Gorges family
Encyclopedia
The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. Radulph, Lord of the Château de Gorges (or in French, Seigneur
Radulph de Gorges) came over to England from Gorges
in the canton of Périers
in Normandy
in the army of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 and acquired a knighthood. He had thus started the history of the noble family of Gorges in England. His descendant Roul married the heiress of Morville and afterwards the family obtained the manors of Wraxall
, Somerset and Bradpole
in Dorset. The family again reached prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Norman liege Radulph de Gorges de Meurville
obtained a knighthood. His descendant Roul de Gorges married the heiress of Morville in England, obtaining afterwards the manors of Wraxall
, Somerset and Bradpole
in Dorset.
Radulph's great-grand son Ralph de Gorges was marshal of the army of King Edward I
in the wars in Gascony in 1293, and was in opposition to Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. He was summoned to Parliament as Baron Gorges by writ between 1308 to 1322 and is mentioned in the Nomina Villarum
1315-16.
Knighton, Isle of Wight
This was a large manor returned as 3 knights' fees in the Testa de Nevill
. The de Morville family held Knighton in the 12thc. Local legend associates Knighton with Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland
(d.1202)' one of the 4 knights who murdered Thomas a Becket Archbishop of Canterbury in his cathedral on 29/12/1170, and is said to have fled after the murder to Knighton. However, this is not supported by reliable historical evidence which states that Hugh fled first to Saltwood Castle
near Canterbury, and thence to de Morville's Knaresborough Castle
in Yorkshire. The era is too early to seek evidence in shared armourials, heraldry not having become widespead until the early 13th. c., but it appears the two families sprang from a common 11th.c. source, not clearly documented.In the 13th c. Eleanor, heiress of John (or Ivo) de Morville (d.1256), married Ralph de GorgesEleanor died in 1292, still seized of the manor, having outlived her husband. Her son Ralph de Gorges leased the manor in 1305 to William de Caleshale and his wife for the duration of their lives. Before 1316 the manor had reverted to Ralph de Gorges, knighted sometime thereafter.
, Dorset, son and heir of Sir William Russell(d.1311), who was possibly his ward. Ralph I, 1st Baron previously had settled the manor of Knighton in tail-male on two younger sons, William and Theobald, of his daughter Eleanor, wife of Theobald Russell. William Russell the elder of the two died without issue and Knighton Manor was delivered to Theobald in 1343
Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges, who died without issue in 1330/1, shortly after his father's death, clearly keen to see his family name and armourials continue, formed the plan of bequeathing the Gorges estates to a younger son of his sister Eleanor Russell, on condition apparently that he should adopt the name and arms of Gorges. This is precisely what occurred when Theobald Russell II, 3rd son of Theobald and Eleanor, his 2nd elder brother William having died, adopted the name Gorges, and founded a revived Gorges line, which flourished, based at Wraxall, Somerset.
In 1346/7 Theobald was sued in the name "de Gorges" by Elizabeth, widow of his uncle Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges(d.1331), for the manor of Knighton. Judgement was given in her favour, but as she had no issue by Ralph the manor had reverted to Theobald by 1362. On the death of Theobald in 1380, the manor of Knighton, less a dower interest of 1/3, passed successively to his sons Sir Randolf(Ralph?)(d.1382), Bartholomew(d.1395/6) and Thomas(d.1404), all of whom chose to use the Gorges family name alone. Theobald's widow Agnes, presumably the mother of the 3 sons, died in 1400, when her customary dower share of 1/3 reverted to Thomas. Thomas left a son John, who died in 1413 aged only 15, leaving his 10 year-old brother Theobald as heir. In 1462 Sir Theobald Gorges was in possession of Knighton, and probably died without issue as the manor of Knighton reverted back via the Russell family to John Haket(d.1498) of Wolverton, Isle of Wight, 1st cousin & heir of Thomas Russell(d.1431) son of Sir Maurice Russell
(d.1416).
In the 16th century Thomas Gorges
(1536–1610), a son of Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall, Somerset
, by either Mary Newton or Mary Poyntz, a kinsman and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I
, acquired the manor
of Langford, now Longford, in Wiltshire in 1573 and built there Longford Castle
. His wife was a Swedish noblewoman, Helena Snakenborg, marchioness (through her first marriage) of Northampton. Due to her influence, Swedish-style architecture was adopted in the construction of Longford Castle. Helena's mother was a descendant of Agnes of Borgarsyssel, a natural daughter of Haakon V of Norway
. Helena has a remarkable monument in Salisbury Cathedral
.
, son of the above-mentioned Thomas Gorges of Langford, was granted the Barony of Dundalk in Ireland. Both he and his son Richard (d.1712) sat in the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Ratoath
. The Barony became extinct on the death of the 2nd Baron in 1712, even though the latter seems to have had a son. The tomb of the 2nd Baron of Dundalk can be seen at Stetchworth
, St Peter in East Cambridgeshire
which adjudged on 19th July 1347 the disputed arms to Warbleton. Theobald Russell "de Gorges" thus added a "chevron gules" (red chevron) to the de Morville arms as a difference, in order not to contravene the judgement. Thus the new Gorges arms, known as Gorges Modern, became "Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules", and one of the more celebrated and historic heraldic cases heard in a military court was recorded. This coat of arms was afterwards used by Sir Ferdinando Gorges. The ancient Gorges canting arms
of "Argent, a gurges azure", being a blue whirlpool on a white (or silver) background, gurges signifying in Latin a Whirlpool, had been retained some generations before by the senior Gorges line seated at Tamerton Foliot
, Devon, the cadet line having married the de Morville heiress.
The whirlpool arms as borne by the senior branch can be seen in Tamerton Foliot
Church of St. Mary as a whorl
in the 9th. quartering on the 1617 Coplestone funerary monument. The Coplestone family inherited Tamerton Foliot by marriage to a Gorges heiress. In the form of 3 concentric annulets the arms were formerly visible sculpted on the tunic of the adjacent knightly effigy, said by Raymond Gorges op.cit to represent John Gorges of Warleigh House, lord of the manor of Tamerton Foliot, who flourished at the start of the 15th.c., and his wife. Fire damage has since removed all visible trace of any armorial on the knight's tunic. A pair of the wooden roof bosses of the church at Chagford
, Devon, display whorls, believed to be the Gorges arms, as the family was connected with that manor.
Ormerod, G.W. in his "Historical sketch of the Parish of Chagford", states that the Gorges family had "a great influence in the parish between 1439 and 1461 being descended in the female line from the Wibberi family".
Seigneur
Seigneur may refer to:* The possessor of a seigneurie in medieval feudal or manorial systems.* The Seigneurial system of New France* The hereditary feudal ruler of the island of Sark, see also List of Seigneurs of Sark...
Radulph de Gorges) came over to England from Gorges
Gorges, Manche
Gorges is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France....
in the canton of Périers
Périers, Manche
Périers is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Périers was liberated by the 2nd Battalion, 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division, of the United States Army, on July 27, 1944.-Heraldry:...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in the army of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 and acquired a knighthood. He had thus started the history of the noble family of Gorges in England. His descendant Roul married the heiress of Morville and afterwards the family obtained the manors of Wraxall
Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...
, Somerset and Bradpole
Bradpole
Bradpole is a village in south west Dorset, England, in the Brit valley, one mile outside Bridport. The village has a population of 2,270 , 38.8% are retired.- External links :***...
in Dorset. The family again reached prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries.
History of the family
After the Battle of HastingsBattle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
Norman liege Radulph de Gorges de Meurville
Morville, Manche
Morville is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France....
obtained a knighthood. His descendant Roul de Gorges married the heiress of Morville in England, obtaining afterwards the manors of Wraxall
Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...
, Somerset and Bradpole
Bradpole
Bradpole is a village in south west Dorset, England, in the Brit valley, one mile outside Bridport. The village has a population of 2,270 , 38.8% are retired.- External links :***...
in Dorset.
Radulph's great-grand son Ralph de Gorges was marshal of the army of King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in the wars in Gascony in 1293, and was in opposition to Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. He was summoned to Parliament as Baron Gorges by writ between 1308 to 1322 and is mentioned in the Nomina Villarum
Nomina Villarum
Nomina Villarum was a survey carried out in 1316 and contains a list of all cities, boroughs and townships in England and the Lords of them. The document was compiled for King Edward II...
1315-16.
Knighton, Isle of WightKnighton, Isle of WightKnighton is a hamlet near to Sandown on the Isle of Wight.It is usually pronounced as Kay-nighton by local people, to avoid confusion with the larger, homophonic village of Niton, near Ventnor....
This was a large manor returned as 3 knights' fees in the Testa de NevillBook of Fees
The Book of Fees is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the mediaeval Liber Feodorum , being a listing of feudal landholdings or "fees/fiefs", compiled in about 1302, but from earlier records, for the use of the English Exchequer...
. The de Morville family held Knighton in the 12thc. Local legend associates Knighton with Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland
Sir Hugh de Morville was an Anglo-Norman knight who served King Henry II of England in the late 12th century. He is chiefly famous as one of the assassins of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170...
(d.1202)' one of the 4 knights who murdered Thomas a Becket Archbishop of Canterbury in his cathedral on 29/12/1170, and is said to have fled after the murder to Knighton. However, this is not supported by reliable historical evidence which states that Hugh fled first to Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village—which derives its name from the castle—1 mile north of Hythe, Kent, England.The castle is known as the site where the plot was hatched to assassinate Thomas Becket...
near Canterbury, and thence to de Morville's Knaresborough Castle
Knaresborough Castle
Knaresborough Castle is a ruined fortress overlooking the River Nidd in the town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England.-History:The castle was first built by a Norman baron in c.1100 on a cliff above the River Nidd. There is documentary evidence dating from 1130 referring to works carried out...
in Yorkshire. The era is too early to seek evidence in shared armourials, heraldry not having become widespead until the early 13th. c., but it appears the two families sprang from a common 11th.c. source, not clearly documented.In the 13th c. Eleanor, heiress of John (or Ivo) de Morville (d.1256), married Ralph de GorgesEleanor died in 1292, still seized of the manor, having outlived her husband. Her son Ralph de Gorges leased the manor in 1305 to William de Caleshale and his wife for the duration of their lives. Before 1316 the manor had reverted to Ralph de Gorges, knighted sometime thereafter.
Tothill Manor
The family of Gorges was associated with the manor of "Tothill". It cannot be stated with certainty where this was located. There appear to be two possibilities:- Tothill, Lincolnshire, between Louth and Mablethorpe. The modern hamlet of Tothill lies adjacent to a tumulus of an ancient motte and bailey castle, known as "Toot Hill", a common place name meaning "lookout hill", i.e. a highpoint on which warning beacons signalling invasion were lit. In Domesday BookDomesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
it was spelt "Totele". Tothill was held by the Ferre family, from which came Eleanor the wife of the 1st. Baron Gorges(d.1323/4). The manor was taken from Richard de Seez in late 1265 and was granted to Queen Eleanor of CastileEleanor of CastileEleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
, who surrendered it to her husband King Edward I in 1274. The King then granted it to John Ferre, steward of Eleanor's household. There is however little certain evidence affixing this place associated with Ferre with Lincolnshire. The manor of Tothill, Lincolnshire is known to have been held by the Willougby de BrokeBaron Willoughby de BrokeBaron Willoughby de Broke is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1491 for Sir Robert Willoughby, of Brooke/Broke manor, Heywood, near Westbury, Wiltshire, de jure 9th Baron Latimer...
family until about 1910, under whose ownership it formed a single manor with Gayton-le-Marsh.
- Tothill Manor in the Isle of WightIsle of WightThe Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. It is certain that the Gorges family held nearby Knighton manor. Tothill is mentioned for the first time in 1267 as a possession of Thomas de Aula (Feet of Fines, Hants, 52 Hen. III, no. 582) and is not again mentioned until 1488, when it still belonged to the lord of YaverlandYaverlandYaverland is a village on the Isle of Wight, just north of Sandown. It has about 200 houses. About 1/3 of a mile away from the village is the Yaverland Manor and Church. Holotype fossils have been discovered here of Yaverlandia and a pterosaur, Caulkicephalus...
(De Banco Roll, Easter, 3 Hen. VII, m. 21 d.). Sir William Russell(d.1311) became Lord of Yaverland on his marriage to Katherine de Aula, daughter of Thomas de Aula, and the Russell family continued to hold Yaverland until the death of Stephen Hatfield in 1461, 4th. husband of Isabel Russell(d.1437), 2nd daughter of Sir Maurice RussellMaurice Russell, knightSir Maurice Russell of Kingston Russell, Dorset and Dyrham, Glos. was a prominent member of the Gloucestershire gentry, the 3rd son, but eventual heir of Ralph Russell and his wife Alice. He was knighted between June and December 1385 and served twice as Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in...
(d.1416). Tothill followed the descent of Yaverland until 1729 or later, appearing for the last time in the will of Edward Richards of Yaverland (Recov. R. Trin. 10 Will. III, rot. 243, 244; P.C.C. 146 Abbot). The site of this manor cannot now be identified, but it probably formed part of Yaverland, at the extreme eastern tip of the island. There exists today a "Tothill Farm" horse-stud on the borders of Hampshire and Dorset, the origin of the name of which is not recorded.
Descent
Ralph, 1st Baron Gorges had a son, Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges, and 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Eleanor and Joan. He appears to have married off his 2nd. daughter Eleanor to the young Theobald Russell(1303-1340) of Yaverland, Isle of Wight and Kingston RussellKingston Russell
Kingston Russell is a large mansion house and manor near Long Bredy in Dorset, England, west of Dorchester. The present house dates from the late 17th century but in 1730 was clad in a white Georgian stone facade. The house was restored in 1913, and at the same time the gardens were laid out...
, Dorset, son and heir of Sir William Russell(d.1311), who was possibly his ward. Ralph I, 1st Baron previously had settled the manor of Knighton in tail-male on two younger sons, William and Theobald, of his daughter Eleanor, wife of Theobald Russell. William Russell the elder of the two died without issue and Knighton Manor was delivered to Theobald in 1343
Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges, who died without issue in 1330/1, shortly after his father's death, clearly keen to see his family name and armourials continue, formed the plan of bequeathing the Gorges estates to a younger son of his sister Eleanor Russell, on condition apparently that he should adopt the name and arms of Gorges. This is precisely what occurred when Theobald Russell II, 3rd son of Theobald and Eleanor, his 2nd elder brother William having died, adopted the name Gorges, and founded a revived Gorges line, which flourished, based at Wraxall, Somerset.
In 1346/7 Theobald was sued in the name "de Gorges" by Elizabeth, widow of his uncle Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges(d.1331), for the manor of Knighton. Judgement was given in her favour, but as she had no issue by Ralph the manor had reverted to Theobald by 1362. On the death of Theobald in 1380, the manor of Knighton, less a dower interest of 1/3, passed successively to his sons Sir Randolf(Ralph?)(d.1382), Bartholomew(d.1395/6) and Thomas(d.1404), all of whom chose to use the Gorges family name alone. Theobald's widow Agnes, presumably the mother of the 3 sons, died in 1400, when her customary dower share of 1/3 reverted to Thomas. Thomas left a son John, who died in 1413 aged only 15, leaving his 10 year-old brother Theobald as heir. In 1462 Sir Theobald Gorges was in possession of Knighton, and probably died without issue as the manor of Knighton reverted back via the Russell family to John Haket(d.1498) of Wolverton, Isle of Wight, 1st cousin & heir of Thomas Russell(d.1431) son of Sir Maurice Russell
Maurice Russell, knight
Sir Maurice Russell of Kingston Russell, Dorset and Dyrham, Glos. was a prominent member of the Gloucestershire gentry, the 3rd son, but eventual heir of Ralph Russell and his wife Alice. He was knighted between June and December 1385 and served twice as Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in...
(d.1416).
Gorges of Longford
Thomas Gorges
Thomas Gorges , an Elizabethan courtier and Groom of the Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, a second cousin of Queen Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I all descendants of the first Howard Duke of Norfolk.His father was Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall,and his mother one of Sir Edward's...
(1536–1610), a son of Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...
, by either Mary Newton or Mary Poyntz, a kinsman and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, acquired the manor
Manor
-Land tenure:*Manor, an estate in land of the mediaeval era in England*Manorialism, a system of land tenure and organization of the rural economy and society in parts of medieval Europe based on the manor*Manor house, the principal house of a manor...
of Langford, now Longford, in Wiltshire in 1573 and built there Longford Castle
Longford Castle
Longford Castle is located on the banks of the River Avon south of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.In 1573 Thomas Gorges, of Langford acquired the manor , which was originally owned by the Cervingtons. Prior to this the existing mansion house had been damaged by fire...
. His wife was a Swedish noblewoman, Helena Snakenborg, marchioness (through her first marriage) of Northampton. Due to her influence, Swedish-style architecture was adopted in the construction of Longford Castle. Helena's mother was a descendant of Agnes of Borgarsyssel, a natural daughter of Haakon V of Norway
Haakon V of Norway
Haakon V Magnusson was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319.-Biography:Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, King of Norway, and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Haakon was descended from king Saint Olav and is considered to have been the last Norwegian king in the Fairhair...
. Helena has a remarkable monument in Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
.
Gorges Barony of Dundalk
EdwardBaron Gorges of Dundalk
Baron Gorges of Dundalk was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 13 July 1620 for Sir Edward Gorges, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Langford in the County of Wiltshire, in the Baronetage of England on 25 November 1611...
, son of the above-mentioned Thomas Gorges of Langford, was granted the Barony of Dundalk in Ireland. Both he and his son Richard (d.1712) sat in the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Ratoath
Ratoath (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Ratoath was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons.-Boundaries and boundary changes:This constituency was the manor of Ratoath in County Meath.Following the Act of Union 1800 the constituency was disenfranchised.-Members of Parliament:...
. The Barony became extinct on the death of the 2nd Baron in 1712, even though the latter seems to have had a son. The tomb of the 2nd Baron of Dundalk can be seen at Stetchworth
Stetchworth
Stetchworth is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around east of Cambridge.-History:...
, St Peter in East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely....
Coat of Arms
In 1341 Theobald Russell "de Gorges” adopted the Gorges arms used by his uncle and grandfather, that is to say those taken from their de Morville heiress who brought them Wraxall. In 1347 he was challenged by Sir John Warbleton (or Warburton), a knight from Cheshire who happened to be serving with him at the Siege of Calais, who noticed they both bore the same arms on their shields, "Lozengy or and azure" (a field of gold and blue lozenges). The case was brought before a court of honour convened at Calais and presided over by Henry of Grosmont, Earl of LancasterHenry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, KG , also Earl of Derby, was a member of the English nobility in the 14th century, and a prominent English diplomat, politician, and soldier...
which adjudged on 19th July 1347 the disputed arms to Warbleton. Theobald Russell "de Gorges" thus added a "chevron gules" (red chevron) to the de Morville arms as a difference, in order not to contravene the judgement. Thus the new Gorges arms, known as Gorges Modern, became "Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules", and one of the more celebrated and historic heraldic cases heard in a military court was recorded. This coat of arms was afterwards used by Sir Ferdinando Gorges. The ancient Gorges canting arms
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
of "Argent, a gurges azure", being a blue whirlpool on a white (or silver) background, gurges signifying in Latin a Whirlpool, had been retained some generations before by the senior Gorges line seated at Tamerton Foliot
Tamerton Foliot
Tamerton Foliot was a village and is now a dense suburb in the north of Plymouth, England that also lends its name to the parish of the same name....
, Devon, the cadet line having married the de Morville heiress.
The whirlpool arms as borne by the senior branch can be seen in Tamerton Foliot
Tamerton Foliot
Tamerton Foliot was a village and is now a dense suburb in the north of Plymouth, England that also lends its name to the parish of the same name....
Church of St. Mary as a whorl
Whorl
A whorl is a type of spiral or circular pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , used to describe the attachment of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches at a single point...
in the 9th. quartering on the 1617 Coplestone funerary monument. The Coplestone family inherited Tamerton Foliot by marriage to a Gorges heiress. In the form of 3 concentric annulets the arms were formerly visible sculpted on the tunic of the adjacent knightly effigy, said by Raymond Gorges op.cit to represent John Gorges of Warleigh House, lord of the manor of Tamerton Foliot, who flourished at the start of the 15th.c., and his wife. Fire damage has since removed all visible trace of any armorial on the knight's tunic. A pair of the wooden roof bosses of the church at Chagford
Chagford
Chagford is a small town and civil parish on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, England, close to the River Teign. It is located off the A382, about 4 miles west of Moretonhampstead. The name Chagford is derived from the word chag, meaning gorse or broom, and the ford suffix indicates its...
, Devon, display whorls, believed to be the Gorges arms, as the family was connected with that manor.
Ormerod, G.W. in his "Historical sketch of the Parish of Chagford", states that the Gorges family had "a great influence in the parish between 1439 and 1461 being descended in the female line from the Wibberi family".
Notable Family Members
- Thomas GorgesThomas GorgesThomas Gorges , an Elizabethan courtier and Groom of the Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, a second cousin of Queen Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I all descendants of the first Howard Duke of Norfolk.His father was Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall,and his mother one of Sir Edward's...
(1536 - 30 Mar 1610), son of Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall, by one of Sir Edward's wives, Mary Newton, or Mary Poyntz. He was a courtier and Groom of the Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I[1], and second cousin of Queen Anne Boleyn, mother of Queen Elizabeth I. He was the uncle of Arthur GorgesArthur GorgesSir Arthur Gorges , was a sea captain, poet, translator and courtier.-Early life:He was born the son of Sir William Gorges of Charlton and his wife Winifred Budockshede, heiress to the manor of Budockshede.Sir William Gorges died in Dec 1584, in the Tower of London: he was knighted in Ireland in...
(see below)
- Sir Arthur GorgesArthur GorgesSir Arthur Gorges , was a sea captain, poet, translator and courtier.-Early life:He was born the son of Sir William Gorges of Charlton and his wife Winifred Budockshede, heiress to the manor of Budockshede.Sir William Gorges died in Dec 1584, in the Tower of London: he was knighted in Ireland in...
(1569–1625) was a poet, translator, and courtier. He married twice, first to Douglas Howard in 1584, with whom he had one daughter. Douglas Howard was the daughter and heiress of Henry Howard, 2nd Viscount Bindon. Henry Howard’s father, Thomas Howard, 1st Viscount Howard of BindonThomas Howard, 1st Viscount Howard of BindonThomas Howard, 1st Viscount Howard of Bindon , was an English peer and politician. He was the youngest son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and Lady Elizabeth Stafford. He served as Custos Rotulorum of Dorset and Vice-Admiral of Dorset. In 1559 he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Howard...
, was the second son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
, uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two wives of Henry VIII.
- Sir Tristram Gorges (1562–1608) was a sea-captain under the command of Sir Francis DrakeFrancis DrakeSir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
. He fought against the Spanish ArmadaSpanish ArmadaThis article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
and was jailer of Don Pedro De Valdez.
- Sir Ferdinando GorgesFerdinando GorgesSir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
(1565–1647), called the "Father of English Colonization in North America"[1], was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622. Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.
Raymond Gorges, Historian of Gorges Family
The Gorges family papers held in the Library of the University of Virginia are catalogued as follows:
"They consist of ca. 5,000 items, 1616-1940, and contain the material used by Raymond Gorges to write his book, The Story of a Family through Eleven Centuries, History of the Gorges Family, published in Boston, USA in 1944. The book provides an excellent guide to the materials; the items have been identified according to Mr. Gorges and left in the order used by him with slight modifications. The papers include genealogical information that Mr. Gorges used to produce his pedigree located at the end of the book. There are also family histories, beginning in 1066 when the family was in France, and individual biographies. This material contains information on the careers and schooling of family members as well as copies of their correspondence. The legal papers are an excellent source of English documents and provide added information on the family's interesting and noble history. Also provided is historical information used to provide background for Mr. Gorges' book. Included are Mr. Gorges' research notes which give some indication of his organization for the book. Although he failed to publish it in his lifetime, his wife had the book published to his specifications in 1944. There are also postcards of country scenes in England and Ireland. The materials deal with the entire history of the family from 1066 to the 20th Century but original documents date from 1618. Also included is Mr. Gorges' personal correspondence about his research; this correspondence is interfiled with relevant materials. This is an excellent collection for historical information on England and Ireland especially the historical intertwining of the two nations".
Sources
- Victoria County History, Hampshire, 1912, vol.5
- Gorges, Raymond & Brown, Frederick, Rev., FSA. The Story of a Family through Eleven Centuries, Illustrated by Portraits and Pedigrees: Being a History of the Family of Gorges. Boston, USA, (Merrymount Press privately published), 1944.
- Burke, John. A general dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland, p.226, Gorges- baron Gorges, page 226
- Burke, John Bernard. A genealogical history of the extinct and dormant baroneties, p. 222
- Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. A Complete Guide to Heraldry,p. 153
- Lower, Mark Antony. Patronymica Britannica, p. 134
- Burke, John. Burke's Armorials, London, 1884, p.413
- Mémoires de la Société des antiquaires de Normandie, 2nd bunch, p.228
- Moule, ThomasThomas MouleThomas Moule was an English antiquarian, writer on heraldry, and map-maker. He is best known for his popular and highly decorated county maps of England, steel-engraved and first published separately between 1830 and 1832....
. Heraldry of a fish: Notices of the Principal Families Bearing Fish in their Arms, p.86
External References
- 1066.co.nz
- http://books.google.cz/books?id=aB0IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=family+gorges+heraldry&source=bl&ots=dhtdhS6ZsT&sig=izvRMVqoc4TZ9p8rm6JaA_eNePU&hl=cs&ei=p_5mTL2fPIP7OdvFvLkF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CDsQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Baronies in the Peerage of Ireland extant from 1603 to 1625
- Tudorplace.com Gorges
- Full text of "Sir Ferdinando Gorges and his province of Maine. Including the Brief Relations, the Brief Narration, his Defence, the Charter Granted to him, his Will, and His Letters.
- Genealogics Helena Ulfsdotter Snakenborg 1548 - 1635 - Leo van de Pas
- http://cdm.reed.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=decada&CISOROOT=/colhist&CISOBOX1=16001699
- The Genealogy of the Bland and Nicholas Families of Shelbyville
- Collections for a Parochial History of Wraxall