General Notes

The following is Excerpted from a post to SGM, 30 Sep 2002, by John Ravilious:

From: John Ravilious (Therav3@@aol.com)
Subject: Re: Reginald de St. Valery and His Descendants
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
Date: 2002-09-30 09:39:35 PST 
Monday, 30 September, 2002

In 1210 or 1211 Annora had married Robert de Dreux, eldest son of Count Robert II of Dreux, and brother of Peter de Dreux later Duke of Brittany. Robert consistently supported Philip Augustus against King John, but made his peace with Henry III in 1217. He became Count of Dress in 1218 and in February 1219 was awarded the lands that Thomas of St. Valery had held in England. By the end of 1226, as he had again chosen to side with France, Henry III seized all his English lands.

In 1227 Henry III granted all Robert de Dreux's English lands to his brother, Richard of Cornwall. The grant was confirmed by charter to 1231. Under Richard of Cornwall, Beckley, as a part of the honor of St. Valery, was the most important of the five demesne manors of the honor in Oxfordshire-the others being Willaston, Blackthorn with Ambrosden, Asthall, and Yarnton; the honor was sometimes called 'of St. Valery of Beckley'; or simply `of Beckley'.' Richard's tenure at Beckley suffered one brief interruption after his capture by the Montfortiana at Lewes in 1264, but he recovered his lands in 1265 after Evesham Richard died in 1272 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Edmund, who held the manor of St Valery, including Beckley and Horton for 28 years.

He died in 1300, leaving no children, and his cousin, King Edward I, inherited his lands. Beckley and Horton were among the lands which Edward I granted for life to Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. In 1302, on Roger's death in 1306 they reverted to the Crown.

In 1308 Edward II gave Beckley to Hugh Despenser the elder, who later in the same year, leased the manor for life to his follower Sir John de Hadlow, who had been keeper of the manor and park in 1307. When the honor o£ St. Valery was conferred upon Piers Gaveston in 1309, Beckley was excluded. ' [1]

The authors used VCH Oxfordshire amongst their sources, but beyond this I have not yet read the entire webpage.  Given that Beckley lands later wound up in Buckinghamshire, possibly VCH carries other details there as well.

Hope this is helpful.

John Ravilious