Agnes de Arches

Ben M. Angel notes: Agnes' last name was apparently "de Arches" and not the French-correct version of "d'Arches". Her father originated as "d'Arques" in Normandy, and somehow the name was officially Anglicized into the French-incorrect version "de Arches". From 'Houses of Benedictine nuns: Priory of Nunkeeling', A History of the County of York: Volume 3 (1974), pp. 119-122:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36229

15. THE PRIORY OF NUNKEELING

This nunnery was founded in 1152 by Agnes de Arches, also called Agnes de Catfoss, (fn. 1) in honour of St. Mary Magdalene (fn. 2) and St. Helen for the health of the soul of her husband, Herbert St. Quintin, and for the souls of Walter and Robert, her sons, and those of her parents and friends. (fn. 3)

Footnotes:

1 Dugdale, Mon. Angl. iv, 185. The chartulary of this house, Cott. MS. Otho C. viii, was practically destroyed by fire in 1731.

2 Baildon, Mon. Notes, i, 163, no. 3.

3 Dugdale, Mon. Angl. iv, 186.

Note: not to be confused with the prioress Agnes la Ruisse (1273-1300), who in 1299, over a century after Agnes de Arches' death (of which the exact date, or even a range, is undocumented, but can be speculated as such given a birth of 1095 and the unlikeliness of her living to become a centenarian), "covenanted to celebrate every year the obit of Master William de Haxby, canon of Beverley." There is nothing that says that this Agnes was ever a prioress (the earliest documented prioress was Avice, c.1250), though it would make perfect sense to speculate that she may have been buried at Nunkeeling. However, documentation on this is lacking.

Photo was taken by Paul Harrop:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Through_the_arched_window_Nu...

Through the arched window, St Mary Magdalene and St Helena Church, Nunkeeling in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Looking into the ruin of St Mary Magdalene and St Helena Church. The church was given to the Benedictine priory founded here in 1150. After the dissolution, it remained the parish church but fell into disrepair. In 1810 the present structure was rebuilt using material from the old church. In the 20th century the church became disused and in about 1940 the roof and end gables were removed. The parish council stepped in to prevent its demolition in 1985 and now maintains it.

From Jim Weber's research:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id...

ID: I05583

Name: Agnes de ARCHES , Lady Appleton [1] [2]

Sex: F

Birth: ABT 1095 in Appleton, North Riding Yorkshire, England

Note: Agnes, Lady of Appleton, founder of Nunkeeling Priory, daughter of Osbern d'Arches. [Burke's Peerage]

Father: Osbern de ARCHES , of Thorp Arches

b: ABT 1059 in Arques-la-Bataille, Seine-Inferieure, Normandy, France

Marriage 1 Herbert I de ST. QUINTIN , Sir

b: ABT 1044 in Skipsey, Yorkshire, England

Married: in 1st husband 2nd wife [2]

Marriage 2 Robert de FAUCOMBERGE , of Rise

b: ABT 1085 in Rise, Holderness, Yorkshire, England

Married: AFT 1098 in 2nd husband [3]

Children

1. Piers (Peter) de FAUCOMBERGE , of Rise

b: ABT 1120 in Rise, Holderness, Yorkshire, England

Marriage 3 William FOLIOT , of Catfoss, Sir

b: ABT 1085 in Catfoss, Holderness, Yorkshire, England

Married: BEF 1121 in 3rd husband 2nd wife [4]

Children

2. William FOLIOT , of Norton

b: BEF 1122 in Norton, Malton, Yorkshire, England

Sources:

1. Title: Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 106th Edition, Charles Mosley Editor-in-Chief, 1999

Page: 3083

2. Title: Newsgroup: soc.genealogy.medieval, at groups - google.com

Page: John Ravilious (Therav3), 1 Oct 2003

3. Title: Newsgroup: soc.genealogy.medieval, at groups - google.com

Page: John Ravilious (Therav3), 1 Oct 2003

Text: no date, 2nd husband

4. Title: Newsgroup: soc.genealogy.medieval, at groups - google.com

Page: John Ravilious, 13 Mar 2007

Text: no date, 3rd husband, 2nd wife

---------------------------------

From the GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives:

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2002-03/...

From: "Rosie Bevan" <rbevan@paradise.net.nz>

Subject: Re: Agnes de Arches

Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 14:27:13 +1300

References: <153.a3edadc.29be594d@aol.com>

Dear Joan

Agnes de Arches and Herbert de St Quintin had at least three children - Alice, Walter and Alan. Walter and Alan predeceased their mother as shown by a gift dated 1144-55 to the nuns at Nunkeeling, which establishment she founded, "pro salute anime domini mei Herberti de Sancto Quintino et pro animabus Walteri et Alani filiorum meorum." [Farrer. EYC v.3 p.53]. She does not appear to be mother of Richard de St Quintin, Herbert's son and heir.

Agnes is referred to Alice's mother in a gift made to Nunkeeling by the latter between 1164-1170. Alice married Robert son of Fulk the Steward and secondly Eustace de Merc. She appears to have at least four children by her first husband William, Walter, Henry, and Sybil.

By her second marriage to Robert de Fauconberg, she was mother of Piers/Peter, his son and heir; and by her marriage to William Foliot she was mother of William and Hugh Foliot. This is shown by the confirmation by William, archbishop of York, dated 1143-1154, of a gift made by her to Nunkeeling by "petitione Agnetis matris Petri de Falcamberga et filiorum suorum Willelmi et Hugonis Foliot" [Farrer.EYC v.3 p.54]