Second newsletter of the Rigmaiden
One-Name Study, June 2012
Some early Rigmaidens
One of the earliest Rigmaidens
mentioned in surviving documents is Richard Rigmaiden (1245) who is mentioned
in C L'Estrange Ewen's book A history of surnames of the British Isles
published in 1931. The reference given is 'Fines: Farrar' which was a secondary
source compiled by W Farrar from primary medieval documents. He is mentioned
again in An armorial for Westmorland and Lonsdale by R S Boumphrey and C
Roy Hudleston 'The Rigmaden family held land in Mansergh [a township near
Rigmaden Hall, near Kirby Lonsdale in what is now Cumbria] between 1260 when
Richard de Rigmaidin and Alica his wife released land to Nicolas, son of Roger
de Manesergh and 1546 ...' The origins of the Rigmaiden and Mansergh families
are much entwined and it has been suggested that there is evidence that a
branch of the Mansergh family took the Rigmaiden name after acquiring land from
them. This gives rise to the suggestion that the family came from Scandinavia
via Ireland as the Mansergh branch hails from Ireland originally.
According to the Victoria County History volumes for Lancashire, a
Richard de Rigmaiden, probably a later one, held lands in Middleton on the shores
of Morecambe Bay in1297 together with a Lady Joan de Dacre, and in 1288 he was
subject to a complaint against him and his wife Anabil by Thomas son of Roger
de Burgh that he [Richard] had disseised him of a messuage and land in
Middleton. Annabil was the heir to Thomas Heaton and her sister (born out of
wedlock) was the mother of Thomas de Burgh. In 1317-18 Thomas, son of Richard
de Rigmaiden, ratified a grant by his father to Edmund de Nevill concerning
land in an island of Middleton called Mirhop, so it seems that the Rigmaidens
were the main resident family here until the seventeeth century and their story
here will be continued in further newsletters.
Receiving several mentions in the Victoria
County History for Lancashire are John de Rigmaiden and his wife Isolda.
They came into possession of the Manor in Wedacre, near Garstang in 1290 when
Peter de Brus died and his four married sisters, who were his heirs, granted
their rights to them [John and Isolda]. Succeeding generations remained there until
the late 16th century when the latest in the line, Walter died in a state of
lunacy. John and Isolda had two sons, John and Marmaduke, the line eventually
descending through Marmaduke.A full description of the line of descent is given
in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster, volume 7, pages
315-320. A family pedigree appears in the The visitation of the County
Palatine of Lancaster made in the year 1567 by William Flower Esq.
published by the Chetham Society. A more detailed family tree appears in Remains
historical and literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancashire and
Cheshire published by the Chetham Society, vol CV, chapter VII, 'Old Halls
and old families', p213. It has to be
said that there are some errors in the early parts of the family tree,
especially concerning William Rigmaiden, as described below.
Also mentioned is Isolda's daughter
Nichola who was Isolda's heir. In the VCH section on the parish of
Claughton [near Preston, in Lancashire] it is stated that 'Roger de Brockholes,
under age, married Nichola, daughter and heir of Isolda, wife of John
Rigmaiden'. This would have been between 1290 and 1311 when Roger died. The
Brockholes family were another prominent Lancashire family gaining their name
from the Manor of Brockholes, near Preston, where they lived. In 1292 Roger and
Nichola claimed land from John Rigmaiden and Richard de Pleasington, as
reported in the Lancashire Assizes rolls (original medieval documents). The
same source tells us that nine years later in 1301, Roger, Nichola and their
son John are all under age! By 1311 Roger de Brockholes is dead but his widow
Nichola is still living in 1344. The Brockholes and Rigmaiden families were
connected by marriage several times in succeeding decades. Other family squabbles
over land are reported in the VCH between Nichola and another member of the
Brockholes family.
A footnote tells us that 'Isolda
occurs frequently in the story of the Rigmaidens of Wedacre [near Garstang, in
Lancashire], but her parentage is not given, nor is it stated how Nichola was
her heir. ' It is generally supposed that Isolda was twice married and that
Nichola was a daughter from a previous marriage.
John and Isolda also had land
interests in Overton, Morecombe Bay, near Lancaster and in 1310 Isolda, widow
of John, claimed lands in Nateby, near Garstang. Isolda seems to have been
quite a feisty widow and became invoved in a number of land disputes.
At this same period John, son of John
de Rigmaiden gives homage of certain of his tenants to John de Brockholes, and
William, son of Gilbert de Rigmaiden gave him [John de Brockholes] lands at
Turnhurst in Garstang for life.
The VCH also reports that John,
son of John de Rigmaiden, had a rent from Scotforth [on the outskirts of
Lancaster] in 1323.
Also in 1323 John de Rigmaiden had a
rent from land or property in Lancaster but the VCH comments that no further
mention is made of it in later Rigmaiden inquistions. William de Rigmaiden is
constable of Lancaster Castle in 1401 (see below).
In another Lancaster connection,
Robert de Culwen and Joan his wife in 1340 claimed dower in Caton [outskirts of
Lancaster] against Edmund son of John de Hornby in right of a gift by Thomas de
Rigmaiden, Joan's former husband, who was a descendant of John and Isolda.
The early Rigmaidens also had land
interests in Holleth (near Preston, Lancashire), ie, Thomas de Rigmaiden
in 1345; Cleveley, (near Garstang), ie, Thomas, son of Marmaduke
Rigmaiden, made complaints that someone had 'broken his wood there' c1375;
later Rigmaidens also complained about destruction of their wood, and it is
named in their inquisitions as a dependency of their manor in Garstang; Winmarleigh,
ie, Thomas, son of Marmaduke, had the manor claimed against him in 1359 by
Nicholas le Gentyl; Catterall (near Preston), ie, John son of John de
Rigmaiden demanded demesne and service from Alan de Catterall; Carleton,
ie, John Rigmaiden c1499, held the land in common with the King and Margaret,
Duchess of Richmond; Ellel, ie, John son of John de Rigmaiden had a rent
from there in 1323, in 1362 Thomas de Rigmaiden claimed a moiety of the mill
and there are further court pleas regarding land and tenements; Preese
(near Preston), ie, William de Rigmaiden (1401) was granted wardship of William
Skillicorne, heir of Edmund and Margaret (previously Rigmaiden), William's
sister who held the manor here, when Edmund died as William was under age (see
below for more about William).
In an area of Sefton called Edge (now
Merseyside) Richard de Molyneux was lord of the manor and he had married
Lettice, widow of John Rigmaiden of Wyresdale. Lettice was living at the Edge
in 1376, and claimed damages from Thomas le Boteler of Marton for breaking into
her close (or wood); he was a creditor. Lettice was also defendant in a Cheshire
suit in 1369. There was a son Thomas, who had a burgage in Bank Street,
Liverpool, in 1381–2, and who is named in the will of his uncle Thomas de
Molyneux of Cuerdale. Richard was dead in 1368; his widow was living in 1378.
The Rigmaidens also had an interest in
Habergham Eaves in Burnley - William de Rigmaiden married Elizabeth Townley,
widow of John de Townley who died in 1399. Also in 1399 William was granted
wardship of John and Elizabeth's heir, 12 year old Richard de Townley who was
supposed to inherit the manor and all the Townley lands (see below for more
about William).
William Rigmaiden, of Blyth,
Nottinghamshire.
It remains to comment more fully on
one more prominent member of the family, William Rigmaiden of Blyth (already
mentioned incidentally above) who was the third son of Thomas Rigmaiden (d
1379) of Wedacre and married Elizabeth, widow of John Townley in 1399. As third
son he had little hope of inheritance of the manor but when his older brother,
John, died prematurely William became acting head of the family for his father,
Thomas's widow, Joan (William's mother), and assisted in the wardship of Thomas
and Joan's grandson, only three years old who was the heir. In this position he
came to the attention of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the most powerful
landowner in the area.
Their relations at the start were far
from cordial as William appeared at the Lancaster Assizes charged with poaching
on the Duke's game reserves.The proceedings, and a subsequent sentence of
outlawry, were suspended on the intervention of the Duke who appointed William
esquire to John of Gaunt's son, Henry of Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby. One
wonders at the possible charisma, power or good connections of the man to
achieve such a reversal. It has to be mentioned that Gaunt was also uncle to
Richard II and ruled the country when Richard came to the throne at the tender
age of 10 years. Jumping ahead, Henry Bolingbroke was later to successfully
lead a rebellion against Richard in 1399
and ascended the throne as Henry IV. Richard was imprisoned in Pontefract
Castle and died four months later.
Shakespeare afficionados will recall
Bolingbroke's character in the tetrology of history plays: Richard II, Henry
IV Parts I & II and Henry V.
But back to William - in 1390 he was
held in such high position that he was able to intervene personally with
Richard II to obtain a pardon for one of his men. Later that year he travelled
to Prussia with Bolingbroke (Derby) on the first of his expeditions in support
of the Teutonic Knights and while there received gifts from the Earl worth 66s
8d.
After Henry Bolingbroke ascended the
throne as Henry IV, William Rigmaiden was awarded annuities of 40 marks and
became constable of Lancaster Castle. As husband of wealthy widow Elizabeth
Townley he came into control of her manors and lands in Townley, Cliviger,
Hapton and Birtwistle awarded by the king when she died in 1401 to the value of
45 marks a year.
[William's career as MP in
Nottinghamshire will be continued in next newsletter]
