Nicholas Devereux of Chanston

Last updated

Nicholas Devereux of Chanston
Borncirca 1196
Diedcirca 1240
Issue Nicholas II Devereux of Chanston
Thomas Devereux
Master Hugh Devereux
Master Robert Devereux
Father Walter Devereux (born 1173)

Nicholas Devereux of Chanston (Vowchurch) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of John and Henry III of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches [1] during the thirteenth century, and Nicholas Devereux was a key member of the retinue of Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath.

Contents

Ancestry

Nicholas Devereux was born about 1196, the son of Walter Devereux [2] [3] and Cecilia de Longchamp. [3] His father was a member of the retinue of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, and upon Walter's death about 1197 his estates were taken into de Braose's hands for the king. [4] [5] Following his death the Testa de Nevil listed Cecilia Devereux and her son Nicholas holding part of a fee in Chanston(e). [6]

The sons of Walter and Cecilia Devereux were fostered for training as knights: Stephen Devereux [2] with William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke; John Devereux with William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber; [2] and Nicholas Devereux, with Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath. [7] [8] [9] The three brothers would sire the three Devereux families that would play an integral role in controlling the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century.

Career

Nicholas Devereux joined the retinue of Walter de Lacy about 1205. De Lacy was the son-in-law of the William de Braose who was holding his father's estates for the king. In 1203, John granted custody of the city of Limerick to de Braose. [10] and Walter de Lacy served as his deputy here. [10] Over the next several years Walter de Lacy became involved in a conflict with Meiler Fitzhenry, Justiciar of Ireland, and by 1208 was solidifying his hold on Meath. [11] Nicholas Devereux would spend his early years supporting his lord in Ireland.

During the summer of 1208 King John used William de Braose's escalating debt and refusal to provide a hostage, to seize his lands and order the arrest of his family. [12] He fled to his friend, the earl of Pembroke, in Ireland. [12] The king's men seized Braose's lands, and tracked him to Leinster. William Marshal denied knowledge of the charges against Braose, and refused to turn him over claiming he was under the protection of his hospitality. [13] Braose was escorted to Meath where he took sanctuary with Walter de Lacy. The King seized Braose's lands, and replaced him as sheriff of Hereford with his mercenary commanders. Among the seized lands were the lands of the under-age Nicholas Devereux in Hereford. These were first given over to Walter de Lacy, but on discovering that Braose was in Meath, the king seized the de Lacy lands in Ireland, and placed the Devereux lands in Hereford in the hands of Miles Pichard. [14] [15] [16] John brought a great army to Ireland, landing in county Waterford, and marching north. [17] Upon reaching Dublin in late June 2010, Walter de Lacy attempted to throw himself on John's mercy, placing his lands in Meath back in the king's hand, and disclaiming any attempt to shelter his brother, Hugh, from John's wrath. [18] Walter de Lacy's submission was accepted, but John would hold Walter's lands in Meath for five years. [19] Hugh de Lacy was defeated, and fled to Scotland. William de Braose fled to France and died. [14]

In the summer of 1211 a Welsh rebellion forced King John to redirect his attention to their suppression. His forces were further strained by the discovery of a plot to usurp the throne. As John's popularity plummeted following his failed expedition to Poitou in 1214, [20] he attempted to secure support against the brewing revolt by negotiating the restoration to Walter de Lacy of his lands in Meath. [19] Nicholas Devereux's loyalty to de Lacy throughout this period led to the restoration of his lands, and his appointment as the Steward of Meath in the 1220s. Devereux is one of the most frequent witnesses to Walter de Lacy's surviving documents. [21]

Following the death of William Marshal on 14 May 1219, Nicholas Devereux's brother, Stephen, accepted a grant from Gilbert de Lacy of 12 virgates of land in the manor of Staunton-on-Wye (part of the honor of Weobley) to also bring him into the de Lacy retinue. Both Walter de Lacy and his son, Gilbert, witnessed and confirmed Stephen Devereux's extensive grants to Wormsley Priory. [22]

In 1220 Walter de Lacy returned to Ireland and was heavily involved in the series of wars occurring there. During 1224 Hugh de Lacy attacked the lands held by the 2nd earl of Pembroke, and other royal demesne lands. William fitzWilliam Marshal returned to Ireland and subdued Hugh de Lacy, but by 1227 the earldom of Ulster had been restored to him. [lower-alpha 1]

In 1230 Nicholas Devereux's brother, Sir John Devereux, witnessed the grant by Walter Clifford, son of Walter Clifford and Agnes Cundy, to Katherine, daughter of Walter de Lacy, of Burley held as part of the manor of Corfham. [23] About this same time Nicholas Devereux witnessed the quitclaim of William de Aldon to Walter de Lacy of all his lands in Aldon, county Shropshire, in exchange for lands in Ireland. [24]

Between 1230 and 1234 Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, granted lands to God and the church of St. Mary and St. Laurence, Beaubec, for the souls of himself, Margaret his wife, Gilbert de Lacy his son [died 1230], and his ancestors and successors. [25] Nicholas Devereux witnessed this document. On 2 December the king issued a charter confirming the grant of Walter de Lacy. [9]

On 16 April 1234, Walter de Lascy, lord of Meath, granted land in Mariners (near the port of Drogheda, Ireland) to God and the abbot and monks of St. Mary's, Furness (England) for the good of his soul and the souls of Marjory (his spouse), Hugh de Lascy (his father), Roays (his mother), Robert de Lascy (his brother), Gilbert (his son), and his ancestors and successors. Nicholas Devereux witnessed and instituted this grant on his behalf. [9] In December 1236 Walter de Lacy made an additional grant of land in Mariners to the abbot and monks of St, Mary's, Furness, for the good of his soul and of the souls of Margery de Lacy (his spouse), Gilbert de Lacy (his son), his ancestors and successors. Nicholas Devereux witnessed this as well. [9]

Nicholas Devereux died about 1240.

Marriage

Nicholas Devereux married an unknown woman, and they had children:

Notes

  1. ↑ Nicholas Devereux’s son, Hugh Devereux, was probably named for Hugh de Lacy
  2. ↑ Nicholas Devereux submitted a plea in October 1253 for relief against Walter Kingston whose armed men had destroyed his crops in Enlatheston (Chanston)
  3. ↑ Thomas Devereux received a grant on 30 May 1246 of 11 ½ acres assarted from the king’s demesne of Bozeat, county Northampton, and custody of the Hurnewude wood. He witnessed a charter of the Earl of Derby on 12 December 1251 manumitting men in Hecham, and a quitclaim by John Tropinel during the time of Henry III. In February 1263 a Thomas Devereux is on a list of fees of those wards and marriages due with relief for ½ fee in Stoke. This Thomas probably had a son of the same name, Thomas Devereux the younger, and probably was the Thomas Devereux who Simon Ban was pardoned for killing in self-defense on 7 June 1293. Bozeat passed out of the family, and was granted in mortmain by John de Stokes on 26 November 1325.
  4. ↑ In 1281 a fine was executed between Master Hugh Devereux and his cousin, Simon Devereux, regarding rents in Staundon and Humber in Herefordshire.
  5. ↑ Robert Devereux entered the clergy. He was appointed as the attorney of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, in the matter of a contested debt with a Jewish moneylender, Samuel son of Isaac, during Easter 1244. He later witnessed Richard de Clare's grant to the church in Saint Mary's, Bruern, that included lands in Eastleach and Burton. The Devereux family had also made donations to this church from these locations.

General references

Specific references

  1. ↑ Brock W. Holden. Lords of the Central Marches. (Oxford; Oxford University Press, 2008). page 92
  2. 1 2 3 Gabriel O'C Redmond. "An Account of the Anglo-Norman Family of Devereux, of Balmagir, County Wexford." (Dublin: Office of "The Irish Builder," 1891). Pages 1 to 6
  3. 1 2 Morgan G. Watkins. Collections Towards the History and Antiquities of the County of Hereford in continuation of Duncumb’s History, Hundred of Radlow. (High Town [Hereford]: Jakeman & Carver, 1902). Page 42 to 49. Parish of Castle Frome, Genealogy contributed by Lord Hereford
  4. ↑ Thomas Duffus Hardy (editor). Rotuli Normanniae in turri Londinensi Asservati, Johanne et Henrico Quinto, Angliae Regibus, Volume 1 1200-1205. London. 1835. Page 86
  5. ↑ Deputy Keeper of the Records. Curia Regis Rolls, Volume 1, Richard I to 2 John I. (London: Public Record office, 1922). Page 129, Membrane 8d, 1200
  6. ↑ Liber Feodorum. The Book of Fees Commonly Called Testa de Nevill, Reformed From the Earliest Mss. By The Deputy Keeper of the Records. Part 1, AD 1198 -1242. London: Published by his Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1920. Pages 631-2
  7. ↑ The Deputy Keeper of Records. "Liber Feodorum. The Book of Fees Commonly Called Testa de Nevill, Reformed From the Earliest Mss; Part 1, AD 1198 - 1242." (London: Published by his Majesty's Stationery Office, 1920). Pages 631-2
  8. ↑ W. Holden Brook. "Lords of the Central Marches: English Aristocracy and Frontier Society, 1087-1265." (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008). Pages 101, 113
  9. 1 2 3 4 H.C. Maxwell Lyte, ed. (14 November 1900). "Calendar of Patent Rolls, Volume 5. (London: Public Record Office, 1900)" (PDF). p. 53. Retrieved 5 January 2016. Reading, membrane 24 & 25
  10. 1 2 A.P Otway-Ruthven. A History of Medieval Ireland. (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993). Page 77
  11. ↑ A.P Otway-Ruthven. A History of Medieval Ireland. (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993). Page 78
  12. 1 2 Thomas Asbridge. The Greatest Knight. (New York: Harper Collins, 2014). Page 312
  13. ↑ Thomas Asbridge. The Greatest Knight. (New York: Harper Collins, 2014). Page 313
  14. 1 2 Thomas Asbridge. The Greatest Knight. (New York: Harper Collins, 2014). Page 314
  15. ↑ Bernard. The Picards of Pychards; of Stradewy (now Tretower) Castle, and Scethrog, Brecknockshire. (London: Golding and Lawrence, 1878). page 15-16, 23
  16. ↑ Thomas Duffus Hardy. Rotuli litterarum patentium in Turri londinensi asservati. Volume 1. Part 1. (London: Commissioners on the Public Records, 1835). Page 91
  17. ↑ A.P Otway-Ruthven. A History of Medieval Ireland. (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993). Page 79
  18. ↑ A.P Otway-Ruthven. A History of Medieval Ireland. (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993). Page 80
  19. 1 2 A.P Otway-Ruthven. A History of Medieval Ireland. (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993). Page 86
  20. ↑ Thomas Asbridge. The Greatest Knight. (New York: Harper Collins, 2014). Page 323
  21. ↑ Colin Veach. Lordship in Four Realms; The Lacy Family, 1166-1241. (New York: Manchester University Press/Manchester Medieval Studies, 2014). appendix 2, Table 5
  22. ↑ Roger Dodsworth. Monasticon Anglicanum by William Dugsdale. (London: 1673). Vol. 3, Additions to Volume 2, Stephen Devereux Charters for Lyonshall, page 49, 53
  23. ↑ Robert William Eyton. Antiquities of Shropshire. (London: JR Smith, 1857). Page 204-205
  24. ↑ M.A. Faraday (editor). Deeds of the Palmers’ Gild of Ludlow. (Shropshire: 2012). Page 243, 1359 (No. 101)
  25. ↑ Nicholas Vincent. Norman Charters From English Sources: Antiquaries, Archives And The Rediscovery of the Anglo-Norman Past. (London: Flexpress Limited, 2013). Page 130 to 133
  26. ↑ Placitorum in domo capitulari Westmonasteriensi asservatorum abbrevatio, temporibus regum Ric. I., Johann., Henr. III, Edw. I, Edw. II. (London: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George III in pursuance of an address of The House of Commons of Great Britain, 1811). Page 131
  27. ↑ Calendar of the Charter Rolls, Volume 1, Henry III, 1226-1257. (London: Mackie and Co. 1908). Page 294, 372
  28. ↑ A.E. Stamp, ed. (February 1263). "Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry III: Volume 12, 1261-1264. (London, 1936)". pp. 278–293. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  29. ↑ H.C. Maxwell Lyte (ed.). "Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward I, Volume 3. (London, Public Record Office, 1895)" (PDF). p. 20. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  30. ↑ John Duncumb. Collections Towards the History and Antiquities of the County of Hereford, Volume 2, Issue 1. (Hereford: E.G. Wright, 1812). Page 48
  31. ↑ H.C. Maxwell Lyte, ed. (26 November 1325). "Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward II, Volume 5. (London: Public Records Office, 1904)" (PDF). p. 192. Retrieved 5 January 2016. Membrane 15
  32. ↑ H.W. Forsyth Harwood (editor). The Genealogist. (London: George Bell & Sons, 1902). Volume 18, Page 235
  33. ↑ James MacMullen Rigg, Sir Hilary Enkinson (editors). Calendar of the Plea Rolls of the Exchequer of the Jews Preserved in the Public Record Office, Volume 1, Henry III, AD 1218-1272. (London: MacMillan & Company, 1905). Page 61
  34. ↑ H.C. Maxwell Lyte (editor). Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, 1364 to 1367. (London: Public Record Office, 1912). Volume 13, page 344

Related Research Articles

de Lacy

de Lacy is the surname of an old Norman family which originated from Lassy, Calvados. The family took part in the Norman conquest of England and the later Norman invasion of Ireland. The name is first recorded for Hugh de Lacy (1020–1085). His sons, Walter and Ilbert, left Normandy and travelled to England with William the Conqueror. The awards of land by the Conqueror to the de Lacy sons led to two distinct branches of the family: the northern branch, centred on Blackburnshire and west Yorkshire was held by Ilbert's descendants; the southern branch of Marcher Lords, centred on Herefordshire and Shropshire, was held by Walter's descendants.

Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath

Walter de Lacy was lord of Meath in Ireland. He was also a substantial land owner in Weobley, Herefordshire, in Ludlow, Shropshire, in Ewyas Lacy in the Welsh Marches, and several lands in Normandy. He was the eldest son of Hugh de Lacy, a leading Cambro-Norman baron in the Norman invasion of Ireland, and Rohese of Monmouth.

Sir Richard de Exeter was an Anglo-Norman knight and baron who served as a judge in Ireland.

Baron Skryne was the title of the holder of an Irish feudal barony : the title derived from the parish of Skryne, or Skreen, in County Meath. It was not recognised as a barony in the Peerage of Ireland, but was habitually used firstly by the de Feypo family and then by their descendants, the Marwards. The Barons of Skryne were not entitled as of right to sit in the Irish House of Lords, although it seems that in practice the holder of the title was often summoned to the Irish Parliament. The title fell into disuse in the seventeenth century, when the family estates were forfeited to the English Crown. Thomas Marward, having been the last Baron of Skryne, died in 1568 without male inheritors.

William Devereux was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of kings William I, William II, and Henry I of England. The Devereux, along with the Baskervilles and Pichards, were prominent knightly families along the Welsh marches at the beginning of the twelfth century, and linked to the Braose and Lacy lordships of the region. William Devereux's descendants would later give rise to the Devereux family of Hereford, and the Devereux Viscounts of Hereford and Earls of Essex.

The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial liberty in medieval Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority. The Lordship was roughly co-extensive with the medieval kingdom of Meath. At its greatest extent, it included all of the modern counties of Fingal, Meath, Westmeath as well as parts of counties Cavan, Kildare, Longford, Louth and Offaly. The Lordship or fiefdom was imbued with privileges enjoyed in no other Irish liberty, including the four royal pleas of arson, forestalling, rape, and treasure trove.

Stephen Devereux was a powerful Marcher Lord, and held Lyonshall Castle controlling an important approach to the border of Wales. As a key member of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke retinue, he played a significant role in the Earl's support of King John during the First Barons' War, and during the minority of Henry III.

William Devereux, was an important Marcher Lord, and held Lyonshall Castle controlling a strategically vital approach to the border of Wales. The castle's significance was heightened by the rebellion of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales. With strong family ties to the politically powerful families of Cantilupe and Giffard, his support was strongly sought after by Henry III and Simon de Montfort throughout the Second Barons' War.

William Devereux, Baron Devereux of Lyonshall was an English noble who was an important Marcher Lord as he held Lyonshall Castle controlling a strategically vital approach to the border of Wales in the time of Edward I and Edward II. He was the first of this family officially called to Parliament, and was ancestor to John Devereux, 1st Baron Devereux of Whitchurch Maund, the Devereux Earls of Essex, and the Devereux Viscounts of Hereford. His coat of arms was the same as his father's and described as "argent, fess and three roundels in chief gules" which passed to the descendants of his first wife, the Devereux of Bodenham; or "gules od un fesse d'argent ove turteaus d'argent en le chief" which passed to the descendants of his second wife, the Devereux of Frome.

Sir William Devereux of Bodenham was a prominent knight in Herefordshire during the reign of Edward III, and an important member of the retinue of the Earls of Hereford. He is the ancestor of the Devereux Earls of Essex and Viscounts of Hereford.

Stephen Devereux of Bodenham and Burghope was a member of a prominent knightly family in Herefordshire during the reigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III. An important retainer of the de Bohun Earls of Hereford, he gave rise to the Devereux Earls of Essex and Viscounts of Hereford.

Walter Devereux was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reign of king Henry II of England and Richard I of England. The Devereux, along with the Baskervilles and Pichards, were prominent knightly families along the Welsh marches during the twelfth century, and linked to William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and the Braose and Lacy lordships of the region. William Devereux's descendants would later give rise to the Devereux Viscounts of Hereford and Earls of Essex.

John Devereux of Manne was a member of a prominent knightly family in Herefordshire during the reigns of Edward II, and Edward III. He fought at the Battle of Crecy, and gave rise to the Devereux Barons of Whitchurch Maund.

Sir Walter Devereux of Bodenham was a member of a prominent knightly family in Herefordshire during the reigns of Edward I, and Edward II. He gave rise to the Devereux Barons of Whitchurch Maund, Earls of Essex and Viscounts of Hereford.

John Devereux of Bodenham and Decies was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of King John and Henry III of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and John Devereux was a key member of the retinue of Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, and companion of Walter III de Clifford, Baron of Clifford.

Walter Devereux of Bodenham and Bromwich was an Anglo-Norman knight and sheriff of Herefordshire living during the reigns of Henry III of England and Edward I of England. The Devereux were a prominent family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and integral to the control of this region during the Second Barons' War.

Nicholas Devereux II of Chanston (Vowchurch) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of Henry III of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and Nicholas would play an integral role in attempts to control the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century.

John Devereux, Lord of Munsley, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and played an integral role in attempts to control the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century.

Hugh Devereux of Chanston (Vowchurch) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reign of Edward I of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and Hugh played an integral role in attempts to control the Welsh Marches.

Nicholas de Netterville was a Crown official and judge in Ireland in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. He was the first notable members of a prominent landowning family in County Meath, who were based mainly at Dowth. His descendants in the seventeenth century acquired the title Viscount Netterville. The family also produced at least two more senior judges in the sixteenth century, Thomas Netterville and Luke Netterville.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.