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From: (Douglas Richardson)
Subject: CP Addition: Richard Pole's 1st marriage to Alice Stradling
Date: 5 Apr 2004 22:15:45 -0700


Dear Tim ~

Thank you for posting the will of Geoffrey Pole/Poole on your great
website. Much appreciated. By the way, if people have not yet
visited your website, I highly recommend they do so. Your genealogy
section is excellent. You have very impressive ancestry.

In answer to your request for information regarding the will of
Geoffrey Pole/Poole, I can provide the following particulars. The
will commences "In the name of God Amen ... I Geoffrey Poole of
Northend in the parish of Medmenham in county Buckingham, Esquire."
The will is dated 12 October 1478, and proved 21 March [year not given
but 1478/9 is the correct date]. In his will, he refers to his wife,
Bone; his daughter, Eleanor [Alianor]; and his two sons, Richard and
Henry. The will is divided into two parts both with the same date,
one written in Latin and one written in English. Neither the second
part of the will, nor the probate clause mentions Geoffrey's social
rank. The probate clause merely states that the above will was
probated 21 March [1478/9] and that administration of the estate was
granted to Richard Alfred, one of the executors named in the will.
There is an indication that "power" was "reserved," presumably in
favor of the other executor, Morgan Kidwelly.

On the second page of the will (11-12 lines from the bottom), the
testator specifically refers to his two sons as "Richard Pole" and
"Henry Pole." This suggests that the names, Poole and Pole, were
entirely interchangeable in this period.

There is nothing in this will which would preclude Geoffrey Pole from
having been knighted between the date of the will and his death date.
Consequently, if Macnamara has copied the Corston deeds correctly
involving Geoffrey's widow, Bone, it would appear that Geoffrey Pole
was knighted shortly before his death. I concur with you that the
Corston deeds should be consulted.

With respect to the spelling of the surname, all the records I found
which refer to Geoffrey Pole's son, Richard, in the period, 1484-1490,
spell Richard's surname as Pole, not Poole. As such, I presume that
the prevalent spelling of the surname after 1484 was Pole.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

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