Sir Alan (II) de Cherleton

Events

Date of Birth: about 1318-1319.

Place of Birth: unknown.

The date is given by Eyton (9:319).

Date of Death: 1 May 1349.

Place of Death: unknown.

The date is given in the first of Alan’s inquisitions post mortem, taken 9 days after his death. The second IPM, taken five years later, gives “about the feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross in the pestilence now past”. The feast was on 3 May. Eyton (9:55) gives about 3 May 1349.

Relationships

Father: Sir Alan de Cherleton.

Mother: Ellen la Zouche.

These relationships are given by Eyton (9:56, 319).

Spouse: Margery FitzAer.

This relationship is given by Eyton (9:55, 318-9).

Children:

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

John de Cherleton (born 2 February 1340 - died 25 December 1380) married Joan de Langley.

Thomas de Cherleton (born before 1349 - died 6 October 1387)

Evidence

from the Feet of Fines (abstracted on Some Notes on Medieval Genealogy):

Shropshire.

One month from Easter, 12 Edward III [10 May 1338]. York.

Parties: Alan, son of Alan de Cherleton', knight*, and Margery, his wife, querents, and John de Wike, the parson of the church of Ma[gna] Gatesden', and James de Morton', the parson of the church of la Rode, deforciants.

Property: 1 carucate of land, 10 acres of meadow, 10 acres of pasture, 100 acres of wood and 100 shillings of rent in Hakercote.

Action: Plea of covenant.

Agreement: Alan and Margery have acknowledged the manors to be the right of John, as those which John and James have of their gift

For this: John and James have granted to Alan and Margery the tenements and have rendered them to them in the court, to hold to Alan and Margery and the heirs of their bodies, of the lord king and his heirs for ever. In default of such heirs, successive remainders (1) to John, son of the aforesaid Alan, knight*, and the heirs of his body and (2) to the right heirs of Margery.

Note: This agreement was made by the command of the lord king.

Note: [* Refers to the father.]

Shropshire.

One month from Easter, 12 Edward III [10 May 1338]. York.

Property: The manors of Wheten Aston' and Magna Wythyford'.

Action: Plea of covenant.

Agreement: Alan and Margery have acknowledged the manors to be the right of John, as those which John and James have of their gift

For this: John and James have granted to Alan and Margery the manors and have rendered them to them in the court, to hold to Alan and Margery and the heirs of their bodies, of the chief lords for ever. In default of such heirs, successive remainders (1) to John, son of Alan de Cherleton', knight*, and the heirs of his body, (2) to Thomas, brother of the same John, son of Alan, and the heirs of his body and (3) to the right heirs of Margery.

Note: [* Refers to the father.]

Alan’s inquisitions post mortem (CIPM, v.9, no. 459; v. 10, no. 320):

Alan, son of Alan de Cherleton.

Writ, 9 May, 23 Edward III.

Salop.

Inq. taken at Shrewsbury, Tuesday the octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary, 23 Edward III.

Havercote. The manor (extent given) held of the king in chief by grand serjeanty, viz. by service of finding in time of war in Wales a man with two arrows, to shoot one against the van of the Welsh army (ad sagittand’ unam sagittam ad anteriorem exercitum Wall’). The extent includes half a carucate of land which used to be worth 10s. yearly and now only 40d. on account of the pestilence, and shows decrease of rents &c. owing to the same cause.

He died on 1 May last. John his son, aged nine years at the Purification last, is his heir.

Writ to the escheator to inquire as to the lands &c. late of Alan son of Alan de Cherleton, 28 March, 28 Edward III.

Salop.

Inq. taken at Stottesdon, Monday in Whitsun week, 28 Edward III.

Hafkercote. The hamlet held of the king in chief by grand serjeanty, as of the Crown, by service of finding a footman with a bow and arrows at his own costs, for forty days, as often as the king should go to Wales in time of war.

Aston Aer and Wythyford. 20l. yearly rent issuing from the manors, which the deceased demised to Alan de Cherleton, his father, who survives, for the said father’s life, rendering yearly to the said Alan, deceased, and his heirs the said 20l. The manor of Aston Aer is held of the earl of Arundel by knight’s service. A moiety of the manor of Wythyford is held of the same earl by knight’s service and the other moiety of William le Boteler of Wemme by knight’s service.

He died about the feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross in the pestilence now past, viz. in the year 23 Edward III. John his son, aged 15 years at Easter last, is his heir.

The king committed the custody of the hamlet of Hafkercote to Alan de Cherleton the elder.

Alan, son of Alan de Cherleton

Writ of plenius certiorari. Whereas it was found by inquisition that the said Alan held the hamlet of Haskercote, co. Salop, of the king in chief by grand serjeanty, as of the crown, by service of finding a footman with bow and arrows in the Welsh war at his own costs for forty days; and also in service 20l. yearly rent issuing from the manors of Aston Aer and Withiford, co. Salop, demised by him to Alan de Cherleton his father, who survives, for life at that rent, and that John son of the said Alan the son was his heir and was then 15 years old, and the escheator was ordered to take the said 20l. yearly rent into the king’s hand and answer at the Exchequer for the same from the time of the death of the said Alan the son until the lawful age of the said heir: now the king has heard, on behalf of Richard, earl of Arundel, that the said hamlet of Haskercote was long since held of Roger de Bedlem by a certain service, which came to the king’s hands by way of escheat, so the said hamlet is held of the king as of the estate of the said Roger and not of the crown of England, and neither the king nor his progenitors ever had right of custody; wherefore the said earl has prayed the king for remedy. 18 October, 30 Edward III.

Salop.

Inq. taken at Wenlok, 28 January, 31 Edward III.i

Hagercote. The hamlet is not held of the king in chief through an escheat (per viam escaete) because it was formerly held of Roger Belhem, late earl of the whole county of Salop, by service of finding a footman with bow and arrows in the Welsh war at the costs of the tenant of the said hamlet for forty days, of which services the said Roger died seised in demesne as of fee; and after his death the said services with other lands &c. descended to one Hugh, his son and heir, who died without heir; of himself and after his death the said services &c. descended to Robert, the said Hugh’s brother and heir, who also died without heir, and after his death the said services &c. came to the hands of the king’s progenitors as an escheat, but at what time they so came the jury know not. Neither the said Roger nor his heirs ever had any estate in the said hamlet save only the said services. King Edward II had the custody of the said hamlet by reason of the minority of Margery, daughter and heir of Thomas Fitz Ayer after the said Thomas’s death. At the same time Edmund, earl of Arundel, father of the present earl, had the custody of the manor of Aston Aer and of a moiety of the manor of Withiford by reason of the same minority, because the said manor and moiety were held of him by knight’s service. The said earl and all his ancestors time out of mind always had the custody of the said manor and moiety during minorities. Neither the king nor any of his progenitors ever had the custody of the manors of Aston Aer and Withiford by reason of a minority. Moreover, John Fitz Ayer was tenant of the said hamlet after the aforesaid Roger Belhem’s death and died seised thereof; after the said John’s death it descended to Hugh his son and heir. This Hugh enfeoffed William Canne of the said hamlet, who enfeoffed the said Hugh and Aline his wife, to hold to them and the heirs of the said Hugh; after their death the hamlet descended to Thomas, son and heir of the said Hugh, who died seised thereof. After his death it descended to Margery, his daughter and heir, and afterwards it came to the hands of Alan son of Alan de Cherleton, but how they know not. This Alan son of Alan died seised thereof, and after his death it descended to John, his son and heir, by reason of whose minority it is now in the king’s custody. The aforesaid Roger de Belhem died at Quatford, co. Salop, but the day is not known. The hamlet of Hagercote never was held [of the king or of] his progenitors after the said Roger’s death unless by way of escheat.

Alan son of Alan de Cherlynton held in service on the day he died 20l. yearly rent issuing from the manors of Aston Aer and Withiford, co. Salop, which he had demised at that rent to Alan de Cherlynton, his father, who survives, for his life. (fn. 4) The said Alan son of Alan held the manor of Aston Aer of the earl of Arundel by knight’s service and the moiety of the manor of Withiford of the same earl by knight’s service and the other moiety of William le Boteler of Wemme by knight’s service.

He died on this side the feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross, 23 Edward III. John, son of Thomas son of Alan, aged 15 years at Easter last, is his heir.

Petition of the earl of Arundel to the king and council, referred to in the preceding inquisition. (Undated.) (French.)

Endorsed: Let order be forthwith given to the escheator or by commission to suitable persons to inquire on the points of this petition and that the said inquisition be returned into the Chancery; and thereupon let right be done to the king and to the party. (French.)

Fragment, beginning ‘John Gaunt who follows for the king … reserving of the two manors Ast[on Aer] … Arundel, and the other moiety of … entire and not separated … rent aforesaid.’

Transcript of the inquisition post mortem [vol. ix, no. 459] and the foregoing petition, writ and inquisition, after which it is added that the said earl came before the king’s council at Westminster and prayed that the custody of the said yearly rent of 20l. be delivered to him, because it was found by the said inquisition that Alan son of Alan of Cherleton held the said rent of him by knight’s service and that he held no lands &c. of the king as of the crown, but by way of escheat, as of the estate of Roger de Bethlem, sometime earl of Salop. There was nowhere found any record expressly proving the contrary, and especially since it was found in the Red Book (fn. 5) of fees in the Exchequer, in the chapter concerning the combustion of money, that the whole county of Salop, of which the services of the aforesaid hamlet of Haskercote are parcel, was in the king’s hand, and not as of right of his crown, in which case it is not consonant with right that any title to hold should accrue to him during his seisin other than the first title, by reason whereof the said services first came to the hands of the king’s progenitors. Wherefore the said earl prays before the council that the verification he brings forward be admitted or that the custody of the said rent be delivered to him.

Endorsed: Salop. Let a copy be made of the record between King Edward III and the then earl of Arundel, touching the lands which were of Alan son of Alan de Cherlton in the aforesaid county.

References

Calendars of Inquisitions Post Mortem (Public Record Office, generally available online at British History Online, HathiTrust, the Internet Archive, or Mapping the Medieval Countryside).

Eyton, Robert William. Antiquities of Shropshire v. 9 (1859).

A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11 (Victoria County History, 1985).

Peel, Alice Maude. “Charltons of Apley Castle, Shropshire” in Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society v. 53 pt. 2 (1950).

The Visitation of Shropshire, 1623. Paul Grazebrook and John Paul Rylands, eds. (London, 1889).