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About Sir John de la Lee
Please see Darrell Wolcott: The Shropshire Walcot Family - Chart IX: The Lee Family of Shropshire; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id103.html. (Steven Ferry, May 6, 2020.)
This is a very old family, of Saxon origin, with records dating back to the Norman Invasion .The historian Eyton lists Reyner de Lea as the first of this name, citing the year 1195. However, the line can be traced to 1086 through the Stantons of Stanton Hinchheath.
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 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 “Roger Lee of Coton, Gentleman,” and Roger is referred to as “the second son of Sir Thomas Lee, Knight.”
It has become certain that Roger, the husband of Joan Burnell, was not his son, 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]
Sir John de la Lee's Timeline
1239 |
1239
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Alderton Hall, Lea Hall, Pimhill, Salop
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1264 |
1264
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Lea Hall, Cheshire, , England
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1298 |
1298
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visitation, 30, Edward, first
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1298
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visitation, 30, Edward, first
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1298
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visitation, 30, Edward, first
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1298
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Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
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Harmer Hill, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom
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1245 Sheriff, Shropshire
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