Charles Graves

I am descended from John Blount who lived in Deddington in the 15th century (he was 2nd husband of Alice de la Bere) and at one time a stained glass window in Deddington Church featured Alice and her two husbands, "these three knelying in armour in glas with cotes of arms") (record of the Herald's Visitation of 1574 - see H.M. Colvin, A History of Deddington, 1963, pp. 53, 108.). [Ed's note: see Charles letter introducing himself]

Other information I have about John Blount (d. 1443) is that he was a younger son of Sir John Blount of Sodington Hall (near Mamble, Worc.) and Isabel, daughter of Bryan de Corwall (d. 1397) and Maud L'Estrange (of Blackmere, Salop). John Blount married (by 1430/1) Alice, daughter of Kynard De la Bere of Kinnersley, Herefordshire, and widow of Sir John Beauchamp (d. 1422) of Holt.

The property of John Blount in Deddington (following Colvin, p. 108) consisted of 5 messuages, 300 acres of arable, 16 acres of meadow, 50 acres of pasture and 2 acres of wood in Deddington, Clifton and Hempton. Other sources say that in 1430/1 a John Gilbert gave to John Blount and his wife Alice a tenement called Tankervilles and various lands in Deddington, all bought of Roger Draper's son John. In 1432/3 John Blount owned 12 cows in Deddington (VCH, Oxon).

In a Windsor rental of 1447, John Blount (d. 1447 - was this John Blount's son John II whom we know also lived in Deddington, or a misprint?) held half a hide which Lucy "de Cannes" gave to Juliana de Tankerville by charter (W.M. XV 53, 37 - I do not know this source-see Colvin): Colvin believes this Lucy is Lucy de Chesney, daughter of Ralph de Chesney, she who brought Deddington to her husband Guy de Dive (Colvin, op.cit.).

Colvin believes that John Blount's property in Deddington may have gone to his wife in dower after his death, and that "the Deddington property was certainly held in dower by a later lady of the family" (Colvin, op. cit., p. 108 note).

From another source (VCH Oxon.?) after the death of John Blount (1443) "Blount's manor" went to younger son John (II) and in 1489 the estate was sold by a Charles Blount to John Bustard and John Billing.

John Blount I was also in possession of Balterley, Staffs. at this time.

The eldest son of John Blount was Sir Humphrey Blount, who succeeded to Kinlet (Salop) circa. 1446. He was Escheator of Staffs. 1445-6; sheriff Staffs. 1446-7; sheriff Salop 1460-1, 1466-7, 1474-5. In Kinlet church is an alabaster tomb to Sir Henry. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Robert Winnington.

Sir Humphrey's eldest son at Kinlet was Sir Thomas Blount, who married Anne Croft, and their 4th son, Robert Blount of Eckington, Derbys. is my ancestor.

Regarding the de Chesneys of Deddington, I have some preliminary information on them:

Ralph de Chesney (from le Quesnay in Seine-Inférieure, arrond. Neufchâtel, canton and commune Saint-Saens - Christopher Loyd, The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families, 1951) was under-tenant of William I de Warenne in Sussex and Norfolk Domesday time (c. 1086). His son was William de Chesney in Norfolk 1148. He was knight of Bury St. Edmund temps. Henry I. He also held lands in Oxon. at King's Sutton temps. betw. Henry I-Henry II . William was listed in a document (1148) of the bishop of Norwich related to the canons of Rudham, in which it is said that he is a son of Ralph de Chesney, and that his daughter Margaret married Hugh de Cressy. His nephew, John de Chesney, was married to a Sybil. Other witnesses included a Peter de Chesney and Matthew de Chesney.

In a return of William (I) de Ferrers (de Ferrières) (d. 1190), William of Le Quesnay is listed as holding a Ferrers fief originally held by Walter le Bec (was this King's Sutton?).

Colvin provides further information (p.21):

The heirs of William de Chesney and the descent of 3 manors in Deddington included a Beatrice de Chesney

Beatrice de Chesney =Ralph de Murdac II

Ralph de Murdac III (d. circa 1198) =Eva de Grey

Beatrice de Murdac =Robert Mauduit

then the manors were held by de Dive(s) family (cf. above "Guy de Dive").

The "eldest line" of the de Quesnay/de Chesney family (acc. to Christopher Loyd) ended with Alice de Chesney (d. before 1199) who married Geoffrey de Say (d. 1214). But this contradicts Burke's Peerage (under Baron Saye and Seele) which claims that Geoffrey I de Say (b. circa 1135) married (1) Alice dau. of Hugh Maminot and (2) Alice, dau. of Aubrey de Vere (1st Earl of Oxford), and that Geoffrey I died 1214 leaving a son Geoffrey II de Say.

This "eldest line" perhaps descended from an older brother of William de Chesney.

Given the timing, it appears as if Beatrice was the daughter of William de Chesney, and sister of the Margaret who married Hugh de Cressy.

Perhaps Margaret inherited the estates at King's Sutton (my conjecture).

Robert Mauduit may be the member of the Mauduit family of Eston Mauduit (Northants.) who died 1222 and was called "the Wolf". His sister Isabel Mauduit married William de Beauchamp of Elmley (Worc.), and their child Isabel de Beauchamp married William le Blount (ancestor of John Blount of Deddington and the Kinlet Blounts).

There is certainly a relation between this de Beauchamp of Worcester (the Earls of Warwick) and the John Beauchamp of Holt who was the first husband of Alice de la Bere, and who was represented in the stained glass of Deddington Church.

The Beauchamps were at Elmley and nearby Holt in Worcestershire since Domesday Book time (1086). Holt is abot 30 miles from Kinnersley, Herefordshire, the home of Alice de la Bere.

The de la Bere were associated with the Plugenet (Plokenet / Plukent / Plunkett) family (probably they were the same family with different names). The Plugenet had an origin in Bretagne – they came to England with the Duke of Bretagne and Richmond at the time of the conquest and held  Chipping Lambourne in Berkshire)
 
The Plugenets held Piddington in Oxfordshire from 1299 onwards. Piddington was about 15 miles from Deddington. Thus Alice de la Bere, who was associated with the Plugenet family, could have visited her relations near to Deddington in Oxfordshire.
 
Also, the de la Bere family held Charlton on Otmoor, Oxfordshire (about 12miles south of Deddington). Charlton had been granted to Sir Richard Bere, sheriff of Oxon. in 1318. Later in 1455 it was held by Ralf de la Bere. This was the same era that Alice was married John Blount of Deddington).
 
Thus de la Bere – Plugenet family was not only in Herefordshire (adjacent to Worcestershire – which explains Alice’s marriage to John Beauchamp of Holt) but it was also represented  in Oxfordshire at the time of John Blount’s marriage to Alice.
 
An interesting sideline to this was that John Blount’s mother - Isabel Cornwall - also had a descent from the Bretagne dukes.