Richard Berkeley, of Stoke Gifford

http://thepeerage.com/p40772.htm#i407711

Richard Berkeley was born in 1470 at Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England.3,2 He married Elizabeth Coningsby, daughter of Sir Humphrey Coningsby and Alice Ferebie, circa 1504.3,2 He died in 1514 at Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England.4,2

Ref: Burke, pp. 43-47.

Ref: 'The Ligon Family'.

The Berkeley family is unique in having an unbroken male line of descent from a Saxon ancestor before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 to the 20th Century. The family descends from Harding, the son of Eadnoth (Alnod), who was 'Marshal' or 'Staller', a high official under King Edward the Confessor. A study of dates makes it probable that this Harding had a son of the same name, perhaps the man who played a distinguished part in the Crusading Wars, helping King Baldwin I of Jerusalem, to win the battle of Jaffa in 1102. The son of the crusader would then be Robert FitzHarding of Berkeley, afterwards styled Robert de Berkeley. The town of Berkeley is located in the county of Gloucestershire and is situated about five miles west of Dursley and eighteen southwest of Gloucester, and northeast of Bristol. It was chartered by King Edward I. to be governed by a mayor and alderman, but the corporation was annulled in 1885. The place confers the title of Earl and Baron on the Berkeley family. The manor embraces nearly thirty parishes and is one of the largest in England; it was given by William the Conqueror to Roger de Berkeley, Lord of Dursley. Having espoused the cause of King Stephen in opposition to Empress Maud, the third Roger de Berkeley was deposed by King Henry II., and the title and estates were conferred upon Robert FitzHarding, a wealthy citizen of Bristol. In the Domesday Book, the name of Berkeley is written Berchelai, whereas the Saxons wrote it Beoncenlan. It is supposed to have been so called from Beonce, the beech-tree, because it once grew very plentifully there. The town is one of the ancient boroughs, of which there are five in Gloucestershire, in the time of King Edward I. At the time that William obtained the crown of England, he rewarded Roger de Berkeley with the manor of Berkeley. Roger was an ancient Saxon nearly allied in blood to King Edward the Confessor, and who supported William at the battle of Hastings. Roger, thus, assumed the name of Roger de Berkeley. Roger de Berkeley founded the family of Berkeley in England at the Norman Conquest. He was a leading chief in the army of William the Conqueror. He is styled, in the 20th year of King William, as 'Roger Senior of Berkeley' from the possession of Berkeley Castle, co. Gloucester. 'The castle.' says Rudder, 'was began in the 17th year of Henry I., by Roger de Berkeley the 2nd, and finished by Roger the 3rd, in the reign of King Stephen. Further additions were made during the reign of King Edward III.'

This Roger bestowed several churches upon the priory of Stanley, with the tithes and lands, and being shorn a monk there, in 1091, restored the lordship of Stoteshore, which he had long detained from that convent. Since he had no issue, he was succeeded at his death by his nephew, William.

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From 'The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of the British Empire', 'The Earl of Berkeley', pp 70-71 (1882). Also Burke's 'Peerage and Baronetage', pp 232-233.

'The history of the peerage of the Earl of Berkeley, unquestionably feudal in its origins, which has been more or less recognized in its territorial character at various epochs, is of exceptional importance in bearing upon the history of English dignities, and the gradual obsolescence and final extinction of barony by tenure.'

'Harding of Bristol, said by genealogists to have been the son of a king of Denmark and companion to the Conqueror, has been conjectured by a modern historian to be identical with Harding (a contemporary of Harold and William, son of Eadnoth the Staller, an officer of Edward the Confessor, who survived the Conquest; but this identification can only be regarded as ’not improbable.' His son, Robert FitzHarding, of Bristol, obtained from Henry, Duke of Normandy, afterwards Henry II, a grant of the hundred of Berkeley, called Berkeley Herness. He granted all the churches in Berkeley Herness to St. Augustine's Abbey, Bristol (now the cathedral), of which he is the reputed founder, and where he was buried, 1171. His only surviving son, Maurice de Berkeley, obtained in 1189 confirmations from King Richard I., and from Queen Eleanor of Berkeley Herness. ‘To be held in barony by the service of five knights.' He married Alice, daughter of Roger de Berkeley, of Dursley, the former Lord of Berkeley. Their eldest son, Robert de Berkeley, obtained a charter of confirmation from King Richard I., in 1199. He was one of the Barons at war with King John, and died May 13, 1219. He was succeeded by Thomas, his brother, whose grandson, Thomas de Berkeley, 6th Baron by tenure, had writs of summons to parliament from June 24, 1295 (the 23rd year of King Edward I.), to May 15, 1321 (the 14th year of King Edward II.). In 1301, 1302, and 1305 he was serving in the Scottish wars with Maurice and John his son; prisoner at the battle of Bannockburn, in June 1314; Justice of West Wales, 1317. He died July 23, ????. His younger son, James, was Bishop of Exeter, 1326.'

Richard Berkeley, Esq., of Stoke, married Elizabeth Coningsby, daughter of Humphrey Coningsby, Knight, and died in the 5th year of King Henry VIII. They had the following children:

Two daughters were married as follows

• 3. A daughter ________, married Thomas Speke, of White Lackington, Knight.
• 4. A daughter ________, married William Francis, of Combe Flore.2 Reference: 575.2 He was also known as KT.2

Children of Richard Berkeley and Elizabeth Coningsby

• 1.Maurice Berkeley+2 b. c 1505
• 2.John Berkeley+2 b. c 1506, d. 28 Jun 1545
• 3.Anne Berkeley2 b. c 1507
• 4.Mary Francis Berkeley2 b. c 1509
• 5.Dorothy Berkeley2 b. c 1511

Citations

• 1.[S62] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.: Genealogical Publishing Co, 2005), p 264. Hereinafter cited as Magna Carta Ancestry.
• 2.[S4132] Robin J Conisbee Wood, online <e-mail address>, Robin J Conisbee Wood (unknown location), downloaded 23 November 2009.
• 3.[S4222] Unknown author, The M (n.p.: n.pub., unknown publish date).
• 4.[S4196] Unknown author, from a note by OGKnapp held in the General Collections Soc of Genealogists) RJCW Ref 1 (n.p.: n.pub., unknown publish date).

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http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~hwbradley/genealogy/aqwg717.htm#12187

Sir Richard BERKELEY Knight [Parents] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 was born 1470 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England. He died 13 1513 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England. Richard married Elizabeth CONINGSBY on 1503 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England.

Elizabeth CONINGSBY [Parents] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 was born 1483 in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England. She died 10 May 1546 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England. Elizabeth married Sir Richard BERKELEY Knight on 1503 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England.

Other marriages: FITZ JAMES, John Knight

They had the following children:

• M i Sir John BERKELEY Knight was born 1504 and died 28 Jun 1546.
• M ii Sir Maurice BERKELEY Knight was born 1506 and died 1581.
• F iii Anne BERKELEY was born 1508.
• F iv Dorothy BERKELEY was born 1510.
• F v Mary BERKELEY 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 1512 in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England.