Maurice Denys (Sheriff)
Encyclopedia
Maurice Denys Esquire, was twice Sheriff of Gloucestershire
in 1460 and 1461. The Denys family were stated by Sir Robert Atkyns
, the 18th.c. historian of Gloucestershire, to have provided more sheriffs for that county than any other family.
(d.1422) of Siston
, Glos., by his 2nd wife Margaret Russell(d.1460), eldest daughter of Sir Maurice Russell
of Dyrham
, Glos.
, a full record of his birth and baptism is provided in the record of his “proof of age” inquisition dated 22 Sept. 1431 at Tetbury
, Glos., in the presence of his warder Sir Edward Stradling:
, 25th June 1422, stated “Maurice Denys is his son and next heir, and he is of the age of 14 years and more”. As Sir Gilbert Denys was a tenant-in-chief
of the king in respect of the manor of Alveston
, Glos., Maurice became a ward of the crown. In May 1422 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
had been appointed keeper of the realm whilst King Henry V was away in France. In August 1422 the dying king appointed Gloucester as regent of England. Gilbert Denys had been in the service of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and had appointed the latter's son Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester as one of the two overseers of his will. It was possibly at the request of Beaufort, influential on the regency council, that the wardship of Maurice was awarded to Sir Edward Stradling of St Donat's Castle
, Glamorgan, who was then about to marry Beaufort's illegitimate daughter by Alice FitzAlan. Gilbert Denys had been born in Glamorgan and had known Edward Stradling well, having quitclaimed his interests in land in Glamorgan to Stradling following the extensive redistributions of land consequent on the death of Sir Lawrence Berkerolles of Coity Castle
in 1411. The Fine Rolls contain the following entry dated 17 July 1422:
Stradling later agreed with the treasurer on the sum of 20 marks
per annum as the price of his wardship of Maurice.
1/3rd of his lands for life. Thus Edward Stradling had available only the remaining 2/3rds. as his wardship lands. Yet he exerted his influence over the widow Margaret, who had been urged not to remarry but rather to take a vow of chastity in the will of her husband, by procuring her as wife for his young nephew John Kemys from Wentloog
, South Wales. Thus the following entry is recorded in the Patent Rolls, dated at Westminster, 12th December 1422, only 7 months after Gilbert Denys's death:
This meant that Kemeys himself acquired jure uxoris
a life interest in the dower 1/3 of the Denys lands. As Kemeys did not die until 1477, 11 years after Maurice Denys's death, Maurice never lived to enjoy his entire patrimony. It appears that Margaret and John Kemeys resided at Siston, the place of Maurice's birth and the principal Denys manor, which forced Maurice
to reside at Alveston, or possibly near to it at Olveston Court
, which his father had held at his death from the Bishop of Bath & Wells. Not only did Edward Stradling obtain Margaret as a wife for his nephew, but he had previously obtained Joan Dauntsey, the young 2nd wife and widow of her father, Sir Maurice Russell(d.1416), as wife for his uncle Sir John Stradling, as the following entry in the Patent Rolls, dated 8th July 1418 at Waltham, records:
Joan had as her dowry 1/3rd of the substantial lands of Maurice Russell, and later unexpectedly became the heiress of her brother regarding the Dauntsey lands in Wiltshire.
, Glos. By his second wife Elizabeth Hussey, daughter of Henry Hussey of Sussex. The family of Poyntz was prominent in the Gloucestershire gentry, of ancient lineage, and their principal manor of Iron Acton lay between the Denys manors of Siston and Alveston. Maurice had 8 children by Alice Poyntz, including Hugh Denys
(d.1511), groom of the stool
to King Henry VII
(1485-1509).
Such entails
were usual and required by the father of the bride to ensure that his daughter and her progeny obtained title to the estate of the proposed husband. Since Sir Walter Denys eventually obtained Alveston, Earthcott Green and Langeley hundred, it would seem that he must have been the heir of the body of Alice Poyntz, not of Katherine Stradling, as the pedigree in the 1623 Visitation of Gloucestershire shows. However, it appears the entail was never finalised, as in 1466 Maurice and Alice obtain licence again to settle the same manors on feoffees, which power they would not have had if the manors had been held by feoffees since 1437. Also, the settlement of 1466, shortly before Maurice's death, does not give remainder to the heirs of the body of Alice, which might explain how Sir Walter Denys obtained the manors. The 1466 settlement is recorded in the Patent Rolls, dated at Westminster, 12 October 1466:
of 1505 in that church states.
) (1st) Quarter (to bearer's R, viewer's L)): Denys; Top right: (sinister
) Russell. Bottom L (3rd. Q ): 1st: Denys; 2nd:Russell; 3rd:Gorges
;4th: a cross moline
or fer-de-moline, is for the family of Eleanor Ferre, da. of Sir John Ferre, of Tothill, Lincs., an heiress of the Gorges family
. (Raymond Gorges, History of the Family of Gorges, Boston USA, 1944; The arms of Sir Guy Ferre(d.1323), his nephew, can be seen above the pedestrian gateway of Butley Priory
(of which he held the advowson
) where the fer de moline of his canting arms
is shown in the form of a cross moline). Bottom R (4th. Q): 1st:Denys; 2nd:Russell; 3rd:Gorges; 4th:prob.Danvers. Armorials repeated on tabard
fronts and sleeves. Morys Denys the father to L in Dexter position of honour. Russell was his heiress-mother, Gorges a former Russell heiress. On the R. is Sir Walter Denys, the son, with the arms of his co-heiress 2nd. wife, Agnes Danvers, in the 4th. Q.
faces or jessant-de-lys
azure, over all a bend engrailled azure. The Denys arms blazoned
with these tinctures survive earliest in British Library Add.MS 45131,f.54, a 1509 drawing of Hugh Denys
(d.1511) at the deathbed of Henry VII. The armourials are the arms of Cantilupe of Candleston Castle
, Glamorgan, probably granted as "arms of patronage" to their feudal officials or tenants the Denys's, differenced by the imposition of a bend
engrailled, probably before 1258. Cantilupe arms, reversed for difference, are still borne as the official arms of the See of Hereford, http://www.herefordcathedral.org/ in honour of St. Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, canonised in 1320. The Denys arms are a rare ancient exception to the rule of tincture
"no colour on colour or metal on metal" propounded by John Gibbon in his 1682 Introductio ad Latinam Blasoniam, in which he lists (pp.150-1) some exceptions, including Denys: "Now for my reader's diversion and delight I will insert what hath fallen under my observation". The Denys arms are also shown sculpted on the wings of the nearby Tudor mansion Siston Court, built by Sir Maurice Denys
(d.1563), great-grandson of Maurice Denys(d.1466), yet there they have been altered to a neater composition, with the bend passing between the leopards' faces, and the latter composition was also adopted by the Denys family of Pucklechurch, lords of that manor until 1701.
Russell:(of Kingston Russell
, Dorset & Dyrham, Glos.)Sir Gilbert Denys
of Siston had married c. 1404,as his 2nd. wife, Margaret Russell, eldest da. and later co-heiress of Sir Morys Russell of Dyrham.Argent, on a chief gules 3 bezants. She was the mother of Morys Denys.
(Bezants are Byzantine gold coins, thought to have been very popular with the Crusaders who plundered Constantinople in 1204, not having received the previously agreed funding from the Emperor.)
Gorges
(of Knighton, Isle of Wight
; Wraxall, Somerset
; Bradpole
, Dorset). Sir Theobald I Russell(d.1341) of Kingston Russell, Dorset, grandfather of Sir Maurice Russell
of Dyrham
, had been the ward of Sir Ralph III de Gorges, 1st Baron Gorges(d.1324), and had been married-off by his warder to his 2nd. daughter Eleanor de Gorges. Eleanor's 3rd. son Theobald II Russell inherited from his uncle Ralph IV de Gorges(d.1331), 2nd. Baron, the former Gorges estates and changed his name to "Gorges", adopting their arms, apparently as part of the arrangement. The armorials of Gorges are of interest. They were originally canting arms of a Gurges, which is Latin for whirlpool, then c. 1300 were changed voluntarily to lozengy, or and azure, in recognition of the de Morvilles, ancestors of the Gorges. Yet there was a celebrated dispute in 1347 (see Warbelton v. Gorges
) when these lozengy arms were claimed by John de Warbelton against Theobald II Russell "de Gorges" and a court of honour adjudged the arms to Warbelton. Instead of adopting completely new arms, Theobald merely added a red chevron as a difference, blazoned Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules. These arms are known as "Gorges Modern". The Denys family should logically have quartered the undifferenced arms of their ancestor Ralph III de Gorges, not those of Theobald II Russell "de Gorges", their cousin, unless as appears to have been the case, it was customary to apply such heraldic judgements retrospectively.
Danvers(of Cothorpe, Oxon.)Morys Denys's 2nd. wife, and Sir Walter's mother, was Agnes Danvers, co-heiress of Sir Robert Danvers(d.1467), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. The arms blazoned in the 4th. Q. on Sir Walter's tabard appear as A chevron between 3 roses, yet the arms given by Burkes 1884 for this family are quite different Argent, on a bend gules 3 martlets (house martens) vert legged or. The arms of Danvers of Warwick however are closer to those depicted here: Gules, a chevron between 3 mullets (stars) of 6 points or.
ConclusionThe monumental brass is likely to have been erected well after the date of the interment, so if indeed there are errors on the part of the engraver, or in the instructions given him, it may have been felt acceptable to let the matter rest, rather than incur considerable expense in having it remade. On the other hand, if the arms are all correct, there are lacunae in the literature and official records of Denys family history.
Her lyeth buryed in ye midde. of the quere (i.e. choir/chancel) Morys Denys esquyer sonne and here of sir Gylbert Denys knyght lorde of the maner of Alveston & of the maner of Irdecote (i.e. Earthcott Green) & also sir walter Denys knyght sonne and here to the seid morys denys esquyer ye. whiche sir walter denys decessed the first day of the moneth of Septembre in the xxi yere of the reigne of kyng henry the vii (i.e. 1506) whose soules Jhesu pardon amen. All ye that this rede and see of yor. charitie seye for their soules a pater noster and an ave (i.e. Hail Mary).
On banner above
Miseremini mei miseremini nostri saltem vos filii et amici nostri quia manus domini tetigit nos. (Be ye all pitiful of me, be ye all pitiful of us, at the least ye our sons and friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched us)(Job 19:21, altered)
On banner from mouth of Morys
Unicus et trinus bone jhesu sis nobis Jesus (One and Three o good Jesus, you are to us Jesus)
On banner from mouth of Sir Walter
In trinitate perfecta sit nobis requies et eterna vita(In the perfected Trinity may there become to us rest and eternal life)
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1460 and 1461. The Denys family were stated by Sir Robert Atkyns
Robert Atkyns (topographer)
Sir Robert Atkyns was a topographer, antiquary, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his county history, the Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire.-Life:...
, the 18th.c. historian of Gloucestershire, to have provided more sheriffs for that county than any other family.
Family background
He was the eldest son & heir of Sir Gilbert DenysGilbert Denys, knight
Sir Gilbert Denys of Siston, Gloucestershire, was a soldier, and later an administrator. He was knighted by Jan 1385, and was twice knight of the shire for Gloucestershire constituency, in 1390 and 1395 and served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1393-4...
(d.1422) of Siston
Siston
Siston is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England east of Bristol Castle, ancient centre of Bristol, recorded historically as Syston, Sistone, Syton, Sytone and Systun etc. The village lies at the confluence of the two sources of the Siston Brook, a tributary of the River Avon...
, Glos., by his 2nd wife Margaret Russell(d.1460), eldest daughter 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...
of Dyrham
Dyrham
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...
, Glos.
Birth & baptism
Due to Maurice having been in wardshipWard (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
, a full record of his birth and baptism is provided in the record of his “proof of age” inquisition dated 22 Sept. 1431 at Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
, Glos., in the presence of his warder Sir Edward Stradling:
“John Motsont, aged 64 years and more, sworn and examined on the age of Maurice, swears that he was born at Siston, baptised in the church there, and was 22 (21?) years of age and more on 29th(21st?) Sept. last. He knows because he met the godfathers and godmother of Maurice by the church on the day of the baptism. They told him about the birth of Maurice, and he was overjoyed. Thomas Reome, 54 and more, knows because Elizabeth his mother stood as godmother to Maurice, and Thomas was there too on the day that Maurice was baptised. John Born, 60 and more, held a torch in the church during Maurice's baptism. Richard Williams, 70 and more, was there and saw John Blount, godfather of Maurice, give him a piece of silver with a cover on the day of the baptism, and give 6s. & 8d. To the nurse. Walter Dore, 53 and more, knows because William his son was born & baptised on the same day that Maurice was baptised. Edward Benet, 44 and more, was then in service to Gilbert Denys, father of Maurice, in the office of butler, and carried a silver pot of wine to the church for the godfathers and godmother of Maurice after the baptism. John Seymour, 49 and more, gave Katherine his daughter in marriage to John Pynchepole on the day that Maurice was baptised and in the same church. John Felde, 72 and more, carried a basin and ewer from the manor to the church. He provided water for the godfathers and godmother of Maurice to wash their hands after he was raised from the font. Philip Fermer, 60 and more, knows because Robert his son celebrated his first mass in the same church on the day that Maurice was baptised. John Kyngton, 60 and more, knows because William his son was born on the same day that Maurice was baptised. John Stafford, 55 and more, was in the church when Maurice was baptised, and saw John Grevell, godfather of Maurice, give him a silver goblet with a cover immediately after the baptism, and 6s. & 8d. To the nurse. John Thorndon, 57 and more, carried a torch in front of Maurice from the manor of Siston to the church on the day that he was baptised, and held it during the baptism.”
Wardship
Maurice was aged 10 (or possibly 14) on the death of his father in 1422, and therefore deemed a minor, not having achieved his majority of 21. The Inquisition post mortem of Gilbert Denys, dated at Chipping SodburyChipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury is a market town in the county of South Gloucestershire, south-west England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus . The villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby...
, 25th June 1422, stated “Maurice Denys is his son and next heir, and he is of the age of 14 years and more”. As Sir Gilbert Denys was a tenant-in-chief
Tenant-in-chief
In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....
of the king in respect of the manor of Alveston
Alveston
Alveston is a commuter village of roughly 3000 people about south of Thornbury, South Gloucestershire and approximately north of Bristol, England. Alveston is twinned with Courville sur Eure, France. It has two hotels, a variety of small shops, several parks and fields, two churches and a...
, Glos., Maurice became a ward of the crown. In May 1422 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG , also known as Humphrey Plantagenet, was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of king Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to king Henry V of England, and uncle to the...
had been appointed keeper of the realm whilst King Henry V was away in France. In August 1422 the dying king appointed Gloucester as regent of England. Gilbert Denys had been in the service of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and had appointed the latter's son Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester as one of the two overseers of his will. It was possibly at the request of Beaufort, influential on the regency council, that the wardship of Maurice was awarded to Sir Edward Stradling of St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
, Glamorgan, who was then about to marry Beaufort's illegitimate daughter by Alice FitzAlan. Gilbert Denys had been born in Glamorgan and had known Edward Stradling well, having quitclaimed his interests in land in Glamorgan to Stradling following the extensive redistributions of land consequent on the death of Sir Lawrence Berkerolles of Coity Castle
Coity Castle
Coity Castle in Glamorgan, Wales is a Norman castle built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville , one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan supposed to have conquered Glamorgan under the leadership of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Gloucester. Now in ruins, it stands in the Community of Coity...
in 1411. The Fine Rolls contain the following entry dated 17 July 1422:
“Commitment to Edward Stradlyng, chivaler, by mainprise of William Oldhalle of the county of Norfolk and William Stradlyng of the county of Somerset, of the keeping of 2/3rds of all the lands, and 2/3rds of the hundred of Langeley, co. Gloucester, late of Gilbert Denys, chivaler, who held of the king in chief by knight-serviceKnight-serviceKnight-service was a form of Feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his overlord....
on the day of his death, the same being in the king's hand by the death of Gilbert and by reason of the minority of Maurice his son and heir. Th hold the same from Michaelmas next until the lawful age of the said heir, and so from heir to heir until one of them shall have attained full age, rendering the extent thereof, or as much as may be agreed upon by himself and the treasurer, yearly at Easter and Michaelmas equally, maintaining all houses, enclosures and buildings, and supporting all other charges incumbent on the said 2/3rds of the lands and hundred aforesaid. By bill of the treasurer.”
Stradling later agreed with the treasurer on the sum of 20 marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
per annum as the price of his wardship of Maurice.
Remarriage of mother
Margaret Russell, mother of Maurice Denys, retained on the death of Gilbert Denys as her customary dowerDower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
1/3rd of his lands for life. Thus Edward Stradling had available only the remaining 2/3rds. as his wardship lands. Yet he exerted his influence over the widow Margaret, who had been urged not to remarry but rather to take a vow of chastity in the will of her husband, by procuring her as wife for his young nephew John Kemys from Wentloog
Wentloog
Wentlooge , sometimes known as Wentloog, is a community in the southwest of the city of Newport, South Wales, in the Marshfield ward.The name Wentlooge is a corruption of the earlier name Gwynllŵg, which itself was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler.The community is bounded...
, South Wales. Thus the following entry is recorded in the Patent Rolls, dated at Westminster, 12th December 1422, only 7 months after Gilbert Denys's death:
“Licence for Margaret late the wife of Gilbert Denys, knight, tenant-in-chief of Henry V, to marry John Kemmes, esquire”
This meant that Kemeys himself acquired jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
a life interest in the dower 1/3 of the Denys lands. As Kemeys did not die until 1477, 11 years after Maurice Denys's death, Maurice never lived to enjoy his entire patrimony. It appears that Margaret and John Kemeys resided at Siston, the place of Maurice's birth and the principal Denys manor, which forced Maurice
to reside at Alveston, or possibly near to it at Olveston Court
Olveston
Olveston is a small village and larger parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The parish comprises the villages of Olveston and Tockington, and the hamlets of Old Down, Ingst and Awkley. Alveston became a separate parish in 1846...
, which his father had held at his death from the Bishop of Bath & Wells. Not only did Edward Stradling obtain Margaret as a wife for his nephew, but he had previously obtained Joan Dauntsey, the young 2nd wife and widow of her father, Sir Maurice Russell(d.1416), as wife for his uncle Sir John Stradling, as the following entry in the Patent Rolls, dated 8th July 1418 at Waltham, records:
“Pardon, for 40 marks paid in the hanaperHanaperHanaper, properly a case or basket to contain a "hanap " , a drinking vessel, a goblet with a foot or stem; the term which is still used by antiquaries for medieval stemmed cups. The famous Royal Gold Cup in the British Museum is called a "hanap" in the inventory of Charles VI of France of...
, to John Stradlyng, chivaler, and Joan late the wife of Maurice Russell, chivaler, tenant-in-chief, of their trespass in intermarrying without licence.”
Joan had as her dowry 1/3rd of the substantial lands of Maurice Russell, and later unexpectedly became the heiress of her brother regarding the Dauntsey lands in Wiltshire.
Attains majority
The Close Rolls, 10 Henry VI, record the following writ, dated 20 November 1431:
“To the escheator in Gloucestershire and the march of WalesWelsh MarchesThe Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
adjacent. Order to give Maurice Denys, son and heir of Gilbert Denys, knight, seisinSeisinSeisin is the term denoting the legal possession of a feudal fiefdom . It was used in the form of "the son and heir of X has obtained seisin of his inheritance", and thus is effectively a term concerned with conveyancing in the feudal era...
of his father's lands, as he has proved his age before the escheator, and the king has taken his fealtyFealtyAn oath of fealty, from the Latin fidelitas , is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible or saint's relic, often contained within an altar, thus binding the oath-taker before God.In medieval Europe, fealty was sworn between...
, and for 13s. 4d. Paid in the hanaper has respited his homageHomageHomage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
until Whitsuntide next.”
First marriage
Sir Edward Stradling had obtained not only the wardship of Maurice but also his marriage. He exercised this right by marrying him off to his daughter, Katherine Stradling, who was thus provided with a husband of ample means. Yet Katherine it appears died very soon after giving birth in about 1437 to the couple's first son, Sir Walter Denys(c.1437-1505).Second marriage
Maurice married secondly, before 1st November 1437, Alice Poyntz, daughter of Nicholas Poyntz of Iron ActonIron Acton
Iron Acton is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The village is about west of Yate and about northeast of the centre of Bristol. The B4058 road used to pass through the village but now by-passes it just to the north....
, Glos. By his second wife Elizabeth Hussey, daughter of Henry Hussey of Sussex. The family of Poyntz was prominent in the Gloucestershire gentry, of ancient lineage, and their principal manor of Iron Acton lay between the Denys manors of Siston and Alveston. Maurice had 8 children by Alice Poyntz, including Hugh Denys
Hugh Denys
Hugh Denys was a courtier of Kings Henry VII and of the young Henry VIII. As Groom of the Stool to Henry VII, he was one of the King's closest courtiers, his role developing into one of administering the Privy Chamber, a department in control of the royal finances which during Denys's tenure of...
(d.1511), groom of the stool
Groom of the Stool
The Groom of the Stool was the most intimate of a monarch's courtiers, whose physical intimacy naturally led to him becoming a man in whom much confidence was placed by his royal master, and with whom many royal secrets were shared as a matter of course...
to King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
(1485-1509).
Entails lands
The following settlement , apparently on the marriage of Maurice and Alice Poyntz, was licenced on 1st November 1437, as recorded in the Patent Rolls:
“Licence, for 4 marks paid in the hanaper, for Maurice Denys to enfeoff John Fort, Simon Cotesbroke, John Burnell the younger and John Pakker of Iron Acton, and their heirs, of two parts (i.e. 2/3rds) of the manors of Alveston and Erdecote (i.e. Earthcott Green), with the hundred and frankpledge of Langele, (i.e. Langley) co. Gloucester, held in chief, and of the remainder of the third part of the premises, likewise held in chief, after the death of Margaret, the wife of John Kemys, who with her said husband, holds the same in dower. Licence also for the said feoffees, after having had seisin and received the attornment of the said John Kemys and Margaret to refeoff the said Maurice and Alice, his wife, and the heirs of their bodies of the said two parts, and to grant them the said remainder under the same entail, with remainder to the right heirs of the said Maurice.”
Such entails
Fee tail
At common law, fee tail or entail is an estate of inheritance in real property which cannot be sold, devised by will, or otherwise alienated by the owner, but which passes by operation of law to the owner's heirs upon his death...
were usual and required by the father of the bride to ensure that his daughter and her progeny obtained title to the estate of the proposed husband. Since Sir Walter Denys eventually obtained Alveston, Earthcott Green and Langeley hundred, it would seem that he must have been the heir of the body of Alice Poyntz, not of Katherine Stradling, as the pedigree in the 1623 Visitation of Gloucestershire shows. However, it appears the entail was never finalised, as in 1466 Maurice and Alice obtain licence again to settle the same manors on feoffees, which power they would not have had if the manors had been held by feoffees since 1437. Also, the settlement of 1466, shortly before Maurice's death, does not give remainder to the heirs of the body of Alice, which might explain how Sir Walter Denys obtained the manors. The 1466 settlement is recorded in the Patent Rolls, dated at Westminster, 12 October 1466:
“Licence, for 33s. 4d. Paid in the hanaper, for Maurice Denys, esquire, and Alice his wife to grant the manors of Alleweston and Erthecote and the hundreds of Langley and Alleweston, co. Gloucester, held in chief, to Humphrey Poyntz and Thomas Lymeryk, and for the latter to regrant the same to the said Maurice and Alice for life, with remainder to the heirs of the body of Maurice and final remainder to his right heirs.”
Death & Burial
Maurice died in 1466 and was buried in the chancel of Olveston Church as the Denys brassDenys brass, Olveston
The Denys monumental brass in Olveston Church, Gloucestershire, dates from 1505, and is one of only about 80 Monumental brasses of Gloucestershire surviving today. It was erected following the death of Sir Walter Denys in 1505, and shows the latter together with his father Maurice Denys, both ...
of 1505 in that church states.
Identification of Armourials
The armourials are as follows: Top left(dexterDexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...
) (1st) Quarter (to bearer's R, viewer's L)): Denys; Top right: (sinister
Dexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...
) Russell. Bottom L (3rd. Q ): 1st: Denys; 2nd:Russell; 3rd:Gorges
Warbelton v. Gorges
Warbelton v. Gorges was one of the earliest heraldic law cases brought concerning English armory, in 1347. It concerned the coat of arms blazoned Lozengy or and azure, that is a field of yellow and blue lozenges...
;4th: a cross moline
Cross moline
The cross moline is a heraldic charge. It is so called because its shape resembles a millrind, moline being the Old French for a mill, the iron clamp of the upper millstone. It is very similar to one of the varieties of the "fer de moline" heraldic charge , the forked tips of which however...
or fer-de-moline, is for the family of Eleanor Ferre, da. of Sir John Ferre, of Tothill, Lincs., an heiress of the Gorges family
Gorges family
The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. Radulph, Lord of the Château 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...
. (Raymond Gorges, History of the Family of Gorges, Boston USA, 1944; The arms of Sir Guy Ferre(d.1323), his nephew, can be seen above the pedestrian gateway of Butley Priory
Butley Priory
Butley Priory was a medieval monastic house in Suffolk, England. Only the gatehouse remains today, which is very well preserved and displays stone sculpted heraldic escutcheons of its many benefactors, similar to the surviving gatehouse of Kirkham Priory in Yorkshire....
(of which he held the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
) where the fer de moline of his 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 –...
is shown in the form of a cross moline). Bottom R (4th. Q): 1st:Denys; 2nd:Russell; 3rd:Gorges; 4th:prob.Danvers. Armorials repeated on tabard
Tabard
A tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors. It might be belted, or not...
fronts and sleeves. Morys Denys the father to L in Dexter position of honour. Russell was his heiress-mother, Gorges a former Russell heiress. On the R. is Sir Walter Denys, the son, with the arms of his co-heiress 2nd. wife, Agnes Danvers, in the 4th. Q.
Blazoning of Armorials
The arms of Denys are: Gules, 3 leopard'sLeopard (heraldry)
The leopard or lion passant guardant is a frequently used charge in heraldry. It mostly appears in groups of three, which are positioned over each another.-Heraldic and zoological leopards:...
faces or jessant-de-lys
Jessant-de-lys
Jessant-de-lys is a heraldic term denoting a fleur-de-lys issuing out of any object. It is most frequently seen in conjunction with a leopard's face, meaning in heraldic language the face of a lion.-Description:...
azure, over all a bend engrailled azure. The Denys arms blazoned
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
with these tinctures survive earliest in British Library Add.MS 45131,f.54, a 1509 drawing of Hugh Denys
Hugh Denys
Hugh Denys was a courtier of Kings Henry VII and of the young Henry VIII. As Groom of the Stool to Henry VII, he was one of the King's closest courtiers, his role developing into one of administering the Privy Chamber, a department in control of the royal finances which during Denys's tenure of...
(d.1511) at the deathbed of Henry VII. The armourials are the arms of Cantilupe of Candleston Castle
Candleston Castle
Candleston Castle is a 14th.c. fortified manor house, in ruins since the nineteenth century southwest of Merthyr Mawr, former Glamorgan, Wales, and just northwest of Ogmore Castle, separated by the River Ogmore. Candleston's original long and narrow rectangular structure lay across the western...
, Glamorgan, probably granted as "arms of patronage" to their feudal officials or tenants the Denys's, differenced by the imposition of a bend
Bend (heraldry)
In heraldry, a bend is a coloured band running from the upper right corner of the shield to the lower left . Writers differ in how much of the field they say it covers, ranging from one-fifth up to one-third...
engrailled, probably before 1258. Cantilupe arms, reversed for difference, are still borne as the official arms of the See of Hereford, http://www.herefordcathedral.org/ in honour of St. Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, canonised in 1320. The Denys arms are a rare ancient exception to the rule of tincture
Rule of tincture
The first rule of heraldic design is the rule of tincture: metal should not be put on metal, nor colour on colour . This means that Or and argent may not be placed on each other; nor may any of the colours be placed on another colour...
"no colour on colour or metal on metal" propounded by John Gibbon in his 1682 Introductio ad Latinam Blasoniam, in which he lists (pp.150-1) some exceptions, including Denys: "Now for my reader's diversion and delight I will insert what hath fallen under my observation". The Denys arms are also shown sculpted on the wings of the nearby Tudor mansion Siston Court, built by Sir Maurice Denys
Maurice Denys
Sir Maurice Denys was an English lawyer in London, a property speculator during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, during which period he served as a "powerful figure at the Court of Augmentations", a Member of Parliament for Malmesbury in Wiltshire, Treasurer of Calais and the builder of Siston...
(d.1563), great-grandson of Maurice Denys(d.1466), yet there they have been altered to a neater composition, with the bend passing between the leopards' faces, and the latter composition was also adopted by the Denys family of Pucklechurch, lords of that manor until 1701.
Russell:(of Kingston Russell
Kingston 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 & Dyrham, Glos.)Sir Gilbert Denys
Gilbert Denys, knight
Sir Gilbert Denys of Siston, Gloucestershire, was a soldier, and later an administrator. He was knighted by Jan 1385, and was twice knight of the shire for Gloucestershire constituency, in 1390 and 1395 and served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1393-4...
of Siston had married c. 1404,as his 2nd. wife, Margaret Russell, eldest da. and later co-heiress of Sir Morys Russell of Dyrham.Argent, on a chief gules 3 bezants. She was the mother of Morys Denys.
(Bezants are Byzantine gold coins, thought to have been very popular with the Crusaders who plundered Constantinople in 1204, not having received the previously agreed funding from the Emperor.)
Gorges
Gorges family
The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. Radulph, Lord of the Château 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...
(of Knighton, Isle of Wight
Knighton, Isle of Wight
Knighton 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....
; 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:...
; 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 :***...
, Dorset). Sir Theobald I Russell(d.1341) of Kingston Russell, Dorset, grandfather 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...
of Dyrham
Dyrham
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...
, had been the ward of Sir Ralph III de Gorges, 1st Baron Gorges(d.1324), and had been married-off by his warder to his 2nd. daughter Eleanor de Gorges. Eleanor's 3rd. son Theobald II Russell inherited from his uncle Ralph IV de Gorges(d.1331), 2nd. Baron, the former Gorges estates and changed his name to "Gorges", adopting their arms, apparently as part of the arrangement. The armorials of Gorges are of interest. They were originally canting arms of a Gurges, which is Latin for whirlpool, then c. 1300 were changed voluntarily to lozengy, or and azure, in recognition of the de Morvilles, ancestors of the Gorges. Yet there was a celebrated dispute in 1347 (see Warbelton v. Gorges
Warbelton v. Gorges
Warbelton v. Gorges was one of the earliest heraldic law cases brought concerning English armory, in 1347. It concerned the coat of arms blazoned Lozengy or and azure, that is a field of yellow and blue lozenges...
) when these lozengy arms were claimed by John de Warbelton against Theobald II Russell "de Gorges" and a court of honour adjudged the arms to Warbelton. Instead of adopting completely new arms, Theobald merely added a red chevron as a difference, blazoned Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules. These arms are known as "Gorges Modern". The Denys family should logically have quartered the undifferenced arms of their ancestor Ralph III de Gorges, not those of Theobald II Russell "de Gorges", their cousin, unless as appears to have been the case, it was customary to apply such heraldic judgements retrospectively.
Danvers(of Cothorpe, Oxon.)Morys Denys's 2nd. wife, and Sir Walter's mother, was Agnes Danvers, co-heiress of Sir Robert Danvers(d.1467), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. The arms blazoned in the 4th. Q. on Sir Walter's tabard appear as A chevron between 3 roses, yet the arms given by Burkes 1884 for this family are quite different Argent, on a bend gules 3 martlets (house martens) vert legged or. The arms of Danvers of Warwick however are closer to those depicted here: Gules, a chevron between 3 mullets (stars) of 6 points or.
ConclusionThe monumental brass is likely to have been erected well after the date of the interment, so if indeed there are errors on the part of the engraver, or in the instructions given him, it may have been felt acceptable to let the matter rest, rather than incur considerable expense in having it remade. On the other hand, if the arms are all correct, there are lacunae in the literature and official records of Denys family history.
Transcription of Gothic Text
BelowHer lyeth buryed in ye midde. of the quere (i.e. choir/chancel) Morys Denys esquyer sonne and here of sir Gylbert Denys knyght lorde of the maner of Alveston & of the maner of Irdecote (i.e. Earthcott Green) & also sir walter Denys knyght sonne and here to the seid morys denys esquyer ye. whiche sir walter denys decessed the first day of the moneth of Septembre in the xxi yere of the reigne of kyng henry the vii (i.e. 1506) whose soules Jhesu pardon amen. All ye that this rede and see of yor. charitie seye for their soules a pater noster and an ave (i.e. Hail Mary).
On banner above
Miseremini mei miseremini nostri saltem vos filii et amici nostri quia manus domini tetigit nos. (Be ye all pitiful of me, be ye all pitiful of us, at the least ye our sons and friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched us)(Job 19:21, altered)
On banner from mouth of Morys
Unicus et trinus bone jhesu sis nobis Jesus (One and Three o good Jesus, you are to us Jesus)
On banner from mouth of Sir Walter
In trinitate perfecta sit nobis requies et eterna vita(In the perfected Trinity may there become to us rest and eternal life)
Sources
- Visitation of the County of Gloucester 1623, ed Sir John Maclean, London, 1885
- Richardson, Douglas. Plantagenet Ancestry, 2004.
- Roberts, Gary Boyd. The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants to the American Colonies Or the United States, Baltimore USA, 1993, pp.204-206, Denys.