of the conspirators, ayoung squire, placed as Stanley’s servant in the Tower, convinces Stanley to meet with a fellow prisoner
– the garrulous Earl of Kildare. A frustrated Stanley is soon drawn out to give a treasonous tirade. The
squire reports this, and is spared the death sentence handed out to his fellows. Henry, under pressure from
his mother Margaret Beaufort, Stanley’s sister-in-law, was about to pardon Stanley but, on hearing the
news, instead has him committed to trial. Stanley is found guilty, sentenced to the forfeit of his estates
and a painful death, which the King soon commutes to beheading. Stanley always expects to be pardoned
2. ^ “Thepeerage.com”. http://www.thepeerage.com/p1463.htm#i14627. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
3. ^ “William Stanley – A Yorkist”. http://www.richard111.com/william_stanley__a_yorkist.htm.
Retrieved 23 July 2010.External links
”Stanley, William (d.1495)“. Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
1885–1900.
Stanley, William (d.1495) (DNB00)
From Wikisource
←Stanley, Thomas
(1625-1678)
Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 54
Stanley, William (d.1495) by James Tait
Stanley, William
(1548-1630)→
STANLEY, SIR WILLIAM (d . 1495), lord chamberlain to Henry VII, was the second son of Thomas
Stanley, first lord Stanley, by Joan, daughter of Sir Robert Goushill of Hoveringham, Nottinghamshire,
and his wife, Elizabeth Fitzalan, dowager duchess of Norfolk. Thomas Stanley, first Earl of Derby [q. v.],
was his elder brother.
Stanley was born after 1435, and made his first known public appearance while still a squire in 1459 as a
Yorkist partisan, taking part in ‘the distressing of King Henry’s true liege people at Bloreheath,’ where
two of his brothers-in-law, Sir William Troutbeck and Sir Richard Molyneux [q. v.] of Sefton, fell on the
opposite side.
In the ensuing parliament Stanley was attainted with other Yorkists ( Rot. Parl. v. 348, 369). As he did notfall into the hands of the government, we may perhaps assume that he escaped abroad, like the rest, after
the rout of Ludford.
The accession of Edward IV brought him his reward; the office of chamberlain of Chester was at once
conferred upon him, and he apparently retained it until his death (Ormerod, I. 60). At York, after the
battle of Hexham in 1464, the king made him a further grant under the great seal, and in November 1465
bestowed upon him the castle and lordship of Skipton and other lands in Craven forfeited by Lord
Clifford, who fell on the Lancastrian side at Towton ( Rot. Parl. v. 530, 582).
When Edward returned from his temporary exile in 1471, Stanley joined him with three hundred men at
Nottingham (Warkworth, p. 14, but cf. Arrival of Edward IV , p. 7). He was subsequently steward of the
Prince of Wales’s household (RAMSAY, ii. 482).
Richard III did his best to retain Stanley’s support; he gave him Buckingham’s forfeited office of justiciarof North Wales (the ‘Croyland Continuator’ says chamberlain) and a great landed position there by the
grant of the castle and lordship of ‘Lione otherwise called the Holte,’ i.e. Holt Castle on the Dee, with a
moiety of Bromfield, Yale, and four other marcher lordships, three whole manors, and a moiety of
seventeen others, among them Wrexham and Ruabon (Rot. Parl. VI. 316). He seems also to have had an
interest in the lordship of Chirk, whose castle he repaired (LELAND, Itinerary, v. 36; Gairdner, p. 402).
These lands, which comprised a great part of what is now East Denbighshire, he claimed in the next reign
to have obtained by exchange for others of ‘great value.’ This vagueness and the obvious motive for such
a statement render it rather doubtful, but he may possibly have surrendered Skipton in return for these
Welsh grants. Henry VII, as soon as he gained the throne, certainly restored Skipton to Lord Clifford, ‘the
shepherd lord.’ At Ridley, a few miles north, under the shadow of the Peckforton Hills, Stanley built
himself ‘the fairest gentleman’s house in al Chestreshyre’ (Leland, V. 81, Vol. VII. Pt. I. P. 43).
From here one September he wrote to his ‘cousin’ Piers Warburton of Arley, excusing himself from a
promise to kill a buck in his park, ‘beyng so besy with olde Dyk I can have no layf thereunto’ (Ormerod,II. 301). He did not hesitate to betray ‘olde Dyk’ when the time came.
Early in August 1485 Henry of Richmond crossed a corner of North Wales unmolested, and at Stafford
Stanley, who had three thousand ‘red coats’ with his livery of the hart’s head not far away, came to anunderstanding with the invader. Henry had a further interview with him and his brother, Lord Stanley, at
Atherstone two days before the decisive battle of Bosworth (Polydore Vergil, p. 224; Gairdner, p. 414).
Though already denounced to Richard by his nephew, Lord Strange, and proclaimed a traitor at Coventry
and elsewhere, Stanley would not unite his force with Richmond’s, and on 22 Aug. pitched his camp on
Hanging Hill, between Bosworth and Shenton, some distance from both the main bodies (Hutton, App. p.
245; cf. Hall, p. 414).
Yet he can hardly have hoped to recover Richard’s favour had the day gone against Henry, and it was
when the king’s desperate charge seemed to make this likely that Stanley brought his three thousand meninto action and so decided the battle (ib. pp. 418–19).
If his real object was to place Henry more clearly and deeply in his debt, it was certainly attained. He
became lord chamber- lain and knight of the Garter, and was confirmed in possession of his Welsh
estates.
Stanley’s fall ten years after came no doubt as a surprise to most people, but Henry long before
entertained suspicions of the man who had in turn betrayed Lancaster and York (Brewer, Letters and
Papers, III. 490). It is a curious coincidence, if no more, that the informer who denounced him at the end
of 1494 as an accomplice of Perkin Warbeck should have been Sir Robert Clifford, uncle of the young
lord whose property at Skipton he had for a time usurped (Dugdale, I. 342). How deeply he involved
himself with Warbeck we do not know; he must surely have done more than declare that ‘if he knew
certainly that the young man [Warbeck ] was the undoubted heir of King Edward IV, he would never fightor bear armour against him.’ On 6 Feb. 1495 he was ‘found guilty of treason by a quest of divers knights
and worshipful gentlemen,’ and on the 16th beheaded on Tower Hill (Cott. MS. Vitellius, A. XVI. 152–3;
Fabyan, p. 685; Polydore Vergil; Hall, p. 469; Busch, p. 95). The more cruel part of an execution for
treason was dispensed with. Henry defrayed the cost of his burial at Sion ( Excerpta Historica, pp. 101–2).
It was afterwards believed that forty thousand marks in ready money, plate, and jewels were found in Holt
Castle, and Bacon, in his ‘Life of Henry VII,’ estimates Stanley’s income at three thousand a year.
Stanley was at least twice married. In 1465 he married Joan, daughter of the first Viscount Beaumont, and
widow of John, lord Lovel (Rot. Parl. v. 582; Complete Peerage, v. 165). He subsequently (after 1470)
married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hopton of Hopton, Shropshire, who had already survived two
husbands, Sir Roger Corbet of Moreton-Corbet, Shropshire, and John Tiptoft, earl of Worcester [q. v.]
(ib. VII. 402).
The pedigrees following Sir Peter Leycester are in error respecting his marriage (cf. Baines, Hist. of
Lancashire, iv. 10; Ormerod, I. 442). Stanley left three children—a son and two daughters. The son, SirWilliam Stanley, married Joan, heiress of the Masseys of Tatton in Cheshire, and died in or about 1498;
one daughter, Joan, married Sir John Warburton of Arley, and the other, Catherine, Thomas Cocat of
A three-quarter-length portrait of Stanley in richly ornamented armour is preserved at Wentworth House,
Yorkshire, and was engraved in Baines’s ‘Lancashire’ (IV. 19). He is represented with a thinnish face and
short beard.
[See Rot. Parl.; Hall and Fabyan’s Chronicles, ed. Ellis; Polydore Vergil, Warkworth’s Chronicle and
Arrival of Edward IV (Camden Soc.); Bentley’s Excerpta Historica, 1831; Stanley Papers (Chetham Soc.
vol. XXIX.); Ormerod’s Hist. of Cheshire, 1876; Dugdale’s Baronage; Complete Peerage by G. E.C[okayne]; Gairdner’s Richard III; Ramsay’s Lancaster and York; Busch’s England under the Tudors,
Engl. tr.; other authorities in the text. Stanley is one of the heroes of the contemporary ‘Song of Lady
Bessy’ (Elizabeth of York ) written by a Stanley retainer, Humphrey Brereton, and edited by Halliwell for
Eleanor Lucy was the daughter of Sir Walter Lucy.1
She married Thomas Hopton.
Her married name became Hopton.Children of Eleanor Lucy and Thomas Hopton 1. Walter Hopton 1
2. Elizabeth Hopton+ 1b. 1427, d. 22 Jun 1498
Citations 1. [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, DuncanWarrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland,
Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed. , 13 volumes in 14 (1910-
1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XII/2, page 845.
015 Elizabeth ‘Countess of Arundel’ de Bohun-FitzAlan — Biography
Page #1
Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess Of Arundel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elizabeth de Bohun
Countess of Arundel
Countess of Surrey
Spouse(s) Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel
IssueThomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of ArundelLady Eleanor FitzAlan
Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan
Lady Joan FitzAlan
Lady Alice FitzAlan
Lady Margaret FitzAlan
son FitzAlan (his name is given as either Richard or William
Noble FamilyBohun
Father: William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
Mother: Elizabeth de Badlesmere
Born: c.1350, England
Died: 3 April 1385, England
Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess of Arundel, Countess of Surrey (c. 1350 – 3 April 1385) was a member
of the Anglo-Norman Bohun family, which wielded much power in the Welsh Marches and the English
government. She was the first wife of Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, Earl of Surrey, (1346- 21
September 1397 Tower Hill, Cheapside, London), a powerful English nobleman and military commander
in the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. She was the mother of seven of his children, and as the wife of one of the most powerful nobles in the realm enjoyed much prestige and took precedence over most of the
other peers’ wives.
Family And Lineage
Lady Elizabeth de Bohun was born around 1350, the daughter of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of
Northampton and Elizabeth de Badlesmere. Her older brother Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
married Joan FitzAlan , a sister of the 11th Earl of Arundel, by whom he had two daughters. Elizabeth
had a half-brother Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March by her mother’s first marriage to Sir Edmund
Mortimer.
Her paternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan,
daughter of King Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere and Margaret de Clare.
Lady Elizabeth’s parents both died when she was young, her mother having died in 1356, and her father
015 Elizabeth ‘Countess of Arundel’ de Bohun-FitzAlan — Biography
Page #2
Marriage And Issue
On 28 September 1359, by Papal dispensation,[1]
Elizabeth
married Richard FitzAlan, who succeeded to the earldoms of
Arundel and Surrey upon the death of his father, Richard
FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel in 1376. Their marriage was
especially advantageous as it united two of the most powerfulfamilies in England. The alliance was further strengthened by
the marriage of Elizabeth’s brother, Humphrey to FitzAlan’s
sister Joan.
As the Countess of Arundel, Elizabeth was one of the most
important women in England, who enjoyed much prestige, and
after the Queen, the Duchesses of Lancaster and York , and the
Countess of Buckingham, took precedence over the other nobleladies in the realm.
At the coronation of King Richard II, Fitaalan carried the
crown. In the same year, 1377, he was made Admiral of the
South and West. The following year, 1378, he attacked Harfleur, but was repelled by the French.
FitzAlan allied himself with the King’s uncle Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, who was
married to FitzAlan’s niece Eleanor de Bohun, who was also Elizabeth’s niece. The two men eventually
became members of the Council of Regency, and formed a strong and virulent opposition to the King.This would later prove fatal to both men.
Richard and Elizabeth had seven children:[2]
• Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, Earl of Surrey KG (13 October 1381- 13 October 1415),married 26 November 1405, Beatrice, illegitimate daughter of King John I of Portugal and Inez Perez
Esteves.[3] The marriage was childless.
• Lady Eleanor FitzAlan (c.1365- 1375), on 28 October 1371, at the age of about six, married Robert de
Ufford. Died childless.
• Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan (1366- 8 July 1425), married firstly before 1378, Sir William de Montagu,
secondly in 1384, Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk , by whom she had four children, thirdly
before 19 August 1401, Sir Robert Goushill, by whom she had two daughters, and fourthly before1411, Sir Gerard Afflete. The Howard Dukes of Norfolk descend from her daughter Margaret
Mowbray who married Sir Robert Howard.
• Lady Joan FitzAlan (1375- 14 November 1435), married William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron
Bergavenny, by whom she had a son, Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester and a daughter
Joan de Beauchamp, wife of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond.
• Lady Alice FitzAlan (1378- before October 1415), married before March 1392, John Cherlton, Lord
Cherlton. Had an affair with Cardinal Henry Beaufort, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter,
Jane Beaufort.
[4]
• Lady Margaret FitzAlan (1382- after 1423), married Sir Rowland Lenthall, of Hampton Court,
Herefordshire, by whom she had two sons.
• Son FitzAlan (his name is given as either Richard or William).
015 Elizabeth ‘Countess of Arundel’ de Bohun-FitzAlan — Biography
Page #3
Death
Elizabeth de Bohun died on 3 April 1385 at the age of about thirty- five. She was buried at Lewes in
Sussex. Her husband married secondly Philippa Mortimer on 15 August 1390, by whom he had a son
John FitzAlan (1394- after 1397).
Richard Fitaalan was executed by decapitation on 21 September 1397 at Tower Hill Cheapside, London
for having committed high treason against King Richard.[5] His titles and estates were attainted untilOctober 1400, when they were restored to his son and heir Thomas Fitaalan, 12th Earl of Arundel by the
new king Henry IV who had ascended to the English throne upon the deposition of King Richard in 1399.
References
1. ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Earls of Arundel 1289-1580 (FitzAlan)
2. ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Earls of Arundel 1289-1580 (FitzAlan)
3. ^ Cawley, Medieval Lands
4. ^ www. Tudorplace.com.ar/Bohun
5. ^ Thomas B. Costain, The Last Plantagenet , pages 196-201
015 Elizabeth Markenfield-de Calverley II - Biography
Page #1
Markenfield Hall
The story of Markenfield Hall is one of the saddest and most romantic in English history. Deeply
intertwined with the fortunes of nearby Fountains Abbey, this great house was one of the most importantcentres of the Rising of the North in 1569, which was the cause of its tragic downfall. A recent
archaeological survey has established that the Great Hall is older than the other buildings around the
Courtyard. It was probably built about 1280 and was free standing. Thirty years later Canon John de
Markenfield completed the building, when a licence to crenellate (fortify) it was granted to him by King
Edward II in 1310. John de Markenfield held high office under the King, and his family inter-marriedwith the greatest ruling houses of the North. They fought for the King at Agincourt, Bosworth and
Flodden while increasing their wealth and national standing, but this powerful family was brought to itstragic end by their leadership of the Rising in 1569. This was the rebellion which, following the
Dissolution of the Monasteries 30 years before in the reign of King Henry VIII, was launched by many
nobles and ordinary working people of Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland and Westmoreland. Itsobject was the replacement of Queen Elizabeth I by Catholic Mary Queen of Scots and thus, in the north
at least, to maintain freedom to practice their Catholic faith and defy the attempt of the state to suppress it
in favour of Protestantism. The Rising was put down with great savagery. Over 200 who took part were
hanged, drawn and quartered. The Markenfield family was forced to flee abroad and the house was
confiscated for high treason. The Hall became a tenanted farmhouse; its 250 years as the home of a great
Yorkshire family were over. For two centuries Markenfield was largely neglected and forgotten by its
absentee landlords. Then in 1761 it was bought by Sir Fletcher Norton, the First Lord Grantley, a direct
descendent of the Sir Thomas Markenfield who had led the 1569 Rising. The Hall's fortunes started to
improve. The Grantley family still owns it and in the 1980s embarked on a programme of restoration,which is almost complete. The house built by John de Markenfield seven centuries ago is now a much
loved family home once again, and still remains one of the only completely moated manor houses left in
Sir Eustace Whitney (Robert, Robert, Robert, Eustace, Eustace, Robert, ...), son of Robert Whitney,[1]
was born circa 1411, Clifford, Herefordshire,[2] and died about 1468, Whitney, Herefordshire.[3] Hemarried firstly, Jennet Russell[4] She was the dau. of Sir Thomas Russell (some authorities say Sir
William Trussell, Knight, by dau. of Sir John Ludlow, Knight; See: Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet
Ancestry); and 2d, Jane, dau. of Sir Robert Clifford, Knight.[5] He married secondly, Jane Clifford.[6] SirEustace Whitney of Whitney, etc., Knight. Born in 1411. Head of commission sent to Wales by Henry VI.
in 1455. Member of Parliament for Herefordshire in 1468.[7] In 1457, a lawsuit was brought againstEustace Whitney of Whitney by William Forster, citizen and tailor of London: "...in London on Monday
after St. Andrew 31 Henry VI a case was brought against him by William Forster citizen and tailor of
London in a plea of debt. Eustase was arrested and the sheriff ordered to "take his body" and in Hilary
Term 35 Henry VI the sheriff of Herefordshire was ordered to allow him no liberty and to bring him to
the bar of the Common Pleas in London from the lord king's prison of the Fleet. Eustase's 'defence' wasthat there is no such place in Herefordshire called 'Whittenay' as supposed in the writ. Eustace's
manucaptors in Herefordshire were John Glynboo of London, gentilmon, Thomas Wynnok of Whitney in
the Marches of wales, yoman, Edmund Madeley of same, yoman, and Nicholas Norton of London,
yeoman; they were to have his body to this court. The Sheriff of London reports that William Forster is
dead. So William Notyngam for the lord King asks the sheriff of Herefordshire to be ordered to bringEustace here on the Morrow of Ascension day. Eustace came and the sheriff empanelled a jury which
committed him to Hereford assizes on Friday St. Mary Magdalene's Day but he didn't come so the deputy
sheriff for Herefordshire, Thomas Yong, to execute the order; The ustices of Assize, Richard Byngham &
Richard Chokke said that there was no palce in Herefordshire named 'Whitteney' so Eustace was ordered
to be discharged and acquitted."[8] In 1457, Eustace Whitney brought a lawsuit against John Cheyne andhis wife Perin, his sister and brother-in-law:[9] Eustachius Whyteney po(suit) lo(co) suo Joh(ann)em
Salter v(ersu)s Joh(anne)m Cheyne et Perinam ux(orem) suam in pl(acito) t(er)re Due to the fact Eustace
was described as a "gentleman" and "esquire" in the above referenced court case; presumably, he was
knighted after 1457. Eustace Whyteney put in his place (appointed as his attorney) John Salter against
John Cheyne and Perin his wife in a plea of land." Children of Sir Eustace and Jennet/Joan
(Trussell/Russell) Whitney: i. Robert Whitney[10] b. ca. 1436, Whitney, Herefordshire;[11] m.(1)
Constance Touchet;[12] m.(2) Elizabeth/Alice ferch Thomas ap Roger Vaughan.[13] ii. (perhaps) JohnWhitney[14] b. 1450 or earlier, of Gorsington, Herefordshire,[15] ancestor of the Whitneys of Clifford.
iii. (perhaps) Eustace Whitney. A "Eustance Whitney of Whitney, Gentilman" was one of twenty men
from Herefordshire wanted for felonies and 'perditionibus' (various wikednesses?) and when they were
unable to be located, all were outlawed in 1488.[16] Children of Sir Eustace and Jane (Clifford) Whitney,
if any, unknown. References 1. "Robert died on the 12th day of the month of March last past, and that
Eustace Whitney is his son and nearest heir, and is aged thirty years and more," Melville, Henry, A.M.,
LL.B., The Ancestry of John Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel,
Thomas, and Jonathan, Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown,
Massachusetts; the First of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority of the
Whitneys Now Living in the United States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896),
p. 90, citing "the return annexed to the writ" of his father's inquisition post mortem. Unfortunately, the
scan of the IPM that has been ordered (C 139/112/62) does not include the supposedly annexed return.This document may be E 153/971 which has now been ordered. 2. ibid (date). Since his father had just
been granted Clifford Castle in 1404 due to the destruction of Whitney Castle, he was probably born inClifford. 3. Source for his death information. 4. Melville, Henry, A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John
Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan,
Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown, Massachusetts; the First
of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority of the Whitneys Now Living in the
United States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896), p. 90. 5. Melville, Henry,A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard,
Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in
Watertown, Massachusetts; the First of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority
of the Whitneys Now Living in the United States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press,
1896), p. 216. 6. Melville, Henry, A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John Whitney: Who, with His Wife
Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, Emigrated from London, England, in
the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown, Massachusetts; the First of the Name in America, and the One
from Whom a Great Majority of the Whitneys Now Living in the United States Are Descended (NewYork, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896), p. 90. 7. Melville, Henry, A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John
Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan,
Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown, Massachusetts; the First
of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority of the Whitneys Now Living in theUnited States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896), p. 216. 8. Chief Justices'
Rolls, Court of Common Pleas, CP 40/785 (Easter 1457), membrane 313f, as found in the digital archive
assembled by Robert C. Palmer and Elspeth K. Palmer, The Anglo-American Legal Tradition available at
aalt.law.uh.edu/aalt.html, images [[17]] and [[18]], brief abstract courtesy of Michael A Faraday. 9.
CP40/785 Eastern 1457 AALT image 1008f. 10. Melville, Henry, A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John
Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan,
Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in Watertown, Massachusetts; the First
of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority of the Whitneys Now Living in theUnited States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press, 1896), p. 90 11. Melville, Henry,
A.M., LL.B., The Ancestry of John Whitney: Who, with His Wife Elinor, and Sons John, Richard,
Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, Emigrated from London, England, in the Year 1635, and Settled in
Watertown, Massachusetts; the First of the Name in America, and the One from Whom a Great Majority
of the Whitneys Now Living in the United States Are Descended (New York, NY: The De Vinne Press,
1896), p. 216. 12. Source for Robert's marriage to Constance Touchet. 13. Source for Robert's marriage to
Elizabeth/Alice. 14. Source for his possible parentage of John Whitney. 15. Source for John Whitney's
Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam (died 1454) was a Welsh noblewoman, the daughter of Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel,
otherwise known as Dafydd Gam, who was killed at the Battle
of Agincourt in 1415.[1]
Gwladys was named “the star of Abergavenny“ (Welsh: Seren-
y-fenni)[2]
—”Gwladys the happy and the faultless” by Welshpoet Lewys Glyn Cothi.[3] He describes the lady of Raglan
Castle, which she became upon her second marriage, as a
brilliant being, “like the sun—the pavilion of light.”[4] She has
been compared to the legendary Queen Marcia for her discretion and influence.[5]
Childhood
Gwladys’ father, Dafydd, was a gentleman of considerable property and a celebrated military figure,descended from the native Welsh rulers of Brycheiniog.
[6][7]He was a prominent opponent of Owain
Glyndŵr. Accounts of her mother are unclear. According to Prichard, Dafydd married Gwenllian,
daughter of wealthy gentleman Gwilym ab Howel and grew up on an estate named “Petyn Gwyn” near
the town of Brecon, in the parish of Garthbrengy,[2] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography more
recently reports that some genealogists claim Dafydd’s wife to
have been Gwladys, daughter of Gwilym ap Hywel Crach.
(1374–6).[7]
On 16 September 1400, Owain Glyndŵr instigated the Welsh
Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England from the House
of Lancaster. Dafydd, “one of Owain’s most die-hard
opponents,” supported the English monarchy for the next twelve
years[7] in opposition to his Welsh countrymen.[8]
During opposition to Owain Glyndŵr, Dafydd’s lands in and
around Brecon became a target for Glyndŵr’s attacks. Owain isrecorded to have arrived at the family’s principal residence at
Petyn Gwyn where he captured and assaulted Lady Gwenllian.
After imprisoning her inside the house, he burnt the mansion to
the ground.[9][10]
Driven from their last home in Wales, Gwladys, with her father, grandfather, and her two brothers, found
refuge at King Henry IV’s court,[10][11]
where Gwladys served as a Maid of Honour firstly to Mary de
Bohun (c. 1368–1394), wife of Henry IV, and afterwards to Queen Joan (c. 1370–1437), his second wife
Gwladys married first husband, Sir Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine also known as Roger Fychan (the younger),[13] after
her family returned to Wales. Roger, a gentleman of wealth, rank,
and high respectability was a special friend of her father’s, andwould later be his companion in arms at the Battle of
Agincourt.[14][15]
From the period of her marriage she never again left Wales.
Gwladys was a supporter of Welsh culture, especially of the
bards and minstrels of her time. In Lewus Glyn Cothi’s elegy,
Gwladys is called “the strength and support of Gwentland and the
land of Brychan” (later the counties of Monmouth and Brecon):
which she supported extensively.[14]
Battle of Agincourt
Roger and Gwladys’ father, Dafydd, had been part of the Welshcontingent that fought with Henry V of England; they both died at
the Battle of Agincourt in France in 1415.[13] Legends appeared in
the 16th century claiming that[7] upon saving the life of Henry V at
the expense of their own lives, both men were knighted by the king
on the battlefield before they died.[15][16]
However, there is no
contemporary validation that the legends are true.[7]
Issue
In contrast to Gwladys and Roger’s allegiance to the House of Lancaster[17]
and Sir William ap Thomas’sdaughter,[13] their three sons were staunch Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses. The brothers would
fight with their Herbert half-brothers during the Battle of Edgecote Moor in 1469. Beyond their politicalpursuits, the Bredwardine and Hergest Vaughans supported Welsh poets. They took residence at the main
Vaughan holdings of Bredwardine, Hergest, and Tretower, respectively.[13]
• Watkin (Walter) Vaughan (d. 1456) of Bredwardine, Esquire,[18]
married Elinor, daughter of Sir
Henry Wogan,[17][19]
On Easter 1456, Watkin was murdered at home, Bredwardine Castle for which
half-brother William Herbert and Walter Devereux forcibly ensured prosecution of execution of the
culprits at Hereford.[13]
• Thomas Vaughan (c.1400–1469) of Hergest, Esquire,[18] married Ellen Gethin,[17][19] daughter of
Cadwgan ap Dafydd. From the mid-1440s, Thomas had interests in the Stafford lordships of
Huntington, Brecon and Hay.[13]
September 1461, supporting the three Vaughan brother’s allegiance
to Yorkist rule, Edward IV appointed Thomas receiver of
Brecon, Hay, and Huntington during the minority of HenryStafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. In 1461, Thomas died
at the Battle of Edgecote and entombed at Kington church,
near Hergest.[13]
• Sir Roger Vaughan (d. 1471) of Tretower Court married
twice. Once to Cicely, daughter of Thomas ab Philip
Vychan, of Talgarth[19] and second Lady Margaret, daughter
of Lord James Audley, another of the heroes of
Agincourt.[17][3] Roger fought with his father and grandfather
at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Roger was knighted for his activities supporting the Yorkist
regime. In May 1471 Roger was captured by Jasper Tudor and beheaded at Chepstow.[13]
• Elizabeth Vaughan married gentleman Griffith ab Eineon.[17][19]
• Blanch Vaughan married wealthy Englishman John Milwater,[17][19] commissioned by Edward IV to
accompany Blanch’s half-brother, William Herbert, to the siege of Harlech Castle.[20]
There are other children less reliably attributed to this union: John Vaughan of Dursley, William Vaughan
of Clifford and three more daughters not specifically identified.[18]
William ap Thomas
Her second marriage was to Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan
Castle who also fought at the Battle of Agincourt. William was
the son of Thomas ap Gwilym ap Jenkyn, a local landowner andhis wife Maud, daughter of Sir John Morley.[21] He was knighted
in 1426 and was known, because of the colour of his armour, as
“The Blue Knight of Gwent.”[22]
As Lady of Raglan Castle, Gwladys was able to entertain her
guests and assist the needy and afflicted on an even greater scalethan when the mistress of Bredwardine Castle.
[21]
Gwladys and William’s children were raised with the Vaughan
children[13]
Issue
The children of Gwladys and William were:
• William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469) took the surname Herbert.[23][24]
William’sallegiance to Richard, Duke of York, and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , branded him
Edward IV’s Welsh “master-lock”. He was the first full-blooded Welshman to enter the English
peerage and he was knighted in 1452. He married Anne Devereux daughter of Sir Walter Devereux in
1449, by whom he had issue.
[25]
• Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook House, near Abergavenny; died on the battlefield of
Danesmoor.[23][24]
• Elizabeth married Sir Henry Stradling[23][24]
(1423–1476), son of Sir Edward Stradling (d. c.1394) and
Gwenllian Berkerolles, sister and co-heir of his neighbour, Sir Lawrence Berkerolles. Reversing
alliances from the previous generation, Henry and his brothers-in-law were hostile to the Henry VI
reign. Henry went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1476. Henry died on 31 August 1476 on his
journey back to England and was buried at Famagusta, Cyprus. Thomas, Elizabeth and Henry’s
young son died on 8 September 1480.[26]
• Margaret married Sir Henry Wogan,[23][24]
steward[27]
and treasurer of the Earldom of Pembroke,
tasked with securing war material for the defence of Pembroke Castle.[28]
Henry and his father, John
Wogan of Picton, witnessed an act of Bishop Benedict in 1418. Their son, Sir John Wogan, waskilled at the battle of Banbury in 1465, fighting by the side of his uncle, William Herbert, Earl of
Pembroke.[29]
Other issue less consistently attributed to Gwladys and William include: Maud, Olivia, Elizabeth (who
married Welsh country gentlemen, John ab Gwilym),[23]
and Thomas Herbert.[24]
Lady Gwladys mourned at length when William died in 1446.[30]
Gwladys and her husband William ap Thomas were patrons of Abergavenny Priory
where they were both buried; their alabaster tomb and effigies can still be seen in the church of St
Mary’s.[22][32][33]
Gwladys was so beloved by her people that, according to legend, 3,000 knights, nobles and weeping
peasantry followed her body from Coldbrook House (her son Richard’s manor) to the Herbert Chapel of St. Mary’s Priory Church where she was buried.
[32][34]
References
1. ^ Prichard pp. 431-433
2. ^ a b Prichard p. 416
3. ^ a b Prichard p. 437
4. ^ Prichard p. 436
5. ^ Prichard p. 441
6. ^ Prichard p. 416, 441
7. ^ a b c d e
Tout, T; Davies, R (2004-2011). “Oxford Dictionary of National Biography — Dafydd
(David) Gam (d. 1415), warrior” (Subscription or UK public library membership required). Oxford
University Press 2011. http://www.oxforddnb.com/ . Retrieved 2011-02-08.
8. ^ a b Hodgdon & Thomas pp. 128-129
9. ^ Prichard p. 419
10. ^ a b
Wilkins, C (1879). Tales and Sketches of Wales. Cardiff: Daniel Owen, Howell & Company. p.15. OCLC 13012228. http://www.archive.org/stream/talessketchesofw00wilk .
11. ^ Prichard p. 421
12. ^ Burke, J.; Burke, J. B. (1847). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of
Great Britain. 2. London: Henry Colburn. p. 1471.http://books.google.com/books?id=0NEKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1471.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h iGriffiths, R (2004-11). “Oxford Dictionary of National Biography — Vaughan
Family(per. c.1400–c.1504), gentry” (Subscription or UK public library membership required).
Oxford University Press 2011. http://www.oxforddnb.com/ . Retrieved 2011-02-08.
14. ^ a b Prichard p. 422
15. ^ a b
Nicholas, T. (1991) [1872]. Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of
Wales: containing a record of all ranks of the gentry with many ancient pedigrees and memorials of
old and extinct families (Facsimile reprint ed.). Genealogical Publishing.Com. p. 95. ISBN
It was pointed out in Northamptonshire Families (fn. 9) that the family of Isham, who appear as tenants at
so early a date in this property, has probably dwelt in the county longer than any other family mentionedin that volume. Henry son of Henry de Isham presented to the church in 1236, (fn. 10) and in 1239 was
making grants of land here to Elias and James, sons of Henry, presumably his brothers. (fn. 11) He had
died before 1249, when the presentation was made by the guardian of the heir of Henry de Isham onaccount of the minority of this heir. (fn. 12) Isham was in 1283 held by Henry son of Henry de Isham. (fn.
13) From about this time the Ishams seem also to have used the name of L'Isle (de Insula), as in 1300,when Henry de L'Isle demanded from Henry son of Richard atte Hallepace services for whose
performance the latter alleged William son of James of Isham to be responsible; (fn. 14) but in 1307
Robert de Ho and Beatrice his wife, who had apparently succeeded to the mesne lordship, granted to
Walter de Langeton, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, a knight's fee in Isham with the homage and
services of Henry de Isham and his heirs for the tenement he held of them. (fn. 15) The presentation to thechurch was made in 1307 by Henry de Isham, in 1314 by Henry de L'Isle of Isham, and in 1315 by
William de L'Isle, lord of Isham, (fn. 16) while in 1316 William de L'Isle was returned as holding Isham,
(fn. 17) and in 1317 William de Isham and Alice his wife settled the manor and advowson upon
themselves and on the right heirs of William, (fn. 18) to hold of the chief lords of the fee, and William de
L'Isle presented in 1341. Other Ishams at this date were described as of Northampton, (fn. 19) or of Pytchley, (fn. 20) and the original Ishams had probably transferred their rights in Isham to a member of
the L'Isle family by marriage. Thomas de L'Isle of Isham made a grant in 1336 to William de la Carnell of
Earls Barton of the manor of Isham for life, (fn. 21) and in 1341 presentation to the church was made by
William de L'Isle, evidently the successor of Thomas, and apparently the last de L'Isle to hold this fee of
Isham, since the presentation was in 1349 made by Robert de Wyk, lord of Isham. (fn. 22) Robert de Wyk had died before 1362–3, when John, son of Thomas Caumbery de Bernak, and his wife Elizabeth
conveyed the manor of Isham to Katharine, widow of Robert de Wyk of Staunford. (fn. 23) It appears
possible that Katharine had been the widow of William de L'Isle before she married Robert de Wyk, and
that Elizabeth was William's daughter. In 1365 the presentation was made by the same John, son of
Thomas Bernak. (fn. 24) Elizabeth Bernak presented to the church in 1404, and William Bernak in 1437.
He was probably the son of Elizabeth, and identical with the William Bernak referred to in the assessment
of 1428, which returned that no tax was due from the fee in Isham formerly held by William de L'Isle,because the said fee was divided between Simon Felbrygge [the husband of the widow of Ralf Green],
Thomas Green, Thomas Colpepir, William Haldenby, Richard Wynter, William Bernak, and others
severally. (fn. 25) The chief manor had, however, evidently remained in the hands of the Bernaks, as in
1448 the presentation was made by John Cooke of Isham, who is shown to have been acting as feoffee of
William Bernak in Chancery proceedings instituted against him in that capacity by Thomas Bernak of
Barnack, kinsman of William, (fn. 26) and by Walter Dorant of Clyff and Margaret his wife, daughter of
William Bernak. (fn. 27) William Bernak left two daughters as his co-heirs, (fn. 28) and in 1454 John
Cooke of Isham delivered one-half of the manor and advowson to John Dorant, and the other half to
Richard Armeston. (fn. 29) John Dorant presented to the church in 1465, and Richard Armeston in 1477.
Between the two presentations John Dorant or Darraunt, described as of Colleyweston, yeoman, had
forfeited his moiety of the manor and advowson to the king by attainder of high treason, (fn. 30) and this
moiety was on 7 March 1479 granted to Guy Walston, one of the Esquires of the King's Body. (fn. 31) Itreverted to the Dorant family, and in 1515 Ralph Sacheverell and Cecily his wife, daughter and heir of
John Dorant, conveyed to Sir Richard Sacheverell a moiety of the manor, (fn. 32) which had evidentlybeen in his hands as early as 1502, when Ralph Sacheverell presented to the church.
From: 'Parishes: Isham', A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 4 (1937), pp. 188-195. URL:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66346. Date accessed: 27 July 2008.
This article is about the medieval ruler. For the 1984 animated film, see John the Fearless (film).
John The Fearless
Duke of Burgundy
Reign 27 April 1404–10 September 1419
Predecessor Philip the Bold
Successor Philip the Good
Spouse Margaret of Bavaria
Issue
Mary, Duchess of Cleves Margaret, Duchess of Brittany Philip the Good Isabelle, Countess of Penthièvre Anne, Duchess of Bedford Agnes, Duchess of Bourbon
House Valois of Burgundy
Father Philip the Bold
Mother Margaret III, Countess of Flanders
Born28 May 1371Dijon, France
Died 10 September 1419 (aged 48) Montereau, France
leaders of against Su1396) witFearless (ended inreleased o
Conflict
See also: Civil war between the Ar
John was invested as Duke of Buagainst Louis of Orléans, youngerthe power vacuum left by the deme
John played a game of marriages, emarry his heir, Philip the Good.merchants and tradesman or the Un
Louis tried to gain the favour of Qbecome her lover. After a game oson-in-law, the Dauphin, was srecovered by both parties, the Dugain appointment by royal decree"absent" periods when mental illguardian of the Dauphin and theimprove the relations between Joh
rivals descended into making opeDuke of Berry, secured a vow othree days later, on 23 Novembeassassinated in the streets of Paris.had come from the Duke of Burguthe deed and declared it to be a jusAccording to Thomas Walsingreceived his just deserts as he hawith whores, harlots, incest" and hthe wife of an unnamed knight whkilling him under the protection of an escape from Paris and a few sk
party, John managed to recover thof Chartres, signed on 9 March 1Duke of Burgundy of the crime, anpledged a reconciliation. A laguardianship of the Dauphin.
Even with the Orléans dispute resheir, Charles was only 14 at the timsupport his claims for the property
Coat Of Arms Of JohnThe Fearless, Duke Of
Burgundy Etc.
e - Biograph
Page #3
ohn married Margaret of Bavaria, daughter of Alolland and Hainaut, to consolidate his position in tlling his engagement with Catherine of France, dau
accession to the Duchy of Burgundy, John was o
the French forces sent to aid King Sigismund of ltan Bayezid I. John fought in the battle of Nicoph such enthusiasm and bravery that he was giveSans-Peur ). Despite his personal bravery, his imdisaster for the European expedition. He was tly in the next year, against an enormous ransom pa
gainst Louis Of Orléans
agnacs and the Burgundians
rgundy in 1404 and almost immediately enteredrother of the increasingly mad Charles VI. Both mted king.
xchanging his daughter Marguerite for Michele of e did not overlook, however, the importance of t
iversity of Paris.
ueen Isabeau, and may havehide and seek in which his
uccessively kidnapped ande of Burgundy managed to– during one of the King's
ness manifested itself – asing's children. This did notn and Louis. Soon the two
threats. Their uncle, John,solemn reconciliation, but
r 1407 Louis was brutallyThe order, no one doubted,dy, who shortly admitted totifiable act of "tyrannicide".am, Orléans had simply
been "taking his pleasuread committed adultery witho had taken his revenge byhe Duke of Burgundy. Afterirmishes against the Orléans
king's favour. In the treaty409, the king absolved the
he and Louis's son Charles ter edict renewed John's
lved in his favour, John would not have an easy lie of his fathers death and was forced to depend heathat had been confiscated from him by the Duke o
Assassination of theJohn the Fearless,
Montereau, in 1419
miniature in the "Monstrelet, manuscr
century, in the LibrarPari
brecht of Bavaria,he Low Countries,ghter of Charles V
e of the principal
ungary in his warlis (25 Septemberthe nickname of
etuous leadershipken prisoner and
id by his father.
into open conflictn attempted to fill
alois, who woulde middle class of
ife. Louis' son andily on his allies to
f Burgundy. Chief
uke of Burgundy,n the Bridge of
. – facsimile of a
Chronicles" of ipt of the fifteenthy of the Arsenal of s.
among these allies was his father-in-law Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and because of this alliancetheir faction became known as the Armagnacs. With Peace solemnly sworn in 1410, John returned toBurgundy and Bernard remained in Paris where he reportedly shared the queen's bed. Armagnac's partywas not content with political power, and after a series of riots and attacks against the citizens, John wasrecalled to the capital, then sent back to Burgundy in 1413. At this time King Henry V of England invaded French territory and threatened to attack Paris. During the peace negotiations with the
Armagnacs, Henry was also in contact with John who was keen to wrest control of France away fromCharles VI. Despite this he continued to be wary of forming an alliance with the English for fear of destroying his immense popularity with the common people of France. When Henry demandedBurgundy's support for his claim to be rightful King of France, John backed away and decided to allyhimself with the Armagnacs. Although he talked of helping his sovereign, his troops took no part in theBattle of Agincourt (in 1415), although two of his brothers, Antoine, Duke of Brabant, and Philip II,Count of Nevers, died fighting for France during the battle.
Conflict With The Dauphin
See also: Assassination of John the Fearless
Two years later, with the rivalry between Burgundians and
Armagnacs at an all time high because of the shattering defeatat Agincourt, John's troops set about the task of gaining Paris.On 30 May 1418, he captured the city, but not before theDauphin (the traditional name of the heir apparent to the throneof France), the future Charles VII of France, had escaped. Johnthen installed himself in the city and made himself protector of the King. Although not an open ally of the English, John didnothing to prevent the surrender of Rouen in 1419. With thewhole of northern France in English hands and Paris occupiedby Burgundy, the Dauphin tried to bring about a reconciliationwith John. They met in July and swore peace on the bridge of Pouilly, near Melun. On the grounds that peace was not sufficiently assured by the Pouilly meeting, a
fresh interview was proposed by the Dauphin to take place on 10 September 1419 on the bridge atMontereau. John of Burgundy was present with his escort for what he considered a diplomatic meeting.He was, however, assassinated by the Dauphin's companions. He was later buried in Dijon. His successor,Philip the Good, formed an alliance with the English.
Ancestors
John's Ancestors In Three Generations
John the
Fearless
Father: Philip the Bold
Paternal
Grandfather: John II of France
Paternal Great-
grandfather: Philip VI of France Paternal Great-grandmother: Joan the Lame
PaternalGrandmother:
Bonne of Bohemia
Paternal Great-grandfather:
John I of Bohemia Paternal Great-grandmother:
Elisabeth of Bohemia Mother: Maternal Maternal Great-
015 John '3rd Lord of Bletso' Beauchamp — Biography
Page #1
Baron John Beauchamp Of Bletso
Baron Beauchamp of Bletsh was a title in the Peerage of England,
created by writ when Roger de Beauchamp (died 1379/1380), son of
Giles de Beauchamp and Catherine de Bures, was summoned toParliament as the 1st Baron Beauchamp of Bletso from 1363 to 1379.
His son by his marriage to Sybil de Patshull, another Roger Beauchamp(died 1373/1374), d.v.p. was not summoned to parliament. He married,
secondly, Joan Clopton, daughter of Sir Walter Clopton.[1] He was the
father of Sir Roger Beauchamp (baptised 14 August 1362 at Bletso, died
on 13 May 1406), who owned manors in Bletsoe, Bedfordshire,
Spelsbury, Oxfordshire and Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, and was knightedbefore 18 February 1393. He was Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire
in 1399.
The son of Sir Roger Beauchamp (1362–1406) and his wife Mary was John Beauchamp of Bletso, born
before 1396, who died in April 1412. He married, firstly, in January 1405/1406, Margaret Holand,daughter of Sir John Holand, and secondly, after 1406, Edith Stourton, daughter of Sir John Stourton,
Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset, and Catherine Beaumont, daughter of Henry Beaumont, 3rd Baron
Beaumont and Lady Margaret de Vere.[2]
With Edith Stourton, John Beauchamp had two children, another John Beauchamp (born about 1410, died
in childhood) and Margaret Beauchamp, the family’s ultimate heiress, who was born in 1406 and died on
8 August 1482. After the death of her first husband, Sir Oliver St John (died 1437), she married John
Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset (1404–1444).[3]
Margaret Beauchamp’s great-great-great-grandson by her
first marriage was created Baron St John of Bletso in 1582.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. UK, Extracted Probate Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.Original data: Electronic databases created from various publications of probate records.
Description:This database is a collection of probate registers from the United Kingdom. These records can range in date from the early 1500s to the mid- to late-1800s. The records include wills and other miscellaneous types of probate records.
Text: She held moreover the moiety of a knight's fee in Eggesworth, which Thomas
Beverle [?] holds, worth upon occasion 100s. a year, and half a fee inDaglingworth, which John, son and heir of Ralph Bluet, holds, worth 10 marks,
of the inheritance of Adomar de Valence, late Earl of Pembroke. All the
premises, with the moiety of a fee in Lanwaryn, and castles, etc., in othercounties, the said Elizabeth held by the service of two-thirds of one-fourth partof the Earldom of Pembroke.
Book: Burials. (Burial)
Collection: Devon, Cornwall & Gloucester: - Wills and Administrations Proved in TheConsistory Court of The Bishop of Exeter, 1532 To 1800
Source Information: Ancestry.com. Wiltshire, England, Extracted Parish Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com OperationsInc, 2001.Original data: Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.
Description:
A collection of parish records in England and Wales from the 1500s to the 1800s.
Text: Inquisition taken before Thomas de Seymour, the King's escheator in co. Wilts
at Chippenham on Wednesday next before the Feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle, 21 Edward 3rd [1347] , by the oath of Roger de Keynes, Nicholas de
Cornwalle [?], William Wasteuyle, Henry de Budestone, John Bluet, Philip
Bluet, William Blaunchard, John Lucas, Adam de Wotton, Henry Piterur', Walter Reson, and John Jonkyn, who say that
Book: Thomas Lambert, esquire. Delivered into Court 9th May, 20 Charles 1st [1644].
Collection: Wiltshire: - Abstracts of Inquisitiones Post Mortem Returned Into The Court o
Source Information: Ancestry.com. Wiltshire, England, Extracted Parish Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com OperationsInc, 2001.Original data: Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.
Description: A collection of parish records in England and Wales from the 1500s to the 1800s.
Text: John Bluet holds in Helmerton of the fee of the said Earl one knight's fee, doin
therefor scutage when it shall run for one knight's fee, and it is worth perannum 100s.
Book: Thomas Lambert, esquire. Delivered into Court 9th May, 20 Charles 1st [1644].
Collection: Wiltshire: - Inquisitiones Post Mortem Returned To The Court of Chancery,1242-1326
In 1440 Oct 13, Laurence Hammerton (Laurence Hamerton) was granted, by Henry VI, (In year 19 of his
reign) a Royal licence to crenellate Helefeld (Hellifield Peel) The wording of this licence is;
"Grant to Laurence Hammerton of licence to enclose, crenellate and furnish with towers and battlementshis manor of Helefeld, co. York, with stone and mortar, and so hold it to him and his heirs without
impediment."
Granted at Westminster, by privy seal.
If Laurence was building a new and grand house then something stopped the project as the original
Hellifield was a small tower and the family's prime residence remained Wigglesworth Hall. Otherwise
this would be a licence for a fairly common form of building which only very rarely gets a licence to
crenellate.
Original Source Is
• Calendar of Charter Rolls Vol6 p11
(In fact, the original source given is usually a transcription/translation of what are precious medieval
documents not readily availably. It should be noted that these transcription/translations often date to the
nineteenth or early twentieth centuries and that unwitting bias of transcribers may affect the translation.
Care should also be taken to avoid giving modern meaning to the medieval use of certain stock words and
terms. Licentia is best translated as 'freedom to' not 'permission'.)
Hellifield Peel was originally a mid 12th century fortified manorial complex, with a stone and
timber-framed aisled hall. In the mid 13th century, Elias de Knoll attached a two storey, stonesolar tower to the hall and the steep roof line, on the east wall of the tower, identifies the hallslocation. In 1440, Laurence Hammerton founded the stone three storey tower house, when he
was granted a licensed to crenellate his manor. In the 17th and late 18th century, the tower was
extended with major alterations, which included mullion, then Georgian windows and thebattlemented parapet.
015 Margaret 'of Bavaria' Wittelsbach-de Bourgogne - Biography
Page #2
House of Wittelsbach (by birth) 'Crown Jewels'
House of Valois (by marriage)
Father Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Mother Margaret of Brieg
Born 1363
Died 23 January 1423Dijon
Margaret of Bavaria, (1363–23 January 1423, Dijon), was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-
Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg.[1]
She
was the regent of the Burgundian Low countries during the absence of her spouse in 1404–1419[2]
and the
regent in French Burgundy during the absence of her son in 1419–1423.[3]
She became most known for
her successful defense of French Burgundy against the Count of Armagnac in 1419.[4]
Marriage
In 1385, at Cambrai, she married John, Count of Nevers,
the son and heir of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy,
and Margaret of Dampierre, Countess of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. With the death of Philip the Bold in 1404,
and Margaret of Dampierre in 1405, John inherited these
territories, and Margaret became his consort. They had
only one son, Philip the Good (1396–1467), who
inherited these territories, and seven daughters.
At the same time as Margaret's marriage, her brother,
William IV, Count of Hainaut, married Marguerite of
Burgundy, daughter of Philip the Bold and Margaret of
Dampierre. Marguerite and William produced only onechild, Jacqueline, who was designated heiress of Holland,
Hainaut, Zeeland and Friesia (which he had by that time
inherited from Albert, the father of himself andMargaret); however, her right to inherit was disputed,
and eventually Margaret's son by John the Fearless,Philip the Good, seized Jacqueline's possessions by right
of his descent, through Margaret, from Albert of Bavaria-
Straubing.
Children
• Catherine (1391–1414, Ghent)
• Marie (1393–30 October 1463, Monterberg bei Kalkar). She married Adolph I, Duke of Cleves. They
were the great-grandparents of Johann III, Duke of Cleves, father of Anne of Cleves who was fourth
Queen consort of Henry VIII of England.
• Marguerite, Countess of Gien and Montargis (1393–2 February 1441, Paris), married, on 30 August1404, Louis Dauphin of France (heir of Charles VI of France), then, on 10 October 1422, Arthur de
Richemont, Constable of France, the future Duke of Brittany
• Philip the Good, his successor (1396–1467)
• Isabelle (d. 18 September 1412, Rouvres), married at Arras on 22 July 1406 to Olivier de Châtillon-
His brother was Thomas Arundel from 1388 to 1397, then Archbisho
At the coronation of Richard II, Ric
Admiral
well as being made a Knight of tFlemish fleet off Margate in March
Gules, A Lion Rampant Or [1]
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of ArundelWoodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester;
Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham; ThBeauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick ; a
Earl of Derby (later Henry IV), demanto let them prove by arms the justic
rebellion
'10th Earl of Surrey' FitzAlan — Biography
Page #1
rl of Arundel
dia
Born: 1346Died: 21 September 1397, London, EnglandOccupation: Admiral (1377) Title: Earl of Arundel, Earl of SurrySpouse: Elizabeth Bohun & Philippa MortimerChildren: Thomas, Elizabeth, Joan, Margaret, AlParents: Richard FitzAlan, Eleanor of Lancaster
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel and 9KG (1346 – 21 September 1397) was annobleman and military commander.
Lineage
He was the son of Richard FitzAlan, 10th EaEleanor of Lancaster and was born in 1346.[2]
ho was Bishop of Ely from 1374 to 1388, then Aof Canterbury.[3]
hard FitzAlan carried the crown.[2]
In 1377 he was Admiral of the Westcapacity, he attacked Harfleur at Whi
forced to return to his ships by the dand John of Gaunt attempted to seiwere unsuccessful.[4]
Power Struggle
FitzAlan was closely aligned withGloucester who was uncle of King Rwas opposed to Richard II’s desirFrance in the Hundred Years War anensued between him and GloucestGloucester forced Richard II to nRichard FitzAlan to Richard’s Coun
was to all intents and purposes a ReRichard II, however Richard limitedCouncil’s powers to be one year.[6]
Knight Of The Garter
In 1386, Richard II named him Adme Garter.[2] As Admiral of England, he defeated1387, along with Thomas de Mowbray, Earl of Not
; Thomas of homas de
mas dend Henry,
Richard II for their
ice
th Earl of Surrey English medieval
l of Arundel andHe succeeded his
rchbishop of York
nd South.[2] In thissun 1378, but was
fenders. Later, heze Saint-Malo but
Thomas, Duke of ichard II. Thomase for peace with
a power struggleer. In late 1386,ame himself andil.[5] This Council
015 Richard '11th Earl of Arundel', '10th Earl of Surrey' FitzAlan — Biography
Page #2
New Favourites
In August, the King dismissed Gloucester and FitzAlan from the Council and replaced them with hisfavourites — including the Archbishop of York , Alexander Neville, the Duke of Ireland Robert de Vere,Michael de la Pole the Earl of Suffolk , Sir Robert Tresilian who was the Chief Justice, and the formerMayor of London Nicholas Brembre.[7]
Radcot Bridge
The King summoned Gloucester and FitzAlan to meet with the King, but instead of coming, they raisedtroops and defeated the new Council at Radcot Bridge, taking the favorites prisoner. The MercilessParliament the next year condemned the favorites. FitzAlan was one of the Lords Appellant who accusedand condemned Richard II’s favorites.[5] He made himself particularly odious to Richard by refusing,along with Gloucester to spare the life of Sir Simon Burley who had been condemned by the MercilessParliament, even though the queen, Anne of Bohemia went down on her knees before them to beg formercy. Richard never forgave this humiliation and planned and waited for his moment of revenge. In1394 he further antagonized the King by arriving late for the queen’s funeral. Richard, in a rage snatcheda wand and struck him in the face and drew blood. Shortly after that, Richard feigned a reconciliation buthe was only biding his time for the right moment to strike. Arundel was named Governor of Brest in
1388.[2]
Opposed To Peace
Peace was concluded with France in 1389, however Richard FitzAlan followed Gloucester’s lead andstated that he would never agree with the peace that had been concluded.[5]
Marriage And Children
Arundel married twice.
His first wife was Elizabeth de Bohun, daughter of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton andElizabeth de Badlesmere. They married around 28 September 1359 and had seven children:[2][8]
• Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel[2]
• Lady Eleanor FitzAlan (c.1365- 1375), on 28 October 1371, at the age of about six, married Robert deUfford. Died childless.
• Elizabeth FitzAlan[2][9]
• Joan FitzAlan (1375 — 14 November 1435), who married William Beauchamp, 1st BaronBergavenny;[2]
• Alice FitzAlan (1378- before October 1415), married before March 1392, John Charleton, 4th BaronCherleton. (not mentioned as an heir of Thomas in the Complete Peerage). Had an affair withCardinal Henry Beaufort, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort.[4]
• Margaret FitzAlan, who married Sir Rowland Lenthall;[2] by whom she had two sons.
• William (or Richard) FitzAlan
Arundel then married Philippa Mortimer, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March. Her motherwas Philippa Plantagenet, a daughter of Lionel of Antwerp and thus a granddaughter of Edward III. Theyhad no children.[2]
Death And Succession
On 12 July 1397 he was arrested for his opposition to Richard II, [2] as well as plotting with Gloucester toimprison the king.[10] He stood trial at Westminster and was attainted.[11] He was beheaded on 21
015 Richard '11th Earl of Arundel', '10th Earl of Surrey' FitzAlan — Biography
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September 1397 and was buried in the church of the Augustin Friars, Bread Street, London.[2] Traditionholds that his final words were said to the executioner, “Torment me not long, strike off my head in oneblow”.[12] In October of 1400, the attainder was reversed, and Richard’s son Thomas succeeded to hisfather’s estates and honors.[2]
Notes
1. ^ Some Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees. Joseph Foster. 1902. (p.115)
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n G. E. C. The Complete Peerage p. 244-245
3. ^ Powell, et al. The House of Lords p. 398
4. ^ Seward The Hundred Years War p. 124-125
5. ^ a b c Seward The Hundred Years War p. 136-139
6. ^ a b Powell et al. The House of Lords p. 400-401
7. ^ Powell et al. The House of Lords p. 404
8. ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Earls of Arundel (FitzAlan)
9. ^ Memorials of the Order of the Garter, from Its Foundation to the Present ... By George Frederick p. 298 accessed 1 November 2007
10. ^ Seward The Hundred Years War p. 142
11. ^ Powell et al. The House of Lords p. 417
12. ^ Thomas B. Costain The Last Plantagenets, page 200
References
• Cokayne, G. E. The Complete Peerage Microprint Edition Gloucester: Sutton Publishing 2000 ISBN0-904387-82-8
o Some proposed Corrections to the Complete Peerage accessed on 10 July 2007
• Powell, J. Enoch and Wallis, Keith The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English
House of Lords to 1540 London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1968 ISBN 0-297-76105-6
• Seward, Desmond The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453 New York:Atheneum ISBN 0-689-70628-6
External Links
• FitzAlan Family accessed on 10 July 2007
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy — FitzAlan accessed on 10 July 2007
015 Richard '11th Earl of Arundel', '10th Earl of Surrey' FitzAlan — Biography
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Sir Richard FitzAlan, the Earl of Arundel, was an important and powerful member of the English nobilityin the reign of Richard II, last of the Plantagenet kings, late in the 14th Century. [Library of Congressprint from steel engraving by Edmund Patten, early 1850’s.] In 1397 FitzAlan had a difference of opinionwith King Richard which became physical. Basically, the King and the Earl put up their dukes. KingRichard had FitzAlan arrested briefly to give him time to think about the position of his box on ye oldeorganization chart. But this just angered FitzAlan more. When he was released, he joined a prematureconspiracy to overthrow the unpopular King Richard who then had FitzAlan tried for treason inParliament. He was convicted and sent to the Tower of London where he was beheaded. Executions wereconducted near the leftmost (northwestern) tower. -LP
The King And The Earl Put Up Their Dukes
Sir Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey, was a Knight of the Garter.
The Earl of Arundel performed well in several important positions during the minority and reign of KingRichard II. He was a member of the Royal Council, chaired by John of Gaunt, that ruled England duringthe boyhood of Richard II. After the King took the throne as an adult, he appointed Fitzalan to acommission which controlled the kingdom and regulated the royal household. As Admiral of the Westand South, Fitzalan won a victory over the French fleet off Margate, Kent, in 1387.
Unfortunately for FitzAlan, 100 atta-boys can be wiped out by one “Oh-$#:+!”. King Richard wasbecoming increasingly tyrannical and erratic. In 1397 FitzAlan had a difference of opinion with King
Richard which became physical. Basically, the King and the Earl put up their dukes. (At this point wemight want to cheer for the Earl of Arundel because he is a direct ancestor in this genealogy while KingRichard was just the nephew of a direct ancestor — John of Gaunt. But kings outrank earls.)
Richard had FitzAlan arrested briefly to give him time to think about the position of his box on ye oldeorganization chart. But this just angered FitzAlan more. When he was released, he joined a prematureconspiracy to overthrow the unpopular King Richard. The King had Fitzalan tried for treason inParliament. He was convicted and sent to the Tower of London where he was beheaded. (Whether or not
015 Richard '11th Earl of Arundel', '10th Earl of Surrey' FitzAlan — Biography
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the Earl of Arundel was really guilty of treason against the King of England might not be something foran American to judge.)
Two years later FitzAlan’s friend and co-conspirator, Henry of Bolingbroke, returned from exile andoverthrew Richard II to become King Henry IV. The deposed King Richard died six months later at age33.
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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Richard Of York, 3rd Duke Of York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Duke of York
PredecessorEdward of Norwich, 2nd Duke
SuccessorEdward Plantagenet, 4th Duke, later Edward IV, King of England
SpouseCecily Neville
IssueAnne of York, Duchess of Exeter
Edward IV, King of England Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk
Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
Richard III, King of England
House: House of York
Father: Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge
Mother: Anne de Mortimer
Born: 21 September 1411
Died: 30 December 1460 (aged 49), Wakefield, Yorkshire
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460) was a leadingEnglish magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III. He inherited great estates, and served in various
offices of state in France at the end of the Hundred Years’ War, and in England, ultimately governing the
country as Lord Protector during Henry VI‘s madness. His conflicts with Henry’s queen, Margaret of
Anjou, and other members of Henry’s court were a leading factor in the political upheaval of mid-
fifteenth-century England, and a major cause of the Wars of the Roses. Richard eventually attempted to
claim the throne but was dissuaded, although it was agreed that he would become King on Henry’s death.
Within a few weeks of securing this agreement, he died in battle.
Although Richard never became king, he was the father of Edward IV and Richard III.
Descent
He was the second child of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge and Anne Mortimer. Anne was
the senior heiress of Lionel of Antwerp, the second surviving son of Edward III; this arguably gave her
and her family a superior claim to the throne over that of the House of Lancaster. Anne died giving birth
to Richard. He was a younger brother of Isabel, Countess of Essex.
His paternal grandparents were Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (the fourth son of Edward III tosurvive infancy) and Isabella of Castile. His maternal grandparents were Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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His father was executed for his part in the Southampton Plot against Henry V on 5 August 1415, and
attainted. Richard therefore inherited neither lands nor title from his father. However his paternal uncle
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York , who was killed at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415,
was childless and Richard was his closest male relative.
After some hesitation Henry V allowed Richard to inherit the title and (at his majority) the lands of the
Duchy of York. The lesser title and (in due course) greater estates of the Earldom of March also becamehis on the death of his maternal uncle Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, on 19 January 1425. The
reason for Henry’s hesitation was that Edmund Mortimer had been proclaimed several times to have a
stronger claim to the throne than Henry’s father, Henry IV of England, by factions rebelling against him.
However, during his lifetime, Mortimer remained a faithful supporter of the House of Lancaster.
Richard of York already had the Mortimer and Cambridge claims to the English throne; once he inherited
the March,[1]
he also became the wealthiest and most powerful noble in England, second only to the King
himself.[2]
Childhood And Upbringing
As an orphan, the income and management of Richard’s lands became the property of the crown. Eventhough many of the lands of his uncle of York had been granted for life only, or to him and his male heirs,
the remaining lands, concentrated in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Yorkshire, and Wiltshire andGloucestershire were considerable. The wardship of such an orphan was therefore a valuable gift of the
crown, and in October 1417 this was granted to Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmoreland, with the young
Richard under the guardianship of Sir Robert Waterton. Ralph Neville had fathered an enormous family(twenty-three children, twenty of whom survived infancy, through two wives) and had many daughters
needing husbands. As was his right, in 1424 he betrothed the 13-year-old Richard to his daughter Cecily
Neville, then aged 9.
In October 1425, when Ralph Neville died, he bequeathed the wardship of York to his widow, Joan
Beaufort. By now the wardship was even more valuable, as Richard had inherited the Mortimer estates on
the death of the Earl of March. These manors were concentrated in Wales, and in the Welsh Borders
around Ludlow.
Little is recorded of Richard’s early life. On 19 May 1426 he was knighted at Leicester by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the younger brother of Henry V. In October 1429 (or earlier) his
marriage to Cecily Neville took place. On 6 November he was present at the formal coronation of Henry
VI in Westminster Abbey. He then followed Henry to France, being present at his coronation as King of
France in Notre Dame on 16 December 1431. Finally, on 12 May 1432 he came into his inheritance and
was granted full control of his estates.
France (1436–1439)
In May 1436, a few months after Bedford’s death, York was appointed to succeed him as Lieutenant inFrance. Henry V’s conquests in France could not be sustained forever, as the Kingdom of England either
needed to conquer more territory to ensure permanent French subordination, or to concede territory to
gain a negotiated settlement. During Henry VI’s minority, his Council took advantage of French
weakness and the alliance with Burgundy to increase England’s possessions, but following the Treaty of Arras (1435), Burgundy ceased to recognise the King of England’s claim to the French throne.
York’s appointment was one of a number of stop-gap measures after the death of Bedford to try to retain
French possessions until King Henry should assume personal rule. The fall of Paris (his original
destination) led to his army being redirected to Normandy. Working with Bedford’s captains, York had
some success, recapturing Fecamp and holding on to the Pays de Caux, while establishing good order and
justice in the Duchy of Normandy. However, he was dissatisfied with the terms under which he was
appointed, as he had to find much of the money to pay his troops and other expenses from his own
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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estates.[3] His term of office was nevertheless extended beyond the original twelve months, and he
returned to England in November 1439. In spite of his position as one of the leading nobles of the realm,
he was not included in Henry VI’s Council on his return.[4]
France Again (1440–1445)
Henry turned to York again in 1440 after peace negotiations failed. He was reappointed Lieutenant of
France on 2 July, this time with the same powers that the late Bedford had earlier been granted. As in1437, York was able to count on the loyalty of Bedford’s supporters, including Sir John Fastolf and Sir
William Oldhall.
However, in 1443 Henry put the newly-created John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset in charge of an army
of 8,000 men, initially intended for the relief of Gascony. This denied York much-needed men and
resources at a time when he was struggling to hold the borders of Normandy. Not only that, but the terms
of Somerset’s appointment could have caused York to feel that his own role as effective regent over the
whole of Lancastrian France was reduced to that of governor of Normandy. Somerset’s army achieved
nothing, and eventually returned to Normandy, where Somerset died. This may have been the start of the
hatred that York felt for the Beaufort family, that would later turn into civil war.
English policy now turned back to a negotiated peace (or at least a truce) with France, so the remainder of
York’s time in France was spent in routine administration and domestic matters. Duchess Cecily hadaccompanied him to Normandy, and his children Edward, Edmund and Elizabeth were born in Rouen.
Ireland (1445–1450)
York returned to England on 20 October 1445, at the end of his five-year appointment in France. He must
have had reasonable expectations of reappointment. However, he had become associated with the English
in Normandy who were opposed to the policy of Henry VI’s Council towards France, some of whom (for
example Sir William Oldhall and Sir Andrew Ogard) had followed him to England. Eventually (inDecember 1446) the lieutenancy went to Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, who had succeeded
his brother John. During 1446 and 1447 York attended meetings of Henry VI’s Council and of
Parliament, but most of his time was spent in administration of his estates on the Welsh border.
His attitude toward the Council’s surrender of Maine, in return for an extension of the truce with France
and a French bride for Henry, must have contributed to his appointment on 30 July as Lieutenant of Ireland. In some ways it was a logical appointment, as Richard was also Earl of Ulster and had
considerable estates in Ireland, but it was also a convenient way of removing him from both England and
France. His term of office was for ten years, ruling him out of consideration for any other high office
during that period.
Domestic matters kept him in England until June 1449, but when he did eventually go, it was with Cecily
(who was pregnant at the time) and an army of around 600 men. This suggests a stay of some time was
envisaged. However, claiming lack of money to defend English possessions, York decided to return toEngland. His financial state may indeed have been problematic, since by the mid-1440s he was owed
nearly £40,000 by the crown, and the income from his estates was declining.
Leader Of The Opposition (1450–1452)
In 1450, the defeats and failures of the previous ten years boiled over into serious political unrest. In
January, Adam Moleyns, Lord Privy Seal and Bishop of Chichester, was lynched. In May the chief
councillor of the King, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk , was murdered on his way into exile. The
House of Commons demanded that the King take back many of the grants of land and money he had
made to his favourites.
In June, Kent and Sussex rose in revolt. Led by Jack Cade (taking the name Mortimer), they took control
of London and killed John Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele, the Lord High Treasurer of England. In
August, the final towns held in Normandy fell to the French, and refugees flooded back to England.
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On 7 September, York landed at Beaumaris. Evading an attempt by Henry to intercept him, and gathering
followers as he went, York arrived in London on 27 September. After an inconclusive (and possibly
violent) meeting with the King, York continued to recruit, both in East Anglia and the west. The violence
in London was such that Somerset, back in England after the collapse of English Normandy, was put in
the Tower of London for his own safety. In December Parliament elected York’s chamberlain, Sir
William Oldhall, as speaker.
York’s public stance was that of a reformer, demanding better government and the prosecution of the
traitors who had lost northern France. Judging by his later actions, there may also have been a more
hidden motive — the destruction of Somerset, who was soon released from the Tower. Although granted
another office (Justice of the Forest south of the Trent), York still lacked any real support outside
Parliament and his own retainers.
In April 1451, Somerset was released from the Tower and appointed Captain of Calais. When one of
York’s councillors, Thomas Young, the MP for Bristol,proposed that York be recognised as heir to thethrone, he was sent to the Tower and Parliament was dissolved. Henry VI was prompted into belated
reforms, which went some way to restore public order and improve the royal finances. Frustrated by his
lack of political power, York retired to Ludlow.
In 1452, York made another bid for power, but not to become king himself. Protesting his loyalty, he
aimed to be recognised as Henry VI’s heir apparent (Henry was childless after seven years of marriage),
while also trying to destroy the Earl of Somerset, who Henry may have preferred to succeed him over
York, as a Beaufort descendant. Gathering men on the march from Ludlow, York headed for London, to
find the city gates barred against him on Henry’s orders. At Dartford in Kent, with his army outnumbered,
and the support of only two of the nobility, York was forced to come to an agreement with Henry. He was
allowed to present his complaints against Somerset to the king, but was then taken to London and after
two weeks of virtual house arrest, was forced to swear an oath of allegiance at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Protector Of The Realm (1453–1454)
By the summer of 1453, York seemed to have lost his power struggle. Henry embarked on a series of
judicial tours, punishing York’s tenants who had been involved in the debacle at Dartford. His Queen
consort, Margaret of Anjou, was pregnant, and even if she should miscarry, the marriage of the newly
ennobled Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond to Margaret Beaufort provided for an alternative line of
succession. By July, York had lost both his Offices: Lieutenant of Ireland and Justice of the Forest south
of the Trent.
Then, in August, Henry VI suffered a catastrophic mental breakdown. Perhaps brought on by the news of
the defeat at the Battle of Castillon in Gascony, which finally drove English forces from France, hebecame completely unresponsive, unable to speak and having to be led from room to room. The council
tried to carry on as though the King’s disability would be brief. However, eventually they had to admit
that something had to be done. In October, invitations for a Great Council were issued, and although
Somerset tried to have him excluded, York (the premier Duke of the realm) was included. Somerset’s
fears were to prove well-grounded, for in November he was committed to the Tower. Despite theopposition of Margaret of Anjou, on 27 March, York was appointed Protector of the Realm and Chief
Councillor.York’s appointment of his brother-in-law, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, as Chancellor was
significant. Henry’s burst of activity in 1453 had seen him try to stem the violence caused by various
disputes between noble families. These disputes gradually polarised around the long-standing Percy-
Neville feud. Unfortunately for Henry, Somerset (and therefore the king) became identified with thePercy cause. This drove the Nevilles into the arms of York, who now for the first time had support among
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St. Albans (1455–1456)
According to the historian Robin Storey, “If Henry’s insanity was a tragedy, his recovery was a national
disaster”.[5] When he recovered his reason in January 1455, Henry lost little time in reversing York’s
actions. Somerset was released and restored to favour. York was deprived of the Captaincy of Calais
(which was granted to Somerset once again) and of the office of Protector. Salisbury resigned as
Chancellor. York, Salisbury and Salisbury’s eldest son, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , werethreatened when a Great Council was called to meet on 21 May in Leicester (away from Somerset’s
enemies in London). York and his Neville relations recruited in the north and probably along the Welsh
border. By the time Somerset realised what was happening, there was no time to raise a large force to
support the king.
Once York took his army south of Leicester, thus barring the route to the Great Council, the dispute
between him and the king regarding Somerset would have to be settled by force. On 22 May, the king and
Somerset arrived at St Albans, with a hastily-assembled and poorly-equipped army of around 2,000.York, Warwick and Salisbury were already there, with a larger and better-equipped army. More
importantly, at least some of their soldiers would have had experience in the frequent border skirmishes
with the Kingdom of Scotland and the occasionally rebellious people of Wales.
The First Battle of St Albans which immediately followed hardly deserves the term battle. Possibly as few
as 50 men were killed, but among them were Somerset and the two Percy lords, Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of
Northumberland and Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford. York and the Nevilles had therefore
succeeded in killing their enemies, while York’s capture of the king gave him the chance to resume the
power he had lost in 1453. It was vital to keep Henry alive, as his death would have led, not to York
becoming king himself, but to the minority rule of his two-year-old son Edward of Westminster. Since
York’s support among the nobility was small, he would be unable to dominate a minority council led by
Margaret of Anjou.
In the custody of York, the king was returned to London with York and Salisbury riding alongside, and
with Warwick bearing the royal sword in front. On 25 May, Henry received the crown from York, in a
clearly symbolic display of power. York made himself Constable of England, and appointed Warwick
Captain of Calais. York’s position was enhanced when some of the nobility agreed to join his
government, including Lord Fauconberg, who had served under him in France.
For the rest of the summer York held the king prisoner, either in Hertford castle or (in order to be
enthroned in Parliament in July) in London. When Parliament met again in November the throne was
empty, and it was reported that the king was ill again. York resumed the office of Protector; although hesurrendered it when the king recovered in February 1456, it seemed that this time Henry was willing to
accept that York and his supporters would play a major part in the government of the realm.
Salisbury and Warwick continued to serve as councillors, and Warwick was confirmed as Captain of
Calais. In June, York himself was sent north to defend the border against a threatened invasion by James
II of Scotland. However, the king once again came under the control of a dominant figure, this time one
harder to replace than Suffolk or Somerset: for the rest of his reign, it would be the queen, Margaret of Anjou, who would control the king.
Loveday (1456–1458)
Although Margaret of Anjou had now taken the place formerly held by Suffolk or Somerset, her position,
at least at first, was not as dominant. York had his Lieutenancy of Ireland renewed, and he continued to
attend meetings of the Council. However, in August 1456 the court moved to Coventry, in the heart of the
Queen’s lands. How York was treated now depended on how powerful the Queen’s views were. York was
regarded with suspicion on three fronts: he threatened the succession of the young Prince of Wales; he
was apparently negotiating for the marriage of his eldest son Edward into the Burgundian ruling family;
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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and as a supporter of the Nevilles, he was contributing to the major cause of disturbance in the kingdom –
the Percy/Neville feud.
Here, the Nevilles lost ground. Salisbury gradually ceased to attend meetings of the council. When his
brother Robert Neville, Bishop of Durham died in 1457, the new appointment was Laurence Booth.
Booth was a member of the Queen’s inner circle. The Percys were shown greater favour both at court and
in the struggle for power on the Scottish Border.Henry’s attempts at reconciliation between the factions divided by the killings at St Albans reached their
climax with the Loveday on 24 March 1458. However, the lords concerned had earlier turned London intoan armed camp, and the public expressions of amity seemed not to have lasted beyond the ceremony.
Ludford (1459)
In June 1459 a great council was summoned to meet at Coventry. York, the Nevilles and some other lords
refused to appear, fearing that the armed forces that had been commanded to assemble the previous month
had been summoned to arrest them. Instead, York and Salisbury recruited in their strongholds and met
Warwick, who had brought with him his troops from Calais, at Worcester. Parliament was summoned to
meet at Coventry in November, but without York and the Nevilles. This could only mean that they wereto be accused of treason.
On 11 October, York tried to move south, but was forced to head for Ludlow. On 12 October, at the
Battle of Ludford Bridge, York once again faced Henry just as he had at Dartford seven years earlier.
Warwick’s troops from Calais refused to fight, and the rebels fled – York to Ireland, Warwick, Salisbury
and York’s son Edward to Calais.[6]
York’s wife Cecily and their two younger sons (George and Richard)
were captured in Ludlow Castle and imprisoned at Coventry.
The Wheel Of Fortune (1459–1460)
York’s flight worked to his advantage. He was still Lieutenant of Ireland, and attempts to replace him
failed. The Parliament of Ireland backed him, providing offers of both military and financial support.
Warwick’s (possibly inadvertent) return to Calais also proved fortunate. His control of the English
Channel meant that pro-Yorkist propaganda, emphasising loyalty to the king while decrying his wicked
councillors, could be spread around Southern England. Such was the Yorkists’ naval dominance that
Warwick was able to sail to Ireland in March 1460, meet York and return to Calais in May. Warwick’scontrol of Calais was to prove to be influential with the wool-merchants in London.
In December 1459 York, Warwick and Salisbury had suffered attainder. Their lives were forfeit, and theirlands reverted to the king; their heirs would not inherit. This was the most extreme punishment a member
of the nobility could suffer, and York was now in the same situation as Henry of Bolingbroke in 1398.
Only a successful invasion of England would restore his fortune. Assuming the invasion was successful,
York had three options — become Protector again, disinherit the king so that York’s son would succeed,
or claim the throne for himself.
On 26 June, Warwick and Salisbury landed at Sandwich. The men of Kent, always ready to revolt, rose to
join them. London opened its gates to the Nevilles on 2 July. They marched north into the Midlands, and
on 10 July, they defeated the royal army at the Battle of Northampton (through treachery among the
King’s troops), and captured Henry, who they brought back to London.
York remained in Ireland. He did not set foot in England until 9 September, and when he did, he acted as
a king. Marching under the arms of his maternal great-great-grandfather Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of
Clarence, as he approached London he displayed a banner of the Coat of Arms of England.
A Parliament which was called to meet on 7 October repealed all the legislation of the Coventry
parliament the previous year. On 10 October, York arrived in London and took residence in the royal
palace. Entering Parliament with his sword borne upright before him, he made for the empty throne and
placed his hand upon it, as if to occupy it. He may have expected the assembled peers to acclaim him as
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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King, as they had acclaimed Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. Instead, there was silence. Tmhomas Bouchier,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, asked whether he wished to see the King. York replied, “I know of no
person in this realm the which oweth not to wait on me, rather than I of him.” This high-handed reply did
not impress the Lords.[7]
The next day, Richard advanced his claim to the crown by hereditary right, in proper form. However, his
narrow support among his peers led to failure once again. After weeks of negotiation, the best that couldbe achieved was the Act of Accord, by which York and his heirs were recognised as Henry’s successor.
However, Parliament did grant York extraordinary executive powers to protect the realm, and with the
king effectively in custody, York and Warwick were the de facto rulers of the country.
Final Campaign And Death
While this was happening, the Lancastrian loyalists were rallying and arming in the north of England.
Faced with the threat of attack from the Percys, and with Margaret of Anjou trying to gain the support of
new king James III of Scotland, York, Salisbury and York’s second son Edmund, Earl of Rutland headed
north on 2 December. They arrived at York’s stronghold of Sandal Castle on 21 December to find the
situation bad and getting worse. Forces loyal to Henry controlled the city of York, and nearby Pontefract
Castle was also in hostile hands.
On 30 December, York and his forces sortied from Sandal Castle. Their reasons for doing so are not clear;they were variously claimed to be a result of deception by the Lancastrian forces, or treachery, or simple
rashness on York’s part.[8]
The larger Lancastrian force destroyed York’s army in the resulting Battle of
Wakefield. York was killed in the battle. Edmund of Rutland was intercepted as he tried to flee and wasexecuted, possibly by John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford in revenge for the death of his own father at
the First Battle of St Albans. Salisbury escaped but was captured and executed the following night.
York was buried at Pontefract, but his head was put on a pike by the victorious Lancastrian armies and
displayed over Micklegate Bar at York, wearing a paper crown. His remains were later moved to Church
of St Mary and All Saints, Fotheringhay.[9]
None of his affinity (or his enemies) left a memoir of him. All that remains is the record of his actions,
and the propaganda issued by both sides. Faced with the lack of evidence, his intentions can only be
inferred from his actions. Few men have come so close to the throne as York, who died not knowing thatin only a few months his son Edward would become king. Even at the time, opinion was divided as to his
true motives. Did he always want the throne, or did Henry VI’s poor government and the hostility of
Henry’s favourites leave him no choice? Was the alliance with Warwick the deciding factor, or did he just
respond to events?
Legacy
Within a few weeks of Richard of York’s death, his eldest surviving son was acclaimed King Edward IV,
and finally established the House of York on the throne following a decisive victory over the Lancastriansat the Battle of Towton. After an occasionally tumultuous reign, he died in 1483 and was succeeded by
his son as Edward V, and York’s youngest son succeeded him as Richard III.
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
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Casualties And Losses
perhaps 200 700 – 2,500
Wars Of The Roses
The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern
England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were
a Lancastrian army, loyal to the captive King Henry VI, his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, and their seven
year-old son Edward, Prince of Wales on one side, and the army of Richard, Duke of York , the rival
claimant to the throne, on the other. The Duke of York was killed and his army was destroyed.
Background
The House of Lancaster was established on the throne of England in 1399, when Henry Bolingbroke, the
Duke of Lancaster, deposed his unpopular cousin King Richard II, and was crowned Henry IV.
Throughout his reign, he was troubled by doubts over the legitimacy of his rule, and there were several
revolts against him. His son, Henry V inherited the throne after these had been suppressed, and he
enhanced the prestige of the dynasty by good government and victories over the French, notably at
Agincourt.
However, Henry V died in 1422 and his only son became King Henry VI when only nine months old. He
grew up to be an ineffective king, and prone to spells of mental illness. There were increasingly bitter
divisions among the regents and councillors who governed in Henry’s name, mainly over the conduct of the Hundred Years’ War with France. By the late 1440s, two opposing factions had formed behind
Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, and Richard of York, who for several years was Lieutenant in
France and headed the party which sought to prosecute the war more decisively.
Richard of York was not only the wealthiest magnate in the land,[1] but was also descended from King
Edward III’s third son Lionel of Antwerp and fifth son Edmund of Langley, leading to suspicions that he
had ambitions to the throne. His rival, Somerset, belonged to the Beaufort family. Like Henry, they were
descended from John of Gaunt, Edward III’s fourth son, though by his former mistress, Katherine
Swynford. Although the Beauforts were supposedly barred from succeeding to the crown by the Act of Parliament which made the children of Gaunt and Katherine legitimate after their marriage, their line
eventually produced King Henry VII and the Tudor dynasty.
Richard briefly governed the country as Lord Protector in 1453 after Henry VI suffered a complete mental
breakdown, but Henry recovered his sanity after eighteen months and restored Somerset to favour. During
Henry’s madness his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, had given birth to a son, which dashed Richard’s hopes
of becoming king on Henry’s death.
York and his most prominent allies, the Nevilles (York’s brother in law, the Earl of Salisbury and his son,
the Earl of Warwick , later known as the “Kingmaker”), finally resorted to armed force in 1455. At the
First Battle of St Albans, many of York’s and Salisbury’s rivals and enemies were killed, including
Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland (whose family had been involved in a long-running feud with the
Nevilles) and Lord Clifford.
After the battle, York reaffirmed his loyalty to King Henry, and was reappointed Lord Protector andLieutenant of Ireland. Queen Margaret nevertheless suspected York of wishing to supplant her infant son,
Edward, as Henry’s successor, and the heirs of the Lancastrian nobles who were killed at St Albans
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
Page #12
Events Of The Year Preceding Wakefield
After an uneasy peace during which attempts at reconciliation failed, hostilities broke out again in 1459.
Richard of York returned from Ireland without leave and concentrated his forces near his stronghold of
Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marches. At the Battle of Ludford, some of Warwick’s contingent from the
garrison of Calais, led by experienced captain Andrew Trollope, defected overnight. York and the
Nevilles promptly abandoned their troops and fled. The next day, the outnumbered and leaderless Yorkistarmy surrendered.
York went via Wales to Ireland where he had support from the Irish Parliament, while Salisbury,Warwick and York’s eldest son Edward, Earl of March made their way via the West Country to Calais,
where Warwick was Constable. Lancastrian attempts to reassert their authority over Ireland and Calais
failed, but York and his supporters were declared traitors and attainted. Only a successful invasion would
restore their titles and property.
The country remained in disorder, increased by piratical raids launched by the Nevilles from Calais. In
1460, the Nevilles invaded England and rapidly secured London and the South of England where
Warwick had popular support, before advancing north to engage Henry’s and Margaret’s army in the
Midlands. At the Battle of Northampton, part of the Lancastrian army defected and the rest were
decisively defeated. For the second time, Henry was captured on the battlefield. He was taken to London,
and confined in the Bishop of London‘s palace[2] while the Nevilles appointed themselves and their
relatives and in-laws to most of the offices of state.[3]
The Duke of York landed in Chester[3]
and made his way to London with much pomp. EnteringParliament, he attempted to claim the throne, but was met with stunned silence. Even his close allies were
not prepared to support such a drastic step. Instead, after the House of Lords had considered his claim,
they passed the Act of Accord, by which Henry would remain King, but York would govern the country
as Lord Protector. Henry’s son was disinherited, and York or his heirs would become King on Henry’s
death.[4]
The powerless and frightened Henry was forced to assent.
Lancastrian Moves
When the Battle of Northampton was fought, Queen Margaret and her seven-year-old son Edward had
been at Coventry. In the aftermath of the battle, they had fled with many adventures with brigands andoutlaws[5] into Cheshire and subsequently to Harlech Castle in North Wales, where they joined
Lancastrian nobles (including Henry’s half-brother Jasper Tudor and the Duke of Exeter) who were
recruiting armies in Wales and the West Country. They subsequently proceeded by ship to Scotland,
where Margaret gained troops and other aid for the Lancastrian cause from the Queen, Mary of Guelders,
in return for the surrender of the town and castle of Berwick upon Tweed.[6]
At the same time, other Lancastrians were rallying in Northern England. Those whose estates were there
(the Earl of Northumberland, Lords Clifford and Ros, and John Neville of Raby who represented a
northern branch of the Neville family who had been eclipsed by the southern branch headed by the Earl of
Salisbury) were joined by the Duke of Somerset and the Earl of Devon from the West Country.[5]
Northumberland, Clifford and Somerset were the sons of York’s and Salisbury’s rivals who had been
killed at St. Albans.
The Lancastrian forces mustered near Kingston upon Hull, and were said (in Gregory’s Chronicle, a near-contemporary account) to number 15,000. A substantial part of these forces encamped at Pontefract began
pillaging York’s and Salisbury’s estates nearby.
York’s Response
Faced with these challenges to his authority as Protector, York despatched his eldest son Edward to the
Welsh Marches to contain the Lancastrians in Wales and marched to the north of England himself on 9
December, leaving Warwick in charge in London. York was accompanied by his second son Edmund,
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
Page #13
Earl of Rutland, and the Earl of Salisbury. His force was said by some to number 8,000 to 9,000 men, but
by others to be only a few hundred strong, as York intended to recruit local forces with a Commission of
Array.
York had probably underestimated the numbers of the Lancastrian army in the north, which was still
being reinforced. On 16 December, at the Battle of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, York’s vanguard
clashed with a contingent from the West Country moving north to join the Lancastrian army, and wasdefeated.[7]
Battle
On 21 December, York reached his own fortress of Sandal
Castle near Wakefield. He sent probes towards the Lancastrian
camp at Pontefract 9 miles (14 km) to the east, but these were
repulsed. York sent for help to his son Edward, but before any
reinforcements could arrive, he sortied from the castle on 30
December.
It is not known for certain why York did so. One theory waslater recounted in Edward Hall‘s chronicle, written a few
decades after the event, but partly from first-hand sources, andthe contemporary Burgundian Jean de Waurin‘s chronicle. In a
stratagem possibly devised by the veteran Andrew Trollope, half
the Lancastrian army under Somerset and Clifford advancedopenly towards Sandal Castle, over the open space known as “Wakefield Green” between the castle and
the River Calder, while the remainder under Ros and the Earl of Wiltshire were concealed in the woods
surrounding the area.[8] York was probably short of provisions in the castle and seeing that the enemy
were apparently no stronger than his own army, seized the opportunity to engage them in the open rather
than withstand a siege while waiting for reinforcements.[9]
Other accounts suggested that, possibly in addition to Trollope’s deception, York was fooled by some of
Neville of Raby’s forces displaying false colours into thinking either that reinforcements sent by Warwick
had arrived, or that the northern Nevilles under the Earl of Westmoreland, the most senior peer in the
family, were prepared to support him.[8] Another suggestion was that York and his opponents had agreed
a day for battle (6 January, the Feast of Epiphany) after a Christmas truce and when York moved into the
open the Lancastrians treacherously attacked earlier than had been agreed, catching York at a
disadvantage while many of his men were absent foraging for supplies.[10]
The simplest suggestion wasthat York acted rashly.[5]
The Yorkists marched out of Sandal Castle down the present-day Manygates Lane towards the
Lancastrians located to the north of the castle. It is generally accepted that, as York engaged the
Lancastrians to his front, others attacked him from the flank and rear, cutting him off from the castle. In
Edward Hall’s words:
... but when he was in the plain ground between his castle and the town of Wakefield, he was environed
on every side, like a fish in a net, or a deer in a buckstall; so that he manfully fighting was within half an
hour slain and dead, and his whole army discomfited.[8]
The Yorkist army was surrounded and destroyed.
Casualties
One near-contemporary source (Gregory’s Chronicle) claimed that 2,500 Yorkists and 200 Lancastrians
were killed, but other sources give wildly differing figures, from 2,200 to only 700 Yorkist dead.
The Duke of York was killed in the fighting. Rutland attempted to escape over Wakefield Bridge, but was
overtaken and killed, possibly by Clifford in revenge for his father’s death at St Albans. Salisbury’s
015 Richard '3rd Duke of York' Plantagenet — Biography
Page #14
fourth son Sir Thomas Neville, and his son in law William, Lord Harington, also died in the battle.[6]
Salisbury himself escaped the battlefield but was captured during the night, and was taken to the
Lancastrian camp and beheaded. Although the Lancastrian nobles might have been prepared to allow
Salisbury to ransom himself, he was dragged out of Pontefract Castle and beheaded by local commoners,
to whom he had been a harsh overlord.[11]
AftermathAfter the battle the heads of York, Rutland and Salisbury were stuck on poles and displayed over
Micklegate Bar, the western gate through the York city walls, the Duke wearing a paper crown and a signsaying “Let York overlook the town of York”.
The death of Richard of York did not end the wars, or the House of York ‘s claim to the throne. The
northern Lancastrian army which had been victorious at Wakefield was reinforced by Scots and borderers
eager for plunder, and marched south. They defeated Warwick’s army at the Second Battle of St Albans
and recaptured the feeble King Henry, who had been abandoned on the battlefield for the third time, but
failed to occupy London. Meanwhile, Richard’s of York’s eldest son Edward, Earl of March, had
defeated the Welsh Lancastrians at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross. Having lost possession of Henry,
Warwick could no longer claim to be acting on his behalf and Edward of March was proclaimed King
Edward IV of England. The Lancastrians withdrew to the north but were decisively defeated by Edward
and Warwick at the Battle of Towton.
A monument erected on the spot where the Duke of York is supposed to have perished is positioned
slightly south of the more likely spot where an older monument once stood, but which was destroyedduring the English Civil War.
The Battle In Literature And Folklore
Many people are familiar with William Shakespeare‘s melodramatic version of events in Henry VI, Part3, notably the murder of Edmund of Rutland, although Edmund is depicted as a small child, and
following his unnecessary slaughter by Clifford, Margaret torments his father, York, before murdering
him also. In fact, York was killed during the battle, and Rutland, at seventeen, was more than old enough
to be an active participant in the fighting. Margaret was almost certainly still in Scotland at the time.
The battle is said by some to be the source for the mnemonic for remembering the traditional colours of the rainbow, Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain, and also the mocking nursery rhyme, The Grand Old
Duke of York although this much more likely refers to the eighteenth century duke, son of George III.
“Dickie’s Meadow”, a well-known Northern expression, possibly refers to Sandals Meadow where the
battle of Wakefield took place and where Richard met his end. The common view held that Richard was
ill-advised to fight here. The expression is usually used to warn against risky action. (“If you do that
you’ll end up in Dickie’s Meadow”.) It is a moot point how early the expression arose, and whether
through folk memory or local history.[citation needed ]
015 Richard 'Sir of Hornby, Yorkshire' Conyers — Biography
Page #1
Sir Richard Conyers, Baron Of South Cowton
Sir Richard Conyers lived during the reign of King Henry VI. Sir Richard Conyers (Baron) was granted
an annuity by Richard m for services rendered during the War of the Roses.
(The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between supporters of the rival houses of
Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. They are generally accepted to have been fought in severalspasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1485 (although there was related fighting both before and after thisperiod). The war ended with the victory for the Earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor, who founded the House
of Tudor, which subsequently ruled England and Wales for 117 years.)
Sir Richard Conyers built his family castle in South Cowton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Cowton_Castle
Presents The Following
South Cowton Castle is a 15th Century fortified dwelling house in the Richmondshire district of North
Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the land that was once the Medieval village of South Cowton,
The Castle was built by Sir Richard Conyers in 1470 and it is the oldest surviving building of all of the
Cowtons. The castle was built at the time of the Wars of the Roses, which gives an indication of whywhat is a country gentleman's house is so heavily fortified.
The castle is a grade I listed building and it situated near the 15th Century St Mary's Church, and
overlooks the field markings from the abandoned village of South Cowton.
The building is rectangular in plan, with two towers at the south western and north eastern corners. It is
three storeyed with four storey towers. The castle was altered in the 19th Century and repaired in 1980.
The castle is now used as a private farmhouse, it can be found just off the B1263 road near Atley Hill.
He also built St. Mary's Church which contains 3 esophagus. We can only presume they are the tombs of
Sir Richard, his wife Alice and some other family member.http://www.genuki .org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Southcowton/Southcowton90.html
presents the following
This parish, formerly a chapelry under Gilling West, consists of the townships of North and South
Cowton, containing a total area of 3,635 acres, and a population of 394. The township of South Cowton
(area 2,239 acres) is in the Northallerton Union and County Court District, and in Brompton Division for
the election of a County Councillor. For rating purposes it is valued at £1,613, and had in 1881, 111
inhabitants. The soil and subsoil are clay, and the chief crops wheat, oats, barley, and beans. The principal
landowners are W. F. Webb, Esq., Newstead Abbey, Notts (lord of the manor); William Stobart, Esq.,
Pepper Arden; and Thomas Inman Earle, Esq., Kirkbride, Aldbrough, Darlington.
There can scarcely be said to be any village, as the houses are scattered over the township. The district
around was formerly a moor, and on a part of it lying towards East Cowton was fought the famous battle
of the Standard, on the 22nd day of August, 1138.
The manor anciently belonged to a branch of the Conyers family, one of whom, Sir Richard Conyers, it is
said, built the old castle of Cowton sometime in the reign of Henry VI. (1422-1461); and his armsimpaling those of Wycliffe, to which family his wife belonged, may still be seen on the old castle tower.
From the Conyers the castle and manor passed to Christopher Boynton, whose name appears as Xpofer
Boynton on the shields, on the walls of the castle, and church. He was probably a descendant of Sir
Christopher Boynton, of Sedbury, but his connection with the Conyers family has not been ascertained.
015 Richard 'Sir of Hornby, Yorkshire' Conyers — Biography
Page #2
What remains of the old castle is now occupied by Mr. William Shout, farmer and tallow chandler,
Darlington.
The Church (St. Mary) is an ancient structure, supposed to have been rebuilt by the above-named Sir
Richard Conyers, in the 15th century. The style of its architecture is Early English. It consists of a nave,
chancel, tower, and porch, with a "Parvis" chamber above it. The fabric was thoroughly restored in 1883;
the nave at the expense of William Stobart, Esq., and the tower, "Parvis," and porch by subscription. Themassive oaken roof is 15th century work, and almost all the woodwork throughout the church is also of
solid oak. In the tower are three bells, the first is inscribed "Venite exultemus Domino" (Come, let us
rejoice in the Lord), and the second, "Gloria in altissimis Domino" (Glory to the Lord in the highest). The
third was recast at the expense of Amy Stobart, when the church was restored. On the porch are the arms
of the Conyers impaling Wycliffe, and the inscription Orate pro Anima Ricardi Conyers et Aliciæ uxoris
su . (Pray for the soul of Richard Conyers and of Alice, his wife). Sir Richard founded a chantry of Our
Lady in this church, which was valued in the 37 Henry VIII., at £5 11s. 8d. In the east window appears
the shield of this family supported by an angel, and beneath it "CRISTOFER CONYERS." Under this
window are three alabaster statues, one a male recumbent figure in armour; the other two are female
figures; but unfortunately there is neither inscription nor heraldic device by which we may identify the
persons represented. According to popular belief they are the effigies of Sir Richard Conyers and his twowives, but this popular belief is a popular fallacy, as the inscription above quoted shows clearly that he
had only one wife. Another local tradition says that the male figure represents Sir Robert Danby, of
Yafforth, who was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field, in 1485; and the female figures the two
daughters of Sir Richard and Alice Conyers, one of whom, *Margaret, married the said Sir Robert.
*Since all ancestry.com families state that Margaret married Ralph Bowes, I believe this is an error, and
instead it wasSir Richard's other daughter that married Sir Robert.
South Cowton, St Mary's Church The church of St Mary at South Cowton stands alone in a field, at the
end of a country lane. It was built in the years 1450-1470 by Sir Richard Conyers, whose late 15thcentury tower house of South Cowton Castle can be reached by a footpath to the south east. The church
consists of a nave, west tower, chancel, two storey south porch and a vestry.
The appearance of the church suggests that it was built at least partly with defense in mind — not a bad
idea given the turmoil of late 15th century England. The interior is a late medieval delight, with a nicelycarved rood screen and choir stalls. There is a lovely old timber roof, and surviving wall paintings. The
barrel- vaulted south porch has a chamber above the entrance for use of the priest.
The major interest here are three medieval stone effigies in the chancel. These have some wonderful
carving and clearly depict medieval costume detail. Another item of interest is a peculiar carving on one
of the choir stalls. This is two-faced, with a head looking each direction.
SOUTH COWTON NZ 20 SE 2/25 Cowton Castle 29.1.53 — I Castle now farmhouse. Late C15 with
C19 alterations. Parapet of south-west tower rebuilt in 1980. For Sir Richard Conyers. Rubblestone withashlar dressings. Concrete tile roof. Rectangular with south-west and nort-east towers and rebuilt outshut
on the west side. 3 storeys, towers 4 storeys. North-east elevation: 4 bays. Ground floor: four-centred-
arched door with two-light plate traceried overlight and hoodmould.Windows in chamfered- quoined
surrounds. To left 3-light plate- traceried window with hoodmould. To right, a 2-shouldered-arch-light
window. First floor: 3-light window with relieving arch to left. Central 2-light window with relieving
arch. To right 2-shouldered-arch-light window with single-light window above and below. Stair tower on
right has one-light pointed-arch windows with flat hoodmoulds. Carved stone panel in between first-and
second-floor windows. Embattled parapets. South-west elevation has 2-light window and 3-light window,
015 Richard 'Sir of Hornby, Yorkshire' Conyers — Biography
Page #4
chamfered, with cusped-pointed arches and flat hoodmoulds. Interior: north-east tower has spiral stone
stair . Sir Richard Conyers was granted an annuity by Richard m for services rendered during the War of
the Roses. Then the *Bowes family lived at the castle until 1605. Sir George Bowes, Provost Marshall to
Queen Elizabeth I, suppressed the Rising of the North in 1569. Information from article in possession of
occupant.
*Sir Richard's daughter Margaret married Ralph Bowes.
South Cowton
SOUTH COWTON:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890.
Wapentake and Petty Sessional Division of East Gilling — Rural Deanery of East Richmond —
Archdeaconry of Richmond — Diocese of Ripon.
This parish, formerly a chapelry under Gilling West, consists of the townships of North and South
Cowton, containing a total area of 3,635 acres, and a population of 394. The township of South Cowton
(area 2,239 acres) is in the Northallerton Union and County Court District, and in Brompton Division for
the election of a County Councillor. For rating purposes it is valued at £1,613, and had in 1881, 111
inhabitants. The soil and subsoil are clay, and the chief crops wheat, oats, barley, and beans. The principal
landowners are W. F. Webb, Esq., Newstead Abbey, Notts (lord of the manor); William Stobart, Esq.,
Pepper Arden; and Thomas Inman Earle, Esq., Kirkbride, Aldbrough, Darlington.
There can scarcely be said to be any village, as the houses are scattered over the township. The districtaround was formerly a moor, and on a part of it lying towards East Cowton was fought the famous battle
of the Standard, on the 22nd day of August, 1138.
The manor anciently belonged to a branch of the Conyers family, one of whom, Sir Richard Conyers, it is
said, built the old castle of Cowton some time in the reign of Henry VI. (1422-1461); and his arms
impaling those of Wycliffe, to which family his wife belonged, may still be seen on the old castle tower.
From the Conyers the castle and manor passed to Christopher Boynton, whose name appears as Xpofer
Boynton on the shields, on the walls of the castle, and church. He was probably a descendant of Sir
Christopher Boynton, of Sedbury, but his connection with the Conyers family has not been ascertained.
What remains of the old castle is now occupied by Mr. William Shout, farmer and tallow chandler,
Darlington.
The Church (St. Mary) is an ancient structure, supposed to have been rebuilt by the above-named Sir
Richard Conyers, in the 15th century. The style of its architecture is Early English. It consists of a nave,
chancel, tower, and porch, with a "Parvis" chamber above it. The fabric was thoroughly restored in 1883;the nave at the expense of William Stobart, Esq., and the tower, "Parvis," and porch by subscription. The
massive oaken roof is 15th century work, and almost all the woodwork throughout the church is also of
solid oak. In the tower are three bells, the first is inscribed "Venite exultemus Domino" (Come, let us
rejoice in the Lord), and the second, "Gloria in altissimis Domino" (Glory to the Lord in the highest). The
third was recast at the expense of Amy Stobart, when the church was restored. On the porch are the armsof the Conyers impaling Wycliffe, and the inscription Orate pro Anima Ricardi Conyers et Aliciæ uxoris
suœ. (Pray for the soul of Richard Conyers and of Alice, his wife). Sir Richard founded a chantry of Our
Lady in this church, which was valued in the 37 Henry VIII., at £5 11s. 8d. In the east window appears
the shield of this family supported by an angel, and beneath it "CRISTOFER CONYERS." Under this
window are three alabaster statues, one a male recumbent figure in armour; the other two are female
figures; but unfortunately there is neither inscription nor heraldic device by which we may identify the
persons represented. According to popular belief they are the effigies of Sir Richard Conyers and his two
wives, but this popular belief is a popular fallacy, as the inscription above quoted shows clearly that he
015 Richard 'Sir of Hornby, Yorkshire' Conyers — Biography
Page #5
had only one wife. Another local tradition says that the male figure represents Sir Robert Danby, of
Yafforth, who was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field, in 1485; and the female figures the two
daughters of Sir Richard and Alice Conyers, one of whom, Margaret, married the said Sir Robert.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Vicar of Gilling, and worth about £138 per annum, The
Rev. Robert Bailey Nesbit, B.A., is the present vicar, and W. F. Webb, Esq., the lay rector.
Pepper Arden is a neat mansion, the property and residence of William Stobart, Esq., J.P. It formerlybelonged to the Arden family, from whom it was purchased by the late H. Hood, Esq., who almost rebuilt
the house; and it was sold by the executors of that gentleman to the present owner.
NORTH COWTON. This township contains, according to the rate books, 1,281½ acres, and is assessed at
£1,852. It is in the County Council Electoral Division of Catterick, and has a population numbering 383.
The principal landowners are the Earl of Zetland, Aske Hall; J. C. Chaytor, Esq., Croft; Robert Chilton,
Norton, Stockton-on-Tees; Mrs. Walker, Maunby Hall; Mrs. T. W. Baldridge, Geneva House, Darlington;
Thomas Robinson and Co., Darlington; T. 0. Robinson, Esq., Gateshead; Mrs. T. S. Bourke, Weston-
super-Mare; Mrs. Rushford, Harrogate; and Mr. W. Harrison, North Cowton. There are 52 acres of glebe
land in the township, belonging to the Vicar of Gilling. Admiral Carpenter, of Kiplin, is lord of the
manor.
The village stands on the Richmond and Stockton road, about eight miles N.W. of Northallerton. TheWesleyans have a chapel here, a brick building, erected in 1827, and restored in 1881, at a cost of £100. It
will seat about 170, and is in the Darlington circuit. The educational affairs of the parish are managed by
a School Board, by whom the old school was rebuilt. Religious service is held in it every Sunday eveningby the vicar. A Reading room was established in the village in 1882, by Mrs. Stobart, of Pepper Arden,
and it is almost entirely supported by that generous lady. About half a mile west of the village, but within
this township, is Moulton station, on the Richmond branch of the N.E. railway.
CHARITIES — The charities of the township are now managed under a scheme of the Charity
Commissioners, dated February 14, 1883. The total income is about £7 10s., which is distributed on
Shrove Tuesday. The township also receives £5 a year out of Dame Calverley's charities.
North Cowton is in Richmond Union and County Court District.
[Description(s) from Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire (1890)]
Sir Thomas Carew Biography — Oxford Dic. Nat. Bio.
Carew, Sir Thomas (1368?–1431), soldier and naval commander, was the son of Sir Leonard Carew
(1342–1369), and grandson of Sir John Carew , justiciar of Ireland (d . 1362). His mother was probably
Alice, daughter of Sir Edmund FitzAlan. Leonard had come of age only in 1364, and at his death, five
years later, his son was still an infant in the king’s ward, under the guardianship of a succession of male
relatives. Thomas served on Richard II’s first expedition to Ireland in 1394. By this time he was marriedto Elizabeth (d . 1450/51), daughter of Sir William Bonville (d . 1408), and already had two daughters. He
was knighted during the campaign, and chose to remain in Ireland in the service of Roger Mortimer, earl
of March, for most of 1395. Nothing further is known of him until his rise to prominence in the Welsh
wars of Henry IV. In October 1402 he was given custody of the castle of Narberth. In June 1403 Carew
was ordered, along with Thomas Percy, earl of Worcester, to array troops in Pembrokeshire: he preventedGlyn Dŵr taking Cydweli and defeated him in battle near Laugharne on 12 July. A fortnight later, now
called king’s knight, he was rewarded by the right to hunt in royal forests, and in the following year he
was granted lands in St Clears for life. In 1407 he served under Prince Henry at the reduction of
Aberystwyth.
Returning to his manors in Devon after the Welsh war, Carew was increasingly involved in local
government as a justice of the peace, as well as being commissioned to deal with illegal captures of merchant ships and other maritime disputes: he was also personally involved in capturing enemy ships in
collaboration with John Hawley of Dartmouth, whose activities verged on the piratical. Carew’s obvious
familiarity with naval as well as military matters led to his being commissioned on 18 February 1415
(during the absence of the admiral, Thomas Beaufort, earl of Dorset) to patrol the sea and make the
channel safe in anticipation of Henry V’s expedition to France. He was on the Agincourt campaign, but
probably did not serve at the battle, being detailed instead to the garrison of Harfleur under Beaufort, nowduke of Exeter, where he was still serving in April 1416. In January 1417 he was granted 100 marks p.a.
(£66 13s. 4d .) out of the revenues of the duchy of Cornwall. As the king prepared for his second
campaign in France in 1417, he turned again to Carew to command the channel patrol. Mustering at
Dartmouth in March, Carew headed a fleet of ten ships, including his own barge, the Trinité , and a
Venetian carrack, and was highly successful in his task. He took reinforcements under the earl of March
to St Vaast-la-Hougue in September 1417, in June 1418 was present at the siege of Louviers, and betweenAugust and December 1418 at the siege of Rouen. By May 1419 he was back at sea in an unsuccessful
attempt to prevent the Castilian fleet from carrying Scottish reinforcements to France. In the spring of
1420 he was again commissioned to serve in the safe keeping of the sea, but may have been at the siege of
Melun in the second half of the year. From February to September 1422 he was in Portugal as a royalenvoy charged with securing military aid.
Carew was prominent in Devon administration in the reign of Henry VI, serving as justice of the peace,
on commissions of array, and on ad hoc commissions relating to loans and to maritime misdemeanours.
In 1426 he was granted the marriage of Joan, one of the daughters of Sir Hugh Courtenay; he wedded her
to his son, Sir Nicholas (d . 1449). Sir Thomas made his will on 16 July 1429 at Dartmouth, asking to be
buried in the parish church of Luppit near Honiton, and making bequests to several of the churches of the
area. He was dead by 27 January 1431. Both he and his son are frequently referred to as Baro de Carew.
This seems to have been a courtesy title carried by the head of the Devon branch of the Carew family: nosummons to parliament was ever made in this capacity.
42 (1937) · CIPM · N. H. Nicolas, ed., Proceedings and ordinances of the privy council of England , 7
vols., RC, 26 (1834–7) · J. H. Wylie, History of England under Henry the Fourth, 4 vols. (1884–98) · J.
H. Wylie and W. T. Waugh, eds., The reign of Henry the Fifth, 3 vols. (1914–29) · ‘The chronicle of John
Strecche for the reign of Henry V, 1414–1422’, ed. F. Taylor, Bulletin of the John Rylands University
Library, 16 (1932), 137–87 · W. P. Baildon, ed., Select cases in chancery, AD 1364 to 1471, SeldS, 10
(1896) · T. Walsingham, The St Albans chronicle, 1406–1420, ed. V. H. Galbraith (1937) · D. M.
Gardiner, ed., A calendar of early chancery proceedings relating to west country shipping, 1388–1493,Devon and Cornwall RS, new ser., 21 (1976) · Coll. Arms, MS 9
In Domesday Book,lunder the heading " Terra Regis," we find — "In Burton, with the three berewicks
of Grenzmore (Gransmoor), Arpen (Harpham), and Buitorp (Boythorpe), are 25 carucates of land to be
taxed, which 15 ploughs may till. These Morcar held in the time of King Edward for one manor and the
value then was pound;24. One farmer, at present pays ten shillings to the King. To this manor belongs the
soke of these lands, Langtoft, Haisthorp, Thwing, Brompton and Thornholm. In all these are 25 carucates
to be taxed, which 14 ploughs may till. It is now waste.
From the subsequent entry2 it would seem that directly after the returns of the survey had been arrangedand transcribed at Winchester, a fief was made up, chiefly in Cleveland and mostly out of land as yet
reserved by the King, and given to Robert de Bruis. In the East Riding Earl Morcar's lordship of Burton,
with soke and berewicks was given to him. It continued to be held in capite by the Bruis family and their
successors, the Thwengs and Lumleys; the sub-tenants — the Stutevilles, Merlays, Somervilles and
Griffiths — of these great families concern us.
Roger de Stuteville, a younger son of the Roger de Stuteville who fought in the battle of the Standard,
was probably the builder of the earliest work at the Hall, in the basement of the building to the west of thepresent mansion. According to a document3 still preserved at Burton Agnes, this Roger had a son Ancelm,
who died without issue, and five daughters, Alice, Agnes, Isabell, Gundreda and one who
1. Domesday Book, Rec. Com. Ed. 300. Y. A. S. Journal, Vol. XIII, p. 333.2
. Domesday Book, 3326. Bawdwen, 233. Y. A. S. Journal, IV, p. 406.3. E. R. A. S. Trans. XXIX, p. 39.
[70]
was a nun. Alice became the wife of Roger de Merlay the I,1
son of the Founder of Newminster Abbey in
the County of Northumberland (1137). Roger de Merlay was succeeded by a second Roger, and he again
by a third Roger, who had two daughters, Mary, who became the wife of William de Graystoke, and
Isabel, who was married (1274-5) to Robert de Somerville, of Wichnor, in Co. Stafford. Burton Agnes
thus came to the Somerville family, while the Northumberland property went mostly to William and
Mary de Graystoke. Robert and Isabella had two sons Sir Roger and Philip.nbsp;These two sons appear to
have died without male issue. Roger de Somerville founded the chantry of the Blessed Virgin in Burton
Agnes Church in 1314. There is a licence3 in Mortmain to Roger de Somervyle for a fine of 40 shillings
to grant two messuages, two bovates, sixteen acres of land and a rent of twenty loads of turf in Burton and
Thyrnom to a Chaplain who shall celebrate service daily at the altar of the Blessed Mary in Burton Agnes
Church, for the soul of the said Roger, for the souls of Maude, late his wife, deceased and of his father
and mother, brothers and sisters, ancestors and relatives, and for the souls of John de Eure, and of allfaithful deceased, dated 17th October, 7 Edw. II (1313). In 1317 he obtained licence to translate the body
of his wife Maude to the " new ala adjoyning the Church of Burton Annays." His tomb is against the
north wall of this chantry.
His name appears in the proffers of service for the Scottish war made at the muster at Carlisle in 1300.4
In
1315 he appears among the knights summoned by Archbishop Greenfield to a Council of War at
Doncaster, and in 1318 he made an agreement with Archbishop Melton to furnish the con- tingent
required of the Archbishop for service in Scotland.5
1. MS. at B.A.2. MS. at B.A., which speaks of Sir Roger and Philip "who now is."3. Pat. Roll, 7 Ed. II, Pt. 1, m. 11.
4
. Doc. and Rec. illust. the Hist. of Scot. (Palgrave) I, 215-229.5. Hist. Papers and Letters from the N. Registers, Rolls S. p. 247. Ditto, p. 278-9.
[71]
He was Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1323.1 He died in 1337,2 and was succeeded by his brother Sir Philip de
Somerville, who died in 1355,3 leaving two daughters. By the marriage of the elder daughter Joan de
Somerville with Rees ap Griffith, both Wichnor and Burton Agnes passed to the Grifhth family.
Originally of Welsh extraction, they claimed descent from the princes of North and South Wales of the
10th century.4
They appear to have been settled in Staffordshire as early as the commencement of the 13th
century, where they gave their name to the village of Clayton Griffith, near Newcastle-under-Lyne. Sir
Rees ap Griffith was succeeded by a second Sir Rees, Thomas and John, none of whom appear in
Yorkshire history, and as they were buried at Polesworth, in Warwickshire, Alrewas and Tatenhill in
Staffordshire, we may conclude that they lived principally at Wichnor.5
Both Thomas and his son, SirJohn, were High Sheriffs of Staffordshire in the reign of Henry VI, though Sir John scarcely seems to
have been distinguished as a law abiding subject if we are to believe the complaint the King's forester of
Alrewas made to the Chancellor of England — "how that Sir John Griffith, which is a common hunter
and destroyer of the King's game, in despite, shame and reprofe of the said suppliant, brake the Kynge's
parke of Barton, and there slewe and carried away by nyghtes tyme two grete buckes and the hedis of
them set at Kynges Bromley, oon upon the yate of the said forst', and another upon the butte in myddes of
the town, with a scorneful scripture of ryme wrytten in Inglissh sowed in the mouthes of the buckes
hedis," and how, when the unfortunate forester disapproved of these doings, Sir John "sent his servants
with evil intent to have slayne the said suppliant, who prays for suerte of the pees in savation of his lyfe."
1. P. R. O. List., P. 161.2. Inq. p. m. 11 Ed. III (Ist Nos.) No. 57.3. Inq. p. m. 29 Ed. III.4. MS. Ped. at B. A.
5. Misc. Gen et Her. I, 64.
[72]
This Sir John died in 1471,1 but long before his death he had leased the manor of Burton Agnes to his son,
Walter Griffith and Joan his wife, for their lives, and by a subsequent deed released it in fee. This son
Walter seems to have taken after his father in mischief, for he picked a quarrel with Martin de la See of
Barmston, which cost at least one life and serious injury to many more.2 Sir Walter was at Burton Agnes
as early as 1457, and probably that portion of the building over the early basement to the west of the
present Hall is his work. It was in 1457 that he and his wife Joan had leave to have an oratory for a year.
He died in 1481, and was buried under " the great tomb before the altar of the Blessed Virgin,"3
with his
first wife Joan Neville, a great granddaughter of John of Gaunt. His name occurs in the Pardon Roll of
1472, from which it appears that he took the Lancastrian side, as we should have expected from his
connection with the elder house of Neville (his first wife was cousin of Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, and his brother, Sir John Neville, who was slain at Towton). His second wife (who
survived him and afterwards married Sir Gervase Clifton) was Agnes Constable, of Flambrough, sister of
the "little Sir Marmaduke," who, when 71 years of age, rendered with his four sons distinguished service
at Flodden. Agnes's wil14
provides that her body "be buried (in) Anes-burton Church in the chauntreclosett therin, by our Lady, as my sonne knawthe"; she leaves to her son Griffith "all hangynges of
chambres, hall and parlour, etc., at Burton and all leides and vessells, etc., and other such stuf as I had
when 'I kept howse ther'; to Margaret Ussher she leaves " ye beid house yt she dwelles in at Burton during
her lyfe, and she to have yearly Xs. to fynd her wyth yf she kepe her a wydow. Also in lyk maner to Janet
Houpe. And to Janet Yong I gyf ye (house) she dwelles in lykwise and to have
William ap Thomas (died 1445) was a member of the Welsh
gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family
through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and is anancestor of the current Earls of Pembroke.
Raglan manor, attained through marriage through heiress
Elizabeth Bluet, was greatly expanded by William and his son,
William Herbert, into the well-fortified Raglan Castle, one of the
finest late medieval Welsh castles.
William served King Henry V of England during his first Frenchcampaign and in numerous subsequent capacities and was
knighted in 1426.
Family
William ap Thomas was the son of Sir Thomas ap Gwyllym, Knt (d. 1438) of Perth Hir and Maud
Morley, daughter and co-heir of Sir John Morley of Llansantffraed. In 1400 Thomas and his wife Maud
inherited Llansantffraed Court, the country seat and estate of Sir John Morley.[1][2]
Llansantffraed Court
was located approximately 2 miles west of the town of Raglan and Raglan Castle,[3]
near Clytha and
Abergavenny,[2]
Wales. Thomas is buried in the church where a plaque records his death and that of his
successors until 1624.[1]
After Sir Thomas’ death, Llansantffraed Court passed through William’s brother, Philip. [3] In 1449 Philip
was given ‘advowson of the living’ by Sir Edward Nevill, 3rd Baron Abergavenny and Elizabeth de
Beauchamp, Lady of Abergavenny. Llansantffraed Court was held by the Philip’s descendants in an
unbroken line until the 17th century.[2]
The Blue Knight Of Gwent
Sir William fought in France with Henry V of England and atthe famous Battle of Agincourt. In 1415, Sir William wascreated knight-banneret. In 1426, ap Thomas was knighted by
King Henry VI, becoming known to his compatriots as “Y
marchog glas o Went” (the blue knight of Gwent), because of
the colour of his armour.[4][5]
Gradually he began to establish
himself as a person of consequence in south Wales.
Important Offices In Wales
William held the following positions:[5]
• William was Steward of the Lordship of Abergavenny by
1421.
• He was appointed Sheriff of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire in 1435.
• In 1440, he was appointed the position as Sheriff of Glamorgan.
• In 1442 or 1443, William became Chief Steward of the Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York ‘s
estates in Wales.
• Was a member of the Duke of York’s military council.
While William was played an active role for the Duke of York, his sphere of influence was generally
limited to south Wales.[5]
Marriage
William married firstly in 1406 Elizabeth or Isabel Bluet (also spelled Bloet), the daughter of Sir John
Bluet of Raglan manor and widow of Sir James Berkeley. Elizabeth, “the lady of Raggeland,”[6] inherited
Raglan Castle with her husband James Berkeley, who later died in 1405 or 1406. Elizabeth died in1420.
[5][6][7][8][9]Prior to Elizabeth’s marriage to Berkeley she married and became the widow of Sir
Bartholomew Picot. Elizabeth third marriage to William ap Thomas had no issue.[9]
William married secondly heiress Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, described by Welsh poet Lewys Glyn
Cothi as ‘The Star of Abergavenny’ for her beauty. She was the daughter of Sir Dafydd Gam and the
widow of Sir Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine. All three men had been part of the Welsh contingent that
fought with King Henry V of England in France, including the Battle of Agincourt.[1][7][10]
Issue
William and Gwladys had the following issue:
• William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469) took the surname Herbert.[10][11] William’s
allegiance to Richard, Duke of York, and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , branded himEdward IV’s Welsh “master-lock”. He was the first full-blooded Welshman to enter the Englishpeerage and he was knighted in 1452. He married Anne Devereux daughter of Sir Walter Devereux in
1449, by whom he had issue.[12]
• Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook House, near Abergavenny; died on the battlefield of
Danesmoor.[10][11]
• Elizabeth married Sir Henry Stradling[10][11] (1423–1476), son of Sir Edward Stradling (d. c.1394) and
Gwenllian Berkerolles, sister and co-heir of his neighbour, Sir Lawrence Berkerolles. Reversing
alliances from the previous generation, Henry and his brothers-in-law were hostile to the Henry VI
reign. Henry went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1476. Henry died on 31 August 1476 on his journey back to England and was buried at Famagusta, Cyprus. Thomas, Elizabeth and Henry’s
young son died on 8 September 1480.[13]
• Margaret married Sir Henry Wogan,[10][11] steward[14] and treasurer of the Earldom of Pembroke,
tasked with securing war material for the defence of Pembroke Castle.[15] Henry and his father, John
Wogan of Picton, witnessed an act of Bishop Benedict in 1418. Their son, Sir John Wogan, was
killed at the battle of Banbury in 1465, fighting by the side of his uncle, William Herbert, Earl of
Pembroke.[16]
Other issue less consistently attributed to Gwladys and William include: Maud, Olivia, Elizabeth (who
married Welsh country gentlemen, John ab Gwilym),[10] and Thomas Herbert.[11]
Raglan Castle
When Sir John Bloet died, Raglan manor passed to Elizabeth Bloet and her husband James Berkeley. [8][17]
When William’s wife, Elizabeth died in 1420, Elizabeth’s son Lord James Berkeley inherited RaglanManor. William resided at Raglan manor as a tenant of his stepson[6]
until 1432 when he purchased the
manor[8]
from Lord Berkeley.[5][6]
Grandious expansion for defense and comfort occurred between 1432 when William ap Thomas bought
the manor and 1469 when his son, Sir William Herbert, was executed. Improvements by father and son
included the twin-towered gatehouse, five storied Great Tower encircled by a moat, a self-contained
fortress in its own right, South Gate, Pitched Stone Court, drawbridge and portcullis.[6][8]
Thomas Churchyard praised Raglan Castle in his 15th century book of poetry, “Worthiness of Wales”:[18]
13. ^ Griffiths, R. A. (2004-11). “Stradling (Stradelinges, de Estratlinges) family”. Oxford Dictionary
of National Biography (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48658.
http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/48658.
14. ^ “Sloane Charters”. Cymmrodorion Record Series (London: Honourable Society of
Cymmrodorion) 4: 618. 1908.
15. ^ Evans, Howell T. (1915). Wales and the wars of the Roses. Cambridge University Press. p. 214.LCCN 15-019453. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924028052441.
16. ^ Owen, Henry (1902). Old Pembroke Families in the Ancient County Palatine of Pembroke.