Belers of Ab Kettleby

[Gjest]

As, for some reason, Jeff's items about the Belers family of Ab
Kettleby are appearing on the thread entitled "Vologaeses Revisited",
I am taking the liberty of moving them here, where they can be
addressed and the full sense (hopefully) retained:


(1) Jeff Duval, 20 February 2007, 10.15 am

"I don't know if this is far-fetched or not, but I can't help
wonderind if you might have some idea about whether or not the Bellers/
Belers of Ab Kettleby are connected to this family?

"Specifically I'm wondering about Sir James Bellers (d. 1411) of Ab
Kettleby, who was first married to Lettice Prest.

Also, in at least some Digby pedigrees the Everard Digby who was
killed in the Battle of Towton, on 28-March-1461, is shown as the son
of Simon Digby of Tilton (d. 1441/42) by a Joan Bellers, daughter of a
different Sir James Bellers.

Any idea if or how these Bellers are connected to the Belers of Kirby
Bellers?"

PS "Perhaps I should have said ca. 1411. The date came from the entry
for his son, James Bellers (d. 1421), in vol. 2 of Roskell's "The
House of Commons 1386-1421" (1992).


(2) Will Johnson, 20 February 2007

"Well does ca 1411 mean "anytime between 1390 and 1450?
I don't know about Roskell, some of his stuff is wildly inaccurate.
Some is very good however. But I'd question such an exact statement
without some sort of source to back it up."

(3) Jeff Duvall, 20 February 2007, 12.18 pm

"The author of the entry on James Bellers the son discusses the death
of Sir James Bellers in the following way:

'...for Sir James, who had represented Leicestershire in four
Parliaments between 1376 and 1383, probably lived on until 1411.'

The author's initials are listed as L.S.W. I don't have the vols.
available right now, but perhaps if anyone else has access they can
fill in the name. As for the sources regarding Sir James, they are
listed as: 'Leics. Village Notes, ed. Farnham, vi. 311-12; CFR
(Calendar of Fine Rolls), viii 380'."

Now we can work on this line!

MA-R

[Gjest]

On Feb 20, 1:10 pm, [email protected] wrote:

Jeff Duval wrote, 20 February 2007, 10.15 am:

"Specifically I'm wondering about Sir James Bellers (d. 1411) of Ab
Kettleby, who was first married to Lettice Prest.

Also, in at least some Digby pedigrees the Everard Digby who was
killed in the Battle of Towton, on 28-March-1461, is shown as the son
of Simon Digby of Tilton (d. 1441/42) by a Joan Bellers, daughter of a
different Sir James Bellers.

There are some PROCAT items that appear to relate to this family:

(a)

"Petitioners: Robert Walron, executor of John Talbot of Swannington,
knight.

"Addressees: King and lords and commons of parliament.

"Places mentioned: Swannington; Snypston (Snibston); Sixynby
(Sysonby), Leics.

"Other people mentioned: John Talbot of Swannington, knight; Alan le
Souche (Zouche); James Belers, knight; John Belers, son of James
Belers; William Belers, Dominican friar, son of James Belers; James
Belers, man of law, son of James Belers.

"Nature of request:

"Robert Walron, one of the executors of John Talbot of Swannington,
states that when he, with his co-executor Alan le Zouche, sued a writ
of debt against James Belers, knight, for £200, on a bond made to John
Talbot, James' son John came with a body of armed men, dragged him, a
sick man of eighty, away half-naked, and took him to John Belers'
manor of Sysonby, and there he and his brothers kept him for twelve
days, maltreating him until he had made an acquittance for their
father's debt, and an oath and a bond that he would not prosecute them
for what they had done. He requests a remedy, so that he can sue the
malefactors, and prosecute his action of debt, and that they might be
severely punished, as an example to others.

"Endorsement: It is agreed by the king and lords in parliament that
several writs should be sent to John and James Belers, that they
should appear before the king and council in parliament on the Monday
after the feast of St Benedict next, on pain of a penalty of £100
each. And another writ is to be sent to the sheriff of Leicester, to
summon them on the same day, if they are at their houses; and if they
are not there, the writs are to be left with the inhabitants, to
deliver to them. And if they do not appear on the day, they are to
incur the penalty of £100. And this is to be good for this case only,
and not a precedent."

(SC 8/23/1107A, dated 1406)

This gives us the following stemma:

1. Sir James Belers, knight; ff 1406; father of:

2a. John Belers, of Sisonby, Leics; ff 1406
2b. William Belers, Dominican friar; ff 1406
2c. James Belers, lawyer; ff 1406

I don't have access to my set of HoP at present, but I presume the MP
who died in 1421 is (2c) above?

(b)

"Thomas Bernard and James Belers [late] the husbands, respectively, of
Christiana and Ellen, daughters of John Sompter and Margery, daughter
of Ellen, and Geoffrey Brokholl, knight. v. John Carter: Manor of Roos
in Saiet: Hertford"

(PRO C 1/69/348, dated '1386-1486', which isn't terribly helpful!)

I don't presently know whether Sir James Belers is related to the
Belers family of Kirby Bellars.

MA-R

[Gjest]

On Feb 20, 1:21 pm, [email protected] wrote:

This gives us the following stemma:

1. Sir James Belers, knight; ff 1406; father of:

2a. John Belers, of Sisonby, Leics; ff 1406
2b. William Belers, Dominican friar; ff 1406
2c. James Belers, lawyer; ff 1406

I see from reviewing the Archives that MichaelAnne Guido provided a
wealth of extra material about this family, showing that they are
indeed connected with the Belers of Kirby Bellars:

http://groups.google.com.au/group/soc.g ... 5f80701fc1

From this material we find:

1338: Ralph Beler and Agatha his wife: manor of Kettleby on Wreke;
their sons James and Ralph

1346: James Beler of Sisonby

1354: James Beler witnessed a deed at Kirby on Wreke [ie later Kirby
Bellars]

1355: James Belers and Lettice his wife

1368: James Belers, son and heir of Ralph Belers

1376: Sir James Belers, knight, MP

1381: Sir James Belers, knight, and Margaret his wife; reversion to
Roger Beler of Kettleby, and his brothers: John, Thomas the elder,
Ralph, Nicholas, James and Thomas the younger

A 1453 case shows that John Belers, esquire, claimed the following
pedigree:

a. William Belers
b. Hamon Belers ff 1274, alleged benefactor to Vaudey Abbey
c. Ralph Belers
d. Ralph Belers [ff 1338; married Agatha]
e. [Sir] James Belers [d c1411]; married [2ndly] Margaret; issue:
f. John Belers, son and heir
g. John Belers, ff 1453

By comparison, here are the Belers of Kirby Belers:

i. Ralph de Belers
ii. Roger de Belers, ff 1255-1256
iii. William de Belers, married Amice
iv. Sir Roger de Belers, d 1326
v. Sir Roger de Belers, c1319-1380

MA-R

[Gjest]

On Feb 20, 2:25 pm, [email protected] wrote:

A 1453 case shows that John Belers, esquire, claimed the following
pedigree:

a. William Belers
b. Hamon Belers ff 1274, alleged benefactor to Vaudey Abbey
c. Ralph Belers
d. Ralph Belers [ff 1338; married Agatha]
e. [Sir] James Belers [d c1411]; married [2ndly] Margaret; issue:
f. John Belers, son and heir
g. John Belers, ff 1453

By comparison, here are the Belers of Kirby Belers:

i. Ralph de Belers
ii. Roger de Belers, ff 1255-1256
iii. William de Belers, married Amice
iv. Sir Roger de Belers, d 1326
v. Sir Roger de Belers, c1319-1380

Burke's 'Landed Gentry' (1862), p 82 provides a pedigree for the
family of 'Bellairs of Kirby Bellars'. This purports to link the two
Belers lines - but it is at slight variance with the lineage given in
1453, and contains what appears to be an internal error:

1. Nigel d'Albini, brother of William Pincerna
2. Hamon de Belers, lord of Eye Kettleby, 1160 (brother of Roger
Mowbray)
3. Ralph, married Emma, daughter of Sir Walter de Folville of Ashby
Folville

4a. William de Belers, married Isabel
5. Hamon de Belers, died 1304
6. Sir Ralph de Belers, died 1345, married Emma, daughter of Sir
Walter de Folville
7. Sir Richard de Belers, married Agatha Bingham
9. Sir James de Belers

4b. Roger de Belers, sheriff of Lincs; died 1277
5. (son)
6. Roger de Belers, died 1326

We see that Burke's omits one of the Ralphs whom the 1453 pedigree
asserts, and that it also omits the Sampson whom we have Leics &
Rutland N&Q inserts between Hamon (2) and Ralph (3).

It also repeats the "Ralph married Emma daughter of Sir Walter de
Folville" at generations (3) and (6).

MA-R

[Gjest]

On Feb 20, 4:30 pm, [email protected] wrote:

A 1453 case shows that John Belers, esquire, claimed the following
pedigree:

a. William Belers
b. Hamon Belers ff 1274, alleged benefactor to Vaudey Abbey
c. Ralph Belers
d. Ralph Belers [ff 1338; married Agatha]
e. [Sir] James Belers [d c1411]; married [2ndly] Margaret; issue:
f. John Belers, son and heir
g. John Belers, ff 1453

By comparison, here are the Belers of Kirby Belers:

i. Ralph de Belers
ii. Roger de Belers, ff 1255-1256
iii. William de Belers, married Amice
iv. Sir Roger de Belers, d 1326
v. Sir Roger de Belers, c1319-1380

Burke's 'Landed Gentry' (1862), p 82 provides a pedigree for the
family of 'Bellairs of Kirby Bellars'.  This purports to link the two
Belers lines - but it is at slight variance with the lineage given in
1453, and contains what appears to be an internal error:

1. Nigel d'Albini, brother of William Pincerna
2. Hamon de Belers, lord of Eye Kettleby, 1160 (brother of Roger
Mowbray)
3. Ralph, married Emma, daughter of Sir Walter de Folville of Ashby
Folville

4a. William de Belers, married Isabel
5. Hamon de Belers, died 1304
6. Sir Ralph de Belers, died 1345, married Emma, daughter of Sir
Walter de Folville
7. Sir Richard de Belers, married Agatha Bingham
9. Sir James de Belers

4b. Roger de Belers, sheriff of Lincs; died 1277
5. (son)
6. Roger de Belers, died 1326

A *third* version of the pedigree is provided by 'Leicestershire
Pedigrees and Royal Descents', W.G.D. Fletcher, 1887, p 23 et seq, to
which my attention was kindly drawn by the ever-attentive Will
Johnson. Thus:

1. Hamon de Albini, brother of Roger de Mowbray
2. Sampson, married Emma daughter of Sir Walter Folville, kt
3. Ralph ff 1216
4. Hamon, hostage to Jing John in 1216; married Mabel, daughter of
John Mansel
5. William ff 1235-1273, married Alice
6. William, married Isabel, daughter of Sir Robert de Aungeville
7. Roger, sheriff of Lincs 1256, married Amicia (d 1277)
8. William, ff 1286; married Amicia
9. Roger (d 1326) married Alice, daughter of William (sic) Wakebridge
by Julia.

It seems it is going to be a challenge to deconstruct these
conflicting versions, and see what kind of pedigree can be put back
together from reliable (preferably primary) sources.

First of all, it seems extremely unlikely that Hamo de Belers, the
apparent founder of the family, was a brother of Roger de Mowbray.
According to 'Early Yorkshire Charters'. he witnesses some of Roger's
charters (as do a Ralph and Robert de Belers) but he appears well down
in the list of witnesses and is not identified as Roger's brother.

We know Hamo was living in 25 Henry II (1178-1179), when he is named
in the Pipe Roll: "Hamo Beler et homines sui de insula de Axiholm" -
Hamo Beler and his men of the Isle of Axholme (Pipe Roll Soc. vol
xxviii, p 50).

We also know that a Sampson Beler held land at Kettleby and Kirby
Bellars during the time of King John, since he is named as the tenant
in suits there, eg 1 John (1199-1200) - Leics Arch. Soc. vol 23
1895-6, pp 214, 398.

A much later Hamo Beler of Leics - possibly the one named in the
pedigree of Sir James Beler - died in about 1304 (IPM, PRO C
133/107/4).

Further confirmation of the accuracy of the 1453 pedigree is found in
a lease in the National Archives, dated 14 Edward III (1340-1341):

"Giles son and heir of Sir Henry de Erdington, knight, to Ralph, son
of Sir Ralph Beler, knight, Agatha his wife and James their son -
Synsonby, Leics (PRO E 210/6985).

MA-R