General Notes

William, of Curry Malet and Shepton Mallet, Somerset; fl. 1195-1217; Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset 1211; one of the 25 magnates charged with seeing that the Magna Charta was complied with; married Alice, daughter and coheir of Thomas Basset, of Headington, Oxon, and died c1219. [Burke's Peerage]

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Sir William Malet, Magna Charta Surety 1215, d. c 1216, of Curry Malet, sheriff of Somerset and Devon; m. Alice (or Aliva) Basset, daughter of Thomas Basset, who was named in the Magna Charta 1215.  [Magna Charta Sureties]

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William II Malet, adult by 1196, barony of Curry Malet, Somerset, sheriff of Somerset and Dorset 1209, Magna Charta Surety 1215, d. c 1216.  He was survived by his apparently (2) wife Alice, d. c 1263, daughter and coheir of Thomas Basset, d. 1220, lord of Headington, Oxford and Colynton and Whitford, co. Devon, by wife Philippa Malbank.  Alice's maritagium, the manor of Deddington, co. Oxford.  She m. (2) by 1223 John Bisset (or Biset), d. 1241, by whom 3 daughters: Margaret, Ela & Isabel.  According to VCH Oxford V 160, Alice Basset's three Bisset (Biset) children were coheirs of Alice's sister Philippa Basset, but not the Malet children; so they must have been children of an earlier wife.)  [Ancestral Roots, line 234a-28]

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The following was copied from soc.genealogy.medieval, concerning Ancestral Roots, line 234a, and the existence of an unknown first wife, mother of all of William's children.

Dear Cris, Lee and Dave:

As noted in the earlier post below, I'm the person who contributed the Malet line (i.e., Line 234A) to Ancestral Roots by Weis-Sheppard. However, behind the scenes, it was actually Dr. David Faris who was responsible for the discovery that Alice Basset wasn't the mother of William Malet's three daughters.  He found that William Malet's daughters weren't heirs to Alice Basset's sister's estates, whereas her three daughters by her second Biset marriage were.  This can only mean that Alice Basset was not the mother of William Malet's daughters.  I've since discovered that William Malet had a previously unknown son born much earlier than the Basset marriage, which son witnessed his grandfather, Gilbert Malet's charter.  So, it is quite clear now that William Malet must have had an earlier unidentified wife before he married Alice Basset.

I don't believe Dr. Faris has ever been properly credited for making the initial discovery regarding the maternity of the Malet daughters. However, this discovery certainly shows Dr. Faris at his best, as before Line 234A was published, the standard sources ALL identified Alice Basset as the mother of the Malet daughters.

Since the Malet-Basset discovery was published, I've had the pleasure of working closely with Dr. Faris for many years.  In the course of our work together, we've had the opportunity to work on virtually every major medieval problem in English genealogy.  His keen insights and deep knowledge have always added something special to our discussions.  His perpetual attitude has been "Keep looking!," for he knows that given time, persistence and a little creativity, the answers we seek can be found.  Dr. Faris is a fine individual, a wonderful husband, a good father, and to me, a true friend.  He's also in my opinion one of the best genealogists of this generation.

Sincerely, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

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William Malet's first wife's identity is still unknown.   Whoever she was, she evidently was the mother of his son, William, and his three daughters.  William Malet had property in various places which might have served as his first wife's maritagium.  One such holding was the manor of Finebergh, Suffolk, which later passed in marriage among his descendants to the Lords Lisle, of Rougemont.  I haven't yet established how William Malet got that property.  Since so many of the Magna Carta sureties were related to the Clare family, that might be a good direction in which to look for William Malet's first wife.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah