9994832. Lord Thomas de
Berkeley & 9994833. Joan de Somery
~1175,
Thomas born in England, s/o 19989664.
Maurice FitzRobert FitzHarding & 1998966. Alice de Berkeley.
11/3/1189,
Richard I crowned king of England.
~1197, Joan
born in England, d/o 973530512. Ralph de
Someri & 973530513. Margaret le Gros.
5/27/1199, John crowned king of England.
1210, Joan’s
father died. (S) Hearld and Genealogist, V5, Nichols, 1870, P105.
By 1216,
Thomas agreed to marry a daughter of William Briwerre. [Which would cause
problems later.]
5/12/1216, Prince Louis [future VIII] of France,
after a successful landing, crowned King of England in London. In June, Louis
captured Winchester and controlled half of England.
6/1216,
Thomas’ older brother and family heir had joined the rebellion against King
John. During King John's counter-attack Berkeley Castle was siezed and placed
under a royal castellan.
10/19/1216,
Henry III, age 9, succeeded John as King of England. Louis of France also
claimed the throne.
[––Thomas & Joan––]
1216-17, Thomas obtained the support of William Marshall (94559174), earl of Pembroke, by agreeing
to marry one of his nieces [through Margaret le Gros a sister of William], Joan
[grand-neice], daughter of Ralph de Somery, and in return Pembroke was to
arrange for the king to take Thomas's homage and restore to him his brother’s
barony and lands, to discharge him of a debt of 210 marks which Robert owed to
the earl of Salisbury, to have Berkeley Castle delivered to him, and to arrange
for him to ‘be freed of the king's justiciar and of William Briwerre.’
2/1217,
Robert’s brother restored to his lands for a fine of 1450 marks, but not to the
castle of Berkeley.
1219-20,
Witnesses: Sir Nicholas Poinz, Sir Hugh his son, Sir Adam son of Nigel, Sir
Thomas de Berkeley, … (S) UKNA.
5/13/1220,
Thomas heir to his older brother Robert. [Leaving Thomas with considerable
debts.] . When the sheriff of Gloucestershire went to Berkeley Castle to take
it into the king's hands, the Earl of Salisbury, who had been granted custody
of it, refused to hand it over without an express order by the king, on the
grounds that his niece Lucy [wife of Robert] was with child. Thomas sought help
from his wife’s cousin, the Earl of Pembroke, who wrote to the Justiciar,
Hubert de Burgh, asking for justice for Thomas. [Lucy did not produce an heir,
but held lands in dower for 14 years.]
8/9/1220,
Thomas of Berkeley, brother and heir of Robert of Berkeley , owes the king £100
for his relief of the lands formerly of Robert, and he has given the king
surety at Oxford for the relief. (S) FRsHIII. [Thomas at this time did not
receive seisin of Berkeley castle. He paid the expenses of the Royal Keepers to
cover the debts he owed the King.]
1220-43,
Thomas de Berkeley, at the request of Thomas de Tyringeham, has granted to Hugh
his freedom, … For this Thomas de Tyringeham has given to Thomas de Berkeley 3
marks and a measure of wine, and to Joan his wife 4s. (S) UKNA.
1220, Thomas
with Hubert de Burgh at the siege of Bytham castle, Lincolnshire. [Effectively ended baronial opposition to King Henry.]
1221-2, Joan
de Somery, wife of Thomas de Berkeley, styled "neptem" by William
Marshal the younger, Earl of Pembroke. (S) Eyre Roll of 5 Henry III.
1222-3,
Thomas granted livery of the castle of Berkely and the town. The King had as
“pledges” [aka hostages], 2 of Thomas’ sisters sons “soe that by it noe damage
should arise to the King.”
1224, Thomas
arranged to pay the debts he owed to the King at £80 annually.
Thomas received 20 marks annually as Keeper of Berkeley Castle.
1224, Thomas
came to an arrangement with the Exchequer to repay the debts of himself and his
late brother at £80 a year.
Bef. 1230,
Thomas recovered 3 Somerset hundreds from his cousin Maurice de Gaunt. [Maurice
died in 1230.]
9/20/1230,
The king has committed the hundreds of Bedminster, Hartcliffe and Portbury ,
which Maurice de Gant held of Thomas of Berkeley , to William [de] Putot. (S)
FRsHIII.
11/2/1233,
To Thomas de Berkele. The king is sending into his parts Emericus de Sacy
together with some other knights to keep the peace of those parts … (S) CPRs.
11/10/1233,
Mandate to Thomas de Berkele to deliver his castle of Berkele to Emericus de
Sacy and his fellows. (S) CPRs.
Aft.
1/18/1234, Thomas received the dower lands of his brother’s wife Lucy.
5/26/1236,
Sir Thomas de Berkeley and St. Augustine's Abbey. Settlement of suit between
them concerning the tithes of pannage, fisheries and mills, and concerning the
manor of Arlingham, the land of Bray, the land of Lorewinge, … Witnesses: …,
Sir Henry de Berkele, Sir William de Berkeley, Maurice son of Maurice de
Berkeley, … (S) UKNA.
1236, Thomas
at parliament when the issue of inheritance of children born before marriage
was addressed.
7/26/1236,
From Thomas of Berkeley , of his fine for licence to make concord with the
abbot of St. Augustine’s, Bristol , 50m. (S) FRsHIII.
1238, Thomas
de Berkelay, son of Sir Thomas de Berkeley, … Thomas has granted to the abbey
all his wood in the manor of Symundeshale, …; doing the services to Sir Thomas
de Berkeley, his father, as in his charter to Thomas the younger, viz. 8d. at
Christmas each year for the souls of Thomas his father and Joan his mother. (S)
UKNA.
1241-42, Fines
Militum … Scutagia … “Thomas de Berkeley .lx. m. de esidem”. (S) Great Roll of
the Pipe, 1241-42, 1918, P256.
11/29/1243,
Thomas “the Observer” died; buried at St. Augustines, Bristol.
[––Joan––]
5/12/1244,
Covenant for lease from Dom. Maurice de Berkele to Perte de Wike … excepting
the portion of land which belongs to his mother, Joan de Berkele, by right of
dower. (S) Desriptivie Catalogue of The Charters …, Berke, 1892, P95.
1244, Joan,
Lady of Watton [her residence] and her sister Margery sought an assize of novel
disseizin at Gloucester against her son Maurice.
1246, Joan’s
dower settled, she held the manors of Wotton, Cam, Coaley, Hurst, Alkington and
Hinton.
1247-48,
Joan’s lands valued at £200
annually.
7/29/1252,
Joan of Berkeley gives the king 20s. of gold for a charter to have a warren,
market and fair, which she is to pay in his Wardrobe … Later, she paid those
20s. of gold in the king’s Wardrobe at the aforesaid term and is quit. (S)
FRsHIII.
8/2/1252 at
Woodstock, Grant by Hen. III. to Joan de Berkeley, for life, and Maurice de
Berkeley her son, of free warren in their manors of Wotton and Kamme, a weekly
market at Wotton on Fridays, and a yearly fair of 3 days. (S)
Ancient Deeds: V1, 1890.
7/8/1253,
Simple protection for 7 years, for Margery de Sumery [Joan’s niece.]. The like
for Joan de Berkele. (S) CPRs.
1253, Joan
created a borough at Wotton manor.
1255, Joan
and her son Maurice entertained King Henry III at Berkeley castle.
1256,
Dosthill, the first time called a manor, was held in dower by Joan de Berkele
of the inheritance of Robert de Grendon as ½ knight's fee. (S) A Hist. of the
Co. of Warwick, V4, 1947.
8/1269, Agreement between the lady Joan de Berkeley (9994833)
and Sir Roger de Sumery (486765256), of the one part, … William de Camvile (s/o
Richard de Kamvill), and Joan his wife, of the other part, … viz. that the said
William and Joan shall receive the manor of Torre Brione, with the advowson of
the church, for part of the dower of all the lands which formerly belonged to
Sir Guy de Briona (94567466) in the parts of Devon; reserving 2 parts of 5
foreign fees belonging to the said [Sir Roger de Su]mery in the said parts.
Witnesses:—Sirs Walter de Vernun … (S) Ancient Deeds, Devon, V3, 1900, D.214.
3/23/1274,
IPM of Thomas fitz Otto: Gloucester … All the service which the said Thomas
owed … are assigned to Dame Joan de Berkele in the name of her dower. (S) The
Index Library, V30, 1903, P90.
Bef. 1276,
“Joan de Berkeley [Joan de (Somery), widow of Thomas Lord Berkeley … Joan has
quitclaimed to the abbey whatever she has in the manor of Oslewrth … Witnesses:
Sir Maurice de Berkeley, Joan's son, …” (S) UKNA.
(S)
Plantagenet Ancestry, P96. (S) Berkeley Manuscripts: Abstracts and Extracts,
Fosbroke, 1821. (S) UKNA, Berkeley Castle Muniments.
Family notes:
·
All 5 younger sons died without legitimate
issue.
Children
of Thomas and Joan: [6 sons, 2 daughters]
i. Margaret de Berkeley, born ~1217 in England.
Margaret
married John Fitz Matthew [d.1261], receiving half the manor of Uley from her
father.
Aft. 1287,
Margaret died.
ii. Maurice de Berkeley (4997416), born 1218 in
England.
iii. Thomas de Berkeley, born ? in England.
1243-47,
Thomas died holding Bray manor in Devon.
iv. Robert de Berkeley, born ? in England.
v. Henry de Berkeley, born ? in England.
Henry de
Berkeley granted lands within the lordship at Billow, Wotton and Cam by his
father, and by his mother a messuage and virgate in Bradley, with reversion to
his brother Richard.
Henry died,
younger brother Richard his heir, passing the properties of Bradley.
vi. Richard de Berkeley, born ? in England.
Richard
acquired other lands within the lordship, in Nibley from his mother, and in
Uley, Huntingford and Wick by purchase.
1265-1280,
Richard granted a holding in Cam to his sister Margaret and Anselm Basset.
1268-69,
Richard initiated a suit against a substantial free tenant of the lordship,
Robert de Stone, for a half-virgate in Cam.
3/1271,
Richard witnessed a Berkshire charter of his uncle, Sir Roger de Somery (d.1273).
1271-72, Richard stood as surety for his younger brother William.
vii. William de Berkeley, born ? in England.
William, was
granted a holding in Bradley, and 2 holdings amounting to 2½ virgates in Cam by
his father, and the manor house at Bradley and 2 other holdings there, in tail,
by his mother.
By 10/1256,
William married Avice, widow of Robert de Blackford [d.1253], heir of 4 Devon
manors.
1261,
William alienated [illegally] 3 of the 4 manors held of his wife to Ralph de
Geoges. [With the death of Avice, her son John de Blackford was found to be the
heir to all the manors.]
1271-72,
Older brother Richard stood as surety for William. [Having caused a breach of
the peace, William promised the king to join the Hospitallers or Templars, and
to leave the kingdom.]
By 6/1272,
William died.
viii. Isabel de Berkeley, born ? in England.
Bef. 1307,
Daughter Isabel died unmarried, holding the manor of Ham.
