This is to report that I have found proof that Henry Segrave and Stephen Segrave were brothers, making Henry's daughter Christina, Stephen Segrave's neice. This has long been proposed by others but proof, corroborating such suppositions, has, to date, not been offered in print. As one Christina was the wife of the first Thomas Mallory of Kirkby Mallory (born around 1202) and as canon law would have prohibited a marriage of near relations, one may assume that Thomas Mallory, himself, was not a nephew by blood of Stephen Segrave, something which has also been proposed.
Other Mallories connected with Stephen Segrave are Robert Mallory (probably born around 1205) and Gilbert Mallory (born around 1201) who was the husband of Stephen's sister, Cecilia, who could have been born no later than 1200 if the daughter of Stephen's father who passed away in 1199. If Cecilia were first married to Thomas Mallory's father Richard and secondly to Gilbert, she could not have been Thomas's mother, though, if born in 1190 or earlier could have been Robert's mother. Though considering that she lived into the early 1280s, it is more likely than less that she was either born in the last year of Stephen's father's life or was the daughter of Stephen's mother by a second husband. Also, a marriage with Richard (His widow is a Cecilia, who does not appear to be Thomas's mother), if it took place, would seem to fit with 1216 or 1217 at the beginning of the reign of Henry III.
In any case, it is highly unlikely that Robert Mallory was a brother of Cecilia's second husband, Gilbert (a second cousin of her presumed first husband), by another unidentified sister of Stephen as this would have effectively acted as a bar to marriage between the two.
The most likely assumption, based on an analysis of charter witness lists, would be that Robert was a brother of Christina's husband Thomas, but not a son of Cecilia. Though no direct proof is available, it would be easiest to see Thomas and Robert as both being the sons of Richard by a first wife who was the daughter of Thomas le Despencer and a sister of the first wife of Stephen Segrave. This, thus, would have allowed Robert Mallory to be designated as the nephew of Stepen Segrave, as well as allowing Thomas Mallory to marry Christina Segrave and both Richard and Gilbert Mallory to marry Cecilia.
This is a reiteration of a hypothesis mentioned in an earlier posting, but with the clear identification of Henry and Stephen Segrave as brothers, the hypothesis is now proven in part and strongly reinforced as a whole.
1 June 2015
Other Mallories connected with Stephen Segrave are Robert Mallory (probably born around 1205) and Gilbert Mallory (born around 1201) who was the husband of Stephen's sister, Cecilia, who could have been born no later than 1200 if the daughter of Stephen's father who passed away in 1199. If Cecilia were first married to Thomas Mallory's father Richard and secondly to Gilbert, she could not have been Thomas's mother, though, if born in 1190 or earlier could have been Robert's mother. Though considering that she lived into the early 1280s, it is more likely than less that she was either born in the last year of Stephen's father's life or was the daughter of Stephen's mother by a second husband. Also, a marriage with Richard (His widow is a Cecilia, who does not appear to be Thomas's mother), if it took place, would seem to fit with 1216 or 1217 at the beginning of the reign of Henry III.
In any case, it is highly unlikely that Robert Mallory was a brother of Cecilia's second husband, Gilbert (a second cousin of her presumed first husband), by another unidentified sister of Stephen as this would have effectively acted as a bar to marriage between the two.
The most likely assumption, based on an analysis of charter witness lists, would be that Robert was a brother of Christina's husband Thomas, but not a son of Cecilia. Though no direct proof is available, it would be easiest to see Thomas and Robert as both being the sons of Richard by a first wife who was the daughter of Thomas le Despencer and a sister of the first wife of Stephen Segrave. This, thus, would have allowed Robert Mallory to be designated as the nephew of Stepen Segrave, as well as allowing Thomas Mallory to marry Christina Segrave and both Richard and Gilbert Mallory to marry Cecilia.
This is a reiteration of a hypothesis mentioned in an earlier posting, but with the clear identification of Henry and Stephen Segrave as brothers, the hypothesis is now proven in part and strongly reinforced as a whole.
1 June 2015
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