John Raleigh, alias John de Ralegh of Charles

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• Craig, F. N. 1991. “Raleigh of Farnborough.” New England Historical and Genealogical Register 145. AmericanAncestors.org:—
  • 3. HENRY RALEGH, son of William Ralegh the younger, married Mabel Punchardon, said to be the daughter and coheir of John Punchardon (Visitation of the County of Warwick in 1619, Harleian Soc. Pub., 12[1897]:77; Vivian, 638). Her sister Ermengard married Philip Beaumont (Vivian, 65). The Punchardon ancestry is discussed at more length below.
  • Henry was among knights of Devon summoned to perform military service from 1277 to 1301, and he was knight of the shire in 1297 and 1301 (Parliamentary Writs, Etc., Francis Palgrave, ed., 2 vols. folio in 4 [1827-34], 1:797). Arms attributed to him are: gu. afesse vair (Charles); gu. crusilly Or, a bend vair (St. George); gu. (als. erm.) a bend vair (Dering) (Knights of Edward I, Harleian Society Publications, 83[1931]:110).
  • He had commissions in Devon from 1276 to 1297 (CPR, Edward 1,1:153 to 3:257).
  • In 1287, he was in commission of peace with William de Alba Mara, and in 1292 he was in commission of oyer and terminer touching persons who by night carried away a whale cast upon the shore at Teynton (ibid., 2:265, 513).
  • In 1282, Henry de Ralegh, knight, was a witness in the Isle of Wight to a deed of Isabella de Fortibus (inspeximus of 1293, ibid., 3:53) and in 1295 was witness to a charter of Gilbert de Clare at Cardiff (ibid., 3:140).
  • In 1292, Hugh de Curtenay gave to Henry de Ralegh, knight, a life interest in various water mills, fulling mills, and corn mills at Couwykstrete, Exeter, and elsewhere in Devon (CIPM 3:24, no. 31; 3:29- 30, no. 32).
  • In 1300, it was noted that Thomas de Cumbe, who had held land in Westhaginton of Henry de Ralegh by service of four horseshoes yearly, had hung himself in his oxhouse at la Comb after having been in a lamentable condition for a long time, always roaming about by himself (ibid., 3:489, no, 606).
  • Henry's family connection first appear on record in 1296, in a fine between Nicholas de Warewyk, claimant, and Henry son of William de Ralee and Mabel his wife, deforciants, concerning the manor of West Buckland. Henry and Mabel granted to Nicholas and Joan his wife, with the remainder to Henry and Mabel and Mabel's heirs (Devon Fines, 5[part 2 (1939)], no. 876).
  • In 1297, John de Ilemenstre was claimant, and Henry son of William de Ralegh and Mabel his wife deforciants, concerning tenements in Buckerel and Curtisknowl. Henry and Mabel granted to John for life, with the remainder to Henry and Mabel and Mabel's heirs (Devon Fines, no. 885).
  • In a fine of 1298 between Thomas de Dune, claimant, and Henry de Ralegh and Mabel his wife, deforciants, Henry and Mabel granted to Thomas, for £200 sterling, concerning the following properties: the manors of West Haggington in Ilfracombe, Charles and the advowson, Heanton Punchardon and the advowson, Killerton in Broadclyst, and tenements in Leigh next Spitchweek in Widdecombe-in-the Moore and Waleston, (ibid., no. 888).
  • In fine no. 898 of 1303, between Henry de Ralegh and Mabel his wife, claimants, and Thomas de Doune, deforciant, concerning the manors listed in the previous fine plus Northpool in Southpool, Thomas granted to Henry and Mabel, with the remainder to the right heirs of Mabel.
  • In 1302, Henry de Ralegh and Mabel his wife settled the manor of Walpen in the Isle of Wight, held in right of Mabel, on their son John and Joan his wife (Feet of Fines, Hants., Mich. 30 Edward I, cited in VCH Hampshire, 5[1912]:238, note 58).
  • In 1303, when Henry de Ralegh had one half fee in Westboland, one fee in Charles, and one quarter fee in Kilryngton, the heirs of John Punchardon [de Ponchardon] held three fees in Heanton, Blakewell, and Westagynton, and one half fee in Northpole; John Ponchardon, probably anachronously, had one half fee in Courtesknoll (Feudal Aids, 1:361, 367, 359, 360, 349, 351). John Punchardon had obtained the land in Killerington and Northpole before 1284-86 (ibid., 1:332-33), when William Punchardon anachronously held Curtisknowle of William Albemarle (ibid., 323).
  • In 1242-43, William de Punchardon held the four fees of Hyaunton, Hakynton cum Blakewell and Charles (Book of Fees, 2:784) and one quarter fee in Waleston and La Thorne (ibid., 783), which probably included the land in Waleston mentioned in fine no. 898, above.
  • In 1086, Robert de Ponte Cardonis had been the subtenant in Heanton Punchardon, West Hagginton, Blakewell, and Charles (Domesday Book, John Morris, ed. (Chichester), Devon 9[pt. 1, 1985], 16, land of Baldwin the Sheriff, nos. 69, 70, 71, 72, 74). William evidently succeeded Robert but the intermediate steps in the pedigree are not clear.
  • In 1287, William de Aumarle held one fee in Walepenne in the Isle of Wight (Book of Fees, 2:1304) but not at his death in 1289, when as William de Alba Marla, he was a tenant in both Devon and the Isle of Wight (CIPM, 2 443, no 720). In 1255, William de Holkesham had enfeoffed William de Punchard of one half fee in (West) Bokeland (ibid., 195, no. 352).
  • Henry and Mabel had one son; surname Ralegh:
    • 4. i. JOHN; m. (1) JOAN DE GREY, (2) AMY/ANNE______.
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  • 4. JOHN RALEGH, son of Henry de Ralegh and his wife Mabel Punchardon, died after 24 February 1348, when he was mentioned in a tax commission in Devon (CPR, Edward III, 8:70).
  • He had by 1302 a first wife Joan de Grey, who died before 1339-40 when he had a second wife, Amy or Anne, as discussed below. John and Joan are named in 1302 in the settlement of Walpen, above (p. 6).
  • In 1310-11, John bought an acre of land in Farnborough, and in 1321-22 he and Joan acquired the whole manor from Jordan de Say (Feet of Fines for the County of Warwickshire, Publications of the Dugdale Soc., 15(1939]: nos. 1317, 1586).
  • In 1314, there was a pardon to John de Ralegh and Joan his wife for acquiring without licence from William de Spalding a messuage and a carucate of land, 1Sd of rent, and a rent of two capons in Molington, Oxfordshire (less than three miles from Farnborough); the grant was for the life of the said Joan with remainders to their son John, to Katherine his sister, and to John de Grey of Rotherfield (CPR, Edward II, 2:87). This record is important because it substantiates the claim in the Visitation pedigree that Joan was a de Grey of Rotherfield. However, Joan was the sister, not the daughter, of the first Lord Grey of Rotherfield. The only lohn de Grey ot Rotherfield living in 1314, he was born in 1300, the son of Sir John de Grey who died in 1311; he was not summoned to Parliament until 1338 (George Edward Cokayne, Complete Peerage [hereinafter CP], 6[1926], 144-45).
  • In 1316, John de Ralegh was a tenant in Molington (Feudal Aids, 4:166), but his name does not appear in the aid for Devon in that year.
  • In 1324, John son of Henry de Ralegh, man at arms of Devon, was to attend the Great Council (Parliamentary Writs, 2[IIIJ 1320). In the same year Dugdale found him in the list of esquires from Warwickshire and concluded that he resided there, citing “Ex. Coll. H. Ferrers.”
  • In 1327-28, he was a knight and bore as arms: Arg. sane of crosslets gules with a cross molein sable, as shown on his seal (Dugdale. Ex autog. penes praesat Edward Ralegh). From this seal, it can be seen that John Ralegh discarded his paternal arms and used arms based on those of his mother, the Punchardon coheiress. Such a change of arms was not uncommon during the medieval period, especially when coupled with a major inheritance. The Visitation of 1619 authorized the quartering of the Punchardon arms: argent, a cross moline gules, with the Ralegh arms: argent, a cross moline between ten crosslets gules. A version of these new arms continued to be used by the Raleghs and, as noted previously, was recorded during the 1619 visitation.
  • In 1332, John de Ralegh was taxed in Charles, Waleston, and Thome, and in North Pole (The Devonshire Lay Subsidy of 1332, Audrey M. Erskine, ed., Devon & Cornwall Rcc, Soc, n.s. 14[1969]:26,79,94).
  • When Joan died is not known, but in 1339-40 John had a wife Anne [sic], with whom he granted land in Farnborough (Lucy Drucker, Feet of Fines for Warwickshire, Dugdale Society, 18[1943] [hereinafter Warwick Fines] no. 1844).
  • In 1346, John de Raleye held one fee in Walpanne (Feudal Aids, 2:340). In Devon, John de Ralegh of Charles and Richmond Beamond held in Cortesknoll; John de Ralegh de Charles held Bydeford which Richard de Grenevyle once held; Alice de Beaumont and John de Ralegh held in Heanton, Westhagynton, Blakewyll, and Aliscote; and John de Ralegh de Chamys held in Westbokelond (ibid., 1:395, 410, 413, 415). The above lands came from the Punchardons with the exception of Bydeford, which he held in right of his second wife Amy. In 1388 Bydeford and Kilkhampton were in the hands of Theobald de Grenevylle (CIPM 16:206, no. 538), who in 1360 had petitioned concerning the manor of Kilkamperton, which in the time of Sir John Ralegh of Charles and Amy his wife had been held by them as Amy's dower (Register of Edward the Black Prince, PRO, 2:173-74).
  • John Ralegh of Farnborough alias John de Ralegh of Charles made his final appearance on 24 February 1348 in a tax commission in Devon (CPR, Edward III, 8:70), the year in which the Black Death first appeared in England.
  • Children, by first wife Joan de Grey, b. before 1314 as noted above (birth order not known); surname Ralegh:
    • 5. i. JOHN, m. Rose Helion.
    • ii. KATHERINE.