The Early Pedigree of Foljambe – Part 2

This second part looks at the descendants of Godfrey Foljambe, second son of Sir Thomas Foljambe II.

1.1.2  Godfrey Foljambe I, ca. 1310 – 29 May 1376.

Godfrey, second son of Sir Thomas Foljambe II and Alice was probably born about the year 1310. In June 1315, Sir Thomas Foljambe, his father, granted him for life, the small manor of Burton near Bakewell, Derbyshire[1]. Little is known about his early career, but he possibly trained in the law. In September 1332, he was one of the mainpermors for his mother Alice who had been indicted for harbouring felons[2]. He was first appointed to a legal commission of enquiry in Derbyshire in December 1332[3], but then little is heard of him until November 1340 when he was on a commission to keep the peace in Derbyshire[4]. After that he appears increasingly in the royal service and was a collector of a subsidy and collector of wool in Derbyshire in 1341 and 1342[5].

In February 1344, he had licence to endow a priest to say prayers at the altar of the Holy Cross, in the parish church of Bakewell[6]. In March 1344, he was going to Ireland on the king’s service and on 28 June was appointed second justice of the pleas following the justiciary of Ireland [7]. On 31 October 1351, he was appointed chief justice of the pleas following the justiciary of Ireland[8]. He appears to have left his position in Ireland sometime in 1356 and returned to Derbyshire. In February 1357, he was appointed as a justice to keep the ordinances of labourers and weights and measures in Derbyshire[9]. Over the next few years he was appointed to numerous commissions of oyer et terminer, wallis et fossatis, etc., not only in Derbyshire, but also in other counties.

In March 1360, he and his son Thomas had a grant for life of land in Pillesley, Derbyshire which they had received from Robert de Ireland[10]. In October 1360, he received a grant for life of the manor of Bakewell, Derbyshire from Sir John Gernon of Essex[11]. In May 1362, he was in the service of John of Gaunt, the king's son, who granted to his bachelor Sir Godfrey Foljambe, for life, the castle and manor of Newcastle-under-Lyme[12]. In November 1362, he and his wife Anne (Avena), and Richard their son had a grant of a moiety of the manor of the manor of Darley in the Peak, held in chief[13]. In October 1363, he was knight of the shire for Derbyshire[14]. In April 1369, he and his heirs had a grant of free warren in their lands in Hassop, Darley and Chaddesden, Derbyshire[15]. In May 1368, Walter Blount granted to him and Avena his wife, the site of his manor of Hazlewood, Derbyshire[16].

From around 1371, Godfrey Foljambe acted as Chief Steward for John of Gaunt's estates in Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and the Honour of Tutbury[17]. In November 1371, the king committed to him the keeping of the castle, town and honour of High Peak[18]. In June 1373, William Bardolf of Wormegay granted to Geoffrey and his heirs, the manor of Ockbrook, Derbyshire. In September 1375, Sir Godfrey Foljambe and Avena his wife were granted the reversions of the manor of Wormhill; and other property after the death of Elizabeth, wife of William of Aderleye; property from the death of Alfred, son of Godfrey; and the mill at Edensore from the death of Thomas Foljambe, son of Godfrey[19].

The, writ of diem clausit extremum for Godfrey Foljambe, 'chivaler' was issued to the escheators in Nottingham, Derby and Stafford on 12 June 1376[20]. His monumental inscription in the Bakewell church states that he died on 29 May 1376[21].

Most Foljambe pedigrees state that Godfrey married twice, firstly to Anne and secondly to Avena, daughter of Sir Thomas de Ireland of Hartshorne, Derbyshire. Whether Godfrey had two wives or not I have not been able to determine. Avena was almost certainly, on heraldic evidence, of the family of Ireland, but I have been unable to find the slightest trace in any contemporary documents of her supposed father Sir Thomas. Her name appears to have caused difficulties for both medieval and modern transcribers and she appears under a variety of spellings, including Anne, Anina, Avena and Aveva. She married secondly Sir Richard Green who died on 15 August 1386[22]. Avena died on 13 September 1382, when her grandson, Godfrey, son of Godfrey Foljambe aged 15 or 16 was her heir.[23]

Godfrey and Avena had five sons: Godfrey II, son and heir apparent who died about 1375; Thomas who died 7 January 1433[24]; Richard; Alfred who died 20 June 1382; Matthew who died 1 September 1381, and one daughter Avena.

1.1.2.1  Godfrey Foljambe II, ca. 1342 – 1375.

Godfrey, eldest son and heir apparent of Godfrey Foljambe was probably born in the early 1340’s because he was already married in June 1366, when his father granted him and Margaret his wife, the Nottinghamshire manor of Kinoulton[25]. Which brings us to an interesting question; how did the Foljambe family come into possession of Kinoulton? Thoroton assumed it was by inheritance and conceived a marriage between a daughter of Pain de Villers, who was lord of Kinoulton in 1353, and a member of the Ireland family[26].  However, it appears that about 1365, Godfrey Foljambe I purchased Kinoulton from the heiress of Pain de Villers, Joan widow of John de Morestead, daughter and heiress of Robert de Villers[27].

There are few notices of Godfrey III in official records. He was on commissions of peace in Staffordshire in February 1373 and February 1374[28] and in February 1375, he and his father owed £55 to Hugh Malepas[29]. He probably died in 1375, leaving a son, Godfrey III and a daughter Margaret who married Sir Nicholas Montgomery.

1.1.2.1.1  Godfrey Foljambe III, ca. 1367 – 2 September 1388.

Godfrey Foljambe III was heir to his grandfather in 1376 and of his grandmother in 1382. He married in or before 1386, Margaret, daughter of Sir Simon Leek. He died a minor in the king’s wardship on 2 September 1388, leaving a daughter and heiress; Alice, aged just over one, born on 17 June 1387[30]. His widow Margaret married secondly Sir Thomas Rempston. Alice, was married before November 1401 to Robert son of Sir William Plumpton[31].

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[1] Manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Rutland, K.G. Preserved at Belvoir Castle, vol. 4, Historical Manuscripts Commission (1905), 50.

[2] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 2, 1330-1333 (1898), 601.

[3] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 2: 1330-1334 (1893), 388.

[4] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 5, 1339-1341 (1901), 647.

[5] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 5: 1343-1345 (1902), 31, 231.

[6] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, Vol. 6: 1343-1346 (1902), 196.

[7] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, Vol. 6: 1343-1346 (1902), 214, 307.

[8] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 9: 1350-1354 (1907), 173.

[9] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 10: 1354-1358 (1909), 551.

[10] Nottinghamshire Archives, Foljambe of Osberton: Deeds and Estate Papers, DD/FJ/4/4/1.

[11] Nottinghamshire Archives, Foljambe of Osberton: Deeds and Estate Papers, DD/FJ/1/47/1.

[12] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 12: 1361-1364 (1912), 202.

[13] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 12: 1361-1364 (1912), 266.

[14] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 11, 1360-1364 (1909), 558.

[15] Calendar of Charter Rolls, vol. 5: 1341-1417 (1916), 216.

[16] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol, 13: 1369-1374 (1911), 93.

[17] Sydney Armitage Smith, ed., John of Gaunt's Register, vol. 1, Camden Third Series, 20 (1911), xiii.

[18] Calendar of Fine Rolls, vol. 8, Edward III: 1368-1377 (1924), 139.

[19] Sheffield City Archives, Bagshawe Collection, Bag C/1007.

[20] Calendar of Fine Rolls, vol. 8, Edward III: 1368-1377 (1924), 377.

[21] Cecil G. S. Foljambe, 'Monumenta Foljambeana', The Reliquary, vol. 14 (London, 1874), 238.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_de_Foljambe#/media/File:Foljambe_Monument_in_Bakewell.jpg

[22] Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 16, 7-15 Richard II (1974), 262, No. 690.

[23] Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 15: 1-7 Richard II (1970), 304, No. 768-9.

[24] For his biography see: http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/foljambe-thomas-1433

[25] CP 25/1/185/34, number 405.

[26] John Throsby, ed., Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire, vol. 1 (Nottingham, 1790), 153.

[27] Nottinghamshire Archives, Foljambe of Osberton: Deeds and Estate Papers, DD/FJ/1/14/3 & DD/FJ/1/14/4.

[28] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 15: 1370-1374 (1914), 304, 475.

[29] Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 14, 1374-1377 (1913), 198.

[30] Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 16, 7-15 Richard II (1974), 261, Nos. 685-689.

[31] Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry IV: vol. 1, 1399-1402 (1927), 434.