John de Swynnerton [a] b abt 1208, of Isewall and Great Sugnall, Staffordshire, England, d bef 1256/57. He md Margery de Swynnerton abt 1230, daughter of Robert de Swynnerton and Mabel.
Children of John de Swynnerton and Margery de Swynnerton were:
- Roger de Swynnerton b abt 1232, d bef 1267/68; md Alice.
- John de Swynnerton b abt 1235, d bef 1284; md Muriel.
- Stephen de Swynnerton b abt 1238.
Child of Stephen de Swynnerton was:
Sir Roger de Swynnerton [b] b abt 1262, Swynnerton, Staffordshire, England, d abt 8 Feb 1297/98. He md Joan de Hastang abt 1280, daughter of Sir Robert de Hastang. She was b abt 1264, d aft 8 Feb 1297/98.
Child of Roger de Swynnerton and Joan de Hastang was:
Child of Roger de Swynnerton and Maud/Matilda was:
Sir Thomas de Swynnerton [d], Lord Swynnerton, Knight, b abt 1310, Swynnerton, Staffordshire, England, d Dec 1361. He md Maud de Holand abt 1328, daughter of Sir Robert de Holand, Lord Holand, Knight, and Maud la Zouche.
Children of Sir Thomas de Swynnerton and Maud de Holand were:
- Alice de Swynnerton b abt 1332, prob Swynnerton, Staffordshire, England, d abt 1350. She md Sir John de Gresley abt 1346, son of Sir Geoffrey de Gresley and Margaret Gernon.
- Sir Robert de Swynnerton, Knight, b abt 1334.
Child of Sir Robert de Swynnerton and Elizabeth Beke was:
Maud de Swynnerton b abt 1372, of Barrow, Cheshire, England, d 1415, Staffordshire, England. She md [3] Sir John Savage, Knight, abt 1400, son of Sir John Savage and Margaret Danyers.
NOTES:
a. That Margery, and not her husband, was heir to Swynnerton, appears from a fine of 3 Feb 1247/48, whereby she and her husband grant for themselves and the heirs of Margery certain rights in Swynnerton. It is believed that both John and his wife Margery were related, but specifically how is not known. John is said to be the son of another John, of Little Sugnall, a line of the Swynnertons which had taken its name from its holding; this John's son, Stephen of Isewall, acquired Isewall, Great Sugnall and smaller holdings by his marriage with Joan, daughter and heir of Roger de Waure of Eccleshall. A quitclaim by Margery's executors to the Bishop of Coventry of all the right which she had to the custody of the heirs and lands of Robert de Sugnall, her husband's nephew, which right she had acquired as the nearest of kin not entitled, suggests that her marriage, which was prima facie within the prohibited degree, had been sanctioned by the ecclasiastical authorities.
b. Grandson and heir of John and Margery, he was sued in 1285, shortly after his succession, by Roger de Puleston and others for half the manor of Swinnerton, of which, they claimed, John de Swynnerton, their consanguineus, whose heirs they were, was seized, etc. In a later writ, Muriel, the widow of John de Swynnerton (uncle of this Roger de Swynnerton), was joined with Roger as a defendant, and the matter appears to have been resolved in Roger's favor in 1288, by fine. In 1292/93 he was a knight, and also served as coroner. He married Joan, probably a daughter of Sir Robert de Hastang, who survived him. He died on or before 8 Feb 1297/98.
c. On 19 Sep 1310 he was one of those whose duty it was to perform knight service for the Earl of Lancaster's fees. He was pardoned on 16 Oct 1313 for his share in the execution of Piers de Gaveston. In Nov 1317, he was appointed custodian of the town of Stafford, and on 25 Feb 1320/21, he was going overseas on the King's service. He was appointed Keeper of the Tower of London in Aug 1321, and in Nov Keeper of the castle and manor of Eccleshall. In 1324 and thereafter he was engaged with his relatives in the family feuds which were then rife in Staffordshire; one incident being the abduction of Joan, widow of Piers de Gresley of Drakelowe, and her detention at Swinnerton. In Feb 1326/27, he was granted for life the lands in Staffordshire and Cheshire of the late Earl of Winchester, and in 1332 and 1334 was granted lands to support his estate as a Banneret. In 1335, and again in 1337/38, he was summoned for service against the Scots, and in 1333, after the battle of Halidon Hill, he was granted a general pardon. He was summoned to Parliament 20 Dec 1337, whereby he became Lord Swynnerton, although the summons was never repeated, nor is there any record that any of his descendants were summoned. He died on or before 3 Mar 1337/38; his widow, Maud, survived him.
d. He was overseas on the King's service in 1340, and on 18 Feb 1341/42 he was sheriff of Salop and Staffordshire, and on 8 Jun, described as chivaler, escheator of Salop, Staffordshire, and the marches of Wales adjacent thereto. In 1345 and again in 1347 are recorded payments to him for his stay with the King. In Dec 1345, the sheriff of Staffordshire was ordered to take into the King's hand all his lands and goods; nothing is recorded of this incident, but it was likely the result of a default in some legal proceedings due to his absence abroad. It is recorded that he served in the King's retinue from the passage to la Hogue in 1346, and at the battle of Crecy at Calais and elsewhere. Having been taken prisoner in Scotland, the King gave 100 l. towards his ransom. In 1358 he proceeded as the King's proxy to France to receive the oaths of the manucaptors for the King's prisoners, and was apparently resident thereafter in the palace of Savoy as one of the custodians of John, King of France. On 8 Nov 1360, he obtained an exemption from service and from holding public offices, in consideration of his long service. He married Maud, said to be the sister of Sir Thomas de Holand, Earl of Kent.
CP: Vol XII/1[584-586]; AR: Line 32[31-33].
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