John Fitz Alan Earl of Arundel

  General Notes:

~Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, pp. 171, 314, 521 ⁵⁹⁹

~Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families p. 523 ⁸²¹

~The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215, Frederick Lewis Weis, 134:4 ⁵²⁶

~Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, Frederick Lewis Weis, 28:30, 77:30, 149:29, 215:30 ¹⁶⁰

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
John Fitz Alan, feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry, Salop, son and heir of John Fitz Alan of the same, by his 1^st wife, Isabel, 2nd sister and, in her issue, coheir of Hugh, and daughter of William d'Aubigny, Earls of Sussex, &c, succeeded his father (whom his mother had predeceased) in 1240. To him, by writ dated 27 Nov 1243, was awarded (in right of his deceased mothe) the Castle and Honor of Arundel, whereby (according to the admission of 1443), he must be regarded as de jure Earl of Arundel.

John Fitz Alan obtained possession, 26 May 1244, of his paternal estates in Salop on payment of £1,000. By the title, however, of Earl of Arundel he never appears to have been known (either in his lifetime or afterwards), although he lived 24 years after the acquisition of that Castle and Honor. In an award dated Friday after the Circumcision 1258, he is expressly called Dominus de Arundel (i.e. Lord of the Honour of Arundel), and in the Fine Roll, 10 Mar 1261/2, he is called Baro noster, while in his Inq. p.m. he is described (merely) as Johannes filius Alani, and the endorsement says that he held a quarter of the Earldom of Arundel. He took part in the Welsh war in 1258, and, though sometimes leagued with the Barons against the Crown, was, while fighting on the Royal side, taken prisoner at the Battle of Lewes, in 1264, together with the King.

John Fitz Alan married Maud, daughter of Theobald Le Botiller, by his 2nd wife, Rohese, daughter and heir of Nicholas De Verdun, of Alton, co. Stafford. He died 1267, before 10 Nov and his will was dated Oct 1267. His widow married Richard d'Amundeville, and died 27 Nov 1283.

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, (Arundel), pp.239-40, Vol. XIV, p. 38

• Background Information. ⁷³³
In John, the Younger, Fitz Alan was married to Matilda, daughter of Theobald de Butiler and Rohese de Verdon. He was a minority at the time of his father's death, and from 16 June to 29 Sep 1240, the Shropshire estates of John Fitz Alan, deceased were in the hands of John le Strange, Sheriff of Shrosphire, who had acknowledged himself responsible for the issues of the "manors and Castles" of Oswestry, Clun, Shrawardine and Montford, at this time. This is confirmed by the Pipe Rolls of 1241-1244.

The Writ that certifies John Fitz Alan, the younger, to his majority is dated 3 May 1244. He then was fined £1000 for livery and seizin of his Father's lands and Castles. At that time John le Strange was, by a Patent of 24 May 1244, ordered to give up to John Fitz Alan the Castles of Oswestry, Clun and Shrawardine. Also, in the partition of the Estates of Earl Hugh de Albini, Arundel Castle fell to his share. This Castle was given to him by a Patent of 24 May 1244.

John Fitz Alan, the younger, was one of the Barons who accompanied King Henry III into Gascony. His name is among the who had the Letters of Protection which were usual on such occasions. Ge was given in a Charter dated at Bazats, 28 Jan 1254, which gave him the privilege of Free-Warren, in a number of manors of Upton Magna, Wroxeter, Cound, Harnage, Acton Round, Rodington and Shrewardine in Cheshire as well as Norton in Oxfordshire, Lavinton in Wiltshire, Troghford in Cheshire and Stokes in Sussex.

In a Patent of 29 Apr 1263, he along with Vivian de Roshal and John de Chetwynd were given protection as long as they should be with Prince Edward in Wales. Another Patent of 24 Dec 1263 names John along with Roger de Mortimer, John de Verdon, James Audley and Hamo le Strange as Keepers of the Peace in Shropshire and Staffordshire. By the next year John Fitz Alan was one of the barons who under Roger de Leyburne held Rochester Castle aginst Montofrort in April for the King. He also fought for the Crown at Lewes on 14 May, and was taken prisoner.

The will of John Fitz Alan is partly preserved. It bears the date at Wroxeter on Thursday 6 Oct 1267. John styles himslf as the "lord of Arundel," and being of sound mind and counsel, bequeaths his body to be buried with his predecessors at Haughmon. John made this will with the prospect of his insuing death since the Writ of Diem clausit, on his death is dated 10 Nov 1267.

~Antiquities of Shropshire, vol. VII, pgs. 253-256

Arundel Castle

John married Maud le Boteler, daughter of Theobald le Boteler Lord Boteler and Rohese de Verdun ¹⁴¹.^,733 (Maud le Boteler was born in 1228 in Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland and died on 27 Nov 1283 in Arundel, Sussex, England ¹⁴¹.)