Tuesday, 3 December 2013

This is the second newsletter as issued without any edits:

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]






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