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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 2002-01 > 1011951167


From: (Douglas Richardson)
Subject: Solution to the identity of Iseult. wife of Hugh de Audley
Date: 25 Jan 2002 01:32:47 -0800


Dear Newsgroup ~

Last week I expressed my doubts that Iseult, wife of Hugh de Audley,
of Stratton (in Stratton Audley), co. Oxford, was the daughter of
Edmund de Mortimer, Baron of Wigmore, co. Hereford. I made that
assessment based on a careful review of the evidence, which, in my
opinion, simply did not support such a filiation.

Upon further review of the evidence offline with Chris Phillips, we
established that the sole source for Iseult's parentage appears to be
one of the unpublished "Additional Manuscripts" kept by the British
Library. Chris has since examined the manuscript in question and
determined that either the manuscript or folio number cited by modern
sources is in error. As such, it doesn't seem possible any time soon
for us to learn the nature of the information supposedly recorded in
the Additional Manuscripts material. Regardless, while that avenue
has reached a dead end, it appears another door has opened which
appears to provide the correct solution to the problem.

Tonight while I was going through the biography of Sir James de Audley
in George Frederick Beltz' interesting book, Memorials of the Most
Noble Order of the Garter (1841), I discovered a statement pertaining
to Sir James de Audley's family, which almost certainly relates to
relatives of his grandmother, Iseult de Audley. Beltz states that Sir
James de Audley was severely wounded in the Battle of Poitiers in
1356. According to Beltz, Froissart (a contemporary historian)
relates that "upon his return to his lodging, our knight [Sir James de
Audley] sent for his brother sir Peter de Audeley, sir Bartholomew
Burghershe, sir Stephen Cosington, the lord Willoughby, and sir Ralph
de Ferrers, who, he says, were of his blood and lineage."

This list of Audley kinsmen is similar to the list of people Nat
Taylor posted last week in the Bohun-Basset consanguinity case, in
that the people named were probably distantly related to one another,
making it somewhat difficult to pinpoint the exact link tying the
people together. Not surprisingly, in a footnote, Beltz adds: "...
Sir James' relationship to the four last-named knights does not
appear," showing that Beltz was stymied in his attempt to determine
the common link between the five individuals.

Reviewing the list of the men called kinsmen by Sir James de Audley, a
good deal is known of the ancestry of three of these individuals,
namely Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, 4th Lord Burghersh; John de
Willoughby, 2nd Lord Willoughby of Eresby; and Sir Ralph de Ferrers.
Reviewing the ancestry of Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, for example, it
is apparent at once that he was great-grandson of Edmund de Mortimer,
lst Lord Mortimer, who is the alleged father of Sir James de Audley's
grandmother, Iseult. This would surely be strong confirmation that
Iseult de Audley definitely had a Mortimer connection.

Reviewing the ancestry of the other two individuals, John de
Willoughby and Ralph de Ferrers, however, it shows they possess no
such link to the Mortimer family. Rather, they both descend from
William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (died 1254). Ralph de Ferrers
was grandson of the 5th Earl, while John de Willoughby was
great-grandson of the 5th Earl.

Given the common link between John de Willoughby and Ralph de Ferrers,
it is difficult to explain their intended tie to Sir James de Audley,
if in fact Sir James' grandmother, Iseult, was the daughter of Edmund
de Mortimer, lst Lord Mortimer, as alleged in print. Iseult as
Edmund's daughter would seemingly have no connection to William de
Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. However, checking the accounts of the
various families, a neat solution has appeared on the horizon. My
Mortimer family notes show that Edmund de Mortimer had an uncle, Hugh
de Mortimer (died 1273) of Chelmarsh, who married Agatha de Ferrers
(died 1306), daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. If
Iseult de Audley was the child of Hugh and Agatha, it would give her
grandson, Sir James de Audley, the needed links to both the Mortimer
and Ferrers families. Also, it would solve the obvious chronology
problem of Iseult being Edmund de Mortimer's daughter.

When anyone has a moment, I'd appreciate comments on this placement of
Iseult as a member of the Mortimer family. By placing Iseult as Hugh
de Mortimer's daughter, she becomes granddaughter rather than
great-granddaughter of the ever popular lady on the newsgroup, Gladys
Dhu. For convenience sake, I've posted below the lengthy list of
colonial immigrants who descend from Iseult, wife of Hugh de Audley.

In closing, I wish to express my thanks to Chris Phillips for his
continued efforts in helping to solve these difficult and longstanding
medieval problems. Friendship and collegiality are the two of the
keys to solving the many genealogical mysteries which have long eluded
us.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

E-mail:

- - - - - - - -

List of colonial imigrants who descend from Iseult de Mortimer, wife
of Hugh de Audley:

1. Robert Abell.

2. Dannett Abney.

3. William Asfordby.

4. Richard & William Bernard.

5. Essex Beville.

6. William Bladen.

7. George & Nehemiah Blakiston.

8. Joseph Bolles.

9. Elizabeth Bosvile.

10. George, Giles & Robert Brent.

11. Stephen Bull.

12. Charles Calvert.

13. Edward Carleton.

14. Grace Chetwode.

15. St. Leger Codd.

16. Francis Dade.

17. Humphrey Davie.

18. Frances, Jane & Katherine Deighton.

19. Edward Digges.

20. Thomas Dudley.

21. William Farrar.

22. John Fenwick.

23. Henry Fleete.

24. Edward Foliot.

25. Muriel Gurdon.

26. Elizabeth & John Harleston.

27. Jane Haviland.

28. Warham Horsmanden.

29. Anne Humphrey.

30. Edward, Edmund, Richard & Matthew Kempe.

31. Mary Launce.

32. Samuel Levis.

33.Thomas Ligon.

34. Nathaniel Littleton.

35. Thomas Lloyd.

36. Thomas Lunsford.

37. Agnes Mackworth.

38. Anne & Katherine Marbury.

39. Elizabeth Marshall.

40. Anne Mauleverer.

41. Joseph Need.

42. John Nelson.

43. Philip & Thomas Nelson.

44. John Oxenbridge.

45. Herbert Pelham.

46. Robert Peyton.

47. William Poole.

48. George Reade.

49. Henry & William Randolph.

50. William Rodney.

51. Katherine Saint Leger.

52. Richard Saltonstall.

53. Anthony Savage.

54. William Skepper.

55. Maria Johanna Somerset.

56. John Stockman.

57. John & Lawrence Washington.

58. Olive Welby.

59. John West.

60. Francis Willoughby.

61. Thomas Wingfield.

62. Mary Wolseley.

63. Hawte Wyatt.

64. Amy Wyllys.

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