General Notes

St. John, de Sancto Johanne.

Saint-Jean-le Thomas: Manche, arr. Avranches, cant. Sartilly.

On the conquest of Normandy William de St. John adhered to king John and his lands in Normandy were confiscated by Philip Augustus [King of France].  An entry in the Registers of Philip Augustus makes the place of origin certain.  William was the son of Adam de Port of Basing by Mabel, heiress of Oval and through her mother of the St. John honour of Halnaker; and William adopted the name of St. John.  Gerville has given a description of the remains of the castle at St-Jean-le-Thomas.  [Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILLIAM DE PORT, afterwards WILLIAM DE ST JOHN (d), son and heir by 1st wife, made profer in 1202 of 150 li. for the lands in England of his great-uncle William de St John (h1), i.e. the honor of Halnaker. In 1203 he occurs on the Norman Exchequer Rolls as owing 12 li. 10s. for scutage on the service of 21 knights' due on the fees of William d'Orval. On the separation of England and Normandy in 1204 William adhered to King John and his lands in Normandy were confiscated. Southampton castle was committed to him on his father's death, and he was sheriff of Hants, 1214 and 1215. He was with John in his disastrous expedition in Poitou and Anjou, 1214. In February 1214/5 he was one of the King's emissaries to the Earls, Barons and people of Hants, and in November one of those charged to bring men from Angouleme, and stores from Corfe castle, to the King at Rochester; but later he joined the Dauphin, probably at the siege of Winchester, July 1216. However, on 16 March 1216/7 he had a safe-conduct to speak with the Earl Marshal, his lands having been granted on the previous day to John Marshal. In February 1219/20 he was "with the King" at the siege of Bytham; in February 1224/5 he witnessed the Forest Charter and the confirmation of Magna Carta. Bailiff of the Channel Islands, May 1227 to October 1232. In 1230 he served in Henry's abortive expedition into France, and in 1233 was employed in defence of the Southeast coast. He married Godeheut (h2); and died in 1239 (i). By 1242-43 his widow had married Richard de Lucy (j). [Complete Peerage XI:321-2, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

(d) Ego Willielmus de Sancto Johanne filius et heres Adae de Port.  The change of name, of which the first undoubted occurrence is at Trinity 1205, is curious, since the family of Port both in ancestry and landed estate was more important than that of St. John.

(h1) His mother Mabel through whom these lands came to the family being dead, they passed direct to William as his mother's heir and his father Adam took no estate by curtesy.

(h2) She is said, in the Boxgrove "Stemma Funditoris" to have been daughter of ? Paynel.  They had younger sons Adam and William.  Their daughter Godeheut m., 1stly William de Ros of Kent; 2ndly Hugh de Wyndleshores.

(i) Besides his gifts to Boxgrove, he was a benefactor of Bromholm priory, Norfolk.

(j) They held West Shelford, Berks, of the inheritance of Robert de St. John.