Richard (Praers) de Praers

Born [date unknown] in Presles, Normandy, France [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 1119 in Cheshire, England

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Biography

Richard was an early 12th-century tenant of the Earl of Chester, known from English records. As explained by Keats-Rohan, the family was Norman, named after Presles, near Vire (modern postcode 14410).^[1] As explained by Loyd, Presles "occurs as 'Praelliae' in 1198 and as 'Praeriae' in 1269", and it was "an important possession of the earls of Chester" in France.^[2]

As will be explained, he might have already been in Domesday Book (1086) but this is uncertain.

Family

In a large charter confirming many earlier grants to Chester Abbey, confirmed by Richard, Earl of Chester, and supposedly made 1119, Richard and two sons, Adam and William, gave Noctorum, across the Mersey river from modern Liverpool. One version of that charter (copy "E") adds "and Lambert", but the wording does not explain what Lambert's connection is to the others. This same copy "E" also mentions "Ricardo de Praeres et Gutha" as witnesses to another grant which is not listed in other copies.^[3]

Ormerod assumed this Gutha, whose name he reinterpreted as Galtha, was Richard's wife, and the mother of Adam and William. See below.^[4]

Apparent and possible sons identified so far:

• Adam de Praers, son mentioned in 1119 confirmation.^[4] Appears alone as a witness in a Cheshire charter made in the 1120s.^[5] According to Baraclough, (p.53) he does not appear after about 1145.
• William de Praers, son mentioned in 1119 confirmation.^[4]
• (possible son) Henry, appears in the time of King Henry II, listed by Ormerod.^[4] This proposal does not match well with newer understandings of the chronology of these generations.
• (possible son) Lambert, mentioned in copy E of the 1119 charter with no description of his relationship. He appears as an illegitimate son in some internet genealogies, but that is apparently just a speculation.

Barraclough's edition also shows evidence of a Matheus Praers as a witness in later charters of the Earl, after Adam stops appearing, approximately in the time Henry II. Perhaps Matheus was the successor of one of Richard's sons, such as Adam.

Domesday

Tait, in his edition of the Noctorum charter, noted:^[6]

Noctorum in Wirral was granted by Richard de Praers, who may be identified probably with the Richard [with no surname] who held it and “Claitone" in Atiscros hundred under Wilham Malbank in 1086, an identification which seems to have escaped the genealogists. He is supposed to have been the ancestor through his son Adam, a witness to this grant, of the Praers of Barthomley and other Malbank manors in Nantwich hundred.

And Tait adds that in Domesday Book, Richard was possibly also a tenant of Hugh Fitz-Osbern at Edritone, also in the Cheshire hundred of Atiscros.^[7]

More recently however, in her series of works, Domesday People and Domesday Descendants, Keats-Rohan does not list him as someone appearing in Domesday Book. She lists the Domesday Richard of Barraclough's charter 8 as "Ricardus Pincerna" - equating him to the person found in Barraclough's charter 26.^[8] Philip Morgan of the Hull project also does not remark on any such Praers connection (nor any connection to Richard Pincerna).^[9] Tait remarks that Richard Pincerna was succeeded by a Robert.^[10]

Barthomley

The mesne manor and advowson came to be held under the barons of Wich Malbank by a Praers family. Ormerod is the main modern source still cited today for the idea that Richard's son Adam is the ancestor of a family who held Barthomley.^[11]

Research notes

Earlier relatives

In an early 12th century charter by Earl Richard of Chester and King Henry I, concerning grants which were apparently made before 1115, confirmation was made of grants to Troarn by Ranulf de Prateriis and his nepos (nephew or grandson) Alfred de Combray, who was apparently acting as an heir for the lands involved, which were in Normandy and England.^[12] As noted by Barraclough, the occasion of this grant involved a new priory dependent to Troarn, and:

The site of the new priory, at Mesnil-Bréhier in wild wooded country near Presles (dep. Calvados, canton Vassy), had been given towards the close of the eleventh century by Thurstan de Presles, or Praers (de Prateriis). a tenant of the honour of Chester, of whose family a branch settled at Barthomley (Cheshire), and was confirmed by his son Ranulf, with the assent of Ranulf’s own son Hasculf, at the beginning of the twelfth century^[13]

Apparently not noticed yet, the same group of people also appear in more French charters, and they appear to have also had a contemporary named Radulf.^[14]

Keats-Rohan (p.648) notes that Ranulf had a brother named Robert who died as a monk in Troarn in Normandy about 1120.

The chartulary or register of the abbey of St. Werburgh, Chester

"Ricardus de Praers dedit Cnoctirum. Teste Willelmo et Adam filiis suis".

Translation-Richard Praers gives Cnoctirum. Witnessed by William and Adam his children.^{[15] [16]}

"Noctorum in Wirral was granted by Richard de Praers, who may be identified probably with the Richard who held it and “ Claitone " in Atiscros hundred under Wilham Malbank in 1086, an identification which seems to have escaped the genealogists.® He is supposed to have been the ancestor through his son Adam, a witness to this grant, of the Praers of Barthomley and other Malbank manors in Nantwich hundred". ^[17]

366 . "Quitclaim by Robert le (rectius de) Praers of lordship and lodging-right in the land in Northgate Street which William, son and heir of Nicholas Franceys, gave to the monks (No. 363). c. 1250-1313". "Robertus le Preeres quietum clamauit dominium et hostillagium que habuit in tota medietate terre, que quondam diuisa fuit hereditarie inter Nicholaum Franceys et Thomam Heward per decessum Eue amite eorum, in Nortgatestrete, iacentem inter terram quam predictus N[icholaus] de domino Ada le Preeres patre suo tenuit et terram quam prefatus T[homas] Hereward de Willelmo filio Colberti aliquando tenuit, quam quidem medietatem terre Willelmus filius et heres predicti N (icholai) monachis dedit". "The grantor was probably Robert de Praers of Baddiley, son of the Adam mentioned in the note on No. 363, who died in 1312-13" ^[18]

Ormerod gives a quite different account to Wikitree

Sources

1. ↑ K S B Keats-Rohan, Domesday Descendants, p.650.
2. ↑ Lewis Christopher Loyd, The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families, p 83.
3. ↑ Tait ed. (1920) The chartulary or register of the abbey of St. Werburgh, Chester, p.40. This is charter 8 in Barraclough. Note the remarks of both scholars concerning the veracity and date of the charter.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Ormerod, Volume 3, page 301.
5. ↑ Tait, p.50
6. ↑ Tait, charter 5, p.44.
7. ↑ "Edritone", Cheshire, on the Open Domesday website: https://opendomesday.org/place/SJ3361/edritone/
8. ↑ Keats-Rohan, Domesday People, p.367.
9. ↑ Hull project notes for Cheshire: The University of Hull https://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:530
10. ↑ Tait, p.45, footnote 3.
11. ↑ Ormerod, Volume 3, page 299.
12. ↑ Barraclough, The Charters of the Anglo-Norman Earls of Chester, charter 9, p.16-.
13. ↑ Barraclough,p.18.
14. ↑ See for example:
    • « Acte 6588 », dans SCRIPTA. Base des actes normands médiévaux, dir. Pierre Bauduin, Caen, CRAHAM-MRSH, 2010-2019. [En ligne] https://www.unicaen.fr/scripta/acte/6588
    • « Acte 2325 », dans SCRIPTA. Base des actes normands médiévaux, dir. Pierre Bauduin, Caen, CRAHAM-MRSH, 2010-2019. [En ligne] https://www.unicaen.fr/scripta/acte/2325
15. ↑ https://archive.org/details/chartularyorregi791manc/page/40/mode/2up?q=Praers
16. ↑ https://archive.org/details/chartularyorregi791manc/page/68/mode/2up?q=+Praers
17. ↑ https://archive.org/details/chartularyorregi791manc/page/44/mode/2up?q=Praers
18. ↑ https://archive.org/details/chartularyorregi791manc/page/240/mode/2up?q=Robertus+le+Preeress

• George Ormerod, rev. by Thomas Helsby (1882) The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester Volume III.
• Prater/Prather Genealogy by Gary Benton Prather]. See http://prathergenealogy.com/TNG/getperson.php?personID=I75492&tree=120k which cites the unreliable Battle Abbey Roll.
• George Ormerod, The history of the county palatine and city of Chester: Leycester's Cheshire antiquities. pp.299ff. Also see 359.