Swinnerton history

From the 1979 reprint of the Rev. Charles’ history of the family:

The original history of the Swinnerton family – An Account of the Family of Swynnerton and elsewhere in the County of Stafford and Collections for History of Staffordshire published by the William Salt Archaeological Society in 1886.

This was written by the Hon.& Rev. Canon Bridgeman, but included 5 chapters written by the Rev. Charles Swynnerton. The Rev. Charles obviously had some extra copies of Part II run off, and had these bound up as a separate volume for distribution to members of the family. The first of these were distributed in 1887, for which he wrote a special introduction of 6 pages and signed it “Charles Swynnerton, New Oxford & Cambridge Club, 10th August 1887”. The typeface and paper were identical with the main text and would appear to have been produced by Harrison & Sons of London, the Society’s printers.

In the following year he expanded his introduction to 15 pages and signed it “Charles Swynnerton, Sialkot, India, May 1888”. From the typeface and paper it would appear that this was printed in India. The first 4 1/2 pages have the same content as the 1887 version except for slight editing but the remainder sets out to “modify and amplify Canon Bridgeman’s conclusions”.

He commences this section with the words “Since the first publication of this History, new investigation has revealed additional evidence…”

It is from this second Introduction from 1888 that the excerpt below is reproduced:

The following history forms part of the Seventh Volume of the Collections for a History of Staffordshire, compiled and issued by the William Salt (Stafford) Archaeological Society. It is a severe and unvarnished compilation of facts, gathered with much labour from the Public Records and other authentic original sources. In such a history it was obviously inexpedient to admit any conclusion of a conjectural or hypothetical character. The question, therefore, of the identity of the ancestors of the Swynnertons before the invasion of the Normans was one of those points which, resting on no directly positive evidence, was thus excluded from treatment. In this place, however, it will not be unbecoming to refer to that question, especially in view of a certain amount of indirect and presumptive testimony which warrants us in connecting the early Swynnertons with one of the noblest houses of Normandy.

Alan (Aslen or Aelem) the Norman, the original grantee of a knight’s fee at Swynnerton, in Staffordshire, and of a knight’s fee at Rauceby, in Lincolnshire, had been enfeoffed in his lands by Robert de Stafford not long before the year 1086 (see note below), the date of the Domesday Survey. Alan had probably a brother named Brian, a companion-in-arms, who was also of the train of Robert de Stafford, and on whom were conferred several manors, the principal of which was Standon, adjoining the manor of Swynnerton, and a knight’s fee also in Rauceby, in Lincolnshire. These two (brothers) held altogether not fewer than nine manors of the gift of Robert de Stafford. Their names, or rather those of their immediate descendants, frequently appear in· the Charters of the de Staffords in the Kenilworth Chartulary. It is this fact, combined with the further fact that Alan’s successors in the direct line for several generations bore the baptismal name of Robert, as if in honour of Robert de Stafford, which has led General the Hon. G. Wrottesley and Canon the Hon. G. O. Bridgeman to adopt the conclusion that both the Swynnertons and the Standons were blood connections of their over-lord, Robert de Stafford. Now as Robert de Stafford was a member of the great family of Conches, or Toesny, it follows, if this hypothesis be true, that the ancestors of the Swynnertons derive their descent from one of the noblest houses of Normandy, since Robert de Stafford was a younger brother of that Ralf de Toesny who by prescriptive hereditary right was to have borne the Standard.

In tracing, then, the origin of the family of Swynnerton all the available evidence is such as to carry us back through the most distinguished blood of Normandy, to find the remote ancestor of the race in the person of the renowned Malahulc, the uncle of the great Scandinavian Viking, Rolf the Ganger, known to the French as Rollo or Roy, who, a soldier of fortune, successfully established himself on the rich banks of the Seine, where he was finally persuaded to accept the faith of Christ and where on his admission to Christianity he received the baptismal name of Robert.

Since the first publication of this History renewed investigation has revealed additional evidence, and though few of Canon Bridgeman’s conclusions need to be modified since, as a rule, he has most carefully refrained from conjecture, yet the story, as set forth in these pages, may now be amplified considerably.

First of all to Alan de Swynnerton, the Domesday tenant of the fee. In the year 1086 he must have been newly enfeoffed at Swynnerton and Rauceby (also see note below), since we do not find that he witnesses any of the Charters of the first Robert de Stafford in the Kenilworth Chartulary, and Robert de Stafford died in 1088. That this was the case, and that Alan was then quite a youth, becomes still more probable when we find that he witnesses a deed of Ernaldus fitz-Vitalis in the year 1136. As a consequence we are released from the necessity of supposing that Robert fitz-Aelem (Alan) of 1155-59 was his grandson rather than his son, so that Canon Bridgeman’s alternative supposition is the correct one, As Alan himself was living in 1136, his son and successor might well have survived till 1159, and hence it follows that Robert fitz-Ehelen (Alan) of 1125 and Robert fitz-Eelen (Alan) of 1155-9 are one and the same individual. This conclusion becomes even more probable from a consideration of the Placita of Michaelmas Term 2, Henry III, 1217, where the Robert de Swynnerton of that date is mentioned as the grandson of Robert Fitz-Alan, the Lord of Swynnerton, who between 1155 and 1159 gave Swynnerton Church to the monks of Stone, and as the son of the Robert de Swynnerton (called sometimes also Fitz-Alan, as in the Liber Niger, and in a Charter of Circa 1190), who, before 1198, confirmed the grant. My own belief is that the original grant was made by Robert Fitz-Alan on his deathbed, and he will have died therefore between the two dates just given, 1155 and 1159, and that his son, Robert Fitz-Alan, or de Swynnerton, confirmed his father’s grant also on his deathbed, and that he therefore must have died before 1198. That he was dead before 1199 we know from a consideration of the Placita of that year, in which he is spoken of as being then deceased, and as having been succeeded by his son Robert.

Note: We now believe Robert de Stafford gave Swynnerton to our ancestor shortly after the Battle of Stafford in 1069. It is of course possible that if Alan the Domesday tenant was only young, as the Revd Charles says, then he might have been the son of the original tenant. Canon Bridgeman maintains that Alan did have a son, also Alan, who died without issue before 1122, and thus the line passed to his brother, Robert. This could mean that the reason the Domesday Alan didn’t witness any charters before 1088 was because he was a minor.