Adam de Urswick

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information: ⁷⁴⁶
In 1332, or the sixth of the reign of Edward III of England, Adam de Urswick was appointed chief forester of Bowland, or as some render it, Constable of the Bowland Forest. In 1343, he married Sara, daughter and heiress of Robert Tilliard, Esq. of Tatham, and had a grant of land from the barony of kendal, and the tenement of Luddelay Hall, in Stickland Kettle, and about two miles south west of Kendal. His post mortem Inquisition gives evidence that he died a few days after 25 September in the year 1361, and that his son Robert succeeded to his estates.

Records of the Family Urswyk, Urswick, or Urwick, pp. 19-20

• Records: ⁹¹⁴
1347 Whereas William de Coucy lately granted for life to Adam de Ursewyk land to the value of 40s. yearly in Styrkeland Ketel, which grant the king has confirmed by letters patent, Adam has now made petition to the king to grant the same land to him, to hold to him and his heirs without rendering anything for the same, and the king has granted his petition. [Cal. Pat. R. 1347, p. 254]

1361 Adam de Urssewick held at his death a tenement in Stirkland Kettle called Linddesay Hall of the king in chief by homage as parcel of a moiety of the barony of Kendale, worth 30s. yearly. Robert his son, of full age, is his next heir. [Inq. p.m., 35 Edw. III (2), n. 88]

1362 Order to the escheator to take security from Robert de Ursewyk son and heir of Adam de Ursewyk, deceased, for his relief, and deliver to him certain tenements in Strikland Ketill called Lyndesayhall, which he holds of the king in chief as parcel of the moiety of the barony of Kendale. [Abbrev. R. Original, ii, 271]

Records Relating To the Barony of Kendale: Volume 1, pp. 276-299

• Background Information: ⁷⁷⁵
The "Urswick part came from the third part of his moiety of Kellet which Orm son of Bernulf granted to his brother Adam. [Lancs, Inq. and Extents, i, 90] In the earlier period it was held of the two lords of the moiety, each of them therefore holding a fourth part of the manor; but in the 14th century it came to be reckoned as an independent part, though it does not seem to have been regarded as a 'manor.' Thus was created the confusion between third and fourth parts already spoken of. Adam had land also in Urswick, [ Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R. 14] and this gave occasion for the surname of his branch of the family. Gilbert son of Adam attested a charter passed before 1190, [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R. 402] and received a moiety of Capernwray from Maud de Kellet, a rent of 3s. a year being due for it. [Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 9] Adam son of Gilbert gave land in Urswick to Furness Abbey, [Furness Coucher (Chet. Soc), i, 73] and from his kinsman Gilbert de Kellet he obtained a third part of the vill of Claughton. Adam left a son who as John de Capernwray son of Adam de Urswick granted land in Kellet to Furness Abbey. [Add. MS. 33244, fol. 47] Adam de Urswick and Isabel his wife in 1307 obtained from Edmund de Nevill, probably acting as trustee, 4 oxgangs of land in Over Kellet, [Final Conc, i, 211. Adam de Urswick was probably the son (though not the heir) of John, for the old index to the Furness Coucher records a grant in 1303 to 'Adam son of J. de Urswick'; op. cit. i, 70, 449] and in 1319 they obtained similarly from John de Hornby the younger the manor of Capernwray; both were settled on Adam's heirs. [Final Conc, ii, 32] Adam son of Adam de Urswick in 1337 granted an oxgang of land in Over Kellet to John de Urswick, rector of Tatham; it had formerly belonged to Orm de Urswick. [Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 75b]

The descent is not clear, for it does not explain why the Flemings did not inherit this with other parts of the Urswick estates, like Claughton. Another difficulty is created by the record of an Adam de Urswick, who was coroner of the county, but retired in 1323 owing to ill-health. [Cal. Close, 1323-7, p. 25] Another Adam de Urswick was chief forester of Bowland, [Cal. Pat. 1330-4, pp. 36, 78, 334] and served in the French wars of Edward III, being present at Crecy. [Staffs. Hist. Coll. (Salt Soc), xviii, 113, 129] He died in 1361, and was succeeded by his son Robert, [*] who has been noticed in the account of Upper Rawcliffe.

* Chan. Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. III, pt. ii (1st nos.), 88; it refers only to land in Westmorland. Robert de Urswick the younger, his son and heir, was of full age. This implies another Robert, the elder. There is nothing to indicate that these Urswicks had land in Urswick or Kellet. Adam's widow was Sarra daughter of Robert de Tatham. Sir Walter de Urswick was in 1374 chief forester of Bowland, and appears later in other capacities; Duchy of Lanc. Reg. Edw. III, 209; Whitaker, Whalley (ed. Nichols), i, 335; Pink and Beaven, Parl, Repre. of Lancs. 40

Victoria County History - A History of the County of Lancaster, Township: Over Kellet, Vol. 8, pp. 140-151

• Background Information: ⁷⁷⁵
"The vaccary of Lowgill, with which Ivah, formerly Ivetho or Ivo, seems to have been joined, was held by a younger branch of the Tatham family, and passed to Urswick and Kirkby of Upper Rawcliffe. (fn. 37) Robert de Urswick in 1376 obtained a grant of free warren for his demesne lands in Tatham, Cansfield and Upper Rawcliffe. [*]

* Deeds concerning it are in Dods. MSS. cxlix. John son of Sir John de Tatham gave his brother Robert the vaccary called Lowgill; [fol. 91b] Sarah widow of Sir John in 1319 released to Robert de Tatham her son all her right (by dower) in the same [ibid]. Edmund de Dacre granted for life to Robert de Tatham in 1323-4 a vaccary in Tatham Fell (in monte de Tatham) called Ewardsclough, as it was inclosed and dyked [fol. 91]. Afterwards he released all his right in it [fol. 92]. Robert de Tatham twenty years later gave Lowgill to John de Urswick, rector of Tatham, probably as trustee [ibid]. At the same time he gave Ewardsclough to his daughter Sarah and her issue [ibid]. She married Adam de Urswick (d. 1361), and so the inheritance in Tatham, Hornby, Cantsfield, Wray, Kellet, &c., descended to Kirkby. In 1334 Isabel widow of Adam de Urswick claimed dower in a messuage in Tatham against John de Roeburndale [De Banco R. 297, m. 219 d]. John son of Roger Kirkby of Upper Rawcliffe held land in Tatham in 1438 in right of his wife Ellen daughter of Sir Robert de Urswick and Margaret his wife [Towneley MS. C 8, 13, K 37. See also Final Conc. iii, 133].

Victoria County History, A History of the County of Lancaster, Volume 8, The Parish of Tatham, pp. 217-225

Adam married Sarah Tatham, daughter of Robert Tatham and Unknown.⁷⁷⁵