From https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/soc.genealogy.medieval/_U...

"He [Sir Robert de Grey] married Joan, daughter of Thomas de Valoines, of Shabbington,Middle Claydon, and Bottle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, by Joan, daughter and heiress of Geoffrey de Clemdon.”

References

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clemdon-1
• http://powys.org/pl_tree/ps36/ps36_460.html
• https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I36636

Douglas Richardson

4/21/07

Dear Newsgroup ~ Complete Peerage, 6 (1926): 144 (sub Grey of Rotherfield) includes an account of the history of Sir Robert de Grey (died 1295), of Rotherfield, Somerton, and Hardwick, Oxfordshire. Sir Robert de Grey is the lineal ancestor of the Lords Grey of Rotherfield. Regarding his marriage, the following skimpy information is provided by Complete Peerage:

"He married Joan, daughter of Thomas de Valoines .... [Joan] his widow died before 12 Nov. 1312." END OF QUOTE.

Joan de Valoines, wife of Sir Robert de Grey, was actually the daughter and heiress of Thomas de Valoines, of Shabbington, Middle Claydon, and Bottle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, by his wife, Joan, as indicated in a post found in the newsgroup archives made by the ever helpful Kay Allen.

Further, there is an interesting charter issued by Joan de Valoines, widow of Sir Robert de Grey, which can be found in J. Delaville le Roulx, Cartulaire Général de L'Ordre des Hospitaliers de S. Jean de Jérusalem, 3 (1899): 765. This charter was unfortunately overlooked by Complete Peerage. There is also an abstract of a lawsuit involving Lady Joan de Grey found in R.H. Helmholz, Select Cases of Defamation to 1600 (Selden Soc. 101) (1985): 3-4. The lawsuit indicates that Lady Joan Gray [sic] sued Master Richard of St. Frideswide, Archdeacon of Buckingham, for defamation sometime about 1290.

As noted above, Kay Allen identified the wife of Thomas de Valoines as Joan, but no parentage was stated for her. Her identity as Joan de Clemdon, daughter of Geoffrey and Joan de Clemdon, is proven by a series of entries found in the published Oxfordshire Eyre, 1241 (Oxfordshire Rec. Soc. 56) (1989), edited by Janet Cooper. I've copied the pertinent items below.

pg. 9: "Oxon. Henry de Bulchegh essoins Reynold of Whitchurch (he has a wife, Alice) against Thomas de Valoynes and Joan his wife; (assize mort dancestor <land>); one month after Easter. Same day given to Reynold's wife Alice, by her attorney, in the Bench. New case.

pg. 22: "Oxon. Joan wife of Thomas de Valoynes appoints Thomas her husband her attorney against Reynold of Whitchurch; plea of land."

pg. 24: "Alice wife of Reynold of Whitchurch appoints Thomas of Aston her attorney against Thomas de Valoynes and Joan his wife; plea of land,"

pg. 99: "Assize of mort dancestor to declare whether Geoffrey de Clemdon, father of Joan wife of Thomas de Valoynes, was seised of 1/10 acre land in Bolney [in Harpsden] which Reynold of Whitchurch holds. He comes [blank in MS.]."

"The same assize to declare whether Joan de Clemdon, mother of Joan wife of the same Thomas, was seised of 18s. rent in Bolney [in Harpsden] of which Reynold and Alice his wife disseised them. They come and say that they cannot answer whether Alan of Farnham and Margery his wife their parceners. So they are to be summoned in Berkshire to be at Lambeth on Monday after Ascension day to answer them. The same day is given to the jurors in the Bench. Afterwards an agreement was reached, and Thomas gives 10s. for licence to agree, by surety of Reynold; and Reynold gives 10s. for the same by surety of Thomas." END OF QUOTE.

Geoffrey de Clemdon mentioned above is presumably the same person as Geoffrey "de Clendona," the nephew of Geoffrey de Quarrendon, who unsuccessfully claimed a member of the manor of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire while William de Mandeville, son of Geoffrey Fitz Peter, was Earl of Essex, or roughly sometime in the period, 1216-1227 [Reference: VCH Buckingham, 3 (1925): 13].