Ralph [I] de Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire

  Events

• Manorial Estate, Abt 1247-1249, Hanwell Manor, Hanwell, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17, GB. ¹ Both before the Conquest and in 1086 HANWELL manor was held by the Saxon Lewin or Leofwine, (fn. 56) who also held lands in Cowley and Chinnor. (fn. 57) In the 12th century Hanwell, like Chinnor, was probably in the possession of the Vernons. (fn. 58) Hanwell was certainly held in 1218 by Warin, son of Richard de Vernon. (fn. 59) The manor was described in 1235\endash 6 as 1 knight's fee and in 1242\endash 3 as ½ fee held of Roger, Earl of Winchester. (fn. 60) Since this Winchester overlordship is not mentioned again it may well be an error arising from an association of Hanwell with Chinnor, which had been forfeited by Warin's kinsman Walter de Vernon and subsequently granted to Saer de Quincy, Earl of Winchester. (fn. 61) Warin survived his eldest son Warin (fl. 1234), (fn. 62) and died between 1247 (fn. 63) and 1249 when his lands were divided between his widow Alda, his son Ralph, (fn. 64) and his grandson Warin son of Warin. (fn. 65) Hanwell fell to the share of Ralph, (fn. 66) who died in 1251. (fn. 67) The custody of his heir, a minor, was granted to Guy de Lusignan, (fn. 68) but Hanwell was entrusted to a Richard de Vernon who claimed rights as overlord. (fn. 69) Ralph's heir was his daughter Eustacia, but Hanwell later passed to his illegitimate son Sir Ralph, to whom Eustacia formally released her right c. 1311. (fn. 70) The Ralph de Vernon who was lord of Hanwell in 1316 (fn. 71) was probably the son of Sir Ralph (fn. 72) and evidently held the manor in his father's lifetime. (fn. 73) The younger Ralph was dead by 1319 when his father granted Hanwell to his daughter-in-law Margaret for her life. (fn. 74) 'Old Sir Ralph' was still alive in 1329 (fn. 75) but was probably dead by 1334 when his younger son Richard, Rector of Stockport (Ches.) and ultimate remainder man of his father's lands under a settlement of 1325, (fn. 76) granted the reversion of Hanwell after Margaret's death to his kinsman John de Vernon. (fn. 77) Margaret seems to have been dead by 1340 when Sir Ralph de Vernon, who was probably son of another Richard, illegitimate son of 'old Sir Ralph', and who succeeded to the barony of Shipbrook about this time, (fn. 78) granted Hanwell to John de Vernon. (fn. 79) John, who was perhaps a younger son of Ralph and Margaret de Vernon, (fn. 80) was lord of Hanwell in 1346 (fn. 81) and was succeeded there by his son Edmund (fn. 82) by 1379. (fn. 83) Edmund died in 1380 (fn. 84) and in the following year a group of feoffees, probably his executors, conveyed Hanwell to Sir Richard Abberbury. (fn. 85)

Footnotes:

58. Ibid. viii. 57\endash 8. For the difficult pedigree of the Vernons see particularly Ormerod, Ches. iii. 252; cf. Ches. Visit. 1580 (Harl. Soc. xviii), 230\endash 5.
59. Fines Oxon. 56; cf. Cur. Reg. R. vi. 286.
60. Bk. of Fees, 448, 823.
61. V.C.H. Oxon. viii. 58; Bk. of Fees, 252, 613, where he is called William.
62. Ex. e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i. 255.
63. Fines Oxon. 147.
64. His eldest legitimate son: Cal. Pat. 1381\endash 5, 434.
65. Ex. e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), ii. 49; cf. Farrer, Honors and Knights' Fees, ii. 88.
66. Cat. Anct. D. iii. B 4087.
67. Ex. e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), ii. 117.
68. Cal. Pat. 1247\endash 58, 121.
69. Close R. 1247\endash 51, 519. Richard's relationship to Ralph is uncertain.
70. Ormerod, Ches. iii. 252; Genealogist, n.s. xii. 111.
71. Feud. Aids, iv. 166.
72. Constable of Beeston Castle in 1312: Cal. Pat. 1307\endash 1313, 482.
73. Cat. Anct. D. iii. B 4185.
74. E 210/6450.
75. Cal. Pat. 1327\endash 30, 392. He is alleged to have lived to the age of 150 and may well have reached the age of 90: Ches. Visit. 1580 (Harl. Soc. xviii), 230\endash 3; cf. Ormerod, Ches. iii. 248 n. 6.
76. Ormerod, Ches. iii. 247\endash 8.
77. E 212/56.
78. Ormerod, Ches. iii. 248.
79. E 212/67.
80. Ormerod, Ches. iii. 246: i.e. brother of Rawlin, son of Ralph, son of 'old Sir Ralph'; a son of Margaret is a more likely successor than another John (of Lostock), for whom see Ches. Visit. 1580 (Harl. Soc. xviii), 235.
81. Feud. Aids, iv. 179; cf. Cal. Fine R. 1347\endash 56, 37.
82. Cal. Inq. p.m. x, p. 221.
83. E 210/2377.
84. Cal. Close, 1377\endash 81, 288; Cal. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Com.), iii, p. 23.
85. C.P. 25(1)/191/23/21.

Ralph married Cecilia Crew.