#fretty

I have found one potential William (de) Audley where the birth and death dates line up nicely with the period of the Dering Roll, but I can’t quite connect him to Nicholas, 1st Baron Audley. He could’ve been a brother, or maybe an uncle, but it doesn’t seem like William had any children. I think it’s likely that the fretty pattern in the arms of his family is the ultimate source of the fret in the arms of the Tuchet family, who held the Baron Audley title from the beginning of the 14th century through 1997.

I can’t quite establish a historical presence for Simon de Somery; there does seem to have been someone by that name who was a pastor of Clent and studied abroad for three years in 1274. It’s unclear whether he was related to the de Somerys of Dudley Castle, though they apparently bore or two lions passant azure (or with the tinctures swapped; a lot of this is unclear).

The Saint Leger name was first recorded in England as the lords of Ulcombe in Kent. William de Saint Leger (c. 1155-1220) married Joan de Sackville and had four children.

Blazon: Azure a chevron gules fretty or between three crosses moline argent

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Theobald was the second Lord Verdun after his father (also named Theobald, because of course he was). He seems to have had a respectable career, fighting at Falkirk and serving as Justiciar of Ireland. His first wife, Maud Mortimer, died in 1312 after giving birth to their fourth daughter, Katherine, who probably did not survive to adulthood. Sometime in the two years after Maud’s death, he and Elizabeth de Clare became engaged. This arrangement was somewhat thwarted by Edward II, who commanded Elizabeth to return to England in 1314. Theobald, however, followed her down and abducted her from Bristol Castle in 1316. They were only married for six months before he died of typhoid, but that was long enough to conceive Theobald’s fourth surviving child, Isabel de Verdun. Isabel later married into the Ferrers family.

Blazon: Azure fretty argent

Mantling: Gules lined argent