Sir William de Brereton, Kt.

LDS Sources relate that William was from Brereton cum Smethwick, Chesire.

• ◦KINSHIP: Son and heir of Ralph de Brereton.
• PROPERTY: Lord of Brereton. (Lloyd, History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog, vol. 3 p. 92)
• PROPERTY: He by deed without date receives from Randle de Torhaunt in frank marriage with Margery his daughter, all the rents held by Thomas de Wariul held in
• Middlewich.
• LIVING: contempory of John and Henry III.

He appears to have died during the First Baron's War in 1216.

Raymond Richards relates that there was a chapel at Brereton from the reign of Richard I (1189-99). Canon Sladden in Beside the Bright Stream relates that Sir William Brereton built a church at Brereton about 1200 to fulfill a promise he made while on the third crusade and dedicated it to St. Oswald of Northumberland.

The lineage of the Brereton family can be found here:http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/brereton.html

Brereton was originally in the parish of Astbury and became a parish in its own right in the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47). - [1]

[1] - http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/brereton.html

The first reference to Brereton is in the Doomsday Book which refers to the 'Manor of Bretune'. The authentic family tree begins in 1175 with William de Brereton of Brereton. It is said that he was named William after William the Conqueror and it became a recurring name within the family. The history of the house spans a 414 year period. The twin towers were originally adorned by copper cupolas, but these were removed, presumably because of their weight. The last Lord Brereton, Francis, died in 1722 a batchelor thus ending a six hundred year lineage. Since then the estate has had several private owners. A 60 page booklet :- 'The Story of Brereton Hall, Cheshire' by Arthur L.Moir, provides a comprehensive account of Brereton family history,

http://www.alsager.com/tour/area/hall.htm

• --------------------

Family Links Spouses/Children: Margery de Thornton Sir Ralph de Brereton Kinght, Lord of Brerton+ Sir William Brereton Knight, Lord of Brereton

Born: Abt 1199, Brereton, Cheshire, England Marriage: Margery de Thornton 713 Died: Cheshire, England

  General Notes:

~Ormerod's History of Chester,Vol III, p.88, "Brereton and Holt of Brereton" Predigree, given as Sir William de Brerton, lord of Brerton, Knight, living at the time of Kings John and Henry III, married to Margery, daughter of Randle Thornton, and brother of Gilbert and Isolda. Father of Sir Ralph and a daughter who married Thurstand de Smethwick. 713

William married Margery de Thornton, daughter of Sir Ranulph le Roter knight, Lord of Thornton and Amicia de Kingsley

• ____________
• 'Sir William Brereton1
• 'M, #36627, d. after 1215
• Father Ralph de Brereton
• ' Sir William Brereton was born at of Brereton, Cheshire, England. He married Margery Thornton, daughter of Randle de Thornton. Sir William Brereton died after 1215.
• 'Family Margery Thornton
• Children
  • (Miss) Brereton
  • Sir Ralph Brereton+ d. a 1275
• Citations
• 1.[S11247] Unknown author, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, by George Ormerod, 1819, p. 51.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p1220.htm#...
• _______________

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William de Brereton profile: https://histfam.familysearch.org//getperson.php?personID=I93394&tre...

St. Oswalds Church, Brereton, Cheshire Raymond Richards relates that there was a chapel at Brereton from the reign of Richard I (1189-99). Canon Sladden in Beside the Bright Stream relates that Sir William Brereton built a church at Brereton about 1200 to fulfill a promise he made while on the third crusade and dedicated it to St. Oswald of Northumberland. http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/brereton.html

KINSHIP: Son and heir.

PROPERTY: Lord of Brereton. (Lloyd, History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog, vol. 3 p. 92) PROPERTY: He by deed without date receives from Randle de Torhaunt in frank marriage with Margery his daughter, all the rents held by Thomas de Wariul held in Middlewich. LIVING: comtempory of John and Henry III.

History of Brereton/ Venables family: __________________________________________________________________________ Gilbertus Venator was said to have come over with Hugh Lupus, (identified in the Domesday book) and part of three brothers of the name of Venator ( a "Venator" or hunter, was a hereditary office of chief forestor/hunter for the king). It is thought this was around 1089, as this part of England had not yet been fully conquered until then. The title hunter, or forester, is very important in tracking his descendants, as their titles as forestors were hereditary, so even as their names changed to reflect their lordships, tracing the land and title assists with identifying many of his progeny, who were numerous. Also, studying the Heraldry of the family tells it's story as it evolves through marriage. On the upper left we see the "ancient" shield, considered the most honorable, and the original coat of arms.

Lord of Newbold, Brereton, Kinderton, Davenport, Witton, Blakenhall, with a share in Sinderton and Baguley. Kinderton was the "caput baronie." Also Lord of Eccleston, Alpraham, Tarpoley, Wettenhall, Hartford, Lymme, High Leigh, Winsham, Mere, Peover, Rostherne and Hope. All these lordships play an important role in identifying his subsequent kin. There appear to be several genealogies that claim descent from Gilbertus that lack linking information via land and titles, or who are otherwise confused with other persons. A famous litigation of the 14th century involving the Grosvenors is an example.

The Visitations of Cheshire (1533 - 1580) record the arms of the baron of Kinderton as:

Venables, Baron of Kinderton Arms: Quarterly -

1 & 6 Azure, two bars Argent.

2 Argent, a cross flory between four martlets Gules [Golborne]

3 Vert, a wyvern Argent .

4 Argent, three piles in point wavy Sable.

5 Azure, an eagle displayed Argent [Coton]

Crest: A wyvern, with wings endorsed Argent, devouring a child proper

"Gilbert de Venables was the younger brother of the Earl of Blois. He is mentioned in Domesday as the venator, or hunter. His son, Gilbert de Venables, was the first recorded Baron of Kinderton in the reign of Henry I. (1100-1134)." Source: http://archive.org/stream/breretonsofchesh00brer/breretonsofchesh00...

"Gilbert de Venables (Venator, Veneur, Hunter,) was from Venables, Evreux in Normandy in the barony of Le Veneurs so named because they were hereditary huntsmen to the Dukes of Normandy. Gilbert was a palatine Baron to Hugh Lupus, held the barony of Kinderton in Cheshire. Many lines and surnames were descended, including the Butlers of Chester. Richard was also palatine Baron to Hugh Lupus, who were Barons of Warrington. Another brother, Raoul, was baron of Chester, held in capite, and ancestor of the Grosvenors, Dukes of Westminster, Earls of Wilton and Lords of Elbury. The Hunter family moved north into Scotland where William Venator witnessed a charter by Earl David, later King David in 1124 and this family generally assumed the surname of Hunter. Venables became a prominent Cheshire and Lancashire surname, but Hunter had already achieved a large foothold in Cheshire with Gilbert Hunter holding Brereton, Davenport, Kinderton and Witton (Northwich) and Ralph Hunter holding Stapleford in Cheshire and Soughton in Wales. " http://archive.org/stream/breretonsofchesh00brer/breretonsofchesh00...