de Lacy of Balligary Castle
html edited by Robert Hedges -
de Lacy of Balligary Castle
html edited by Robert Hedges -
The following is from a paper called: "Pedigree of Lacy alias Hedges of Alderton, Wilts."
ARMS (registered at the College of Arms).- Azure, three swans' necks erased argent, beaks or. (Warrant of the Earl of Suffolk and Bindon, Deputy Earl Marshal, directing Sir Henry St. George, Clar., to confirm these Arms, dated 25 Nov 1687. Patent of Confirmation dated 9 Dec 1687.) CREST.-A swan's head as in the Arms proper.
John Lacy alias Hedges, Esq., "descended from an ancient and worthy family in Cornwall." Will proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Berks in 1594.
Children:
1- William Lacy alias Hedges of Kingsdown, co. Wilts, born 5 Nov., bapt. at Straton St. Margaret, co. Wilts, 8 Nov. 1571; died 13 jan 1645, and bur. at Stratton St. Margaret. M.I. on floor of church. married Alice, dau. of Thomas Hoskins of Chisleton, co. Wilts; mar. 18 Dec 1593.
2- Catherine Lacy alias Hedges bapt. at Stratton St. Margaret 16 Jun 1576.
3- Henry Lacy alias Hedges of Bourton in parish of Shrivenham, co. Berks. married Jane, dau. of John Holloway of Maidenhead, co. Berks, by Eleanor, dau. of Richard Tyistone of Hucksley Gree, co. Chester. 1st wife.
4- Richard Lacy alias Hedges, bapt. at Stratton St. Margaret 5 March 1583; mar. as his 2nd wife (Lic. at Salisbury 16 Sept. 1640) Prudence Hasell of Stratton St. Margaret, who was born in 1617.
I have quite a lot more but it would take too long to type it all up. I notice that one of the names is Sir Charles Hedges of Compton Basset, co. Wilts, born in Jan. 1649-50; bapt. at Wanborough; of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, matriculated 22 Feb 1666-7, aged 17; B.A. 1670, M.A. from Magdalen College 1673, B.C.L. and D.C.L. 1675; Advocate of Doctor's Commons 25 Oct. 1675; M.P. for Oxford, Malmesbury, Calne, Westhooe, and East Looe 1700--1714; Judge of the Court of Admiralty 1689; knighted 4 June 1689; Judge of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1710--1714; Privy Conncillor and Secretary of State 1700--1706; died 10 June 1714; bur. at Wanborough.
Married: Eleanor, dau. of George Smith, Procurator-General of the Arches Court of Canterbury and of the Admiralty, by Eleanor his wife, dau. of Basil Woodd of Greenwich, co. Kent, and of Doctors' Commons, D.C.L. Oxon, and Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester; died 18 Feb. 1733; bur. at Wanborough.
Children:
1- Eleanor, died an infant
2- Margaret, died an infant
3- Eleanor, born 1 July 1679
4- Charles Hedges, died an infant
5- Charles Hedges, died an infant
6- George Hedges, died an infant
7- Henry Hedges, born 1 June 1686; of Magdalen College, Oxford;
subs. 16 May
1704, aged 17.
8- Charles Hedges, Page to Queen Anne; died 8 Feb 1711.
Churchill, Duke of Marlboro, demanded that their son-in-law, Sutherland, replace Sir Charles Hedges (Jan 1649-1714) as Secretary of State in 1706 - Queen Anne bitterly resented Marlboro's intrusions. Sutherland was dismissed 1710, after loosing favor in 1709. Sir Hedges was already gone though.
The names of Robert and John were not unknown in this family, and several lines are untraced. Lawyers from England were searching for heirs, starting from Bourbon Co. Kentucky, during the 1880's. No bequest from the English Hedges Estate were given to any American Hedges.
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(NOTE: John Peltier is presently in final development of a fictional novel about the life and times of Roger de Lacy for publication. The following account is true, as based upon available documentation of this most remarkable man of medieval history.)
By right as oldest son of John de Lacy (of Magna Charta, signatory), Roger de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract and of Halton, Justicar of Ireland, Constable of Chester and Lord of the Honors of Pontefract, became immortalized in the annals of medieval warfare for his bravery, fortitude and endurance.
He married Maud de Clare and left by her two sons, John the Earl of Lincoln and Roger. His mother, Alice de Vere was sister to William de Maudeville, Earl of Essex. John, his father was in charge of Dublin, Ireland, in 1181, during the period that Hugh de Lacy was Governor (Lord Palantine) of Ireland. He died in the crusade of 1190 at Tyre. Prior to his death John de Lacy founded Stanlaw Abbey and the hospital of Castle Denington about 1172.
Roger was stated by many accounts to be the most remarkable man of his day and by the Welsh, his inveterate foes, was styled "Roger Hell" for his fierce spirit during his Castle Defiance against the King of Normandy, Philip Augustus. He waged a ruthless war against the Welsh, his very name striking fear into the men of Cambria.
Robert II de Lacy had fought by the side of King Henry II and his son, Prince John, in Normandy. For this service, the King forgave a debt of old Henry de Lacy, who had refused to pay for Henry I's tax for his daughter's "wedding". Therefore, when Robert died in 1194, there was nothing to stand in the way of confirming Pontefract to John de Lacy. And thus, after an illustrious career, John then passed on the Honors to his son, soon to be, Roger "Hell".
Roger exerted great energies developing the Baronage (Pontefract) and prospered. He ensured that it was well maintained, administered and flourishing. He employed at minimum a steward, general manager, a bailiff, a cook whose name was Ranulf, a dispenser, two chamberlains and a chapel overseer. Although Roger de Lacy obtained Pontefract in 1194 after Robert II de Lacy, his grand uncle, and then John de Lacy, his father has passed, it was not until 1204, that Roger de Lacy officially was confirmed with the Honor of Pontefract, after the Normandy Campaign in which Roger held the Castle Gaillard at bay from the Norman army of King Philip of France.
Upon the death of his father John, Roger accepted his rightful claims to the honors of Pontefract with great pride and upon this inheritance, the Chancellor of England entrusted him with the custody of castles Thickhill and Nottingham. By this action the Chancellor unwittingly contributed to the deaths of two of the King's knights. The two warriors had conspired against Roger and the Chancellor to surrender the castles back to King John. Roger's fierce de Lacy spirit engaged, he ordered them hanged forthwith. In revenge of this aggressive action by the Baron, John then ordered Roger's lands ransacked and plundered. Afterward, in 1199, Roger warily swore fealty to King John upon his ascension to the throne. From that time forward, Roger and the King remained in high favor, one with the other.
In November 1200, Roger was chartered by King John to escort William the Lion of Scotland to Lincoln and was then ordered present in court when William gave tribute and allegiance to King John. Later in 1201, Roger was summoned to command 100 knights alongside of William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke, to defend Normandy and all of John's Norman possessions against the aggression of the King of France.
Intrigue pervaded the court of the King behind the scenes involving the politics of the day, medieval though it was. King John was not very popular among the established Baronies in England, during his reign, partly because of the internal Royal family politics as we have come to know of it, and also because the King did not appear to be overly concerned with whether or not people liked him at all. He did not appear in public as an astute politician and as such seemed to prefer the straight talk of warrior manliness. In private he much preferred the tenderness of the fair maidens a habit which seemed to often interfere with duties of being the warrior King. Therefore, he did not play to peoples favor nor to the typical Kingly role. This then set the stage and provided an opportunity for those of Nobility to potentially offer exceptional support to John in some manly and courageous way, and then to have that support rewarded handsomely.
Roger de Lacy seems to have been either quite shrewd and willing to risk it all, or else quite warrior segue, courageous and strong willed, or all of the things in his engagement of the circumstances and the politics under King John. For instance, the De Laval family had contested the de Lacy family for years for control and ownership of Pontefract, at least since King John's great grandfather, Henry I, had reigned. The de Laval's presided over much of Pontefract, but mistakenly, they turned against King John during his Normandy campaign. It was then, at that pregnant moment in history, in the summer of 1203, that Roger de Lacy as Commander, and other Anglo Norman knights, defended the Castle Gaillard against the gates of Hell.
In 1203, the King Philip Augustus besieged Roger in castle defiance at the famous Castle Gaillard in Normandy. Roger had defended his position relentlessly for nearly a year, acting in command to near starvation of his men and numerous civilians against an overwhelming King's mercenary army. Getting no help from without, he (Roger de Lacy) was bound to succumb in time; yet the garrison though much reduced by famine, when the outer ward was stormed, still disputed the ground bravely, inch after inch, as they were forced slowly to retire to the middle. Only when they found that the enemy had got inside the fortress in the rear by a sort of escalade, did they give up all for lost. On March 5, 1204, Roger was ultimately taken prisoner with great difficulty by many French knights. The King of France put him into free custody staying an order to "run him through", so much did he admire his fidelity, constancy and bravery. Roger was speedily ransomed by King John of England for a thousand marks and returned to England to his family honors which were preserved, and quickly and handsomely confirmed by King John.
Having has his forged will taken to Hell and back at Castle Gaillard against the armies of King Philip of Normandy himself, when everyone else had abandoned King John, and then with no promise of any reward or the sparing of his life, who could then deny Roger the sole rights to all of Pontefract?
There is the record still preserved of all of King John's losses to Roger detailed in the royal calendars "in Ludo ad tabulas to Rogerii de Laici". The fact that King John had lost the loyalty of most or all of his Barons, had lost Normandy to King Philip, was the least worthy of all of Queen Eleanor's progeny, this all seemed to pale to the fact that he found a faithful, stern and loyal iron willed Knight who would not abandon the King even in the face of death and/or Hell. This certainly cannot be said of the great William Marshall who, as Commander of all Anglo forces, abandoned the King in the Normandy campaign because of poor odds and no friends and then he said to King John's face the night before the morning he retreated, "You who are wise, mighty, and illustrious, to whom it has been given to rule over us, you have offended too many, and you lack friends to rally to you now". But that next morning, as those failed Anglo Norman forces withdrew with William Marshall, Roger de Lacy engaged in a test of wills which led to an episode of few equals in the history of warfare for sheer horror, the castle defiance.
After his return to England, the Earl Randolph de Blundeville, otherwise known as Randle III, the Earl of Chester, while on retreat from the Welsh uprising was cut off in the Castle of Rhuddlan in Flintshire. The confident but concerned Earl would send for no other than Roger de Lacy to hasten with aid to his defense. Roger, nothing loathe, gathered together a tumultuous rout of fiddlers, players, cobblers and debauched persons, men and women, since it was fair time in the city, and then marched off in the dark of night to the Earl's relief. The rugged Welsh vigilantes taking the motley hosts for a well ordered army and then observing the de Lacy banner of the Purple Lion, became wildly panic stricken and fled incontinent! In rightful commemoration of this event Roger duly received "jurisdiction" over these "professionals" and hence the saying "Roger, and by all the fiddlers of Chester".
Roger of Hell remained on intimate terms with King John to the end and so due to the great favor of the two, the lasting record of all the King's losses to him preserved. Having died in 1212 Roger was interred at Stanlaw Abbey, of which along with Fountains he was benefactor. Chester was later erected into a Palatine by the King for his kinsman Hugh lupus, like the Earldom of Meath in Ireland had been erected for the great Hugh de Lacy in 1172. Recorded in the Royal calendars are the successors of the Earl Palatine of Chester held in right of the Crown and in recording of those constables is found the epitaph of Roger's gravestone with his name, Roger de Lacy, yclept "Hell"."
Sources available some are heavily quoted: English Origins, British Family Names, Origins of Anglo Norman Families, Lacy Family of England and Normandy, Roll of the House of Lacy, Dictionary of National Biography, Roger de Horaden Matthew Paris, Annals Monasatici, Dougdales' Baronages, Foss's Judges of England, Herald and Genealogist, Girald Cambrensis, Sir Bernard Burkes Peerages of the British Empire, Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, John Peltier, Harleian Manuscripts by the Harleian Society, London, (History of) The Planagenet Ancestry by Costain, and other such works by name; Order of the Crown of Charlemagne (records of); Encyclopedia of World history by W. Langer; The conquering Family by T. Costain; The Three Edwards by T. Costain; The Lion of Ireland by M Llywelyn; 1066 by D. Howarth; Handbook of British Chronology by the English Parliment; The Doomsday Books, ad 1087; Four Masters, III; Pipe Rolls; Calendar of Ireland State Papers, ca. 1180 1297; Rolls of Exchequer, Edward II, 1326; Registers of Diocese of Exeter in British Museum; Fairbairn's Book of Crests; The de Lacy Diamonds by Geo. Coulson; Roger de Lacy, a tale of Yorkshire; The betrothed by Sir Walter Scott; Charter of King John to Hugh de Lacy in 1205; Blazons of Gentrie, Lacyes Nobilities by Sir John Fern, 1586; The Romaunt De Rou (Rollo); The Roll of the Battle Abbey; Feudal Studies by Round; The Great De Lacy Inquisition of 1311, vol. LXXIV of the Chatham Society; The History of Pontefract by Fox; Historical Account of the Cistercian Abbey of Selby In Cravens, Yorks by Harland.
_________________________________________________________ 7. Sheila Ann Johnson contributed the following piece of extracts from published works on English Lacy family members.
Extracted from: "The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire" compiled from the manuscript collections of the late learned antiquary John Bridges, Esq. by the Rev. Peter Whalley, Late Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford. Vol. II. Pub. Oxford: Sold by T. Payne, London; D. Prince and J. Cooke, Oxford; and Mr. Lacy, Northampton. M,DCC,XCI. (LDS film No. 0824377) Rushton, p.68.
John de Latimer his estate in Rishton in course of succession came to Warine Latimer, who by inquisition taken after his death in the twenty third year of Edw. III [1350] was certified to hold it of the heir of William de Lacy. This William de Lacey was descended, we suppose, from John de Lacy, who married Joan the daughter and heir of William de Goldingham, and succeeded to his inheritance. In the thirty first of the same reign Henry de Lacy son and heir of Sir John de Lacy Kt. formerly lord of the manor of Esthalle in Ryston, with Isabella his sister, released and gave up to John de Knyghton and his heirs, all their right in the manor aforesaid.
Extracted from: "The Victoria History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely" Edited by L.F. Salzman, M.S., F.S.A. Vol. Two. Published for The University of London Institute of Historical Research by the Oxford University Press, Amen House, London, E.C., 1948. (LDS film No. 0990190)
p. 28. Duxford "Moat in a grass field east of the main road at the north end of the village between the road and Duxford Mill. A rectangular area, 200 ft. by 170 ft., surrounded by a shallow wet moat averaging 6 ft. in width; the inclosure is level. At the SE. corner of the moat there is a prolongation southwards and westwards which is all that remains of another rectangular inclosure of half the area of its neighbour. This is the site of the Manor of Lacey's."
pp. 63 4 "With the freeholders the tenure might be for more complicated. An example may be taken from Whittlesford [Rot.Hund.(Rec.Com), ii, 573 4] where Sir John de Akeny had a manor in 1275: Nocholas Barker (Bercarius) held six pieces of land: (1) 3 r. held directly of Sir John; (2) 1/2 r. held of Adam Page; (3) 2 a. held of Thomas Haket; and (4) 2 a. of Adam le Chance, all of whom held of Sir John; (5) a messuage and 1 a. held of Henry de Wodhille, who held of Adam le Chance, and he of Sir John; (6) 2 a. held of Thomas le Draper, who held of William Algar, who held of Sir Henry de Lacy, and he of Sir John."
Extracted from: "The Victoria History of the Counties of England Cambridge and The Isle of Ely" Published for The University of London Institute of Historical Research by the Oxford University Press, Amen House, London, E.C. Vol. 4.(LDS film No. 0990190)
p 252. Wisbech Castle "Edward I visited it in 1292, 1298, 1300, and 1305. From the late 13th century the building was mainly used as a prison and as a place for holding the bishop's courts. John de Lacy, a clerk, was pardoned after breaking out of the prison in 1291..."
Extracted from: "The Victoria History of the County of Berkshire" Edited by William Page, F.S.A., and Rev. P.H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A., Assisted by John Hautenville Cope. Vol. three. Published London, The St. Catherine Press, Stamford Street, Waterloo, S.E., 1923. (LDS film No. 0896765) pp 538 9. "The Rectory Manor of Shrivenham, which in 1086 consisted of 5 hides, was granted with the church to the abbey of Cirencester by Henry I. It comprised the hamlet of Longcot and land in Watchfield, Bourton and Beckett. The estate was increased by grants from Henry Sturmy, William de Wykeham, Reynold de Whitchurch, Adam Aylward, Adam Lacy and Walter le Fendour, all made before the Statute of Mortmain (1279). The abbot had a house here in 1346."
Extracted from: "Introduction to the Curia Regis Rolls, 1199 1230 A.D." Edited for the Selden Society by C.T. Flower, C.B., M.A., F.S.A. Deputy Keeper of the Public Records. Pub. London, Bernard Quaritch, 11 Grafton Street, W., 1944. (LDS film No. 1414824)
p. 27 "In Michaelmas term, 1200, Isabel de Lasci complained before the justices of that bench that Roger constable of Chester had disseised her of dower given her by Robert de Lasci:.......It was held that she should have seisin of the dower and that an enquiry as to the right amount should be made by lawful men who were present at her espousal. She put Gilbert de Aquila, her present husband, in her place......Afterwards Gilbert came and said that he would not put himself on knights of Yorkshire, because Isabel was espoused in Holland in another county, while Henry her husband's father was alive;...."
p. 158 "In Trinity term, 1212, a jury came to recognise whether six persons, all of whose names except one have been struck out of the record, unjustly disseised Robert de Irencestre and Hawis his wife and Ralph de Haseley and Lettice his wife of their free tenement in Naseby. Of the six Roger de Lacy had died; and his land and that of four others was in the hand of the king."
p. 306 "Andrew Torell appealed Walter son of Adam, because in the king's peace and at night, when he was in a lodging in Newcastle on Tyne that he had taken for Gilbert de Lasci his master, he heard the hue and cry at midnight and rose at the sound and found his master's clerks wounded almost to death. When he would go to the bailiffs and tell them of this force and the outcome of the matter, Walter came with his force and robbed him of a green supertunic with lambs' wool furring and a gold ring; and Robert son of Adam was also in that force. This he offered to prove by his body. Walter and Robert denied the whole thing as against a hired champion who had recently fought for gain. Robert said that seisin of the church of Newcastle had lately been adjudged to his brother, a clerk, in court Christian; when he and his brother went to the church with the judges to take seisin, Gilbert de Lasci's men assaulted them and took their chattels; the men then fled to Gilbert's lodging, where they plotted worse things against them....."
p. 399 "In 1233, just after the end of the period with which this volume deals, the king appointed Walter de Lacy and others to be justices specially (ad hoc) assigned for the appointment at Hereford of an attorney for Morgan de Karleon."
Extracted from: "A History of Medieval Ireland" by A.J. Otway Ruthven. Pub. 1993 Barnes & Noble Books by arrangement with Routledge Books.
p. 228 "Bruce marched westwards to Granard, and then south to Loughsewdy, plundering and burning as he went. He spent Christmas at Loughsewdy and then burning the place behind him, marched on, guided by Mortimer's tenants the de Lacys, who had joined him, through Irish territories, into Leinster."
p.233 4 "Meanwhile, Mortimer had been dealing with the de Lacys, who were his own tenants. In January 1317 before the justiciar they had been accused of inviting Bruce to Ireland, and a jury composed of the leading tenants of Meath had cleared them of this charge....... cannot have been the whole story for by the end of February they were leading Bruce into Kildare.....Mortimer then led an army against them, and in two engagements they were defeated: some fled to Connacht, and Walter de Lacy was said to have gone to Bruce in Ulster."
p. 237 "We know nothing of what Bruce had done since the retreat from Limerick, but now, in October [1318], he advanced south from Ulster, openly supported by the de Lacys, and with a considerable force of Irish as well as his Scots.....Bruce made a stand on the hill of Faughart...and the English.....defeated Bruce, whose body was found on the field after the fight."
pp. 400 401 "Richard was concerning himself with the affairs of Ireland within a month after his accession. On 19 July he appointed his son as lieutenant, and, probably very soon afterwards, despatched Master William Lacy, who had been in Ireland on the king's business in 1479, to negotiate with Kildare and the council. Lacy was instructed to tell them that the king hoped to attend to Ireland as soon as he had established England.... ..Lacy was to give the council a letter under the privy seal about the Irish mint, which was to be put into effect at once, and was to announce that the king wished all officers to hold during pleasure, that new seals should be made for Ireland, and that the statute of premunire should be put in execution against those obtaining benefices by provisions. The king also wanted an account of the Irish revenue."
_________________________________________________________ 8. Additonal Books Available. Gerard Lacy announces the issue of the third and final edition of his book, "Legacy of the De Lacy, Lacey, Lacy Family, 1066 1994". It will be available some time in April. Contact him at Gerard Lacey 2011 Ashman Midland, MI 48640 Garland H. Lacey still has copies of his book available, "Ancestors & Descendants of Hiram G. Lacey & Sophia Sell". Contact him at Garland Lacey 706 Stratford Dr Washington, IL 61571
_________________________________________________________ ======================== This is in response to your online dissertation and your lineage to Hugh de Lacy. It is troublesome that you state the information is insufficient to be defined. What I have found from July to October of this year is much more.
I am disturbed about you stating Hugh Delacy was an exalted man. In some eyes, not many. The de Lacys from the 1100 to at least the 1230's could be bought by whomever had the most gold pieces. On top of that, nary do you mention the County of Meath and the de Lacys. In searching my husband's family name of TRIM, there is much recorded information about the de Lacys. Too bad you left it out. We have not completed our history--but I do not make the mistake of claiming a lineage that is not ours. The word Trim has an English/Norman origination based on the description of the land on the river Boyne at the time; atha truim; the ford at the elderberry trees. I believe if you search the city Trim in the County Meath; this will be confirmed.
In addition, Hugh de Lacy, began the task of building the Trim castle (the English named for the land designation). Much to his stupidity, he had the slaves building the castle (ah, the Irish) steal quarry stones from a monestary in the area--which went all the way back to St. Patrick in the 600s. Regretably, history does not name the Irish man that stood up for the others, all so angry about stealing stones from a church to build a castle, thus, one day while inspecting the work, the Irish man welded his axe and HEADLESS Hugh de Lacy became!!
The de Lacys finished the TRIM castle in approx the 1230s.--Until then, most were of stick and stone. Thus the TRIM castle built upon the hill, became the garrison for the knights and archers. There are many pictures of this castle. After Hugh's so untimely demise, his daughters were awarded his land. Matilda received the LIBERTY OF TRIM. Alas, because of man's view, her husband became recognized --Sleeping in the right bed does wonders.
By the way, the statue of Our Lady of Trim was burned for one of Cromwell's generals. What a waste.
Regretably, today there are more English Trims than Irish. Only a few took the place name--which was unusual. Do the TRIMS and all a favour--if you are going to quote history online, do so with a truth; instead of a bias. I am concerned if you submitted this online document to any university because of some of your comment tags. I hope this document is not final.
FYI I was referred because I was doing research on the town of TRIM in the county MEATH. Again, what you have written does not mesh with what Oxford or Cambridge have written.