Richard Stapley - Sons

I added the Wiki and National Archive links to the profiles of Richard and Katherine

The National Archives site lists this information for Richard Stapley I:

"
Hickstead Place, situated in the east of the parish of Twineham, on the Pyecombe-Bolney road (A23), formed the nucleus of an estate which included properties in several parishes on the border of East and West Sussex. Since the early 16th century three families, the Stapleys, Woods and Davidsons, have been associated with the house, and these are represented in the archives listed in this volume.

THE EARLY HISTORY OF HICKSTEAD

The earliest documentary references to the name "Hickstead" are in the 13th century, when the variants "Hicstede" and "Heghestede" appear in the Assize Rolls and Subsidy Rolls. (See A. Mawer and F. M. Stenton, The Place Names of Sussex, Part II, p. 279, for the derivation of the name). A cartulary of lands belonging to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Cotton MS. Nero EVI, in the British Museum.) gives details of their property in the Hickstead area which formed part of the Manor of Saddlescombe. (For the descent of this manor see V.C.H. Sussex vii, pp. 207-8 and A. O. Jennings, "Saddlescombe Manor" in S.A.C. LXVI, pp. 181-207). The cartulary states that Matthew de la Cumbe, (Matthew de la Cumbe appears from the Lewes Cartulary to have been living in 1260 (S.R.S. XL, pp. 34, 61), living in the 13th century had given "all his land of Hecstede" to his brother Richard, who was in turn succeeded by his son Matthew. At this time it seems Hickstead had some sort of manorial status for the phrase "for suit at my court at Hegstede saving suit at the hundred of Saddlescombe", occurs. The cartulary also mentions Ralph de Hecsted, Hugh de Hicksted and William de Hickstead and the same family also appears in the Court Rolls of the Barony and Rape of Lewes in the 13th century (S.R.S., XLIV, pp. 38, 43, 48) and the Subsidy Roll of 1296. (S.R.S., X, p.47).

From architectural evidence it seems probable that Hickstead Place was built in the 15th century but owing to the absence of title deeds before 1665 and the use of "Hickstead" in documentary evidence to describe the settlement and not just the house, it is impossible to discover who built it and who were its first owners. Mark Antony Lower (S.A.C., XXIV, pp. 10 and 11) and Rev. Edward Turner (S.A.C., II, p. 102 and XXIII, p. 43) basing their arguments on the existence of several representations of the De La Warr badge in Hickstead Place and Twineham Church have suggested that the house was owned by Thomas, Lord De La Warr (1457-1525). However, no documentary evidence for this has been discovered. No Twineham property is mentioned in the grant of 1485, in which Henry VII rewarded Lord De La Warr with extensive lands in Sussex in return for support, (Letters Patent, 1 Henry VII, pt. IV) or in his will (P.C.C. 2 Porche) and inquisition post mortem. (S.R.S., XIV, p. 235). What does seem likely, however, is that by the early 16th century the house was in the ownership of the Heigh family. From deeds in the collection (Hickstead MSS 37, 38) we know that from 1471 William Heigh held certain copyhold property of the Manor of Saddlescombe, called the East and North Laines, close to Hickstead Place which itself is known from later evidence to have been a freehold of the same manor. This copyhold property descended to Richard Stapley through Eleanor his wife who was the daughter of William Heigh and in 1518 he tried to claim in the same right another Heigh property in Twineham, described as "a messuage and 92 acres of land". (See below, p. ix) This description tallies very closely with the earliest known description of Hickstead Place in 1608, as "a capital messuage and 93 acres" in Twineham. (Inquisition Post Mortem quoted in V.C.H. Sussex, VII, p. 190).

THE STAPLEY FAMILY

The origin of the Stapleys of Hickstead is unknown. M. A. Lower in his "Patrononymica Brittannica" assumes the Sussex Stapleys to be descended from the Cheshire Stapleys since they bore the same arms but Sir Harry Stapley thinks the reverse was possibly the case. (Stapley Papers (1905) p.1). Stapleys are to be found in parts of Sussex in the Middle Ages, (See Subsidy rolls for 1296, 1327 and 1332 in S.R.S., X) but they are especially prominent in Rotherfield from the late 15th century, (Dyke Hutton MSS. 362-397 in E.S.R.O) and near Battle where there is a hundred called Staple. However, it is probable that the Hickstead Stapleys came from Buxted: Richard Stapley I left considerable lands in that area and may have lived there. However, he is described in his will (P.C.C. 29 Holgrave) (1505) as of Twineham and he left his wife the livestock and corn on his lands there, which are unfortunately unspecified. He also left lands in Uckfield, Rotherfield, Maidstone and Ditchling, and a farm called Palmers which he was renting. The name of Richard's first wife is unknown but he married secondly Katherine, widow of William Heigh of Withyham. (See Hickstead MS. 38. Katherine is not named in Richard's will)."

Which states that the origins of this Stapley family are unknown and it begins the named family members with this Richard Stapley I and his 2nd wife Katherine (maiden name unknown) who was the widow of William Heigh.

His eldest son was named Richard II, not Richard William:

"It was Richard's elder son, Richard II who substantially built up the Twineham estates."

My ancestor William is named as his second son:

"Richard's second son, William,"

I see that here on Geni Richard I has two daughters named Alice connected. The article on the National Archives link doesn't mention a child any children named Alice. Nor is Emie mentioned.