Stephen de Meynell

  General Notes:

Early Yorkshire Charters - Volume II, p. 137, suggests that Stephen Meinil took place during the time Thomas Becket was the Archbisop of Canterbury, and the wardship of his son Robert was in the possession of Thomas Becket, who was enfeoffed of the service of the fee of Meinil. ¹⁰⁶³

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Stephem de Meinill, the first, son and heir to his father Robert, was accorded participation in the benefits resulting from his father's grant to St. Mary's Abbey, Yorkshire, circa 1100-1106, and he witnessed the latter's charter to Rievaulx Abbey. In 1143, he was instrumental in negotiating a truce between the Bishop of Durham and William Cumin. He granted the place called Scrth in Whorlton for the service of God. Stephen de Meinill married Sibil, most likely the daughter of Ansketil de Bulmer. Stephen was living in 1145.

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. VIII, (Meihill), p. 620

• Background Information: Line of Accent from Stephen de Meynell to Philip Darcy. ¹⁰⁶²
The earliest member of the family of Meynell of whom any record is known is the Robert de Meynell who granted the church of Ayton to Whitby Abbey [(Surt. Soc.), i, 6; ii, 37] and the vill of Myton to St. Mary's, York, [Dugdale, Mon. iii, 558] before 1112. His wife was named Gertrude and he had a son Stephen. [Ibid.] This Stephen was a witness in about 1145 to the foundation charter granted by Walter d'Espec to Rievaulx Abbey, and was described as one of Walter's neighbours. [Rievaulx Chartul. (Surt. Soc.), 21] Robert son of Stephen [Guisbro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc.), ii, 298] was his heir. He was living in 1168-9 [Ibid. 78 n.; Pipe R. 15 Hen. II (Pipe R. Soc.), 44] and was the father of Stephen de Meynell, his successor, who appointed Hugh de Rudby his deputy for granting the church of Whorlton to Guisborough Priory at the end of the 12th century [Guisbro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc.), ii, 298'969. The grant mentions Stephen's father Robert and grandfather Stephen.]. This Stephen had a son and heir another Robert [Rievaulx Chartul. (Surt. Soc.), 42, 282], who was living in 1202 [Yorks. Fines, John (Surt. Soc.), 66]. In 1207-8 Richard Malebiche paid fine for the marriage of his daughter Emma, then widow of Robert [Pipe R. 9 John, m. 7a]. Robert's son and heir Stephen [Rievaulx Chartul. (Surt. Soc.), 282; Rutland MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), iv, 76] was under age [Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com.), i, 96], and the castle of Whorlton was granted to Robert de Roos (father of Stephen's wife Joan) [Ibid. 122] in 1214 and subsequently to Hugh de Balliol [Ibid. 164]. In 1219, however, the custody of all the lands of Robert de Meynell was restored, as of right, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, since they were of his fee [Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 389].

Stephen de Meynell was plaintiff in a suit concerning land in Whorlton in 1226 [Ibid. ii, 162], and made grants to Byland Abbey in 1230 [Rutland MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), iv, 76]. His eldest son Robert died without issue. A younger son Nicholas succeeded him [Curia Regis R. 202, m. 33 d.; Kirkby's Inq. (Surt. Soc.), 126] and obtained a grant of free warren in Whorlton in 1269 [Cal. Chart. R. 1257'961300, p. 124; Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 204]. He was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1295. His wife Christiana, whom he accused of attempting to poison him [Raine, Fast. Ebor. 338], proved her innocence, and at the death of Nicholas in 1299 [Chan. Inq. p.m. 27 Edw. I, no. 156] had various lands allotted to her as dower [Cal. Close, 1296'961302, p. 324]. Nicholas son of Nicholas de Meynell had seisin of his father's lands [Ibid. p. 261].

Nicholas de Meynell was summoned to Parliament, like his father, as Lord Meynell [Peerage, v, 285], and was Sheriff of York [Cal. Close, 1313'9618, p. 262]. During his term of office he 'made a trench to save the fish in the stew of Fosse in order that the course of the water might flow through it until he should cause the mill pond, which had been carried away by a flood, to be reconstructed.' [Ibid.] He died without legitimate issue in 1322 [Chan. Inq. p.m. 15 Edw. II, no. 21. John his brother was his lawful heir.], and the manor of Whorlton descended under the settlement of 1315 to Nicholas (illegitimate) son by Lucy de Thweng [Abbrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 342], who was also allowed to succeed to the barony. He died in 1342 [Chan. Inq. p.m. 16 Edw. III (1st nos.), no. 47; Cal. Close, 1341'963, p. 425], and the custody of his lands and of his daughter and heir Elizabeth came into the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury [Cal. Close, 1341'963, p. 521]. Elizabeth had seisin of her father's lands in 1348 [Ibid. 1346'969, p. 562], when she was the wife of John Darcy of Knaith. [Her second husband was Peter Mauley the sixth (Chan. Inq. p.m. 42 Edw. III [1st nos.], no. 44).] The manor was settled on her and her first husband in tail in 1353, with remainder to Edward III and his heirs Feet of F. Div. Co. 27 Edw. III, no. 96[]. Her eldest son John Darcy [Chan. Inq. p.m. 30 Edw. III (1st nos.), no. 33] predeceased her, and her heir when she died in 1368 was a younger son Philip, then aged fifteen [Ibid. 42 Edw. III (1st nos.), no. 44]. He succeeded to the barony of Meynell, which his mother had held in her own right [G.E.C. Peerage, iii, 19]. Philip was succeeded by his son John [Wrottesley, Ped. from Plea R. 377], who died in 1411, leaving a son and heir Philip.

A History of the County of York North Riding, Volume II, pp. 309-319

Stephen married Sibil de Bulmer, daughter of Ansketil de Bulmer and Lady de Hemez of Brancepeth.¹⁴¹