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Person Info

• Name: Amicia Of Chester
• Sex: F


Parents:

• Father:
  
• Hugh Of Kevelioc, Earl Of Chester Birth: 1147 in Kevelioc, Co Monmouth Death: 30 Jun 1181 in Leek, Co Stafford

Family:
Marriage:

• Sir Ralph MAINWARING, Seneschal Of Chester on Abt 1179 .^m1
  
• Sir Ralph MAINWARING, Seneschal Of Chester

Children:

1. Bertrad MAINWARING Death: After 1249
2. Sir Roger MAINWARING Death: Before 1244
3. Randle MAINWARING

Bibliography

Sources for birth and parent Information

father:

[Ref: CP III p167(b), Richardson RoyalAnc v2p151, Watney WALLOP #230, Watney WALLOP #650]

illeg dau [Ref: Hansen Wodhull p61, Keats-Rohan DD p228, Roberts RD600 p501, Roberts RD600 p507, Roberts USPres p183, Roth RobertDeQuincy p222]

illeg daughter [Ref: Richardson RoyalAnc v1p199]

Sources with Inaccurate birth and parent Information

mother:

Bertrade de Montfort (#11083) [Ref: Watney WALLOP #650]

Unk first wife [Ref: Watney WALLOP #230]

Sources with Information about marriage to Sir Ralph MAINWARING, Seneschal Of Chester

date:

by 1181 [Ref: Hansen Wodhull p61]

settlement dated 1178-80 [Ref: Richardson RoyalAnc v1p199],

names:

[Ref: CP III p167(b), Keats-Rohan DD p228, Richardson RoyalAnc v2p154, Watney WALLOP #230],

child:

[Ref: Hansen Wodhull p62, Kay Allen SGM 9/30/1999, Richardson RoyalAnc v1p199, Roberts RD600 p501, Roberts RD600 p507, Roberts USPres p183, Watney WALLOP #650]

Research Notes:
her father married her to Ralph de Mainilwarin, with the service of Gilbert fitz Roger [Ref: Keats-Rohan DD p228]

During the seventeenth century dispute with his cousin, Sir Thomas Mainwaring maintained that Amicia was legitimate, and his view was generally accepted by others, including Dugdale. It is now known that Sir Peter Leycester was correct in holding that she was illegitimate, and this conclusion is accepted by the standard modern studies. This reversal of judgement is based on evidence from the chronicle of the abbey of S. Werburg at Chester. This contemporary chronicle records the birth of Earl Hugh in 1147 and in 1169 his knighting and marriage to Bertrade, daughter of the count of Evreux. Richard C Christie, editor of the chronicle, observes that Hugh's age at marriage to Bertrade is a factor against any earlier marriage. Sir Thomas Mainwaring had believed that the earl was about forty-one when he married Bertrade and that Amicia had been a daughter by an unknown first marriage. Christie makes the convincing point that a chronicle, writtenin Chester, which recorded Earl Hugh's birth, knighting, and marriage to Bertrade would hardly have omitted a refernce to any earlier marriage. [Ref: Hansen Wodhull p61]

Though Doug [Richardson]'s hypothesis that Amicia might have been daughter of Earl Hugh 'de Kevelioc' by a previous unknown marriage is technically possible, there are very good reasons for believing this is not the case, and that Amicia was illegitimate.
Hugh, Earl of Chester, and Vicomte d'Avranches, was born in 1147. He married Bertrade de Montfort (a cousin of the King, who gave her away), daughter of Simon, Count d'Evreux, in 1169, when he would have hardly been twenty-two. He died in 1181, aged about 34, but she lived until 1227.
They had one son and four daughters, the son being Ranulph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester and Lincoln, who married as his first wife Constance (widow of the King's son), daughter of Conan, Earl of Richmond and Duke of Bretagne (by his wife Margaret of Scotland). [The four daughters] married men of the highest rank in England--not just Earls, but many of the most powerful magnates of the realm. The Earldom of Chester itself was a powerful entity, in that it had been granted 'princely' authority that came with the Palatinate.
NOW compare this with Amicia. She married, before 1181 [the year of her father's death], Ralph de Mainwaring [Mesnilwarin], a local Cheshire gentleman. Though he was justiciar of Chester for about ten years, he was not even one of the traditional hereditary barons of Cheshire. In an undated charter, Earl Hugh granted Ralph three knights' fees to be held by the service of two, in frank marriage [liberum maritagium] with his daughter Amicia [see William Beaumont, ed., _Tracts written in the controversy respecting the legitimacy of Amicia..._ (Chetham Society) 78-80:449-50; and Geoffrey Barraclough, ed., _Facsimiles.of Early Cheshire Charters_ (Oxford, 1957), 46]. Was this a reasonal marriage portion for the eldest/elder daughter of an Earl? There is a VAST difference between three knights' fees and an Earldom.
There are other compelling reasons for believing Amicia was not a child by a first unknown wife of Earl Hugh. The most prominent of Cheshire chronicles [Richard Copley Christie, ed., _Annales Cestrienses, or, Chronicle of the Abbey of S. Werburg at Chester_ (Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society) 14:xvii-xviii, 20-1, 24-5] records the birth of Earl Hugh in 1147, his marriage to Bertrade in 1169, his knighting, etc. It is highly doubtful that this chronicle, which focused on the family of their patron, the Earl of Chester, would have overlooked an earlier marriage, and that such a marriage would be overlooked in the Rolls Series as well. Also, the Earl and his wife Bertrade were mentioned in many charters. If the Earl had had a first marriage, it would be remarkable that there would be no charters involving her or that no charters should be granted for the good of her soul (among the souls of his ancestor, wife Bertrade, or others, as was typical).
So, (1) taking the Earl's young age at time of marriage, (2) comparing the level of marriages of the Earl's known legitimate issue to Amicia's match with a local gentleman (not even a Cheshire Baron, let alone a peer), and (3) the omission of any mention of such a said previous marriage in chronicles, foundation charters and accounts, etc., I see little reason to hold that Amicia was the daughter of an unknown first marriage. Also, her marriage was granted during the Earl's lifetime. Had the Earl's only son died before the Earl's death (a scenario which not infrequently happened), Amicia would have been senior daughter and coheir of her father. Given this possibility it is even less likely the Earl would have married a legitimate daughter to Ralph and given them only three knights' fees in frank marriage! [Ref: Paul Reed SGM 10/7/1999]

a curious literary war that raged in [the seventeenth] century between Sir Peter Leycester, Bart, a learned author and historian, and his equally learned cousin Sir Thomas Mainwaring, Bart. Leycester asserted that Amicia, daughter of Hugh of Kevelioc, Earl of Chester, was illegitimate, whereas Mainwaring asserted that she was legitimate. The heated controversy which ensued filled several volumes and continued until Leycester's death. ... while Mainwaring was generally thought to have won the battle in his day, it is now accepted that Leycester was right [that she was illegitimate] [Ref: Roth RobertDeQuincy p222]



Pedigree of Amicia Of Chester
                                              /-----Anschitil Vicomte Of The Bessin
                                     /-----Ranulph I De MESCHINES, Vicomte De Bayeux
                            /-----Ranulph II De MESCHINES, Vicomte De Bayeux
                           |        |                           /-----Richard I The Fearless Duke Of Normandy
                           |        |                  /-----Richard II The Good Duke Of Normandy
                           |        |                 |         \-----Gunnora
                           |        |         /-----Richard III Duke Of Normandy
                           |        |        |        |         /-----Conan I Duke Of Brittany
                           |        |        |         \-----Judith Of Brittany
                           |        |        |                  \-----Ermengarde Of Anjou
                           |         \-----Alice Of Normandy
                   /-----Ranulph III De MESCHINES, Earl Of Chester
                  |        |                                    /-----Ansfred The Dane Vicomte Of Hiesmer
                  |        |                           /-----Ansfred Le Goz, Vicomte De Hiesmer
                  |        |                  /-----Turstain De Goz, Vicount Of Hiemois
                  |        |         /-----Richard Le Goz, Vicomte D'Avranches
                  |         \-----Margaret Le Goz
                  |                  \-----Emma
          /-----Ranulf De GERNON, Earl Of Chester, Vicomte D'Avranches
         |        |                  /-----(Unk)
         |        |         /-----Thorold Of Buckingham, Sheriff Of Lincoln
         |         \-----Lucia Of East Angies
         |                 |         /-----William MALET
         |                  \-----(Unk Dau)
         |                          |                           /-----Grimold Prince Of Monaco
         |                          |                  /-----Crispin De BEC
         |                          |                 |         \-----Crispina
         |                          |         /-----Gilbert Crespin, Lord Of Tillieres
         |                          |        |        |         /-----Sigfrid Count Of Guines
         |                          |        |         \-----Heloise De GUINES
         |                          |        |                  \-----Elsunde Of Flanders
         |                           \-----Esilia CRISPIN
         |                                   |         /-----Baudry
         |                                    \-----Gunnor De ANJOU
         |                                            |         /-----Robert Of Brionne
         |                                             \-----(Unk Dau) Of Brionne
 /-----Hugh Of Kevelioc, Earl Of Chester
|        |                                                      /-----Richard I The Fearless Duke Of Normandy
|        |                                             /-----Richard II The Good Duke Of Normandy
|        |                                            |         \-----Gunnora
|        |                                    /-----Robert I The Devil Duke Of Normandy
|        |                                   |        |         /-----Conan I Duke Of Brittany
|        |                                   |         \-----Judith Of Brittany
|        |                                   |                  \-----Ermengarde Of Anjou
|        |                           /-----William The Conqueror King Of England
|        |                          |        |         /-----Fulbert Of Falaise
|        |                          |         \-----Herleve Of Falaise
|        |                          |                  \-----Duxia
|        |                  /-----Henry I Beauclerc King Of England
|        |                 |        |                           /-----Arnold II The Young Count Of Flanders
|        |                 |        |                  /-----Baldwin IV The Bearded Count Of Flanders
|        |                 |        |                 |         \-----Rosela Of Italy
|        |                 |        |         /-----Baldwin V Count Of Flanders
|        |                 |        |        |        |         /-----Frederick I Count Of Luxemburg
|        |                 |        |        |         \-----Ogive Of Luxembourg
|        |                 |        |        |                  \-----Ermentrude Of Kinziggau
|        |                 |         \-----Maud Of Flanders
|        |                 |                 |                  /-----Hugh Capet King Of France
|        |                 |                 |         /-----Robert II The Pious King Of France
|        |                 |                 |        |         \-----Adelaide Of Poitou
|        |                 |                  \-----Adelaide Of France
|        |                 |                          |         /-----William I Count Of Aries And Provence
|        |                 |                           \-----Constance Of Provence
|        |                 |                                    \-----Adelaide (Blanch) Of Anjou
|        |         /-----Robert The Consul De CAEN, Earl Of Gloucester
|         \-----Maud De CAEN
|                 |                           /-----Hamon-Aux-Dents Lord Of Torigny
|                 |                  /-----Hamon Sheriff Of Kent
|                 |         /-----Robert FITZ HAMOND, Lord Of Tewkesbury
|                  \-----Maud FITZ HAMOND
|                          |                           /-----Hugh De Montgomery
|                          |                  /-----Roger De Montgomery, Seigneur Of Montgomery
|                          |                 |         \-----Josceline
|                          |                 |                  \-----Senfrie
|                          |         /-----Roger De Montgomery, Earl Of Shrewsbury
|                          |        |         \-----Emma
|                           \-----Sybil De Montgomery
|                                   |                           /-----Guilleume Lord of Belleme
|                                   |                  /-----William I Count Of Alencon And Bellasme
|                                   |                 |         \-----Mathilda Dame De Conde-Sur-Noireau
|                                   |         /-----William II TALVAS
|                                   |        |         \-----Mathilde
|                                    \-----Mabel De Belesme
|                                            |         /-----Arnulf
|                                             \-----Hildeburg
Amicia Of Chester



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