William Stanley of Hooton's wife Blanche

[Roderick Ward]

I would normally try to research this a little more before posting, but since I am using Google Groups and have not yet successfully found my alternative way into Usenet, I figured I would post this before the deadline.

In the early 2000s there were a couple of threads noting that Blanche Arderne, who is given in a couple of pedigrees in the 1580 visitation of Cheshire as the Blanche who was married to William Stanley about 1403, does not readily fit into the usual Arderne pedigrees.

In a 2017 thread, there was some discussion of the marriage of William and Blanche's daughter Isabel, where it was noted that the visitation evidence was rather weak.

The wording of the papal dispensation for the marriage of William and Blanche’s daughter Isabel Stanley seems to be relevant:

Lateran Regesta 243: 1423-1424.
1424. 7 Kal. Sept. Frascati. (f. 240.)
To the bishop of Lichfield. Mandate to dispense Robert de Legh, donsel, and Isabel Stanley, daughter of William Stanley, knight, of his diocese, to contract and solemnize marriage notwithstanding an impediment of quasi-affinity (impedimentum publice honestatis justicie) arising from the fact that the said Robert, when in or about his fifth year, and the late Isabel Savage (related to the above Isabel Stanley in the second degree of kindred), when in her seventh year, contracted espousals, the said Isabel Savage dying after cohabiting for eight years with Robert (insimul cohabitaverat carnali copula inter eos non secuta). Oblate nobis.

I am thinking that Isabel Stanley’s mother Blanche was actually the Blanche Savage mentioned by Leycester (Ormerod/Helsby i p. 712) as a daughter of John Savage of Clifton (died 1386) and Margaret Daniel. This would would make the two Isabels first cousins and thus related in the second degree. Any thoughts?

Roderick Ward