Sir John Lee, of Roden & Stanton

supporting data

William Dugdale, Norrey King-of-Arms, certified the pedigree of this family through the testimony of Sir Humphrey Lee of Langley in 1623 and Thomas Lee of Coton in 1663. Their testimony traces the family back to Hugo de Lega, a contemporary of Reyner de Lea, whose son Reginald de la Lee received a grant of land from William, son of William FitzAlan, ad petitionem Fuconis fillii Warini [by petition of Fulk, the son of Warine, or Fulk FitzWarine]. What follows is the lineage certified in the College of Arms.

• Hugo de Lega received land grants from William, son of William FitzAlan, that established this family as landed gentry. William FitzAlan was given the shrievalty of Shropshire by King Henry in c.1160, which gives us a baseline for the lives of Hugo and Reginald. Hugo would have lived in the latter half of the 12th century and Reginald’s lifespan would have extended into first half of the 13th century. Hugo was succeeded by his son Reginald.
• Reginald de la Lee had a son Sir John de la Lee who was known to be living in 1298, when he received a land grant from Hugo de Hinton. Sir John was succeeded by his son Thomas.
• Sir Thomas de la Lee married Petronilla, the daughter of Sir Thomas Corbet. He gave the estate known as Lee Pevenhull to his eldest son Reginald, his successor. Sir Thomas had a younger son, as well, Thomas de la Lee.
• Sir Reginald de la Lee was succeeded by his son John.
• Sir John de la Lee, Knight (i), Lord of Roden, married (1) Alicia and (2) Matilda, the daughter of Henry de Erdington. He was survived by his son John.
• Sir John de la Lee, Knight (ii), was succeeded by his son Robert.
• Robert de la Lee, who lived in the time of King Richard II, married Margaret, the sister and heir of Thomas Astley of Nordley. Through this marriage, the de la Lees came into ownership of Coton Hall. The Astley family was also ancient, with records back to 1100. According to the pedigree, there were two sons of this marriage, Roger and John.
• Roger de la Lee married Joan, the daughter and heiress of Edward Burnell of Langley, bringing that estate into the de la Lee lands. He was survived by his son Robert.
• Robert de la Lee married Petronilla.

Since the time this pedigree was certified by the College of Arms, some of the statements have been disputed. Sir William Hardy, Keeper of the Records in the Duchy of Lancaster, (1807-1887) devoted much time to the history of Shropshire and the Lees. It was his finding that Margaret Astley’s husband Robert was NOT the son of Sir John de la Lee, but the son of his brother, Sir Thomas de Lee of Okehirst, and that his name was ROGER, not Robert. He is referred to in documents during the time of Henry V as €œRoger Lee of Coton, Gentleman, and Roger is referred to as €œthe second son of Sir Thomas Lee, Knight.

It has become certain that Roger, the husband of Joan Burnell, was not the son of Robert, and that Petronilla was the daughter, and not the daughter-in-law of Roger Lee and Joan Burnell. Petronilla married her kinsman, Robert de Lee of Rodene, who was survived by his son, Ralph de Lee of Lea Hall.

Source: A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, 8th ed. , by Sir Bernard Burke ; Edited by his sons. Published 1894 by Harrison in London. [available as free e-Book]

General:

   LEE Family Lineage according to Burke's Peerage:

   The Lee Family of Stanton, Roden and afterwards of Langley and Coton

   Hall, Shropshire, is stated in Burke's Baronetcies to be ONE of the

   oldest in England. Eyton's treating of Reyner de la Lee about 1195 gives

   also an unbroken descent through the Stantons, of Stanton Hineheath from

   1086 to 1173-4. Begins with HUGO DE LEGA, 1100, whose son; Reginald de la

   Lee is identified with the above. He was Sheriff 1201 and one of the

   knights known as REINER DE LEGA at the assizes October 1203. Hereceived

   a grant of land from William, son of William FitzAlan and accordingto

   the pedigree had a son; Sir John de la Lee, but evidence produced by

   Eyton and Sir William Hardy, late Keeper of the Records in the Duchy of

   Lancaster, shows that Reyner's son was really,… Sir Thomas de la Lee,

   given as his grandson in the pedigree. He married Petronilla, daughter of

   Sir Thomas Corbet(Sheriff) in time of King Henry 3rd of England, king

   from 1266-1272.

   Sir Thomas de la Lee had THREE sons:

   a. Sir John de la Lee;

   b. Reyner or Reginaldde la Lee, to whom he gave the V. of Lee, Pevenhull

   7c, and

   c. Thomas de laLee, this latter married Petronilla de Stanton about

   14(?) and had a SON: SIR JOHN DE LA LEE , (stated as being a nephew of a

   Sir John de la Lee of Stanton, & Roden), married Matilda de Erdington and

   had (with a daughter, Matilda), two (2) sons:

   (a) Sir John de la Lee, succeeded by his son John, (immediately below)

   and (b) Thomas de la Lee of Okehurst.

   Sir John de Lee, who is shown by Eyton to have been succeeded by HIS son,

   Sir John de Lee, who was succeeded by HIS son, Sir Robert de Lee * of

   Roden (b. 1392).

   Robert Lee (b. 1392)married Petronilla, a daughter of Roger Lee of

   Pimhill, by his wife, Joan, daughter of and heir of Edward Burnell of

   Aston Burnell, and Langley and was succeeded by HIS son: Sir Ralph de Lee

   of Lee Hall, Langley Aston, Burnell, 1447. He married first Isabella, and

   second Isabella, a daughter of James Ridley, and died December 14, 1479.

   Sir Ralph was succeeded by HIS son: Sir Richard de Lee of Langley and

   married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Sir Fulke Sprenchose and had

   five sons and two daughters. He was succeeded by HIS 2 sons: Sir Fulke

   Lee** of Langley; married Alice, daughter of Sir Richard Cromwell, and

   secondly Elizabeth, daughter of John Leighton. He was succeeded by HIS

   son ** [Thomas was Fulke's brother, not his son, Burke is in error here]

   and heir: Sir Thomas Lee of Langley and he married Jane, daughter of Sir

   RobertMorton and had five sons and seven daughters. He, Sir Richard Lee,

   died in 1591 and was succeeded by HIS oldest son: Sir Richard Lee of

   Langley, who married Eleanor, daughter of Walter Wrottesley and had four

   sons and six daughters. He, Sir Richard Lee, died in 1591 and was

   succeeded by his oldest son.

   Our Lee Lineage ends with one of his daughters, Dorothy Lee who married

   Thomas Mackworth.

   ================================================

   Return, please, to (b) THOMAS DE LA LEE of Okehurst. Records of the

   second visitation make him the father of: Roger Lee, who had a son; Roger

   Lee who married Margaret, sister and heiress of Thomas Astley of Nordley,

   whose descent is given by Eyton from the time of King Henry First of

   England (b. 1068-1135) king from 1100-1135, the youngest and only

   "ENGLISH-BORN SON OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR according to tradition, at

   Selby, Yorkshire. The first visitation shows that RogerLee, Margaret's

   husband, was of the Second House, and it is probable that hewas a son,

   and not a grandson, to THOMAS LEE OF OKEHURST, who died about 1419 and

   was succeeded by HIS son: John Lee. *Robert Lee (b. 1392) was another

   son.

   Robert Lee (b. 1392) married Petronilla, a daughter of Roger Lee of

   Pimhill, by his wife, Joan, daughter of and heir of Edward Burnell of

   Aston Burnell, and Langley and was succeeded by HIS son: