Complete Peerage, has a detailed biography
of William, son of Eon la Zouche of Harringworth and Bulwick, Northamptonshire
and Totnes, Devon, who was born in December 1276 at Harringworth. He married
before February 1296, Maud, daughter of John Lovel, first Lord Lovel of
Titchmarsh, by his first wife, Isabel sister and (in her issue) heir of William
de Bois of Thorpe Arnold, Leicestershire and Weston-in-Arden, Warwickshire, daughter
of Arnold de Bois. She, who was said to be aged 30 and more in 1310 and by whom
he had at least 10 children, died before 1346. He died on 11 or 12 March 1352,
aged 75. [1]
His son and heir apparent was
Eon la Zouche, born about 1297-8. In January 1326, Eon was indicted for the murder of Roger Bellers,
of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire. He fled abroad to France and
died in Paris on 24 April 1326, aged about 28.
As well as his son and heir,
Eon, William la Zouche had nine other children who are named in a royal licence
dated 26 March 1326, for him to grant the castle of Totnes and the manor of Cornworthy,
Devon, the manor of Calstone and the hundred of Calne, Wiltshire, the manor of Meole
Brace, Shropshire, and the manor of Haygrove and two parts of the manor of Bridgwater,
Somerset, to Ralph Cosyn with successive remainders in fee tail to his sons
William, John, Roger, Thomas, John and Edmund, William Deincourt and Millicent
his wife, daughter of the said William la Zouche, Isabel her sister, and
Thomasina her sister. [2]
It has been claimed that William
la Zouche, second son of William la Zouche of Harringworth, was the same person
as William la Zouche, Archbishop of York who died on 19 July 1352, but there is
ample evidence from contemporary documents, mainly feet of fines, given below, to
show that that this claim is completely unfounded. The ODNB entry for
Archbishop la Zouche states that he was most likely a son of the Roger la
Zouche who died in 1302 holding the manor of Lubbesthorpe in Leicestershire. [3]
William, son of William la Zouche
of Harringworth was probably born about 1300. He first appears in contemporary
documents in a fine dated 24 April 1317, when William, John and Roger, sons of
William la Zouche of Harringworth, all under age, were granted the manor of Thorpe
Arnold, Leicestershire by their father. [4]
In a fine dated 20 January
1325, by royal licence, his father granted William the manors of Eaton Bray, Houghton Regis, Thornbury (in Houghton Regis), and Totternhoe, Bedfordshire. [5]
By a fine dated 21 April 1325,
his father granted him the reversions of the manors of Ham (in Waddesdon), Buckinghamshire and Claybrooke, Leicestershire. [6]
By a fine dated 9 June 1325,
his father granted William son of William la Zouche and Avice his wife and
their heirs, the reversion of the manor of Harringworth, Northamptonshire after
the death of William the father. [7]
By a fine dated 12 November
1325, William la Zouche of Harringworth granted the manors of Bulwick, Ferrels Wood, Henwick (both in Bulwick), and the reversion of rents in Rothwell, Northamptonshire to
William son of William la Zouche of Harringworth and Avice his wife and the
heirs of their bodies. [8]
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/abstracts/CP_25_1_176_71.shtml#479.
By a fine dated 3 May 1332, William
son of William la Zouche, knight, quitclaimed the manors of Eaton Bray, Houghton Regis, and Thornbury (in
Houghton Regis), Bedfordshire to his father. [10]
This is the last record that I
can find for William, son of William la Zouche of Harringworth. He was dead
before 24 April 1338, when Ralph de Cromwell knight, son of Ralph de Cromwell
knight instituted John de Cromwell acolyte to the church of Bulwick, vacant by
the death of Master Roger la Zouche. [11]
On 20 March 1344, Thomasia de
Verdon had licence surrender the manor of Basford, Nottinghamshire, said to be
held in chief, which she held for life of the inheritance of William la Zouche
of Harringworth, and for the said William to enfeoff Ralph de Cromwell and Avice,
his wife, of the manor. [12]
Was Thomasia the daughter of William la Zouche?
On 13 October 1344, William la
Zouche of Harringworth came to an agreement with Ralph de Cromwell and Avice,
concerning the manor of Harringworth and land in Bulwick. [13]
By a fine dated 6 October
1344, Ralph de Cromwell and Avice granted the manor of Hucknall
Torkard, Nottinghamshire to Alexander de Gonalston and Alice his wife,
with reversion to Ulkerus (don’t ask me) son of Ralph and Avice. [14]
By a fine dated 20 January
1351, Ralph de Cromwell and Avice his wife granted land and rent in Basford, Nottinghamshire
to Ralph, son of Ralph de Cromwell and Maud [Bernake] his wife. [15]
In October 1351, William la
Zouche of Harringworth granted the manors of Harringworth, Bulwick, Fairhill, and rent in Rothwell Northamptonshire and the manor of Clipsham, Rutland, to trustees, with reversion to William
son of Eon la Zouche (his grandson). The manor of Bulwick and the rent in
Rothwell were held for life by Avice, wife of Ralph de Cromwell, doubtless as
dower from her first husband. [16]
Ralph de Cromwell died before 14
July 1356, when a commission of oyer and terminer was ordered on complaint by
John son of Thomas Elys of Lambley that Avice late the wife of Ralph de Cromwell,
knight, and others, assaulted him at Lambley, Nottinghamshire, and carried away
his goods. [17]
Avice was living on 28 October
1364 when Ralph de Neville, keeper of the king’s forest beyond Trent was
ordered to replevy to Avice (Amice) who was wife of Ralph de Cromwell land in Lambley,
Nottinghamshire which had been taken into the king’s hand for forest trespasses.
[18]
The identity of Avice is
confirmed by an entry in the Fine Rolls dated 12 May 1382, when it was reported
that an inquisition found that Ralph de Cromwell, knight was the son of Avice
the sister of Roger Bellers. [19]
This Roger Bellers who died on 8 October 1380 was the son of Roger Bellers who
was murdered on 19 January 1326 by Eon, the son and heir apparent of William la
Zouche of Harringworth. Was this murder the result of a family feud?
In conclusion, I believe I
have shown that Avice, daughter of Roger de Bellers (died 1326) and his wife
Alice, married firstly before 9 June 1325, Sir William son of William la Zouche
of Harringworth who was living on 3 May 1332. She married secondly, before 24
April 1338, Sir Ralph de Cromwell of West Hallam, Derbyshire who died before 14
July 1356.
It appears that Avice and William la
Zouche had no children.
[1] Complete
Peerage, vol. 12, part 2 (London, 1959), 938-940.
[2] Calendar
of Patent Rolls, Edward II, vol. 5: 1324-1327 (1904), 254.
[3] Nicholas
Bennett, ‘Zouche, William (d. 1352)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,
Oxford University Press, 2004.
[4] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/124/50, number 141.
[5] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/4/49, number 20.
[6] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/286/32, number 246.
[7] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/176/71, number 463.
[8] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/176/71, number 479.
[9] Nicholas
H. Bennett, The Beneficed Clergy in the Diocese of Lincoln during the
Episcopate of Henry Burghersh: 1320-1340, PhD. Thesis, University of York
(1989), 156.
[10] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/4/53, number 15.
[11] Nicholas
H. Bennett, The Benificed Clergy in the Diocese of Lincoln during the
Episcopate of Henry Burghersh: 1320-1340, PhD. Thesis, University of York
(1989), 175.
[12] Calendar
of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 6: 1343-1345 (1902), 223.
[13] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/177/77, number 279.
[14] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/185/30, number 249.
[15]
Feet of Fines: CP 25/1/185/31, number 297.
[16] Feet
of Fines: CP 25/1/177/79, number 380.
[17] Calendar
of Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 10: 1354-1358 (1909), 449.
[18] Calendar
of Close Rolls, Edward III: vol. 12: 1364-1369 (1910), 37.