I am now in a position to reconsider the matter of Gilbert Mallory (son of Henry, younger son of Anketil, the presumed son of Robert, presumed son of Geoffrey) being the Lord of Botley. He appears in connection with this manor twice, once in 1226 and another time in 1232, when he would have been approximately 25 and 31 years old, respectively. As this manor does not seem to have figured in among the properties his guardians managed in his minority or which were part of his son John's inheritance in that individual's minority during the 1240s, I feel the first presumption must be that the properties were Gilbert's in the right of his wife, Cecilia Segrave, rather than his own and this is born out by her assigning this manor on her own authority and without reference to her heir, John, to another son, William in the early 1280s when she, herself, would have been in her early eighties. There are various scenarios possible, but it is best, when knowledge is lacking, to work with the simplest scenario available. In this case, the simplest scenario is that Botley, unlike Tachebrook (which would seem to have been her widow's dower) was hers by right of inheritance.
However, the first lord of Botley, as has been discussed elsewhere, was Geoffrey Mallory and the grant would appear to have been made in the reign of William I. Cecilia was, therefore, likely to have been distantly related to her husband Gilbert Mallory. For her marriage to have been allowed under church law, there had to be at least four generations back to a common ancestor for either herself or her husband. If Botley, indeed, were an inheritance of Cecilia, it would have had to have come to her through her mother, who would have already been dead by 1225. Cecilia's mother, in turn, would have been the daughter of a Mallory heiress and a grand daughter of a presumed eldest son (name unconfirmed, but possibly Geoffrey) of Robert Mallory, the presumed son of the first post-Norman Conquest Mallory lord of Botley, Geoffrey Mallory.
There is much the argument concerning Botley's descent to Cecilia that will have to remain inferred and will depend heavily on what might be best termed "theoretical genealogy", where the prosopography, the law, and the social customs of an era are viewed in terms of what might be considered somewhat loosely as a form of network theory. This is a very different form of genealogy from what might be termed "absolute genealogy" where nothing appears which cannot be justified by verifiable data. The results of theoretical genealogy neither form part of the realm of fiction or myth. They are built on clearly stated hypotheses and, as logically conceived theoretical constructs, retain great meaning as a tool for eliminating impossibilities and for directing the course of future research.
In this case, one would expect that, as a result of possessing a theoretically valid historical construct of the descent of Botley, we will also be in a far better position than before to understand the descent of other properties of the first Geoffrey Mallory in southwest England, something which has so far not been possible. When I will be able to turn my attention to this, however, will be something I cannot now predict. Possibly, if things go well, there might be a certain amount of time available this year in August or possibly next year in March. I can only hope that it will be sooner than later.
However, the first lord of Botley, as has been discussed elsewhere, was Geoffrey Mallory and the grant would appear to have been made in the reign of William I. Cecilia was, therefore, likely to have been distantly related to her husband Gilbert Mallory. For her marriage to have been allowed under church law, there had to be at least four generations back to a common ancestor for either herself or her husband. If Botley, indeed, were an inheritance of Cecilia, it would have had to have come to her through her mother, who would have already been dead by 1225. Cecilia's mother, in turn, would have been the daughter of a Mallory heiress and a grand daughter of a presumed eldest son (name unconfirmed, but possibly Geoffrey) of Robert Mallory, the presumed son of the first post-Norman Conquest Mallory lord of Botley, Geoffrey Mallory.
There is much the argument concerning Botley's descent to Cecilia that will have to remain inferred and will depend heavily on what might be best termed "theoretical genealogy", where the prosopography, the law, and the social customs of an era are viewed in terms of what might be considered somewhat loosely as a form of network theory. This is a very different form of genealogy from what might be termed "absolute genealogy" where nothing appears which cannot be justified by verifiable data. The results of theoretical genealogy neither form part of the realm of fiction or myth. They are built on clearly stated hypotheses and, as logically conceived theoretical constructs, retain great meaning as a tool for eliminating impossibilities and for directing the course of future research.
In this case, one would expect that, as a result of possessing a theoretically valid historical construct of the descent of Botley, we will also be in a far better position than before to understand the descent of other properties of the first Geoffrey Mallory in southwest England, something which has so far not been possible. When I will be able to turn my attention to this, however, will be something I cannot now predict. Possibly, if things go well, there might be a certain amount of time available this year in August or possibly next year in March. I can only hope that it will be sooner than later.
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