William Denys
Encyclopedia
Sir William Denys of Dyrham
, Gloucestershire, was a courtier of King Henry VIII and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
in 1518 and 1526.
, Oxfordshire, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas(1450–1467). The Inquisition post mortem of his father Sir Walter, dated 1505, states William his son and heir to have then been "aged 35 years and more", which suggests a date of birth of 1470.
can be seen over his tomb in the south aisle of Lechlade
Church, Glos. Twynyho served as MP for Bristol in 1472-5 and again in 1484 and had been Attorney General to Lord Edward
, 1st son of King Edward IV
in 1478. Twynyho had gone into partnership with John Tame(d.1500), the builder of Fairford
Church, Glos., and a favourite of King Henry VII, and the pair had expanded their sheep, wool and cloth business in a bold fashion by acquiring large amounts of sheep rearing land, including Fairford in 1479. Indeed Twynyho's daughter Alice(d.1471) was given by her father as wife to John Tame, and the monumental brass
of the couple can be seen on top of their chest tomb, known as “the Founder's Tomb”, at Fairford Church. Twynyho's relative Ankaret (nee Hawkeston) had been a servant of Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence(d.1476), daughter and co-heiress of Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick(d.1471), whose death in childbirth had been blamed, by her husband George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
(executed 1476), on a poisoning by Ankaret. Clarence was determined to have Ankaret executed, against the wishes of the Queen, who believed her to be an elderly and harmless widow blamed unjustly. Clarence rapidly gave orders for her arrest, which was performed at Keyford, Somerset, the family home, on 12/4/1477 by Richard Hyde and Roger Strugge and 80 “riotous persons”, whence she was taken to Bath, thence to Cirencester thence to Warwick, where she was tried before JP's at the guildhall and found guilty by a jury. She was hanged at Mytton, Warks., on 15/4/1477, which action is considered by modern historians as a notorious judicial murder. Clarence himself was executed in the Tower of London
the following year, 18th Feb. 1478, and two days later on 20th Feb. 1478 Ankaret's grandson Roger Twynyho obtained the king's annulment of Ankaret's conviction.
It appears the Denys/Twynyho relationship may have started in 1481 on the sale or other transfer by Sir Walter Denys of the manors, or an interest therein, of North Cheriton
and South Cheriton, Somerset, to the Twynyho/Tame wool-merchant partnership, which manors had been inherited from Sir Walter's grandmother Margaret Russell, daughter of Sir Maurice Russell
(d.1416) of Dyrham. The following entry in the Somerset Feet of Fines records the transaction:
, Gloucestershire, of which they held a moiety
, and Litton Cheyney in Dorset.
The feoffees to this arrangement are the same as those who acted in the previously quoted transfer at about the same time of Cherington by Sir Walter Denys.
, Glos., as recorded in a charter dated 21 Edward IV (1481), incompletely quoted and preserved in the Gloucestershire Inquisition post mortem of Sir Walter Denys, dated 14/9/1505 :
A daughter named Anne was born from the marriage with Edith Twynyho, who died sine prole.
(d.1511), Groom of the Stool
to King Henry VII(d.1509), that he was appointed at some date before 5 June 1511 an Esquire of the Body to the new young King Henry VIII. Hugh had occupied the closest position to the king of all the courtiers, and was highly trusted by the old king. The new King, Henry's son, had not continued Hugh Denys in his post of Groom of the Stool, which was one of considerable personal intimacy, having appointed his own favourite Sir William Compton
(d.1528), but perhaps out of respect, and indeed affection, for his father's loyal old servant had kept him on as a standard Esquire of the Body for the first 2 years of his reign until Hugh's death in 1511. It was perhaps as a replacement for old Hugh that the king appointed his half-nephew William Denys in his place.
. It clearly was handed down with the deeds of the manor on the termination of the Denys era at Dyrham in 1571. The charter is of exceptional interest as it is witnessed by men of the greatest importance in the state, who were at the King's side at that moment, at the Palace of Westminster. The text of the document, translated from Latin is as follows:
From the size of the present park it appears that only about 250 acres were ultimately enclosed.
in 1518 and 1526, continuing the tradition of the Denys family which would hold that post on more occasions than any other family.
, from the leading Gloucestershire family. This marriage accorded to William a considerable status in the county gentry. The marriage took place about two years after the death of Anne's father, so it appears the marriage was arranged between William and Anne's brother Maurice Berkeley(d.1526), de jure 4th Baron Berkeley
. Since 1492 the Berkeleys had been dispossessed of their ancestral lands including Berkeley Castle
, following the death of William Berkeley(d.1492), 1st Marquis Berkeley, Anne's uncle, who had bequeathed all his paternal lands to King Henry VII and his heirs male, either in exchange for his new marquessate or because he disapproved of his brother Maurice having married beneath the nobility to Isabel Mead, the daughter of Philip Meade, alderman & mayor of Bristol. Anne's father Maurice, during this Berkeley exile, had therefore been living at Thornbury
, close to the Denys manors of Alveston
and Earthcott Green. It may have been from this proximity that the marriage was proposed.
on 7 January 1534/5 makes reference to the marriage settlement, and details the manors which William settled on Anne's feoffees at that time:
John FitzJames was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench and had married (as her 2nd husband) Elizabeth Coningsby, mother of Denys's son-in-law Sir John Berkeley(d.1546) of Stoke Gifford
.
In June 1520 Denys was one of the 7 knights of the Gloucestershire contingent selected to form part of the 100 or so nobles and gentlemen appointed to attend King Henry VIII at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
, near Calais
, where the King was to meet King Francis I of France
. Each knight was expected to bring his own retinue, but limited to 10 persons and 4 horses. Edmund Tame(d.1534), the son of the business partner of John Twynyho, Denys's first father-in-law, was also on the Gloucestershire list, but his name was subsequently struck out and replaced, possibly due to ill-health. In a subsequent record Denys's name is shown as erased from the list of those attending the King, with the words "With the Queen" added, suggesting he had been transferred into the retinue of Katharine of Aragon.
performed the servive to the general community and the poor and needy which is today performed by government-funded social security, but had a religious element in addition. This later guild at Dyrham appears however to have been more akin to a chantry
, endowed with revenues to fund the singing by priests of masses for the souls of the members. The records of the guild are held by Bristol Archives, and it is recorded that "Many were the brethren and Sisters of this Guild who were prevailed upon to contribute towards its maintenance; which persons lived in fifty several parishes at least, in Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire, and might amount to three hundred persons". The endowments of the guild consisted mainly of livestock which were let out to local farmers for a yearly rental. The fate of the chantry at the Dissolution of the Monasteries
is not recorded, possibly because it seems not to have held any endowments in the form of land. It is likely that the Patron Saint Denis
was selected due to his having the same name as the Denys family, yet the family itself was probably so named not after the saint, but due to its probable Danish origins. In ancient charters the name is latinised as Dacus being the adjectival form of Dacia, mediaeval Latin for “Denmark”. In Norman French it is given as Le Deneis, i.e. “The Dane”. There were 3 prominent mediaeval Denys families in the South-West, one from Ilchester, Somerset, one from Devon, and that from Glamorgan which in about 1380 came to Siston and then to Dyrham in Gloucestershire, in the person of Sir Gilbert Denys
(d.1422), great-grandfather of Sir William Denys. The three families may all have originated from a common root before the era of the mass adoption of armorials, that is to say the first half of the 13th.c. The Somerset branch was the most short-lived, having disappeared before it might have adopted arms, but the Devon Denys's adopted as their arms three Danish battle-axes, the favoured weapons of the Viking
s, as borne by the King of Denmark and recorded as used by him in the Camden rolls of arms
, c.1280.
By his second marriage to Anne Berkeley were produced numerous children:
The Catalogue of Seals in the British Museum records the following entry:
This appears to be one of the leopards on the Denys arms. The motto may have been from Ovid
, Aeneid, Book 5, line 709: Quo fata trahunt, (retrahuntque, sequamur)("Whither the Fates draw (us) (and draw us back, let us follow"))
Dyrham
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...
, Gloucestershire, was a courtier of King Henry VIII and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1518 and 1526.
Origins
He was the eldest son and heir of Sir Walter Denys(d.1505) by his 2nd wife Agnes Danvers, 2nd daughter & co-heiress of Sir Robert Danvers(d.1467) of EpwellEpwell
Epwell is a village and civil parish in the north of Oxfordshire about west of Banbury. Its toponym is believed to be derived from the Old English Eoppa's Well....
, Oxfordshire, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas(1450–1467). The Inquisition post mortem of his father Sir Walter, dated 1505, states William his son and heir to have then been "aged 35 years and more", which suggests a date of birth of 1470.
First marriage
In about 1481 William's father arranged for him to marry Edith Twynyho, daughter of the wealthy Cirencester cloth-merchant John Twynyho(1440–1485), whose monumental brassMonumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
can be seen over his tomb in the south aisle of Lechlade
Lechlade
Lechlade, or Lechlade-on-Thames, is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near here....
Church, Glos. Twynyho served as MP for Bristol in 1472-5 and again in 1484 and had been Attorney General to Lord Edward
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
, 1st son of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
in 1478. Twynyho had gone into partnership with John Tame(d.1500), the builder of Fairford
Fairford
Fairford is a small town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswolds on the River Coln, about east of Cirencester, west of Lechlade and north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park.-Schools:...
Church, Glos., and a favourite of King Henry VII, and the pair had expanded their sheep, wool and cloth business in a bold fashion by acquiring large amounts of sheep rearing land, including Fairford in 1479. Indeed Twynyho's daughter Alice(d.1471) was given by her father as wife to John Tame, and the monumental brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
of the couple can be seen on top of their chest tomb, known as “the Founder's Tomb”, at Fairford Church. Twynyho's relative Ankaret (nee Hawkeston) had been a servant of Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence(d.1476), daughter and co-heiress of Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick(d.1471), whose death in childbirth had been blamed, by her husband George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
(executed 1476), on a poisoning by Ankaret. Clarence was determined to have Ankaret executed, against the wishes of the Queen, who believed her to be an elderly and harmless widow blamed unjustly. Clarence rapidly gave orders for her arrest, which was performed at Keyford, Somerset, the family home, on 12/4/1477 by Richard Hyde and Roger Strugge and 80 “riotous persons”, whence she was taken to Bath, thence to Cirencester thence to Warwick, where she was tried before JP's at the guildhall and found guilty by a jury. She was hanged at Mytton, Warks., on 15/4/1477, which action is considered by modern historians as a notorious judicial murder. Clarence himself was executed in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
the following year, 18th Feb. 1478, and two days later on 20th Feb. 1478 Ankaret's grandson Roger Twynyho obtained the king's annulment of Ankaret's conviction.
It appears the Denys/Twynyho relationship may have started in 1481 on the sale or other transfer by Sir Walter Denys of the manors, or an interest therein, of North Cheriton
North Cheriton
North Cheriton is a small village and civil parish in South Somerset with a population of 254. It is located on the A357 south-west of Wincanton.-History:North Cheriton is mentioned as a manor belonging to William de Moyon in the Domesday Book in 1086....
and South Cheriton, Somerset, to the Twynyho/Tame wool-merchant partnership, which manors had been inherited from Sir Walter's grandmother Margaret Russell, daughter of Sir Maurice Russell
Maurice Russell, knight
Sir Maurice Russell of Kingston Russell, Dorset and Dyrham, Glos. was a prominent member of the Gloucestershire gentry, the 3rd son, but eventual heir of Ralph Russell and his wife Alice. He was knighted between June and December 1385 and served twice as Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in...
(d.1416) of Dyrham. The following entry in the Somerset Feet of Fines records the transaction:
“At Westminster in the quinzaine of St. Hillary between Cristofor Twynyho cleric, John Twynyho of Cirencestre esquire, William Twynyho of Shipton Solers esquire, John Tame of Fayreford esquire, Edmund Langeley of Sudyngton Langeley
esquire, Thomas Delalynde of Clencheston esquire, John Walshe of Olveston esquire, William Lovell of Raffeston esquire, and Thomas Warner of Cirencestre esquire querents; and Walter Denys esquire and Agnes his wife deforciants ; for the manor of Northcheryton and the advowson of the free chapel of South-
cheryton (and lands in Glouc. and Dors.). Walter and Agnes acknowledged the right of John Twynyho as by their gift and quit claimed for the heirs of Agnes, and they warranted against Richard abbot of the monastery of St Mary CirencestreCirencester AbbeyCirencester Abbey in Gloucestershire was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1117 on the site of an earlier church, the oldest-known Saxon church in England, which had itself been built on the site of a Roman structure. The church was greatly enlarged in the 14th century with addition of an...
and his successors ; for this John Twynyho gave them six hundred pounds
sterling.”
- Christopher Twynyho was steward of Shaftesbury AbbeyShaftesbury AbbeyShaftesbury Abbey was an abbey that housed nuns in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Founded in the year 888, the abbey was the wealthiest Benedictine nunnery in England, a major pilgrimage site, and the town's central focus...
, Dorset, of which his sister Margery was Abbess(1496-1505). Shaftesbury was the second wealthiest Abbey in the land, behind only Glastonbury AbbeyGlastonbury AbbeyGlastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
. The will of John Twynyho(d.1485) bequeaths to this "Dame Margery, my niece, nun of Shaftesbury" a silver & gilt goblet "which had been presented to him by George, Duke of Clarence". This familiarity with the Duke suggests that John was the son or grandson of Ankarette.
- William Twynyho(d.1497) of Shipton SolersShipton, GloucestershireThe twin villages of Shipton Oliffe and Shipton Solars are situated just from Cheltenham. The River Coln, just a tiny stream at this point, flows through the village over two fords and innumerable little water splashes, creating ornamental lakes in private properties.The name Shipton, meaning...
, Glos., was the 2nd son of William Twynyho of Keyford and served as MP for WeymouthWeymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...
1472-5 had acquired that manor in right of his wife Catherine Solers(d.1494), daughter of John Solers. The manor descended to his son Walter Twynyho.
- Edmund Langley of Siddington, GloucestershireSiddington, GloucestershireSiddington is a village located one mile south of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England.William fitzBaderon is recorded in the Domesday Book as holding one hide in Siddington ; Aswith held it in the time of King Edward, before the Norman conquest in 1066...
, about 1 mile south of Cirencester was the husband of Lady Elizabeth Beynham(d.1527/8), widow of Sir Alexander Beynham of MitcheldeanMitcheldeanMitcheldean is a small town in the east of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits...
, Forest of Dean, son of Sir Thomas Baynham and Alice Walwyn. Alice Walwyn, as widow of Sir Thomas, was the 4th and last wife of Sir Walter Denys(d.1505). Edmund Langley's will was dated 1490.
- Thomas Delalynde of Winterborne Clenston, Dorset, was married to Edith Twynyho, daughter of William Twynyho(d.1472) of Keyford, Somerset, by Ankaret. He was living at Warwick, presumambly as part of the retinue of Isabel, Duchess of Clarence, and the couple were summarily ordered to leave Warwick by order of the Duke of Clarence during the trial of Ankaret, as the petition to the king made by Roger, Ankaret's grandson, reveals.
- John Walshe(d. circa 1492) of OlvestonOlvestonOlveston is a small village and larger parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The parish comprises the villages of Olveston and Tockington, and the hamlets of Old Down, Ingst and Awkley. Alveston became a separate parish in 1846...
, and Little SodburyLittle SodburyLittle Sodbury is an English village in South Gloucestershire, located between Chipping Sodbury, to the West, Old Sodbury to the South, Badminton, and the A46 road to the East and Horton and Hawkesbury Upton, to the north....
Glos., appears to have acquired Olveston in 1472 from Sir Walter Denys, father of William, who is buried in the middle of the choir of Olveston Church, as the Denys monumental brassDenys brass, OlvestonThe Denys monumental brass in Olveston Church, Gloucestershire, dates from 1505, and is one of only about 80 Monumental brasses of Gloucestershire surviving today. It was erected following the death of Sir Walter Denys in 1505, and shows the latter together with his father Maurice Denys, both ...
there states. In 1490 Walshe was appointed King's Receiver of the estates of William, Marquess Berkeley, uncle of Anne Berkeley, Sir William Denys's 2nd. wife, when he alienated his estates to King Henry VII. His son John II Walshe was King's ChampionQueen's ChampionThe feudal holder of the Manor of Scrivelsby since 1066 has held that manor from the Crown by grand serjeanty of being The Honourable The King's/Queen's Champion. Such person is also Standard Bearer of England.- Origins :...
at the coronation of Henry VIII, and was a great favourite of the young king's. John I Walshe's daughter Catherine married George Huntley(d.1580) of Frocester, MP for Cricklade, eldest son of John Huntley of Standish by Alice Langley, daughter of Edmund Langley of Siddington. George Huntley's brother John married Jane Carne, daughter of Sir Edward Carne(d.1561), husband of Anne Denys, daughter of Sir William Denys.
Marriage settlement
The marriage settlement appears to have concerned the Denys manors of AustAust
Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, the historical site of the eastern terminal of the Aust Ferry crossing route over the River Severn between England and Wales, believed to have been used in Roman times as a continuation of Icknield Street which led from Eastern England...
, Gloucestershire, of which they held a moiety
Moiety title
Moiety title is legal term describing a portion other than a whole of ownership of property. The word derives from Old French moitié meaning "half" , from Latin medietas "middle", from medius....
, and Litton Cheyney in Dorset.
Litton Cheyne
The Inquisition post mortem of William's father Sir Walter Denys, dated 18 October 1505, relating to his lands in Dorset, states as follows:
“He was formerly seized in fee of the under-mentioned moiety of the manor of Lutton, with the advowson, and by charter dated the eve of St. Thomas the Apostle, 21 Edward IV (i.e. 1481), gave it to Master Christopher Twynyho, clerk, John Twynyho, William Twynyho, John Walsshe, Thomas de la Lynde, William Lovell and Thomas Warner, esquires, to hold to them and their heirs to the use of William Denys, then his son and heir apparent, and of Edith, William's wife, and of the heirs of their bodies, and in default of such issue to the use of the said William Denys and his heirs; by pretext whereof the said Christopher and his co-feoffees were seized thereof to the use aforesaid in the form aforesaid”.
The feoffees to this arrangement are the same as those who acted in the previously quoted transfer at about the same time of Cherington by Sir Walter Denys.
Aust
The marriage settlement appears to have concerned the Denys manor of AustAust
Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, the historical site of the eastern terminal of the Aust Ferry crossing route over the River Severn between England and Wales, believed to have been used in Roman times as a continuation of Icknield Street which led from Eastern England...
, Glos., as recorded in a charter dated 21 Edward IV (1481), incompletely quoted and preserved in the Gloucestershire Inquisition post mortem of Sir Walter Denys, dated 14/9/1505 :
“He was seized of a moiety of the manor of Awste or AustAustAust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, the historical site of the eastern terminal of the Aust Ferry crossing route over the River Severn between England and Wales, believed to have been used in Roman times as a continuation of Icknield Street which led from Eastern England...
, and by charter dated... 21 Edward IV, ...enfeoffed thereof...Twynyho, William Twynyho, John Thame, Edmund Langley...to hold to the use of William Denys, then his son and heir apparent, and of Edith, William's wife, and of the heirs of their bodies, and in default of such issue to the use of the said William Denys and his heirs; by pretext whereof the said Christopher Twynyho and his co-feoffees were seized thereof in form aforesaid.”
A daughter named Anne was born from the marriage with Edith Twynyho, who died sine prole.
Esquire of the Body
It may have been due to the position of William's half-uncle Hugh DenysHugh Denys
Hugh Denys was a courtier of Kings Henry VII and of the young Henry VIII. As Groom of the Stool to Henry VII, he was one of the King's closest courtiers, his role developing into one of administering the Privy Chamber, a department in control of the royal finances which during Denys's tenure of...
(d.1511), Groom of the Stool
Groom of the Stool
The Groom of the Stool was the most intimate of a monarch's courtiers, whose physical intimacy naturally led to him becoming a man in whom much confidence was placed by his royal master, and with whom many royal secrets were shared as a matter of course...
to King Henry VII(d.1509), that he was appointed at some date before 5 June 1511 an Esquire of the Body to the new young King Henry VIII. Hugh had occupied the closest position to the king of all the courtiers, and was highly trusted by the old king. The new King, Henry's son, had not continued Hugh Denys in his post of Groom of the Stool, which was one of considerable personal intimacy, having appointed his own favourite Sir William Compton
William Compton (courtier)
Sir William Compton was one of the most prominent courtiers during the reign of Henry VIII of England. Born around 1482, Compton was about nine years older than his king, but the two became close friends. Compton was the eldest son of Edmund Compton of Warwickshire and became an attendant on young...
(d.1528), but perhaps out of respect, and indeed affection, for his father's loyal old servant had kept him on as a standard Esquire of the Body for the first 2 years of his reign until Hugh's death in 1511. It was perhaps as a replacement for old Hugh that the king appointed his half-nephew William Denys in his place.
Awarded licence to empark
At about the time of William's appointment as an Esquire of the Body the King granted him the honour of the licence to empark 500 acres of Dyrham, which is to say to enclose the land with a wall or hedgebank and to establish a captive herd of deer within, with exclusive hunting rights. This grant is witnessed by a charter on parchment, to which is affixed a rare example of a perfect great seal of Henry VIII, now hanging in a frame at Dyrham ParkDyrham Park
Dyrham Park is a baroque mansion in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in Gloucestershire, England. For the history of the manor of Dyrham, see main article Dyrham.-Description:...
. It clearly was handed down with the deeds of the manor on the termination of the Denys era at Dyrham in 1571. The charter is of exceptional interest as it is witnessed by men of the greatest importance in the state, who were at the King's side at that moment, at the Palace of Westminster. The text of the document, translated from Latin is as follows:
"Henry by the grace of God King of England and France and Lord of Ireland sends greetings to his archbishops, bishops, abbotts, priors, dukes, marquises, earls, barons, judges, sheriffs, reeves, ministers and all our bailiffs and faithful subjects. Let it be known that we, motivated by our especial grace and certain knowledge of him, have granted for us and our heirs to our faithful servant William Denys, Esquire of the Royal Body, to him, his heirs and assigns, the right to empark 500 acres of land, meadow, pasture and wood together with appurtenance at Le Worthy within the manor of Dereham in the county of Gloucestershire and enclose them with fences and hedges in order to make a park there. Also that they may have free warren in all their demesneDemesneIn the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
lands within the said manor. No other person may enter this park or warrenWarren (free)Free warren—often simply warren—refers to a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in mediaeval England to a subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, usually a wood or small forest...
to hunt or catch anything which might belong to that park or warren without permission from William, his heirs or assigns under penalty of £10, provided that the land is not within our forestRoyal forestA royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
.
Witnessed by:
- The most reverend in Christ father William Canterbury our chancellor and archbishop (William Warham
William WarhamWilliam Warham , Archbishop of Canterbury, belonged to a Hampshire family, and was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford, afterwards practising and teaching law both in London and Oxford....
)- The reverend in Christ fathers Richard Winchester, Keeper of the Privy Purse (Richard Foxe
Richard FoxeRichard Foxe was an English churchman, successively Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, Lord Privy Seal, and founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.-Life:...
) and- Thomas Durham, our secretary (Thomas Ruthall
Thomas RuthallThomas Ruthall was an English churchman, administrator and diplomat. He was a leading councillor of Henry VIII of England.-Life:...
), bishops.- Thomas Surrey, Treasurer of England ( Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
) and- George Shrewsbury (George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 4th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
), steward of our household, earls.- Charles Somerset Lord Herbert (Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of WorcesterCharles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...
), our chamberlain and- George Neville of Abergavenny (George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny
George Nevill, 5th Baron BergavennyGeorge Nevill, 5th and de jure 3rd Baron Bergavenny KG, PC was an English courtier. He held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.-Life:...
), barons.- Thomas Lovell
Thomas LovellSir Thomas Lovell was an English soldier and administrator, Speaker of the House of Commons and Secretary to the Treasury.-Early life:...
, treasurer of our household and- Edward Poynings
Edward PoyningsSir Edward Poynings KG was an English soldier, administrator and diplomat, Lord Deputy of Ireland under King Henry VII of England.-Early life:...
, comptroller of our household, knights, and many others.
Given by our hand at Westminster on the 5th day of June in the 3rd year of our reign" (1511).
From the size of the present park it appears that only about 250 acres were ultimately enclosed.
High Sheriff
Sir William served as High Sheriff of GloucestershireHigh Sheriff of Gloucestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1518 and 1526, continuing the tradition of the Denys family which would hold that post on more occasions than any other family.
Second marriage
William married 2ndly in about 1508 Anne Berkeley, da. of Maurice Berkeley(d.1506), de jure 3rd Baron BerkeleyBaron Berkeley
The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas II de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley, 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 1295, but the title of that creation became extinct at the death of...
, from the leading Gloucestershire family. This marriage accorded to William a considerable status in the county gentry. The marriage took place about two years after the death of Anne's father, so it appears the marriage was arranged between William and Anne's brother Maurice Berkeley(d.1526), de jure 4th Baron Berkeley
Baron Berkeley
The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas II de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley, 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 1295, but the title of that creation became extinct at the death of...
. Since 1492 the Berkeleys had been dispossessed of their ancestral lands including Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
, following the death of William Berkeley(d.1492), 1st Marquis Berkeley, Anne's uncle, who had bequeathed all his paternal lands to King Henry VII and his heirs male, either in exchange for his new marquessate or because he disapproved of his brother Maurice having married beneath the nobility to Isabel Mead, the daughter of Philip Meade, alderman & mayor of Bristol. Anne's father Maurice, during this Berkeley exile, had therefore been living at Thornbury
Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
Thornbury is a market town in South Gloucestershire, England, approximately 12 miles north of the city of Bristol, with a population of 12,342 at the 2001 UK census. The town hosts South Gloucestershire Council headquarters and is twinned with Bockenem in Germany. Thornbury is a Britain in Bloom...
, close to the Denys manors of Alveston
Alveston
Alveston is a commuter village of roughly 3000 people about south of Thornbury, South Gloucestershire and approximately north of Bristol, England. Alveston is twinned with Courville sur Eure, France. It has two hotels, a variety of small shops, several parks and fields, two churches and a...
and Earthcott Green. It may have been from this proximity that the marriage was proposed.
Marriage settlement
The Inquisition post mortem of Sir William Denys, taken at MarshfieldMarshfield, Gloucestershire
Marshfield is a village in the local government area of South Gloucestershire, England, on the borders of the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset.- Location :...
on 7 January 1534/5 makes reference to the marriage settlement, and details the manors which William settled on Anne's feoffees at that time:
“The jurors say that he held no lands of the king in the county of Gloucester, but that some time before his death he was seized of the manor of AlvestonAlvestonAlveston is a commuter village of roughly 3000 people about south of Thornbury, South Gloucestershire and approximately north of Bristol, England. Alveston is twinned with Courville sur Eure, France. It has two hotels, a variety of small shops, several parks and fields, two churches and a...
, of the manor of Erdecote (i.e. Earthcott Green) also of the park of Alveston, together with the hundred of Langley in his demesneDemesneIn the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
as of fee. And so being seized by charter dated 12th September 1508 confirmed a grant to Maurice Berkeley & others of the said manors. They further say that he was seized of the manor of DyrhamDyrhamDyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...
with the advowsonAdvowsonAdvowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the church, also 3 messuages, 200 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 40 acres of pasture in Henton (i.e. Hinton) in his demesne as of fee. And by charter dated 22nd September 1508 he granted the same to Maurice Berkeley & others. The jurors also say that John FitzJamesJohn FitzjamesSir John Fitzjames was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1526 until 1539.Sir John was a nephew of Richard Fitzjames, Bishop of London during the Hunne case...
, knight & Edward Wadham, knight, in 24 Henry VIII (1532) together with Maurice Berkeley & others received against the said William Denys the manior of SistonSistonSiston is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England east of Bristol Castle, ancient centre of Bristol, recorded historically as Syston, Sistone, Syton, Sytone and Systun etc. The village lies at the confluence of the two sources of the Siston Brook, a tributary of the River Avon...
with the advowson of the church, a moiety of the manor of AustAustAust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, the historical site of the eastern terminal of the Aust Ferry crossing route over the River Severn between England and Wales, believed to have been used in Roman times as a continuation of Icknield Street which led from Eastern England...
& 22 messuages etc. and one pound of pepper in Siston and Westrete in the hundred of BartonBarton Regis (hundred)Barton Regis was an ancient hundred of Gloucestershire, England, which also included the county of Bristol. In Gloucestershire it included the ancient parishes of*Clifton*Mangotsfield*Stapleton...
, near Bristol. Which recovery of the said manor of Ciston (sic) is to the use of the said William & Anne his wife and of their heirs male. And the moiety of the manor of Aust etc., to the said Anne for life.”
John FitzJames was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench and had married (as her 2nd husband) Elizabeth Coningsby, mother of Denys's son-in-law Sir John Berkeley(d.1546) of Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford is a large dormitory village, and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It has around 11,000 residents as of the 2001 Census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station, on the London-South Wales railway line, and the Bristol offices of Friends Life...
.
Attends Field of Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
, near Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, where the King was to meet King Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. Each knight was expected to bring his own retinue, but limited to 10 persons and 4 horses. Edmund Tame(d.1534), the son of the business partner of John Twynyho, Denys's first father-in-law, was also on the Gloucestershire list, but his name was subsequently struck out and replaced, possibly due to ill-health. In a subsequent record Denys's name is shown as erased from the list of those attending the King, with the words "With the Queen" added, suggesting he had been transferred into the retinue of Katharine of Aragon.
Founds Guild of St Denis
In 1520 Sir William and Lady Ann founded the "Guild of St. Denis" in the Church of St Peter, Dyrham, next to their manor house. The early English guildGuild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
performed the servive to the general community and the poor and needy which is today performed by government-funded social security, but had a religious element in addition. This later guild at Dyrham appears however to have been more akin to a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
, endowed with revenues to fund the singing by priests of masses for the souls of the members. The records of the guild are held by Bristol Archives, and it is recorded that "Many were the brethren and Sisters of this Guild who were prevailed upon to contribute towards its maintenance; which persons lived in fifty several parishes at least, in Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire, and might amount to three hundred persons". The endowments of the guild consisted mainly of livestock which were let out to local farmers for a yearly rental. The fate of the chantry at the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
is not recorded, possibly because it seems not to have held any endowments in the form of land. It is likely that the Patron Saint Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
was selected due to his having the same name as the Denys family, yet the family itself was probably so named not after the saint, but due to its probable Danish origins. In ancient charters the name is latinised as Dacus being the adjectival form of Dacia, mediaeval Latin for “Denmark”. In Norman French it is given as Le Deneis, i.e. “The Dane”. There were 3 prominent mediaeval Denys families in the South-West, one from Ilchester, Somerset, one from Devon, and that from Glamorgan which in about 1380 came to Siston and then to Dyrham in Gloucestershire, in the person of Sir Gilbert Denys
Gilbert Denys, knight
Sir Gilbert Denys of Siston, Gloucestershire, was a soldier, and later an administrator. He was knighted by Jan 1385, and was twice knight of the shire for Gloucestershire constituency, in 1390 and 1395 and served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1393-4...
(d.1422), great-grandfather of Sir William Denys. The three families may all have originated from a common root before the era of the mass adoption of armorials, that is to say the first half of the 13th.c. The Somerset branch was the most short-lived, having disappeared before it might have adopted arms, but the Devon Denys's adopted as their arms three Danish battle-axes, the favoured weapons of the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, as borne by the King of Denmark and recorded as used by him in the Camden rolls of arms
Roll of arms
A roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms...
, c.1280.
Progeny
By his first marriage to Edith Twynyho Was produced one daughter:- Anne, died without issue
By his second marriage to Anne Berkeley were produced numerous children:
Sons
- (1)Sir Walter (d.1571), eldest son & heir.
- (2)Sir Maurice DenysMaurice DenysSir Maurice Denys was an English lawyer in London, a property speculator during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, during which period he served as a "powerful figure at the Court of Augmentations", a Member of Parliament for Malmesbury in Wiltshire, Treasurer of Calais and the builder of Siston...
(d.1563), Treasurer of Calais & builder of Siston Court. - (3)William II Denys (d. post 1571). He was bequeathed by the will of his eldest brother Sir Walter his “velvett gowne and velvett jackett”. After the Dissolution of the MonasteriesDissolution of the MonasteriesThe Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
he was granted by letters patentLetters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
dated 22 June 1 Edward VI (1548) a 60 year lease of the ChantryChantryChantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
of St Michael in the parish church of Winterbourne, Glos. (between Siston & Alveston), which had been founded by Thomas Bradston. The chantry held lands in Winterbourne, Framshaw, Hambroke, Churchefelde & Cliffelde, all in Glos., from which it received rents. By 1553 William had disposed of it to Robert Bradston of Winterbourne, who used it as security for a loan of £40 from John Smyth, a merchant of Bristol. A contemporary report on the chantry related as follows:
“In the deanerie of Bristowe (i.e. Bristol) the parish of Wynterborne where are howselinge people (i.e. communicants) ccii. The warden of Wynterborne or otherwise called Bradston Chantrie “md?” that the seid wardenage or chantrie with the whole possessions thereunto belonging or appertaining have been for the space of one whole yere past or ther about in the possession of one William Denys now occupying the same by what title they know not, who said unto them he hath the same of our sovereign lord the king's majestie”.
The Catalogue of Seals in the British Museum records the following entry:
“Bradston Chantry in Winterbourne, co. Glos. A doubtful seal. Oval, a leopard's head jessant-de-lysJessant-de-lysJessant-de-lys is a heraldic term denoting a fleur-de-lys issuing out of any object. It is most frequently seen in conjunction with a leopard's face, meaning in heraldic language the face of a lion.-Description:...
. Motto: “..ATA TRAHUNT”
This appears to be one of the leopards on the Denys arms. The motto may have been from Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Aeneid, Book 5, line 709: Quo fata trahunt, (retrahuntque, sequamur)("Whither the Fates draw (us) (and draw us back, let us follow"))
- (4)Thomas
- (5)Francis, probably named after the French king Francois I whom William had attended his king to in 1520 at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
- (6)John
Daughters
- Anne, married 1stly John Raglan, 2ndly Sir Edward Carne (died 1561). She had issue from the 2nd marriage.
- Isabel, married 1stly Sir John Berkeley (died 1546) of Stoke GiffordStoke GiffordStoke Gifford is a large dormitory village, and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It has around 11,000 residents as of the 2001 Census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station, on the London-South Wales railway line, and the Bristol offices of Friends Life...
, Glos., who died of splinter wounds whilst on board ship at Portsmouth, eldest son of Sir Richard Berkeley (died 1514) by Elizabeth Conningsby. The couple's eldest son was Sir Richard BerkeleyRichard Berkeley (died 1604)Sir Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire was MP for Gloucestershire in 1604. He had previously served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1564, and as Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1568. In 1595 he was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of...
(died 1604), MP for Gloucestershire, whose effigy can be seen in The Gaunts ChapelSt Mark's Church, BristolSt Mark's Church is an ancient small church on the north-east side of College Green, Bristol, England, built c. 1230. Better known to mediaeval and Tudor historians as the Gaunt's Chapel, it has also been known within Bristol since 1722 as the Mayor's Chapel. It is the only church in England...
, Bristol. Also 2 daughters: Elizabeth Dennis Berkeley, born 1530, married Henry Lygon; Mary Berkeley, married Nicholas Walshe. Isabel survived her first husband and married 2ndly Arthur Porter.
- Katherine (died 1560), married 1stly, on 15 September 13 Henry VIII (1521), Sir Edmund II Tame (died 1544) of Fairford. 2ndly Walter Bucler, secretary to Queen Katherine Parr. 3rdly Roger Lygon(d.s.p. 1584), 8th son of Richard Lygon by Anne Beauchamp, 2nd daughter & co-heiress of Baron Beauchamp of Powyke. From her 1st marriage she inherited a life interest in the considerable Tame lands, including the manor of Fairford, Glos., in the parish church of which she is buried with her last husband in a chest-tomb with sculpted portrait effigies above.
- Eleanor, married William Lygon of MadresfieldMadresfieldMadresfield is a village and civil parish in the administrative district of Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is located about two miles east of Malvern town centre at the foot of the Malvern Hills and is less than two miles from the River Severn...
, son of Richard Lygon (eldest son of Richard Lygon & Anne Beauchamp) by Margaret Greville. Founders of the prominent early American colonial family of “Ligon” of Virginia. Eleanor was also the grandmother of Sir Ferdinando GorgesFerdinando GorgesSir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
, founder of the American province of Maine, whose mother was Cicely Lygon. - Bridget
- Mary, described in the 1623 Visitation of Gloucestershire as "a nun at Lacok", was in fact the last prioress of Kington St. Michael PrioryKington St. Michael PrioryKington St. Michael Priory was a Benedictine Priory of nuns at Kington St Michael in Wiltshire, England.The last Prioress of Kington was Dame Marie Denys, a daughter of Sir William Denys of Dyrham, Gloucestershire and Lady Ann Berkeley, da. of Maurice, de jure 3rd Baron Berkeley...
, Wiltshire, having started as a young nun at Laycock Abbey. In the summer of 1535 the King's visitors for effecting dissolutionDissolution of the MonasteriesThe Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
came to Lacock and made a favourable report. John ap Rice wrote that he had 'founde no notable compertes there' and commended the nuns of Lacock for their familiarity with their rule and constitutions. He informed Thomas Cromwell that Dame Marie Denys, 'a faire young woman of Laycock', had been made Prioress of Kington, where the visitation had revealed a less satisfactory state of affairs. She lived to ripe old age, having outlived her eldest brother Sir Walter (died 1571), who bequeathed to her in his will his “second best bed at Codrington”. She died in 1593 and received the honour of burial at the Gaunt's ChapelSt Mark's Church, BristolSt Mark's Church is an ancient small church on the north-east side of College Green, Bristol, England, built c. 1230. Better known to mediaeval and Tudor historians as the Gaunt's Chapel, it has also been known within Bristol since 1722 as the Mayor's Chapel. It is the only church in England...
, Bristol. - Margaret, married on 19 June 21 Henry VIII (1529) Sir Nicholas ArnoldNicholas Arnold-Life:He was the son of John Arnold, Lord of the manor of Highnam and Over, and his wife Isabel Hawkins.In 1530 he entered the service of Thomas Cromwell and assisted him in the Dissolution of the Monasteries...
, the highly influential Tudor politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland, who played a central role under Thomas Cromwell in administering the Dissolution of the MonasteriesDissolution of the MonasteriesThe Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. Her uncle, Thomas, 5th Baron Berkeley (died 1533) gave her in his will 200 marks for her marriage
Sources
- Davis, Cecil T., Monumental Brasses of Gloucestershire, London, 1899, p.109, Re brass of John Twynyho at Lechlade.
- Maclean, Sir John, (ed.), Visitation of the County of Gloucester Taken in the Year 1623 by Henry Chitty, London, 1885. (“Dennis” pp. 49–53)
- Robinson, W.J., West Country Manors, Bristol, 1930. (Dyrham, pp. 73–76; Syston(sic), pp. 169–172)