Research Notes:

The Close Rolls contain some entries relating to the dower of John's wife, Maud d'Eiville. On October 5, 1309, the escheator was directed to deliver to her the manor of Middle, and the issues received, as it appears by a Fine levied in the late King's Court, between John le Strange of Knockin, demandant, and Ralph de Shirleye, deforciant, that the said John acknowledged the manor to the right of the said Ralph, as what he had of his gift, and that the said Ralph granted and rendered it to him and to the said Maud his wife. A memorandum of October 26 states that the chancellor prefixed a day, to wit, in fifteen days from Sunday next following, for John le Strange to be present, if he so chose, at the assignment of dower to Maud in the chancery of York. The escheator was ordered, on October 30, 1309, to assign to Maud dower of her husband's lands, in the presence of John, his son and heir, he having done homage for them, saving to the said Maud her rights, as she has taken oath not to marry without the King's licence. On March 28 following the escheator in the county of Chester had a mandate to restore to her the manors of Stafford and Dunham, which she held jointly with her late husband for their lives, of the gift of Edmund, Earl of Arundel, which manors the escheator had taken into the King's hands on the pretext that she had married Thomas de Hastang without the king's licence. That she did marry him appears from the fact that in the Nomina Villarum of 1316 Thomas de Hastang stands as lord of Middle. ²