General Notes

SOMERY

Observations.- Nothing is known of the origin of the family of Somery. John de Somery, its first representative, who m. Hawise Paynel, seems to have held in Little Crawley, Bucks, under Gervase Paynel; but this may have been his wife's maritagium. No link between John and the de Somery families of Essex, Kent, Herts and Cambridgeshire, or of Sussex, or of Somerset or Dorset, or of Surrey, is discoverable. There was an Agnes de Somery who, before 1170, held under Gervase Payne], in Churchill, Worcs; but she has not been identified. Edmondson and others have suggested that Somery of Dudley sprang from Ascelin, called Gouel de Perceval, ancestor of the Lovels of Castle Cary, Som. There appears to be no evidence for this beyond the fact that in two generations a younger son bore the additional name of Perceval. William de Somery, who succeeded his brother Ralph and died in 1222, is described variously as William de Somery, Percevall de Duddelegh or de Sumery, and William Percevall de Somery. Again, in 1278 and in 1300-01, John, younger brother of Roger de Somery, is styled Persevallus de Somery, and John Perceval de Somery; and he also appears in the Parliamentary Roll of Arms as Sire Perceval de Somery of Warwickshire, bearing Azure, 2 lions passant gold; Roger de Somery bore the coat of the Paynels, viz. Gold, 2 lions passant azure. Lodge states that Sir Roger Perceval, who was living in 1287, was also known as Sir Roger de Somery; but no authority is given, and none has been traced. He was certainly not identical with the contemporary Roger de Somery of Dudley.

JOHN DE SOMERY married Hawise, sister and heir of Gervase, and daughter of Ralph PAYNEL, who had inherited the barony of William FitzAnsculph. John died before Gervase. Hawise survived him, and married, 2ndly, Roger DE BERKELEY.  [Complete Peerage XII/1:109-10, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]