John de Erleigh (VI) – 9th GEN
John de Erlegh(VI), son of John de Erlegh(V), was born in 1334 and was only two years old when his father died in 1337 [1,v.3,p.213].
On March 19, 1337, the King granted William de Monte Acuto, Earl of Salisbury custody of the de Erlegh lands in England and Ireland during the minority of the heirs of John(V) [7,p.159].
In 1344, the king appointed John de Balscote keeper of the manor of Erleyston, Kilkenny by reason of the minority of John(VI) [17][16,p.245].
John(VI) is listed as the heir of “John Derley” in owing 3/4 knight’s fees for Erleyston and Nova Coyllagh in County Kilkenny in 1355 [16,p.200,n.27].
He was summoned on March 15 1361/62 to attend a Great Council at Westminster in order to deliberate upon the disturbed state of Ireland [18].
In 1362, license was given to John(VI) to grant 2 messuages and 19 acres of land in Erley, Berkshire to Robert de Earley and his wife, Joan, while retaining a messuage and 2 carucates of land (these he probably sold afterward to Henry de Aldrington) [1,v.3,p.213].
In 1363 he had license to enfief Robert de Erle, his son, of a manor including the fishery of Erle in the water of Lodyn, Berkshire [18][35,v.6,36EdIII].
John(VI) attended the Black Prince in Spain and was present at the battle of Najera in 1367 and several other engagements [11,v.2,p.199].
He was taken prisoner, put to great ransom, and forced to sell the best part of his ancient inheritance [5,p.245].
In 1371 he had license to enfief John Cole of Bridgewater and his wife Margery in the manors of North Petherton, Somerton, Durston, and Beckington, Somerset with the remainder to himself and his heirs [18][35,v.6,44EdIII].
This connection with the Cole family may be of considerable significance in the Earls family chronicle as discussed in the next chapter.
In 1372 John(VI) sold the manor of Somerton-Erleigh in the hundred of North Petherton, Somerset (and the advowson of the chapel) to Richard Brice and his wife, Edith (who passed it to Sir Guy de Brien) [11,v.3,p.185] but retained to himself the manors of Babcary, Durston, and Beckington [6][35,45EdIII,n.17].
The Berkshire manors were alienated about this time and the manor of Earlstown in Kilkenny, Ireland was conveyed to John Sweetman before 1381 [16,p.245][7,p.159].
Also in 1367 John(VI) remitted and released to Robert, Abbot of Athelney, Somerset, and the convent all his right of six pennies which Roger Clavyle used to pay him yearly for his holding in Farendon in North Petherton as well as to a pair of nun’s boots which the Abbot and convent used to render him yearly [32,v.14,p.175,n.164].
John(VI) married Margaret, daughter of Sir Guy de Brien K.G. (who was standard-bearer to King Edward III at Crecy) and they had four sons,
- John(VII),
- Robert,
- Richard and
- Philip,
and three daughters [31][11,v.2,p.199].
John(VI) died in 1372, possibly a victim of the Black Death then sweeping the country, leaving John(VII) his son and heir [7][18].
