Sir William TUNSTALL V [6574] ¹⁵⁵⁶

   FamilySearch ID: GWJH-DHB.

  General Notes:

William Tunstall d 1387
William was born ca 1336, the son of William de Tunstall (b 1307 to ca 1359) and Amabilla.[i] He married sometime before ca. 1336 Katherine, whose maiden name and history is unknown, except that she had two sisters.[ii]

1359: He was in possession of his estates in this year when a John de Tunstall made a claim against him for land in Tunstall.[iii]

25 Nov 1370: "At Westminster, on the Quindene of St. Martin, 44 Edward III. Between William de Tunstall, plaintiff, and Robert de Dykheved, and Isolda his wife, deforciants of the manors of Overburgh and Nethirburgh[iv] in Lonesdale, and of one oxgang of land, 6 s. 8 d. of rent, and two parts of 13 acres of pasture in Leek in Lonesdale[v]. Robert and Isolda remitted all right to William and his heirs, for which William gave them 200 li.[vi] Could Isolda be Katherine's sister?

Only 1 oxgang of land in Leck (see previous), with 6s. 8d. rent, was included in the purchase of the manors of Over Burrow and Nether Burrow by William de Tunstall in 1370[vii]

William Tunstall, apparently in right of his wife Katherine (who had sisters Isolda and Elizabeth), claimed a messuage in Warton.[viii]

1375: William claimed the advowson of Over Burrow and Nether Burrow.[ix] Also in this year the Abbot of Croxton had to defend his right to Tunstall church against William, ". . . who alleged that his namesake and ancestor had presented a certain Roger Pety in the time of Henry III, and that institution had been given. The abbot, in defence, said that he and his predecessors had held the church from a time beyond the memory of man, and the case was withdrawn."[x]

1376: Burrow was included in the grant of free warren to William de Tunstall.[xi] Free warren was a privilege granted by the king or lord to allow a person to hunt certain species within a specified area without fear of punishment. It could be a gift or in consideration of certain services. In exchange the grantee stewardship and protection of these species from others who might want to hunt them.

1377: William de Tunstall granted a piece of land in Nether Burrow to Sarah widow of Matthew de Burgh for life.[xii]

Easter 1378 : Roger de Clifford, Knt., by Thomas Dannay his attorney, appeared against William de Tunstall in a plea that he render unto him £40 which he owes; and further that he render unto him a reasonable amount of the time when he was receiver of money for the said Roger.[xiii]

8 August 1384: At Lancaster, on Monday next after St. Peter ad Vincula, 8 Regality of John, Duke of Lancaster, between William de Tunstall, plaintiff, and William de Austewyk, of Erghum [Arkholme], and Joan, his wife, deforciants of 2 messuages, 1 oxgang, and 40 acres of land, and 6 acres of meadow in Erghum [Arkholme]:

"William de Austewyk and Joan acknowledged the said tenements to be the right of William de Tunstall, for which William de Tunstall granted them to William and Joan for their lives, rendering a rose by the year at the Nativity of St. John the Baptist [24 June]. After the decease of William and Joan the said tenements to revert to William de Tunstall and his heirs for ever."[xiv]

1387: William died in this year the writ of diem clausit extremum was issued on 6 September[xv]

William and Katherine had only one child of record. Thomas Tunstall (d 1415). His story comes next.


[i] This name comes from Plantagenet-Harrison's Tunstall pedigree he offers no source.

[ii] Flower's Visitation of Yorkshire 1563/64 says that William married Ales. The Peerage says he married Alice Lindsay daughter of Philip (source Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, Family History Archives). Whitaker in his History of Richmondshire, pedigree sandwiches between pp 270-271, says he married Alice Lindsay daughter of Philip (again no source, but then Whitaker is notoriously unreliable).

[iii] Farrer, William, The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster (VHC, Lancaster) by Farrer, William, 1861-1924; Brownhill, John, Publication date 1906, vol. 8, p 233, footnote 22 citing Duchy of Lancaster Assize Roll 7, m.1.d.

[iv] Over Burrow and Nether Burrow

[v] Leck in Lonsdale

[vi] BHO, Lancashire Fines, 35-45 Edward III citing Final Concords For Lancashire, Part 2, 1307-77. Originally published by Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Edinburgh, 1902 and footnote 9. The footnote offers more information on the de Burghs and their relationship to Tunstall.

[vii] BHO, Township: Leck, footnote 5: the manor of Leck, afterwards held with Burrow by the Tunstall family (see above) and reckoned as three-Over Leck, Nether Leck and Todgill

[viii] BHO, Townships: Warton with Lindeth, footnote 52 citing De Banco Rolls 439, m. 360d

[ix] VHC, Lancaster, vol. 8, p 233, footnote 23 citing De Banco R. 460, m.402 d.

[x] VCH, p 228, citing De Banco R. 460, m. 402 d in footnote 17.

[xi] VCH, Lancaster, p 239

[xii] VCH, Lancaster, p 238, footnote 6 citing Final Concords (Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire) ii, 178

[xiii] De Banco Rolls, 470, m 267

[xiv] Final Concords of the County of Lancaster: From the Original Chirographs, Or Feet of Fines ... by Great Britain Public Record Office, William Farrer, Lancashire (England), 1905, p 19 (https://archive.org/details/finalconcordsco01enggoog/page/n24/mode/2up?q=Tunstall)

[xv] VHC, Lancaster, vol. 8, p 233, footnote 27 citing Deputy Keeper's Report. xxxii, Appendix, p 360. Also, Annual report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, Volume 32 By Great Britain Public Record Office (London), p. 360 (https://books.google.com/books?id=AblSAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=Tunstall&f=false). "For the Duke. Writ of diem clausit extremum, upon the death of William de Tunstall, ch'r [chevalier], witness the custos, 6 September [11 Ric II]"

William married Katherine [6575] [MRIN: 5414]. (Katherine [6575] was born in 1338 in England ¹⁵⁵⁶ and died in 1397 in Lancaster, , Lancashire, England ¹⁵⁵⁶.)