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I have been cross referencing early IPM`s and visistations of many of the old Devon families as part of my research on the early Yeo family. One of the interesting facts I have found is on the Crocker visitations. According to Vivian`s Devon Visitations dated1620 Elizabeth Yeo, daughter of Robert Yeo married Sir John Crocker, who died in 1508. When he died their son John, age 50 years old was the heir to his estates. The IPM for Sir John states that he was seised in fee of the manors of Hemerdon and Bykford and that by charter dated 14 August 22 Henry V11 (1507) he enfeoffed thereof to John Basset knight, Thomas Hacche, Roger Greynfield, William Walrond, Edmund Yeo and Edward Yeo, to hold during the life of Isobel daughter of Robert Yeo, for her sole use, as her jointure and whole dower pertaining to her by or after the death of the said John Crocker, knight.
Elizabeth (or Isobel) Yeo could only have been in her early twenties, because the IPM on her grandfather, William,in 1481, names her father Robert as his heir and he was only 26 years old at this time. She could not have been the mother of John Crocker. His mother must have been the daughter of Sir Richard Fortescue.
The feoffees can be identified, Sir John Bassett was married to Honor Greynfield and she was second cousin to Elizabeth Yeo. William Yeo, Elizabeth`s grandfather married Ellen Greynfield. Roger Greynfield was Honor`s brother. William Walrond was Elizabeth`s uncle, his sister Alice married Elizabeth`s father Robert Yeo. Edmund Yeo was her uncle and Edward Yeo her brother . Sir John Basset`s sister Alice was married to Thomas Hacche.
Sir John Crocker`s son John had married an heiress, although he may not have known this at the time of the marriage. Anne Arundell, daughter of Renfrew Arundell (not Jane daughter of Humphrey Arundell as re Vivian`s Visitations) inherited many Cornish manors, including the manors of Byename, Stratton, St Mary Wke, St Cleer Colehill, Leskerd Coleshill. She also inherited the manors of Huish, Stowford by Lifton, and Bowerland in Devon. All these manors were passed on by hereditary rights and can be traced through the IPM`s of :- 1. John Coleshill who married Emma Hiwis. She was the cousin of Sir John de Blanchminster, and daughter and heir of Sir Richard Hiwis who married Alice daughter of Sir Ralph de Blanchminster and aunt to Sir John. 2. Joan Coleshill, granddaughter of John and Emma, and heiress of all their estates, married Renfrew Arundell. She then married John Nanffan and finally William Houghton. She died in 1497. 3. Sir Edmond Arundell, born 1468, and the heir to his mother`s estate. He married Joan daughter of Sir Thomas Walgrave, but died in 1503 when the reversion fell to Anne wife of John Crokker. However Anne died without issue on the 25th August 1507 and the reversion of the estates fell to Anne Danvers, daughter of John Stradlyng, son of Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Joan and Renfrew Arundell, to John Whittington, son of Elizabeth second daughter of Joan and Renfrew and to Richard Bolles son of Isobel third daughter of Joan by John Nanffan, her second husband.
What is significant is that Anne died eleven days after the charter was agreed for Elizabeth Yeo`s dower and jointure. Did Anne die in childbirth? If this was the case then the feoffees would have had access to many lands if she had had an heir and lived. In 1528 Edmond Yeo has the manor of Huish, probably as a tenant and there are Yeos in Stratton at this time. From 1534, over a period of forty years and after the dissolution of the monastries), Leonard Yeo, nephew of Edmond, bought Huish, Bowerland, and Stowford from the Whittingtons, Bolles , Danvers and Throckmortons and his heirs held these manors for another two hundred years.
Roger Grenville, one of the feoffees was married to Margaret Whitfield, a co heiress, whose father Richard Whitfield held the manor of Efford which included Bykford Manor. His sister Joan was married to Sir John Arundell. . Sir John Arundell and Robert Yeo, Elizabeth`s father held jointly many properties in Devon, including the manor of Cotleigh. and lands in Holcombe Jewe, Northcott , Seaton, Plymouth and Poltimore. William Jewe`s two daughters, Alice and Joan were co heiresses. Alice married John Yeo, Robert`s grandfather and Joan married Edward St John. Edward St John`s daughter Joan, (she was his heir), married Nicholas Arundell of Trerice and was the aforementioned Sir John Arundell`s grandmother. When Sir John Arundell died, Joan married Sir John Chamond and they lived lived in Efford manor in Stratton. Was this a coincidence or were the two Efford manors connected ?
Obviously the marriage between Sir John Crocker and Elizabeth Yeo was an arranged one. Sir John Crocker must have been nearly eighty years old at the time of the marriage and in his IPM he doesn`t mention her as his wife. What was to be gained from the marriage for both parties , has anyone any ideas?
Mrs Sheila Yeo, 14, Orbec Avenue, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, TQ123ED. E mail address phoenix@mail.eclipse.co.uk
This interests me greatly as my mother was born a Yeo and some of her ancestors were Thomas Yeo (dob 1801) and Jane Yeo (dob 1803 nee Crocker) .They had one son Charles (dob 1828) who married Mary Maria Schooling (dob 1830) .Charles is my great great grandfather.
Peter Reading P.O. Box 29 ,Bendigo ,Victoria 3552 ,Australia
