On Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 12:30:32 AM UTC-5, Douglas Richardson wrote:

Dear Newsgroup ~

In my previous post, I had assumed that Sir Robert de Benhale had obtained the manor of Benhall, Suffolk previously held by Sir Guy de Ferre following his lawsuit in 1353 against Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk. I was following Mr. Buckler's

statement that Sir Robert de Benhale had owned the manor of Benhall, Suffolk, previous to the gift of this manor by Michael de la Pole in 1405-6 to the master and chaplains of a chantry in the church of Wingfield, Suffolk.

Copinger, Manors of Suffolk 5 (1909): 100-102, 106 includes histories of the two adjacent manors, Benhall, Suffolk and Benhall St. Robert, Suffolk. This material may be found at the following weblink:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101079831887;view=1up;seq=116

Copinger makes it clear that Sir Robert de Benhale held only the manor of Benhall St. Robert, Suffolk (not Benhall Sir Robert). This is the manor which was granted in 1292 to an earlier Robert de Benhale, king's clerk. Copinger further states that

Benhall St. Robert, Suffolk is the manor which was granted by Michael de la Pole to the master and chaplains of a chantry in the church of Wingfield, Suffolk.

It is apparent now that Sir Robert de Benhale never had the manor of Benhall, Suffolk which was held earlier by Sir Guy de Ferre. Thus Bothwell, Edward III and the English Peerage (2004): 119 is correct that the lawsuit by Sir Robert de Benhale and his

wife, Eve, in 1353 for the Ferre manor was unsuccessful.

One last thing. Copinger gives the following arms for the Benhale family:

"Arg, a cross flory Gu. over it a bend Az. frimbriated Or, charged with a fillet."
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

I'm trying to piece together two puzzles, one for the relationship between Eve de Clavering/James de Audley and the other Robert de Benhale, referring to the origins of Robert de Benhale.

"Sir Guy de Ferre held the manor during his lifetime, and, on his death without issue in 1320, it passed to his widow, Eleanor, who presumably held it in right of her dower. Sir Guy de Ferre's heir in 1320 is identified in contemporary records as his
nephew [nepos], Simon de la Borde (or de Bordes), who the king accepted as his prospective heir as early as 1299-1300. I assume, however, that the manor of Benhale, Suffolk was scheduled to revert to the king as overlord once the death of Sir Guy's
childless widow, Eleanor, took place.

During Eleanor's long widowhood, the king first granted the expected reversion of Benhall, Suffolk after Eleanor's death to his brother, John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall. In 1345, however, the king changed his mind and granted the reversion instead to
Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk."

If Robert de Benhale was related to Sir Guy de Ferre, would he not have an active interest in this transaction and that it reverted to a non-relative in Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk? He had his reputation as a fierce warrior as "hero of the Battle
of Halidon Hill" and was married to Eve de Clavering at this time, who was tied to the de Ufford family because of her second marriage.

I don't see someone being a blood relative of Guy de Ferre not being involved, and waiting from 1345 until 1353 before acting on any claim.

D. E. Larocque

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