William appears to have been knighted following the Battle of Agincourt.
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
William was probably born in the 1380s.
Date of Death: probably 1419.
Place of Death: unknown.
Sir William’s wife Blanche is recorded as a widow in 1424. Sir William’s father is usually named “Sir William de Stanley, Kt., senior” in the Cheshire Recognizance Rolls between the battle of Agincourt (25 October 1415, when his son William was presumably knighted) and 1419. He is thereafter simpled called “William de Stanley, Kt.”
Relationships
Father: Sir William Stanley.
Mother: Margery de Hooton.
These relationships are recorded in the Ryland Charters.
Spouse: Blanche Savage.
Sir William’s wife is recorded as Blanche in the Ryland Charters and the Chester Recognizance Rolls. See Blanche’s daughter Isabel’s page for evidence Blanche was a Savage. The 1580 visitation of Cheshire has her as Blanche Arderne, which seems inconsistent with contemporary evidence.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
William Stanley (born about 1405)
Elizabeth Stanley married Thomas Poole of Poole.
Katherine Stanley married Ralph Arderne before 1419.
Isabel Stanley married Robert Legh.
Margery Stanley married Thomas Venables, baron of Kinderton.
Evidence
from the Ryland charters:
RYCH/1800
Stanley
25 Feb 1391
Grant by William de Stanley the younger to William, his son, of goods, etc., in Stanley and elsewhere in Staffordshire.
RYCH/1379
Hooton, Poole, Puddington
7 Apr 1402
Indenture between William de Stanley, knight, Margery, his wife, and William de Stanley, their son, of the one part, and Isabel, widow of Robert de Pulle, John de Pulle, knight, and James de Pulle, his son, concerning lands, rights, etc., in Pulle [Poole], Netherpulle [Netherpool], Hoton [Hooton], etc.
RYCH/1347
Betchton
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.
RYCH/1416
Storeton
7 Feb 1403
Grant of powers of attorney from William, son of William de Stanley, knight, and Blanche, his wife, to James Fare to receive seisin from William de Stanley, knight, of the manor of Stanley, Staffordshire, and lands in 'le fflaskes', Chorleton [Chorlton] and Meles [Meols], Cheshire.
RYCH/1801
Stanley
8 Feb 1403
Grant by William de Stanley, knight, to William, his son, and Blanche, his wife.
RYCH/1802
Stanley
18 Dec 1424
Release by Blanche de Stanley, widow of William, son of William de Stanley, knight, to William de Stanley, her son, of the manor of Stanley, Staffordshire, and lands, etc., in 'le Flaskes' in the hundred of Macclesfield, in Chorleton [Chorlton] and in le Meeles [Meols] in the hundred of Wyrehall [Wirral].
from the Recognizance Rolls of Chester (DKPR v. 37, pp. 666-9)
1414, Dec. 19
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., John Savage, Peter son of Peter de Legh, Robert de Dokenfeld, and John son of Peter de Legh, to the King, recognizance in 40l. that the said William son of William de Stanley, Kt., keep the peace towards John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, and John his son.
1414-15, Feb. 12
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, John de Kyngesley, armiger, John de Manley, Ralph de Bostok, John de Legh, of Legh, and Richard de Werberton, counter recognizance to the foregoing.
1415, April 9
Wiliam son of William de Stanley, Kt., Henry le Norreys, Kt., John Launcelyn, of Pulton-Launcelyn, and Richard le Roter, recognizance that William son of William keep the peace towards John Done, &c.
1415, April 11
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., William son of William de Brerton, Kt., John son of Richard de Bromley, Richard de Cholmundeley, of Cholmundeley, and Thomas de Brerton, counter recognizance to the foregoing.
1415, July 3
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., John Savage, John de Pull, Kt., Ralph de Davenport, and Roger de Mulynton, to the King, recognizance in 40l. that the said William son of William keep the peace towards John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, and John his son.
1415, July 4
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, and Richard his brother, John de Kingsley, and John and William Starky, counter recognizance to the foregoing.
1415, July 3
William son of William de Stanley, Kt., John Savage, John de Pull, Kt., Ralph de Davenport, and Roger de Mulynton, to the King, recognizance in 100l. that the said William son of William keep the peace towards Thomas Sparks, of Chester, until the next county held at Chester after the return of the said William from the service of the King in foreign parts.
1415-1416, Jan. 15
William de Stanley, Kt., junior, John Savage, Kt., Peter de Legh, Kt., Laurence Fyton, Kt., and Hugh de Dutton, to the King, recognizance in 40l. that the said William keep the peace towards John Donne, of Utkynton, senior.
1415-16, March 11
William de Stanley, Kt., junior, Ralph de Bostok, Kt., John de Whitemore, John de Manley, and John son of Hugh de Legh, to the King, recognizance for 40l. that the said William keep the peace towards John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, and John his son.
1416-17, Feb. 16
William de Stanley, Kt., junior, and William le Roteur to John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, recognizance in 100l. to abide the award of John de Stanley, Kt., touching all disputes pending between him the said William le Roteur, Richard le Roteur, of Hellesby, Thomas Wilkynsone Jacsone, of Hellesby, Richard Wiklynsone Jacsone, of Hellesby, and Robert Sparks
1417, May 30
William de Stanley, Kt., junior, appoints John Hope and Robert Savage to receive his wages for the time he was with the King “ad Bellum de Agyncourt.”
from the Calendar of Patent Rolls:
1420, July 20.
Grant for life to the king’s esquire Ranulph Appulton, the king’s avener, for long service, of 20l. yearly from the petty custom of London, as William Stanley, knight, deceased, had. By K.
References
The Rylands Charters indexed at https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/29f0299f-5da1-342a-97a8-be3f70529866
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).