Iseult Mountjoy

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: unknown.

Place of Death: unknown.

Iseult was still living in 1350 (Croke, Appendix, XV, No. 14.)

Relationships

This relationship is given by Croke, by Woodger, and by Rawcliffe. The Complete Peerage (9:331) regards Iseult’s parentage as a mystery. I am not sure that the evidence for Thomas is conclusive. See the Commentary section.

Mother: unknown.

Spouse: Sir John Blount of Sodington.

This relationship is given by Croke, by Woodger, and by Rawcliffe.

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

Sir Richard Blount (born about 1345 - died 1358)

Sir John Blount (died 4 April 1425) married (1) Juliana; married (2) Isabella Cornwall.

Sir Walter Blount (born about 1348 - died 1403) married Sancha de Ayala. Walter appears as a character in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV part 1.

Thomas Blount

Evidence

On the Blount - Mountjoy connection:

[Croke Appendix, No. XVIII (part 2) is a “Catalogue of extracts of deeds, and other ancient documents, preserved by Ashmole, Manuscripts, vol. 846. fol. 19.”]

1347:

Thomas Barinton miles, et Margareta uxor ejus constituunt Henricum de la Bene de Frowdeswall attornatum suum tradere possessionem Thomae de Montjoy de omnibus terris suis in Birchinfeyld, Mournsale, Longesdon, et Tottinley in le Peek, et in Shawesdale in Com. Derb. 21 Edw. III. 1347. [Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, part 2, no. 20.]

1359:

from the Complete Peerage (9:331, fn): “A receipt give by Madam Wake in 1359 for evidences belonging to Richard Blount, the young heir of John and Isoude, refers to vint oyt feetes en un boist del heritage la mere le dit Richard et ses pareceners des tenements en le Pek, &c. (Harl. MS. 6709, fo. 119 d.,)”

1374:

By a deed dated at Tuttesbury, in the forty-eighth year of Edward the Third, 1374, Sir John Blount, son of Sir John Blount of Sodington, released to Sir Walter Blount, his brother, all his right in the lands which he had of the gift and feoffment of Dom Henry de Kniveton, Rector of the Church of Northbury, and Dom Robert de Kniveton, Rector of the Church of Domebrugge, namely, in Gayton, Gildesley, Brichtritfield, Morneshall, Langesden, and Tottingleye. [Croke, 2:171]

John Blount, son of John Blount, of Sodington, releases to Walter Blount, Knight, his brother, all right in the lands which he had by the gift of Henry de Kniveton. Dated at Tuttesburie, in the 48th year of Edward the Third, 1374. No seal. [Croke, Appendix, No XV, 2.]

1377:

Sir Walter Blount appoints an attorney to deliver to William Chisselden the manor of Gayton, in Staffordshire, and Haselwood, Yeldersley, Brighrichfeild, Monsale Parva, and Longseard. 1 Rich. II. 1377. [Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, part 2, no. 30.]

1381:

Sir Walter Blount releases to John Blount of Sodington, his brother, all his right in lands in Denston, Quexhull, Ethalaston, and Watfall. Dated at Denston, on Friday, the vigil of Saint Bartholomew, 5th of Richard II. 1381. [Croke, Appendix, No XV, 20.]

1384:

Omnibus Christi fidelibus ad quos presens scriptum pervenerit, Johannes Blount de Soddington salutem in Domino. Noveritis me remisisse, &c. Johanni de Knivton de Bradeley totum jus, &c. in omnibus terris et in Morneshall et in prato vocato Money Meadow in feodo de Underwood que Walterus Blount et Johannes Fawconer milites, tenentur in comuni. Dat. Anno 8 Richardi (II^di? 1384.) Sigillum Johannis Blount de Sodington. 3 leopards' heads, &c.

Ashmole’s Note: This deed proveth directly that Blount of Sodington is descended from Montjoy by reason the lands mentioned be the Lord Montjoy's land.

Croke’s note:

That is, were Sir Ralph Montjoy's lands, here called Lord Montjoy, as appears by No. 15. It proves therefore that Sodington is descended from Isolda the daughter and heiress of Thomas Montjoy. The title of Lord Montjoy was not created till long after the date of this deed in 1465. This is confirmed by Sodington's bearing the Moutjoy arms, viz. gules, 3 escutcheons, or, and agrees with Bigland's pedigrees, and that annexed to the Harleian deeds, No. 6079, page 130. Yet much of the Montjoy property went in the Lord Mountjoy family. See 12 — 20. and the Inquis. P. M. of the first Lord Mountjoy.

[Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, no. 22.]

1388:

John Kniveton to William Fawconer, release of rents. 12 Rich. II. 1388. [Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, no. 31.]

John Kniveton releases to Walter Blount a rent of 11 marks in Gayton. 12

Rich. II. 1388. [Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, no. 34.]

No date:

John de Kniveton de Brady, Walter Blount, and John Fawconer. Complaint of trespass, in Gayton. [Croke, Appendix, No. XVIII, no. 33.]

Commentary

The Blount family clearly believed that they had Mountjoy ancestors. Walter’s descendants became the Barons Mountjoy. Some Mountjoy property clearly passed to the Blounts. Ethel Stoke’s hesitation in the Complete Peerage (9:331) stems from the fact that some Mountjoy property did not descend to the Blounts and that a 1359 receipt to Richard Blount (the eldest son of Iseult refers to land inherited from his mother and “ses parceners des tenements en le Pek, &c.” I think Stokes is concerned that these parceners are unidentified, although the reference to “Pek” appears to confirm the connection to Thomas Mountjoy, who held land in “le Peek” in 1347. Stratham gives Thomas a son Roger living in 1352, who I think would have to have died before 1359 for Iseult to be described as a “parcener” (presumably with her sister or sisters).

Woodger describes the property arrangements thus:

[In 1374, John] Blount, no longer a minor, reached an agreement with his brother Walter that the latter should have all the Mountjoy lands in Derbyshire falling to them on the death of their mother, he himself to have other family properties in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in lieu; and accordingly, in 1381, Walter relinquished to him all claim to lands in Denstone, Elvaston, Quixhill and Waterfall.

Rawcliffe’s description (HoP):

It was then [1374] that John reached an agreement with Sir Walter, whereby the latter was to receive their mother’s manor of Gayton in Staffordshire together with several Derbyshire properties in return for an assurance (made later in 1381) that he would advance no further title to any other part of the Mountjoy estates.

References

Cokayne, George Edward, and Vicary Gibbs; et al. The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant [2nd ed.]. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1910-59).

Rawcliffe, Carole. “Sir Walter Blount (d. 1403)” in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004).

Rawcliffe, “Blount, Sir Walter (d. 1403), of Barton Blount, Derbys.” in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421 (1993).

Statham, S.P.H. “Later Descendants of Domesday Holders of Land in Derbyshire” Part 3 in Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, vol. 49 (1927). pp. 233ff.

Woodger, L.S. “Blount, John II (aft. 1345-1425), of Sodington, Worcs.” in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421 (1993).