More Gaunt children: Stephen de Gaunt and Ellen de Gaunt, wife of Walter the Chamberlain
Douglas Richardson
The baronial Gaunt (or Gant) family of Folkingham, Lincolnshire has
received good coverage by William Farrer in Early Yorkshire Charters, 2
(1913). Farrer shows that Robert de Gaunt, died 1191, had two wives,
Alice (or Adeliza) Paynell and Gunnor d'Aubeney. By his first
marriage, he is known to have had one daughter, Avice (wife of Robert
Fitz Robert Fitz Harding), who was the heiress of her mother. By his
second marriage, Farrer states that Robert de Gaunt had one son,
Gilbert, Knt. [see Farrer, Early Yorkshire Charters, 2 (1913): 433
(chart)].
Farrer overlooked two children of Robert de Gaunt by his 2nd marriage,
namely Stephen de Gaunt and Ellen de Gaunt (wife of Walter the
Chamberlain, of Heckington, Lincolnshire). The evidence for Stephen de
Gaunt's existence is found in a charter dated before June 1210, in
which Stephen's brother, Gilbert de Gaunt, made arrangements for the
marriage of his (Gilbert's) daughter, Juliane, to marry Geoffrey de
Armenters [see Hatton, Book of Seals, pg. 205]. Stephen de Gaunt
witnessed this charter as "Stephano de Gant fratre meo."
Ellen de Gaunt's existence and marriage are proved by various charters
published in Kathleen Major, ed., The Registrum Antiquissimum of the
Cathedral Church of Lincoln, 7 (Lincoln Rec. Soc. 46) (1953): 115-119].
Among these charters is one issued in the early 13th Century by Walter
the Chamberlain of Heckington in which he specifically names his wife
as "Helene uxoris mee filii Roberti de Gant." [Ellen my wife daughter
of Robert de Gant]. Walter's wife, Ellen, also appears in another
charter issued by Walter in the same time period, with no mention of
her parentage. Major includes a third charter issued by Ellen's
brother, Gilbert de Gaunt (died 1242), in which he styles himself "G.
de Gaunt filius Roberti de Gaunt" [G(ilbert) de Gaunt son of Robert de
Gaunt]. In that charter, Gilbert de Gaunt confirms to the chapter of
Lincoln all their tenements of the fee of Walter the Chamberlain in
Heckington, Lincolnshire. Gilbert de Gaunt's charter can be loosely
dated c. 1220-1230, based on the appearance of one of his witnesses in
another charter in that time period.
I'm not aware of any modern descendants of either Stephen de Gaunt or
Ellen de Gaunt, wife of Walter the Chamberlain. Stephen de Gaunt is
presumably the man of that name whose lands in Lincolnshire and
Leicestershire, together with the manor of Kintone, Warwickshire were
granted in 17 John (1215-1216) to Stephen de Segrave. As for Ellen de
Gaunt, I note that Kathleen Major refers in a note to a published
source for the family of Walter the Chamberlain, namely Foster,
Aisthorpe, pp. 23-24, 80-85. Presumably this source is the book, A
History of the Villages of Aisthorpe and Thorpe-le-Fallows, by C.W.
Foster, published in 1927, which book is not available to me locally.
According to Major, Foster identifies Ellen, wife of Walter de
Chamberlain, as the daughter of Robert de Gaunt and his 2nd wife,
Gunnor d'Aubeney.
If anyone has access to Foster's Aisthorpe book, I'd appreciate it if
they would post the particulars from the book which pertain to Walter
the Chamberlain and his wife, Ellen de Gaunt. I'm especially
interested in knowing if Foster indicates whether or not Ellen and
Walter have traceable descendants. According to information online,
Foster's Aisthorpe book is "probably the best of the older parish
histories, and very strong on manorial history." So, it sounds like a
good book to peruse.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
Website: www.royalancestry.net
William Marshall
CP X p320 mentions Maurice de Gant as grandson of Robert
de Gant and Alice Paynel. No information in CP about
the intermediate generation. On Maurice's death in 1230, Irnham
and East Quantockshead and the remainder of his Paynel inheritance
passed to his distant cousin Andrew Luterel.
So was Maudice de Gant the son of Avice? Else how was Avice (wife of
Robert Fitz Robert Fitz Harding) heiress of her mother, when the
Paynel inheritance descended to Alice Paynel's grandson, Maurice de Gant?
Bill Marshall
w...@research.att.com
Douglas Richardson
was the daughter of Robert de Gaunt, of Folkingham, Lincolnshire (died
1191), by his 1st wife, Alice Paynell.
DR