Merrie Ole Englande series: #4

Today’s theme is ‘landed’. There were many directions to take with this theme but I chose to stick with Merry Old England and talk about my ‘landed gentry’. The research for this post did not start out with William SHAKESPEARE nor will it dwell on him but it was a pleasant discovery while working on my landed gentry line of ARDEN. While researching the ARDEN family, I discovered that my 15th great-grandmother had a sister named Mary. Mary married John SHAKESPEARE and their son was William SHAKESPEARE…the William SHAKESPEARE. I was not expecting to encounter him at all when I began the research for this post. In fact, I already had a short list of candidates for this blog post but his discovery pretty much solidified this family’s place in my blog for today. For background: this is my dad’s line. My 15th great-grandmother Margaret ARDEN married Alexander WEBB. They lived in England for the entirety of their lives. As so often occurs with my dad’s more famous kin, we connect to the ARDENs and SHAKESPEAREs through my great-grandma Edith HUBBARD DRAKE’s line.

Landed gentry is defined as land owners who owned a sufficient amount of property that they could live off the rents they collected on the properties. The landed gentry were one step down from the ‘Titled Nobility’ class. They had property and money and enjoyed lavish lifestyles but they weren’t nobility. Still, they didn’t have to do manual labor to make money and they enjoyed posh lifestyles. You can read a more in-depth explanation at Nobility Titles website if you’re interested.

The Warwickshire Ardens

The ARDEN family of England is one of only two English families able to trace their male lineage back to pre-Norman, Anglo-Saxon times. (Just for reference, Wikipedia says there are 3 English families that are able to do this.) The other family is the BERKELEY family to whom we are also related. (https://selectsurnames.com/arden/) (Wikipedia adds the SWINTON family to whom we are also related.) The ARDENs were among the first families of England to take surnames. They called themselves ARDEN “after the royal forest of that name in which their property lay” (Landed Families blog) – the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, England (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arden_family). Side note: SHAKESPEARE features the Forest of Arden in his work, As You Like It. You can read more about this and about various locations in the original Forest of Arden at the National Trust website. In case you don’t recall it, the Forest of Arden, William SHAKESPEARE, and Warwickshire, England (as well as the National Trust) played a part in a previous blog post. You can find that post here and it contains bits of information on all 4 of mine and Bart’s grandparents’ lines.

To make a long story somewhat shorter, The ARDEN family maintained landed gentry status until 1890. There were times when their properties were seized by the Crown but the family was always able to buy back some portion of the land and therefore was also able to retain their landed gentry social class. The properties were maintained, built upon, demolished, etc. throughout the generations

Margaret Arden and Alexander Webb

The first ARDEN in my line is my paternal 15th great-grandmother, Margaret ARDEN. Margaret was born about 1538 in Warwickshire. She married Alexander WEBB. Margaret’s sister, Mary, was the mother of William SHAKESPEARE. Margaret died in 1608. Because Margaret’s line is so confused on the internet, I tried to sort it out as best I could. What follows is the correct family tree as far as I can tell.

Margaret ARDEN’s parents were Robert de ARDEN of Wilmcote (abt. 1492-1556) and his wife Mary Agnes WEBB (1512-1550). (Remember Mary Agnes. She’ll return in just a minute.) Each of them connect to the ARDEN family so I’ll start with the paternal line:

• Robert de ARDEN’s parents were Sir Thomas de ARDEN of Wilmcote and his wife Jane (maiden name unknown)
• Sir Thomas de ARDEN of Wilmcote’s parents were Walter de ARDEN (abt. 1437-1502) and Eleanor HAMPDEN (remember this couple)

Now Margaret’s maternal line:

• Margaret’s mother was Mary Agnes WEBB (1512-1550) and Mary Agnes’ parents were Sir John Alexander WEBB (1484-1516) and his wife Margaret de ARDEN (abt. 1500-?) (this Margaret is the 1st cousin of my Margaret the daughter of Robert)
• Margaret de ARDEN’s (the 1st cousin of my Margaret) parents were John de ARDEN (1469-1563) and Alice BRACEBRIDGE
• John de ARDEN’s parents were Walter de ARDEN (abt. 1437-1502) and Eleanor HAMPDEN (the same couple above who were also the parents of Sir Thomas de ARDEN.)

So Sir Thomas de ARDEN of Wilmcote and John de ARDEN of Park Hall were brothers. My original Margaret ARDEN’s father (Robert) married his 1st cousin once removed – Mary Agnes WEBB (the child of his 1st cousin). I hope that makes sense!! Relationships such as this were not uncommon and children were often married off as very young children (even as toddlers) and then held by the family until they were teens, at which point they were ‘given’ to their spouse. The social status of the families was the most important issues. It was critical that ‘good’ matches were made. And by ‘good’, I mean ‘good for the social standing of the family’. Such were the times.

John de Arden of Park Hall

John de ARDEN of Park Hall (abt. 1460-1526) was our 18th great-grandfather through Margaret ARDEN WEBB’s maternal line. He married Alice BRACEBRIDGE. He was the Esquire of the Body to King Henry VII. In other words, he was the personal attendant to King Henry VII. He was a valet. He waited on the King, looked after the King’s clothes and personal effects, dressed and undressed the King, and could function as a personal secretary. He was someone the King trusted and the only person allowed to touch the King. It was a position of great honor and also afforded the person great influence over the King due to the close relationship they shared. This position was a common first step to higher-level political offices.

I wish I could tell you more about John’s brother (and our 17th great grandfather) Thomas de ARDEN but there has been little documentation found for him and there are many who argue that it can’t be proven that he’s a son of Walter. Because of this, I’ll be sticking to Margaret’s maternal line since it is very well established thanks to SHAKESPEARE researchers.

Walter de Arden of Park Hall

Next in the line is John’s father, Walter. Walter married Eleanor HAMPDEN. Walter was still young when his father, Robert, was executed – young enough that he required a guardian. I don’t know who was appointed to care for him but about 1457 he married Eleanor HAMPDEN. When Walter’s dad was executed, the Crown confiscated his dad’s land. Walter was able to recover his father’s property from the King.

Robert de Arden of Park Hall

The next generation back is Walter’s father, Robert de ARDEN (abt. 1412-abt. 1452). Robert’s father died when Robert was about 8 years old. Afterward, Robert was given to Lady Joan BERGAVENNY to raise. I believe this Lady Joan BERGAVENNY is my maternal 4th cousin 20 times removed.

Robert married Elizabeth CLODSHALL . Robert was Sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1437. During the War of the Roses, Robert sided with the Yorkists. He was captured by the Lancastrians and executed, at which point his land was forfeited to the Crown. Properties that he owned included the Park Hall estate which he had inherited from his father at his father’s death. He also inherited the manors of Wappenham and Sulgrave when his uncles died but he sold those in 1439. He bought the manors of Saltley and Water Orton (Warwickshire) and Pedmore in Worcestershire, not to be confused with Peddimore Hall near Birmingham which the de ARDEN’s also owned. Robert was executed at Ludlow in 1452.

Sir Ralph de Arden of Park Hall, Knight

Robert’s parents were Ralph (d. 1420) and Sybil de ARDEN. Ralph was an esquire of the Earl of Warwick. Wikipedia describes the title of Esquire as a “courtesy title” and says, “In the United Kingdom, Esquire historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman and below the rank of knight. Some sources cite that the title was bestowed on ‘candidates for knighthood in England,’ and even used with respect to other dignitaries, such as justices of the peace, sheriffs, and sergeants.” (Wikipedia) I’m not sure if this applies to Ralph in this case. Other sites describe an Esquire as much like the position of “Esquire of the Body” like John de ARDEN was to King Henry VII. Esquire is a rank below ‘Knight’ but eventually Ralph was able to attain the rank of Knight. The title of Knight basically indicated a professional soldier. Ralph inherited the Park Hall estate and other lands from his father upon his father’s death. He allowed his mother and brothers to live in the manors of Wappenham and Sulgrave for the duration of their lives. These two manors were passed to his son Robert when he died.

Last: Sir Henry de Arden of Park Hall, Knight

The last ancestral couple we’ll talk about in this post is Sir Henry de ARDEN, Knight (d. abt. 1400) and his wife, Ellen. Henry was the youngest son of Ralph de ARDEN of Curdworth and his wife, Isabel de BROMWICH. Henry was a member of Parliament from 1381-1382. Henry married Ellen (maiden name unknown). They had three sons. Two died with no heirs. Henry purchased the manor of Sulgrave in 1371 and Park Hall in 1373. He purchased Park Hall from Sir John de BOTETOURT of Weoley Castle. He purchased it “free of all service save the presentation of a red rose once a year” on the Feast of John the Baptist on 24 June. (Birmingham History site; Landed Families blog) That seems to be an odd stipulation for the sale but in researching it, I think the stipulation may have something to do with a tradition called The Knollys Rose Ceremony. You can read more about it at the link.

In 1380 Henry acquired his father’s estate in Curdworth and Minworth from his niece. He died about 1400. He left behind his widow and three sons and his property passed to the eldest son, and our 22nd great grandfather (or 21st if you’re counting from Margaret’s paternal line), Sir Ralph de ARDEN of Park Hall.

I’m going to leave the de ARDENs right here at Park Hall – a place they felt at home. I’ve enjoyed learning about them and telling you all about them as well.

Until next week,

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Resources Used

• Nobility Titles website, accessed 1/31/2022.
• Select Surnames, accessed 2/1/2022.
• Landed Families blog, accessed 2/1/2022.
• Wikipedia – Arden Family, accessed 2/1/2022.
• National Trust, accessed 2/1/2022.
• Days of Our Lives Genealogy blog, accessed 2/1/2022.
• Wikipedia – Esquire, accessed 2/1/2022.
• Birmingham History site, accessed 2/2/2022
• Wikipedia – Knollys Rose Ceremony, accessed 2/2/2022
• FamilySearch, accessed 2/2/2022