Douglas Richardson
2008-12-03 15:58:20 UTC
Dear Newsgroup ~
Sir Henry de Hastings, Knt. (born c.1205, died 1250), King's
Dispenser, 1226/8, 1236, hereditary Steward of the Abbey of Bury St.
Edmunds, is known to have married Ada of Huntingdon, 4th daughter of
David, Earl of Huntingdon, by Maud, daughter of Hugh, Earl of
Chester. Most sources don't provide the date of this marriage, but it
evidently occurred in or after 1224, when Henry's marriage was granted
by the king to Osbert Giffard. Ada of Huntingdon certainly has
illustrious ancestry, as her father was a younger brother of William
the Lion, King of Scotland; also Ada's mother, Maud of Chester, was a
lineal descendant of King Henry I of England. Sir Henry and Ada de
Hastings had four known children, namely one son, Henry, Knt., and
three daughters, Ada (wife of Hubert Hovel, Knt.), Margery, and
Hillary (wife of William de Harcourt, Knt.).
As for Ada of Huntingdon herself, all the sources I've consulted so
far seem to be rather vague as to the date of her death. As such,
I've had to do original research to determine exactly when she died.
Ada was certainly living in 1237, when she was co-heiress to her
brother, John of Scotland, Earl of Chester and Huntingdon. She was
likewise living in June 1241, when Stephen de Meverel sued William de
Ferrers, Earl of Derby, and Agnes his wife regarding the advowson of
Gatton, Staffordshire; William and Agnes appeared by attorney, and
stated that the advowson formed part of the inheritance of Agnes,
which fell to her by the death of Ranulph, Earl of Chester, and that
they could not answer without their co-parceners, , viz., Hugh de
Aubeney, Earl of Arundel, Hawise de Quincy, Countess of Lincoln, Henry
de Hastings and Ada his wife, Isabel de Brus, John de Balliol and
Dervorgoil his wife, and William de Forz, and Christian his wife [see
Colls. Hist. Staffs. 4 (1883): 90-102]. Ada was last known to be
living 4 August 1241, but died before Trinity term 1242 (date of
lawsuit) [see Curia Regis Rolls, 18 (1999): 21, 104–105, 193–194, 314,
335, 339; 19 (2002): 26, 48, 416].
That Ada predeceased her husband, Sir Henry de Hastings, is further
proven by the Pipe Rolls of 1247, which record that Henry de Hastings
was then holding the manors of Condover and Worfield, Shropshire, “by
reason of the heirs of Ada his wife whom he has by the said Ada” (that
is, he was holding Ada's lands by courtesy of England) [see Eyton,
Antiqs. of Shropshire 3 (1856): 108]. Sir Henry de Hastings died
shortly before 9 August 1250. On 8 Jan. 1251, the king granted the
manor of Yardley Hastings, Northamptonshire, which was part of his
wife, Ada’s inheritance, together with other four Hastings family
manors to his half-brother, Guy de Lusignan, to hold during the
minority of the heir. The king likewise granted other parts of Ada’s
inheritance, namely, the manors of Brampton, Huntingdonshire and
Worfield, Shropshire, to another of his half-brothers, Geoffrey de
Lusignan, on 25 Jan. 1251 and 28 July 1251 respectively, to hold
during the minority of the heir. The granting of Ada's inheritance by
the king proves conclusively that Ada was then deceased, otherwise
following her husband's death, she would have held her lands in her
own right, together with any future husband, if she had remarried.
Curiously, in a modern pedigree of the Brereton family of Cheshire
found in Ormerod, Hist. of Chester, 3 (1819): 51, the author states
that Sir Ralph Brereton, of Brereton, Knt. is “said in some pedigrees
to marry Ada, daughter of David earl of Huntingdon, relict of Henry
Hastings.” On page 19 of the same volume, the author quotes a
seemingly authentic inscription cut in capitals within an arch over an
ancient tomb in the parish church of Astbury, Cheshire, which reads as
follows: “Hic jacent Radulphus Brereton miles et domina Ada uxor sua,
una filiarum Davidis comitis Huntingdonis.” [Here lies Ralph Brereton
Knt. and lady Ada his wife, daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon].
This same inscription and/or alleged marriage are elsewhere mentioned
in numerous secondary sources such as Gentleman's Magazine.n.s. 9
(1816): 577; Hanshall, Hist. of the County Palatine of Chester (1817):
579; Yates, History of the Ancient Town and Borough of Congleton
(1820): 141; Archaeologia 33 (1849): 59–60; Hamer & Lloyd, Hist. of
the Par. of Llangurig (1875): 74; Arch. Cambrensis 4th ser. 11 (1880):
176; Colls. His. & Arch. Rel. to Montgomeryshire 14 (1881): 61–63;
Advertiser Notes & Queries (1882): 23; Lloyd, Hist. of the Princes,
the Lords Marcher, & the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog 3 (1882): 92
(Brereton pedigree); Trans. of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiq. Soc. 7
(1889): 286–287; Trans. of the Hist. Soc. of Lancashire & Cheshire 76
(1924): 43; Notes & Queries, 172 (1937): 298, 337, 393, 447; Dalton,
MSS of St. George’s Chapel (1957): 409; Brereton, Letter Books of Sir
William Brereton 2 (Rec. Soc. of Lancashire & Cheshire 128) (1990):
62.
Erdeswicke, Survey of Staffordshire (1820): 172 further alleges that
Ada, widow of Henry de Hastings, married William Hansacre [Handsacre],
of Staffordshire. Still yet, a modern pedigree of the family of Earls
of Chester found in Banks, Dormant & Extinct Baronage of England 1
(1807): 210 states that “An old MS. Visitation Book of Cheshire says,
she [Ada] married, second, William Handsacre, and, third, Sir Ralph
Brereton, of Brereton, knight.” Contemporary records, however, do not
support either of these “extra” marriages for Ada de Huntingdon.
We've already seen that Ada of Huntingdon, wife of Sir Henry de
Hastings, predeceased her husband shortly before Trinity term 1242
(date of lawsuit). Thus, Ada of Huntingdon can not possibly have
married (2nd) either Sir Ralph de Brereton or William Handsacre. To
date, I've found very little information regarding Sir Ralph de
Brereton, although it seems likely an individual of this name existed
in this time period. If his wife was named Ada, however, the
possibility exists that he was married to the younger Ada de Hastings,
one of the daughters of Ada of Huntingdon. My research shows that in
1252 the younger Ada de Hastings, being then a ward of the king, she
was abducted by Hubert Hovel, Knt., and married to him without the
king’s license. In Feb. 1252 the king ordered Hubert’s arrest for
having “committed many trespasses in the realm against the king’s
crown and peace.” He was subsequently arrested by the Sheriff of
Bedfordshire. The following year, 1253, the king pardoned Hubert
Hovel, and commanded the Sheriff of Bedfordshire to permit him to go
free. Sir Hubert Hovel died before Hilary term 1258, when his widow,
Ada, claimed dower in the third part of the manor of Harpol, Suffolk.
She released her claim to brother-in-law, Robert Hovel, senior, in
return for an annuity of two marks of silver, plus a one-time payment
of ten marls of silver. Ada was living in 1260–1261, put she put in
her claim to property in Wickham, Suffolk in a fine recorded that
year. She is possibly the Ada Hovel who occurs on the 1301 lay
subsidy at Cundale, Yorkshire [References: Arch. Journal, 26 (1869):
236–256; Brown, Yorkshire Lay Subsidy (Yorkshire Arch. Soc. Rec. Ser.
21) (1898): 1–8; Rye, Cal. of Feet of Fines for Suffolk (1900): 61,
63; Copinger, Manors of Suffolk 1 (1905): 397–399; Cal. Patent Rolls,
1247–1258 (1908): 130, 191; Muskett, Suffolk Manorial Fams. 2 (1908):
59–60, 74 (Hovel pedigree); Complete Peerage 10 (1945): 336, footnote
a (sub Pecche)]. Thus, Ada de Hastings was a young widow in 1258, and
can easily have remarried. Unfortunately, the subsequent history of
Ada de Hastings is unknown. She may possibly have died without
remarrying, or she may have married Sir Ralph de Brereton, Knt., of
Brereton, Cheshire.
As for William de Handsacre, a bit more is known of him. His wife was
not named Ada at all, rather her name was Ala or Alice. My research
indicates that in Hilary term 1279 Alice widow of William son of
Geoffrey Fitz Warine stated she previously brought a writ of dower
against William de Handesacre and Alice his wife regarding tenements
in Tipton, Staffordshire. In Michaelmas 1282 Ala, widow of William de
Handsacre, sued Thomas le Harpur and Richard le Carpenter, both of
Handsacre, Staffordshire, for the third part of two messuages and
various lands in the vill of Handsacre, Staffordshire as her dower.
In Michaelmas 1287 the Sheriff was ordered to raise 13 marks from the
lands and chattels of Ala, widow of William de Handesacre, and two
others, executors of the will of William de Handesacre, and bring them
into court to pay them to Roger le Escot, of Nottingham, for a debt.
In 1293 Ala widow of William de Handesacre and Thomas le Harpur were
attached to answer the plea of William de Waleton and Alice his wife
[References: Colls. Hist. Staffs. 6(1) (1885): 99, 125, 127, 135, 172,
231, 252]. The possibility exists that William de Handsacre's wife,
Alice or Ala, was formerly married to Sir Ralph de Brereton, of
Brereton, Cheshire. But, if so, Sir Ralph de Brereton can not have
married Ada de Hastings, the daughter of Ada of Huntingdon, as William
de Handsacre's wife was named Alice or Ala.
In conclusion, it is clear that Ada of Huntingdon had but one husband,
Sir Henry de Hastings. She did not marry (2nd) Sir Ralph de Brereton
or William de Handsacre. The possibility exists that Sir Ralph de
Brereton may have been married to her daughter, Ada de Hastings, widow
of Sir Hubert Hovel. It is also possible that Sir Ralph de Brereton's
widow married William de Handsacre. However, if so, Sir Ralph de
Brereton can not have been married to Ada de Hastings, as William de
Handsacre's wife was named Alice or Ala. Further study is needed to
resolve this points.
For interest's sake, I've listed below the names of the numerous 17th
Century New World immigrants that descend from Sir Henry de Hastings
(died 1250), and his wife, Ada of Huntingdon (died c.1242):
Robert Abell, Elizabeth Alsop, William Asfordby, Christopher Batt,
Anne Baynton, Essex Beville, William Bladen, George & Nehemiah
Blakiston, Elizabeth Bosvile, Mary Bourchier, George & Robert Brent,
Thomas Bressey, Elizabeth Butler, Charles Calvert, Jeremy Clarke,
Matthew Clarkson, James & Norton Claypoole, St. Leger Codd, Francis
Dade, Humphrey Davie, Edward Digges, Thomas Dudley, William Farrer,
Muriel Gurdon, Mary Gye, Elizabeth & John Harleston, Warham
Horsmanden, Anne Humphrey, Mary Launce, Nathaniel Littleton, Simon
Lynde, Agnes Mackworth, Anne, Elizabeth & John Mansfield, Anne
Mauleverer, Richard More, Philip & Thomas Nelson, Thomas Owsley, John
Oxenbridge, Richard Palgrave, Richard Parker, Herbert Pelham, Robert
Peyton, George Reade, William Rodney, Katherine Saint Leger, Richard
Saltonstall, William Skepper, Diana & Grey Skipwith, Mary Johanna
Somerset, James Taylor, Samuel & William Torrey, Olive Welby, John
West, Thomas Wingfield.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sir Henry de Hastings, Knt. (born c.1205, died 1250), King's
Dispenser, 1226/8, 1236, hereditary Steward of the Abbey of Bury St.
Edmunds, is known to have married Ada of Huntingdon, 4th daughter of
David, Earl of Huntingdon, by Maud, daughter of Hugh, Earl of
Chester. Most sources don't provide the date of this marriage, but it
evidently occurred in or after 1224, when Henry's marriage was granted
by the king to Osbert Giffard. Ada of Huntingdon certainly has
illustrious ancestry, as her father was a younger brother of William
the Lion, King of Scotland; also Ada's mother, Maud of Chester, was a
lineal descendant of King Henry I of England. Sir Henry and Ada de
Hastings had four known children, namely one son, Henry, Knt., and
three daughters, Ada (wife of Hubert Hovel, Knt.), Margery, and
Hillary (wife of William de Harcourt, Knt.).
As for Ada of Huntingdon herself, all the sources I've consulted so
far seem to be rather vague as to the date of her death. As such,
I've had to do original research to determine exactly when she died.
Ada was certainly living in 1237, when she was co-heiress to her
brother, John of Scotland, Earl of Chester and Huntingdon. She was
likewise living in June 1241, when Stephen de Meverel sued William de
Ferrers, Earl of Derby, and Agnes his wife regarding the advowson of
Gatton, Staffordshire; William and Agnes appeared by attorney, and
stated that the advowson formed part of the inheritance of Agnes,
which fell to her by the death of Ranulph, Earl of Chester, and that
they could not answer without their co-parceners, , viz., Hugh de
Aubeney, Earl of Arundel, Hawise de Quincy, Countess of Lincoln, Henry
de Hastings and Ada his wife, Isabel de Brus, John de Balliol and
Dervorgoil his wife, and William de Forz, and Christian his wife [see
Colls. Hist. Staffs. 4 (1883): 90-102]. Ada was last known to be
living 4 August 1241, but died before Trinity term 1242 (date of
lawsuit) [see Curia Regis Rolls, 18 (1999): 21, 104–105, 193–194, 314,
335, 339; 19 (2002): 26, 48, 416].
That Ada predeceased her husband, Sir Henry de Hastings, is further
proven by the Pipe Rolls of 1247, which record that Henry de Hastings
was then holding the manors of Condover and Worfield, Shropshire, “by
reason of the heirs of Ada his wife whom he has by the said Ada” (that
is, he was holding Ada's lands by courtesy of England) [see Eyton,
Antiqs. of Shropshire 3 (1856): 108]. Sir Henry de Hastings died
shortly before 9 August 1250. On 8 Jan. 1251, the king granted the
manor of Yardley Hastings, Northamptonshire, which was part of his
wife, Ada’s inheritance, together with other four Hastings family
manors to his half-brother, Guy de Lusignan, to hold during the
minority of the heir. The king likewise granted other parts of Ada’s
inheritance, namely, the manors of Brampton, Huntingdonshire and
Worfield, Shropshire, to another of his half-brothers, Geoffrey de
Lusignan, on 25 Jan. 1251 and 28 July 1251 respectively, to hold
during the minority of the heir. The granting of Ada's inheritance by
the king proves conclusively that Ada was then deceased, otherwise
following her husband's death, she would have held her lands in her
own right, together with any future husband, if she had remarried.
Curiously, in a modern pedigree of the Brereton family of Cheshire
found in Ormerod, Hist. of Chester, 3 (1819): 51, the author states
that Sir Ralph Brereton, of Brereton, Knt. is “said in some pedigrees
to marry Ada, daughter of David earl of Huntingdon, relict of Henry
Hastings.” On page 19 of the same volume, the author quotes a
seemingly authentic inscription cut in capitals within an arch over an
ancient tomb in the parish church of Astbury, Cheshire, which reads as
follows: “Hic jacent Radulphus Brereton miles et domina Ada uxor sua,
una filiarum Davidis comitis Huntingdonis.” [Here lies Ralph Brereton
Knt. and lady Ada his wife, daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon].
This same inscription and/or alleged marriage are elsewhere mentioned
in numerous secondary sources such as Gentleman's Magazine.n.s. 9
(1816): 577; Hanshall, Hist. of the County Palatine of Chester (1817):
579; Yates, History of the Ancient Town and Borough of Congleton
(1820): 141; Archaeologia 33 (1849): 59–60; Hamer & Lloyd, Hist. of
the Par. of Llangurig (1875): 74; Arch. Cambrensis 4th ser. 11 (1880):
176; Colls. His. & Arch. Rel. to Montgomeryshire 14 (1881): 61–63;
Advertiser Notes & Queries (1882): 23; Lloyd, Hist. of the Princes,
the Lords Marcher, & the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog 3 (1882): 92
(Brereton pedigree); Trans. of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiq. Soc. 7
(1889): 286–287; Trans. of the Hist. Soc. of Lancashire & Cheshire 76
(1924): 43; Notes & Queries, 172 (1937): 298, 337, 393, 447; Dalton,
MSS of St. George’s Chapel (1957): 409; Brereton, Letter Books of Sir
William Brereton 2 (Rec. Soc. of Lancashire & Cheshire 128) (1990):
62.
Erdeswicke, Survey of Staffordshire (1820): 172 further alleges that
Ada, widow of Henry de Hastings, married William Hansacre [Handsacre],
of Staffordshire. Still yet, a modern pedigree of the family of Earls
of Chester found in Banks, Dormant & Extinct Baronage of England 1
(1807): 210 states that “An old MS. Visitation Book of Cheshire says,
she [Ada] married, second, William Handsacre, and, third, Sir Ralph
Brereton, of Brereton, knight.” Contemporary records, however, do not
support either of these “extra” marriages for Ada de Huntingdon.
We've already seen that Ada of Huntingdon, wife of Sir Henry de
Hastings, predeceased her husband shortly before Trinity term 1242
(date of lawsuit). Thus, Ada of Huntingdon can not possibly have
married (2nd) either Sir Ralph de Brereton or William Handsacre. To
date, I've found very little information regarding Sir Ralph de
Brereton, although it seems likely an individual of this name existed
in this time period. If his wife was named Ada, however, the
possibility exists that he was married to the younger Ada de Hastings,
one of the daughters of Ada of Huntingdon. My research shows that in
1252 the younger Ada de Hastings, being then a ward of the king, she
was abducted by Hubert Hovel, Knt., and married to him without the
king’s license. In Feb. 1252 the king ordered Hubert’s arrest for
having “committed many trespasses in the realm against the king’s
crown and peace.” He was subsequently arrested by the Sheriff of
Bedfordshire. The following year, 1253, the king pardoned Hubert
Hovel, and commanded the Sheriff of Bedfordshire to permit him to go
free. Sir Hubert Hovel died before Hilary term 1258, when his widow,
Ada, claimed dower in the third part of the manor of Harpol, Suffolk.
She released her claim to brother-in-law, Robert Hovel, senior, in
return for an annuity of two marks of silver, plus a one-time payment
of ten marls of silver. Ada was living in 1260–1261, put she put in
her claim to property in Wickham, Suffolk in a fine recorded that
year. She is possibly the Ada Hovel who occurs on the 1301 lay
subsidy at Cundale, Yorkshire [References: Arch. Journal, 26 (1869):
236–256; Brown, Yorkshire Lay Subsidy (Yorkshire Arch. Soc. Rec. Ser.
21) (1898): 1–8; Rye, Cal. of Feet of Fines for Suffolk (1900): 61,
63; Copinger, Manors of Suffolk 1 (1905): 397–399; Cal. Patent Rolls,
1247–1258 (1908): 130, 191; Muskett, Suffolk Manorial Fams. 2 (1908):
59–60, 74 (Hovel pedigree); Complete Peerage 10 (1945): 336, footnote
a (sub Pecche)]. Thus, Ada de Hastings was a young widow in 1258, and
can easily have remarried. Unfortunately, the subsequent history of
Ada de Hastings is unknown. She may possibly have died without
remarrying, or she may have married Sir Ralph de Brereton, Knt., of
Brereton, Cheshire.
As for William de Handsacre, a bit more is known of him. His wife was
not named Ada at all, rather her name was Ala or Alice. My research
indicates that in Hilary term 1279 Alice widow of William son of
Geoffrey Fitz Warine stated she previously brought a writ of dower
against William de Handesacre and Alice his wife regarding tenements
in Tipton, Staffordshire. In Michaelmas 1282 Ala, widow of William de
Handsacre, sued Thomas le Harpur and Richard le Carpenter, both of
Handsacre, Staffordshire, for the third part of two messuages and
various lands in the vill of Handsacre, Staffordshire as her dower.
In Michaelmas 1287 the Sheriff was ordered to raise 13 marks from the
lands and chattels of Ala, widow of William de Handesacre, and two
others, executors of the will of William de Handesacre, and bring them
into court to pay them to Roger le Escot, of Nottingham, for a debt.
In 1293 Ala widow of William de Handesacre and Thomas le Harpur were
attached to answer the plea of William de Waleton and Alice his wife
[References: Colls. Hist. Staffs. 6(1) (1885): 99, 125, 127, 135, 172,
231, 252]. The possibility exists that William de Handsacre's wife,
Alice or Ala, was formerly married to Sir Ralph de Brereton, of
Brereton, Cheshire. But, if so, Sir Ralph de Brereton can not have
married Ada de Hastings, the daughter of Ada of Huntingdon, as William
de Handsacre's wife was named Alice or Ala.
In conclusion, it is clear that Ada of Huntingdon had but one husband,
Sir Henry de Hastings. She did not marry (2nd) Sir Ralph de Brereton
or William de Handsacre. The possibility exists that Sir Ralph de
Brereton may have been married to her daughter, Ada de Hastings, widow
of Sir Hubert Hovel. It is also possible that Sir Ralph de Brereton's
widow married William de Handsacre. However, if so, Sir Ralph de
Brereton can not have been married to Ada de Hastings, as William de
Handsacre's wife was named Alice or Ala. Further study is needed to
resolve this points.
For interest's sake, I've listed below the names of the numerous 17th
Century New World immigrants that descend from Sir Henry de Hastings
(died 1250), and his wife, Ada of Huntingdon (died c.1242):
Robert Abell, Elizabeth Alsop, William Asfordby, Christopher Batt,
Anne Baynton, Essex Beville, William Bladen, George & Nehemiah
Blakiston, Elizabeth Bosvile, Mary Bourchier, George & Robert Brent,
Thomas Bressey, Elizabeth Butler, Charles Calvert, Jeremy Clarke,
Matthew Clarkson, James & Norton Claypoole, St. Leger Codd, Francis
Dade, Humphrey Davie, Edward Digges, Thomas Dudley, William Farrer,
Muriel Gurdon, Mary Gye, Elizabeth & John Harleston, Warham
Horsmanden, Anne Humphrey, Mary Launce, Nathaniel Littleton, Simon
Lynde, Agnes Mackworth, Anne, Elizabeth & John Mansfield, Anne
Mauleverer, Richard More, Philip & Thomas Nelson, Thomas Owsley, John
Oxenbridge, Richard Palgrave, Richard Parker, Herbert Pelham, Robert
Peyton, George Reade, William Rodney, Katherine Saint Leger, Richard
Saltonstall, William Skepper, Diana & Grey Skipwith, Mary Johanna
Somerset, James Taylor, Samuel & William Torrey, Olive Welby, John
West, Thomas Wingfield.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah