Sir Henry de Trafford (died 1374)

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: between December 1373 and 17 January 1374.

Place of Death: unknown.

For the dates, see the evidence section below.

Relationships

This relationship is given in the Lancashire VCH (v.4, sub Stretford). The 1664-5 visitation (p. 315) inserts two extra Henrys between the Sir Henry of this page and John.

Mother: unknown.

Spouse: Margery.

This relationship is given by the Lancashire VCH (v. 4, sub Stretford). After Henry’s death, Margery married secondly Sir Ralph de Radcliffe of Smithills. She died 30 January 1417. Crofton (p. 110) gives her parents as Robert Ince and “Lady of Chorlton.”

Children:

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

Henry de Trafford (died 13 July 1395) married Elizabeth.

Robert de Trafford.

Richard de Trafford.

Thomas de Trafford.

Peter de Trafford.

John de Trafford.

Joan de Trafford married John Booth.

Evidence

from the Lancashire VCH (v. 4 sub Stretford):

In 1353 Sir Henry de Trafford came into court and proffered letters patent dated 12 June 1343, by which the king ordered that he should not be put on assizes, juries, &c. all his life; Assize R. 435, m. 17.

The same protection, which had been granted at the request of the famous soldier Walter de Mauney, had in 1346 excused him from the obligation of receiving knighthood; Q.R. Mem. R. 122, m. 142 d.

He had therefore served in the French wars. Henry de Trafford and John de Ashton in 1343 pleaded guilty to retaining people with them who went against the king's peace; Assize R. 430, m. 29.

They and others had in 1341 assembled at Leigh and prevented John de Tyldesley, &c. from entering the church until they agreed to a dies amoris with a view to settlement of disputes; ibid. m. 17.

In 1346 Henry de Trafford was found to hold the manor of Trafford in socage by a rent of 5s., paying double as relief, and performing suit of county and wapentake; Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146.

Stretford is not separately named. In 1359 and again in 1369 Sir Henry de Trafford purchased lands in Manchester from John Grelley; De Trafford D. no. 15, 18, 19.

In the former year he made a feoffment of lands in Crompton, Ancoats, Beswick, and Chorlton to Thomas de Trafford and William Saunpete, chaplain, until his return from the king's service beyond the sea. The remainders were to John de Trafford, Henry son of Robert de Trafford, and John son of Thomas de Trafford; Court of Wards and Liveries, box 13A/FD12.

Licence for his oratory at Trafford was in 1368 granted to Sir Henry; Lich. Epis. Reg. Stretton, v, fol. 20.

In Dec. 1373 Sir Henry released to John son of Nicholas de Trafford his right to lands in Ancoats; De Trafford D. no. 84.

At Easter 1376 Henry de Torbock claimed the custody of lands in Turton until the coming of age of Henry son and heir of Sir Henry de Trafford; De Banco R. 462, m. 89; 463, m. 67.

Towneley’s abstract of Margery’s inquisition post mortem:

Margeria que fuit uxor Rad’i de Radclife, militis

5 Hen. V. (25th March 1417]

[T.p. 437, No. 2058]

Inquisitio capta apud Lancr die Jovis in quinta septimana quadragesime anno Henrici quinti 5o coram Roberto de Halsale Escaetore per sacramentum Roberti de Longley et aliorum Qui dicunt quod Margeria qui fuit uxor Rad’i de Radclife militis obiit seisitus (sic) in d’nico suo ut de libero tenemento de quatuor carucatis terre in Whitfeld que tenuit in dotem ex assignacone Henrici filii Henrici de Trafford militis de hereditate ejusdem Henrici que tenentur de D’no Rege ut de duc: suo Lancr in socagio et per servitium 40d per annū que valent ultra reprisas 20s Item seisitus (sic) de tertia p’te trium p’tium manerii de Eggeworth que tenetur de D’no Rege ut de Duc: suo Lancr per servitium militare et per servitium 30d per annum que valent per annum ultra reprisas 26s 8d Etiam seisita de certis terris vocat le Yeldehouses Risshum et Falofeld que tenentur de Rad’o filio et hered: Nicholai de Longford militis per quod servitium ignorant que valent per annum ultra reprisas 20li Etiam seisitus (sic) de manerio de Chorlton et valet per annum ultra reprisas quinq: marcas quod manerium tenetur de Thoma la Warre clerico D’no de Mancester ut de manerio suo de Manchestr per quod servitium ignorant Item seisitus (sic) de certis terris vocat Begwyk in villa de Manchestr que tenentur de Thoma la Warre clerico per quod servitium ignorant Et valent per annum ultra reprisas 33s 4d Et dicunt quod predictus Henricus filius Henrici de Trafford militis est mortuus et obiit in vita predicte Margerie Et quod Edmundus de Trafford est filius et heres propinquior predicti Henrici filii Henrici Et est etatis 24 annorum et amplius Et qd. predictus Edmundus est heres propinquior predicte Margerie videlicet filius et heres predicti Henrici filii Henrici fil: et hered: predicte Margerie Et quod predicta Margeria obiit die Sabbati prox: ante festum Purificac’onis beate Marie Virginis ultimo preterito.

from the Deputy Keeper of Public Records (v. 33, app. p. 13):

Duchy of Lancaster: Calendar of Chancery Rolls

Precept to the escheator to give livery of the lands of Margery, widow of Sir Ralph de Radclif, kt., to Edmund de Trafford, the heir, taking security for payment of his relief. The inquisition finds that the said Margery died seized in her demesne as of freehold, and that she held in dower by assignment of Henry, son of Sir Henry Trafford, kt., four carucates of land in Whitfield, holden of the duchy of Lancaster in socage, that she held likewise the third part of three parts of the manor of Eggeworth, holden of the duchy by knight’s service, certain lands and tenements, called la Zeldehouses Resshum and Falofeld, holden of Ralph, son and heir of Sir Nicholas de Longford, kt., likewise the manor of Chorleton, and certain lands called Bexwyk in the town of Manchester, holden of Thos. la Warre, clerk, Lord of Manchester, as of the manor of Manchester. That the said Margery died on the Saturday before the purification last past, and that Edmund de Trafford, son and heir of the said Henry, son of Henry, is son and next heir of the said Margery, and is 24 years of age and upwards. 2nd April [5 H 5] [1417]

(Comparing Towneley with the DKPR, it seems that the DKPR has misinterpreted the last part of the ipm. Edmund was Margery’s grandson, not her son.)

from Mamecestre:

By a deed dated “at Mamecestre, on Sunday next before the feast of St Margaret the Virgin in the fortieth year of Edward III.” (i.e. July 12, 1366) – John de Grelle of Ollerton [? the hamlet five miles from Blackburn] grants to Henry de Trafford, knight, a certain yearly rent of 6s. arising out of a field called Gate-cote-feld, in the vill of Mamecestre, which Robert de Trafford was wont to pay rent to me John, for his barns [horis] in the said field.

By a deed dated “at Mamecestre on the Wednesday after the feast of St. Mark the Apostle, in the forty-third year of Edward III.” (i.e. April 27, 1369) – John Grelle gives to Henry de Trafford, knight, of Trafford, three fields of land called Cleyn-field, Doge-field and Cate-cote-field, lying in the vill of Mamecestre and Chorlton, which Robert de Trafford and Richard de Trafford, sons of the said Henry, fomerly held of the demise of Robert my father.

from the Calendar of Fine Rolls:

The escheator was ordered to take into his hands and make inquisition touching the lands and heir of:

Henry de Trafford, ‘chivaler’; Lancaster. [1374. Jan. 17. Westminster]

References

Abstracts of Inquisitions Port Mortem made by Christopher Towneley and Roger Dodsworth. (Chetham Society, 1875).

Crofton, H.T. A History of the Ancient Chapel of Stretford (Chetham Society v. 51 New Series, 1903)

Final Concords for Lancashire, Part 1, 1189-1307. (William Farrer ed.) (Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, 1899).

A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (Victoria County History, 1911).

Mamecestre v. 2 (John Harland ed.) (Chetham Society v. 61, 1861)

The Thirty-Third Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records (London, 1872).

The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, made in the year 1664-5 by Sir William Dugdale, knight, Norroy king of arms. (Raines, ed.) (Chetham Society v. 88, 1872)