Saturday, November 21, 2015

Joan Querdeboef and her double loss and the challenge of medieval research

Joan Querdeboef and her double loss
and the challenge of medieval research

Niall C.E.J. O’Brien

Introduction

A tragic inquisition was held at Mendlesham on Monday before the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary in 1302. A jury of twelve men were asked if Joan Querdeboef, wife of the late John Querdeboef, was pregnant on the day her husband died and if so, did she have the child was stillborn at birth. The jury did find that Joan Querdeboef was pregnant when her husband died but that the child was stillborn at birth. The jury couldn’t say if the child was a male or female as no man saw the child.[1] This would be in keeping with medieval practice whereby the men stayed away from childbirth, even doctors stayed away.

The loss of her husband may have played upon Joan’s mind and affected her health. The child within her was her last living link with her husband. But sadly it was not to be a happy ending and so, within nine months or less, Joan Querdeboef lost the two beings she most loved in life.

Medieval childbirth scene but not a happy one for Joan

Searching the archives

Having come across her sad story in 1302 it would be nice to know more about Joan Querdeboef and her family. The entry relating to the inquisition at Mendlesham is the only reference to Joan Querdeboef among the abstracts of Gloucestershire inquisitions post mortem. To learn more about her and her husband John Querdeboef, I searched a number of books on medieval Gloucestershire without finding any other reference to the family. 

With no luck finding the surname of Querdeboef in Gloucestershire I went in search of Mendlesham and by that route had hoped find John and Joan Querdeboef there. It was then that I discovered that Mendlesham is not in Gloucestershire at all but in Suffolk, on the other side of the country. I also found that the family name of Querdeboef was more commonly spelt as Cordeboef or Coer de Boef.[2]

John Cordeboef

The first of the family of Cordeboef that I could find was John Cordeboef in the reign of King Richard. John Cordeboef was granted Bennington in Norfolk by King Richard by the serjeanty of finding a soldier with a lance for the king’s army. His son Hubert Cordeboef held Bennington from Henry III by the serjeanty of finding a mounted archer. The property at Bennington eventually came to Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.[3]

Hubert Cordeboef

The earliest reference to the Cordeboef family in Suffolk was the homage in February 1235 of John Cordeboef for the lands of his father, Hubert Cordeboef. These lands and tenements of Hubert Cordeboef in Suffolk were not stated but they were held of the king in chief by the service of a crossbowman. According to later documents the property in Mendlesham was held by the family by that service. John Cordeboef promised to pay the king 100s to receive the family property and on 10th February 1235 the sheriff of Suffolk was told to take security from John Cordeboef for the payment and give John Cordeboef full seisin of the lands.[4]  

John Cordeboef

The earliest reference to the Cordeboef family at Mendlesham is an inquisition post mortem taken in 1250 concerning the estate of John Cordeboef. A writ for the inquisition was issued to H. de Wingham and his co-escheator of Suffolk on 28th April 1250. The inquisition jury said that John Cordeboef held his property in Mendlesham of the king in chief and by the serjeanty of suppling one crossbowman at his own cost in the king’s army for forty days.[5] A document in the reign of King Edward II said the serjeanty was for a crossbowman and two horses in the king’s army in England or in the Marshes of Wales.[6] In 1247 John Cordeboef alienated this serjeanty in return for rendering 30s per annum to the king. John Cordeboef also held property in Buxlow by the service of one knight’s fee to Earl Richard of Cornwall.[7]

John Cordeboef first married a woman called Galiena and lived with her, but afterwards obtained a divorce from the Bishop of Norwich, by reason of consanguinity. Galiena Cordeboef appealed the divorce to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who reversed the Bishop of Norwich's sentence. At this John Cordeboef appealed to the Pope. While the appeal was still with the Roman court John Cordeboef married Katherine Esturmin, and endowed her at the church door with the dower lands formerly endowed to Galiena.

Katherien Esturmin lived with John Cordeboef until his death. Meanwhile the Pope confirmed the Archbishop's judgement and said that Katherine Esturmin knew before her marriage, that John Cordeboef was still married Galiena Cordeboef.[8] John Cordeboef was succeeded by his son, Thomas Cordeboef, who was aged 21 years and more at the time of his father’s death.[9]

St. Mary's Church at Mendlesham by Mym 

Thomas Cordeboef

Thomas Cordeboef was the son of the proceeding and inherited the family property in Mendlesham and Buxlow. In 1253, Galiena Cordeboef sued Thomas Cordeboef and Katerin Esturmin for her dower lands. After the Pope gave judgement that she was the legal wife of John Cordeboef, Galiena Cordeboef successfully recovered her dower lands.[10] A widow was entitled to a third of her husband’s property to maintain her in widowhood. Thomas Cordeboef died in 1268 on the eve of the Translation of St. Thomas the Martyr.[11] His widow Margery later married John de Melles.[12]

Some reports say that that Thomas Cordeboef was initially succeeded by a son called Nicholas Cordeboef and that the Thomas Cordeboef who died in 1268 was the son of Nicholas Cordeboef.[13] I have not found any collaborating evidence that Thomas Cordeboef left a son called Nicholas. Instead the official documents say that Thomas Cordeboef left five daughters as his heirs, namely, Joan, Basilia, Galiena, Maud and Alice. At the time all the daughters were minors and so the property of Thomas Cordeboef was taken into the king’s hand and declared under wardship.[14] Roger of Winchester was granted the wardship. By 1282 the eldest daughter Joan Cordeboef was aged 22 years and could succeed to her fifth share of her father’s property.[15]

On 10th May 1281 a writ was sent to Richard de Holebrook, the king’s steward, to hold an inquisition into the estate of Thomas Cordeboef.[16] The inquisition post mortem was taken on Saturday after the feast of St. Matthias, 1282. Thomas Cordeboef had property at Mendlesham, Brocford, Wyeham and Theuyt in Suffolk amounting to a messuage, 60 acres of land, 8 acres of wood, 1 acre of meadow, 7 acres of pasture and 33s of rent.[17] A second undated inquisition differs slightly from the above when it said that Thomas Cordeboef had in demesne a messuage, 60 acres of land, 10 acres of wood and 9 acres of pasture.[18] The manor of Mendlesham was held by Hugh son of Otho from Sir Roger de Leukanore.[19]

At Haneworth in Norfolk, Thomas Cordeboef had 26s of rent from a tenement which the Earl of Norfolk held from him. All these properties in Suffolk and Norfolk were held in chief from the king by the serjeanty of maintaining a crossbow in the king’s army for forty days at his own cost and rendering to the king 30s of yearly rent.[20]

Thomas Cordeboef also held property at Buxlow in the hundred of Blithing in Suffolk. Here he had a messuage, 60 acres of land, 7 acres of pasture and 60s of rent with the advowson of the church. This property was held from the Earl of Cornwall by knight’s service, rendering 5s every two years for the guard of Eye Castle in Suffolk and doing suit at the Earl’s court of Eye.[21]

Proof of age of John Cordeboef

On 20th October 1297 a writ was sent to the escheator to take the proof of age of John Cordeboef who was born at Buxlow in Suffolk and baptised in the local church. The proof of age was taken at Buceslawe on Wednesday the feast of St. Edmund the King 1298. The first witness, Henry Portman, aged 60 years, said John Cordeboef was born on the feast of St. Francis, 1274, at Buxlow hall and was baptised in Freston church where John, then prior of Snape, lifted him from the font. Thomas Slene, aged 100 years, said there was discord between John Fraunceys, father of John Cordeboef, and Reginald, then rector of Buxlow and because of this John Cordeboef was baptised at Freston church. Thomas Kelnehood, aged 44 years, was in the service of Reginald and knew of the discord with John Fraunceys.[22]

Reginald Knot, aged 50 years, knew this to be correct as his first cousin Basilia was born about the feast of St. Francis and was in 1297 aged 23 years. John Kerrych, aged 40 years, agreed as his brother Richard was also 23 years in 1297 and so was John de Kysterwode, brother of Thomas de Kysterwode, aged 43 years. John Faber knew it to be correct as he broke his right leg on a journey between Orford and Buxlow. John Knot, aged 42 years, knew that John Cordeboef was 23 years old because Alice his mother was then serving Joan, the mother of John Cordeboef and often recalled the birth.[23]

John Cordeboef nee Fraunceys

This John, son of John Fraunceys, married Joan, eldest daughter of Thomas Cordeboef and took his wife’s surname as his own. When a medieval estate had only female heirs, the estate was divided equally among the female heirs. Joan Cordeboef got a fifth share and thus when her husband died he was seized of the fifth share of the serjeanty dues on Mendlesham as noted below.

Inquisition post mortem of John Cordeboef

On 2nd August 1299 a writ was issued to hold an inquisition post mortem into the estate of John Cordeboef and this was held on 20th September 1299 at Orford and on 23rd September 1299 at Mendlesham. The inquisition at Orford found that John Cordeboef held at Buxlow a messuage and 20 acres of arable land from the Earl of Cornwall by the service of 3d yearly for the guard of Eye Castle.[24] An inquisition post mortem taken into the estate of the late Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, in 28 Edward found that the heirs of John Cordeboef held one knight’s fee at Buxlow and Knoteshale from the Earl.[25] John Cordeboef also held at Buxlow 12 acres of land of socage from the prior of Snape by the service of 4s yearly; 1½ acres and 1 root of land from the abbot of Leyston by the service of 1½d yearly; 3 acres of arable land from John de Leyston by the service of 10d yearly; 1 acre of land from Robert Herberd by the service of 2d yearly and 1½ acres and 1 root of pasture from the Earl of Cornwall by the service of 2d yearly. John Cordeboef also had 10s 9½d of assize rent per year.[26]

At Mendlesham John Cordeboef had 6 acres of pasture along with 1 acre and 1 root of wood held of the king in chief by the service of a fifth part of a grand serjeanty which gives the king 30s yearly. Agnes Cordeboef, his sister, was the next heir of John Cordeboef and was aged 20 years according to the Mendlesham inquest and 22 years according to the Buxlow inquest.[27]   

From other sources we learn that Agnes Cordeboef was the wife of William de Roydon.[28] Joan Cordeboef challenged Agnes for the Cordeboef inheritance at Mendlesham and caused the inquisition made in 1302 to be taken at Mendlesham as noted at the start of this article. The inquisition showed that Joan Cordeboef was pregnant when her husband died but had a still born child. Thus she only had dower rights to her fifth share of Mendlesham.

It would seem that Agnes de Roydon and the other four sisters of Joan Cordeboef died without leaving issue or that one sister only left issue. Sometime before 1324 Simon Bush of Mendlesham held the 60 acres of land, 4 acres of pasture, 7 acres of wood and 30s of rent at Mendlesham by the full serjeanty of rending 30s yearly to the king.[29] It is not yet known if Simon Bush was any relation of the Cordeboef family or as the Gloucestershire inquisition would call them, Querdeboef.

Reconstructing the story of a medieval family or place will always come across a dark valley where no surviving documents exist to carry the story on. An inquisition in 1336 said that the Bush family acquired the property without the king’s licence.[30] Thus the Bush family may have no family connection with that of Cordeboef and so we leave the Cordeboef story with the memory of a widow who lost her young husband and still born child and the ending of a long family connection with Mendlesham.  

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[1] Edward A. Fry (ed.), Abstracts of inquisitions post mortem for Gloucestershire, Part V: 30 Edward I to 32 Edward II, 1302-1358 (British Record Society, 1910), p. 6
[2] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem (Kraus reprint, 1973), Vol. III, Edward I, no. 554
[4] Paul Dryburgh & Beth Hartland (eds.), Calendar of the fine rolls of the reign of Henry III, volume III, 19 to 26 Henry III, 1234-1242 (Boydell Press & National Archives, 2009), no. 19/132
[5] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 1, Henry III, no. 196
[6] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VI, Edward II, no. 462
[7] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 1, Henry III, no. 196
[9] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 1, Henry III, no. 196
[11] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 392
[14] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 847
[15] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 392
[16] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 392
[17] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 847
[18] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 392
[19] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 464
[20] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 847
[21] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 847
[22] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. III, Edward I, no. 434
[23] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. III, Edward I, no. 434
[24] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. III, Edward I, no. 554
[25] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. III, Edward I, no. 604 (p. 47)
[26] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. III, Edward I, no. 554
[27] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. II, Edward I, no. 554
[29] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VI, Edward II, no. 462
[30] J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VIII, Edward III, no. 18

2 comments:

  1. Great to see you writing history again keep up the good work

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the encouragement - much appreciated.

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