Ralph Fitz Bernard

  Information about this person:

• Titles: High Sherif of Lancashire, 1174-1185. ²⁸³

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Ralp Fitz Bernard, who died before June 1289, was the son and heir of Thomas Fitz Bernard, of Kingsdown, Marshal in fee of the Kings birds (who died before 11 Dec 1214), by Alice, daughter and heir of William de Jarpenville, by Aubrey de Rumenel, Lady of Llmer and Aston, heiress of the marshalsea of the King's birds. Thomas Fitz Bernard was the son of another Thomas Fitz Bernard by Eugene, younger daughter and coheir of Ralph Picot, of Tong.

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. V, (Fitz Bernard), p. 400, footnote (b)

• Web Reference: Some Corrections and Additions to Complete Peerage for Fitz Bernard.
Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. V. , (Fitz Bernard), p. 400, footnote (b) states that Ralph was the son of John Fitz Bernard by his wife Joan, daughter of Robert Aguillion. The correction is given by Some corrections and additions to the Complete Peerage: Volume 5: FitzBernard as:

"It seems that Joan, the daughter and coheir of Robert Aguillon, by Margery his wife, was the wife of Ralph Fitz Bernard (who died before 10 June 1238), not the wife of his son John (who died shortly before 30 October 1259). It is unlikely that Joan, who survived Ralph, was the mother of his son John. The evidence is summarised below.

"In Trinity 1239, Joan who was the wife of Ralph Fitz Bernard appears as one of the daughters of Margery, the sister of Idonea de Beche, daughter of William de Fresney [Curia Regis Rolls, vol.16, no 614]. Another daughter of Margery is named as Isabel (deceased, leaving a son Adam, a minor, the son of Robert de Cokefeud), and these two, together with Thomas de Poninges and Ela his wife, and Giles de Argenteam and Margery his wife, were summoned to answer with Idonea.

It appears that Joan, Isabel, Ela and Margery were the four daughters and coheirs of Robert Aguillon. There is much evidence that they were his heirs, and two of them are called his daughters by Complete Peerage - Vol. I, p.196, says that Margery, the wife of Giles d'Argentine, was his daughter (without citing evidence), and Vol. X, p.658, says that Ela, the wife of Thomas de Poynings, was his daughter by Margery his wife [citing Assize Roll 819, m.3, Coram Rege Rolls, Mich. 35-36 Hen. III, m.54; Trin. 37 Hen. III, m.4]. (Many authors have followed the account in Blomefield's History of Norfolk [Vol.II, p.178], which is essentially similar but contains a number of errors, including the identification of their mother as Agatha, daughter and coheir of Fulk de Beaufo.)

The sources cited by the Complete Peerage in the article on Fitz Bernard show only that (i) John Fitz Bernard died shortly before 30 October 1259, and left a son Ralph, aged 13, 14 or 15 and (ii) that the wardship of the land and heirs of John Fitz Bernard was granted on 15 February 1262/3 to Joan "de Aguylun", late the wife of Imbert Pugeis, and to their children - the wardship having previously been granted to Imbert. Possibly it was assumed on this basis that John had been Joan's first husband and Ralph her son.

Finally, Joan's share of the Aguillon inheritance seems to have passed to Robert Pugeis, her son by Imbert [see, e.g., Cal. Inq. p. m. vol.1, p.901; Rot. Hundred. vol.1, pp.461,542]. Therefore, presumably, she was not the mother of John Fitz Bernard, her first husband's son.

Ralph married Joan de Aguillon, daughter of Robert de Aguillon and Margery de Fresney. (Joan de Aguillon was born in 1210 in Suffolk, England and died after 15 Feb 1263 in England.)