Last week I posted that Surrey was married twice. Except Surrey only had one wife – Alice de Lusigan. May thanks goes to Sharon Bennett Connolly who kindly explained that the theory of a second wife comes from the suggestion that Isabella, Surrey’s daughter, was only a girl when she married John Balliol but that was a mistake made by a chronicler who wrote the account. The same chronicler also said Balliol was a mere boy at the time of the marriage, which he wasn’t – all of which scuppers the evidence of a second wife. There no mention of another anywhere in the primary sources – which is inconvenient to put it mildly. Once upon a time I might well have panicked but now I think it just goes to demonstrate what a tricky business it can be identifying wives and daughters!
The chronicle in question was written by Thomas Wykes who thought that Balliol was Edward I’s ward and then he described Isabella de Warenne as a young girl – though as a daughter of Alice de Lusigan she would have been considerably older. And voila – the mystery of the two wives is solved – it all rests on the age of Isabella when she married.
Happily while I was digging around I came across the fact that the de Warennes owned Wakefield Manor from about 1100 onwards and there was an enquiry in 1280/1281 about Surrey’s ownership of lands in and around Halifax. Surrey claimed hunting rights and free warren among his possessions there – a charter dating from Henry III confirmed his rights.
Surrey’s grandson, also named John, inherited the title but had no lawful issue, thanks to a life time of trying to get out of his marriage to Joan of Bar. His mistress, Maud of Nerford, did have children and John later married to Isabel Holland (Joan was still inconveniently very much alive if I’ve got my dates right.) The 7th earl surrendered his estates to Edward III in 1316 in return for a land settlement made to his sons by Maud.
When Isabel Holland died Wakefield Manor reverted to the crown – and Edward III gave it to his son the Earl of Cambridge. For those of you, who like me enjoy making connections, Cambridge’s son, Edward, Earl of Rutland was killed at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He was, in turn, succeeded by his nephew – Richard Duke of York – who of course ‘gave battle in vain’ and was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. When his son, Edward, ascended the throne as Edward IV, the manor was once again Crown land.
If you wish to know more about the de Warenne Earls of Surrey I recommend Sharon’s blog History – the interesting bits – they are and it is! Her new book is just out as well – Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest.
Turner, Joseph Horsfall, The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hpperholm: With Manorial Notes on Coley, Lightcliffe, Northowram, Shelf, Fixby, Clifton and Kirklees. (1893) – which is freely available via Google books.