Hi Nimrod & William,
Sorry for the length of this message-I am wanting you to delete [or at least detach] this profile from both her parents as they did not have a daughter & nor did they have Hestercombe.
I have been doing quite a bit of work on the Beauchamp & Seymour tree, finding documents to support the tree. As far as I can see, there is no evidence at all to support a daughter of this John de Meriet & his wife Eleanor having a daughter, much less one who was able to convey Hestercome through a marriage to the Warre family ; in part because this John de Meriet did not have Hestercome as one of his Manors.
Using Meriet of Meriet and Hestercombe by B. W. Greenfield, published in 1883, as it contains transcripts of all the Inquisition Post Mortems & property deeds relating to the family; the pedigree chart demonstrates that it was the "junior" branch of the family who had "Hestercombe"; Nicholas de Meriet [died 1258] & his wife Elizabeth had two sons- John de Meriet [died 1284-5] of Castle Carlton & Meriet and Simon de Meriet who married Lucy Mallet. They had two sons-John de Meriet "Le Neue" [to distinguish him from his cousin. This is the John who died in Feb 1327 & had Hestercombe. His wife was Elizabeth, widow of Philip Paynel & she died 16 Nov 1344] & Walter de Meriet. John & Elizabeth had John de Meriet who died without issue in 1338 & Sir Simon de Meriet of Hestercombe who died in 1372. He married Margery [who her Hestercombe for life after John's death. She died between 1390-1393. Their only child was Alice de Meriet who married Sir Thomas Tryvet but they had no issue & she predeceased her father, dying in about 1366.
A long & detailed series of Inquisition Post Mortems demonstrate that it was the junior branch that held Hestercombe & that this branch totally ran of heirs and that Hestercombe was transferred to Richard Warre and his heirs in 1393 because of this [there was no marriage]. I have copied some of the relevant passages from his very detailed book;
(37). Simon de Meriet, son and heir of Sir John de Meriet,
Kt., of Hestercombe, and Elizabeth, his second wife. By the
inquisition on his father's death [see note (34)] he was found
to be 20 years of age at Michaelmas, 1326. [Esc. 1 E. III.
no. 50.] By reason of this minority the guardianship of his
lands in Capelond, together with the next presentation to the
church of Capelond, devolved to Sir John de Acton, Kt., as
chief lord of the fee : consequently, the living becoming vacant.
Sir John de Acton, on 12 of the Kalends of July (20 June),
1328, as patron for that turn, presented Geoffry, called ' Bar-
linch de Cosynton' (Geoffry Barlinch of Cossington, near
Bridgwater?) to the church of Capelond. [Register Drokens-
ford, fol. 271.]
In April, 7 E. III. (1333), and again in the octave of Hilary
HE. III. (1337-8), a fine was made between Walter, son of
Lucy de Meriet, querent, by his substitute, Stephen Percehaye,
and John de Meryet de Hestercumhe,'' deforciant, whereby
John de Meriet, for 100 marks silver {£QQ 13s. 4d.), conveyed in
fee to the said Walter the reversion of the manors of Hester-
combe and Legh-Flory, after the death of Elizabeth the
widow of John de Meriet, deceased, who was holding the same
for her life ; the reversion of the manor of Capelond after the
death of the said Elizabeth, who was holding the same in dower ;
the reversion of one messuage, one (water) mill, and one virgate-
of land in Meryet, after the death of John deBath ('Bathon'),
who was holding the same for his life ; the reversion of one mes-
suage and half a virgate of land in the ville of Coumbe-Flory,
after the death of John Atte-Brome, who was holding the same
for his life ; all of which w^ere of the inheritance of the said John
de Meryet (party to the fine). Likewise the fee (in posses-
sion) of one messuage, two carucates and half a virgate of land.
22 acres of meadow, 30 acres of pasture, and 10 acres of wood ;
worth 52s., and 2lbs. of cummin and 2Ib. of pepper of rent ; one
knight's fee and with the appurtenances (all being) in Ashton
Daundo, Yaford, and Lydeard St. Lawrence, in Somerset; with
the homages and services of John Gyan and Emma his wife,
Thomas Cunduyt, William de Asshelond, William de la Pole
and Edith his wife, and Thomas de Bykefold, for their several
holdings in the said villes ; also of one knight^s fee, and the
homages and services of John de Cormailles and John Mad-
hurst for their several holdings in Eston-Boloygne, in co.
Southampton; and 6d. of rent and one knight's fee in Hemeles-
worth (in the parish of Wichampton), Dorset, to have and to
hold (all) to the said Walter de Meriet and his heirs of the
chief lords of the several fees by the services which appertained
thereto for ever. [Fin. Cone. Divers Counties, HE. III. no.
221.]
Thus he displaced his younger brother Simon, as his heir,
from the succession to his manors and lands, &c., in favour of
his uncle, Walter de Meriet. This proceeding bears close re-
lation, as cause, to that of his mother, Elizabeth, in Michaelmas
Term, 1335 — mentioned above in note (35) — viz., the giving to
her younger son, Simon de Meriet, all the estate and interest
which she held by the gift of her eldest son [from her first marriage], John Paynel, in
the manor of Combe-Kaynes, Dorset.
No inquisition appears to have been taken on the death of
this John de Meriet, and the presumption is that no writ was
issued on the occasion. It is evident that he left no lawful
issue, as his brother Simon succeeded to the inheritance of
Hestercombe and other manors and lands, &c., on the death of
Walter de Meriet, the uncle, in 1345. [See note (38).]
Many facts and dates are here brought together : the aim
has been to sort them well into a fairly connected narrative,
as thereon must depend much of their usefulness. They shew
as will be seen on referring to the folding pedigree, that the
junior branch of the family became entirely extinct on the
death of Sir Simon of Hestercombe, who died without sur-
viving issue between the years 1367 and 1372, when all his
manors and lands, &c., subject to his widow's life estate therein,
vested in Sir John de Meriet of Meriet and his assigns.
(40). Margery, wife of Sir Simon de Meriet, Kt. It has been
already shewn that in February, 1346-7, her husband settled a
life estate upon her of several manors and lands ; and that she
held such an estate in the manors of Hestercombe, Combe
Flory, Bradeford with the advowson of its church, Wyde-
combe, Elle worth, Brompton-Raufe, Wyke by Taunton, Cape-
lond, and Assheton by Bristol; and messuages and lands in
Yartecombe, Bishop's Lideyard, Kingeston, Okcombe,
Legh, Plassh, Sandlane, Cerneheye by Taunton, and Lymyng-
ton. There is presumptive evidence that she survived Sir
Simon, and had married before April, 1372, Thomas de
Welyngton. [Fin. Cone. Divers Counties, 47 E. III. no. 749.]
See (page 152). She survived her second husband, and was
living in Easter Term, 1390, when she was still holding the
manors of Hestercombe and Combe Flory. [Fin. Cone.
Somerset, 13 R. 11. no. 14]. This is the latest notice that is
found of her. There is proof that she had died before Michael-
mas, 1393, as in that Term those manors, with several other
manors and lands in Somerset and Devon, were conveyed by
final accord to feoffees ; as regarded the manor and advowson
of the chantry of Combe Flory, to hold to the use of John Hulle
and Matilda his wife, for their lives, with remainder to Nicholas
Hele and Alice his wife, and the heirs of Alice ; and as re-
garded the manor of Hestercombe, to grant the same to Richard
Warre and his heirs. [Fin. Cone. Divers Counties, 17 R. II.
no. 77.It will also be seen that on the death of Ehzabeth, the in-
fant daughter of Sir John de Meriet of Meriet, the representa-
tion of the senior branch passed by heirs female to the families
of Bonville, and Stafford of Hoke, about the year 1395 ; and
that this senior branch most probably became extinct in the
male line on the death of Sir John de Meriet's brother of the
half blood, Thomas Meriet of Stanlinch, of whom no further
trace has been found after the year 1418.
B. W. Greenfield
Thank you for reading my message,
From Jenny
