Complete Peerage Addition: Cromwell and Cressy

Complete Peerage, volume 3, 551, states that the grandparents of Ralph de Cromwell who died in 1398 were Ralph de Cromwell (aged 7 in 1299) and his wife Joan de la Mare, with no indication of Joan’s parentage. 

Complete Peerage, volume 3, 529-30, has a brief account of Sir Hugh de Cressy of Risegate, Claypole, and Braytoft, who died shortly before 16 January 1347, aged 33, His wife’s name is given as Maud, with no further details, except that a footnote explains that she was not the sister of Robert de Paunton as claimed on Raine’s Blyth.

I recently came across a document on the TNA website which enables an identification of Joan and Maud as daughters of Geoffrey de la Mare of Maxey, Northamptonshire.

The document, dated in or about 1345, is a petition to the king by Cecily Gerberge and Geoffrey de la Mare, her son:

“The petition states that Ralph and Joan de Croumbewell, John and Mabel de Folvill, and Hugh and Maud de Crescy brought an assize of novel disseisin against Cecily Gerberge and others concerning lands in Lincolnshire which formerly belonged to Geoffrey de la Mare, father of Joan, Mabel and Maud, although they have no right, as Maud is a bastard and Geoffrey had a son, Geoffrey, by Cecily, who was under age at the time of his death; and because he was under age, and the lands held of the Abbot of Peterborough, the Abbot had wardship of him and his lands, and assigned Thurlby to Cecily in dower. But mention of Geoffrey has deliberately been omitted in the writ for the assize, to bar him from his right; and the plaintiffs have also procured that the writ might be arrayed by the Sheriff of Lincolnshire, although the manor is within the liberty of the Abbot of Peterborough, and the Sheriff had orders from the King to leave the matter to his bailiffs; and they have also procured a jury that is biased and not local. It requests a writ to the justices not to hold an assize arrayed by the Sheriff in this way, but to have it arrayed by the Abbot's bailiffs as the King has commanded.”

TNA: Special Collections: Ancient Petitions, SC 8/193/9645 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9295531

VCH Northamptonshire, vol. 2, 503, has a somewhat inaccurate account of Geoffrey de la Mare, the father of Joan, Mabel and Maud based on Joseph Sparke’s Peterborough Chronicle published in 1723 (which unfortunately is not online). The chronicle relates that Geoffrey de la Mare “was married three times and having repudiated his third wife Margaret previous to the birth of her infant, a suit was brought after his death by his daughters against the claim of the infant Geoffrey on the grounds of an alleged irregular union between their father and Margaret.”

https://books.google.com/books?id=pK0-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA503

As shown in the 1345 petition to the king, the name of Geoffrey’s third wife, the mother of his son Geoffrey, was Cecily Gerberge, not Margaret.

I have not been able to find much information concerning Sir Geoffrey de la Mare, the father of Joan, Mabel, Maud and Geoffrey, but here’s what I have:

Sir Geoffrey de la Mare, of Maxey, Northborough and Woodcroft, Northamptonshire, and Thurlby, Lincolnshire. He also held property in Tickencote, Rutland and Walden, Essex. He was probably the son of Peter de la Mare who died in Wales in 1280. VCH Northants says he was the son of another Geoffrey, but this is difficult to reconcile with the ages of his first two daughters who were born around 1300.

In April 1294, he had protection going beyond seas on the king's service with Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex [1]. On 1 August 1295, he was granted a weekly market and an annual fair in his manors of Maxey, Northborough and Woodcroft and free warren in his demesne lands [2].  In January 1297, he had letters of respite from debt, going to Brabant with Humphrey de Bohun [3]. He was knighted before October 1302 [4]. In April 1303, he had protection setting out for Scotland with Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex [5].  On 4 March 1310, he had exemption for life from being made sheriff, coroner or other minister of the king [6]. In November 1318, was pardoned as a supporter of Thomas Earl of Lancaster [7]. In 1320 he was imprisoned in the Tower of London [8]. In March 1321, he was accused of being involved with Gilbert de Middleton at the robbing of the cardinals and the taking of the bishop of Durham [9]. On 20 April 1321 he had exemption for life from being put on assizes, juries or recognitions [10]. In June 1324, he was again imprisoned in the Tower of London [11]. On 18 February 1325, he was pardoned for all homicides, robberies, and of his outlawry provided he served in the king’s army in Gascony [12]. He died shortly before 6 December 1327 when the escheator was ordered to take his lands into the king’s hands [13]. No inquisition appears to have survived.

He is said to have married three times [14]. By his first two wives he had three daughters, Joan, Mabel and Maud and by his third wife Cecily Gerberge, he had a son Geoffrey, born in or before 1324 (of age in 1345) [15]. In 1343-4, his widow Cecily was married to Thomas de Ludlow, when she brought an action of replevin against the Abbot of Peterborough concerning rents in the manor of Thurlby, Lincolnshire [16].

His children:

1.       Joan de la Mare, probably daughter of Geoffrey’s first wife, married Sir Ralph de Cromwell, of Cromwell, Hucknall, etc., born about 1292 (aged 7 in 1299). He died shortly before 15 October 1356.

2.       Mabel de la Mare, probably daughter of Geoffrey’s first wife, married before October 1315 [17], Sir John Folville of Ashby Folville, Leicestershire. In July 1348, John de Folville, knight, quitclaimed to Geoffrey all his rights in lands held by Geoffrey de la Mare, his brother-in-law [18]. He probably died in 1349 and was succeeded by his son, another Sir John Folville who died in 1362 when he was succeeded by his brother Geoffrey.

3.       Maud de la Mare, probably daughter of Geoffrey’s second wife, married, about 1332, Sir Hugh de Cressy, of Risegate, Claypole, and Braytoft. He died shortly before 16 January 1347, aged 33. His widow married Simon Simeon, of Gosberton, Lincolnshire, whom she survived. She died on 9 August 1355 [19].

4.       Geoffrey de la Mare, son of Cecily Gerberge was born in or before 1324. He is said to have married a daughter of Geoffrey le Scrope of Masham, royal justice. 

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[1] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward I, vol. 3: 1292-1301 (1895), 69.

[2] Calendar of Charter Rolls, vol. 2, Henry III-Edward I: 1257-1300 (1906), 460.

[3] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward I: vol. 4, 1296-1302 (1906), 80.

[4] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward I: vol. 4, 1296-1302 (1906), 602.

[5] Grant S. Simpson and James D. Galbraith, eds., Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland, vol. 5 (Supplementary), 1970, 334.

[6] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward II, vol. 1: 1307-1313 (1894), 212.

[7] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward II, vol. 3: 1317-1321 (1903), 232.

[8] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II: vol. 3, 1318-1323 (1895), 268.

[9] Arthur E. Middleton, Sir Gilbert de Middleton: And the Part He Took in the Rebellion in the North of England in 1317 (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1918), 71.

[10] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward II, vol. 3: 1317-1321 (1903), 576.

[11] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II: vol. 4, 1323-1327 (1898), 125.

[12] Gascon Rolls C61/37

[13] Calendar of Fine Rolls, vol. 4, Edward III: 1327-1337 (1913), 71.

[14] R. M. Serjeantson and R. D. Adkins, eds., Victoria County History of Northamptonshire, vol. 2 (London, 1906), 503.

[15] TNA: Special Collections: Ancient Petitions, SC 8/193/9645.

[16] Luke Owen Pike, ed., Year Books of the Reign of King Edward the Third, Year XVII (London, 1901), 153.

[17] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward II, vol. 2: 1313-1317 (1898), 355.

[18] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 8, 1346-1349 (1905), 521.

[19] Complete Peerage,  Vol. 3, 530.