William Stafford

  Information about this person:

• From Gen-Medieval Archives: Stafford of Grafton Problems . ²²⁷
From: "Peter Sutton" <petersutton@ntlworld.com>
Subject: RE: Stafford of Grafton problems: The Margaret-Ralph relationship
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 18:47:41 -0000

I have set out below some notes on Sir William de Stafford of Sandon and Bramshall and of Amblecot (c. 1255-1339) which I have extracted from Historical Collection for Staffordshire Volume: 1917 - Staffordshire Parliamentary History Vol: 1, 1213-1603 (Wedgewood)

This source shows his parents as being Sir William de Stafford (c. 1225-58) by his second wife Auda (d. 1276/9) widow of Hugh Beauchamp of Bedford and eldest sister and coheiress of Warin de Vernon of Sandon (c.1220-51).

Volume 1933 of the Historical Collection for Staffordshire - "The Mainwarings of Whitmore & Biddulph in the County of Stafford" compiled by J. G. Cavanagh-Mainwaring shows that William de Stafford (1225-1258) had Gundreda by his first wife Ermentrude dau. and coheir of Robert FitzWalkelin and calls her dau. and heir although she could not have been her father's heir, because there was male issue, but she could have been her mothers heir.

Cavanagh-Mainwaring shows that Sir William the elder married secondly Alda, shows issue but does not say what it is. I therefore presume that Sir William de Stafford the elder's children were, in order of birth:

1. Gundreda (Ermentrude Mother)
2. Sir William de Stafford (Alda or Auda Mother)
3. Sir Robert de Stafford (Alda or Auda Mother)

The entry in Staffordshire Parliamentary History reads:

"Sir William de Stafford of Sandon and Bramshall and of Amblecot (jure uxoris) MP Staffs: 1290, 1298, 1306, 1307-8, 1311-12, 1313 (3), 1318 (and possibly 1294, 1296, 1297, 1314 (1), 1314 (2)).
Born c. 1255 Son and heir of Sir William de Stafford of Bramshall (d. 1252/8)

[The father Sir William de Stafford (c. 1225-58) had married first Ermentrude, daughter & coheiress of William FitzWalkelyn before 1252: and was the son and heir of Sir William de Stafford (c. 1195-1245) who was himself the second son of the whole blood of Hervey Bagot of Bramshall and Melicent de Stafford the heiress of the Stafford Barony. So that our Sir William the first MP for Staffordshire was second cousin to the contemporary Lord of Stafford, and his grandsons Sir James and Sir John were fourth cousins of the great Earl of Stafford whose sister and daughter they respectively married] by his second wife, Auda (d. 1276/9) widow of Hugh Beauchamp of Bedford eldest sister and coheiress of Warin de Vernon of Sandon (c. 1220-51)

[Warin de Vernon, through whom Sandon came to this Stafford family, had three sisters and coheiresses Auda or Ada, who married 1st Hugh Beauchamp, 2nd William de Stafford, 3rd William Trumwyn. Margaret married to Sir Richard Wilbraham, whose representative in 1273 and 1296 was Richard le Botiler. And Rose who married before 1269, John son of John de Littlebury, who was dead and succeeded by his son William in 1273. The Littlebury interest in Sandon had vanished by 1284 but the Botiler interest in Sandon continued for some time. The above Warin de Vernon was son of another Warin de Vernon (c. 1195-1240) by Margaret daughter and coheiress of Ralph d'Audeville and grandson and heir of that Warin de Vernon (c. 1170-1249) who married Auda a Coheiress of the Wich Malbanc Barony in 1190. The Wich Malbanc Barony included both Sandon and Alstonfield and William de Malbanc, the last Baron (d. 1190) got Sandon. I believe in marriage with Auda Beauchamp; for Eyton has observed that Stephen de Beauchamp, probably the Sheriff in 1166-7 held Sandon. The Erdeswicks, as heirs of the Staffords held Sandon till the reign of Charles I] which Auda remarried 1259 as her third husband, Sir William Trumwyn of Cannock who died in 1296.

Sir William de Stafford married, before 1272 Cecily daughter and heiress of Robert de Wauve of Amblecot. He was presented, wrongly, as of age and not yet a knight in 1272. Knighted 1275/80; one of the executors of Nicholas, Lord Audley 1299, Chief Commissioner of Array for Staffordshire in 1299 and 1308. With Robert de Pype and William Wrottesley he was made a justice in 1300 to secure the observance of the Great Charter in Staffordshire. Indeed he was a Commissioner of Oyer and of Gaol Delivery and Collector of Subsidy in almost every year from 1300 to 1319. He is the first of the first three men to be made "Custodes Pacis", JP's in 1307, and reappears on the Commission down to the year 1320. His close association with the Stafford Earls is witnessed by his testimony that he lifted the future Earl Ralph from "the sacred font" at his christening in 1301.

In the troubles of the next reign he followed Lancaster, was taken prisoner at Boroughbridge, 1322 and imprisoned in Alton Castle, whence his grandsons, James and John tried to release him "vi et armis".

He was pardoned 19 March 1323. The Stafford-Swynnerton and Stafford-Ipstones feuds 1320-6 were principally carried on by his grandsons under his directions and he was only not thrown into the Marshalsea in 1328 because the Sheriff reported that he was "so old and infirm that he could not produce him". His son William de Stafford junior had married Isabel, daughter and coheiress of Sir Robert de Stafford by Gundred the heiress of Anslow, and had died leaving five sons: James (MP for Staffordshire 1328), John (MP for Stafforshire 1339 & 1340), Edmund, William and Walter.

Sir William the father was still alive in 1337 when he enfeoffed John de Stafford the second brother in Bramshall and even in 1339 when as William de Stafford "the Elder" he was sued.

He is a suitable MP to begin the list for his Stafford descendants of Sandon; of Seile, Derbyshire; of Grafton Worc.; of Southwick, Northants; of Hook, Dorset; of Huncote; of Frome Somerset etc. supplied more MPs to Westminster than any other family name whatever yet for 250 years they have been utterly extinct.

He bore arms: Silver, a Chevron gules charged with five besants, or"

William married Cecily de Waure, daughter of Robert de Waure and Unknown. ¹⁹³(Cecily de Waure was born in Amblecote, Stourbridge, Staffordshire, England.)