Bryan FitzAlan, Lord FitzAlan
Encyclopedia
Sir Bryan FitzAlan, Baron FitzAlan Knt. (died 1 June 1306) was Lord of the Manor
of Bedale
in Richmondshire
, Askham Bryan
in the Ainsty, Bainton, Heworth &c., in Yorkshire
, Bicker and Graby in Lincolnshire
, a J.P.
, and High Sheriff
of Yorkshire
, &c. He was appointed a Guardian of Scotland
on 13 June 1291, and was brother-in-law to King John of Scotland
.
and Earl of Richmond
.
In 1275–6 Gilbert de Stapleton arraigned an assize of novel disseisin against him and others touching a tenement in Thorntoncolling’, Yorkshire. In 1280–1 Peter de Mauley arraigned an assize of darrein presentment against him touching the church of Bampton, Yorkshire. In 1280–1 Peter de Mauley arraigned an assize of darrein presentment against him touching the church of Beyntoz.
On the Wednesday before St. Martin, 1290, he founded by charter, at Bedale, a chantry which he appropriated to Jervaulx Abbey
to pray for the souls of the late Countess of Richmond, of Alan his father and Agnes his mother, Muriel his (first) wife, and Thomas, Robert, and Theobald, his sons, &c.
On 20 September 1291, he had a licence to crenellate his house at Killerby, near Catterick
, in the wapentake of East Hang, according to Genuki
.
in 1277 and 1287. On 1 May 1285, being about to go beyond the seas on pilgrimage, he had Letters of Protection from the Crown for two years. He was Constable of both Roxburgh Castle
and Jedburgh
Castle from 4 August 1291 to 18 November 1292, and those of Dundee
and Forfar
from 1290 until the same day. He was present at the assemblies held at Berwick-upon-Tweed
in October and November 1292 during the discussions surrounding the Great Cause. As a Guardian of Scotland he was one of those commanded on 18 November 1292 to give sasine of the Kingdom of Scotland
to John de Balliol.
On 12 July 1297 he was appointed Captain for the defence of Northumberland
and, on 18 October following, a Keeper of the Scottish Marches in that county. He was constituted Keeper of Scotland, at a salary of 2,000 marks a year, on 18 August 1297. He served at the Battle of Falkirk
on 22 July 1298, and was at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle
in July 1300.
. This was true until Lord Beaumont petitioned for the restoration of titles, following the discovery of the remains of the said Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell
in a chamber. It was previously thought that his line was not entitled to succeed him, but it turned out that there was a technicality and so, the Errington assumer of the name Stapleton of Carlton Towers, who had inherited from Lord Lovell's sister, ended up having the titles reversed to him. The Duke of Norfolk married the Baroness Beaumont and thus, the Lordship of Bedale is genetically Howard these days, although, also as GENUKI
reports, they no longer own any land in the township of Bedale. Long occupants of Aiskew
and recusant supporters of Catholic revival in the 19th century, the FitzScolland, FitzAlan, Stapleton, Grey of Rotherfield, Deincourt, Lovell, Errington, etc. family inheritance is now taken to be assumed by the Beresford-Peirse Baronets
, who are part of a long line of landlords from different local families who bought their way into the manor, or foreigners who were appointed there from the time of Henry VII and Elizabeth I, beginning with the attainders of Lovell and of Simon Digby
in the Rising of the North
. The most recent time of disruption in the land ownership (which ultimately failed) was when Parliament charged the Stapletons with papacy and the Peirses with malignancy, as a means of purging the Catholic and Anglican stronghold out of this region.
. This second wife was a daughter of John de Balliol (d. 1269), Lord of Barnard Castle
, by his spouse Devorguilla (d. 1290) daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway
(d. 1234). Devorguilla was a great-great-granddaughter of King David I of Scotland
. His widow, Maud, was living 10 April 1340, when she granted the advowson of the church of Rokeby, together with a messuage and a bovate and a half of land, to Egglestone Abbey to celebrate services for her good estate during her lifetime, and for her soul after her death, and for the souls of Brian her husband and John de Grey of Rotherfield, their ancestors and heirs, and all the faithful deceased.
Of Lord FitzAlan's sons by his first marriage nothing is known, but it appears they were all dead by 1290. His daughters by his second marriage were his co-heirs in his landed estates. They were also co-heiresses to his brother, Theobald.
The Lordship of the Manor
of Bedale passed via the eldest daughter:
The present heir is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk
, grandson of Mona Fitzalan-Howard, 11th Baroness Beaumont
, whose paternal forbear Nicholas Errington assumed the surname Stapleton upon marriage to the Stapleton heiress.
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Bedale
Bedale
Bedale is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of Leeds, southwest of Middlesbrough, and south west of the county town of Northallerton...
in Richmondshire
Richmondshire
Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. It covers a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scots' Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lies to the north...
, Askham Bryan
Askham Bryan
Askham Bryan is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in the north of England, 6 miles south west of York, west of Bishopthorpe, and close to Askham Richard and Copmanthorpe. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 582. Prior to 1996 it formed...
in the Ainsty, Bainton, Heworth &c., in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Bicker and Graby in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, &c. He was appointed a Guardian of Scotland
Guardian of Scotland
The Guardians of Scotland were the de facto heads of state of Scotland during the First Interregnum of 1290–1292, and the Second Interregnum of 1296–1306...
on 13 June 1291, and was brother-in-law to King John of Scotland
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
.
Family
He was the son of Sir Alan FitzBryan, Knt., Lord of the Manor of Bedale, &c., (who was slain shortly before 17 May 1276 by Payn de Keu of Brandesburton in self-defence) and his spouse, Agnes, (who was still alive in July 1267) said to be a daughter of Sir Randolph FitzHenry of Ravensworth in Richmondshire. The family claim direct descent from Conan II, Duke of BrittanyConan II, Duke of Brittany
Conan II of Rennes was Duke of Brittany, from 1040 to his death. Conan was the eldest child and heir of Alan III, Duke of Brittany by his wife Berthe de Blois, and member of the House of Rennes...
and Earl of Richmond
Earl of Richmond
The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was held by various Bretons, Normans, the royal families of Plantagenet, Capet, Savoy, Tudor and Stuart.-History:...
.
In 1275–6 Gilbert de Stapleton arraigned an assize of novel disseisin against him and others touching a tenement in Thorntoncolling’, Yorkshire. In 1280–1 Peter de Mauley arraigned an assize of darrein presentment against him touching the church of Bampton, Yorkshire. In 1280–1 Peter de Mauley arraigned an assize of darrein presentment against him touching the church of Beyntoz.
On the Wednesday before St. Martin, 1290, he founded by charter, at Bedale, a chantry which he appropriated to Jervaulx Abbey
Jervaulx Abbey
Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton near the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, founded in 1156. Initially a Savigniac foundation, the abbey was later taken over by the Cistercian order and responsibility for it was taken by Byland Abbey. Originally founded in...
to pray for the souls of the late Countess of Richmond, of Alan his father and Agnes his mother, Muriel his (first) wife, and Thomas, Robert, and Theobald, his sons, &c.
On 20 September 1291, he had a licence to crenellate his house at Killerby, near Catterick
Catterick, North Yorkshire
Catterick , sometimes Catterick Village, to distinguish it from the nearby Catterick Garrison, is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England...
, in the wapentake of East Hang, according to Genuki
GENUKI
GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. Its aim is "to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland"...
.
Scotland
Sir Bryan was on the King's service in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1277 and 1287. On 1 May 1285, being about to go beyond the seas on pilgrimage, he had Letters of Protection from the Crown for two years. He was Constable of both Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
and Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
Castle from 4 August 1291 to 18 November 1292, and those of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
and Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
from 1290 until the same day. He was present at the assemblies held at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
in October and November 1292 during the discussions surrounding the Great Cause. As a Guardian of Scotland he was one of those commanded on 18 November 1292 to give sasine of the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
to John de Balliol.
On 12 July 1297 he was appointed Captain for the defence of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and, on 18 October following, a Keeper of the Scottish Marches in that county. He was constituted Keeper of Scotland, at a salary of 2,000 marks a year, on 18 August 1297. He served at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1298)
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
on 22 July 1298, and was at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle, built in the 13th century, in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve area at the Solway Firth, south of Dumfries in the southwest of Scotland. In the Middle Ages it was owned by the Maxwell family. Today, the castle is in the care of Historic...
in July 1300.
Peerage
Sir Bryan was summoned for Military Service from 6 April 1282 to 7 November 1302, to a Military Council on 14 June 1287, and to attend upon the King at Salisbury on 26 January 1298. He was summoned to parliament from 24 June 1295 to 22 January 1305 by Writs directed to Briano filio Alani whereby he is held to have become Lord FitzAlan. As Brianus filius Alani domins de Bedale he took part in the Barons' Letter to the Pope, dated 12 February 1300.Death
Lord FitzAlan was buried in Bedale Church next to his first wife. The lordship passed into abeyance with the death of Lord Lovell in the Wars of the RosesWars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. This was true until Lord Beaumont petitioned for the restoration of titles, following the discovery of the remains of the said Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell
Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell
Francis Lovell, 9th Baron Lovell, 6th Baron Holand, later 1st Viscount Lovell was an English nobleman. He probably knew the later King Richard III of England from a young age, and was to become his lifelong friend and staunch ally....
in a chamber. It was previously thought that his line was not entitled to succeed him, but it turned out that there was a technicality and so, the Errington assumer of the name Stapleton of Carlton Towers, who had inherited from Lord Lovell's sister, ended up having the titles reversed to him. The Duke of Norfolk married the Baroness Beaumont and thus, the Lordship of Bedale is genetically Howard these days, although, also as GENUKI
GENUKI
GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. Its aim is "to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland"...
reports, they no longer own any land in the township of Bedale. Long occupants of Aiskew
Aiskew
Aiskew is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is situated to the immediate north-east of Bedale. It was known as Echescol in the Domesday Book...
and recusant supporters of Catholic revival in the 19th century, the FitzScolland, FitzAlan, Stapleton, Grey of Rotherfield, Deincourt, Lovell, Errington, etc. family inheritance is now taken to be assumed by the Beresford-Peirse Baronets
Beresford-Peirse Baronets
The Beresford, later Beresford-Peirse Baronetcy, of Bagnall in the County of Waterford, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 May 1814 for John Beresford. He was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and also represented Coleraine, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northallerton and...
, who are part of a long line of landlords from different local families who bought their way into the manor, or foreigners who were appointed there from the time of Henry VII and Elizabeth I, beginning with the attainders of Lovell and of Simon Digby
Simon Digby
Simon Digby was an English antiquary and Constable of Coleshill, in Warwickshire in the 15th century.Simon de Montford was executed in 1495 for contributing to the fund of Perkin Warbeck, who was plotting to oust King Henry VII from the throne...
in the Rising of the North
Rising of the North
The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.-Background:When Elizabeth I succeeded her...
. The most recent time of disruption in the land ownership (which ultimately failed) was when Parliament charged the Stapletons with papacy and the Peirses with malignancy, as a means of purging the Catholic and Anglican stronghold out of this region.
Marriage
He married twice: (1) Muriel (surname unknown), who died before 8 November 1290 and is buried in Bedale Church, and (2) before 2 July 1297, Maud, who was buried in the Church of the Black Friars at YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. This second wife was a daughter of John de Balliol (d. 1269), Lord of Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...
, by his spouse Devorguilla (d. 1290) daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway
Alan, Lord of Galloway
Alan Fitz Roland was the last of the MacFergus dynasty of quasi-independent Lords of Galloway. He was also hereditary Constable of Scotland.-Family:He was the son of Roland, or Lochlann, Lord of Galloway and Helen de Morville...
(d. 1234). Devorguilla was a great-great-granddaughter of King David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
. His widow, Maud, was living 10 April 1340, when she granted the advowson of the church of Rokeby, together with a messuage and a bovate and a half of land, to Egglestone Abbey to celebrate services for her good estate during her lifetime, and for her soul after her death, and for the souls of Brian her husband and John de Grey of Rotherfield, their ancestors and heirs, and all the faithful deceased.
Of Lord FitzAlan's sons by his first marriage nothing is known, but it appears they were all dead by 1290. His daughters by his second marriage were his co-heirs in his landed estates. They were also co-heiresses to his brother, Theobald.
The Lordship of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Bedale passed via the eldest daughter:
- Agnes, (b. 1298) whose marriage was granted on 10 May 1306 (when she was just 8 years old) to Sir Miles de Stapleton of Carlton, YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
for his younger son: Sir Gilbert Stapleton, Knt., (died 1321). Their son, Sir Miles Stapleton of BedaleMiles Stapleton of BedaleSir Miles Stapleton of Bedale KG was an English knight, one of the Knights Founder of the Order of the Garter. He was the eldest son of Gilbert de Stapleton, knt. , and the grandson of Miles de Stapleton . His mother was Matilda Sir Miles Stapleton of Bedale (or of Cotherstone) KG (1320?–1364)...
, was a Knight Founder of the Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. Their great-great-grandson, Sir Miles StapletonMiles StapletonSir Miles Stapleton, KG was Lord of the Manor of Ingham, Norfolk and de jure Baron Ingham of Ingham, Norfolk, and Lord of the Manor of Bedale, Yorkshire.-Family:...
of Bedale, also held the feudal barony of Ingham, NorfolkIngham, NorfolkIngham is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies close to the village of Stalham, and is about 2 miles from Sea Palling on the North Sea coast....
.
The present heir is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk
Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk
Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, is the son of Miles Stapleton-Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk and his wife Anne Mary Teresa Constable-Maxwell. The principal seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle....
, grandson of Mona Fitzalan-Howard, 11th Baroness Beaumont
Mona Fitzalan-Howard, 11th Baroness Beaumont
Mona Josephine Tempest Fitzalan-Howard, 11th Baroness Beaumont, Baroness Howard of Glossop, OBE was a British peeress.-Personal life:...
, whose paternal forbear Nicholas Errington assumed the surname Stapleton upon marriage to the Stapleton heiress.
- Katherine (1300 - d. before 7 August 1328) married Sir John de Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Rotherfield, K.G. (9 October 1300 - 1 September 1359).
Sources
- Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford, 1904. (Entry).
- Foster, Joseph, editor, The Visitation of Yorkshire 1584/85 by Robert Glover, Somerset HeraldSomerset HeraldSomerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor appears to have been raised to the rank of a royal...
, plus that made in 1612 by Richard St.George, Norroy King of Arms, London, 1875, pp. 294, 332, where Sir Bryan's ArmsCoat of armsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
are given as: "Barry of eight Or and Gules". - Richardson, Douglas, Plantagenet Ancestry, Baltimore, Maryland: 2004, pp. 554, 682. ISBN 0-8063-1750-7