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From: (Douglas Richardson)
Subject: CP Addition: Richard Pole's 1st marriage to Alice Stradling
Date: 1 Apr 2004 16:11:57 -0800


Dear Newsgroup ~

In view of this week's discussion of the Pole and Stradling families,
I thought I might mention an addition to Complete Peerage that I
recently came across while doing research for the forthcoming
Plantagenet Ancestry book.

Complete Peerage 11 (1949): 399-402 (sub Salisbury) has a good account
of the life and tragic ending of Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of
Salisbury, the last surviving legitimate member of the Plantagenet
family who was beheaded by King Henry VIII in 1541. Margaret married
before November 1487 Richard Pole (or Poole), K.G. (died 1504), of
Ellesborough and Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, son and heir of Geoffrey
Pole, Knt., by his 1st wife, Edith Saint John. By this marriage,
Margaret was the mother of five children, Henry, K.B. [Lord Montagu],
Arthur, Knt., Geoffrey, Knt., Reginald [Cardinal, Archbishop of
Canterbury], and Ursula (wife of Henry Stafford [Lord Stafford]).

Complete Peerage makes no mention of an earlier marriage for Sir
Richard Pole. F.N. Macnamara, however, in his book, Memorials of the
Danvers Family, published in 1895, gives compelling evidence that Sir
Richard Pole was previously married sometime before 28 June 1483 to
Alice Langford, widow of John Stradling (died 1471), of Dauntsey,
Bremilham, and Marden, Wiltshire. By Alice Langford's first marriage
to John Stradling, she was the mother of a son, Edward Stradling.

On page 238, McNamara specifically states "in the meantime his [Edward
Stradling's] mother, Alice Stradling, became the wife of Richard Pole,
and on June 27, 1483, Richard Pole, in all likelihood incited thereto
by his wife, seized and carried off young Edward from his guardian's
[Henry Danvers] house in Faringdon Ward." Richard Pole, then styled
"late of Isylworth, in Co. Midd., Esquire," was "attached to answer to
Henry Danvers of a plea why with force and arms he took aware Edward
Stradling, kinsman and heir of Edmund Stradling, being under age,
whose custody and marriage belong to the said Henry ... Clearly an
arrangement had been made in the lifetime of John Stradling under
which Thomas Langford had been enfeoffed of the manor of Merden
[Marden] in order than he might with Alice his sister, have custody of
the boy during his minority."

The legal wrangling between Richard Pole and Henry Danvers mentioned
by McNamara is presumably the subject of the following Chancery
lawsuit:

C 1/67/36:
Henry Danvers v. Richard Pole: Custody of Edward Stradlyng,
complainant's ward, son of John, son of Edmund Stradlyng.: London.

McNamara discusses evidence which indicates that Richard Pole, husband
of Alice (Langford) Stradling, was the same Richard Pole who married
Margaret Plantagenet. In a footnote on page 242, McNamara shows that
Richard Pole, then "one of the squires of the King's body," had the
"wardship, custody, and marriage" of young Edward Stradling granted to
him on 11 July 1484. McNamara cites as his source for this grant
Harleian MS. 433, pg. 181, which record has been printed in modern
times by Rosemary Horrox. Complete Peerage makes certain the identity
of this Richard Pole. The editor notes in footnote "a" in Vol. 11,
pg. 400 that Margaret Plantagenet's husband, Richard Pole, was an
Esquire of the Body before October 1485, when he was granted a fee for
such of 50 marks for life. McNamara likewise concludes the following:
"The circumstances of the grant confirm our view that Richard Pole
husband of Alice Stradling, and Richard Pole husband of the Countess
of Salisbury were one and the same person."

Interestingly, while Mr. McNamara published his findings back
regarding the Pole-Stradling back in 1895, it appears that his
information hasn't ever obtained wide circulation. Reading his
account, I note he gives no actual source for the Pole-Stradling
marriage. One gets the impression, however, that his likely source for
the marriage is the Chancery suit between Henry Danvers and Richard
Pole which he definitely consulted.

Elsewhere, I find there is a dispensation recorded dated 1468 for
marriage of John son of Edmund Stradling and Alice "Edwardi"
[Reference: Papal Regs.: Letters 12 (1933): 608]. I assume that the
bride is the same woman who appears elsewhere as Alice Langford. If
so, then "Edwardi" is not the bride's maiden name, but rather would be
Latin for "daughter of Edward." If so, then Alice was presumably the
daughter of Edward Langford.

The online Public Record Office catalog mentions a Chancery suit for a
Thomas, son of Edward Langford (see below), which individual is
presumably the same person as the Thomas Langford who McNamara
identified as the brother of Alice (Langford)(Stradling) Pole. If so,
this suit would lend confirmation that Alice Langford's father was
named Edward Langford.

C 1/143/56:
Christopher, son and heir of Robert Jacob. v. Thomas, son of Edward
Langford, feoffee to uses.: Lands, late of the said Robert in
Brad[field]. Copy of pleadings.: Berks.

Comments are invited.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

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