Gilbert de Venables 1st Baron of Kinderton

  General Notes:

~George Ormerod's The History of County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol III, pg. 198, Gilbert Venables, alias Venator, supposed to be of Venables in Nomandy and younger brother of Stephen, earl of Blois, and son of Eudo, earl of Blois according to a pedigree roll of Legh of Addlington, and living in 1086. ⁷²¹

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information: ⁶⁸⁶
Kinderton was the ancient seat and name of the barony which was given by Hugh Lupus to his kinsman, Gilbert de Venables. This barony is stated to have included upwards of seven and thirty townships, which are enumerated in the Harl. MSS. No. 1967, fol. 104.- The celebrated family of Venables produced a race of warriors: Sir Roger Venables fought on the side of Henry III during the barons' war; his son, Sir William, distinguished himself in the war of Edward I; Sir Hugh, grandson of Sir William, was a commander under the Black Prince; Sir Hugh's grandson and name-sake was constable of Cheshire, and acquired great renown in the wars against the Scots; his son, Sir Richard, was slain at the battle of Shrewbury, on the side of Mortimer; Sir Hugh Venables, great grandson of Sir Richard, was slain at Blore-heath in 1459; dying without male issue, the manor and barony of Kinderton passed to his aunts and co-heiresses, who married into the families of Bostock and Cotton. Sir Thomas Venables, the heir male of this ancient family, became repossessed of the barony, partly by marriage of his father with a co-heiress of the Cottons, and party by agreement, after long litigation, with the Bostocks. The manor and barony continued with his descendants, who were called barons of Kinderton, until the death of Peter Venables, the last baron of Kinderton, in 1679.

~History of the City of Chester, from Its Foundation to the Present Time, pg. 119

• Domesday Book: ²¹⁴
Gilbert de Venables (Venator, Veneur, Hunter,) was from Venables, Evreux in Normandy in the barony of Le Veneurs, so named because they were hereditary huntsmen to the Dukes of Normandy. Gilbert was a palatine Baron to Hugh Lupus, and held the barony of Kinderton in Cheshire. Many lines and surnames were descended, including the Butlers of Chester. Richard was also palatine Baron of Hugh Lupus, and became Barons of Warrington. Another brother, Raoul, was baron of Chester, held in capite, and ancestor of the Grosvenors, Dukes of Westminster, Earls of Wilton and Lords of Elbury. The Hunter family moved north into Scotland where William Venator witnessed a charter by Earl David, later King David in 1124 and this family generally assumed the surname of Hunter. Venables became a prominent Cheshire and Lancashire surname, but Hunter had already achieved a large foothold in Cheshire before the move north with the Domesday Book showing Gilbert Hunter holding Brereton, Davenport, Kinderton and Witton (Northwich suburb) and Ralph Hunter holding Stapleford in Cheshire and Soughton in Wales.

• Background Information: ⁶⁸⁵
The Venables derive their descent from Eudo, or Eules, the second of that name, earl of Blois, Byre and Charttes, who was slain in 1037 by Gozeled, Duke of Lorraine, whose territory he had invaded. He left issue Theobald, eldest son, Gilbert of le Galliard, the younger son, and Alexia, a daughter.

Theobald succeeded to the honours and possessions of his father, but, losing Tours to Geoffrey Martell, he died of grief in 1047. His son, Stephen, subsequently recovered Tours; and his grandson, Stephen was king of England.

Gilbert, the younger son, assumed the name Venables, (venator abilis), and was the common ancestor of the Venables & Leghs of Cheshire. He engaged with William duke of Normandy in his expedition against England, and was knighted by the Conqueror on the battlefield of Hastings. For his serviced there, and for many others afterwards against the forces of Edgar Atheling, and against the Welsh, he had large possessions bestowed on him in Cheshire and elsewhere. In 20 William I, he appears to have been one of the eight barons of Chester, under Hugh Lupus, the earl.

Gilbert was married before coming to England and had a son who succeed to his lands in Tourrainse; but his first wife dying, he married again after coming into England, Margery, daughter of Waltheof, son of Wolfric, lord of Hatton, by whome he had issue William de Venables, who succeeded to the barony of Kinderton, and Amabilla, who married Richard de Davenport.

~Remains, Historical and Literary, Connect with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester, Vol. XCVII, Adlington, and Legh of Adlington, pgs. 83

• Web Reference: Gilbert Veneables.