William de Knightley, of Apley

Evidence needed to support William de Knightley, of Apley as son of Richard Knightley, of Gnosall and his wife Joan Knightley. Their son was William Knightley, of Caleis

William of Knightley married Anne, daughter of Thomas Charlton (or Cherleton) and an unidentified wife. She was born before 1380, and was the co-heir of her brother Thomas de Charlton, who died at age 17.

Pedigrees of the plea rolls state that John de Knighteleye was the guardian of Ann Cherlton.

William of Knightley and Anne Charlton were the parents of Thomas. Thomas of Knightley took the name of Charlton as an adult, and became the father of Robert Charlton, who married Mary, daughter of Robert Corbet of Morton Corbet.

From Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before ... By Frederick Lewis Weis, Walter Lee Sheppard, William Ryland, Pg. 39

• 32. Thomas de Charlton, of Appleby, co. Salop, b. 1345, d. 6 Oct. 1387.
• 33. 'Anna de Charlton, b. bef. 1390, d. by 1399; m. William de Knightley, son of Richard Knightley of Fawesley, co Northampton.
• 34. Thomas de Knightley de Charlton, b. 30 mar. 1394, d. 4 Jan. 1460; m. Elizabeth Francis, dau. of Sir Robert Francis (Franceys) of Foremark, co. Derby. (See TAG 35: 62-63).

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Possible ancestry

http://www.stirnet.co.uk/genie/data/british/kk/knightley1.php#con4

• i. Sir Jordan de Knightley succeeded by ...
  • a. Sir Robert de Knightley m. (c1255) Aliva de Paulton (dau of Sir Ivo de Paulton of Roderwe)
    • (1) ?? de Knightley
      • (A) Sir Robert (Roger?) de Knightley m. Alice Lewknor (sister/heir of Sir Roger Lewknor) (BP1934 moves from Sir Robert to "his lineal descendant" Richard (m. Elizabeth Purefoy). Visitation (Warwickshire) starts with Roger of Gousall (who had a daughter called Alice). We think that this was probably the same person as Sir Robert but we could be a generation out either way.
        • (i) Roger Knightley of Gousall, Staffordshire m. Elizabeth Burgh
          • (a) John Knightley of Gousall
        • (ii) William Knightley (a c1400) "of the Fawsley family", possibly of this generation m. Anne Charlton (dau of Thomas Charlton of Apley Castle)
        • (iii) Alicia (Alice) Knightley m(1). Robert Cotts This may be the Alice who (also) married ... m(2). Sir Thomas Peshall (a 1380)

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Source: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/salop/vol11/pp215-221#highlig...

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References

1. A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper, A J L Winchester, 'Wellington: Manors and other estates', in A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11, Telford, ed. G C Baugh, C R Elrington( London, 1985), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/salop/vol11/pp215-221 [accessed 24 January 2025].
2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153843194/william_de_knightley
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134852328/anna_de_knightley
4. The Barons Named in the Magna Charta, 1215, and Some of Their Descendants who Settled in America During the Early Colonial Years. By Frederick Lewis Weis, Walter Lee Sheppard, and William Ryland Beall. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999. < GoogleBooks >
5. https://cybergata.com/roots/7246.htm cites
   1. Pedigrees of Charlemagne's Descendants, Vol. I, p. 134 , Vol. II, p. 261,
   2. Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol. V., pp. 344-345
6. https://cybergata.com/roots/7851.htm cites
   1. Ancestral Roots of Sixy Colonists Who Came to New England between 1623 and 1650, 8th Edition, p. 39, 31:33, Weis says William Knightley is the son of Richard Knightley of Fawesley, Northampton.
7. removed birth data seen as "Born: Abt 1364, Fawsley Park, Northamptonshire, England"
8. https://www.webbgenealogy.com/wc16/wc16_444.html
9. WikiTree contributors, "William (Knightley) de Knightley (abt.1370-abt.1403)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Knightley-1 : accessed 24 January 2025). cites
   1. A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper and A J L Winchester. "Wellington: Manors and other estates," in A History of the County of Shropshire, Volume 11. Telford, ed. G C Baugh and C R Elrington (Victoria County History, London, 1985), pp. 215-221. British History Online
   2. Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry, Vol. V p. 479.
   3. Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, (2011), Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Royal Ancestry series, 2nd edition, Ed. Kimball G. Everingham, (Salt Lake City, Utah: the author, 2011), Vol. I, page 420. < GoogleBooks >. "Anne de Cherleton, born before 1380. Married William de Knightley. They had one son, Thomas."
   4. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999. pp. 31-33.
10. "Apley Woods' The family and its Origin. < link > The family and the buildings of Apley Estate have played a significant part in the history of England since medieval times. ...
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apley_Castle Apley Castle was a moated, fortified manor house in Hadley near Wellington.[1] By the early 14th century the manor was owned by the Charlton family, who had become major landowners in the region, and in 1327 Sir Alan Charlton received a licence to crenellate the manor house.[2] The building work occurred shortly afterwards, producing a square building set around a central courtyard.[3] Charlton's descendants expanded the castle considerably into an Elizabethan mansion during the late 16th and early 17th century, using grey ashlar stone.[4]
12. Harrison, Geoff. "Apley Castle before the Charltons." Wellingtonia, Issue 21: Second Half 2016 < PDF > Page 8-9. "The replacement of the Apley lineage with that of the Charlton one is mired in a period of turbulent history when the country was wracked by revolt, nepotism, graft. greed and disorder."
13. http://www.stirnet.co.uk/genie/data/british/kk/knightley1.php#con4
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawsley Fawsley is a hamlet and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England.[1] The population at the 2001 census was 32. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and is included in the civil parish of Charwelton. ... Fawsley Hall and landscape park was created by the Knightley family. Richard Knightley, a well-to-do Staffordshire lawyer, bought the manor of Fawsley in 1416.
15. "Apley Castle" < Historic England Research Records > Location : Telford and Wrekin, Hadley and Leegomery. A licence to crenellate and fortify their mansion at Apley was granted to the Charlton family in the early 14th century. This house was surrounded by a moat and had an internal courtyard.
    1. Comment: The distance between Northamptonshire and Shropshire in the current day is approximately 90 miles.