Elizabeth DENSILL  wife of Sir  Richard


Elizabeth  daughter of Richard Denzil a wealthy merchant with a small estate  of Filleigh, Wear-Gifford, and his wife Joan Trewin of Weare Giffard
The manor of Filleigh, Devon belonged to the ancient family of De Filleigh, whose heiress , Joan  after seven descents, married William Trewin, Esq., of Weare Giffard. Joan, only heir of William Treawin, of Wear, and his wife Elizabeth Filleigh, married Richard Densell.

 Her date of birth is a estimate  but in 1454 she was married to Martin Fortescue  second son of Sir John Fortescue,   who was Chancellor and Chief Justice to Henry VI, 

Their  children were

 John  born 1460 married Jacquet St Leger and had a son Bartholomew who was heir of  grandmother  Elizabeth Densill, Lady  Pomeroy 

  Bartholomew Fortescue married Ellen Moore daughter of John Moore of Moorehayes. died 12 SEP 1557  

 

 William Fortescue b 1465  married Anne Gifford and had 12 children      

  Martin died 18 years after their marriage in 12 NOV 1472 .

CP 25/1/46/90, number 276.

Link: Image of document at AALT

County: Devon.Place: Westminster. Date: One month from St Michael, 34 Henry VI [27 October 1455].

Parties: Martin Fortescu and Elizabeth, his wife, querents, and John Fortescu, knight, and Isabel, his wife, deforciants.

Property: The manor of Combe and 4 messuages, 1 dove-cot, 3 gardens, 6 ferlings of land, 5 acres of meadow, 12 acres of wood and 27 shillings and 8 pence of rent and rent of 1 wax candle worth 12 pence and of 1 pound of wax in Holbeton', Overcombe, Nethercombe, Battokkysburgh', Efford' and Alston'.
Plea of covenant. Agreement: John and Isabel have granted to Martin and Elizabeth the manor, tenements and rent and have rendered them to them in the court, to hold to Martin and Elizabeth, without impeachment of waste, of John and Isabel and the heirs of John, for the life of Elizabeth, rendering yearly 1 rose at the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, and doing to the chief lords all other services. 

And after the decease of Elizabeth, the manor, tenements and rent shall remain to Martin and the heirs begotten by Martin on the body of Elizabeth, to hold of John and Isabel and the heirs of John by the aforesaid services for ever. In default of such heirs, reversion to John and Isabel and the heirs of John, quit of the other heirs of Martin and Elizabeth, to hold of the chief lords for ever.


Standardised forms of names. (These are tentative suggestions, intended only as a finding aid.)

Persons: Martin Fortescue, Elizabeth Fortescue, John Fortescue, Isabel Fortescue

Places: Holbeton, Combe, Battisborough, Efford, Alston (all in Holbeton )

HOLBETON, on  west of the Erme estuary, just east of Newton Ferrers  &  north of Mothercombe Holberton,  consisiting of 4623 acres of land. Very close to Collaton Manor home of Pomeroys & Battisborough Manor owned by the Slannings .  
The manor farm at Battisborough was owned by the Slanning Family , into which John Pomeroy , son of Andrew senior, married after cause uproar with his older brother William & Nicholas Slanning . Today there is one of those large Victorian piles which "sleeps 24" & has gorgeous views.

Nearby is the Flete Estate 

The year following the death of Martin Fortescue  in 1473 Elizabeth married  Sir Richard Pomeroy  b. about 1441 in Berry Pomeroy, who inherited  after his brother St Clere died  after the  Battle of tewkesbury 1471.On his father's death in 1487 Richard became baron.  

They hadat least 4 children. 

Sir Edward Pomeroy  b. 1475 who married Jone/Johanna Sapcot - gained possession of Corscombe, Dynum, Prestley, Shepton Malet, Barton & Glastonbury, held from Lord Henry, Master of Wells, and also the Manor of Cory Malet." 

Blanche Pomeroy mentioned in her father's will as a widow with a son unnamed

Elizabeth   mentioned in her father's will ,whoin about 1517  married William Barnhowse of Kingston in Staverton near Totnes 

 2nd son Thomas Pomeroy, b. 1478 in Berry Pomeroy, Totnes,   who died 1508 unmarried age 31
Sir Richard died  on  24 May 1496 -  and we have both his  1496 Will , her 1496 Dower record

   
Elizabeth's heir ( to her Fortescue and Densill estates ) was her grandson  Bartholomew  Fortescue who married Ellen Moore daughter of John Moore of Moorehayes and died 12 SEP 1557  -
and there was another Moore marriage - later Katherine  Pomeroy , daughter of Foolish Thomas and Joan Edgecombe - this granddaughter of  Edw'd & Sapcot married Sir John Moore of Moorehayze   died 1549 - her Will is in the book of Devon Wills.


On her marriage Elizabeth Densill  had possessions in North Devon, being the heiress of Richard Denzille of Filleigh, Wear Gifford and Buckland Filleigh. She also had Lands in Colebrook (N. Devon), Combe in Holberton, and Tamerton on the Tamar, all in South Devon.

 Richard Pomeroy died in 1496 his widow Elizabeth had the lands of Berry Pomeroy for her lifetime. These included   Coffyns Heannton (Lynton) Ogewell, Churston Ferrers, Clyst Forneson (Sowton)   Gattecombe in Colyton, Knighton Hethfield at Hennock, Pynesford in Asprington   and Saltern at Budliegh Salterton...for her lifetime which was 11 years.


As seen in the document above  the Manor of  Combe  which Martin Fortescue and his little bride, shortly after their marriage, were given for a rose rent


The IPM the 2nd son of Sir Richard & Elizabeth Densil Lady Pomeroy of Thomas 1508

Translation of the  Inquisition Post Mortem of Thomas Pomerey Dated 30 November 1508 

line by expensive line from the Latin that AML paid for .

1.    Presented by John Rodes     [indeciperably faint word]  (79)  [word cut off at margin]

2.  Inquisition indented, held at Wellys (on) the last day of November (in) the Year of the reign of King Henry the seventh the twenty-fourth [i.e. 1508], before William Bysley, Escheator of the said lord King in the County aforesaid, (by) virtue

3.  of a writ of ìdiem clausit extremumî* after the death of Thomas Pom[er]ey, (to) the same Escheator directed, & (to) the inquisition attached, by the oath, &c. Who** declare upon their oath that a certain Elizabeth Pom[er]ey, widow, who

     [* this translates literally as ì(he) has closed his last dayî; ** i.e. the un-named Jurors who are under oath]

4.  was the wife of Richard Pom[er]ey, knight, was seised in her demesne, as of fee, of the Manor of Corscombe, with appurtenances, in the County aforesaid, and of forty & four messuages, seven mills, One Thousand acres of land, twelve acres of meadow-land, eight acres of wood-land, three hundred acres of furze & heath, & of twenty & six shillings & three pence for the yearís rent [/revenue], and of the rent of one pound, & of a pepper[corn], & of two pounds  head-silver(? ñ word obscured by fold),  with appurtenances, in Corscombe, Dynu[m] Nunn[er]y(?), Prestley, Shepton Malet, Barton, & Glastonbury in the County aforesaid. And afterwards, a certain John Shepcote, knight, John Kyrkeh[a]m, esquire,

7.  Thomas Appelford, clerk, & George Vyall, by means of a writ of the lord King with regard to entry upon disseisin, in ìle postî, at Westminster, before the Justice of the lord King from the common Bench, to recover the aforesaid Manor, messuages, lands, tenements, & the other premises, towards the aforesaid Elizabeth Pomeray, widow, just as appears (in) Hillary term (in) the year of the reign of King Henry the seventh the fifteenth [i.e. 1499], (in) Roll 142, as by means of that record, (by) the Jurors aforesaid, upon

9.  the taking of this inquisition, in proofs clearly demonstrated, it is the more fully apparent, (by) virtue of which recovery, the same John, John, Thomas, & George have been thereupon seised in their demesne, as of fee, &

10. thus seised by means of their charter, (by) the Jurors aforesaid, upon the taking of this inquisition, in proofs clearly demonstrated, have given the aforesaid Manor, messuages, lands, & tenements, and the other premises (to) the afore-mentioned Elizabeth Pom[er]ey, widow, for

11. the term of her life, to remain thereupon after the decease of the same Elizabeth (to) the afore-mentioned Thomas Pom[er]ey, in the said writ named, & (to) the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten. And for the failure of such issue,

12.  to remain thereupon (to) Edward Pom[er]ey, knight, & the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten. And for the failure of such issue, to remain thereupon (to) the right heirs of the afore-mentioned Elizabeth, in perpetuity. Holding of

13.  the chief lords of that fee, by the services thereupon owed, & by customary right, in perpetuity, (by) virtue of which gift, the same Elizabeth was thereupon seised in her demesne as of free tenure, & from such standing, thereupon died

14.  seised, after whose death, the aforesaid Thomas Pom[er]ey in the aforesaid Manor, messuages, lands, & tenements has entered & thereupon was seised in his demesne as by fee-tallage. And from such standing, died thereupon

15.  seised without heirs of his body begotten, after whose death, the aforesaid Edward Pom[er]ey, knight, in the aforesaid Manor, messuages, lands, & tenements, & the other premises, with appurtenances, has entered, as for(?) his

16.  to remain, (by) virtue of which, the same Edward thereupon was seised in his demesne as by fee-tallage, & hitherto from such standing, thereupon is seised. And furthermore, the Jurors aforesaid declare that the Manor, messuages,

17.  lands, & tenements aforesaid are held of lord Henry, Master of Wells(?), as of his Manor of Cory Malet, but by what service the Jurors aforesaid are wholly ignorant. And (they) declare likewise that the Manor aforesaid,

18.  the messuages, lands, & tenements, and the other premises are worth yearly, beyond deductions, twenty pounds. And that the aforesaid Thomas Pom[er]ey, in the said writ named, died (on) the twelfth day of August last past. And that

19.  the aforesaid Edward Pom[er]ey, knight, is the brother and heir of the aforesaid Thomas the nearest. And is of the age of thirty years & more. And (they) declare likewise that the same Thomas no other lands & tenements

20.  had nor held in the County aforesaid (on) the day (on) which he died. In Which, &c.21 

Elizabeth Densill 's  dates as Given are puzzling
She died in March 1508, the date of her IPM.

 Elizabeth Denzil  married Martin FORTESCUE in 1454 but did not have their 1st child for 6 years. suggesting to AJP that she was 11 or 12 at that time Married for 19 years they produced 1st John born in 1460 who married & was father of Bartholomew , & William born 1465.
Martin  died in 1472 &  she married Richard Pomeroy a year later  . when she was in her early 30's
It was quite customary for girls to be married age about 11 or 12. These were arranged marriages & an early marriage gave the husband the benefit of her dowry and if he was kind he waited until she was 16 to consummate the marriage.
Margaret Beaufort mother of Henry VII  was married at 11 and Edmund Tudor her husband didn't wait; the birth of his son so damaged the poor girl that she never produced another child.

BIOLOGY does not change much over centuries but CUSTOMS D0 - Given the menstrual cycle of any woman in a time when women gave birth so young could she have gone to have 5 more children, after the age of 40. ? Obviously its possible but its unlikely.


 Elizabeth was probably  in her early 30s , when she made her 2nd marriage as a very wealthy well dowered lady. The wealthy merchants daughter married into a titled Baronial bloodline bringing with her lands ,fine properties  and  funds to build his castle.
The fine properties went to her Fortescue heir and remain in the Fortescue portfolio to this day.

 
 Edward Pomeroy the heir to Sir Richard, according to his father's 1496  IPM , was of age giving  this gives an estimated DOB 1476  . He was 17 .
Their 2nd son Thomas Pomeroy  who died age 31 in 1508, so born 1477 , when mother Elizabeth was apparently about 43. 
daughter Blanche, possibly not a blood daughter but a widowed daughter in law  with a son,
daughter Elizabeth who married Will Barnhowse  apparently in about 1515 so after her parents death -
Elizabeth died in 1508 when she was  about 64 , a good age for a woman in the time.

 
This makes more sense of her life but not a scrap of difference to anything !
AJP 2023

Wikitree

 Martin FORTESCUE son of  Sir John Fortescue Born after 1400 in Devon  

Son of John Fortescue Knt  and Eleanor Norreys 

Brother of Henry Fortescue, Joan Bozom and Richard Fortescue

Wife Isabella  Jamys  married 1436  

Issue Maud Corbet, Elizabeth Whalesborough, Martin Fortescue and Robert Fortescue

In 1454 Martin married Elizabeth Densill dau of wealthy wool merchant & ship owner Richard Densill and his wife  Joan Trewin only daughter & heir of William Trewin of Weare Giffard whose wife was heiress to Filleigh


Densill sources 

  Fortescue sources


Filleigh

Weare Giffard