Sir Walter Blount and Sancha de Ayala

Having just returned from Spain, I can only remember one ancestor of Spanish descent. Both my husband and I derive almost exclusively from the British Isles; there’s just a little Dutch from New Amsterdam, a couple of Palantine Germans, and a few sprinklings of Italian blood , until you get to the Norman French and the Vikings who married into the native British. But Allan’s mother, Connie, is descended, thru her father’s Howe line, from Sir Walter Blount. He was called "the Heroic" and was celebrated for his martial prowess in the war-like times of Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV and he was immortalized by Shakespeare for his devotion even unto death to King Henry IV. Sir Walter Blount fell at the battle of Shrewsbury on the 22nd day of June, 1403, wherein being standard bearer, he was arrayed in the same armour as his royal master, and was slain, according to the poet, by the Earl of Douglass, who had supposed he was contending with the King himself.
except from Shakespeare:
Blunt: What is the name, that in the battle thus thou crossest me? What
honour does thy seek upon my head?
Douglass: Know then my name is Douglass; and I do haunt thee in battle
thus, because some tell me thou art king.
Blunt: They tell thee true.
Douglass: The Lord Stafford, dear today hath bought thy likeness; for
instead of thee, King Harry. The sword hath ended him; so shall it thee,
unless thou yieldest thee as my prisoner.
(They fight and Blunt is slain) Enter Lord Percy, called Hotspur.
Hotspur: O Douglass, hadst thou fought at Holderness thus I never had
triumphed on Scot.
Douglass: All's don. All's won. Here breathless lies the King.
Hotspur: Where?
Douglass: Here.
Hotspur: This Douglass? No, I know full well: A gallant knight was he, his
name was Blunt. Semblably furnished like the King himself.
Hotspur was also killed at Shrewsbury. John of Gaunt, at his decease, appointed Sir Walter Blount one of his executors and bequeathed him a legacy of 100 marks (abt 66-6s-8d). He was buried at St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England. He was born circa 1350. Sir Walter Blount accompanied the Black Prince and John of Gaunt upon the expedition into Spain to aid Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile in 1367. He He assisted in the battle of Najara, which restored Pedro the Cruel to his throne on 3 Apr 1367. He married Sancha de Ayala, daughter of Diego Gomez Toledo and Inez Alfon Ayala, in 1372. Sir Walter's half brother, Sir John Blount of Sodington, conveyed to him numerous manors which he had inherited from his mother, Isolde, heiress of the Mountjoy family, in counties Derby, Stafford, Leicester and Hertford in 1374. He obtained a charter for a fair and free warren in his demesne lands at Barton, and other manors in Derbyshire in 1385. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, granted one hundred markes a year to Sir Walter for the good services which had been rendered to him by the knight and his wife, the Lady Sancia in 1398. He was ranger of Needwood forest, and knight of the shire for the county of Derby in 1399. He left a will in 1401.
In the year 1371 Doña Constanza, daughter of the deceased (and dethroned) King of Castile, Don Pedro I (The Cruel) went to England to become the bride of King Edward III's son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. Among the young Castilian ladies of aristocratic birth who accompanied her was Doña Sancha de Ayala, daughter of Don Diego (or Día-) Gómez de Guzmán (or de Toledo) and his wife, Doña Inés de Ayala. She met and married Sir Walter Blount during this period. Records reveal payments to Sancha at various times; once (2 January 1380) her name was associated with that of "Phelippe Chaucy", i.e., Philippa Chaucer, wife of the author of the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer. On this occasion she was described by the Duke of Lancaster as "our very dear attendant" (nostre treschere compaigne) "dame Senche Blount".
Three years after her husband's death, Dame Sancha founded a chantry in the Hospital of St. Leonard, Alkmonton, county Derbyshire. Her son-in-law, John Sutton, (husband of Constance Bount) died on August 29, 1406. On November 23 following, Dame Sancha was granted commission of the keeping of all the lands late of John Sutton, tenant in chief, during the minority of his six- year-old son and heir, John Sutton; her duties included "finding a competent maintenace for the heir, maintaining the houses and buildings and supporting the charges." In the same month the escheator in Worcestershire was ordered "to take of Constance who was the wife of John Sutton an oath etc. and in the presence of Sancha who was the wife of Walter Blount knight, to whom the king has committed the ward thereof, or of her attorneys, to assign the said Constance dower of the said John's lands."
Dame Sancha Blount made her will (still in existence) in 1415, and died in 1418. Sancha de Ayala, Lady Bount, the ancestress of several English settlers in America, was descended from some of the most illustrious Castilian families. Through her father she belonged to the House of Guzmán (also called Toledo) which produced many noble families in Spain and a series of wives and mistresses for Spanish and Portuguese kings. Her mother, Inés de Ayala (by whose surname Sancha was known), was sprung from the great House of Ayala of Toledo, which traced its pedigree in the male line to the House of Haro, Lords of Biscay. The proof of Sancha's parentage is contained in a family genealogy begun about 1385 by her materal uncle, Pedro López de Ayala, Grand Chancellor of Castile. He stated that Doña Sancha "married a Knight of England, who was called Sir Walter Blount." She was buried beside her husband at St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England.

Henry William Chellis was born on 15 Mar 1838 at Goshen, Sullivan, New

Hampshire, United States of America. He appeared on the census of 1860 at

Windham, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States of America. He began

military service between 18 Aug 1862 and 21 Jun 1865. Henry W Chellis,

served Union, residence Windham, New Hampshire

He enlisted as a private on 18 August 1862 at the age of 25,

in Company I, 13th Infantry Regiment New Hampshire on 20 September

1862. He was promoted to Full Corporal on 24 May 1864. He mustered

out on 21 June 1865 in Richmond, VA. He married Helen E Freeman,

daughter of Daniel H Freeman and Pamelia, on 14

Dec 1863 at Lawrence, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States of America. Helen, along with

twin sons, died 12 Sept 1867 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

He appeared on the census of 1870 in the household of Harriet N Gubtal at Ward 3,

Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States of America. He married

Frances Abigail Gubtal, daughter of Amos Currier Gubtal (211) and

Harriet N Davis (his landlady), on 29 Mar 1871 at Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts,

United States of America. He and Frances Abigail Chellis appeared on

the census of 1880 at Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States of

America. He died on 26 Oct 1925 at 6 Francis Ave, Greenwood, Wakefield,

Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States of America, at age 87. His obituary states:

H.W.Chellis of Greenwood Passes Away

Was Past Commander of G.A.R. Post in N.H. - Funeral Tomorrow

Henry W. Chellis, for the past 25 years a resident of Greenwood, passed

away early last evening at his home, 6 Francis avenue.

Mr. Chellis was in his 88th year and had been in failing health for a

number of years. He was born in Goshen, N.H., the son of William and Nancy

(Bartlett) Chellis. He served all through the Civil War and was a member of

G.A.R. He was a past commander of the Carleton Post of Farmington, N.H. He

was an attendant at the Congregational Church.

His is survived by his widow, Mrs. Frances G. Chellis, and three

daughters, Miss Maude and Miss Bertha, who made their home with their

parents, and Mrs. Edith Howe, wife of Luther M. Howe of Wakefield. There is

also one grandchild, Madeline Howe.

Funeral services will be held at the home, Wednesday afternoon at 2

o'clock on 27 Oct 1925 at Wakefield, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United

States of America. He was buried on 28 Oct 1925 at Linwood Cemetery,

Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States of America.

He is the great grandfather of my husband, Allan. Henry's daughter Edith, married Luther Maxwell Howe, and were the parents of my mother-in-law, Connie.

Heman Benedict was born on 18 Feb 1792 at Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut,

the son of John Benedict and Lydia Peck. He

married Fanny Serine, daughter of John Serine and Abigail

Barton, circa 1811. He fought in the war of 1812 as part of Company 2, REG'T (SANFORD'S),

CONNECTICUT STATE TROOPS. He was inducted as a private and remained so for the duration

of his service.

He appeared on the census of 1820 and 1830 at Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut,

United States of America. From the records of Danbury, he and his wife, Fanny,

were members of the First Ecclesiastical Society of In the winter of 1837 , and

being unable to attend service in Danbury , Mr. and Mrs. Horace Trowbridge

, Mr. and Mrs. Heman Benedict , and Miss Laura Trowbridge met together in a

private house for prayer and class-meeting. The members interested in this

early movement rapidly increased, and it became necessary to find enlarged

quarters. During 1839 they worshipped in a hall at the corner of Elm and

Maple streets, where there was preaching by a minister from Danbury once in

four weeks. At this time they became connected with the Conference circuit,

which at that time included Ridgefield , Danbury , and Poplar Plains. By 1840 Heman

and Fanny were living at Lumberland,Sullivan, New York. He died on 13 Jul 1845 at Deerpark,

Orange, New York, at age 53. Fanny die 23 Sep 1874 at age 80 in New Fairfield.

Heman Benedict and his wife, Fanny, are buried at Mountain View Cemetery, New Fairfield,

Fairfield, Connecticut.Their son, Caleb Bouton Benedict, married Hannah Wildman, daughter of

Joseph Wildman and Betsy Chase, who are my great great-grandparents through my grandmother, Martha

Post Fairchild.

Gideon Chase, Revolutionary War

Gideon Chase is one of my favorite ancestors. He fought in the Revolutionary
War, deserted because of homesickness, and later received a pension.
Gideon Chase was born about 1756; his parents are unknown, but there were
numerous Chase families living at Quaker Hill, Dutchess, New York, where he
enlisted in military service. He served in the Revolutionary War. He
began military service either Feb 1777 or Feb 1778 and served two years as a private in Captain Andrew
Moodie's Company, Colonel John Lamb's Regiment of Artillary. He ended
military service in Mar 1780. He married Lucy Pepper, daughter of
Stephen Pepper and Lucy Bennett, in 1781 at New Fairfield,
Fairfield, Connecticut, United States of America, probably in Sherman which
was part of New Fairfield at that time.. He lived at New
Fairfield (Sherman), Fairfield, Connecticut, United States of America. He
appeared in Danbury court to testify as to receiving a pension for his
military service and signed with his mark on 22 Nov 1820.
He left a will on 31 Jan 1840. It mentions Elizabeth Chase,
wife of son Daniel, Armida Chase, wife of son Abraham, sons Abraham and Daniel.
It also states that a tombstone is to be placed on the grave of son Walter.
He died in 1844 at ae 88.
Gideon Chase was buried at Coburn Burying Ground, Sherman,
Fairfield, Connecticut, United States of America. His widow, Lucy, married
Gideon Wanzer after his death.
His daughter, Betsy, married Joseph Wildman, and her granddaughter was Clarinda Wildman who married John J Durga. Their grandson was John Fairchild, my grandfather.

Brian Boru, High King of Ireland

Brian Boru was born circa 927 at Kincora, Killaloe, Ireland. He
married Mor. He married Eachraidh Ui Aeda Odba.
He He became king of Munster after the death of his brother Mathgamain in
976. He Having established unchallenged rule over his home Province of
Munster, Brian turned to extending his authority over the neighboring
provinces of Leinster to the east and Connacht to the north. By doing so,
he came into conflict with High King Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill whose
power base was the Province of Meath. For the next fifteen years, from 982
to 997, High King Máel Sechnaill repeatedly led armies into Leinster and
Munster, while Brian, like his father and brother before him, led his naval
forces up the Shannon to attack Connacht and Meath on either side of the
river. He suffered quite a few reverses in this struggle, but appears to
have learned from his setbacks. He developed a military strategy that would
serve him well throughout his career: the coordinated use of forces on both
land and water, including on rivers and along Ireland's coast. Brian's
naval forces, which included contingents supplied by the Hiberno-Norse
cities that he brought under his control, provided both indirect and direct
support for his forces on land. Indirect support involved a fleet making a
diversionary attack on an enemy in a location far away from where Brian
planned to strike with his army. Direct support involved naval forces
acting as one arm in a strategic pincer, the army forming the other arm.
In 996 Brian finally managed to control the province of Leinster, which may
have been what led Máel Sechnaill to reach a compromise with him in the
following year. By recognising Brian's authority over Leth Moga, that is,
the Southern Half, which included the Provinces of Munster and Leinster
(and the Hiberno-Norse cities within them), Máel Sechnaill was simply
accepting the reality that confronted him and retained control over Leth
Cuinn, that is, the Northern Half, which consisted of the Provinces of
Meath, Connacht, and Ulster.
Precisely because he had submitted to Brian's authority, the King of
Leinster was overthrown in 998 and replaced by Máel Morda mac Murchada.
Given the circumstances under which Máel Morda had been appointed, it is
not surprising that he launched an open rebellion against Brian's
authority. In response, Brian assembled the forces of the Province of
Munster with the intention of laying siege to the Hiberno-Norse city of
Dublin, which was ruled by Máel Morda's ally and cousin, Sigtrygg
Silkbeard. Together Máel Morda and Sigtrygg determined to meet Brian's army
in battle rather than risk a siege. Thus, in 999, the opposing armies
fought the Battle of Glen Mama. The Irish annals all agree that this was a
particularly fierce and bloody engagement, although claims that it lasted
from morning until midnight, or that the combined Leinster-Dublin force
lost 4,000 killed are open to question. In any case, Brian followed up his
victory, as he and his brother had in the aftermath of the Battle of
Sulcoit thirty-two years before, by capturing and sacking the enemy's city.
Once again, however, Brian opted for reconciliation; he requested Sigtrygg
to return and resume his position as ruler of Dublin, giving Sigtrygg the
hand of one of his daughters in marriage, just as he had with the Eoganacht
King, Cian. It may have been on this occasion that Brian married Sigtrygg's
mother and Máel Morda's sister Gormflaith, the former wife of Máel
Sechnaill. She was known as Gormflaith MacFinn. He became High King
of Ireland in 1002. He Máel Mórda mac Murchada of Leinster had only
accepted Brian's authority grudgingly and in 1012 rose in rebellion. The
Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh relates a story in which one of Brian's sons
insults Máel Morda, which leads him to declare his independence from
Brian's authority. Whatever the actual reason was, Máel Morda sought allies
with which to defy the High-King. He found one in a regional ruler in
Ulster who had only recently submitted to Brian. Together they attacked the
Province of Meath, where the former High King Máel Sechnaill sought Brian's
help to defend his Kingdom. In 1013 Brian led a force from his own Province
of Munster and from southern Connacht into Leinster; a detachment under his
son, Murchad, ravaged the southern half of the Province of Leinster for
three months. The forces under Murchad and Brian were reunited on 9
September outside the walls of Dublin. The city was blockaded, but it was
the High King's army that ran out of supplies first, so that Brian was
forced to abandon the siege and return to Munster around the time of
Christmas.
He married Dub Choblaig.
Máel Morda may have hoped that by defying Brian, he could enlist the aid of
all the other regional rulers Brian had forced to submit to him. If so, he
must have been sorely disappointed; while the entire Province of Ulster and
most of the Province of Connacht failed to provide the High King with
troops, they did not, with the exception of a single ruler in Ulster,
provide support for Máel Morda either. His inability to obtain troops from
any rulers in Ireland, along with his awareness that he would need them
when the High King returned in 1014, may explain why Máel Morda sought to
obtain troops from rulers outside of Ireland. He instructed his subordinate
and cousin, Sigtrygg, the ruler of Dublin, to travel overseas to enlist
aid.
Sigtrygg sailed to Orkney, and on his return stopped at the Isle of Man.
These islands had been seized by the Vikings long before and the Hiberno-
Norse had close ties with Orkney and the Isle of Man. There was even a
precedent for employing Norsemen from the isles; they had been used by
Sigtrygg's father, Amlaíb Cuarán, in 980, and by Sigtrygg himself in 990.
Their incentive was loot, not land. Contrary to the assertions made in the
Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh, this was not an attempt by the Vikings to
reconquer Ireland. All of the Norsemen, both the Norse-Gaels of Dublin and
the Norsemen from the Isles, were in the service of Máel Morda. It should
be remembered that the High King had 'Vikings' in his army as well; mainly
the Hiberno-Norse of Limerick (and probably those of Waterford, Wexford,
and Cork as well), but, according to some sources, a rival gang of Norse
mercenaries from the Isle of Man.
Essentially this could be characterised as an Irish civil war in which
foreigners participated as minor players.
Along with whatever troops he obtained from abroad, the forces that Brian
mustered included the troops of his home Province of Munster, those of
Southern Connacht, and the men of the Province of Meath, the latter
commanded by his old rival Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill. He may have
outnumbered Máel Morda's army, since Brian felt secure enough to dispatch a
mounted detachment under the command of his youngest son, Donnchad, to raid
southern Leinster, presumably hoping to force Máel Morda to release his
contingents from there to return to defend their homes. Unfortunately for
the High King, if he had had a superiority in numbers it was soon lost. A
disagreement with the King of Meath resulted in Máel Sechnaill withdrawing
his support (Brian sent a messenger to find Donnchad and ask him to return
with his detachment, but the call for help came too late). To compound his
problems, the Norse contingents, led by Sigurd Hlodvirsson, Earl of Orkney
and Brodir of the Isle of Man, arrived on Palm Sunday, 18 April, 1014. The battle
would occur five days later, on Good Friday.
The fighting took place just north of the city of Dublin, at Clontarf (now
a prosperous suburb). It may well be that the two sides were evenly
matched, as all of the accounts state that the Battle of Clontarf lasted
all day. Although this may be an exaggeration, it does suggest that it was
a long, drawn-out fight.
There are many legends concerning how Brian was killed, from dying in a
heroic man-to-man combat to being killed by the fleeing Viking mercenary
Brodir while praying in his tent at Clontarf[citation needed]. He is said
to be buried in the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral in the city of
Armagh. Legend dictates he is buried at the north end of the church.
He is our ancestor thru two of his sons, Donnchad and Tadhg. Truthfully, this is more for fun as it's hard to prove ancestry this far back.

Sir John Hawkwood and the White Company

He was born circa 1335. Hawkwood's youth is shrouded in tales and legends
and it is unclear how he exactly became a soldier. According to the most
accepted tales, he was a second son of a tanner in Sible Hedingham in Essex
and was apprenticed in London. Other tales also claim that he was a tailor before he became a
soldier. He began military service Hawkwood served in the English army in
France in the first stages of the Hundred Years' War under Edward III.
According to different traditions Hawkwood fought in the battles of Crécy
and/or Poitiers but there is no direct evidence of either. Different
traditions maintain that the King or Edward, the Black Prince knighted him.
It has also been speculated that he assumed the title with the support of
his soldiers. His service ended after the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360. He
Hawkwood moved to Burgundy and joined the small mercenary companies that
fought for money in France. Later he was part of the self-named Great
Company that fought against Papal troops near Avignon.
In the beginning of the 1360s Hawkwood had risen to be commander of the
White Company. In 1363 Hawkwood's men were part of the companies that the
marquis of Montferrat hired and led over the Alps to fight first against
the Green Count at Lanzo Torinese and then against Milan in the areas of
Alessandria, Tortona and Novara. Forced to leave Piedmont by the Visconti’s
condottiere Luchino dal Verme, Hawkwood and his troops nevertheless
remained in Italy in 1363. Under Hawkwood's command, the company gained
a good reputation and he became a popular mercenary commander. His success
was varied, but he exploited the shifting allegiances and power politics of
Italian factions for his own benefit.
Italian cities concentrated on trade and hired mercenaries instead of
forming standing armies. Hawkwood often played his employers and their
enemies against each other. He might get a contract to fight on one side
and then demand a payment from the other in order not to attack them. He
also could just change sides, keeping his original payment. Sometimes one
party hired him so that he would not work for their enemies.
If not paid, mercenaries like Hawkwood, could threaten their employers with
desertion or pillage. However part of the White Company's reputation was
built upon the fact that Sir John's men were far less likely to desert
dangerous situations than other mercenaries and Hawkwood soon grew much
richer than many other condottiere. He bought estates in the Romagna and in
Tuscany, a castle at Montecchio Vesponi. Despite all this, it is claimed
that he was illiterate. His education was rudimentary at best,
contemporaries specifically remarked at his lack of oratory skills, and
much of his business and correspondence was done by proxy and later his
wife. He He attended the wedding of Lionel of Antwerp to Violante,
daughter of Galeazzo II Visconti, in Milan. Also in attendance were the
literary stars of the era Chaucer, Jean Froissart and Petrarch in 1368.
When Hawkwood's company was fighting
for the Pope against Florence in the War of the Eight Saints, Florence made
an agreement with him and paid him not to attack for three months in 1375.
He married Donnina Visconti, daughter of Bernabo Visconti,
circa 1377. Hawkwood led the destruction of Cesena by mercenary armies,
acting in the name of Pope Gregory XI. One tale claims that he had promised
the people that they would be spared, but cardinal Robert of Geneva ordered
them all killed. Shortly after, he switched allegiance to the anti-papal
league and married Donnina Visconti, the illegitimate daughter of Bernabò
Visconti, the Duke of Milan. A quarrel with Bernardo soon ended the
alliance, and Hawkwood instead signed an agreement with Florence in 1377.
He Richard II of England appointed him as ambassador to the Roman Court in
1381. Hawkwood, fighting for Padova, fought Giovanni Ordelaffi from
Forlì, fighting for Verona in the Battle of Castagnaro, and won in 1387.
In the 1390s Hawkwood became a commander-in-chief of the army of
Florence in the war against the expansion of Gian Galeazzo Visconti of
Milan. Hawkwood's army invaded Lombardy and was within ten miles of Milan
before he had to retreat over Adige river. Later in the year, forces under
his command defended Florence and later defeated the Milanese force of
Jacopo dal Verme. Eventually Visconti sued for peace. Contemporary opinion
in Florence regards Hawkwood as a savior of Florence's independence against
Milanese expansion.
At that stage Florence had given him citizenship and a pension. He spent
his latter years in a villa in the vicinity of Florence in 1390. He died
between 16 Mar 1394 and 17 Mar 1394 at Florence, Italy.
He was buried with state honors in the Duomo.
Shortly afterwards, Richard II asked for his body to be returned to his native England.
He is the ancestor of my husband's father, thru his daughter, Antiocha, who married
Sir William de Coggeshall.

William de Peverel of Haddon Hall

The origins of the hall date to the 11th century. William Peverel, illegitimate son of William the Conqueror,
held the manor of Haddon in 1087, when the survey which resulted in the Domesday Book was undertaken.

William de Peverel was probably the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror and Maud Ingelrica
who later married Ranulph de Peverel. William was greatly honoured after the Norman
Conquest, receiving over a hundred holdings in central England from the
king, William the Conqueror. He was born illegitimate circa 1040. He
began military service in 1066 where he is shown in 'The Battle Abbey Roll' to
have fought at the Battle of Hastings. He married Adeline.
In 1086, the Domesday Book records William as holding substantial land
(162 lordships), collectively called the Honour of Peverel, in
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, including Nottingham Castle.He also
built Peveril Castle, Castleton, Derbyshire. Peverel is one of people
explicitly recorded in the Domesday Book as having built castles in 1086.
He died circa 1115. He is the ancestor of Kenneth Earl Williams thru his daughter, Adelise, who
married Richard de Rieviers. He is also the ancestor of Eleanor Fairchild Williams thru his son,
William who married Avicia de Lancaster.

Haddon Hall has been used as the set for many movies, including the newest version of Jane Eyre and the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.