Isabel Stanley
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: unknown.
Place of Death: unknown.
Relationships
Father: Sir William Stanley.
This relationship is recorded in the dispensation for Isabel’s marriage given below.
Mother: Blanche Savage.
See the Commentary section below.
Spouse: Robert de Legh. Married about 1424.
A dispensation for this marriage is recorded an entry in the Lateran Regesta given below.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Robert Legh (born about 1428 - died 8 December 1486) married Ellen Bothe.
James Legh, rector of Ronthesthorne.
Peter Legh
Reginold Legh
William Legh
Margaret Legh married (1) Thomas Mere of Mere; married (2) Robert Reddish of Catteral
Margery Legh married William Davenport of Bramall.
Elizabeth Legh married Robert de Dukenfeld.
Douce Legh
Isabel Legh married (1) Laurence Wareyn of Poynton; married (2) Sir George Holford of Holford.
Matilda Legh married John Mainwaring of Peover.
Ellen Legh married John Pigott of Chetwynd.
Agnes Legh married Sir Andrew Brereton of Brereton.
Evidence
from the Lateran Regesta (243: 1423-4):
1424. 7 Kal. Sept. Frascati. (f. 240.)
To the bishop of Lichfield. Mandate to dispense Robert de Legh, donsel, and Isabel Stanley, daughter of William Stanley, knight, of his diocese, to contract and solemnize marriage notwithstanding an impediment of quasi-affinity (impedimentum publice honestatis justicie) arising from the fact that the said Robert, when in or about his fifth year, and the late Isabel Savage (related to the above Isabel Stanley in the second degree of kindred), when in her seventh year, contracted espousals, the said Isabel Savage dying after cohabiting for eight years with Robert (insimul cohabitaverat carnali copula inter eos non secuta). Oblate nobis.
Commentary
Isabel’s mother is known to be named Blanche from contemporary evidence (see the Evidence section above). In the 1580 visitation of Cheshire, she is identified as Blanche Arderne. In the Arderne of Hawarden pedigree there (p. 17), she is said to be a daughter of Sir John Arderne. In the Stanley of Hooton pedigree (p. 215) she is called “Margery or Blanch d. to Sr John Arderne.” Eakwaker (i, p. 474) gives Blanche’s father as Peter Arderne. Discussion in the late 1990s and early 2000s on soc.genealogy.medieval noted that neither of these relationships is consistent with known evidence about the Ardernes. The papal dispensation is strong evidence that Isabel Stanley was closely related to Isabel Savage (The “second degree of kindred” in this context implies shared grandparent(s).) This seems impossible if Blanche was an Arderne, since Isabel Savage’s grandparents had no near relationship with that family. In addition, if Blanche was an Arderne, then the marriage of Ralph Arderne to Isabel’s sister Katherine Stanley should have required a papal dispensation, which does not seem to exist.
Isabel Savage must have been related either through her mother or through her father to Isabel Stanley. Isabel Savage’s mother was Maud Swynnerton, whose parents were Robert de Swynnerton and Elizabeth Beke. Maud ended up inheriting Robert’s property. Therefore, Maud does not seem to have had a surviving sister (e.g. Blanche).
On the other hand, Isabel Savage’s father John Savage did have at least two sisters. What is more, one is known to have been named Blanche. Sir Peter Leycester, in the account of Clifton in his Historical Antiquities (1673) p. 230, states:
The second Husband of Margaret Daneil, was this John Savage, descended of the Savages of Steinesbie in Darbyshire; whom he married about 49 Edw. 3. and had Issue by her John Savage Son and Heir, Elizabeth, and Blanch, all living 4 Hen. 4. Lib. C. fol. 290. d.
“Liber C” is a collection of deeds taken by Leycester from the originals.
Blanche is first attested in the Rylands Charters as the wife of William de Stanley in 4 Hen. 4:
http://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb133-rych/rych/1347
GB 133 RYCH/1347
7 Feb 1403
Grant by William de Stanley, knight, to William, his son, and Blanche, his wife, of land in 'le fflaskes' in the hundred of Macclesfield, in Chorleton [Chorlton], and in le Meoles [Great Meols and Little Meols] in the hundred of Wyrhall.
I think, all things considered, the contemporary evidence suggests that this Blanche was Isabel Stanley’s mother.
References
Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 7, 1417-1431, (J.A.Twemlow, ed.) (London, 1906).
Earwaker, J. P. (John Parsons). East Cheshire, past and present, or, A history of the hundred of Macclesfield in the county Palatine of Chester - from original records. (London: Printed for the Author, 1878-1880).
Leycester, Sir Peter. Historical antiquities, in two books the first treating in general of Great-Brettain and Ireland : the second containing particular remarks concerning Cheshire / faithfully collected out of authentick histories, old deeds, records, and evidences, by Sir Peter Leycester, Baronet ; whereunto is annexed a transcript of Doomsday-book, so far as it concerneth Cheshire, taken out of the original record. London, 1673. online version
Ormerod, George; Peter Leycester; William Smith; William Webb; and Thomas Helsby. The history of the county palatine and city of Chester: compiled from original evidences in public offices, the Harleian and Cottonian mss., parochial registers, private muniments, unpublished ms. collections of successive Cheshire antiquaries, and a personal survey of every township in the county, incorporated with a republication of King's Vale royal and Leycester's Cheshire antiquities. (London: G. Routledge, 1882).
The Visitation of Cheshire in the Year 1580 made by Robert Glover. (John Paul Rylands, ed.) (Harleian Society v. 18, 1882).