THE DE COURCYS Among the knightly followers of William the Conqueror was Richard de Courci, son of Robert de Courci, lord of Courci, in Normandy. He was present at the battle of Hastings, in 1066, when Harold was slain and the fate of the Kingdom decided, for which service he was rewarded with several lordships in England, among which was the manor of Stoke, in Somersetshire, afterwards known by the name of Stoke-Courcy, which he held per integram baroniam, with several lordships or manors in Oxfordshire. His name is in the great Domesday Book as Ricardus de Curci. This important compilation, completed in 1086, and still in existence, showed the extent, nature and divisions of all the landed property in the several counties, with the products of each, and the woods, mines, etc., contained therein, with the exception of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Northumberland, Durham and part of Lancashire. It has been called "that black and gloomy record of acreage, tenements, and tax paying human chattels," for within its pages there is not the slightest glimpse of the social condition, the nationality or the speech of the inhabitants. The estimated population of England, at the time of the Conquest, was from two to three millions, about one-fifth of whom were of Danish extraction, the remaining four-fifths being Anglo-Saxons or Saxonized Britons. The Survey was not made as a census of the whole people, but for revenue purposes, enumerating only those who had property profitable for the King. Richard de Courci established his family seat at Stoke, which thenceforth became known as Stoke Courci or Courcy. The name of Stoke is of Saxon origin, Stoc in that language signifying a village, that of Courci or Courcy being added thereto to denote its belonging to that family. Robert de Courci his son and successor, lord of Courci in Normandy and baron of Stoke Courci, being of a religious turn of mind, founded at Cannington, Somersetshire, about the year 1140, a Priory for Benedictines, and granted certain lands for its maintenance. It consisted of a prioress and twelve nuns. The patronage of this house was vested in the successive lords of Stoke, the ruins of whose moated Castle, a few years ago, could still be seen. "Long have I loved to catch the simple chime No trace is left of the Benedictine Convent, but St. Andrew's Church, at Stoke Courci, still retains some of the Norman work of those early days. It has been stated that the village of Stoke, or the nearby neighbourhood, was the scene of a sanguinary conflict between the Danes and Saxons, when the latter led by the Bishop of Sherborne succeeded in driving the pirates to their ships, in A.D. 845. During the great civil war between the Empress Matilda, widow of Henry i, and Stephen, the de Courcies, with most of the nobles of the southwest, adhered to the side of the EmpressQueen, yet somewhat later, one of these great barons Robert de Courci, with the barons of Northern England, fought on Stephen's side at the great battle of the Standard at North Allerton, Yorkshire, against the Scotch, 22 August 1138, under David i, who vainly sought to place his niece Matilda upon the English throne. This Saxon princess, who was the niece of Edgar Atheling and granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, was particularly dear to the English, and her marriage to the King (Henry i) was the cause of great rejoicing. She was beautiful and amiable, winning from the Saxon Chroniclers the appellation of Maud the Good. The King of Scotland, in defense of his niece's title invaded the northern counties. He was, however, defeated in the battle of the Standard, so-called from a high crucifix carried by the English as a military ensign. Robert de Courci was succeeded by William de Courci, baron of Stoke Courcy, temp. Henry ii, 1154-1189, whose daughter and heiress Alicia de Courci married Warine de Fitzgerald, a noble baron and Chamberlaine to King John. Of this family it is claimed was also Sir John de Courci, Kt., born about 1152, who, for reducing Ulster, in Ireland, by force of arms and attaching it to the English crown, was, by Henry ii, created Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connaught in 1181, being one of the first of the English noblemen dignified with a title in Ireland, and from 1181 to 1191, was sole Governor of Ireland, but being accused by Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Meath, of disrespectful words about King John, he was seized and sent a prisoner to London, where he was confined in prison and his Earldom of Ulster given to Hugh de Lacy. On his death about 1210, his son Miles de Courci succeeded him, upon whom Henry iii, conferred the barony of Kingsale, in Ireland, in compensation for the earldom of Ulster, which had been given to Hugh de Lacy, his patent was, however, dated from 1181, when that of the Earl of Ulster had been conferred upon his father. "1309, Milo de Courcy, Nicholas de Courcy "Fideles," of Ireland, severally requested to perform Military Service against the Scots. Muster at New Castle-upon-Are, on the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, 24 June 1310, 3 Edw. ii." (Parliamentary Writs and Writs of Military Summons, by Sir Francis Palgrave, 1834). Gerald de Courcy, 17th Baron Kingsale, was knighted on the field of battle at Boulogne and sat in the Irish Parliament, temp. Queen Elizabeth. Gerald de Courcy, 19th Baron Kingsale, was Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber to Charles i. John de Courcy, 21st Baron Kingsale, sat in the Irish Parliament in 1665. Almericus de Courcy, 23rd Baron Kingsale, commanded a troop of horse under James ii, and sat in the Irish Parliament in 1692. His epitaph tells us how he "was de |