Research Notes:

Her parentage and first marriage are confirmed by a charter [dated to before 1194] under which “William le Gros” gave land at Little Dalby to “Ralph Somery” as part of the marriage contract for his daughter Margaret. Her second marriage is indicated by two sources relating to Staffordshire, where Ralph [II] de Somery had been granted land by King John... Firstly, King Henry III ordered the sheriff of Staffordshire to permit “Maurice de Gant” to collect scutage from knights’ fees he holds in his bailiwick of the land “he holds in dower of Margaret his wife”, dated [Sep] 1224. Secondly, the Assize Rolls for 1228 record that eight persons were summoned to show cause why they intruded into “a carucate of land which Alan de Englefeld held, the custody of whose lands after his death belonged to Maurice de Gant and Margaret his wife...the land formed part of the dower of Margaret”. Alan de Englefield was Margaret’s son-in-law... Several other sources have been identified which name Margaret, none of which makes the connection between Ralph de Somery and Maurice de Gant. Three of these sources clearly refer to the widow of Ralph de Somery: (1) “Roger de Sumeri” confirmed an agreement between “Margaret his mother” and “William de Englefeld” [his nephew, son of his sister Isabel] concerning a grant and exchange of lands “at Bradfield”, Berkshire, undated, but presumably dateable to after Roger’succession to the family estates following the death of his nephew Nicholas (before 4 Jul 1229); (2) and (3) two sets of entries in the Testa de Nevill, Berkshire fees in [1235/36] which include " i.m de i. feodo in Englefeud de feodo de Sumeri et...quarta parte unius feodi Nicholai le Butiler de eodem honore [=honore de Walingeford?] et i.m de i. feodo Margerie de Sumery in Cumton Beucamp de eodem honore et i.m. de i. feodo eiusdem Margerie in Idesleg...et...in Adecote...Watindeden...Stanford...Yngelpenne de eodem honore", and Berkshire fees in [1242/43] which name "Rogerus de Sumery in Bradefeld i. feodum...Margareta de Sumeri in Bradefeld unum feodum predicti Rogeri...Willelmus de Englefeld in Englefeld unum feodum de eodem feodo". Two further sources clearly refer to the wife of Maurice de Gant: firstly, Henry III King of England ordered the sheriff of Somerset, notwithstanding the order of seisin in favour of "Walter de Everm", to give seisin of "maneriis de Cantokesheved et de Hivis [Quantockshead and Huish]...que fuerunt Mauricii de Gant quondam viri sui" to "Margarete de Sumery" as dower, by order dated 1231, and secondly “Margaret de Somery” reached agreement with “Henry de Gaunt rector of the almonry of St Mark’s Hospital, Billeswick” on the tithes of the mill of East Quantoxhead, Somerset and other matters by charter dated 14 Jun 1247. Two more sources are inconclusive: the Plea Rolls for 1233 include a claim in Oxfordshire by “John de Beauchamp” against “Margery de Sumery, in a plea of land and wardship”, and an undated order, in 1237, records “Assizes taken...in...Worcestershire” from “Margaret de Somery”. Thomas Stapleton made a detailed study of the life of Maurice de Gant in the mid-19th century but all the sources to which he refers are inconclusive regarding the parentage of Maurice de Gant’s second wife. It is somewhat surprising that Maurice would have married the widow of Ralph [II] de Somery who, although she had proven her child-bearing capacity, must have been nearly 40 years old by [1220]. Stapleton dates the Margaret de Somery/Maurice de Gant marriage to “prior to the fifth year of Henry III [Nov 1220/Nov 1221] when Maurice de Gaunt paid scutage of Byham for the manor of Bradfield in Berkshire to Percival de Sumery”. ¹