Isabel Gryseley/Gresley, wife of Eustace de Whitney, Richard de Baskerville, Vivian de Staundon, and John de Nowers

[celticp...@gmail.com]

Dear Newsgroup ~

In recent time, I've encountered a Gryseley/Gresley woman who seemingly had multiple marriages.

The following record indicates that Isabel Gryseley [Gresley] married (1st) Sir Eustace de Whitney [living 1352] and (2nd) by 1354 Sir Richard de Baskerville, of Eardisley, Herefordshire:

Papal Regs.: Letters 3 (1897): 522, 537–538 (dispensation dated 1354 for Richard de Baskervyle, Knt., and Isabella Gryseley [Gresley] to remain in marriage, he being related to Eustace de Whiteney [Whitney], Knt., her 1st husband, in the 4th degree of kindred).

This record (both items) may be viewed at the following weblink:

https://books.google.com/books?id=FdoLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA522

https://books.google.com/books?id=FdoLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA537

The following lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas indicates that Isabel had a third marriage before 1367 to Sir John de Nowers:

In 1367 John de Nowers, Knt., and Isabel his wife sued Richard de Baskerville, Knt., and Joan his wife in the Court of Common Pleas regarding the manor of Combe Baskerville(in Westcott), Gloucestershire, which the said Isabel claimed as dower of the dotation of Richard de Baskerville, Knt., her late husband; Joan, wife of the said Richard, is stated in the lawsuit to be the daughter of Adam de Everingham, of Laxton.

Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/429, image 327f (available at http://‌aalt.law.uh.edu/‌AALT4/‌E3/‌CP40no429/‌aCP40no429fronts/‌IMG_0327.htm).

Then checking around, I've located yet another marriage for Isabel to Vivian de Staundon, of Standon and Fenton Vivian, Staffordshire:

In Easter term 1367 John de Noweres, Knight, and Isabella, his wife, sued Thomas Roos, Knight, and Isabella, his wife, the custodes of the heir of Henry de Motelowe, for a third of 22 messuages, lands, and rent in Fenton Vivian, Staffordshire as dower of Isabel [de Noweres], of the dotation of Vivian de Staundon, her former husband.

Reference: Wrottesley, Staffordshire Suits: Plea Rolls (Colls. Hist. Staffs. 13) (1892): 60, available at the following weblink:

https://books.google.com/books?id=fSXQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA60

Salt, History of Standon: Parish, Manour and Church (): 83 indicates that John de Nouweres, Knt., was patron of the church of Standon, Staffordshirte in 1369.

Isabel was still living as late as 1374. In Michaelmas and Trinity terms 1374 Elizabeth daughter of Robert de Couley sued Isabel, widow of Vivian de Staundon, in the Court of Common Pleas regarding a messuage and lands in Staundon, Staffordshire.

Reference: Wrottesley, Staffordshire Suits: Plea Rolls (Colls. Hist. Staffs. 13) (1892): 117, 124, available at the following weblink:

https://books.google.com/books?id=fSXQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117

https://books.google.com/books?id=fSXQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA124

I'm not sure what children Isabel had in her various matrimonial alliances, but she may possibly be the mother of Richard de Baskerville, the younger [died 1374], who married before Michaelmas term 1367 Joan, daughter of Adam de Everingham, Knt., of Laxton. However, inasmuch as she married the elder Richard de Baskerville c.1354, and Richard the younger was already a knight in 1367, it seems far more likely that she was the younger Richard's step-mother.

In fact, Burke & Burke, Heraldic Illustrations (1845): Plate LXXIX (Baskerville ped.) identifies the parents of the younger Richard de Baskerville as Sir Richard Baskerville as “Sir Richard Baskerville, Knt., of Erdisley,” and “Isabella, dau. and co-heir of Sir Walter Paveley, Knt.”). See the following weblink:

https://books.google.com/books?id=5S0BAAAAQAAJ&pg=PT135

If true, then the elder Richard de Baskerville married (1st) Isabel Paveley and (2nd) Isabel, widow of Sir Eustace de Whitney.

There appear to have been two Walter de Paveley's, father and son. The elder died in 1327, and he is presumably the man intended above. He married Maud, daughter of Stephen de Burghersh. The elder Walter had a son and heir, also named Walter de Paveley, K.G. (died 1375), and two grandsons, but that line died out. If so, it could explain why the Baskervilles later quartered the Paveley arms, they being descended from a daughter of the elder Walter.

For a biography of the younger Walter de Paveley, K.G., see Beltz, Memorials of the Order of the Garter (1841): 93-95.

As to the identity of Vivian de Staundon, one of Isabel's known husbands, there was certainly a Vivian de Staundon who was killed before Christmas 18 Edward II [1324]. See Cal. of Patent Rolls, 1324-1327 (1904), pg. 319. However, he would appear to be too early to be Isabel's husband. VCH Warwick 5 (1949): 152-157 seems to think Vivian de Staundon who died in 1324 is the one who left two daughters, Joan (wife of Geoffrey Boydell) and Elizabeth (wife of Gilbert de Shottesbrook). But Salt, History of Standon (1888): 32 states that Vivian de Staundon who died in 1327 [sic] was followed by another Vivian de Staundon who had a daughter and heiress, Elizabeth, wife of Gilbert de Shottesbrook.

For evidence that there were two successive Vivian de Staundon's and that the younger Vivian was living in 1332, see Coll. History of Staffordshire 11 (1890): 35-40, which shows that in 1332, Robert son of Vivian de Staunton and Margaret his wife sued Ralph de Stafford, Knt., and Vivian son of Vivian de Staunton in the Court of Common Pleas, calling upon them to show cause why the fine of 13 Edward II respecting the manor of Staundon, Staffordshire and the advowson of the church of the manor should not be carried out.

Coll. History Staffs.11 (1890): 90-100 includes a Common Pleas lawsuit dated Michaelmas 1339 which proves there were no less than three successive Vivian de Staundon's, the last of whom was alive in 1339. See the following weblink:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/staffs-hist-collection/vol11/pp90-100

A much later Common Pleas lawsuit dated 1422 indicates that the last Vivian de Staundon had a wife, Elizabeth [query if Isabel is intended], and that he presented to the church of Staundon in the reign of King Edward II [1307-1327]. See Wrottesley, Pedigrees from the Plea Rolls (1905): 312. The same lawsuit also indicates that this Vivian de Staundon had two daughters and co-heirs, Joan (wife of Geoffrey Boydell) and Elizabeth (wife of Gilbert Shotesbrok). As indicated further above, Salt, History of Standon (1888): 83 states that John de Nowers, the last husband of the much married Isabel, presented to this church in 1369. So we are clearly dealing with the right Staundon family.

VCH Stafford 8 (1963): 205-224 discusses the Staundon family land holding at Fenton Vivian, Staffordshire, and only mentions one Vivian de Staundon living in 1310:

Robert [de Staundon] still held Fenton Vivian in 1297, the service to the overlord being then the same as in 1236. (fn. 135) By 1310 it had passed to his son Vivian (fn. 136) and between 1310 and 1347 to Henry Motlowe. (fn. 137) Henry still held it in 1359, (fn. 138) but had died before 1367. It is not clear on what terms Henry held the estate since in 1367 and 1368 Vivian of Standon's widow successfully sued the guardians of Henry Motlowe's heirs for dower in one-third of Fenton Vivian. (fn. 139) Thomas Roos, guardian of Henry Motlowe's heir, still held the remaining two-thirds of Fenton Vivian in 1369, (fn. 140) but in 1374 he was sued for waste there by John Massey and his wife Joan claiming that they held it 'as dower of Isabel' (presumably Isabel, widow of Vivian of Standon) of the inheritance of Joan. (fn. 141).

The VCH account above fails to mention that the Vivian de Staundon who died in 1324. Although it acknowledges that a certain Vivian de Staundon died before 1367 leaving a widow, no mention is made that the widow was in fact Isabel, then wife of Sir John de Nowers. Nor is any mention made of Vivian de Staundon's two daughters and co-heiresses, Joan and Elizabeth.

The 1422 lawsuit provides evidence that the last Vivian de Staundon (living 1339) had a daughter and co-heiress, Elizabeth, wife of Gilbert Shottesbrook, of Ordeston (in Ashbury), Bedfordshire. Vivian de Staundon was thus the maternal grandfather of Sir Robert Shottesbrook [died 1474], which Sir Robert was the husband of Edith Stourton [died 1441], the great-grandmother of King Henry VII of England.

In summary, the evidence is consistent that Isabel Gryseley/Gresley had four successive marriages: Vivian de Staundon (living 1339), Sir Eustace de Whitney (living 1352), Sir Richard de Baskerville (living 1354, dead by 1367), and Sir John de Nowers (living 1369).

Comments are invited.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

[celticp...@gmail.com]

Dear Newsgroup ~

Chetwynd, History of Pirehill Hundred 2 (Colls. Hist. Staffs. 3rd Ser. 1914) (1914): 11 includes a list of the patrons of the church of Standon, Staffordshire. The list indicates that Vivian de Standon presented to this church in 1337, not in the reign of King Edward II as claimed in the 1422 lawsuit as reported in my first post. This proves that the last Vivian de Standon was living in 1337. The list provided by Chetwynd also confirms the statement made by Mr. Salt that Sir John Nowers presented to the church in 1369. The next patrons in 1402 were John de Shottesbrook and Geoffrey Boydell, who were Vivian de Standon's grandson and son-in-law respectively. Here are the presentations reported by Chetwynd:

Year
1337. Henry de Melbourne; by exchange with Oliver de Shulton, patron Vivian de Standon.

1340. Richard (or Robt.) de Brumpton; by exchange with Henry de Melbourne.

1369. Robert Andrewe, presb., on death of Richard de Brompton, late rector; patron Sir John Nowers, kt.

1402. John Halburn (or Hallum), chaplain, on death of Robt. Andrewe, patrons John Schotesbrock and Geoff. Boydell.

1407. Ralph Harewell, chaplain, on death of John Halburn.

In a footnote on page 11, Mr. Chetwynd states that Sir John Nowers presented to the church of Standon in 1369 in right of his wife, Isabella, "dau. of Henry de Motelowe, and widow of Vivian de Standon." The reference cited for this information is Colls. Hist. Staffs. 13 (1892): 60. This reference is to the abstract of a Common Pleas lawsuit cited in my first post. The lawsuit confirms that Sir John Nowers' wife Isabel was the widow of Vivian de Standon, but it does not state, indicate, or imply that she was the daughter of Henry de Motelowe.

An abstract of the lawsuit in question can be viewed at the following weblink:

https://books.google.com/books?id=fSXQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA60

So far, a death date of the last Vivian de Staundon (husband of Isabel) hasn't turned up. However, given that Vivian de Staundon was the grandfather of Sir Robert Shottesbrook (husband of Edith Stourton), the chronology of Sir Robert's life surely dictates that his grandfather Vivian must have survived until at least the mid-1340's.

Consequently, today I checked the book, Crécy & Calais, by Wrottesley, published in 1898. On pp. 34, 114, 133, 143, Wrottesley gives details of Vivian de Staundon's involvement in the French war in 1346-1347. He indicates that Vivian de Staundon was serving in France in 1346 in the retinue of Richard, Earl of Arundel. Likewise in 1347 he was serving in France in the retinue of John le Strange, of Whitchurch (in Blackmere). In 1347, as "Sir Vivian de Staundon," he is mentioned being of the King's retinue.

In my first post, I stated that the younger Richard de Baskerville and his wife, Joan de Everingham, were married by 1367, which is proven by a lawsuit of that date. The fine below, however, indicates that Richard and his wife Joan were married, or contracted to marry, by 27 January 1348. However, the couple must surely have been young adults (say say 12 or 13) in 1348, as their son and heir, Richard de Baskerville III, wasn't born until about 1371, or 23 years after their reputed marriage.

Source: http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk
CP 25/1/82/42, number 144.
Link: Image of document at AALT
County: Herefordshire.
Place: Westminster.
Date: Two weeks from St Hilary, 22 Edward III [27 January 1348]. And afterwards one week from Holy Trinity in the same year [22 June 1348].
Parties: Richard de Baskeruill', knight, querent, and John Boter, deforciant.
Property: The manor of Stretton' by Sugwas.
Action: Plea of covenant.
Agreement: Richard has acknowledged the manor to be the right of John, as that which John has of his gift.
For this: John has granted to Richard the manor and has rendered it to him in the court, to hold to Richard, of the chief lords for the life of Richard. And after the decease of Richard the manor shall remain to Richard, son of the same Richard, and Joan, daughter of Adam de Eueryngham, and the heirs of their bodies, to hold of the chief lords for ever. In default of such heirs, remainder to the right heirs of the aforesaid Richard de Baskeruill'.

Thus it would appear that the younger Richard de Baskerville [died 1374] was obviously the step-son, not son, of the much married Isabel Gryseley [Gresley].