NEW SUMMARY OF DEL SANDES/DE SABULONIBUS FAMILY OF SANDSFIELD
Introduction October 2023
In 1092, William Rufus, son of the Conqueror, annexed Cumbria, formerly part of the Scottish Kingdom of Strathclyde. He appointed Ranulf de Meschin as Lord of Carlisle and told him to move farm workers from other parts of England, with their wives and cattle, to till the land on the south side of the Solway Firth, the new border with Scotland.
Ranulf had married a widow Lucy, daughter and heiress of Thorold of Lincoln and it is assumed that it was tenant farmers from her lands in Lincolnshire at Bolingbroke and Spalding who were brought north and granted land at Burgh-by-Sands to implement William Rufus’ orders. Lincolnshire had been occupied by the Danes and DNA tests on descendants of the Sandes family have shown strong links with both Lincolnshire and Denmark.
There are no documents listing the families moved in this process and it is assumed that the Sandes family took their name from the nature of the land on which they settled. This was at the area still known as Sandsfield which is on the edge of the flood plain of the River Eden where it enters the Solway Firth. The birth dates of the next six generations are estimated from the small number of documents in which members of the family are named.
Simon de Sabluns (born c1135) and Simon de Sabluns (born c1160)
These are described as father and son when they are listed as witnesses in a document recording the transfer of land to the parish church at Burgh-by-Sands in 1186. Simon de Sabluns senior would have been the great-grandson of the first settler from Lincolnshire.
Simon de Sabulonibus (born c1210) and Walter de Sabluns (born c1215)
It is assumed that these two were brothers and that they were grandsons of Simon de Sabluns junior (born c1160). Simon de Sabulonibus is known through documents relating to transfers of land at Burgh-by-Sands in 1234, 1237, 1249 and 1262. Walter is known to have lived at Carlisle from documents describing events there in 1278 and 1292.
Henry de Sabluns (born c1237), with brothers Stephen and Thomas
Henry, presumed son of Simon, was accused of murder in 1272 but reprieved in 1278. His two brothers gave pledges on his behalf in a court case against Baron Thomas de Multon of Burgh-by-Sands over damage to the sea wall near the Sandes family property in 1292.
Richard del Sandes I (born c1264) with sons Richard II (born c1291) and Gilbert
Richard I, presumed son of Henry, is recorded as holding land at Burgh-by-Sands in 1305 and he served on an inquisition at Carlisle in 1317. Richard II and Gilbert, with a presumed cousin Michael, are included in a list of residents of Burgh-by-Sands liable to pay tax in the Lay Subsidy in 1332. Richard II served as a juror on inquisitions held at Carlisle in 1325 and 1333.
Richard del Sandes III (c1318-1382) and brother Michael
Richard III and Michael are presumed to be the sons of Richard del Sandes II. Richard III was acquitted of causing the death of others at trials in 1363 and 1366. These probably followed his resistance to the frequent incursions by Scottish raiders. In 1377, Richard III and another man served as Knights of the Shire for the County of Cumberland in the Parliament of that year. In 1382, Richard’s wife Margaret and his nephew Thomas, who was a lawyer, were involved in a dispute over the terms of Richard’s Will.
Richard III had three sons: Robert (born c1345) who moved to St Bees, John (born c1347) who went to fight in France in 1367, and William (born c1349) who became chaplain of the parish of Kirkbride (or Bridekirk) in 1393.
