The Mysterious Maud “called of Campaigne”

[John Watson]

Dear all,

In September 2002, John Ravilious posted some information on the possible parentage of Maud of Campaigne. “Maud de Campaign (or de Campania), d. after 1368, is an individual in the ancestry of several English families whose origins are obscure. However, through her two marriages to John de Lascelles of Escrick, and Sir Robert Hilton of Swine, she numbers amongst her descendants the families of Hilton of Swine, Hildyard of Winestead, Melton (Lord Lucy), Lascelles, FitzRandolph and Savile. This is not to mention a number of 17th century emigrants to America.”
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/soc.genealogy.medieval/BXDQx9nFhLk/7QhUJAF6oHMJ;context-place=forum/soc.genealogy.medieval

John mistakenly identified her first husband as John Lascelles of Escrick, when he was in fact John fitz Ranulf (FitzRandolph) of Spennithorne. I have recently been searching for further information on Maud, unfortunately without any concrete results.

Robert Surtees in his pedigree says that “Sir Robert Hilton, knight, married Maude, called of Campaigne”
Robert Surtees, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham, vol. 2, Chester Ward (1820), 28: Hilton of Swine Pedigree
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/antiquities-durham/vol2/pp1-39

Poulson in his copy of Surtees' pedigree calls her “Maud, of Campaign.”
George Poulson, The History and Antiquities of the Seigniory of Holderness, vol. 2 (1841], 198: Hilton of Swine Pedigree.
https://archive.org/stream/historyantiquiti02poul#page/198/mode/1up

Neither author identifies her family name, only that she was from “Campaigne,” which I assume was the province of Champagne in northern France, so I think that finding her family name is going to be difficult, unless further documentation is discovered.

Contemporary documentation regarding Maud is very sparse.

1. She married firstly John fitz Ranulf, son of Ranulf fitz Ralph, of Spennithorne before 8 October 1343, when he and Maud were parties to a fine regarding property in Ripon and Sallay.
Feet of Fines, CP 25/1/274/116. number 23.
https://archive.org/stream/feetoffinesforco42bail#page/166/mode/1up

2. John fitz Ranulf died about 1349, and Maud married secondly Sir Robert de Hilton of Swine and Winestead, Yorkshire and Fulstow, Lincolnshire, son of Robert de Hilton and his first wife nn de Greystock.

On 23 August 1369. Richard de Osbaldwyk chaplain was instituted to the church of Spennithorne on the presentation of Matilde de Hilton, formerly wife of Sir John FitzRandoll, knight, lord of Spennithorne.
A. Hamilton Thompson, ed., "The Registers of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1361-1442," Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 25 (1920), 174.
https://archive.org/stream/YAJ0251920#page/174/mode/1up

3. Robert de Hilton died about 1372 and on 2 November 1374, Lady Matilda de Hilton, presented William Retherby to the church of Winestead.
Mill Stevenson, ed., "Monumental Brasses in the East Riding," Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, vol. 12 (1893), 228.
https://archive.org/stream/YAJ012#page/256/mode/1up

That’s it I’m afraid, only three contemporary references and a name.

If anyone has come across any further information on this lady please let us know.

Regards,

John

[Vance Mead]

> If anyone has come across any further information on this lady please let us know.
>

Here's one:

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT4/E3/CP40no466/bCP40no466dorses/IMG_0714.htm

Trinity term 1377
Yorks. Maud who was the wife of Robert de Hilton, knight, kinswoman and heiress of Thomas de Spenythorn, versus John Ellerton. Ravishment of ward: Thomas de Spenythorn, within age, at Spenythorn. (Rapuit et abduxit contra voluntate ipsius Matill’)

[John P. Ravilious]

Dear John (and Vance, et al.),

Merry Christmas, and happy holidays! A last look into SGM goings-on before the year runs, I hope all has been well genealogically and otherwise.

A good find re: the Spennithorne connection: many thanks for that. As you note in the latest search re: Maud de Campania/Campaign, there's little solid footing in re: her parentage, but I think it certain this involves a 13th/14th century English family with little to no French connection, at the time anyway. There is record of the IPM of Peter de Campania, a royal justice who died before 8 Feb 1295/6 [1], and the VCH account of Great Doddington, Northants.

I think it unlikely that Maud was descended from Peter de Campania, given his heirs were his daughters (unless there was a name change in a subsequent generation, back to de Campania). Hardly proven, but it is at least possible she was of the Great Doddington family: at least the names Wiliam, Robert and Margery (Margaret) found in the 14th cent. Campania family - unusual though they were (not) - are found in the issue of Maud de Campania by Sir Robert de Hilton.

Perhaps this will resolved in the New Year!

Cheers, and best wishes,

John



Notes

[1] IPM of Peter de Campania, d. before 8 Feb 1295/6. This can be found online at

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/vol3/pp208-219


360. PETER DE CAMPANIA.
Writ, 8 Feb. 24 Edw. I.
LINCOLN. Extent, Saturday before St. Gregory the Pope, 24 Edw. I.
Barwe by Barton. The manor (extent given) held of the king in chief as of the honour of Albemarle by service of 1 1/2 knight’s fee.

Scalleby. 3 bovates of arable land, two gardens and a fishery in Ancholm, 11s. 2d. rents of free tenants, 15s. 5d. rents of cottars, and pleas &c. of court worth 12d., held of John de Saundton by service of 1/20 knight’s fee.
Isabel his younger daughter, the wife of Peter de Briddeshale, aged 22 and more, and Peter son and heir of Mary his first-born daughter, the wife of John de Douvedale, aged 3 at the feast of St. Laurence last, are his next heirs.

LINCOLN. Extent, Thursday before St. Gregory the Pope, 24 Edw. I.

Saxelby. The manor (extent given), including 20a. meadow on the north of Fossedyk, and a rent of 2s. 8d. in Suth Carleton, held of the abbot &c. of Thorneton by service of 1/2 knight’s fee.

North Clifton. A windmill, 22s. rent of freeholders, 4l. 13s. rent of bondmen, and 2s. rent of cottars, held of Baldwin Pygot, which Hugh father of the said Baldwin gave to Peter de Campania father of the aforesaid Peter in free marriage with Margery his daughter.

Heirs as above, Isabel aged 20 and more, and Peter aged as above.
Endorsed:—Let the barons of the exchequer be called for the hastening of this business.

LINCOLN. Petition of the abbot of Thorenton showing that whereas it was found by inquisition that Peter de Campania held certain lands &c. in co. Lincoln of the king in chief as of the honour of Albemarle and not of the crown, and certain other lands of the said abbot in Saxelby, these lands are retained in the king’s hand; whereof he prays remedy.
C. Edw. I. File 75. (21.)


[2] 'Parishes: Great Doddington', in A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 4, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1937), pp. 113-116.

Available online courtesy of British History Online

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol4/pp113-116

" Manors

In 1086 the Countess Judith of Huntingdon held 4 hides in GREAT DODDINGTON of the king; Bondi had held it in the time of Edward the Confessor. (fn. 2) The overlordship descended to the family of Hastings with the honor of Huntingdon as Yardley Hastings (q.v.). The overlordship is last mentioned in connexion with Green's Manor in 1391, (fn. 3) and in connexion with Barnard's Manor in 1480. (fn. 4)

By the 13th century two manors are found in Doddington held of this lordship. That afterwards called GREEN'S MANOR appears in 1285 when Juliana Tregoz, widow, held half a knight's fee. (fn. 5) Her son John Tregoz (fn. 6) in 1285 obtained a grant of free warren in his demesne lands there. (fn. 7) This John Tregoz granted Doddington manor to Pino Bernardin, a Florentine merchant of London, (fn. 8) at a rent of £20. (fn. 9) John died in 1299 and in 1301 his co-heirs, his grandson John la Warre and his daughter Sybil wife of William Grandison, were each assigned £10 rent in the manor. (fn. 10) In 1309 the rentcharge on the manor was reduced to £10, (fn. 11) and in 1329 may have been commuted for a lump sum, for in that year Peregrin Bernard, who had succeeded his father Pino (fn. 12) by 1324, when he held a quarter fee here, (fn. 13) acknowledged a debt of £100 to William Grandison and Sybil his wife. (fn. 14) The history of the manor for some time after this date is obscure. In 1348 William de Harwedon held the quarter of a knight's fee (fn. 15) and before 1369 it was in the possession of the Green family. In that year Sir Henry Green died seised of it and was succeeded by his son Thomas. (fn. 16) It then descended as Green's Norton (q.v.) through five successive Thomas Greens. (fn. 17) The last of these died in 1506 and left his estates to his two daughters and heiresses Anne and Maud. (fn. 18) The manor of Doddington was settled on Anne on her marriage with Sir Nicholas Vaux. Sir Nicholas died in 1525 and was succeeded by his son Thomas, who at the age of 14 married Elizabeth Cheyne. (fn. 19) Thomas Vaux died about 1556 and was succeeded by his son and heir William. (fn. 20) From William, who was holding in 1559, (fn. 21) the manor apparently passed to the Spencer family, as Henry Lord Spencer was lord of the manor in 1639. (fn. 22) Between this date and 1667 the manor again changed hands; at the latter date James Earl of Northampton held it, (fn. 23) and his descendant the present Marquess is now lord of the manor.

A second manor, later called BARNARD'S MANOR, was held of the honor of Huntingdon in Great Doddington. In 1242 William de Champayne (Campania) held the sixth part of a knight's fee in Doddington. (fn. 24) This passed to Nicholas son of Robert de Champayne, (fn. 25) who opposed the king in the Barons' War and forfeited this manor but was allowed to buy it back from Eudes de la Zouche. (fn. 26) In 1285 Nicholas's son Robert de Champayne held one knight's fee in Great Doddington (fn. 27) and in 1306 John de Champayne conceded the manor, probably by way of settlement, to Robert de Champayne and his wife Ada. (fn. 28) Robert still held it in 1312, as a quarter of a knight's fee, (fn. 29) and in 1313 he conveyed it to his son Robert, (fn. 30) who held it as a sixth of a fee in 1324. (fn. 31) He was still in possession in 1329, (fn. 32) but in 1353 his widow Margaret (fn. 33) died and their son and heir William obtained the manor. (fn. 34) From him it descended through his daughter Margaret, who had married one of the Hastings, to her daughter Margaret wife of Sir John Sulney. Margaret Sulney died in 1381 and part of this manor of Great Doddington came to William Daundelyn, son of Joan a sister of William de Champayne. This part of the manor afterwards became known as Barnard's Manor. The remainder, called later Turvill's Manor (q.v.), was divided between Margaret wife of Geoffrey Bugge and Elizabeth wife of Thomas Hunt, daughters of Margaret Foucher, another sister of William de Champayne. (fn. 35) "

[John Watson]

Thank you for that information Vance. I am sure that if Maud's parentage is ever discovered it will be found somewhere in the Common Pleas rolls. From that plea it looks like she may have been connected to a local de Spennithorne family.

Regards,

John

[John Watson]

Dear John,

Nice to hear from you. Maud's name is not given as "de Campania" in the pedigrees I linked in my post, but "Maud, called of Campaign" which leads me to believe that she was not from an English de Campania family, but it's all guesswork for now. I am trying to work out where Surtees and Poulson found their original for the Hilton of Swine pedigree. Tracking down the original documents might give more information.

Best regards and a Happy New Year,

John