Hounding the Baskervilles (redux)

[John P. Ravilious]

Hello All,

In 2007 there were several threads concerning the Baskervilles of
Eardisley. In one particular exchange there was mention of the
parentage of Sibyl or Sibilla Devereux, wife of Sir James Baskerville,
as she is identified variously as the daughter or sister of Sir Walter
Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley (k. 1485) and his wife Anne
Ferrers.

Following up on the suggestion then made, I have had the
opportunity to locate the calendared IPMS for Sir James Baskerville.
These records provide more information on the subject than I would
have expected.

1. The (Herefordshire) IPM of Sir James Baskerville states in
part that he and his wife Sibilla Devereux had a charter from her
father Sir Walter Devereux dated 12 June 1455:

" He was seised to him and the heirs of his body and of one
Sibilla, daughter of Walter Devereux, knight, late his wife, of the
under-mentioned manors of Staundon and Letton, by the gift of Walter
Devereux, knight, and John Assheby, clerk, as by their charter, 12
June, 33 Henry VI, appears. " [1]

2. The Gloucestershire IPM for Sir James Baskerville, dated 1 May
1499, states that he and his wife Sybil had a charter of the manor of
Combe Baskerville and other lands from his father Sir John Baskerville
dated 7 Jan 1454/5:

" John Baskirvile, knight, his father, was seised of the under-
mentioned manor and advowson in fee, and being so seised gave them by
his charter indented, dated there, 7 January, 33 Henry VI, to him and
Sybil, then his wife, by the names of James Baskirvile, esquire, son
and heir of him the said John Baskirvile, knight, and Sybil daughter
of Walter Devereux, knight, by the description of his manor of Combe
Baskirvile,...." [2]

From the foregoing, it can be stated that James Baskerville and
Sybil (or Sibilla) Devereux were married on or before 7 Jan 1454/5.
Given that Anne Ferrers is known to have been aged little more than 16
at that date [3], and that her husband Walter Devereux was most
certainly not yet a knight at that date, it can be reasonably stated
that Sybil (Sibilla) Devereux was in fact the daughter of Sir Walter
Devereux and Elizabeth Merbury. (Also, the name Katherine sometimes
assigned to Sir James Baskerville's wife is shown to be erroneous.)

Cheers,

John


Notes

[1] Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and other Analogous
Documents (London: printed for His Majesty's Public Record Office by
Mackie and Co., Ld., 1915 [Vol. II, Henry VII.]), p. 72, no. 1123.

[2] CIPM (ibid.), p. 123, no. 1822.

[3] D. Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry (2011), p. 163.




----------------------------


On 18 Feb 2007, MM wrote (in part):


Finally, Louise, I had not known that there was doubt about the place
of
Sybil Baskerville nee Devereux in the Devereux family. But now,
looking at the
relevant dates, I do see that she might have been Anne Ferrers'
daughter: the
Ferrers/Devereux marriage settlement in the Longleat papers is dated
1446,
which gives time for a daughter Sybil to have married Sir James
Baskerville KB.
The latter's IPM (E 150/150/408) is dated 1499, and their son Sir
Walter's
is dated 1509.
If Sybil was the sister of Anne Ferrers' husband, she must have been
born
before 1439, Elizabeth Merbury (the wife of Sir Walter Devereux
senior) being
known to have died in 1438.
We might get further illumination from a study of the IPM of Sir
James'
Baskerville's father John (died 1455, IPM C 139/175/10), as it would
likely show
the age of his heir.

[Matt A]

Dear John,

Is there any known connection between this 'Elizabeth Merbury' and Katherine (Marbury) Scott's family? Are they even the same surname?

Thanks,

-Matt Ahlgren

[adrianben...@gmail.com]

Great job John very nicely worked out.

Adrian Benjamin Burke