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From: "Todd A. Farmerie" < >
Subject: Link in Oliver Manwaring descent from Edward III disproven
Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 12:13:28 -0700
In a January 1996 post to soc.genealogy.medieval/GEN-MEDIEVAL, I
briefly described a possible descent of immigrant Oliver
Manwaring (Mainwaring) from King Edward III of England, (which I
had first come across while visiting a relative at Kent State
University in 1987/88). The important links of this descent,
tracing Oliver's maternal grandmother Loveday Moyle from an
illegitimate son of Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter, appeared in a
genealogical chart published over a century ago, but the descent
seems to have escaped notice since that time.
Since that posting, I have, as time allowed, been working on this
question on both sides of the pond, and have discussed the issue
in private with several participants of this group, including
Paul Reed, David Greene, Hap Sutliff, John Steele Gordon, and
Gryphon801, all of whom I thank for lending me their ear or
monitor, as the case may be (and for respecting the confidence in
which the information was imparted). Having reached the end of
one phase of the research with some minor discoveries in Salt
Lake City a few weeks ago, I have decided to go public with my
information, which shows that the line contains a critical, and
at least for the time being, fatal inaccuracy. A discussion of
this flaw in the line is currently under editorial review, and
(it is hoped) will appear shortly in the January 2001 issue of
The American Genealogist.
Briefly, Loveday Moyle, maternal grandmother of Oliver Manwaring
was in turn maternal granddaughter of Lawrence Kendall, younger
son of Walter Kendall of Pelyn, JP for Cornwall. (Walter's
brother William Kendall was executed by Henry VIII for raising
troops with unknown intent in 1531, while making vague threats
that the King would regret marrying Anne. Curiously, the wife of
Lawrence Kendall also had an uncle attainted and sentenced to be
hanged, drawn and quartered - for sneaking out of the country as
a relic the left arm of a priest martyred for denying the
supremacy of the King). Walter Kendall was the third son of John
Kendall of Treworgy, it is said, by Joan Holland, whose father
Robert Holland was one of Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter's two
illegitimate sons killed at Towton. This Henry has two lines of
descent from Edward III, as well as a descent through Joan, Fair
Maid of Kent, to Edward I and his second wife, Margaret of France
(Oliver Mainwaring's other Edward I descents are from Eleanor of
Castile).
Unfortunately, the line is flawed in its assignment of Robert as
bastard of Henry Holland. Chronology reveals the above account
to be doubly problematic at this point. First, as Towton was
fought in 1461, while Henry was born in 1430, it is unlikely that
he would have been twice grandfather at the age of 31 (as would
have been required for Robert Holland, father of two daughters,
to have been both Henry's son and a Towton casualty). This is
not fatal to the descent, as there is no reason that Robert must
be one of the two unnamed bastards killed at Towton. The second
chronological problem is more telling, for in an 1458
transaction, Robert Holand grants stewardship of two manors to
the men who the previous owner had assigned that role prior to
his transfer of the manors to Robert and his wife Margaret.
Certainly acting as a man who had reached majority, Robert could
not be son, illegitimate or otherwise, of Henry Holland, who was
only 28 years old. Thus, this connection, with the royal
descents it implies, proves flawed, and at least one (and there
is a reason to think both) of the Edward III descents are negated
as a result.
Additional details will be found in the prospective TAG article
when it goes to press.
taf
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