Anastacia de Percy

Family/Spouse: Lord Middleham Ralph FitzRandolph. Ralph was born in 1206 in Middleham, Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary FitzRandolph was a rich, religious and benevolent woman, who married Robert de Nevill, Lord of Raby, and it is known that the Castle of Middleham passed into his possession. Robert died June 6, 1271, in the lifetime of his father, and Mary died 1320 and is buried at Coverham, having survived her husband forty-nine years.

Family/Spouse: Robert Neville. Robert (son of Robert Neville and Isabella Bertram) was born in 1241 in Raby, Durham, England; died on 6 Jun 1271. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ranulph, or Ralph, Nevill, only son of Mary FitzRandolph, brought the name Ralph into the Nevill family, their descendants have filled the foremost places in English history. Their blood has come down to our day in veins of the Royal houses of England of Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart and Guelph. When Robert Nevill died this Ranulph was still in his minority and obtained liberty of the king that his friends might plow and manage his lands, and in 13th of Edward I, 1285, had liberty of certain manor, part of his inheritance. He was summoned to Parliament as a Baron 8 June, 1294, and from that period to 18 Feb., 1331. His lordship was in the wars of France in time of Edward II. It is said that, however, he little minded secular business, but devoted the principal part of his time to conversations with the canons of Merton and Coverham. He married 1st Ephemia de Clavering and 2nd Margaret Thweng. He died April 18, 1331, buried at Coverham. Euphemia, is also called Anastasia FitzRobert, and was great-granddaughter of John FitzRobert, Surety for the Observance of the Magna Carta.

Family/Spouse: Euphemia de Clavering. Euphemia (daughter of Lord of Warkworth and Clavering Robert FitzRoger and Margery la Zouche) was born about 1266 in Whalton, Northumbeland, England; died about 1320; was buried in Staindrop, Durham, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ralph de Nevill, 2nd baron, was summoned to parliament from 20 November, 1331, to 20 January, 1336. This nobleman, in the time of his father, was retained by indenture to serve the Lord Henry de Percy for life, in peace and war, against all men except the king, with twenty men-at-arms, whereof five to be knights receiving Â100 sterling per annum. Theeeeee disputee with ttthhhe prior of Durham, regarding the presentation of the stag was revived and finally set to rest in the abandonment of his claim by this Lord Nevill. The matter is thus detailed by Dugdale: "In this year likewise, doing his fealty to William, prior of Durham, upon Lammas Day, for the manor of Raby, he told him, 'that he would offer the stag as his ancestors had done; saving that, whereas his father required that the prior's servants should be set aside at that time and his own serve in their stead, he would be content that his should attend together with those of the prior's; and, whereas his father insisted that his servants should only be admitted at dinner, he stood upon it that his should be there entertained the whole day and likewise the morrow at breakfast.' Whereupon the prior made answer, 'that none of his ancestors were ever so admitted and that he would rather quit the stag than suffer any new custom to the prejudice of their church.' But, to this Ralph replied, 'that he would perform the whole service or none and put the trial of his right upon the country.' The prior, therefore, knowing him to be so powerful and that the country could not displease him, declined the offer; howbeit, at length, to gain his favour, in regard he had no small interest at court and might do him a kindness or a displeasure, was content for that one time he should perform it as he pleased so that it might not be drawn into example afterwards; and, to the purpose proposed, that indentures should be made betwixt them. Whereupon the Lord Nevill brought but few with him and those more for the honour of the prior than a burthen; and so, shortly after dinner, took his leave, but left one of his servants to lodge there all night and to take his breakfast there on the next day; 'protesting that, being both a son and tenant to the church, he would not be burthensome to it, in respect it would be no advantage to himself but might much damnifie him if he should bring with him as great a train as he would, saying, 'what doth a breakfast signify to me? nothing. And likewise, that if the prior would shew that he had no right to what he so claimed, he would freely recede therefrom; and if he had a right, he would accept a composition for it rather than be burthensome to the convent; but if they should put him to get his right by law, then he would not abate anything thereof.' Whereupon inquiry being made amongst the eldest monks of the house, they affirmed that, being of eight years standing when his father was before repulsed, they had often seen the stag offered, and that he never staid dinner but when the prior invited him, and some ancient men of the country testified as much; also, that so soon as the stag was brought, they carried him to the kitchen, and those who brought him were taken into the hall to breakfast, as they that bring their rents used to be.

"Moreover, when it happened any of the Lords Nevill to be desired to stay dinner with the prior, his cook was admitted into the kitchen to prepare a dish for him; so, likewise, another servant in the cellar to choose his drink; and in like manner, some other at the gate who knew his servants and followers, merely to let them in and keep out others who, under pretence of being servants, might then intrude. But this was only done by the prior, as out of courtesy and respect, and not at all out of right."

In the 7th Edward III [1314], Lord Nevill was one of the commissioners sent into Scotland, there to see that the covenants between Edward de Baliol, King of Scots, and his royal master were ratified by the parliament of that kingdom; and the next year he was joined with Henry de Percy in the wardenship of the marches of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland. He had, subsequently, other high and confidential employments and was constantly engaged in the wars of Scotland and France. His lordship m. Alice, dau. of of Sir Hugh de Audley, and by her (who m 2ndly, Ralph, Lord Greystock, and d. 1374) had issue, John, Thomas, Robert, Alexander, Ralph, Euphemia, Catherine, Margaret, Isabel, and Eleanor.

He d. in 1367 and was buried in the church of Durham, on the south side thereof, being the first layman that had sepulture there, which favour he obtained from the prior and convent for a vestment of red velvet, richly embroidered with gold silk, great pearls, and images of the saints standing in tabernacles by him given to St Cuthbert. His body being brought in a chariot drawn by seven horses to the boundary of the churchyard and thence conveyed upon the shoulders of knights into the middle of the church where the abbot of St. Mary's in York (by reason of the bishop's absence and impotency of the dean), performed the office of the dead, and celebrated the morrow mass, at which were offered eight horses, viz., four for the war, with four men armed, and all their harness and habiliments; and four others for peace; as also three cloths of gold, of blue colour, interwoven with flowers. Four of those horses were redeemed after the funeral by Sir John, his son and heir, for 100 marks. His lordship was s. by his eldest son, Sir John de Nevill. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, England, 1883, p. 393, Nevill, Barons Nevill, of Raby, Earls of Westmoreland]

Sources for Clavering, Neville and FitzRandolph:
FitzRandolph Traditions: A Story of a Thousand Years. Published 1907 by
L. F. V. FitzRandolph, life member N. J. Historical Society, pp. 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 29, 31; Chapter 9, pp. 117-121, Review of the Descent from Rolf, the
Norman and Dane.
Edmondson's Baronagium Genealogical, Vol. 4, pp. 350-351.
Burke's Genealogical History of the Dorman Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct
Peerages of Great Britain, pp. 393-396.
Browning's Magna Carta Barons and their Descendants, pp. 87-90, 98-9.
Wurts' Magna Charta, pp. 569-70.

Ralph married Alice d'Audley on 14 Jan 1324 in Hadley, Staffordshire, England. Alice (daughter of Lord Audley Hugh (Alditheley) d'Audley and Isolda de Mortimer) was born in 1300 in Hadley, Staffordshire, England; died on 11 Jan 1374 in Greystoke, Northumberland, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]