General Notes

Henry de Strode was born about 1275 in the same Dorsetshire area which had been home to his forebears for generations. He apparently lived in Hewstock, the village where his father spent much of his life. Sketchy information indicates that he may have been a knight like several of his predecessors but, for reasons that cannot be ascertained, lost the knighthood. The era in which he lived saw the Christians finally driven from the Holy Land during the last Crusade and Marco Polo make his historic journey to China. Inventions included spectacles, the sawmill, the mechanical clock and lace was first made in France and Flanders. He married Maud Matilda de Beaupre about 1305 at Middleway Manor in Inglestreet, Dorsetshire. They were the parents of four children, three boys and a girl, born between 1310 and 1317. Their future appeared promising as changes in economic and social conditions begun in the 1200's continued. By the early 1300's, Dorsetshire was producing much wheat and wool and had a prosperous clothing business built upon the earlier invention of the spinning wheel. The feudal system, which was based on manorialism, or fiefs, began to break down, allowing for more individual enterprise. Slaves had virtually disappeared. With the return of trade, the ruling lords could pay for military and other services with money instead of fiefs. Great cathedrals were built, including the one at Salisbury, not far from where the Strodes lived. The imposing 404 foot spire of Salisbury Cathedral remains today the highest in England. But the emergence of a new, more prosperous society was to be short-lived. In 1337, the Hundred Years War between England and France began. It would not end until 1453. Trade was interrupted and the economies of both nations were exhausted. Severe droughts and then floods also brought famine and an outbreak of plague descended upon the country. Henry de Strode died sometime around 1349 in Chalmington, Dorsetshire. Matilda apparently died shortly thereafter. Since the date of their deaths coincide with the time of the plague, both may have been its victims.