Alice (Pembridge) Merbury (1372 - 1415)

Born 1372 in Pembridge, Herefordshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Alice was the daughter and heiress of Sir John Pembridge of Pembridge, Herefordshire by his wife Elizabeth. She married Edmund de la Bere before marrying Thomas Oldcastle of Eyton, Herefordshire in 1382. Alice and Thomas had one son and 3 daughters. She died c. April 1415.^[1][2]

In 1400, she was heir to her cousin John de Penbrugge, she "being the daughter of John, brother of Edward, father of John."^[3] She was 28 years old at the time, and called the widow of Thomas Oldcastle. Lands inherited from her cousin, and held by her husbands in her right, included the castle and manor of Boughrood and Trewern in Radnorshire, and the manor of Eyton by Leominster, as well as land in Burghill.^[4][1][2] These lands belonged to the Gamage family in the early 13th century and their descent can be used to trace this branch of the Pembridge family.

Name

Orthographic variations: Pembridge, Pembrigg, Pembrigge, Pembrugg, Pembruge, Pembrugge, Penbrugge, Penebrig, Penebrug, Pennebrugg, Penebrugge,

Birth

Born: About 1472 (aged 28 in 1400).^[3]

Marriages and Children

Married: 1st - Edmund De La Bere.

Married: 2nd - Thomas Oldcastle by the end of 1382.^[1] In 1382, they obtained a dispensation to marry as Edmund De La Bere was his cousin in the 4th degree.^[5] He was dead by 1400 when Alice was called his widow.^[3]

Married: 3rd - John Merbury of Lyonshall and Weobley, Herefshire. by 1400.^[2]

Children of Thomas Oldcastle and Alice Pembridge:

The will of Thomas Oldcastle names Richard, Wenllean, Isabel and Joan.^[6]

1. Richard Oldcastle, son and heir, mentioned in his father's will. He married Elizabeth (widow of Richard Ruyhale),^[1] b. c 1396. Richard died 26 January 1422.^[7]
2. Wenllean Oldcastle. Born about 1392 (age 30 in 1422).^[7] She married Sir Robert Whitney.^[8]
3. Isabel Oldcastle. Born about 1401 (aged 21 in 1422).^[7] She married Walter Hakluyt.
4. Joan Oldcastle.^[1] Not named in her brother's IPM in 1422.^[7]

Children of John Merbury and Alice Pembridge:

1. Elizabeth Merbury b. c 1412, d. b 1459

Death

Died: About April 1415.^[2]

Research Notes

• This profile previously followed Marlyn Lewis' "Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors and Cousins" database which followed Some Early English Pedigrees, by Vernon M. Norr.^[9][10] These sources make a mess of the Pembridge family by attaching Alice to distant cousins. Do not use these sources.

• Tracing the castle and manor of Boughrood and Trewern in Radnorshire, and the manor of Eyton by Leominster, as well as land in Burghill help prove this branch of the Pembridge family.

Alice inherited from her cousin John Pembridge the manors or land in Boghrad, Treweryn and Eton in 1385. The 1400 IPM of John's wife Elizabeth states that Alice's was the daughter of John, brother of Edward, father of John.

John son of Edward de Penebrugge to settle the manors of Bouthrede and Eaton [in Leominster] on himself, Elzabeth his wife and his heirs, retaining the manor of Burghill. Hereford. 28 EIII" (1354-5). The continuity of place and wife suggest this is the same John as above, so he is son of an Edward. Also, on Feb 1 1356: "Licence, for 100s. to be paid to the king by John son of Edward de Penebrugge, for him to enfeoff Robert Whiteney and Thomas de Hampton of the manors of Bouthrede and Eton, co. Hereford, held of the king in chief, and for them to grant the same to him and Elizabeth, his wife, and his heirs."

The IPM of Edward Penbrugge in 1349 shows him holding the manors of Eton in Leomynster and Boughred in Wales. Heir John age 21.

The IPM of John de Penebrug in 1331 shows him holding Borwehulle, Bouwered and Eton. Son Edward aged 26.

Records

• Feet of Fines CP 25/1/83/49, number 28.^[4]

County: Herefordshire. Place: Westminster. Date: One month from Easter, 8 Richard [II] [30 April 1385]. And afterwards one week from Holy Trinity in the same year [4 June 1385].

Parties: Richard Nasshe and Philip Holgot, querents, and Thomas Oldecastel and Alice, his wife, deforciants.

Property: The manor of Boghrade and Treweryn and 4 carucates of land, 48 acres of meadow, 14 acres of wood and 7 pounds, 6 shillings and 8 pence of rent in Eton', Boghrade and Borghhulle, which Elizabeth who was the wife of John Penbrugge, knight, holds for life. Action: Plea of covenant.

Agreement: Thomas and Alice have acknowledged the manor and tenements to be the right of Richard, and [have granted] for themselves and the heirs of Alice that they - which Elizabeth held for life of the inheritance of Alice in the aforesaid vills on the day the agreement was made, and which after her decease ought to revert to Thomas and Alice and the heirs of Alice - after the decease of Elizabeth shall remain to Richard and Philip and the heirs of [Richard], to hold of the chief lords for ever.

Warranty: Warranty. For this: Richard and Philip have given them 500 [marks] of silver.

• CFR: 8 Nov 1400, Westminster. Order to John Maunce, escheator in the county of Hereford and the adjacent march of Wales,—pursuant to an inquisition made by him showing that Elizabeth late the wife of John de Pennebrugge, 'chivaler,' on the day of her death held in joint feoffment with the said John, likewise deceased, sometime her husband, the castle and hamlet of Boghred and Eton with the members thereof, to wit Trewaryn, of the king in chief by service of 6d. of rent yearly, and a messuage, a carucate of land, 4 acres of meadow, 4 acres of wood and 36s. a year of rent in Bourghull of the king as of the honour of Brekenok, of the inheritance of Humphrey de Bohun late earl of Hereford, by service of a third part of a knight's fee, of the gift and feoffment of Robert Whyteney, clerk, and Thomas de Hampton to the said John and Elizabeth and the heirs of John and that Alice late the wife of Thomas Oldecastell, the daughter of John the brother of Edward the father of the said John de Pennebrugge, is his kinswoman and next heir, and of full age,—to take the fealty of the said Alice and cause her to have full seisin of the premises, as the king for one mark paid in the hanaper has respited her homage until Lammas next.^[11]

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} History of Parliament Online. Biography of Thomas Oldcastle Thomas (d.1398/9).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} History of Parliament Online. Bio. of John Merbury (d.1438).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Cal. of IPM, vol. 18. (1987): page 24.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Chris Philips' Medieval English Genealogy website: Feet of Fines Abstracts. CP 25/1/83/49, number 28. Image of original document at AALT.
5. ↑ Parry, Joseph Henry. The Register of John Gilbert, Bishop of Hereford, A.D. 1375-1389. (1913): pages 71-72.
6. ↑ Great Britain. Calendar of the Close Rolls, Henry IV, vol. 2. 1402-1405. (London, 1929): pages 303, 306.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Cal. of IPM. Vol. 21. (2002): https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951d02126178l?urlappend=%3Bseq=346 page 346]. IPM of Richard Oldecastell.
8. ↑ Joan and Wenllian (Wintelan, wife of Sir Robert Whitney) are two different women (#Oldcastle)
9. ↑ Marlyn Lewis. Alice Pembrugge, entry in "Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors and Cousins" database (accessed 15 October 2019). Source in error - do not use
10. ↑ Noor, Vernon. Some Early English Pedigrees. (Arlington VA, 1968): page 96. Source in error and poor quality - do not use
11. ↑ Cal. of the Fine Rolls, vol. 12. (1931): page 85-86.

Source list:

• Great Britain, J.L. Kirby ed. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 18, 1-6 Henry IV: 1399-1405. (London, 1987): page 24. IPM of Elizabeth Widow of John de Penbrugge, Knight. Available at Mapping the Medieval Countryside website.

• Great Britain, J.L. Kirby ed. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 21, 6-10 Henry V, 1418-1422. (London, 2002): page 346. IPM of Richard Oldecastell. HathiTrust link

• Great Britain, Claire Noble ed. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 25, 16-20 Henry VI, 1437-1442. (London, 2010): page 33-34. IPM of John Merbury, esquire. HathiTrust link

• Great Britain. Calendar of the Close Rolls, Henry IV, vol. 2. 1402-1405. (London, 1929): pages 303, 306.

• History of Parliament Online. Biography of OLDCASTLE, Thomas (d.1398/9), of Eyton, Herefs.

• History of Parliament Online. Biography of MERBURY, John (d.1438), of Lyonshall and Weobley, Herefs.

• Chris Philips' Medieval English Genealogy website: Feet of Fines Abstracts. CP 25/1/83/49, number 28. Image of original document at AALT.

• Marlyn Lewis. Alice Pembrugge, entry in "Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors and Cousins" database (accessed 15 October 2019). Source in error - do not use

• Noor, Vernon. Some Early English Pedigrees. (Arlington VA, 1968): page 96. Source in error and poor quality - do not use

See also:

• this Rootsweb post and this one on gen-medieval by Mathew (2006). The second, in response to a question about Juliana Pembrugge: