Alice Beauchamp

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Besides the identification of Alice le Boteler's parentage, we are

given two additional children of this couple, namely Margaret and

Eleanor, both of whom were ignored by Complete Peerage.

Curiously, Complete Peerage reveals in a footnote that "it has been

stated that she [Alice] was da. of Sir John Beauchamp of

Powick." [Reference: C.P. 12 (1) (1953): 418, footnote k]. However,

no sources whatsoever are given for this statement. So one is left to

wonder who and whenever it was stated that Alice, wife of Thomas le

Boteler, was a Beauchamp. The author then proceeds to discredit the

Beauchamp connection by referring to a mangled record in the Patent

Rolls in which Sir Ralph Boteler, son of Thomas and Alice le Boteler,

is called "uncle" of Elizabeth Beauchamp, daughter of Sir William

Beauchamp, of Powick. Complete Peerage states: "These facts cannot be

made to tally with the account of Beauchamp of Powick given by

Dugdale, Baronage, vol. i, p. 249."

That the published Patent Rolls item cited by Complete Peerage

contains a manifest error was caught in recent time by Chris Phillips,

of England, who took it upon his himself to examine the original

record. His review of the original shows that Sir Ralph Boteler [son

of Thomas and Alice] was actually called "kinsman" [consanguinei] to

Elizabeth Beauchamp of Powick in the original record, and that it was

Walter Beauchamp who was called her "uncle" [Auunculi]. Walter

Beauchamp was in fact Elizabeth Beauchamp's uncle and Ralph Boteler

was in fact her near kinsman.

As for evidence that Alice, wife of Thomas le Boteler, was a Beauchamp

of Powick, her identity and parentage are indicated by no less than

three published visitation records:

1. Hawley et al., Vis. of Essex 1552, 1558, 1570, 1612 & 1634 2

(H.S.P. 14) (1879): 563-565 (Misc. Peds.) (Cooke pedigree: "Sr Thomas

Butler. = Alice d. of John Beauchamp of Powick.").

2. Harvey et al., Vis. of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, 1634 & 1669

(H.S.P. 19) (1884): 162-163 (Bray pedigree: "Thomas Butler Baron of

Sudley = Allice d. and heire of John Beauchampe of Powick.").

3. Benolte et al., Vis. of Surrey 1530, 1572 & 1613 (H.S.P. 43)

(1899): 219-221 (Vincent pedigree: "Sir Thom. Botteler Knt. =3D Allice

d. of Sir John Beauchamp of Powick Knt.").

Amazingly, all of these records were in print at the time Complete

Peerage published its account of the Boteler family, and all were

simply ignored or suppressed.

As for direct evidence of Alice's maiden name, I've elsewhere learned

that a contemporary seal of Alice le Boteler, Lady Sudeley, has

survived, which seal displays the arms of Boteler of Sudeley impaling

Alice's own arms, Beauchamp of Powyk. The seal is described below:

Reference: Source: Report on the MSS of Lord de L'isle & Dudley 1

(Hist. MSS

Comm. 77) (1925): 149:

"1410, February 5. - Indenture whereby John Lonseforde, abbot of

Robertsbridge, demises at farm to Alice, widow of Sir John

Dalyngregge, part of a meadow called Frerenmede in Iwehurst. Seal:

round, 1 1/4 inch, impaling, Boteler of Sudley, quarterly two bendlets

and a fess chequy between six crosses patee fitchee, and Beauchamp of

Powyk, a fess between six martlets. Between the shield and border

three lizards or crocodiles. SIGILLVM DNE. ALICIE DE BOTELER DNE. DE

SUYDLE. (See Archaeologia lxv. Plate xxxiii., 10)." END OF QUOTE.

It is regretable indeed that Complete Peerage gave the account of the

Boteler family in Coll. Top. et Gen. such short shift. Had more

attention been paid to its statements, the author of Complete Peerage

would surely have found that its identification of the various Boteler

wives was in fact correct.