William de Ferrers, Knt., 1st Lord Ferrers of Groby, son and heir of Sir William de Ferrers and his first wife, Anne Durward, was born 30 January 1271/2 at Yoxall, Staffordshire[1][2] and was baptized there.[3]
Lands: Groby and Thurnby, Leicestershire; Stebbing, Woodham Ferrers, and Fairstead, Essex; Bolton, Lancashire; Newbottle and Fendon, Northamptonshire, etc.; and Leuchars, Fife and Tranent, East Lothian (Scotland)[1]
The King took his homage and William had livery of his fathers lands 17 March 1292/3. On 15 November 1296 the King took his homage for the lands held for the King of Scotland and John, Earl of Warenne, Keeper of Scotland, was ordered to grant William livery of those lands.[3]
William was summoned to military service in Gascony in 1294 and, in 1297, he was summoned to the war in Flanders.[1] In 1295 he was beyond seas with the Duke of Brabant, fought at the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298, and was at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle in 1300.[1][3] He was in Scotland in the Kings service in 1303, 1306, 1308 and 1311.[3]
He was summoned to Parliament from 29 December 1299 to 24 September 1324, by writs directed Willelmo de Ferariis or Willelmo de Ferrariis, whereby he is held to have become Lord Ferrers.[1][3]
William signed the 1301 Barons' letter to Pope Boniface VIII as Willelmus de Ferariis dominus de Groby. He was summoned to attend the Coronation of King Edward II in 1308.[1][3] He was appointed Joint Constable of Somerton Castle, Lincolnshire on 1 November 1317.[3] On 14 February 1321/2, he was ordered to accompany the king against the contrariants.[1][3]
Marriage and Children
William married Margaret[?] de Segrave, daughter of John de Segrave, Knt., 2nd Lord Segrave, by Christine de Plescy.[1][2] The date and place of their marriage are unknown and are estimated. They had three sons and one daughter:
Henry, 2nd Lord Ferrers of Groby, born about 1303, died 15 September 1343, married Isabel de Verdun and had issue[1]
↑ 2.02.12.22.3 Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013), vol. III, pages 151-153, GROBY 9, William de Ferrers.
↑ 3.03.13.23.33.43.53.63.73.8 George Edward Cokayne and Vicary Gibbs ed. Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Vol. V: Eardley of Spalding to Goojerat, 2nd edition. (London, 1926). Online at Archive.org, pages 343-344.
Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
See also:
Some corrections and additions to the Complete Peerage: Volume 5: Ferrers of Groby (PROPOSED CORRECTIONS) at medievalgenealogy.org.
le Scrope, Richard. The Controversy Between Sir Richard Scrope and Sir Robert Grosvenor. (London: Samuel Bentley, 1832). Online at Google Books, vol. 2, page 361.
Acknowledgements
Magna Carta Project
This profile was re-reviewed and approved for the Magna Carta Project 5 June 2020 by Thiessen-117.
Jeremy Clarke: re-reviewed January 2023. This trail can be seen the the Magna Carta Trails section of William Clerke's profile.
John Stockman (MCA IV:107-111 STOCKMAN): badged January 2023. The trail is outlined HERE.
Torrey Gateways (William and Samuel) (MCA II:376-380 HAVILAND): badged in May 2022. See this trail HERE.
See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".
The 2004 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - not available except via libraries or subscription sites - has an article on the Ferrers family up to 1445. It states that "With his wife, Ellen, possibly a kinswoman of Nicholas Seagrave, William had a daughter and four sons, including his heir, Henry Ferrers second Lord Ferrers (c. 13031343)."
"They had five children, his heir, Henry, four younger sons, and a daughter.[1]" (Wikipedia citing ODNB)
I guess it depends on how you interpret this statement but Henry + 4 younger sons + a daughter = 6 children. I would be careful about depending on a source that makes what appears to be an obvious error of fact.
This profile, for Sir William Ferrers, "1st Lord Ferrers of Groby" is sourced to Richardson (MCA p 295, GROBY #5), saying he was born 1272, married daughter of John de Segrave, and had three sons and a daughter: Henry, Thomas, Ralph & Anne. No mention of another son named William, a daughter named Agnes, or a wife named Ellen de Menteith.
WikiTree's profile for Alexander has a link to his Wikipedia article, which includes daughter Ellen (WikiTree doesn't) saying:
"Ellen, recently identified as the wife of William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby (d. 20 March 1324/5).[8]", citing J. Ravilious (2013).
"GREY, JOHN, eighth Lord Ferrers of Groby (14321461), born in 1432, was elder son of Edward Grey (1415-1457), who was second son of Reginald, third lord Grey of Ruthin [q. v.], by his second wife, Joan, daughter and heiress of William Astley. Edward Grey married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Ferrers and heiress of William, sixth lord Ferrers of Groby, at whose death in 1445 Grey became seventh Lord Ferrers of Groby, and was summoned to parliament by that title. He died 18 Dec. 1457, leaving four sons and a daughter...."
it cites ODNB for the statement: "William Ferrers married to Ellen de Menteith, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Menteith. They had five children, his heir, Henry, four younger sons, and a daughter.[1]"
I couldn't access that source, but I doubt that statement was made (do the math).
Google Books DNB search for Ferrers Groby returned this page, which had the entry "Ferrers, Lord of Groby. See [Grey, Sir John, d. 1461]", leading to this page, which only explains how the unrelated Sir John Grey became 8th Lord Ferrers of Groby...
Should William Ferrers and Agnes Ferrers be detached as children? I do not see any sources on this or their profiles to support this William Ferrers as father
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I posted a G2G question from Alexander's profile.
I guess it depends on how you interpret this statement but Henry + 4 younger sons + a daughter = 6 children. I would be careful about depending on a source that makes what appears to be an obvious error of fact.
WikiTree's profile for Alexander has a link to his Wikipedia article, which includes daughter Ellen (WikiTree doesn't) saying:
"Ellen, recently identified as the wife of William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby (d. 20 March 1324/5).[8]", citing J. Ravilious (2013).
Perhaps Ellen is mother of William & Agnes?
from this wikisource page
continued (again)
it cites ODNB for the statement: "William Ferrers married to Ellen de Menteith, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Menteith. They had five children, his heir, Henry, four younger sons, and a daughter.[1]"
I couldn't access that source, but I doubt that statement was made (do the math).
Google Books DNB search for Ferrers Groby returned this page, which had the entry "Ferrers, Lord of Groby. See [Grey, Sir John, d. 1461]", leading to this page, which only explains how the unrelated Sir John Grey became 8th Lord Ferrers of Groby...