Sir Nicholas Beke Knight

  General Notes:

~ Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, 8th Edition, , 32:32,
Sir Robert de Swynnerton, knight, married Elizabeth Beke, daughter of Sir Nicholas Beke, knight, and Jane or Joan de Stafford, daughter of Sir Ralph de Stafford, and Kathernine de Hasang ¹⁶⁰

~The Visitation of Cheshire, 1580, p.201, Nicholas Beck married Jane, daughter of Rafe Stafford and Katherine Hastang. Nicholas was the son of Sir Robert Beck of Tene. ⁵³²

  Information about this person:

• Background Information.
Sir Nicholas Beke served in the Crecy campaign and took part in the seige of Calais in 1347. He was a knight in the retinue of Ralph de Stafford, earl of Stafford, who accompained Lionel of Clarence to Ireland in 1361, when Lionel was appointed lieutenant of Ireland.

Sir Nicholas Beck (Beke, Beck, Bec, or Beek) seems to have used invariably the name of Beck, a form which had occurred only occasionally before his time. He was a "Chivaler" and being also a member of Parliament, a good account of his career is given in Col. Wedgewood's "Parliamentary History".

He served in the famous Crecy campaign, and was probably in the great fight of the feudal lord, Ralph, Baron Stafford being attached to the King's division, and it is certain that he took part in the seige of Calais, because he had during its progress letters of attorney dated March 20, 1347, describing him as of the retinue of Ralph, who was abroad in the King's service. In 1359 he was again in the retinue of Ralph, now Earl of Stafford. In 1261, Prince Lionel of Clarence (son of Edward III) was appointed Lieutenant of Ireland and was accompanied thither by a body of men at arms commissioned by Ralph Stafford. Nicholas Beck was a knight with him.

Nicholas Beck's grandfather, Robert Bek, took the name of Bek from his mother, Lettice de Bek, who married Sir Richard Draycote. Lettice was not only the heiress of the de Beks, but also of Orabel or Orabilla, her mother. In 1369 Nicholas recovered 6 messuages, and 6 bovates, not in the estates entailed in 1302. With Nicholas probably ended the male line of the Becks, who were in fact Draycotes. We learn from a suit at Stafford in 1402 that his mother's name was Mary or Mariota de Bek and that he himself married a wife named Joan, and they were both living in 1348. He left two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.

• Background Information. ⁸²¹
Nicholas de Beke, Knight, of Hotpon in St. Mary's, Staffordshire, and Tean in Checkby, Staffordshire, Sheriff of Staffordshire, was the father of Elizabeth de Beke, by Joan, the daughter of Ralph de Stafford, Knight of the Garter and first Earl of Stafford.

~Richardson's Magna Carta Ancestry. p. 722

• Background Information. ⁸⁰⁶
About the time of Henry III, Robert de Beke was lord of both Taines, who had issue, Gilbert de Beke, who was lord of both Taines: also, Gilbert had issue Robert, who had issue Sir Richard Beke, knight, who had issue Sir Nicholas Beke, Knight who had issue, Helen, his daughter and heir, married to Sir Robert Swinnerton, Knight, who had issue Maud, first married to Sir Raufe Peshale, Knight, and after to Sir John Savage, knight. Sir Raufe Peshale had issue by Maud, Sir Richard Peshale, knight, and Sir John Savage, knight, who after a long contentention between the two, that Peshale had Over Taine, and Savage had Nether Taine.

~A Survey of Staffordshire, pp. 378-379

Nicholas married Joan de Stafford, daughter of Sir Ralph de Stafford Knight of the Gater, Baron of Tonbridge and Katherine Hastang. (Joan de Stafford was born in 1336 in Tunbridge Castle, Kent England.)