The Commune of London, and other studiesRound, John Horace
History
The Commune of London, and other studies
Round, John Horace
Great Britain -- History -- Norman period, 1066-1154; London (England) -- History -- To 1500
As a matter of fact several of the fifteen citizens can, from records,
be identified and traced, if only we reject, at the outset, the whole
of the wild confusion into which Mr. Loftie has plunged them.[231]
We may take, for instance, “Ailwinus et Robertus frater eius filii
Leostani,”[232] whose father I make to be Leofstan the son of Orgar.
These brothers witness one St. Paul’s document in the time of Dean
Ralf,[233] and are mentioned in another,[234] and they are addressed in
a letter of archbishop Theobald (1139–43).[235] Robert accounts for the
Weavers’ Gild of London in 1130,[236] while Æthelwine, who witnesses a
deed under Dean William, and two under Dean Ralf, will also be found
witnessing a charter of the earl of Essex in 1142–3.[237] It is this
Æthelwine (‘Ailwinus’) who is wrongly identified by Mr. Loftie with
the father of the first Mayor, and with ‘Aylwin child,’ and with a
son-in-law of Orgar le Prude, who, by the way, was Orgar ‘the deacon,’
and not Orgar ‘le Prude.’[238]
Two other interesting members of “the fifteen” are “Leostanus aurifaber
et Wyzo filius eius”; for the latter is clearly identical with that
“Witso filius Leostani” who, so far from being an Austin canon, owes in
1130 half a marc of gold “pro terra et ministerio patris sui,”[239] and
with that “Wizo aurifaber” who, with Edward his brother and John his
son, makes an agreement with the canons of St. Paul’s.[240]
Returning to the second list of 1137,[241] we recognise in Hacon the
dean, not a dean of St. Paul’s, but a witness of the Cnihtengild’s gift
in 1125.[242] Tierri son of Deorman was the heir, perhaps the son, of
that “Derman of London” who is entered in Domesday as holding half a
hide at Islington, and the father of Bertram, “filius Theodorici filii
Derman,” otherwise Bertram “de Barwe,” who held Newington Barrow in
Islington,[243] who was a benefactor to the nuns of Clerkenwell, and
whose son Thomas bestowed a serf upon St. Paul’s about the beginning
of the 13th century.[244] The mention of this family leads me here
to introduce a most singular genealogy, evidently adduced to prove,
_temp._ John, that Peter son of Alan was heir to Thierri, a grandson
and namesake of Thierri son of Derman.
Hubert vint de Cham et engendra Alain et Gervase et Will[elme]
Blemunt le viel et altres. Alain le eisne engendra Pieres, et
P[ieres] Alain, et A[lain] P[ieres]. Gerveise engendra Henri, et
Henri Johane ki fu dunée a Hug[ues] de Nevile. Will[] Blemunt
prist la suer Bertra[m] de Barue et engendra Will’ et T[er]ri
et altres. Will’ devint chanoine a sainte ternite [_sic_] de
Lundres et T[er]ri prist la fille Ernaud le rus et engendra une
fille si cum lem dist. Iceste fille fu dunée a un petit fiz
Johan Viel[245] dunt si ele mært sanz heir de soi. Les heirs al
devant dit Alain sunt heirs, kar il sunt les eisnez.[246]
This genealogy, which, we shall find, is certainly incorrect, gives us
a pedigree as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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