General Notes

The following is excerpted from a post to SGM, 31 May 2003, by Rosie Bevan:

From: "Rosie Bevan" (rbevan@@paradise.net.nz)
Subject: Re: CP Correction: The Earls of Warwick and the Bohun family
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
Date: 2003-05-31 03:19:38 PST

Maud de Bohun's first husband, Henry I d'Oilly, died in 1163, according to Oseney annals [Annales Monasterii de Osneia, p. 33], and her second husband was Walter fitz Robert of Woodham Walter and Daventry, whose first wife had been Maud de Lucy. Between 1174 and 1195, Walter gave the church of Kedington, Suffolk to Daventry priory "pro animabus patris et matris mee et Matildis de Luci uxoris mei iam defuncte et pro salute anime mee et Matildis de Bohun uxoris mee..." [M.J. Franklin (ed), The Cartulary of Daventry Priory (Northampton, 1988) no.13]. Maud's daughter, Joan d'Oilly, married Simon fitz Walter, lord of Daventry, second son of her second husband, Walter. Henry II d'Oilly attested a confirmation charter of his brother-in-law, Simon, to Daventry priory sometime between 1189 and 1203 [Franklin, no. 15]. Maud de Bohun survived Walter in 1198, and was still living in 1200 having been involved in a suit for several years over her d' Oilly dower in the manor of Swereford against Cecily, wife of Ralph fitz Wigan. This is documented in the curia regis rolls. [William Bayley,  The History of the House of Doyly (London, 1845) p. 11]

Considering Henry's step brother, Robert fitz Walter, was one of the leaders of the insurrectionary barons against king John, it was perhaps only natural that Henry became a partisan. Consequently, the king confiscated his estates in 1215 and gave them to Englard de Cygoni. They were restored by King Henry III in September 1217 and when Henry d'Oilly died in 1232 s.p.s., they passed to his heir, Thomas, Earl of Warwick who died without issue in 1242. By the time Margery, Thomas' sister and heir had died without issue in 1253, the d'Oilly estates had escheated to the crown following an inquisition which determined that there were no heirs to it and that the barony of Hooknorton  was an escheat to the king,  "ratione Normannorum" [Calendarium Genealogicum v.1. p.50]. This effectively blocked any potential claimants to the lands and Henry III was thus able to ensure his favourite, John de Plessis, retained possession of the Hooknorton barony. On his death in 1263, it eventually passed to his son, Hugh, who had no blood relationship with the d'Oillys.

Ironically, the 1263 inquisition for John de Plessis determined that in fact there were d'Oilly heirs living. An inquiry into his Buckinghamshire holdings stated the following about Maud de Bohun's maritagium, Bradenham manor.
"Bradenham manor was not the escheat of Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex, through the death of Margery, sometime countess of Warwick ; for Humphrey de Bohun his grandfather gave the manor in free marriage to Henry de Oylly with Maud his sister, who had a son Henry and two daughters : Henry the younger had the manor for life and died without heir of himself, and the right of the manor descended to the daughters, from the elder of whom issued Thomas earl of Warwick and one Margery ; the said Thomas had the manor for life and died without heir of himself, and the said Margery also ; but from the younger sister, aunt of the younger Margery, came one Walter de Daventre, and the jury believe that whilst there are any heirs of the younger sister the manor cannot be the escheat of the said Humphrey. After the death of the said Margery the said Humphrey obtained seisin of the manor for 15 days, because he understood that it was his escheat, and by his grant at the king's instance the late earl of Warwick held it for life."  [CIPM v.I no. 558].

Note: The above [Bradenham Manor] establishes Maud as sister of Humphrey de Bohun, who was grandfather of the Humphrey who was Earl of Hereford.