• General Notes

  [charlemegne.FTW]
  
  At the present time, I'm unaware of any evidence as to the ident ity of Hawise, wife of Ralph Basset (died 1299), Lord Basset, o f Drayton.   I toyed with the theory was Hawise was a de Lisle , but my research ran into a snag and I haven't been able to res olve the problem to my satisfaction yet.  Whoever Hawise was, sh e appears to have been closely related to Hugh Despenser (died 1 326).   He referred to Hawise's son, Ralph, as his kinsman as h e did Richard de Grey of Codnor, John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey , and John de Segrave.  The Despenser kinship can not be explain ed.  If anyone wants to take a crack at it, by all means, pleas e go ahead.
  
  Ralph Basset and his wife, Hawise, did have three children, bu t not as you give them.   Their actual children were as follows:
  
  1. Ralph Basset, died 1343, married Joan de Grey, daughter of Jo hn, Lord Grey of Wilton.   It was their grandson, also named Ral ph, died 1390, who married Joan de Beauchamp.  This line died ou t.
  
  2. John Basset, who died without issue.
  
  3. Margaret Basset, died 1337, married (lst) Edmund de Stafford ; (2nd) Thomas de Pipe.  Margaret has many descendants.
  
  Although it is commonly claimed that there was a fourth child, M aud Basset, who married William de Heriz, this is incorrect.   M aud did exist but she belongs two generations further back in th e Basset family.   The confusion over Maud's placement in the Ba sset family tree is caused by a faulty IPM taken in 1390 after t he death of Ralph Basset, last Lord Basset of Drayton.   A clos e examination of the chronology involved and a review of the cha rter evidence shows the IPM was very much in error.  In medieva l genealogy, chronology is everything.
  
  Incidentally, another possible clue to Hawise Basset's identit y may be offered by the knowledge that her granddaughter, Margar et Basset, was closely related to her husband, John de Bohun, Ea rl of Hereford.   The Basset-Bohun kinship is also not easily ex plained.  I suspect the kinship comes through an unidentified Fi ennes wife in the ancestry of John de Bohun.  This matter deserv es further study.
  
  All for now.   Best always, Douglas Richardson

Details of Hawise's family with Ralph Basset