Stillington - again

What better way to start the New Year!

Some of you who've followed my tedious meanderings will know that our Bishop had a particular relationship with East Harptree in Somerset, which was one of his earliest Prebendaries, though not for long. His daughter married the wealthy John Hampton who 'owned' it (and was probably the John Hampton who was a servant of Henry VI) and his three granddaughters married the sons of the people who lived round about - Richard Cholke the Judge who was their guardian, Edmund Gorges, squire to the body of Edward, and Sir John Newton, Welshman and Judge and brother in law to Eleanor Butler, who was later to claim descent from the Tudors. All also had links to the Twynyhos and thus potentially George, who was just up the road.

John Hampton's ancestors had married the last female of the de Gournay family who had owned East Harptree for centuries and seem to have been of Norman origin. On doing a casual search on East Harptree, I found that they owned a castle there called Richemont which was still extant in the fifteenth century. Over to you David! If there is indeed a Breton connection it would be interesting.

Also, Gorges's daughter was married to Sir Morgan Kidwelly, Richard's attorney. Isn't there some controversy over whether he contacted HT, or whether it was a 'Morgan from Kidwelly'.

I've kept an open mind on Stillington but, given that through the Holmes, he was related to a whole bunch of gentry which surrounded Richard in Yorkshire (Constables, Inglebys, Bigods, Askes, Plumptons, Wycliffes to name but a few) he seems to have had little contact with him, given that Richard lived down the road from all these for nigh on twenty years. Or is it that their loyalties were towards the Percies; certainly some had supported them in the Hotspur rebellion? H