CP Correction: Arundel/Lenthall
Brad Verity
Arundel and the House of Fitzalan. The footnote (a) below the
pedigree states "In the descendants of these three Ladies [Elizabeth,
Duchess of Norfolk; Joan, Lady Abergavenny; and Dame Margaret
Lenthall] vests the representation of the earlier Earls of Arundel.
In 1895 the coheirs of the eldest..."
This implies there were descendants of all three surviving sisters of
Thomas, 12th or 5th Earl of Arundel (d. 1415), but that wasn't the
case. Margaret Lenthall's only child Edumnd died s.p. and
(apparently) unmarried shortly before 7 July 1447.
I have not yet been able to determine when Margaret Fitzalan (said to
be aged 33 in 1415, so born about 1382) married the Herefordshire
knight Sir Rowland Lenthall, but she was unmarried when her father
wrote his will in March 1392, and assigned her 100 marks payable
"until she shall be reasonably married", and a further sum of 1000
marks for her marriage settlement, to be increased to 1500 marks at
the discretion of his executors.
Sir Rowland Lenthall led a contingent at Agincourt and served as
Sheriff of Herefordshire, but it's noteworthy that he was neither an
earl nor a Marcher baron like the husbands of Margaret's elder
sisters. This suggests that the marriage took place after the 1397
execution of Margaret's father, who had been one of (if not the)
wealthiest earls in the realm.
Margaret was married to Lenthall by the time of the death of her
brother the earl of Arundel in October 1415. Their only (or at least
only surviving) child, Edmund Lenthall, was born in 1420, apparently
on the feast of St. Botolph:
From Patent Rolls: "9 Aug. 1441, Dogmersfield. Edmund Lenthale has
made petition to the king showing that whereas by divers inquisitions
taken in divers counties in England and the march of Wales ... ; and
praying that the king will grant him licence to enter his pourparty of
the premises; the king, considering that the said Edmund came of age
on the feast of St. Botolph last, and that nothing has been assigned
to him while in the king's ward, as is usual, whereby he is greatly
indebted, and that the king has granted to John, duke of Norfolk, and
Elizabeth, wife of Edward Nevile, lord of Bergavenny, co-parceners of
Edmund, that they may enter their several pourparties, has now granted
to Edmund that he may do the like. By p.s. and dated etc."
Margaret Lenthall died shortly before 5 May 1423, when a writ was
issued from Westminster to the escheators of Salop and Sussex to take
into the king's hand the lands of "Margaret, late the wife of Rowland
Lentale, knight". Curiously, even though his father was alive, Edmund
became a ward of the king.
Edmund did not live long after he received his inheritance, and was
never knighted. He died shortly before 7 July 1447:
From Fine Rolls: "Writs of diem clausit extremum, after the death of
the following persons, directed to the escheators in the counties
named:---
7 July 1447. Edmund Lentall; Surrey and Sussex.
30 Jan. 1448. Edmund Lenthale; Essex."
Edmund died without issue, and without siblings of the full blood, for
according to the VCH Essex article on the manor of Housham: "That
share, together with Edmund's one ninth share from the countess of
Arundel, were probably divided, like Woolston Hall in Chigwell,
between the duke of Norfolk and George Neville, Lord Abergavenny (d.
1492)."
However, Edmund did have at least one half-sibling, a brother Rowland
Lenthall, from his father's second marriage to Lucy Grey. Rowland
Lenthall the younger was of full age in Feb. 1451, so born in 1430 or
earlier:
From Fine Rolls: "11 Feb. 1451. Order to the escheator in the county
of Hereford and the adjacent march of Wales;--pursuant to an
inquisition taken before him showing that Rowland Leynthale knight on
the day of his death held no lands in the said county or march in his
demesne as of fee, but that William Esteby clerk, being seised of the
manor of Monkelon in his demesne as of fee, gave the said manor to the
said Rowland and Lucy his wife, to hold to them and the heirs male of
the bodies, by virtue of which gift the said Rowland and Lucy were
seised in their demesne as of fee tail; and that they had issue,
Rowland, who still survives; and that afterwards the said Lucy died,
and Rowland the father, having survived her, died seised of such
estate, after whose deaths the said manor descended to the said
Rowland the son, as son and heir male of the said Rowland the father
and Lucy, by the form of the gift; ... and that the said Rowland the
son is the son and next heir of the said Rowland the father, and of
full age;..."
This complicated transaction regarding the Herefordshire manor of
Monkelon was probably done by Rowland Lenthall, his wife Lucy, and the
clerk William Esteby, while Edmund Lenthall was still alive, in order
for younger half-brother Rowland to have a property after the bulk of
their father's estates would be inherited by Edmund.
Sir Rowland Lenthall, Edmund's father and Margaret's husband, died
shortly before 9 December 1450:
From Fine Rolls: "Writs of diem clausit extremum, after the death of
the following persons, directed to the escheators in the counties
named:---
9 Dec. 1450. Rowland Lenthale, knight; Hereford and the adjacent
march of Wales.
19 Dec. 1450. Rowland Lenthale, knight; Salop and the adjacent march
of Wales.
8 Feb. 1451. Rowland Lenthale, knight; Surrey; Essex."
Many pedigrees make the subsequent Lenthalls profiled in "Burke's
Landed Gentry" descendants of Sir Rowland Lenthall and Margaret
Fitzalan, but if they are descended from Sir Rowland Lenthall (d.
1450), they have to be from his second wife Lucy Grey and probably
through their son Rowland.
So after 1447, the representation of the earlier Earls of Arundel was
only vested in the descendants of Elizabeth, Duchess of Norfolk, and
Joan, Lady Bergavenny.
Cheers, --------Brad
Brad Verity
> Sir Rowland Lenthall led a contingent at Agincourt and served as
> Sheriff of Herefordshire, but it's noteworthy that he was neither an
> earl nor a Marcher baron like the husbands of Margaret's elder
> sisters. This suggests that the marriage took place after the 1397
> execution of Margaret's father, who had been one of (if not the)
> wealthiest earls in the realm.
There's an interesting passage from a website about Hampton Court in
Herefordshire:
http://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/about/castle_history.html
"The estate ws originally formed by the merging of the manors of
Hampton Richard and Hampton Mappenor. It was granted by Henry IV to
Sir Rowland Lenthall at the time of his marriage to Margaret Fitzalan,
daughter of the Earl of Arundel and a cousin of the King. Lenthall
built the original quadrangular manor house in 1427, twelve years
after his knighthood at the battle of Agincourt. In 1434 he was
granted a licence to crenellate the house by Henry IV."
It is said he used the money he received from ransoming prisoners he
took at Agincourt to build the manor house, which still exists today.
I'll try and find the grant to Lenthall of Hampton Court, which may
help provide a date for his marriage to Margaret. I wonder why Henry
IV gave him a whole combined estate at his marriage - Margaret was
from one of the wealthiest families in England. It certainly shows
that Lenthall was held in high esteem by the king (who was Duke of
Hereford prior to 1399). If true and Henry IV gifted them Hampton
Court in Hereford at marriage, then we know it took place after 1400.
> Margaret was married to Lenthall by the time of the death of her
> brother the earl of Arundel in October 1415. Their only (or at least
> only surviving) child, Edmund Lenthall, was born in 1420, apparently
> on the feast of St. Botolph:
The feast of St. Botolph is celebrated on the 17th of June.
Cheers, -------Brad