William de Erleigh (I) – 2nd GEN
William de Erlegh(I), the son and heir of John(I), succeeded his father in 1165 in the reign of King Henry II [11,v.2,p.198].
In 1166 he is referred to as the lord of the manor of Durston, Somerset.
Also in 1166, as his father’s heir, he owed 10s. for the manor of Erley, Berkshire [1,v.3,p.213] [33,1166].
He is also mentioned in the Pipe Roll, 1176 [1,v.3,p.213].
He is certified to hold a knight’s fee “in capite’‘ of the king which by virtue of his tenure of North Petherton, Somerset he had the right to be the King’s Chamberlain [11,v.3,p.54].
William founded at Buckland, parish of Durston, Somerset, a priory, a small house of regular canons of St.Augustine. Soon after their institution, these canons behaved themselves in a riotous and disorderly manner, killing their steward, a relation of William. Therefore, in 1180, the King removed them to other monasteries and gave their house for the endowment of a priory of sister hospitallers of the order of St. John under a stipulation that the sisters of that order who lived in other preceptories should be placed here and must never be received into any other of their houses in the kingdom [11,v.3,p.196].
This priory William(I) endowed with his lands at Durston and also gave it the church of North Petherton with the appendant churches or chapels of Chedzoy, Pawlett, Huntworth, Earls Newton, Thurloxton, Shurton, Kings Newton, Beckington, and Kilmersdon [11,v.3,p.196].
In 1180, the sheriff of Berkshire rendered account of 20s from the lands of William de Earley in the manor of Charlton, hundred of Wantage, Berkshire [1,v.4,p.324].
William married Aziria and had two sons,
- John(II) and
- Henry [31][6,p.xviii],
and at least three daughters [6,n.34][11,v.3,p.72].
One of these, Mabel, William gave in free marriage to Philip Arbalistarius along with the manor of Mansel, Somerset, held in payment of two young pigs every Whitsun at his court of Durston [11,v.3,p.72].
William(I) probably died about 1195.
This biography is reproduced by kind permission of the author, Steve Earl, and originally appeared in manuscript form as “New Information on William and John d’Earley”. It is based on the work of Dr. David Crouch in his “William Marshal: Court, Career and Chivalry in the Angevin Empire 1147 to 1219” More information on the family is available via Steve’s website.
Steve Earl 2002.
https://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/jdearley.html
William d’Earley (I) was Chamberlain to King Henry II. William (I) married Aziria, daughter of Ralph d’Insula, and had two sons and three daughters. William died at the end of 1180, leaving his heir, John, as an 8-year-old boy. William, on his deathbed, donated land and monies for the foundation of a priory at Buckland in Devon. The Earley lands remained in Royal keeping, and his son John became a ward of John’s great uncle Thomas, archdeacon of Wells. Thomas died in approx. 1185 or 1186, and King Henry II gave the wardship of the 14-year-old John (II) to William Marshal.
