Sir Lawrence Fitz Richard Knight

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information: From GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives. From: mjcar@btinternet.com
Subject: Lawrence de Cornwall of Ulverston, Cumbria: a Plantagenet ancestry?
Date: 13 Feb 2006 13:42:46 -0800

I am deeply indebted to Annette Hudleston Harwood for sharing her collection of primary to Lawrence de Cornwall, ancestral to the Hudleston family of Millom, Cumberland.

Annette has confirmed that the late C. Roy Hudleston has posited that Lawrence was an illegitimate son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans (1209-1272).

The evidence she has collected includes:

- Lawrence, son of Richard of Cornwall, knight, confirmed grant to St. Agatha's Abbey (Easby) of land in Barton, 1271 (VCH Yorks, N Riding, Vol 1, p 150 sub Barton). Richard, Earl of Cornwall had previously been granted land including Barton by Henry III; Lawrence FitzRichard's lands at Barton subsequently passed to the Hudlestons.

- The Records of Kendal, Vols 1 and 2 show that Sir Lawrence FitzRichard was a knight of William de Lancaster (died 1246), being present at the latter's death-bed according to his IPM. He appears as a witness to Lancaster charters by 1246. Interestingly, one document refers to him thus:

"William de Arundel (sic) gave to Laurence son of Richard, his kinsman (cognatus )... the service of Ingram de Santon... to hold by doing the 20th part of a knight's fee to the grantor or his heirs" [Vol 2, p 419]

[NB This is the quote Annette gave me; it is unclear whether William de Lancaster is intended - MAR]

Lawrence was granted lands at Ulverston by William de Lancaster, in which he was succeeded by his son, Robert (both Lawrence and Robert were also referred to as de Kirkby, as they held lands at Kirkby Ireleth, Lancs).

His connection with William de Lancaster is underlined by his apparent assumption of arms. Whereas de Lancaster bore: argent, two bars gules and on a canton gules a leopard or.

According to Hudleston & Boumphrey, Lawrence bore: argent, two bars gules and on a canton gules a cross moline or [Cumberland Families & Heraldry, p 192 sub Kirkby].

Chronologically, it seems possible that Richard of Cornwall, born January 1209, could have fathered an illegitimate son old enough to have served in a noble household by 1246, by which time he could have been approaching 20 years of age.

Lawrence was living in 1274 but dead by 1285.

Lawrence's maternity is unknown, although a clue may be offered in a contemporary document in which he is called "kinsman" by 'William de Arundel'; Annette Hudleston Harwood, who provided this reference (as well as much of the material on which my posted pedigree is based), cites it as "Records of Kendal, Vol II, p 419", and "Chart[ulary] of Cockersand (Chetham Soc 973)" [sic].