Who was available to help Anne create and manage Francis’ chantry?
The FitzHugh family
The family as it existed around the time of the Battle of Stoke is illustrated below.
The FitzHugh family
The family as it existed around the time of the Battle of Stoke is illustrated below.
The Fitzhughs were not able to help Anne because her father Henry and her brother Richard were dead and Richard’s son George was too young. All of Richard’s four younger brothers died without issue but would have needed to leave home to join other households or professions, for instance George became Dean of Lincoln. Three of Anne’s sisters had left home to marry and the fourth, Joane had become a nun.
The Lovel and Stapleton Families
Francis' sister Frideswide had married Sir Edward Norreys who fought against Francis at Stoke so no help could be expected from them. His other (possibly twin) sister, Joan had married Sir Brian Stapleton of Carlton, near Selby Yorks. thereby linking the Lovel and Stapleton families.
The Lovel and Stapleton Families
Francis' sister Frideswide had married Sir Edward Norreys who fought against Francis at Stoke so no help could be expected from them. His other (possibly twin) sister, Joan had married Sir Brian Stapleton of Carlton, near Selby Yorks. thereby linking the Lovel and Stapleton families.
Francis’ father John, died in 1465 and his sister Joan must have died before 13 January 1481 when her husband Sir Brian Stapleton married a second time. Sir Brian's father had died in 1467 and Joan's husband himself died in 1486 leaving his ten-year-old son as heir to the Stapleton estates at Carlton, near Selby. Thus the only family member available to help Anne found her chantry for Francis, was her brother-in-law, Thomas Stapleton, younger brother of Joan’s husband Brian.
Thomas was lord of the manor of Quarmby near Huddersfield and would have had some management and decision-making skills from interaction with his tenants so Anne would have had reason to have some confidence in him. Thomas may have acted as guardian to his nephew Brian after his brother died but had no family of his own until he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Neville of Liversedge, in 1494. They had two daughters Maude and Elizabeth, but no sons.
Thomas would have needed to organise the construction of chantry chapel in the parish church wherever Francis had died and he would also have needed to obtain some land in that parish to provide a reliable and enduring source of rental income with which to pay the priest to ensure that he would continue to pray for Francis’ soul for many years to come.
When anyone set aside the rent from a particular piece of land to be used to pay a chantry priest, that money was no longer available to be paid to their landlord and ultimately to the king so he had to obtain a certificate under the Statute of Mortmain to demonstrate that they were able to pay their landlord and ultimately the king, from other sources.
Thomas was lord of the manor of Quarmby near Huddersfield and would have had some management and decision-making skills from interaction with his tenants so Anne would have had reason to have some confidence in him. Thomas may have acted as guardian to his nephew Brian after his brother died but had no family of his own until he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Neville of Liversedge, in 1494. They had two daughters Maude and Elizabeth, but no sons.
Thomas would have needed to organise the construction of chantry chapel in the parish church wherever Francis had died and he would also have needed to obtain some land in that parish to provide a reliable and enduring source of rental income with which to pay the priest to ensure that he would continue to pray for Francis’ soul for many years to come.
When anyone set aside the rent from a particular piece of land to be used to pay a chantry priest, that money was no longer available to be paid to their landlord and ultimately to the king so he had to obtain a certificate under the Statute of Mortmain to demonstrate that they were able to pay their landlord and ultimately the king, from other sources.
Thomas Stapleton’s Will showed where his land was located
Thomas died in 1525 and made his will on 17 March that year. Having no sons, he appointed his wife Elizabeth as his executrix and instructed that his body is to be buried in the chapel of the Holy Trinity in the parish church of Saint Peter, Huddersfield.
Thomas died in 1525 and made his will on 17 March that year. Having no sons, he appointed his wife Elizabeth as his executrix and instructed that his body is to be buried in the chapel of the Holy Trinity in the parish church of Saint Peter, Huddersfield.
A few weeks earlier, Thomas had appointed a group of eight feoffees to hold some of his land in trust for him. They were headed by his wife’s nephew Sir Robert Neville who was by then the head of the Neville family and lived ten miles from Quarmby
A few weeks earlier, Thomas had appointed a group of eight feoffees to hold some of his land in trust for him. They were headed by his wife’s nephew Sir Robert Neville who was by then the head of the Neville family and lived ten miles from Quarmby
Thomas’ will identifies the location of the land with which his feoffees were entrusted as being ‘in Gedling, in the county of Nothyngham’ which is about seventy miles from Thomas’ home in Quarmby. The feoffees are instructed to hold the land ‘ to th[e] entente of my last will to be performed.’
"Also whereas I the said Thomas Stapilton, esquier, have made a feoffmente uppon trust unto Roberte Nevell, knyght; Thomas Grice, of Wakefeld, gentilman; Thomas Kaye, of Huddersfeld, merchaunte; Thomas Hanson, sone and heire late of John Hanson; William Brooke, of Bradley gate; Edwarde Cowper, Robert Hirst, of Banke house; and Ric. Hey, of Scamonden, and to their heires for ever of in and open all my maners, messes, landes and tenementes, meadowse, woddes and pastrs, rents, reversions
in Gedling, in the county of Nothyngham, to th[e] entente of my last will to be performed." [1]
Click HERE to find out why Thomas' land paid for a chantry priest.
Reference
1 Surtees Society, Testamenta Eboracensia, A Selection of Wills from the Registry at York, Vol. VI, (1902), pages 11-13
"Also whereas I the said Thomas Stapilton, esquier, have made a feoffmente uppon trust unto Roberte Nevell, knyght; Thomas Grice, of Wakefeld, gentilman; Thomas Kaye, of Huddersfeld, merchaunte; Thomas Hanson, sone and heire late of John Hanson; William Brooke, of Bradley gate; Edwarde Cowper, Robert Hirst, of Banke house; and Ric. Hey, of Scamonden, and to their heires for ever of in and open all my maners, messes, landes and tenementes, meadowse, woddes and pastrs, rents, reversions
in Gedling, in the county of Nothyngham, to th[e] entente of my last will to be performed." [1]
Click HERE to find out why Thomas' land paid for a chantry priest.
Reference
1 Surtees Society, Testamenta Eboracensia, A Selection of Wills from the Registry at York, Vol. VI, (1902), pages 11-13
