The New Edinburgh History of Scotland
Volucris
times. The Anglo-Saxons and the Scottisch royal house are popular
items. Even Stewart Baldwin has several biographies on the subject. I
browsed on the Newsgroup and at Baldwins marvelous site but I noticed
a unacquaintedness with a new serie books dedicated to revise and
explore the known history of Scotland: The New Edinburgh History of
Scotland.
http://www.euppublishing.com/series/NEHS
As the genealogy is rooted in history it would seem usefull to check
on what's still reliable in what we think we know for sure from the
past.
The volumes:
From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795, James E. Fraser, Jan
2009;
From Pictland to Alba, 789-1070, Alex Woolf, Oct 2007
make good reading.
I'm awaiting volume III:
Domination and Lordship: Scotland, 1070-1230, Richard Oram, Feb 2011.
With regards,
Hans Vogels
melanie chesnel
thanks for this - I have just ordered copies from Amazon. Not only
will they be interesting but I will be able to quote facts at my
mother when she waffles on about her scottish heritage and mixes up
fact, fiction and wishful thinking!
regards
melanie
Colin B. Withers
I have made excellent progress over the long weekend in researching the origins of the Blanchard family in England (particularly Yorkshire), before 1400.
First of all, I am amazed with the number of references I am finding to such a humble family. The Blanchards held manors in Lincolnshire from Domesday onwards, but the Blanchards in Yorkshire held almost no land, and were usually yeomen, or tenant farmers. Nonetheless I currently have over 200 references to them pre-1400.
I am currently looking at a spate of Blanchards cropping up in Normanby (now a suburb of Middlesborough), who witnessed several charters of other Normanby folk granting land to nearby Guisborough Priory, in the 13th century.
However, after 1300 there are no further references to this branch, and they appear to have died out. But the last one mentioned, a Domino Richard Blaunchard, in 1298, was a Capellanus, (Chaplain).
(1) This made me think, is the term 'Capellanus' confined solely to a chaplain, or could it refer to a curate as well? Were priests at this time expected to be celibate, as I am thinking that could be the reason for the branch dying out.
A couple of other witnesses to some of the charters that Blanchard witnessed were a John de Pothou, Robertus de Pothou and several others of this family occur (Cartluary of Guisborough Priory).
(2) Could this 'Pothou' be Poitou? I am thinking that this could be a clue as to the origin of the Blanchards, as the Blanchard in Lincolnshire was described in Domesday as 'Roger de Poitou's man'.
The Blanchards were mainly witnesses to deeds and charters in Normanby, but in one case a Blanchard granted land himself to the Priory. I am having a little difficulty translating a crucial part of the charter, the full text of which reads:
DCVII. Ricardus Blanchard de Normanby . . . Noveritis me red[d]idisse, et quantum ad me pertinet, penitus resignasse Domino Radulfo, Priori de Gyseburne, [Ralph de Irton, Prior 1262-1280] homagium quod eidem feceram de una dim. bov. terrae in Lankenby; quae scil. fuit maritagium Matildis matris meae, et quam de eodem Priore quandoque tenueram. Unde volo et concedo pro me et haer. meis, et praesentium tenore plene recognosco, dictum Priorem vel succ. suos ratione praefati homagii in nullo michi vel haer. meis teneri imperp. In cujus rei test, praesentibus litteris sigillum meum apposui coram hiis testibus, Johanne de Laysingby, Roberto de Marreys, Ricardo de Lyum, Ricardo de Westbec, Nicholao de Mideltune, Willelmo Beuchamp, et m.a.
I read the above as Richard Blanchard is donating half a bovate of land in Lankenby (Lazenby), to the prior and his successors, which came to Richard on his marriage, from his mother Matilda.
(3) Did I get this last part right? Or was it from Matilda, the mother of his wife?
I would appreciate it if anyone had any thoughts on any of these questions.
Regards
Colin
John Watson
wrote:
Hi Colin,
Since you are now researching in my part of the world, maybe I can
help with the place names.
Pothou is "Potto, (or Pottoe) a small hamlet, in the parish of
Whorlton wapentake and liberty of Langbargh ; ¾ mile W. of Whorlton, 5
miles SW. of Stokesley. Pop. 207." [Genuki]
Lankenby is not Lazenby as the editor of the Guisborough Chartulary
suggests, but Lackenby. "Lackenby, a hamlet in the parish of Wilton,
wapentake and liberty of Langbargh; 1¼ miles WSW. of Wilton, 4½ miles
NW. of Guisborough." [Genuki] It makes little difference as Lackenby
and Lazenby are only about a mile apart.
I read the charter as Richard is returning to the prior, the half
bovate in Lackenby which was the marigatum of Richard's mother Maud,
but I could be wrong.
Regards,
John
Colin B. Withers
I wonder why Richard was 'returning' this half bovate of land, rather than just granting it. I am thinking that this land came as part of Matilda's marriage portion, and her son and heir Richard was now donating it to the Priory. But of course, I would like to extract the precise meaning.
Colin
-----Original Message-----
From: gen-mediev...@rootsweb.com [mailto:gen-mediev...@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of John Watson
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 11:53 AM
To: gen-me...@rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: A few Medieval Questions
On Mar 8, 5:21�pm, "Colin B. Withers" <Colin.With...@eumetsat.int>
wrote:
> Hi one and all,
>
> I have made excellent progress over the long weekend in researching the origins of the Blanchard family in England (particularly Yorkshire), before 1400.
>
> First of all, I am amazed with the number of references I am finding to such a humble family. The Blanchards held manors in Lincolnshire from Domesday onwards, but the Blanchards in Yorkshire held almost no land, and were usually yeomen, or tenant farmers. Nonetheless I currently have over 200 references to them pre-1400.
>
> I am currently looking at a spate of Blanchards cropping up in Normanby (now a suburb of Middlesborough), who witnessed several charters of other Normanby folk granting land to nearby Guisborough Priory, in the 13th century.
>
> However, after 1300 there are no further references to this branch, and they appear to have died out. But the last one mentioned, a Domino Richard Blaunchard, in 1298, was a Capellanus, (Chaplain).
>
> (1) This made me think, is the term 'Capellanus' confined solely to a chaplain, or could it refer to a curate as well? Were priests at this time expected to be celibate, as I am thinking that could be the reason for the branch dying out.
>
> A couple of other witnesses to some of the charters that Blanchard witnessed were a John de Pothou, Robertus de Pothou and several others of this family occur (Cartluary of Guisborough Priory).
>
> (2) Could this 'Pothou' be Poitou? I am thinking that this could be a clue as to the origin of the Blanchards, as the Blanchard in Lincolnshire was described in Domesday as 'Roger de Poitou's man'.
>
> The Blanchards were mainly witnesses to deeds and charters in Normanby, but in one case a Blanchard granted land himself to the Priory. I am having a little difficulty translating a crucial part of the charter, the full text of which reads:
>
> DCVII. Ricardus Blanchard de Normanby . . . Noveritis me red[d]idisse, et quantum ad me pertinet, penitus resignasse Domino Radulfo, Priori de Gyseburne, [Ralph de Irton, Prior 1262-1280] homagium quod eidem feceram de una dim. bov. terrae in Lankenby; quae scil. fuit maritagium Matildis matris meae, et quam de eodem Priore quandoque tenueram. Unde volo et concedo pro me et haer. meis, et praesentium tenore plene recognosco, dictum Priorem vel succ. suos ratione praefati homagii in nullo michi vel haer. meis teneri imperp. In cujus rei test, praesentibus litteris sigillum meum apposui coram hiis testibus, Johanne de Laysingby, Roberto de Marreys, Ricardo de Lyum, Ricardo de Westbec, Nicholao de Mideltune, Willelmo Beuchamp, et m.a.
>
> I read the above as Richard Blanchard is donating half a bovate of land in Lankenby (Lazenby), to the prior and his successors, which came to Richard on his marriage, from his mother Matilda.
>
> (3) Did I get this last part right? Or was it from Matilda, the mother of his wife?
>
> I would appreciate it if anyone had any thoughts on any of these questions.
>
> Regards
>
> Colin
Hi Colin,
Since you are now researching in my part of the world, maybe I can
help with the place names.
Pothou is "Potto, (or Pottoe) a small hamlet, in the parish of
Whorlton wapentake and liberty of Langbargh ; � mile W. of Whorlton, 5
miles SW. of Stokesley. Pop. 207." [Genuki]
Lankenby is not Lazenby as the editor of the Guisborough Chartulary
suggests, but Lackenby. "Lackenby, a hamlet in the parish of Wilton,
wapentake and liberty of Langbargh; 1� miles WSW. of Wilton, 4� miles
NW. of Guisborough." [Genuki] It makes little difference as Lackenby
and Lazenby are only about a mile apart.
I read the charter as Richard is returning to the prior, the half
bovate in Lackenby which was the marigatum of Richard's mother Maud,
but I could be wrong.
Regards,
John
-------------------------------
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Matt Tompkins
wrote:
> However, after 1300 there are no further references to this branch, and they appear to have died out. But the last one mentioned, a Domino Richard Blaunchard, in 1298, was a Capellanus, (Chaplain).
>
> (1) This made me think, is the term 'Capellanus' confined solely to a chaplain, or could it refer to a curate as well? Were priests at this time expected to be celibate, as I am thinking that could be the reason for the branch dying out.
>
Chaplain described pretty much any unbeneficed stipendiary priest, and
was certainly used of curates hired by absentee rectors or vicars to
perform their duties. Priests were supposed to be celibate, but often
weren't.
> The Blanchards were mainly witnesses to deeds and charters in Normanby, but in one case a Blanchard granted land himself to the Priory. I am having a little difficulty translating a crucial part of the charter, the full text of which reads:
>
> DCVII. Ricardus Blanchard de Normanby . . . Noveritis me red[d]idisse, et quantum ad me pertinet, penitus resignasse Domino Radulfo, Priori de Gyseburne, [Ralph de Irton, Prior 1262-1280] homagium quod eidem feceram de una dim. bov. terrae in Lankenby; quae scil. fuit maritagium Matildis matris meae, et quam de eodem Priore quandoque tenueram. Unde volo et concedo pro me et haer. meis, et praesentium tenore plene recognosco, dictum Priorem vel succ. suos ratione praefati homagii in nullo michi vel haer. meis teneri imperp. In cujus rei test, praesentibus litteris sigillum meum apposui coram hiis testibus, Johanne de Laysingby, Roberto de Marreys, Ricardo de Lyum, Ricardo de Westbec, Nicholao de Mideltune, Willelmo Beuchamp, et m.a.
>
On Mar 8, 11:06 am, "Colin B. Withers" <Colin.With...@eumetsat.int>
wrote:
> I wonder why Richard was 'returning' this half bovate of land, rather than just granting it. I am thinking that this land came as part of Matilda's marriage portion, and her son and heir Richard was now donating it to the Priory. But of course, I would like to extract the precise meaning.
>
His donation of the land was a return of it in the feudal sense of a
tenant returning his holding to the lord who had originally granted it
to him (or whose predecessor had granted it to the donor's
predecessor). Richard's half bovate was a tenancy held from the prior
(quam de eodem Priore quandoque tenueram), and he was surrendering the
tenancy to its lord ('reddo' and 'resigno' in this context are usually
translated as 'surrender', rather than 'give back' or 'return').
Matt Tompkins
Colin B. Withers
Just to clarify, was this a case of Richard surrendering the land because he did not want it any longer, or because his father (or mother) having died, and he was the next heir, he had to surrender it and then pay a fine or admittance to take possession of it again?
Colin
-----Original Message-----
From: gen-mediev...@rootsweb.com [mailto:gen-mediev...@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Matt Tompkins
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 2:01 PM
To: gen-me...@rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: A few Medieval Questions
Matt Tompkins
Matt Tompkins
wrote:
> Just to clarify, was this a case of Richard surrendering the land because he did not want it any longer, or because his father (or mother) having died, and he was the next heir, he had to surrender it and then pay a fine or admittance to take possession of it again?
>
I would suppose he was surrendering it as a pious donation - half a
bovate was a valuable property for a peasant and I can't imagine one
would just not want it any more. It was a surrender only in form,
because a gift of a tenancy to its feudal lord was technically a
surrender of it to him.
Surrender plus re-admittance was a different form of conveyance
entirely, appropriate only to customary tenancies (ie villein
tenancies) and taking place in the lord's manor court by oral
proceedings, not via a charter. Charters were reserved to free
holdings - so because this surrender was effected by a deed we know
the holding was a free one.
The following is my best effort at a translation of the deed:
Know that I have surrendered, and so far as it pertains to me, have
entirely resigned to Sir Ralph, Prior of Gyseburn, the homage that I
had done to him for a half bovate of land in Lackenby, namely that
which was the maritagium of Matilda my wife, and which I had once held
from the same Prior. Concerning which I will and grant for me and my
heirs, and by the tenor of [these] presents I fully acknowledge,
[that] the said Prior or his successors shall by reason of the
aforementioned homage be in no wise bound to me or my heirs forever.
In witness whereof, etc.
Matt
Matt Tompkins
Achh - I mean Matilda my *mother*!