The Beginnings The family name originates in what is now the hamlet of Mucklestone in Staffordshire, on the border with Shropshire. The ancient parish of Muckleston (the e is an affectation), in Staffordshire lies four miles North East of Market Drayton in Shropshire and comprises the hamlets of Mucklestone, Aston, Knighton, Oakley and Winnington in Staffordshire and the hamlets of Woore, Bearstone, Dorrington and Gravenhunger in Shropshire and is in North Pirehill Hundred. Most parishioners farmed the land. Mucklestone and surrounding area (2000) Variations of the surname include Muckleston, Mucklestone, Muccleston, Mucclestone, Moccleston, Muckelston, Mucklestone and Mackleston and possibly others. In Walter Chetwynd’s History of Pirehill Hundred (1679) he writes “Leving one of ye Thanes, held Muccleston of ye king: there being a church, one hide of land, one acre of meadow land, and woods two furlongs in length, and as much in breadth, valued at 5s, all of which Aldric and Edric held before ye Conquest. About ye time of King John, William Pantolf gave to Norman his brother, all ye lands which Alina, his mother, held in dower in Mokleston, Winnington, Knighton, in exchange of certain lands which ye said Norman held of him in Standon.” The Pantolf family are believed to have come to England with William the Conquer and had been made Barons of Wem and given lands to go with the title by King William. It is believed that on inheriting the above lands Norman became Norman de Muccleston, the first member of the family to have this surname. At the time of the Domesday survey there was a priest at Mucklestone suggesting the presence of an early church. In the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) lands at Mucklestone were given to Combermere Abbey. Later the patronage of the church was associated with that of the Manor and the family which took its name from the village – the de Mucclestones. The parish church was rebuilt and the tower extended to four stages in the 13th century. Today it is lower than at that time, with the battlements and pinnacles probably built in the 16th century. The church and tower were restored between 1786 and 1790 and the nave and chancel extensively rebuilt. In 1883 a further restoration was carried out by Lynam and Rickman of Stoke on Trent. There are 13 stained glass windows in the church dating from the later 19th century. One features Margaret of Anjou wife of Henry VI, who is said to have witnessed the battle of Blore Heath from the top of the tower in 1459. According to the story, when she saw the Lancastrians were defeated, she and her close companions had their horses’ shoes reversed by the blacksmith near to the church and made their escape. Some documents in the Staffordshire archives give some indication of the early links of the family with the Manor of Mucklestone. 1203 – This was the year in which King John’s nephew and rival for the throne of England, vanished and was believed to have been murdered, having been captured by King John's supporters the previous year. The resident owner of the Manor was given as Adam de Mukelston. Adams original family name was said to have been a different one, he having assumed the name of the Manor on acquiring it. In a document dated 1210, the manor was held by a Walter de Muccleston, and around 1230 by another Adam de Muccleston. In 1210 King John was kept busy trying to exert his authority over rebels in France, Wales and Ireland, as a result of this activity he levied large taxes on his people, for example heirs had to pay a fee for the right to inherit. In 1215 this all came to a head when the Barons finally rebelled and forced King John to sign what is now known as the Magna Carta. After King John's death in 1216 his nine year old son was appointed King Henry III, the Welsh in particular saw this as an opportunity to gain back some lands which must have been unsettling for the residents of Muckleston, who were after all not that far away from Wales. This last Adam was probably Lord of the Manor from 1220 to 1245 and was married to a lady called Bertred. In 1248 (possibly another) Adam de Mucclestone proved his claim to appoint the priest to Mucclestone parish, in those days this was a jealously guarded privilege. He did this by proving the advowson (right of presentation to a benefice) against Geoffrey Griffin by showing that Adam his father had last presented one Thomas de Janeston who had recently resigned and become Parson of Swinnerton. In 1253 Bertred widow of Adam, is on record as suing Ivo de Paunton (possibly Pantulf) regarding the disputed ownership of some land. In 1306 (the same year that Robert the Bruce was declared King of Scotland), yet another Adam de Mucclestone and his wife Scolastica were recorded as pleading for her dowry of Frodswell (also in Staffordshire). In 1307, the first year of Edward II’s reign, Adam de Mucclestone and Scolastica his wife occur in the plea rolls against Henry de Wolaston that he should carry out his covenant, made between them respecting the Manor of Mucclestone and the advowson of the church. In 1309 Adam and Scolastica entailed Mucclestone on themselves and their heirs. The plea rolls also show that they owned a share of Leigh. (There are places called Leigh in both Shropshire and Staffordshire and the documents do not specify which place it is). Scolastica died in 1319. In 1320 William de Mucleston (possibly Adams brother), was granted letters of protection while serving against the Scots. King Edward II was on the English throne and was trying to bring Scotland back under English control, however King Robert of Scotland was determined not to allow this to happen, at one battle near York in September 1319, the English losses exceeded 3000 men. Both Kings wrote to Pope John XXII to elicit his support for their cause. A truce was eventually called between them. Around 1329 an Adam de Mucclestone married Joan. We have no records yet whether this was a second wife following the death of Scolastica, or his sons’ marriage. The next Lord of the Manor appeared to have been Sir John Muckleston. From all accounts he was a good soldier. He fought abroad for the King in 1342 and 1359. He fought in the retinue of John de Cherleton, Lord of Powis in 1359. He was knighted for his services but we have not been able to find any record giving the date that this took place. In 1342 King Edward III was at war with France over the disputed succession for the Duchy of Brittany. Wars continued with France over various lands until a peace treaty was signed in May 1360. John married Margaret de Lys, a widow. We have no date for this, a common problem with early records, many were not dated, the dates faded, were illegible or lost. By 1345 Hoeskyn de Muccleston, successor to a Roger de Muccleston, had settled on lands near Oswestry on the Welsh border, and although the family name died out in Mucklestone itself, his descendants went on to prosper. We believe that all the Muckleston(e)s and Macklestons alive today are direct descendants of Hoeskyn de Muccleston, although this still has to be proven for a few branches. The Buckinghamshire Plea Rolls for 14th January 1346/7 show that the Sheriff was ordered to arrest William de Mokeleston, Knight of County Salop and Thomas de Mokeleston, the son of the said William and keep them in the Kings Prison until they paid £20 to Augustine de Waleys whom they had acknowledged to owe him in 1342. The sheriff made no return to the writ and was ordered as before and to make a return the following Easter. We are unsure if our illustrious ancestors spent any time in the Kings Prison or avoided it by paying the debt. In 1352 Nicholas de Mucklestone was elected Prior of Trentham Priory in Staffordshire (near Newcastle under Lyme). He was Prior for 50 years retiring in 1402. Trentham Priory was only a small priory, the largest number of monks they had was only seven or eight. The plea rolls for Edward III dated 29th September 1353 show some of the family relationships. “ Robert de Oldenhulle was attached (served with a writ to attend court) at the suit of Joan formerly wife of William de Mokeleston, chiveler (Chevalier, a term often used at this time to denote a knight or well born person), for forcibly breaking into her house at Mokeleston, on the Friday after the feast of Easter, and taking her goods and chattels, viz., sick sashes (zonas de serico), rings and gold buckles, silver dishes, furs and silver basins, mazers (probably cups made of maple wood), linen and woollen clothes, brass and wooden vessels, tables, an image of alabaster, and other utensils of the house to the value of £20. Robert appeared by attorney and denied having inflicted any injury on Joan, and as regarded the breaking into the house and carrying away the silk sashes, rings and buckles of gold and silver, he stated he was not guilty, and appealed to a jury, and as regarded taking away the other things excepting the woollen and linen clothes, he pleaded that William de Mokeleston, knight, formerly husband of Joan, had demised (i.e. Transferred by lease) to him and to his heirs by deed the Manor of Mokeleston, together with all the goods and chattels within the manor, for a term of fourteen years, and he had taken them by virtue of the said deed, as was lawful; and as regarded the taking of the linen and woollen clothes, he stated that Joan had pledged them to him for a sum of 8 marks, which he had lent to her, and which was to have been paid at the feast of Pentecost, and as she had not paid the money, he had taken the goods, but was prepared to surrender them whenever the loan was repaid.