All Earl, Earll, Earls, Earle, Earles Family Branches May Stem from the Original English Berkshire / Somerset Branch
The main English branch of the Erleigh family has a recorded genealogical history that spans twenty-six generations from the original John de Erleigh of 1100.
It extends over seven centuries, from the start of the twelfth century to the middle of the nineteenth. The Erleigh family lines expanded through five counties, from Somerset to Wiltshire and Devon, from Devon to Dorset, and from Dorset to Essex.
In Somersetshire, there are 10 successive generations of males in Somerset and Berkshire, then at the eleventh generation, we have no male heir and only a daughter named Margaret de Erleigh who inherits all the lands. From there we have two streams or branches, one in Wiltshire for eleven generations more, and another in Devon and Dorset through fifteen generations.
The main Somerset / Berkshire branch, which then branches off in different directions, we believe to be that from which all the Earles of England and America are descended.
There are other important branches of the family in England, but all, we believe, have had their rise from this main Somersetshire stream.
Here is an excellent documented synopsis of the English Earle Family.
EARLS FAMILY CHRONICLES – Christopher Earls Brennen
http://brennen.caltech.edu/earls/chap1.htm
The first 300 Years of the de Erleigh Family 1100 – 1400 (11 Generations)
This list is the “line of succession” or inheritance following the firstborn sons. There are of course many other younger sons that created “Junior” Branches. The younger sons left their father’s land or place of dwelling, married and founded families in other counties, and thus spread the name all over England. We can find Earle sons and families in every part of England, and even in Scotland and Ireland. There can be little doubt that they all sprang from the family whose history began with the first of that name, John de Erleigh (I). The county of Somerset was the main home of the family and undoubtedly the prolific hive from which they spread in every direction. Even after the firstborn line of succession moves to the county of Devon and then to the county of Dorset we still see three centuries later Earle families residing and holding large estates in the county of Somerset from Junior Branches. We do not have a complete picture or genealogy of these junior branches but we know that the name of Earle has reached far and wide in England and across to America and even to many other countries.
(please note: The numerical suffix is a numbering system used by Earle family researcher Christopher Earls Brennen. In his documentation of the lineage of the Earle family (https://www.dankat.com/earls/chap1.htm). He assigns a Roman Numeral that is attached to the first name in time sequence by date of birth of who was first to use that name. John (I), John (II), John (III), etc. In his numbering sequence, he numbers all the sons by first name and date of birth in all generations and lines. There are two separate numbering systems for the “de Erleigh” surname and one for the later “Erle / Earle” line.
12 Generations of Succession
(click on the names for a summary)
William de Erleigh (I) – 2nd GEN
John de Erleigh (II) – 3rd GEN
William de Erleigh (II) – 4th GEN
John de Erleigh (III) – 5th GEN (no issue)
Henry de Erleigh (I) – 5th GEN
Philip de Erleigh (I) – 6th GEN
John de Erleigh (IV) – 7th GEN
John de Erleigh (VI) – 9th GEN
John de Erleigh (VII) – 10th GEN
Margaret de Erleigh – 11th GEN – the daughter and heir of John(VII) inherited Beckington. She married (3rd marriage) Sir Walter de Sondes and they had a daughter: Margaret de Sondes.
Margaret de Sondes – 12th GEN inherited in 1446, through her mother, lands that previously were in the possession of the de Erleigh family.
Margaret de Sondes then married John Erle (second cousins) of Ashburton Devon, and this shifts the dominant inheritance to a previously junior branch of the family.
The knightly surname of “de Erleigh” ceases to be used and the common surname of Earle or Erle becomes dominant. Earle with the “e” on the end differentiated the surname from the English Title of Nobility called an “Earl” and is pronounced like the preceding surname “ER LEE” or “ER LAY” It is sometimes spelled Erle but is pronounced the same.
Other Earle Sons that appear in records.
BERKSHIRE RECORDS
The following are the scattered records of the Berkshire holdings of the members of the de Erlegh family which were not in the main line of succession:
Robert Erley. His daughter Maud gave John de Erlegh(II) a quitclaim for two hides of land in Erley, Reading and Sonning in 1197 [1,v.3,p.213].
Thomas Erleigh. In 1220 there is mention of the visitation of the Salisbury diocese to “the chapel of John de Earley(II?), St. Nicholas in which no one ministers”. This refers to a chapel attached to the manor of Earley, Berkshire in the deanery of Sonning; in 1220 a return was made of Sir Thomas Erleigh, knight, who may have been in residence in that manor. The dean made a second visitation in 1224 to the chapels of Erleigh St. Nicholas and Erleigh St. Bartholemew. No fault was found with either the learning or the life of the chaplains but both were rebuked for irregularities in ministering to the ordinary parishioners of Sonning within their respective chapels. The chapel of Erleigh St. Bartholemew stood in the court of Sir Thomas Erleigh and the dean found that the chapel was “of wood but stones gathered in heaps as if for construction of a stone building. No font or bell but area fenced for a burying ground and a wooden cross where palms are placed on Palm Sunday”. The chaplain, William, received a stipend of 1 mark from John de Earley and the tithes from his demense. The stable behind Early Court attached to Sidmouth House, Berkshire is said to contain the remnants of the chapel of St. Bartholemew [1,v.3,p.223].
Giles de Earley, in 1240, held the manor of Charlton, hundred of Wantage, Berkshire for ${1 \over 2$ knight’s fee of Hugh de Burlay [1,v.4,p.324]. Giles was also lord of the manor of Midgham, hundred of Reading, Berkshire held as ${1 \over 4$ knight’s fee [8,v.1,p.69] and seems to have held land in Erley, Berkshire. He died in 1251 [35,v.2,EdI,n.37].
Bartholemew de Earley, the son of Giles, inherited the Manor of Charlton, Berkshire and paid a subsidy in 1251 [1,v.4,p.324]. He also held the manor of Midgham, Berkshire after Roland de Erley (see chapter) [1,v.4].
William de Erlegh, in 1307, held from John de Erlegh(IV) the manor of Maiden Erley, Berkshire amounting to a messuage, 126 acres arable in a close, 48 acres arable in the common field, 13 acres of meadow, 8 acres of pasture in a close called “Le Park” with deer, 7 acres of alder wood, a fishery in the Thames and various rents. This held by service of 2 attendances yearly at the court of John de Erlegh(IV) and rendering 2s. for a parcel of land in the park [35,EdII,p.10,n.37]. William died in 1308 [1,v.3,p.217]. The dower assigned to his widow Maud included part of the manor house and reasonable easements in the bakehouse and cider press. Free ingress from the hall to the chapel was reserved for the heir. Maud also had in dower a curtilage called Pardis with a fishpond therein near the hedge of the park. There is still a Paradise Acre in the corner of the field called Park Field in the S.E. part of the common meadow. The park was separated by a strip of land from the wood of Sir John de Erlegh [1,v.3,p.217]. William must also have claimed the manor of South Denchworth, hundred of Wantage, Berkshire, 2 messuages and 7 virgates of land, because his widow Maud disputed the land with William Waldyn de Wilbrigton in 1307 [1,v.4,p.283].
John de Erlegh, born 1297, was the son of William (above) and inherited when his father died in 1308 [1,v.3,p.217]. He died in 1323 leaving a daughter and heir, Julian, aged 4 [1,v.3,p.217].
Thomas de Erley held the manor of Midgham, Berkshire in 1316. This Thomas was living in 1334 [8,v.1,p.49][1,v.4].
Robert de Erley and his wife Joan received a grant of land in the manor of Erley, Berkshire from John(VI) (see chapter) in 1362 [1,v.3,p.213]. However in 1401-02 a Robert de Erley (the same?) held only 1/40 of a knight’s fee in Earley Whitenights, the other 39/40 being held by a John Shilford [1,v.3,p.213].
John de Erley held the manor of Midgham, Berkshire in 1402 and in the years which followed (this may be John(VII)) [1,v.4]. He died in 1432 when his son and heir, John, was a minor [35,11HenVI,n.16].
Thomas Erlee was Abbot of Reading in 1413 [14,1HenV,p.394].
Robert Erlegh, in 1428, held lands in Axeford, hundred of Remmesbury, Wiltshire [26,v.5,n.268 and 288]. A Robert Erley also held land at Pyryston, hundred of Rydelane, Dorset in 1431 [27,v.2,p.125].
Richard de Erley died in 1502, seised of the manor of Maiden Erley, Berkshire, which may have been built on the 1/40 knight’s fee of Robert de Erley in Erley, Berkshire. Richard’s heir was his sister, Margaret, wife of Thomas Chafyn [1,v.3,p.217].
John Erley, in 1613, owned the manor of Midgham, Berkshire. He may be identified with Joan Bird, widow, who made a settlement (of Midgham?) jointly with Henry Erley who died 1635 leaving two daughters Joan(who married Richard Garrard) and Mary (who married Richard Caryll) [1,v.4].
