This page was set up by Robert Sewell in January 2006 to show the descent of William Longespée through to Jonathan Sewell, the last attorney general of Massachusetts before the American Revolution.  Robert Sewell graduated from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) in 1967 with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry.  After a year of studies at the University of Toronto's College of Education, he taught high school science in Collingwood, Ontario for a year and then taught chemistry, physics and general science in Hamilton, Ontario for twenty-nine years.  Robert Sewell retired from teaching in June 1998.

Click for  PDF index

The information presented here has been taken from the following sources:

John Rees, Letters, 2005
Douglas Richardson:  Plantagenet Ancestry, Baltimore, 2004  (click to visit the website)
Gary Boyd Roberts: Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants, Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore, 2004
Norman F. Cantor (ed.): The Encyclopædia of the Middle Ages, New York, 1999
Frederick L. Weis and Walter L. Sheppard:  Ancestral Roots, 7th Edition, Baltimore, 1999
Frederick L. Weis and Walter L. Sheppard:  The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215, Baltimore, 1999
George Andrews Moriarty: The Plantagenet Ancestry of King Edward III and Queen Philippa,

Generation One
William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury
Born circa 1175-80
Died on March 7, 1225/26 at Salisbury Castle

    William Longespée was a son of King Henry II Curtmantle and Ida de Tosny who later became the wife of Magna Charta Surety Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk. See Douglas Richardson: Plantagenet Ancestry, Baltimore, 2004, pages 456 – 457 and Marc Morris: The Bigod Earls of Norfolk in the Thirteenth Century, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2005, page 2 where it is shown that Ida was very likely a daughter of Ralph V de Tony (died 1162) and his wife Margaret (born circa 1125 and living in 1185), a daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester.

    King Henry II and Ida de Tosny weren't married because Henry was already married to Eleanor of Aquitaine at the time. Although is has now been shown with certainty that William's mother was Ida de Tosny, it was accepted for years that she was Rosamond Clifford; Richard Thomson wrote in 1829 of William:

    This is "the" William Longespée named in the preamble to the Magna Charta as an advisor to King John; and is not to be confused with other William Longespées or Longswords including:

• His great x6 grandfather William Longsword, Duke of Normandy (d. 942)
• His uncle, William Longespée (also William Fitz Empress), Vicomte of Dieppe (d. 1163/64)
• His son, Sir William Longespée (d. 1249/50)

William and Ela had the following children:

• Sir William Longespée (born circa 1208, slain fighting the Saracens at the Battle of Mansourah on the Nile in Egypt on February 7, 1249/50) who married Idoine de Camville.
• Stephen Longespée (continued below)
• Richard Longespée, Clerk, Canon of Salisbury.
• Nicholas Longespée, Clerk, Bishop of Salisbury.
• Ida Longespée who married Sir William de Beauchamp
• Mary Longespée
• Isabel Longespée who married Sir William de Vescy
• Ela Longespée
• Ida (again) Longespée who married Sir Walter Fitz Robert, son and heir of Magna Charta Surety Sir Robert Fitz Walter. Their great grandson Sir John Grey of Rotherfield married Avice Marmion.(Weis, Magna Charta: Line 50)
• Pernel Longespée

Generation Two
Sir Stephen Longespée, Knight, of King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, etc.
Died shortly before June 25, 1260

    Stephen Longespée married circa 1242 - 1244 to Emeline de Ridelisford, widow of Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, and they had the following children:

• Ela Longespée
• Emeline Longespée who married Maurice Fitz Maurice

Generation Three
Ela Longespée
Died before July 19, 1276

    Ela married before 1267 to Roger la Zouche, Knight, of Ashby de la Zouche, Leicestershire, and Brackley Northamptonshire. Roger was son and heir of Alan la Zouche and Ellen de Quincy, daughter if Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester. Roger was born about 1240 - 1242 and died shortly before October 15, 1285. Ela and Roger had one son:

• Alan la Zouche

Generation Four
Alan la Zouche, Knight, of Ashby de la Zouche, Leicestershire, etc.
Born at North Molton, Devon, on October 9, 1267.
Died shortly before March 25, 1313/14

    Alan married Eleanor de Segrave, daughter of Nicholas del Segrave, Knight, of Segrave, Leicestershire, Lord Segrave. Alan and Eleanor had the following daughters:

• Ellen la Zouche who married first Nicholas de Saint Maur and secondly Alan de Charlton
• Maud la Zouche
• Elizabeth la Zouche who was a nun at Brewood.

Generation Five
Maud la Zouche
Born about 1290
Died on May 31, 1349

    Maud married Sir Robert de Holand, 1st Lord Holland, of Upholland and Orrell, Wigan, etc. Robert was born about 1283, son and heir of Robert de Holand of Upholland and Elizabeth de Samlesbury, daughter and co-heiress of William de Samlesbury. In 1298, Robert attended Thomas, Earl of Lancaster on the Falkirk campaign. He became a chief councillor to Earl Thomas and was among those who were responsible for the beheading (without a trial) of King Edward II's friend Peter (Piers) Gaveston in 1312 for which he was pardoned in 1313. During Earl Thomas' final rising in February and March 1321/22 Robert was said to have played a cowardly or treacherous part. On October 7, 1328, he was captured by some adherents of Earl Thomas who beheaded him for his treachery.

    Maud and Robert had the following children:

• Robert de Holand, 2nd Lord Holand, who married Elizabeth, perhaps a daughter of Guillaume III, Count of Hainault.
• Thomas de Holand, K.G., Earl of Kent who married Joan of Kent.
• Otes de Holand, K.G.
• Alan de Holand
• Isabel de Holand who married John de Warenne, 8th Earl of Salisbury.
• Margaret de Holand who married John la Warre of Wickwar, Gloucestershire.
• Maud de Holand
• Elizabeth de Holand who married Henry Fitz Roger of Chewton, Somerset.
• Eleanor de Holand who married John Darcy, 2nd Lord Darcy of Knaith.

Generation Six
Maud de Holand
Born before February 1321/22
Died after 1364/65

    As a child, Maud was affianced to marry John de Mowbray, 3rd Lord Mowbray. However, this marriage did not take place and she married to Thomas de Swinnerton, 3rd Lord Swinnerton of Swinnerton sometime after 1331. Thomas was at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the siege of Calais in 1347. In 1357 he was a prisoner in Scotland and the King gave £100 towards his ransom. Thomas is said to have died in December 1361.

    Maud and Thomas had the following sons:

• Robert de Swinnerton
• William de Swinnerton
• Roger de Swinnerton

Generation Seven
Robert de Swinnerton, 4th Lord Swinnerton
Died before April 7, 1387

    Robert de Swinnerton married first about 1356 to Elizabeth de Beke (or Beek), daughter and co-heiress of Nicholas de Beke of Staffordshire and Joan de Stafford, daughter of Ralph de Stafford, K.G. 1st Earl of Stafford. Robert and Elizabeth were related in the 4th degree, and a dispenstion was dated circa 1364. Elizabeth died circa 1373.

    Robert and Elizabeth had a daughter:

• Maud Swinnerton

• Thomas Swinnerton

Generation Eight
Maud Swinnerton
Born circa 1370
Died before 1424

    Maud married first to Humphrey Peshale (or Peshall), son and heir apparent of Sir Richard Peshale of Chetwynd, Shropshire, Sheriff of Shropshire. Humphrey died before 1388. Maud and Humphrey had one son:

• Richard Peshale

Generation Nine
Richard Peshale, Sheriff of Staffordshire
Born before 1388
Died sometime around 1454 - 1458

    Richard married, but the name of his wife is not known. They had one son:

• Humphrey Peshale

Generation Ten
Humphrey Peshale, of Tean and Blithewood in Checkley, Staffordshire, etc., Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire and Commissioner of the Array for Staffordshire.
Died May 28, 1498

     Humphrey married, but the name of his first wife is not known. They had one son:
Hugh Peshale
    Humphrey married secondly to Lettice Harcourt, daughter of John Harcourt and his wife Anne Norreys and they had the following children:

• Richard Peshale
• Eleanor Peshale
• Joan Peshale who married Richard Sandforde
• Elizabeth Peshale who married Richard Alsop