Hugh de Neville

  General Notes:

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Neville) Vol. IX, Chart between pp. 502b-502c, Hugh de Neville is shown as the son of Ralph de Neville and Lady Rafin. He is married to Joan de de Cornhill. Their children were John de Neville, Herbert de Neville and Agnes de Neville. ¹⁴¹

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ²²⁷
Joan, the eldest daughter of Alicia de Cource, and coheir of Margaret, married Hugh de Neville, and took with her the dower of the "capital Lordship of Stoke Courcy." This Hugh de Neville was called "the elder," and was Chief Justice of the Forests of of the Forests of England, south of Trent, 1224. He was the great benefactor to the Prior of Stoke Courcy.

Hugh went with King Richard to the Holy Land and according to Gerard's account of Heathfield Columbers, Hugh "slew a lion by driving an arrow first into his breast, then with his sword." Gerard futher states that King Richard made "Hugo de Novilla, Proto Forester of Chief Justice of all the forests in England, as one most fitt for it, for seeing he could tame the king of beasts noe doubt he was able to protect the rest."

~Forests and Deer Parks of the County of Somerset, p. 60-61

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Rafin was a sub-tenant of three hides in Warnham, Sussex, in 1086 [Domesday Book, vol. i, fo. 24b]. Hugh de Neville of Essex sued Robert de Caus for 2 and one-half fees in Stoke (Sussex), of which his great-greandfather, Gilbert Rafin was seised temp. Henry I [Cur. Regis Rolls, vol. iv. p. 79]. In the same 1227, the same Hugh sued Philip de Kyme for land in Ingham and Coates, Lincolnshrie, as having belonged to his grandfather temp. Henry II. The jury found that one Simon, son of William, had two nephews, Betram and William Raffyn, and to Bertram, living during the reign of Stephen, he gave land in Faldingworth, which Hugh then still held, and to William the land in Ingham and Coates; afterward, during the reign of Stephen, being angry with William, he took away the land from him, and kept it himself, and it descened to the ancestors of Philip; Hugh's grandfather was not seised of the land in dispute, temp. Henry II, but only temp. Stephen and in time of war [Bracton's Not Book, no. 251; Assize Roll 97, rot. 6].

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. IX, chart between p. 502a, footnote (aa)

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Hugh de Neville, son of Ralph, had a grant of the manor of Great Hllingbury, Essex, from Richard I, in whose household he is said to have served from his youth. Hugh accompanied the King to the 3^rd Crusade, 1190, and took part in the siege of Jaffa, 1192. He returned safely to England, and in Apr 1194, became farmer under the Crown, and keeper, of Marlborough. Before the end of the reign of Richard, he was acting as bailiff, and chief of the itinerant justices, of the Forest. Hugh was sheriff of Essex and Herts, 1198/99 and 1202/03, and Lincolnshire, 1227. He continued to hold office under John, and combined office with the profit of farming sundry Royal forests. On 12 Sep 1203, he had a charter, for life, of the office of Forester, which Fulk de Lisours held, was made treasure before 27 Jan 1208/9, and became one of the King's chief advisers. In 1213, he was keeper of the seaports from Cornwall to Hants.

Hugh de Neville, remained faithful to John during the trouble with the Barons, until 1216, being one of the twenty-seven who appeared on the King's side at Runnymede in June 1215. When the Dauphin had overrun Kent, he did homage to the invader and surrendered the royal castle of Marlborough, thus forfeiting his lands and offices. He restored his fealty, and his lands and the Forestership were restored to him in Oct 1217. In 1224, he was appointed Chief Justice and Keeper of the Forest. In 1225, chief of the commissioners to take evidence as to the bounds of the forests throughout the country, preparatory to the disafforestation of of large tracts, which brought a greater area into cultivation and gave liberties not only to men, but to dogs. About Dec 1233, in order to prevent the landing of an enemy, Hugh was directed to fortify and remain permanently in the castle of Stogursey (Stoke Courcy), Somersetshire, which, with half the manor, was of the inheritance of his 1^st wife, Joan.

Hugh de Neville married, 1^st, before 30 Apr 1200, Joan, daughter and heir of Henry de Cornhill, the son of Gervase Fitz Roger de Cornill, by his wife Alice de Courcy. Joan de Cornhill was the coheir of her mother, was living in Dec 1224, and provided for her burial at Waltham Abbey.

Hugh de Neville married, 2^nd, by Apr 1230, Beatrice, one of the five daughters and coheirs of Stephen de Turnham, and widow of Ralph de Fay. Hugh de Neville died before 21 Jul 1234, and was buried at Waltham.

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. IX, (Neville), pp. 479-481

Hugh married Joan de Cornhill, daughter of Sir Henry de Cornhill and Alice de Courcy.¹⁴¹ (Joan de Cornhill was born about 1189 in Bolebrook, East Grinstead, Sussex, England and died after Dec 1224 and Before Apr 1230 in Essex, England ¹⁴¹.)