Chaucers Official Life | Page 6

Herlyng.
With regard to Rauf de Knyveton very little information is forthcoming.
Glover's Derby [Footnote 7: Vol. 2, P. 135, 6.] gives the pedigree of a
family of Knivetons who possessed the manor of Bradley and says that
there was a younger branch of the family which lived at Mercaston.
Ralph, though not specifically mentioned, may have been a younger
son of one of these branches.
Although Helmyng Leget was an important man in his own time-sheriff
of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1401 and 1408 [Footnote 8: Morant's
Essex, vol. 2, p. 123.], and Justice of the Peace in Suffolk [Footnote 9:
Cf. Cal. Pat. Roll. 1381-5, p. 254.]--Morant is able to give no
information about his family. Perhaps his position in the society of the
county was due in part to the fact that he married an heiress, Alice,
daughter of Sir Thomas Mandeville. [Footnote 10: Cf. Cal. Pat. Roll.
1381-5, p. 254.]
John Legge, who is on the lists as an esquire, but in the Patent Rolls is

referred to chiefly as a sergeant at arms, was, according to H. T. Riley,
son of Thomas Legge, mayor of London in 1347 and 1354. [Footnote
11: Memorials, P. 450.] Robert Louth was evidently derived from a
Hertfordshire family. A Robert de Louth was custodian of the castle of
Hertford and supervisor of the city of Hertford in 32 Edward III
[Footnote: Cal. Rot. Pat. Turr. Lon., p. 169 b.] and between 1381 and
1385 was Justice of the Peace for Hertford. [Footnote: Cal. Pat. Roll
index.] Probably Robert de Louth was a younger son, for John, son and
heir of Sir Roger de Louthe (in 44 Edward III) deeded land in
Hertfordshire to Robert de Louthe, esquire, his uncle. [Footnote:
Ancient Deeds, D 4213.]
John de Romesey comes of an eminent Southampton family of the
town of Romsey [Footnote: Woodward, Wilks, Lockhart, History of
Nottinghamshire. vol. 1. p. 352.] which can be traced back as far as
1228, when Walter of Romsey was sheriff of Hampshire. His pedigree
is given as follows by Hoare: [Footnote: History of Wilts, vol. 3,
Hundred of Oawdon, p. 23.]
Walter de Romesey 34 Edward I. | Walter de Romesey 23 Edward III =
Joan | John de Romesey = Margaret d. and (Co. Somerset) heir of...?
Hugh Strelley was a member of the family of Strelley (Straule) of
Nottingham and Derby. From the fact that his name does not occur in
the pedigree given in Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire
[Footenote: Vol. 2, p. 220.] and that he held lands of Nicholas de
Strelley by the fourth part of a knight's fee, [Footnote: Cal. Pat. Roll,
1892, p. 56.] it is clear that he belonged to a subordinate branch of the
family. Further, he was even a younger son of this secondary stock, for,
as brother and heir of Philip de Strelley, son and heir of William de
Strelley, he inherited lands in 47 Edward III. [Footnote: C. R. 211,
Mem. 38.]
Gilbert Talbot was second, son of Sir John Talbot of Richard's Castle in
Herefordshire. [Footnote: Cf. Nicolas: Scrope-Grosvenor Roll, vol. 2, p.
397.]
Hugh Wake may be the Hugh Wake who married Joan de Wolverton
and whom Lipscombe connects with the lordly family of Wake of
Buckinghamshire. [Footnote: Lipscombe's Buckinghamshire, vol. 4, p.
126. He is quite wrong as to the date of this Hugo's death. Cf. Close
Rolls, 1861, pp. 228-9 which show that Hugh was living at this date.]

These eighteen or nineteen esquires, then, are the only ones in the long
lists whose family connections I have been able to trace. Certain
others--as for example the various Cheynes, Hugh, Roger, Thomas,
John and William, Robert la Souche, Simon de Burgh and Geoffrey
Stucle--may have been derived from noble families of their name. In
that case, however, they were certainly not in the direct line of descent,
for their names do not appear in the pedigree of those families. On the
other hand many of the names would seem to indicate that their
possessors came from obscure families. In several cases, for example,
esquires practically gave up their own names and were called by
occupational names. So the Richard des Armes of the records was
probably "Richard de Careswell vadlet del armes" [Footnote:
Exchequer K. R. Accts. 392, 15.] who had charge of the king's personal
armour. Reynold Barbour is once called Reynold le Barber. [Footnote:
Issues P. 220 (32 Edw. III).] Roger Ferrour was one of the king's
shoe-smiths, [Footnote: 1378 Cal. Pat. Roll, p. 158.] and his personal
name was Roger Bonyngton. [Footnote: Rich. II, Cal. Pat. Roll, p. 597.]
Robert Larderer is never mentioned in the records, but Robert
Maghfeld, called king's larderer, is mentioned. [Footnote: Issues P. 222,
mem. 21. Devon's Issues 1370, p. 22, p. 34.] Richard