Many old pedigrees claim that Eleanor de Beauchamp married 3 times but primary evidence makes it clear that she only married John de Meriet and had died by 1361.
* John Beauchamp & his wife Margaret St John married in about 1320 & had 5 known children; 3 of whom survived to adulthood. Tow daughters; Cecily Beauchamp [who married Gilbert de Turberville & then Roger Seymour], Eleanor Beauchamp [who married Sir John de Meriet] and a son John de Beauchamp.
* When the son John de Beauchamp died in 1361, his heirs were found to be his sister Cecily [Beauchamp] Seymour and John de Meriet, aged about 15 [so born 1345/46], son of his deceased sister Eleanor & her husband Sir John Meriet. IF Eleanor had been alive, SHE would have been the heir, along with Cecily [who also had sons].
* Furthermore, property deed dated to mid 1362 show that the wife of Sir John Meriet is now named "Matilda" & his Inquisition Post Mortem held in 1369 established that Matilda survived him.
* Most pedigrees, to avoid this "issue" show that Eleanor married Sir John Blount BEFORE she married Sir John Meriet. This however, is not possible either, as then her supposed son Walter Blount would have been John Beauchamp's heir.
* The claim that this Eleanor married John Blount seems to be based on a misinterpretation of the Blount's arms. See the following link for a detailed and convincing discussion.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.genealogy.medieval/B3id... no evidence for a Blount marriage
* So, Eleanor needs to be unlinked for Sir John Blount & the Blount children & her date of death changed to before 1361.
For details on the Meriet marriage see here;
Meriet of Meriet and of Hestercombe by B. W. Greenfield 1883
page 127 & 128 Sir John Meriet had married Matilda, his second wife in or before May 1362 as at that date he, as Sir John Meriet, chivalier, for a fine of 20 pounds, obtained a licence [Originalia Rolls, 36 Edward III rot 41] to convey his manors of Lopene and Stratton, Somerset to Robert Sambourne, parson of that church of Meryet, and John Ford, to hold for the use of himself and Matilda his then wife for their lives, with remainded to his right heirs [Inq 36 Edward III (2 nrs) no 56]
He is called John de Meriet, Kt, senior in Close Roll 21 R II pt 2 m.5; in Inq p.m. of Matilda his widow, who remarried Sir Thomas de Bokeland, Kt, 21 R II, no 5, and in Close Roll, 49 E. III m 15d.
Writs of 'diem clausit' on the death of Sir John de Meriet, chivalier, dated 12 October, 43, Edward III (1369), were directed to the escheators of Somerset & Lincolnshire. Accordingly, an Inquisition was taken at Horncastle, Co Lincoln, before Walter de Kelby, the escheator, 20 Oct 43 Edward III (1369)-when it was found that Sir John de Meriet, chivalier, deceased, held in his demesne, two-thirds of the manor of Castel Carlton, of the King in chief, and the reversion of the remaining third part, which Isabel (his mother), who was wife of George de Meriet, his father, held in dower for the term of her life-of the inheritance of him, the said John de Meriet.The entire manor was worth 40 marks per annum. And as the said John de Meriet died at Calais on Tuesday next after the feast of St. Michael in the same year (2 October 1369), and John, son of the aforsaid John de Meriet, was his nearest heir, of the age of 25 years and more. (this is an example of the innacuracy which not infrequently occurs as to the age of the heir - as is shewn, in this instance, in 23) of these notes -[ Inq. p.m. 43 Edward III pt. 2 (1 nrs) no. 2. ]... p129 The Somerset Inquisition, returned to Chancery, has been much damaged... a transcript exists in the escheators account's... held...the manor of Meryet... He also held, together with Matilda, his wife who still survived.. and John de Meryet, his heir, of the age of 23 years and more. ... p. 131, Matilda, second wife of Sir John de Meriet, chivalier, senior, and executrix to his will... This settlement was confirmed by her step-son Sir John de Meriot, Chivalier, 47 Edward III (1372-3), at which time she was the wife of Sir Thomas de Bokeland, chivalier [Inq. 3 R. II no 96].. 132 Sortly after the death of Sir Thomas de Bokeland, her second husband, she, in her pure widowhood on 10 March II R. (1378-9) conveyed her life estate in manors...Matilda died 11 March 1397-8 & was buried at St Peter of South Petherton, Somerset.
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