Margaret Eylesford: VCH Essex extract

[mj...@btinternet.com]

I note the following in VCH Essex, sub Boxted, which might be of
interest to those researching the Eylesford family:

John's heir Maud, daughter of John Breton the younger, married Richard
River who held the manor in 1317, and from whom it took its name by
1391. He was apparently succeeded by his son Thomas, who died without
issue, and then by his daughter Margaret, who married Roger Bellers
before 1361. By 1376 the manor had passed in marriage with their
daughter Margaret to Robert Swillington (d. 1391) who was succeeded by
his son Roger, holding in 1410. Roger Swillington was succeeded by his
daughter Margaret, wife of John Aylesford, who sold the manor before
1428 to Thomas Morsted (d. before 1464).

From: 'Boxted: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of
Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne
and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 59-62.

MA-R

[Millerf...@aol.com]

Michael Andrewes-Reading helpfully posted an extract from

'Boxted: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of
Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne

and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 59-62, as follows:-

"John's heir Maud, daughter of John Breton the younger, married Richard
"River who held the manor in 1317, and from whom it took its name by

". He was apparently succeeded by his son Thomas, who died without

", and then by his daughter Margaret, who married Roger Bellers
"before 1361. By 1376 the manor had passed in marriage with their
"daughter Margaret to Robert Swillington (d. 1391) who was succeeded by
"his son Roger, holding in 1410. Roger Swillington was succeeded by his
"daughter Margaret, wife of John Aylesford, who sold the manor before
"1428 to Thomas Morsted (d. before 1464)."

I have not yet consulted the references given by VCH in support of this
passage, but it seems to me that the authors are partly in error here. It has
previously been shown on this list that the widowed Margaret Swillington, nee
Belers, remarried Sir John Eylesford the younger: see Nottingham University
Library Parkyns of Bunny Pa D 30
17 March 1393/4 (accessible on _www.a2a.org.uk_ (http://www.a2a.org.uk) )
" Indenture between John de Eynesford and Margaret his wife, formerly the
wife of Robert de
" Swillyngton, on the one part, and Robert Grethed and his companions,
executors of the "testament of Robert de Swillington on the other part. Robert
Grethed and his companions in "accordance with Robert's will have delivered to
John and Margaret various items of silver"

Probate of the Will of Margaret Swylyngton or Eynesford of Kyrkeby Belers
was granted at London, according to the online National Archives, on 2nd July
1418- PROB11/2B. That was in fact the date by which her executors were ordered
to bring in their accounts; the actual date of the grant of probate was 23rd
April 1418. In the Will, dated 19th February I HV, she refers to "Dom Joh
Eynesford quondam vir meus"- i.e "formerly my husband". He was evidently dead,
because the Will contains a legacy of ten marks to the Penitentiary of St
Paul's, London, described as one of her late husband's executors, to celebrate
mass for the souls of herself and her late husband. Towards the end of the
Will there is another legacy of ten marks to another John Eynesford, whose name
is followed by a word which I have not been able to read. I have no idea who
this John may have been, but he was certainly not the husband of Margaret,
daughter of Roger Swillingford- see below for the proof that this Margaret was
the wife of Sir John Graa. Also there is a legacy of six marks to "John
Daundesy": I take him to have John Dansey of Webton, identified in the
Herefordshire archives as the son and heir of Katherine, daughter of John Eyllesford,
Kt- see HRO AL40/ 998 and 1117.

Margaret Eylesford nee Belers IPM is at the PRO: C138/32, dated to 6 HV. She
is there recorded as "Aylesford, Margaret, formerly wife of Robert
Swillington, Kt".

CPR for 1433, pages 291-296, records a series of lawsuits in which Ralph
Cromwell succeeded in recovering (against Sir John Graa) inter alia the manor of
Crich as the heir of Margaret Swillington/Eylesford. But the IPM of Margaret
Gra (C139/46/40. 8 HVI) records that SHE was the daughter and heiress of Sir
Roger Swillington, married to Sir John Gra. So I think that VCH is wrong to
propose (in the last sentence cited by MA-R) that Sir Roger Swillington's
heiress Margaret was married to an Eylesford.

What I think happened is that Sir John Gra entered on various properties,
inherited from the Belers family, which had belonged to Margaret
Belers/Swillington/Eylesford in her own right (including the manors of Crich and Bonney),
claiming them in right of his wife Margaret, a Swillington heiress. But Ralph
Cromwell was able to recover them, as the heir of Margaret
Belers/Swillington/Eylesford.

By the way it is not always easy to trace the family entries in the National
Archives online. I advise people to use the search strings "ey*sford OR
ey*sford" and "sw*l?ngton"
MM

[WJho...@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/17/06 6:44:46 AM Pacific Standard Time,
Millerf...@aol.com writes:

<< But Ralph
Cromwell was able to recover them, as the heir of Margaret
Belers/Swillington/Eylesford. >>

How was Ralph Cromwell an heir to Margaret Bellers ?
I seem to be missing that connection.
Thanks
Will Johnson

[Tim Powys-Lybbe]

CP III, 551 gives Anice, dau. & coh. of Roger de Bellers, as the wife of
Sir Ralph de Cromwell who d. bef. 28 Oct 1364.

That's probably a start.

--
Tim Powys-Lybbe                                          t...@powys.org
             For a miscellany of bygones: http://powys.org/

[Millerf...@aol.com]

In reply to Will's query of 17th November, I derive the following from a
post of Kay Allen dated 28th September 2001:-
Ralph Cromwell, d. before 28th October 1364= Amice Bellers of Kirby Belers
Son Ralph, 1st Lord Cromwell, d. 27th August 1398= Maud Bernake of
Tattershall, Lincs
Grandson Ralph, living 1433
This last-mentioned Ralph was the one who claimed to be heir of
Margaret Belers/Swillington/Eylesford.

This Margaret and Amice were the daughters of Roger Belers of Kirby,
whose descendants failed in the male line, as explained in CPR HVI vol 2,
pages 290 et seq.
Thus Cromwell, as a descendant of Amice, came to be her sister Margaret's
heir
MM

[jonathan kirton]

To: MM & Will Johnson,

Can you please explain how the two Roger Belers, father
and son; the son
having a daughter Margaret Belers; so that Ralph Cromwell,
son of Ralph
Cromwell, 1st. Lord Cromwell of Tattershall, was able to
claim to be the heir
of this Margaret ? (quoting CPR Hen. VI, pages 290 - 294),
and how they may
be related to the family of Bellers of Kirby Bellers, co.
Leics. ?
("Kirby" is not mentioned at all in the given ref. ?)
This family is shown in "Middlesex Pedigrees", pages 12 /
13 / 14, under
"Leeke of Wyer Hall, Edmonton", which would seem to
indicate that the
Bellers of Kirby Bellers did indeed fail in the male line
at about the time
indicated, but that this occurred as a result of the death
of John Bellars, dsp,
the only son of John Bellers of Kirby Bellars, who was
the only son of
Sir James Bellers, knight, and his wife, Margarett, dau. of
Nicholas Bernake.
The John Bellers who died sans progeny left four sisters:-
Joane, Margaret, Ellyn and Maryan, who were presumably
all his coheirs.
Margaret Bellers became the lady prioress of Langley,
while Joane
and Maryan both married, but evidently had no
children. Ellyn married
William Ruskyn of nearby Melton Mowbray, co. Leics., and had
a son, Jasper
(obit s.p.) and three daughters, Anne Ruskyn and Margarett
Ruskyn, who
became their father's coheirs, and Catherin, who became a
nun at Powlesworth
Abbey. Anne Ruskin, by then Mrs. Anne Leeke, married as
her 2nd. husband,
John Kirton, (no, not Sir John) an attorney, and former
Member of Parliament,
who died at Edmonton, Middlesex in 1529. His tomb in
All Saints' Church,
Edmonton, for many years displayed the blazons of his two
wives: firstly that
of Margaret (nee White), and secondly that of Anne (nee
Ruskyn), which was
quartered as follows: Bellers / Howby / Ruskyn / Bellers.

I will shortly be receiving Harleian MS 1551, folio 7,
which may throw a bit
more light on the situation.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Kirton