Ralph De Stafford

• Preferred Name: Ralph De Stafford^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}
  
• Alternate Name: Ralph Stafford
  
• Gender: M
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: 5th Knight of the Order of the Garter26 AUG 1384
  
• Birth: 24 SEP 1298 in Amington, Staffordshire, England at LATI: N2.6364 LONG: E1.665
  
• Occupation: Steward of the Royal Household1327
  
• Burial: AFT 31 AUG 1372 in Tonbridge Priory, Tonbridge, Kent, England at LATI: N1.1951 LONG: E0.2747 with note: standard place
  
• Occupation: Seneschal of AquitaineMAR 1345
  
• Occupation: Royal Envoy to France1361
  
• Christening: AFT 24 SEP 1298 in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England at LATI: N2.6325 LONG: E1.69
  
• MilitaryService: Commanding Officer of Archers at the Battle of Dupplin Moor in Scotland11 AUG 1332
  
• Occupation: Steward of the Royal Household1341
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: 2nd Baron StaffordBET 1301 AND 1372
  
• Occupation: Royal Envoy to Ireland1361
  
• Occupation: Lord of Pipe for Stafford
  
• FSID: KJ4B-PPF
  
• Fact: with note: Description: Ralph was married before 1331
  
• Death: 31 AUG 1372 in Tonbridge, Kent, England at LATI: N1.1694 LONG: E0.3167 with note: Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22 [date only]
  
• MilitaryService: and was captured during the Siege of Nantes26 AUG 1348
  
• MilitaryService: Commissioner of the Peace1332
  
• MilitaryService: and served as King's Lieutenant in Gascogne1352 in Gascogne, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France at LATI: N3.7034 LONG: E0.2663
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Lord Stafford29 NOV 1336
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: 1st Earl of Stafford5 MAR 1350
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Ralph de Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, KG (24 September 1301 – 31 August 1372) was an English nobleman and notable soldier during the Hundred Years War against France.
  Ralph was born on 24 September 1301, the son of Edmund de Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Margaret Basset. Having lost his father at the age of seven, Ralph grew up in the midlands with his mother's relatives, including her second husband Thomas Pipe. He had his first experience of royal service, along with his brothers and stepfather, when he joined the retinue of Ralph, 2nd Lord Basset.
  
  Career
  Stafford was made a Knight banneret in 1327 and was fighting the Scots shortly afterwards. He supported the plot to free Edward III of England from the control of Roger Mortimer, which earned the king's gratitude. By the summer of 1332, he was a commissioner of the peace in Staffordshire and had served abroad on royal business, accompanying Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester. He was also still fighting the Scots, commanding archers at the Battle of Dupplin Moor on 11 Aug 1332 and on three further Scottish campaigns.
  He was first summoned to Parliament by writ as Lord Stafford on 29 November 1336 and continued to attend until 1350.
  
  His military career continued, accompanying King Edward to France in 1338 as an advisor and being present at the naval battle of Sluys on 24 June 1340. He also fought at the relief of Brest and the siege of Morlaix. He was captured at Vannes but was exchanged in time to negotiate a truce at Malestroit.
  On 6 January 1341, he was made Steward of the Royal Household but resigned that post on 29 March 1345 having assumed the office of Seneschal of Aquitaine, an English possession in France, where he stayed for about a year. He took part in the Gascon campaign of 1345 including the battles of Bergerac and Auberoche, the siege of Aiguillon, from where he escaped prior to its lifting, a raid on Barfleur and the English victory at the Battle of Crecy, on 26 August 1346. He became one of the twenty-six founding members and the fifth knight of the Order of the Garter in 1348.
  
  In November 1347, his wife's father died; they were able to take possession of his estates without paying the king's homage, an indication of the relationship between them. Ralph was now a very wealthy man, from his estates and from the many prizes from the French war.
  Edward III created a number of new peerage titles to honour his war captains and to mark his jubilee year. Ralph was created the 1st Earl of Stafford on 5 March 1350, with an annuity of 1000 marks. He now replaced Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster as the king's lieutenant in Gascony. He committed to serve with 200 men at his own expense with the expectation of this being doubled in March 1353 at the king's expense. The campaigns provided several captives that were ransomed, but were ultimately unsuccessful, leading to the appointment of Edward, Prince of Wales to command.
  Even at the age of sixty, Stafford continued to command troops and act as a royal envoy, both in France and in Ireland in 1361, accompanying Lionel of Antwerp to try and restore English control.
  
  Marriages and children
  Around 1326, Stafford married his first wife, Katherine de Hastang. Katherine was the daughter of Sir John de Hastang, Knight, of Chebsey, Staffordshire.
  Ralph and Katherine had two daughters:
  1. Margaret, married Sir John de Stafford, Knight, of Bramshall.
  2. Joan, married Sir Nicholas de Beke, Knight.
  
  He later sensationally abducted Margaret de Audley, 2nd Baroness Audley, daughter of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Margaret de Clare, who was worth at least £2,314 a year, more than ten times his own estates. Her parents filed a complaint with King Edward III of England, but the King supported Stafford's actions. In compensation, the King appeased Hugh and Margaret by creating Hugh the 1st Earl of Gloucester.
  
  Margaret de Audley and Stafford married before 6 July 1336 and they subsequently had two sons and four daughters:
  1. Ralph de Stafford (d. 1347), married Maud of Lancaster, daughter of Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Isabel de Beaumont in 1344.
  2. Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford, born circa 1336 in Staffordshire, England, married Philippa de Beauchamp; they were the ancestors of the Dukes of Buckingham (1444 creation).
  3. Elizabeth de Stafford, born circa 1340 in Staffordshire, England, died 7 August 1376, married firstly Fulk le Strange; married secondly, John de Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley; married thirdly Reginald de Cobham, 2nd Baron Cobham.
  4. Beatrice de Stafford, born circa 1341 in Staffordshire, England, died 1415, married firstly, in 1350, Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond (d. June 1358); married secondly, Thomas de Ros, 4th Baron de Ros, of Helmsley; married thirdly Sir Richard Burley, Knt.
  5. Joan de Stafford, born in 1344 in Staffordshire, England, died 1397, married firstly, John Charleton, 3rd Baron Cherleton; married secondly Gilbert Talbot, 3rd Baron Talbot.
  6. Katherine de Stafford, born circa 1348 in Staffordshire, England and died in December 1361. On 25 December 1357, she married Sir John Sutton III (1339 – c. 1370 or 1376), Knight, Master of Dudley Castle, Staffordshire. Burke reports that she died without issue. However, Burke is often erroneous and incomplete, and later evidence supports that she is the mother of John Sutton IV, 3rd Baron Sutton of Dudley, probably having died in childbirth.
  
  Death
  He died on 31 August 1372 at Tonbridge Castle, Kent, England. He was buried at Tonbridge Priory, next to his second wife and her parents.
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Stafford,_1st_Earl_of_Stafford
  
  History of Ralph de Stafford (1301-1372)
  Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford, (24 September 1301 – 31 August 1372), KG, of Stafford Castle and Madeley Castle[3] in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and notable so
  
  BIO
  BIO: one of the original members of the Order of Knights of the Garter, seneschal and captain-general of Aquitaine
  
  ** from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL2.htm#Humphrey
  
  Memorial
  Early life and family
  
  Ralph was born on 24 September 1301, the son of Edmund de Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Margaret Bassett.[1] Having lost his father at the age of seven, Ralph grew up in the
  
  === !BIR-MAR: Bk, Medieval Knight by Stephen ===
  !BIR-MAR: Bk, Medieval Knight by Stephen Turnbull.
  
  === Reference ===
  See England V, Volume V, p. 736; Dictionary of Nat. Biog, Vol 53, pg 458; Amer. Gen. 9, pg 213
  
  === Person note ===
  Second Baron de Stafford.
  
  === SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 S ===
  SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 SO68) P.47; THE COMPLETE PEERGAGE (GS NUMBER REF942 D22COK) VOL 2 P.3, VOL 12 P.172 , 173, 174; BURKE'S PEERAGES (GS NUMBER 942 D22BUG) P.27, 477; DUGDALE'S BARONAGE OF ENGLAND (GS NUMBER ESQ942 D22DW) VOL 1 P.157, 158, 159; ANCESTRAL FILE, LDS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY;
  
  === ". . . m. (Margaret De Audley) ante July ===
  ". . . m. (Margaret De Audley) ante July 6, 1336, . . . 1st Earl of Stafford," p. 43, Vol. II - PSECD - Langston & Buck.
  
  === Relationship to N. G. Utting note ===
  Twentieth Great Grandfather : Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather

1. Margaret De Stafford, b. ABT 1331 in Sandon, Staffordshire, England     d. 9 JUN 1396 in Bramshall, Staffordshire, England

• m. 18 OCT 1336 in Staffordshire, England

1. Hugh Stafford, b. 1342 in Stafford, Staffordshire, England     d. 16 OCT 1386 in Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece
2. Johanna de Stafford, b. 1338 in Staffordshire, England     d. 12 NOV 1397 in Staffordshire, England
3. Elizabeth Stafford, b. 1334 in Staffordshire, England     d. 7 AUG 1376 in Chartley Castle, Staffordshire, England

1. Title: Proof of Age for Ralph Stafford
   Author: Calendar of inquisitions post mortem and other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office by Great Britain. Public Record Office; Kirby, J. L. (John Lavan); White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918. fmo Published 1904 Volume 6
   Publication: Name: https://archive.org/stream/cu31924099427845#page/n251/mode/2up;
   Note: 354. Ralph son and heir of Edmund de Stafford. Writ to the escheator to take the proof of age of the said Ralph, 10 May, 15 Edward II. Stafford [1322]. Proof of age, 6 April, 16 Edward II [1323]. (defective and defaced.) William de Stafford, aged 60, says that the said Ralph, born at Amynton [alias Abyndon] by Tamwurthe and baptized in the church of St. Edith in Tamwurthe, was 21 years of age on 24 September last [1322], and this he knows because he lifted him from the sacred font. William de Mere, knight, aged 80, says the like, and knows it because at Whitsunday before the said Ralph was born he espoused Margaret his daughter to Adam de Moccleston, . . . . . . . . . knight, aged 60, says the like, . . . . . . . . . Vivian de Staunden (?), aged 62 (?), says the like . . . . . . . . . William de Chadon (?), aged . . . . . . . . . Roger (?) , . . . . . . . . . aged 62, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., aged . . . . . . . . . . Edmund de Chettwynde, aged 52, says the like . . . . . . . . . . Walter de Chettwynde, aged 60, says the like . . . . . . . . . . William de Breideshale (?), aged 60 (?), says the like . . . . . . . . . . Thomas de Blichefeld, aged 64, says the like . . . . . . . . . . William de Wulseleye (?), aged 62, says the like . . . . . . . . . . C. Edw. II. File 72. (20.)
   
2. Title: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 53
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Stafford,_Ralph_de_(DNB00);
   
3. Title: Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Stafford,_1st_Earl_of_Stafford;
   
4. Title: IPM of Ralph, Earl of Stafford
   Author: British History Online, Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Volume 13, Edward III. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1954.
   Publication: Name: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/vol13/pp178-195;
   
5. Title: Stafford family in the Battle Abbey Roll, Vol. 3
   Author: Battle Abbey Roll, Vol. 3, pgs. 173-174
   Note: Stafford family in the Battle Abbey Roll, Vol. 3, pgs. 173-174 [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Stafford family in the Battle Abbey Roll, Vol. 3, pgs. 173-174 [See document in the Memories section]
   
6. Title: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
   Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL2.htm#RalphStafforddied1372B;
   Note: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL2.htm#RalphStafforddied1372B [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL2.htm#RalphStafforddied1372B [See document in the Memories section]
   
7. Title: Ralph 1st Earl de Stafford, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKJ-TYYF : 13 September 2020), Ralph 1st Earl de Stafford, ; Burial, Tonbridge, Tonbridge and Malling Borough, Kent, England, Tonbridge Priory (Defunct); citing record ID 48355991, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKJ-TYYF;
   
8. Title: Ralph de Stafford and Margaret de Audley in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England
   Author: Dugdale’s The Baronage of England, pgs. 159-162
   Note: Ralph de Stafford and Margaret de Audley in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England, pgs. 159-162 [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Ralph de Stafford and Margaret de Audley in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England, pgs. 159-162 [See document in the Memories section]
   
9. Title: Edmund de Stafford, Baron Stafford, in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England
   Publication: Name: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36794.0001.001?view=toc;
   Note: Edmund de Stafford, Baron Stafford, in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England, pg. 159-160 ~https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36794.0001.001?view=toc [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Edmund de Stafford, Baron Stafford, in Dugdale’s The Baronage of England, pg. 159-160 ~https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36794.0001.001?view=toc [See document in the Memories section]
   
10. Title: Appendix I of "Ancestors and Descendants of John Price: Immigrant to Virginia: 1610-11"
    Note: Although the book is compiled by Vina Chandler Price, Appendix I was included at the request of Mrs. Margaret Scruggs Carruth, and was researched by Miss Kett and by Mr. H. E. Forrest (after the death of Miss Kett, which took before 1930). Both Miss Kett and Mr. Forrest were reputed to be professional genealogists. Mr Forrest is also referred to as the "Antiquarian Editor" of the Shrewsbury Chronicle I looked H. E. Forrest online and found that he is also the editor of the following books: --"Shrewsbury Burgess Roll", published in 1924 by the Shrewsbury and Shropshire Archaeological and Parish Register Society --"The old Churches of Shrewsbury: Their History, Architecture and Associations", published in 1920 by Shrewsbury, Wilding & Son --"Some Old Shropshire Houses and their Owners: Braggington (with a plate), Dinthill, Whitley, & Play-Y-Court", published in 1915 by Shropshire Archaeological & Natural History Society. Margaret Scruggs Carruth is a charter member of "Daughters of the Barons of Runnemede". She served as Registrar when it was first organized, and is listed as member #22. To be eligible for membership, a person must descend from one or more of the Barons of Runnemede. The Barons forced King John to agree to the Magna Carta, a charter constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges. Mrs. Scruggs claims eligibility for membership through John Price who supposedly descended from eleven of the Barons. Appendix I provides two different lineages. One is from Robert Fitzwalter (who was one of the Barons of Runnemede) to John Price (born 1584-5), and the titular character of this book. The 2nd is from Elystan Glodrydd app Cyhelin ap Ifor (933-1010) (who was Prince of Ferlllys and founder of the Fourth Royal Tribe of Wales) back to the same John Price.
    Page: On pg. 517 (13th Gen), Ralph (1st Earl of Stafford K.G.) is identified as the husband of Margaret d'Audley, and the father of Elizabeth, who in turn is the wife of John de Ferrers.
    
11. Title: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. VII
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/completepeerage07cokahrish/page/n209/mode/2up;
    Note: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, pg. 209-210 [See document in the Memories section]
    Page: Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, pg. 209-210 [See document in the Memories section]
    
12. Title: Stafford family in Burke's A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/ageneralandhera02burkgoog/page/n7/mode/2up;
    Note: Stafford family in Burke's A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland, pgs. 487-489 ~https://archive.org/details/ageneralandhera02burkgoog/page/n7/mode/2up [See document in the Memories section]
    Page: Stafford family in Burke's A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland, pgs. 487-489 ~https://archive.org/details/ageneralandhera02burkgoog/page/n7/mode/2up [See document in the Memories section]