General Notes

BARONY OF WELLES (VI)

LIONEL (DE WELLES), LORD WELLES, grandson and heir, being son and heir of IVES (or EON) DE WELLES, by Maud his wife, was born 1406; knighted in the Parliament at Leicester, 19 May 1426, by the infant King Henry VI; and had seisin of his lands, 5 December 1427. He accompanied
the King to France in 1430; was summoned to Parliament from 25 February 1431/2 to 30 July 1460, by writs directed Leoni de Welles; P.C. before 12 November 1434; a member of the King's Household, before February 1437/8; Lieutenant of Ireland, 12 February 1437/8-February 1441/2; joint Deputy, with Lord Rivers, in Calais for his brother-in-law, the Duke of Somerset, then Lieutenant of Calais, 1451-55. A firm adherent of the House of Lancaster, he was nominated K.G. before 13 May, and installed, with the Earl of Shrewsbury, 14 May 1457; was sent with reinforcements to Calais, October 1457; taken prisoner by the Yorkists at Blore Heath, 3 September 1459; was with Queen Margaret's army, which advanced on London and won St. Albans, 17 February 1460/1; but was killed at the battle of Towton, 29 March 1461. He married, 1stly, 15 August 1417, at St. Oswald's, Methley, co. York, Joan (or Cecily), daughter and (eventually, in her issue) heir of Robert WATERTON, of Methley, by Joan, widow of Sir William ELLIS, of Kiddal, co. York, daughter of William DE EVERINGHAM, of Laxton, co. Nottingham. She (described as Joan), who was living, 18 October 1434, was buried in the Waterton chapel at Methley. He married, 2ndly (licence 14 April, settlement 20 April 1447), Margaret, de jure suo jure (according to modern doctrine) BARONESS BEAUCHAMP OF BLETSOE, widow of John (BEAUFORT), 1st DUKE OF SOMERSET (who died s.p.m. 27 May 1444), and before that of Sir Oliver ST. JOHN, sister and heir of John BEAUCHAMP, daughter of John BEAUCHAMP, of Bletsoe (according to modern doctrine 4th and 3rd LORDS BEAUCHAMP OF BLETOE), by Edith, daughter of Sir John STOURTON. He died 29 March 1461, aged about 55, and was buried with his 1st wife at Methley. After his death he was attainted by Act of Parliament, 21 December 1461, whereby all his honours were forfeited. His widow died, apparently shortly before 3 June 1482, certainly on or before 20 July following. [Complete Peerage XII/2:443-4, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

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Sir Lionel de Welles, KG, b. 1406, d. Towton 29 Mar 1461, Lord Welles, Governor of Ireland 1438-1442; m. (1) Methley, 15 Aug 1417, Joan de Waterton, d. bet. 14 Oct 1434 and 14 Apr 1447, daughter of Robert de Waterton of co. York.  [Magna Charta Sureties]

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Sir Leo, or Lionel de Welles, as 6th baron, summoned to parliament from 25 February, 1432, to 30 July, 1460. This nobleman received the honour of knighthood in the 4th Henry VI [1426] from the Duke of Bedford at Leicester, with the young king himself and divers other persons of rank. His lordship for several years after served with great honour in France and was made lieutenant of Ireland for seven years in the 16th of the same reign. When the fatal feud between the houses of York and Lancaster broke out, Lord Welles arrayed himself under the banner of the latter, and adhering to his colours with unbending fidelity, fell at the battle of Towton field on Palm Sunday, 1461. His remains were deposited in Waterton Chapel, at Methley, co. York. His lordship m. 1st, Joan, or by some accounts, Cecilia, only dau. of Sir Robert Waterton, of Waterton and Methley, co. York, and sister and heir of Sir Robert Waterton, also of Waterton, Knt., and had issue, Richard, Alianore, Cecily, Margaret, and Catherine. Lord Welles m. 2ndly, Margaret, sister and heir of Sir John Beauchamp, of Bletshoe, and widow of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset (by whom she was mother of Margaret, Countess of Richmond, mother of King Henry VII) and had another son, John, created Viscount Welles. An attainder followed his lordship's decease, under which the Barony of Welles became forfeited. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, England, 1883, p. 572, Welles, Barons Welles]

The rolls of parliament show that, in the first year of Henry VII [1485[, a statute passed finally reversing all acts of attainder or forfeiture which had ever been enacted aginst the Barony of Welles. [Sir Bernard Burke, History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, England, 1883, Vol. II, p. 558, Walrond, of Dulford House]