Margaret de Berkeley, wife of John de Neville and John Giffard
Douglas Richardson
near kinsman to a certain Margaret, who was married for the lst time
before 1276, to John de Neville (died shortly before 20 May 1282), of
Hallingbury, Wethersfield, etc., Essex; and, who was married for the
second time in 1287, to John Giffard (died 29 May 1299), of
Brimpsfield, co. Gloucester, lst Lord Giffard. Evidence of the kinship
is found in documents relating to the foundation of six chantries in
1343, by Lord Berkeley, in which he requested prayers for his parents,
brother, brother-in-law, first wife, son, daughter, and other
"relatives," namely John and Margaret Giffard, and John de Wylyngton
and Joan his wife [Reference: R. M. Haines, A Calendar of the Register
of Wolstan de Bransford, Bishop of Worcester, 1339-49, published 1966
(as Worcestershire Historical Society, Vol. 4, and Historical
Manuscripts Commission, Joint Publication, Vol. 9), pp. xxxv-xxxvi. It
may be noted that Margaret, wife of John Giffard, was mother of Joan,
wife of John de Wylyngton. Inasmuch as we have a mother-daughter
combination, one would assume that the mother was nearly related to
Lord Berkeley.
As I understand it, Lord Berkeley had a great-aunt named Margaret, she
being daughter of Maurice de Berkeley (died 1281), by his wife, Isabel,
daughter of Richard Fitz Roy. Margaret is shown as a child of this
couple in Paget's baronial series, but no marriage is provided for her.
That this is the right Margaret is indicated by the Papal dispensation
that Margaret obtained when she married her second husband, John
Giffard. According to Complete Peerage, 5 (1926): 643, footnote "a",
Margaret, widow of John de Neville, and her 2nd husband, John Giffard,
were related in the 3rd and 4th degrees of consanguinity.
A review of John Giffard's ancestry and the proposed Margaret de
Berkeley show that they were related in the right degree of kinship, he
being great-grandson and she great-great-granddaughter of Maurice Fitz
Robert Fitz Harding, of Berkeley, who died in 1190.
Curiously, Margaret's identity has previously been obscured by the
confusion over whether she or her lst husband, John de Neville, was
related to Walter Giffard, Archbishop of York (see Complete Peerage, 9
(1936): 483, footnote "j"). Inasmuch as Margaret now appears to have
been a Berkeley, it is clear it that John de Neville who was related to
Archbishop Giffard, they being nephew and uncle. John de Neville is in
fact called nephew by the Archbishop in a record dated 1272.
Although Margaret Berkeley's only Giffard child, John, Jr., died
without issue, it seems a distinct possibility that she has Neville
descendants. If anyone knows of any, please contact me at my e-mail
address:
All for now. Best always, Douglas Richardson
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Douglas Richardson
Berkeley) (de Neville) Giffard:
Complete Peerage, vol. 9 (1936) sub Neville of Essex shows that John de
Neville, 2nd Lord Neville, of Essex, died in 1358 without issue. His
heir of the blood was William son of John Seymour (or Semer) of
Syleham, Suffolk. The editor of Complete Peerage surmises that William
Seymour was probably descended from Lord Neville's father, Hugh de
Neville, lst Lord Neville (see CP, 9: 486, foonote "d"). If correct,
then the Seymour family of Syleham, Suffolk would possess a valid
descent from Hugh's mother, Margaret de Berkeley, mentioned in my
earlier post (repeated below) and an equally valid descent from
Margaret's ancestor, King John of England.
If anyone knows of any Seymour descendants who might have this
connection, please contact me at my e-mail address:
According to CP, the Seymours of Syleham were a cadet branch of the
Lords St. Maur (or Seymour) family.
All for now. Best always, Douglas Richardson
In article <0a0133f8...@usw-ex0106-041.remarq.com>, Douglas