U DDCA Papers of the Stapleton (Incorporating Errington and Tempest) Family, Lords Beaumont, of Carlton Towers Late 11Th Cent.-1979
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Hull History Centre: Papers of the Stapleton Family U DDCA Papers of the Stapleton (incorporating Errington and Tempest) Family, Lords Beaumont, of Carlton Towers late 11th cent.-1979 Accession number: 1977/01, 1978/02, 1981/02, 1981/13, 1994/04, 1996/20, 2016/06 Historical Background: The Stapletons of Yorkshire were originally from Richmondshire, their name deriving from Stapleton-on-Tees, a village between Richmond and Darlington. Nicholas de Stapleton, a judge on the King's Bench, died in 1290 leaving a son Miles de Stapleton, by his wife, Margaret Bassett, who was buried at Drax. The Stapletons settled in Yorkshire in this generation and several branches of the family developed at Carlton and Bedale, and then Wighill and Myton. Miles de Stapleton was the common ancestor (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Chetwynd-Stapylton, 'The Stapletons of Yorkshire', pp. 66-7; Robinson, Carlton Towers, p.10). Miles de Stapleton served in the Gascon and Scottish wars of Edward I and was one of the men entrusted with the education of the king's son. He was created 1st baron, Lord Stapleton, and was called to parliament. He increased his family's interests in Yorkshire considerably. His eldest son was betrothed to a daughter of the Earl of Richmond and his second son to one of the daughters of Brian Fitzalan, lord of Bedale. His first wife, Sybil or Isabel, was the daughter of John de Bellew and Laderine, sister of Peter de Brus. Carlton came into the family as part of her inheritance. Towards the end of his life Miles de Stapleton sided with Lancaster but when he was called to muster for the relief of Stirling he came to the aid of the king. He and two of his sons were killed at Bannockburn in 1314 (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Robinson, Carlton Towers, p.10). Miles de Stapleton's eldest son, Nicholas, (b. circa 1290), inherited his Carlton estates and his younger son, Gilbert, married Agnes Fitzalan and through this match this branch of the family came into Bedale and Askham Bryan. Their descendants also ultimately became lords of Carlton as well as those branches of the family at Wighill. Nicholas de Stapleton inherited also his father's title becoming 2nd baron, Lord Carlton. He fought in the wars of Scotland and was summoned to parliament in 1343 but died in the same year. By his first wife, Isabel, he had four known issue and his eldest son, Miles, was born circa 1319. He was escheator and high sheriff of Yorkshire and was summoned as 3rd baron to parliament in 1358. He escorted David Bruce, king of Scotland, from Newcastle to London after the battle of Nevill's Cross and died in 1372. He married Isabel Vavasour and had one son and two daughters, one of whose descendants became claimant to the barony of Stapleton when it terminated with the death of his son, at the age of only 23 years, in 1374. The Carlton lands, which this Thomas Stapleton, 4th baron, had inherited for only two years passed by the tail male to his cousin, a descendant of Gilbert de Stapleton (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Robinson, Carlton Towers, p.10). Gilbert de Stapleton had by his wife Agnes Fitzalan at least six children and his first and second sons became two of the most distinguished members of the family. The eldest son, Miles de Stapleton, inherited Bedale and was lord of Cotherstone. He fought during the French wars of Edward III and was one of the foundation knights of the garter. His first wife and son predeceased him. His second wife, Joan, was the heiress to estates at Ingham county Norfolk and together they rebuilt the church at Ingham (where fine family brasses were preserved for several centuries) and founded a college of trinitarian canons who prayed for the release of crusader captives of the Turks. Miles de Stapleton died in 1364, leaving his eldest son by Joan, another Miles de Stapleton, to inherit while still under age. He died in Page 1 of 384 Hull History Centre: Papers of the Stapleton Family 1419 to be succeeded by his son Brian de Stapleton (d. 1438) and his grandson, Miles de Stapleton (d. 1466). The latter left two daughters who became coheiresses to the estates in Norfolk, but by the tail male Bedale reverted to the descendants of Gilbert de Stapleton's younger son, Brian de Stapleton (b. circa 1326), to whom we now return (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Robinson, Carlton Towers, p.10). Brian de Stapleton has left behind a considerable legend largely based on his military career. He was a young baby when his father died and was brought up by his mother and Sir Thomas Sheffield. His career began with Edward III's first wars against France and he was at the siege of Tournay in 1340 and the siege of Calais in 1347. In 1369 he was one of the knights sent with the king's son, the earl of Cambridge, to help the Black Prince in Aquitaine. His service resulted in gaining two manors and in 1374 his fortunes were further increased when he inherited Carlton on the death of Thomas Stapleton, the son of his cousin. A year later he purchased Wighill. In 1380 he became warden of Calais and in 1382 became knight of the garter. He was one of the deponents in the Scrope-Grosvenor controversy of 1386 and as late as 1390 was still involved in tournaments. The saracen's head over the family crest is reputed to have been gained by Brian de Stapleton after slaying a Moor in single combat. He is also reputed to have brought from France the right hand of Mary Magdalene which he gave to the house of friars in York. He died in 1394 (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Chetwynd-Stapylton, 'The Stapletons of Yorkshire', pp. 236 ff; Robinson, Carlton Towers, p.10). Brian de Stapleton had two sons, the eldest of whom predeceased him. His Wighill estates passed to his younger son, Miles Stapleton (d. 1399), and his descendants. One of them, Robert Stapleton (d. 1557), sat as a justice in the trial of Catherine Howard in 1541. His son, also Robert (1548?-1606), was high sheriff of Yorkshire and was responsible for building a new house at Wighill in about 1580. The descendants of his first wife inherited Wighill and one of his grandsons was Philip Stapleton (1603-1647), the parliamentary leader sent to York to resist the attempts of Charles I to gain Hull. He was involved in various military campaigns before dying, possibly of plague, in Calais and being buried in the protestant cemetery there. In the eighteenth century the Wighill branch of the family expired in the male line and the Chetwynds took their name by marriage before selling the estates in 1818. The descendants of Robert Stapleton and his second wife established themselves at Myton and were royalists, Robert's son, Brian (d. 1658), becoming Receiver General of the North for Charles I and his son being made baronet by Charles II. The baronetcy expired with Martin Stapleton who died without issue in 1817. His nephew Martin Bree (1771-1842) succeeded to the Myton estates and assumed the name of Stapleton (Foster, Pedigrees; Dictionary of National Biography; Chetwynd-Stapylton, 'The Stapletons of Yorkshire', pp. 66, 380 ff). Although Brian de Stapleton's son had predeceased him the Carlton line of the family was continued with his grandson, Brian Stapleton (b. circa 1385). He married Agnes, daughter of John Goddard, high sheriff of Yorkshire, and died young in 1418 leaving behind a son of five, Brian Stapleton (b. circa 1413), who inherited his estates in Carlton and Kentmere. He married Isabel, daughter and heiress of Thomas Rempston of Nottinghamshire and he died in 1467. Nine years later his son, Brian Stapleton (b. circa 1454), married Joan Lovell, the niece and coheiress of Viscount and Baron Beaumont. The Beaumonts were descended from the Frankish princes of Brienne from whom had come John I (b. 1148) the last Christian king of Jerusalem. Through this marriage the Stapletons became heirs to the barony of Beaumont which had been created in 1435 for John de Beaumont, Great Chamberlain and Constable of England, Joan Lovell's grandfather who had been slain in 1460 fighting for the Lancastrians. A barony in fee could be passed through the female line, but the title was not reclaimed for over 300 years (Foster, Pedigrees; Robinson, Carlton Towers, pp.10-11). Page 2 of 384 Hull History Centre: Papers of the Stapleton Family Brian Stapleton and Joan Lovell had two sons, the youngest of whom inherited the Rempston estates of his grandmother. The eldest, Brian Stapleton (d. 1550), married first Elizabeth Scrope and had two sons and second Joanna Bassett by whom he had several more children including Anthony Stapleton who became Treasurer of the Inner Temple. Brian Stapleton's eldest son predeceased him and he was succeeded by Richard Stapleton (b. circa 1516), whose first wife Thomasin was the daughter of Robert Amadei, goldsmith and master of King Henry VIII's jewel house. When Richard Stapleton died in 1585 the Carlton estates devolved on their son, Brian Stapleton (d. 1606) who became high sheriff of Yorkshire (Foster, Pedigrees). The Stapletons managed to retain their influence despite continuing to adhere to Catholicism and the chantry chapel in the Carlton church survived the suppression in 1547. In 1611 its existence was discovered and the church fully converted to Church of England worship, after which the Stapletons only used the village church for burials, maintaining their private chapel at home.