Audley (Alditheley) Line

Vol II File 3: The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James

• 1. Henry de Alditheley was in great favor with Ranulph de Meschines, Earl of Chester and Lincoln (the most powerful subject in England in his time). See the lineage of the Meschines Line elsewhere. Henry de Alditheley obtained from Ranulph de Meschines a grant of Newhall in Cheshire, with manors in Staffordshire and other parts, and for his adhesion to King John, in that monarch's struggle with the insurrectionary barons, a royal grant of the lordship of Storton, in Warwickshire, part of the possessions of Robert of Summerville. In the four first years of the reign of King Henry III. he executed the office of sheriff for the counties of Salop and Stafford, as deputy for his patron, the great Earl Ranulph. In the 10th year of Henry III. this Henry de Alditheley was appointed governor of the castles of Carmarthen and Cardigan, and made sheriff the next year of the counties of Salop and Stafford and constable of the castles of Salop and Bridgenorth, which sheriffalty he held for five years. Upon his retirement from office, he had a confirmation of all such lands, whereof he was then possessed, as well as those granted to him by Ranulph, Earl of Chester, and Nicholas de Verdon, as those in Ireland, given him by Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, whose constable he was in that province. He subsequently obtained divers other territorial grants from the crown, but, notwithstanding, when Richard Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, rebelled, and made an incursion into Wales, the king, Henry III., thought it prudent to secure the persons of this Henry, and all the other barons-marchers. He was afterwards, however, constituted governor of Shrewsbury, in the place of John de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and on the death of John, Earl of Chester, governor of the castle of Chester, and also that of Beeston, then called the "Castle on the Rock," and soon after made governor of Newcastle-under-Lyne. This powerful feudal baron married Bertred Meisnilwarin, daughter of Ralph de Meisnilwarin. of Cheshire. They had two children as follows:
  
  • 1. James de Alditheley. See below.

  • 2. Emme, who married Griffin ap Madoc, Lord of Bromefield, a person of great power in Wales.
    

    He died in 1236, having founded and endowed the Abbey of Hilton, near to his castle at Heleigh, in Staffordshire, for Cisterian monks, and was succeeded by his son, James.

• 2. James de Alditheley was a great favorite of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, at whose coronation as King of Almaine (Germany) he assisted. He had livery of his lands in the 31st year of King Henry III., and was constituted in two years afterwards constable of Newcastle-under-Lyne. Being one the lords-marchers he was actively employed for some years against the Welsh, and was appointed governor of the castles of Salop and Bridgenorth, and sheriff of the counties of Salop and Stafford. He was the Justice of Chester, sealed 1259. In the 47th year of Henry III., he was made Justice of Ireland; and in the same year, upon the misunderstanding between the king and the barons, regarding the provisions of Oxford, being referred to the arbitration of monarch of France, he was one of the noblemen who undertook for the king therein. The next year we find him with Roger de Mortimer and the other barons-marchers, giving battle to Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, and afterwards joining the Earl of Gloucester at Evesham in rescuing the king, who had become captive to the Earl of Leicester at the battle of Lewes. In the 52nd year of Henry III., he performed a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in Galicia, in Spain, and the following year embarked in the Crusade with the king and Prince Edward. He married Ela, daughter of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury. She was living in 1282. They had at least the following children:
  
  • 1. James de Alditheley, d.s.p. in 1272, succeeded by his brother, Henry.

  • 2. Henry de Alditheley, d.s.p. in 1275, succeeded by his brother, William.

  • 3. William de Alditheley, d.s.p., slain in battle with the Welsh in 1275, succeeded by his brother, Nicholas.

  • 4. Nicholas de Alditheley, married Catherine Giffard, daughter and co-heiress of John Giffard, of Brimefield. See Burke, pg. 231. He died in 1299, and was succeeded by his son, Thomas, who d.s.p. in 1307, being succeeded by his brother, Nicholas de Alditheley, who was succeeded by his son, James de Audley, Lord Audley, one of the most celebrated warriors of the martial reign of King Edward III. Catherine was the sister of Alianore Giffard, who married Fulk le Strange, Baron Strange, of Blackmere.

  • 5. Hugh de Alditheley, the youngest son, who is supposed to have been Hugh Alditheley, was summoned to parliament On May 15, 1321, and whose son became Earl of Gloucester.

  • 6. Joan Audley (Alditheley), married John de Beauchamp, son of Robert de Beauchamp. Robert de Beauchamp was appointed to their child, prior to its birth, the said John being then deceased.
    

    His death, occasioned by breaking his neck, occurred in June 1272. He was succeeded by his eldest son, James.

• 3. Hugh de Alditheley or Audley, brother it is presumed of Nicholas, Lord Audley of Heleigh, was summoned to parliament as "Hugh de Audley, Seniori," on May 15, 1321, in the 14th year of King Edward II. He had been engaged during the reign of King Edward I. in the king's service, and was called "Senior," to distinguish him from his son. Being concerned in the insurrection of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in the 15th year of Edward II., the baron was committed a close prisoner to Wallingford Castle, but making his peace with the king he obtained his release, and suffered nothing further. He sat in the parliament of the 11th and 14th years of King Edward II. He married Isolda, widow of Walter Balim, and left two sons, the eldest being Hugh, by whom he was succeeded.

• 4. Hugh de Audley, was summoned to parliament in the lifetime of his father as "Hugh de Audley, Juniori," from November 20, 1317, to May 15, 1321, and after the death of his father as "Hugh de Audlie," from December 3, 1326, 20th year of Edward II., to the 10th year of Edward III. Hugh, Lord Audley was created Earl of Gloucester, April 23, 1337. He died in 1347. He married Margaret Clare, sister and co-heiress of, Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and widow of Piers Gaveston, by whom he left an only daughter and heiress, Margaret.

• 5. Margaret Audley married Ralph Stafford, Lord Stafford, and carried the Barony of Audley into that family; it expired upon the attainder of Edward, Duke of Buckingham, with that nobleman's other honors, in 1521.
  

  See the continuation of this lineage in the Stafford Line.

• 1. Bartholomew de Badlesmere. The first mention of this family is in the 16th year of the reign of King Henry II. (1169-1170), when he had a law suit with William de Cheney concerning a landed property in the county of Kent, and in the 22nd year of the same king, we find this Bartholomew amerced 20 marks for trespassing in the royal forests. Bartholomew was succeeded by his son, William.

• 2. William de Badlesmere, adhering to the cause of the barons, was taken prisoner with several others, in the castle of Rochester, towards the close of King John's reign, and did not obtain his freedom until the 6th year of Henry III. (1221-1222). William was succeeded by his son, Giles.

  3 Giles de Badlesmere. He lost his life in a skirmish with the Welsh, in the 32nd year of King Henry III., and was succeeded by his son, Gunceline.

• 4. Gunceline de Badlesmere, known first as a great rebel to King Henry III., for which he was excommunicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury; but, subsequently, returning to his allegiance, as Justice of Chester, in that office he continued until the 9th year of King Edward I. (1280-1281). In the next year he was in the expedition made into Wales, and in the 25th year of the same monarch, in that into Gascony, having previously, by the writ of January 26 in that year, been summoned to the parliament at Salisbury for the following Sunday, the feast of St. Matthew, September 21, as Gunselm de Badlesmere. He died four years afterwards, seized of the manor of Badlesmere, which he held in capite of the crown, as of the barony of Crevequer, by the service of one knight's fee. He married _______ Bernard, the heiress of Ralph Bernard, Lord of Kingsdowne, and was succeeded by his son, then twenty-six years of age, Bartholomew.

• 5. Bartholomew de Badlesmere in the life time of his father received command to attend the king at Portsmouth, upon the 1st day of September, with horse and arms to embark with him for Gascony, and in the year that he succeeded to his paternal property was in the wars of Scotland. He was afterwards in the retinue of Robert de Clifford in the Welsh wars, and in the first year of King Edward I. was appointed the Governor of the castle of Bristol. In two years afterwards he was summoned to parliament as Badlesmere, and had a grant from the king, through the special influence of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hereford, and Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, of the castle and manor of Chelham, in Kent, for his own and his wife's life, which castle had been possessed by Alexander de Baliol in the right of his wife Isabel, and ought to have been escheated to the crown on the decease of the said Alexander, by reason of the felony of John de .Straboli, Earl of Athol (Isabel's son and heir), who was hanged. In the 5th year of King Edward II., Lord Badlesmere was constituted Governor of the castle of Ledes, and obtained at the same time grants of divers extensive manors. In the next year but one, he was deputed , with Otto de Grandison and others, ambassador to the court of Rome, and the next year, upon the death of Robert de Clifford, he obtained a grant of the custody of the castle of Skyton in Yorkshire, as of all other castles in that county and Westmoreland, whereof the said Robert died possessed, to hold during the minority of Roger de Clifford, his son and heir. He was further indebted to the crown for numerous charters for fairs throughout his extensive manors; and he held the high office of steward of the household for a great number of years; but notwithstanding his thus basking in the sunshine of royal favor, his allegiance was not trustworthy, for joining the banner of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and other discontented nobles of that period, he went into Kent without the king's permission; where, being well received, he put himself at the head of some soldiers from his castle at Ledes, and thence proceeded to Canterbury, with 19 knights, having linen jackets under their surcoats, all his esquires being in plate armor, and thus repaired to the shrine of St. Thomas, to the amazement of the good citizens. While Lord Badlesmere remained at Canterbury, John de Crumwell and his wife sought his lordship's aid, and , pledging himself to afford it, he hastened to Oxford, where the barons of his party had been then assembled. In the meantime the King being apprised of the baron's proceedings, dispatched the Queen to Ledes, and upon admission being denied her, the castle was regularly invested by Adomere de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, and John de Britannia, Earl of Richmond, to whom it eventually surrendered, when Lord Badlesmere's wife, young son, and daughters, all falling into the hands of the besiegers, were sent prisoners to the Tower of London^! The baron and his accomplices afterwards were pursued by Edmund, Earl of Kent, and John de Warren, Earl of Surrey, and being ^!feated and taken prisoners at ^!e battle of Boroughbridge, his lordship was hanged, draw, and quartered at Canterbury, and his^!ead set upon a pole at Burgate. At the time of the baron's execution upwards of ninety lords,^!nights, and others concerned i^!the same insurrection, suffered a similar fate in various parts of the kingdom. He married Margaret Clare, one of the daughters and co-heiresses of Thomas de Clare, 3rd son of^!homas de Clare, 2nd son of Ric^!rd de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. His widow continued as a prisoner in the Tower, until, through the influence of William Roos, Lord Roos, of Hamlake, and others, she obtained her freedom. Whereupon she went to the nunnery of ^!noresses, outside of Adgate, in the suburbs of London. She had 2-shillings a day for her main^!nance, to be paid by the sheri^! of Essex; she subsequently, however, obtained a large proportion of the deceased lords' manors as her dowry. By this lady, Lord Badlesmere left the following children:
  
  • 1. Giles de Badlesmere, his heir, 2n^!baron, not withstanding his fa^!er's fate, found such favor fr^! the king, that he had a speci^! precept to the keeper of the wardrobe, in the Tower, to deliver to him all his father's harneys, as well coat-armours as othe^!. He doing homage in the 7th year of King Edward III., althou^! not then at majority, had livery of his lands, and the next y^!r attended the king in an expe^!tion into Scotland, in which service he was engaged the three ^!suing years. He was summoned to parliament from January 22, 1336, to August 18, 1337. He married Elizabeth Montacute, daught^! of William de Montacute, Earl^!f Salisbury; but d.s.p., in 1338, the barony of Badlesemere fell into abeyance between his sisters and co-heiresses, and it so continues among their descendants and representatives. The Barony of Badlesmere was assumed, without any legal right by the deceased lord's eldest sister, Mau^! Countess of Oxford, and the earl her husband, and was retained in that family until the demise of John de Vere, 14th earl, wi^!out male issue, in the reign of King Henry VIII., when it was certified, April 5, 1626, to have fallen into abeyance between that nobleman's four sisters.

  • 2. Margery Badlesmere married William Roos, Lord de Roos (Ros), of Hamlake, and a son, Thomas^!Lord Roos, from whom descended the Lords of Ros, whose heir general, Thomas Manners, Lord de Ros, was created Earl of Rutland, June 18, 1525, etc.

  • 3. Maud Badlesmere married (1) Robert^!itzPayn, and (2) John de Vere,^!arl of Oxford. Of this 2nd da^!hter and co-heiress of Badlesmere, the co-heirs are, the Duke ^! Athole (descended from Kather^!e Neville, grand-daughter of S^! John Neville, Lord Latimer, Dorothea Vere, his wife, sister and co-heir of John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford, etc.

  • 4. Elizabeth Badlesmere. See below.

  • 5. Margaret Badlesmere, married to Sir^!ohn Tiptoft, 2nd baron of that name.
    

    His lordship had been^!ummoned to parliament from October 26, 1309, to August 5, 1320. His unhappy fate occurred in 1322.

  • 6. Elizabeth Badlesmere, married (1) Edmund Mortimer, and (2) William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton.
    

    See the continuation of this lineage in th^!Bohun Line.

    
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