Agnes (Whyston) Giffard (abt. 1335)

Born about 1335 in Whiston, Staffordshire, England

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joe Cochoit [send private message]

Biography

Name: Agnes Whiston^[1]

Research Notes

Inheritance: Agnes Whiston was the eventual heir of her father and her brother. Numerous lawsuits which went on for a number of years conclusively prove the name of Edmund's wife and the fact that she was the mother of Edmund's son John Giffard.^[1][2][3]

Common Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect wife: Burke in his Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland states that Edmund Giffard married "a daughter of Venables, Baron of Kinderton."^[4] This profile previously had his wife as Katherine Venables. There is no contemporary evidence that this is true. It is certain that his first wife and mother of his heir was Agnes Whiston.^[1] His second wife was certainly named Margaret.

So to be clear, Burke completely gets this generation wrong. Edmund did not marry a Venable (at least no evidence). The Giffards obtained Whiston as Agnes' inheritance and not from his grandson's marriage to Joyce Fraunceys. Because of the Burke reference this error is wide spread on the internet.

• Daughter or sister: Various sources make Agnes either a daughter or a sister of John Whyston. However, lawsuits concerning the inheritance make clear that Agnes was the aunt of Nicholas Whyston.^[5] They also call John Whyston the uncle of John Gifford and not grandfather.^[6]

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Wrottesley, The Giffards. (1902): pages 104-105.
2. ↑ 'The parish of Church Eaton: High Onn', in Staffordshire Historical Collections, Vol. 4, ed. George Wrottesley (London, 1883), pp. 52-63, fn. 10. Available at British History Online.
3. ↑ [[#Bridgeman|Bridgeman, "History of Manor and Parish of Weston-Under-Lizard" in Collections for a History of Staffordshire, new series vol. 2 (1899): see pages 57-61.
4. ↑ Burke, Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, (1834): page 465.
5. ↑ Collections for a History of Staffordshire, vol. 12: Supplement at end of volume. pages 10-11.
6. ↑ [[#Bridgeman|Bridgeman, "History of Manor and Parish of Weston-Under-Lizard" in Collections for a History of Staffordshire, new series vol. 2 (1899): see page 61.

Source list:

• Wrottesley, George. "The Giffards from the Conquest to the Present Time" in Collections for a History of Staffordshire, new series vol. 5 (London: William Salt Archaeological Society, 1902): 1-232. HathiTrust.org Link Archive.org Link

• Bridgeman, George. "The History of Manor and Parish of Weston-Under-Lizard, in the County of Stafford" in Collections for a History of Staffordshire, new series vol. 2 (London: William Salt Archaeological Society, 1899): 1-232. HathiTrust.org Link

• Burke, John. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland..., vol. 1 (London, 1834). Books.google.com Link. Note: Do not use Burke for the Giffards of Chillington. It contains errors by confusing the Giffards of Chillington with the Giffards for Brimpsfield.

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Grant R. Phillips, Jr..ged on 08 April 2011.