The Braybrook or Braybrook-Ledet line, also spelled Braybrooke or Braybroc, is a line of six generations of my ancestors, many of some prominence, starting with Ingebald de Braybrook, my double 25th-great-grandfather, and ending with the wife of William Latimer.
For the early generations, I rely primarily on the Baildon book linked below. However, other authors give a somewhat later chronology.
Ingebald
Ingebald (/'ɪnʤ/-, * say 1110) was my double 25th-great-grandfather. His descendants were called de Braybrooke, so he may have been Ingebald de Braybrooke. Very few references to him exist. His lifespan cannot be dated with much accuracy.
Ingebald’s marriage was to Aubrey/Albreda, daughter of Ivo de Neufmarché. That surname refers to Neuf-Marché in Normandy, France, and is sometimes translated as Newmarket, Newmarch, Novo Mercato, and the like, and Ivo may have immigrated from there. He is not known to be related to the more famous Bernard de Neufmarché. Aubrey’s mother may be the daughter and heiress of a man named Chetelbert listed in the Domesday Survey of 1086, who would then be my double 27th-great-grandfather. Aubrey had a sister Emma who married Hugh de St. Lis.
They had a son Robert, my ancestor; and perhaps another son named Reynold or Roger.
Robert
Robert de Braybrook (say 1140? – c.1211), sometimes Robert le May, was my double 24th-great-grandfather who rose “from obscurity” to became a sheriff and major landholder. There is incomprehensible variation in his reported birth: Baildon says he was of age in 1159 and perhaps even 1152ref, based on land records, but many other sources have him born in or around 1168, examples being the British Libraryref and Wikipediaref. I do not have the expertise to resolve these discrepancies. It may be that there was a missing generation, but that seems unlikely. My suspicion is that the 1168 date was based on cumulative rough estimates, and has been inappropriately treated as exact.
The sometimes appellation le May simply means “the lad”, which perhaps he received at a young age and which stuck.
He built considerable land holdings by redeeming debts to Jewish moneylenders and rose to be a councillor of King John.
His wife’s name is not recorded. He had a son Henry, and possibly a son Robert, a chaplain.
Henry
Henry de Braybrook (say 1160s – 1234) was my double 23rd-great-grandfather and a prominent landowner, sheriff, judge, and politician. He married Christiana Ledet, and due to the greater prominence of her family, many of his descendants used the Ledet surname.
Henry was involved in a rebellion, and in consequence lost his lands, but mostly got them back after reconciling with the Crown.
Henry had a reputation for having affairs with married women.ref This supposedly included Ela, 3rd Countess of Salisbury, while her husband William was imprisoned in France after being captured in 1214; and also a wife of Hugh de Neville.
A record from 1234-04-13 implies that he had recently died. As heir to the barony of Wardon, his widow Christiana required the King’s consent to remarry, which in practice meant sending money. She paid 60 marks on 1234-06-22 to marry Gerard de Furnival. However, Gerard went on a Crusade and died in Palestine. Christiana thirdly married Thomas Gresley (sometimes Grelle), who she also outlived. She had children by all of her husbands.
Wischard
Wischard Ledet (say 1190s – 1240×1) was my double 22nd-great-grandfather and an estate holder. He used the surname Ledet due to the greater importance of his mother’s estate, although his younger brother John stuck with Braybrook, and Wischard was sometimes called “Ledet of Braybrook”. He is presumably named for his maternal grandfather, also Wischard Ledet.
His widow was named Mary and was still alive in 1244, but nothing of her origins is known, nor is it known whether she was the mother of Walter or a later wife.
Wischard accompanied his step-father Gerard de Furnival on the Barons’ Crusade, and also died there, probably in 1241, although some sources say 1240.
Walter
Walter Ledet (c.1226 – before 1257) was my double 21st-great-grandfather and son and heir of Wischard. Although known as Ledet, he was still sometimes referred to as alias Braybrook.ref
Walter’s widow was Ermentrude de Lisle, but there are doubts as to whether she was the mother of her children. There are claims her ancestry can be traced far back but I have not looked into them. Ermentrude remarried after his death.
He had two children, daughters Alice/Alicia and Christian/Christiana, who were co-heirs to his estate and married Latimer brothers.
Alice
Alice or Alicia Ledet (c.1251 – 1316), daughter of Walter, was my 20th-great-grandmother through her husband William Latimer.
Ancestry of Wischard
Neither Alice’s nor Walter’s mothers are known for certain, so this represents all identified ancestors of Alice besides Walter.
For details on the most distant generations here, see this analysis by Robert Forrest.
See
- Braybooke: its castle, manor and lords by W. Baildon, source for much of the above.