General Notes

Nicholas de Criol, of Eynsford, Stockbury, Westenhanger, etc., Kent and Croston Kerrial, co. Leicester, son and heir of Nicholas de Criol, of Croxton and Cherry Hinton, co. Cambridge, sometime Warden of the Cinque Ports (who d. shortly before 2 July 1273), by his 1st wife Joan, daughter and heir of William d'Auberville, of Eynsford, etc., Kent.  He was under age 20 Apr 1277.  He was summoned for Military Service from 24 May 1282 to 30 May 1298, to attend the King at Shrewsbury, 28 Jun 1283, to attend the King wherever he might be, 8 Jun 1294, and to attend the King at Salisbury 26 Jan 1296/7, by writs directed Nicholao de Crioli, Cryoll, or Crioyl. 

He m. before 20 Feb 1271/2, Margery, daughter of Gilbert Peche, of Westcliff, Kent.  He d. 12 Oct 1303.  His widow's dower was ordered to be assigned, 1 Jan 1303/4.  Her will, directing her burial to be at Friars Minors at Bedford, dated 31 Mar 1319.  [Complete Peerage III:542]

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The following excerpt from a post to SGM, 28 Apr 2002, by Chris Phillips, indicates that the will mentioned above by CP is actually the will of Margery Clifford, 2nd wife of Nicholas I de Criol, and that Elizabeth was her daughter, not Margery Pecche:

From: Chris Phillips (cgp@@medievalgenealogy.org.uk)
Subject: Re: Margery Pecche or Clifford, wife of Nicholas de Criol
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
Date: 2002-04-28 00:14:44 PST

PART 1 OF 3

Finally it's possible to give a fairly definite answer to the question about Margery de Criol, though some questions remain.

To recap briefly: the Complete Peerage (vol.3, p.542) says that Nicholas de Criol married before 10 February 1271/2, Margery, daughter of Gilbert Peche, and that he died 12 October 1303, with Margery surviving. However, MichaelAnne Guido pointed out that an apparently different Margery, widow of Nicholas de Criol appeared in 1313, when Richard Clifford, son and heir of John Clifford released to her and to Elizabeth wife of Sir John de Pabenham, and Margery daughter and heiress of Sir Robert de Hereward, all right in specified lands of their inheritance [Baker, History of Northamptonshire, vol.1, p.714].

The Victoria County Histories of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire interpreted this as a release of his right to three coheiresses, and suggested that these three were coheirs of a Margery Clifford who appeared holding the manor of Lillingstone [Lovell] in 1254, and who married (i) Peter de St Martin and (ii) by 1260 Peter Dansey (who was living 1266).

However.other secondary sources show Margery de Criol as the mother of Elizabeth Pabenham and Margaret Hereward. But if Margery de Criol was the wife of Nicholas who d.1303, chronology would place her in the same generation as Elizabeth and Margaret, supporting the VCH interpretation.

This raised a number of questions - did Nicholas de Criol (d.1303) marry twice; if so, who was his second wife, and which of his wives was the mother of his son and heir?

(1) Mardi Carter pointed out a pedigree in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society vol.14 (1931), which placed the "Clifford" Margery as the wife of the father of Nicholas (d.1303), and made her the mother of Elizabeth Pabenham and Margaret Hereward. Nicholas's father, also called Nicholas, died 1273, having married Nicholas junior's mother, Joan d'Auberville (whom the Complete Peerage calls his first wife). Margery was described in the pedigree as "testatrix", suggesting this was based on evidence from a will.

I followed this up and found that this was an extract of Margery's will, with a translation and commentary, in the article "Some Bedfordshire Wills at Lambeth and Lincoln", by Mrs H. Jenkinson and G.H. Fowler. (The copy I saw unfortunately lacked the pedigree that Mardi saw, which must have been "lost, stolen or strayed".)

This will, dated 1319, is really the vital piece of evidence, as it mentions:
Bertram my son (deceased);
my brother Richard de Clifford*;
my daughters Catherine de Braddene* and Margaret Hereward*;
[Sir] Robert Hereward*;
Sir John de Pabenham and my daughter Elizabeth his wife;
Margaret their daughter;
Elizabeth de Pabenham, a nun at Shaftesbury.

*Presumably dead, as provision is made for prayers for their souls.

So it establishes that, despite the VCH interpretation, Elizabeth Pabenham and Margaret Hereward were Margery de Criol's daughters, not her coheirs.

[This will is mentioned in the Complete Peerage article on Criol, but as that of the widow of the Nicholas who d.1303. As shown below, that is incorrect.]