De Quincy
Photo 1965
Andrée, Harry, Philip, Ida and Eleanor

(1965)
This page is dedicated to the memory of

Harry Sewell

Henry DeQuincy Sewell

August 30, 1916 - May 29, 2003
 

This page would not have been possible without the manuscript "Journal of Charles Randolph Montgomery Sewell" loaned to me by my late Uncle Harry.

 . . . Robert Sewell

    Our interest in persons who accompanied Duke William in 1066 and persons connected with the Magna Charta had its origins in family records from the manuscript "Journal of Charles Randolph Montgomery Sewell" that hinted at a descent from the de Quincy family.

    Also, see the descent from William de Quincy, who was perhaps a cousin of Saher de Quincy.

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Saher de Quincy
Reputed to have flourished circa 1066
Reference:   letter written by {Rev} Henry Doyle Sewell in 1858.

    {Rev} Henry Doyle Sewell states in a  letter written in 1858:  "... we could show on our Fathers side, a descent from Saher (or Taher) de Quincy one of the 250 Barons who accompanied William in A.D. 1066 whose descendants were made Lords of Buckley Henry II  — and Earls of Wilton or Winchester by King John — & one of whom is found among the 25 Barons who compelled John to sign Magna Charta. The Title became extinct by the death of Robt. De Quincy, without male children, & the property is now held by Marquis Townshend".  This suggests a descent through the Quincy family, and we do have a definite and proven descent from Edmund Quincy (1602 - 1635/36) who came to New England in 1633.  Please click on Edmund Quincy for details.

    The descent shown on this page leads not through the father of {Rev} Henry Doyle Sewell and the Quincy Family of Massachusetts but through his mother's family, the Livingstons of Callendar.

    However, other indications of a descent of the Quincy Family of Massachusetts from the De Quincys dating back to the Norman Conquest and the Magna Charta include the following:

    It must be noted that there are no De Quincys listed "Companions of Duke William" on the Battle Abbey Rolls or Falaise Roll.   The Dives-Sur-Mer List shows Osberne and Raoul du Quesnai; perhaps this is where the idea of De Quincy ancestors being involved in the Conquest of 1066 originates. There were also about 12,000 Standard Bearers, Men at Arms, Yeomen, Freemen and other ranks.  Many distinguished themselves and were rewarded with grants smaller than a Knight's fee after the conquest.  Perhaps this Saher (or Taher) de Quincy was among these persons.

    I have found no reference to this Saher (or Taher) de Quincy in any place other that the above mentioned letter written by {Rev} Henry Doyle Sewell, and it is uncertain whether the Saher de Quincy (1090 - 1156) shown next would have been his son or grandson.


References used from this point on include:

Generation One
Saher de Quincy (I) of Buckby and Daventry
Born:  Some unreliable internet family trees that do not reveal their references or sources suggest Saher de Quincy (I) was born circa 1090. Please note that some family tree genealogy programmes will gladly "guesstimate" dates for a series of individuals. Dates given here are from the sources indicated. For possible ancestors, see Early Quincy Family.
Died: probably circa 1156 - 1158.

References:

    Saher de Quincy (I), or Quency, was the tenant of Anselm de Chokes at Long Buckby, co. Northhampton in (probably) 1124 - 1129. He presumably derived the Quincy or Quency name from Cuinchy, near Béthune, on the border of Artois and Flanders, which is less than 10 miles from Chocques, the original home of his Northhampton overlord. It is probable that the singular christian name of Saher, or Saier  is a corruption either from the Hebrew Zair, affliction; or the Saxon Segher, Sigher, or Seagar, a Conqueror.  Click for more information on Long Buckby Castle, Northamptonshire.
 
thanks to Rick Sterling for the information in this table

   According to Sir Bernard Burke: Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 447, Quincy, Earls of Winchester: 

    "In the reign of King Henry II (1154 - 1189), Saier de Quincy had a grant from the crown of the manor of Bushby, co. Northampton, formerly the property of Anselme de Conchis. He m. Maud de St. Liz, and had two sons, Robert and Saier de Quincy." 

Robert, although a younger son, is named first presumably because he eventually succeeded his father; see next:
Saer de Qvincy
From John Speed's 
Map of Hampshire
published 1611
Map Collection of Hampshire
CC Museums Service,
item HMCMS:KD1996.16.

    Saher de Quincy married after 1136 to Maud de Saint Liz (died between 1158 and 1163). Maud de Saint Liz was the widow of Robert FitzRichard de Clare (died between 1134 and 1136) and the daughter of Simon de Saint Liz, Earl of Huntingdon and Northampton (died in 1111) and Maud of Huntingdon, Countess of Huntingdon and Northumberland (born in 1072 and died in 1130/31).

Saher de Quincy and Maud de Saint Liz had the following issue :


Generation Two
Robert de Quincy, Lord of Buckby and Fawside
Died before Michaelmas (Feast of St. Michael, September 29) 1197

References:

Robert seems to have gone to Scotland in his youth for he witnessed a charter there which may date from 1163. He was granted the ancient castle of Forfar by his cousin, William (I) the Lion of Scotland. He accompanied King Richard (I) to the Holy Land in 1190; and he fought in Normandy in 1194 and 1196.
Robert de Quincy married Orabella, a daughter of  Ness who was a son of William, Lord of Leuchars.

Robert and Orabella had the following children:

Robert married secondly to Eve who survived him and was the widow of or married secondly to Walter de Berkeley, Chamberlain of Scotland. CP XII/2 pg. 748
 

Generation Three
Saher de Quincy (IV), 1st Earl of Winchester, Magna Charta Surety
Born in 1155
Died on November 3, 1219 at Damietta, Egypt on the Fifth Crusade.

References:

Arms of Saher de Quincy    Saher de Quincy was one of the 25 sureties of the Magna Charta, for which he was excommunicated.  His singular christian name of Saher, or Saier, is a likely a corruption from the Saxon Segher, Sigher, or Seagar, a Conqueror.  Eliza S. Quincy refers to him as "John de Quincy, created Earl of Winchester by King John, 1207.  He was a leader of the Barons who forced John to sign the Magna Charta."

    The arms of Saher de Quincy are described as "Or, a fesse gules, a file of 11 points azure".  As with the genealogy, the arms of Saher de Quincy are uncertain.  Argent can be used instead of or, and the colours of the fesse and file can be transposed.  As well, the file doesn't appear to be definite, and is pictured in different places with 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 points. (Richard Thomson:  An Historical Essay on the Magna Charta of King John, London, 1829. Click here for more from this book.)

    Saher de Quincy married  Margaret de Beaumont, daughter and heir of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester and youngest sister and co-heiress of Robert Fitz-Pernel, Earl of Leicester. For her ancestry, see Margaret de Beaumont. On the death of Margaret's brother on October 20 or 21, 1204, Saher de Quincy became coheir to half of the vast estates of the Honours of Leicester and Grandmesnil.
Saher de Quincy and Margaret de Beaumont had the following children:

Saher de Quincy had the following children, but the name of the mother is not known:
Generation Four
Robert de Quincy, crusader.
Died in 1217 at London.

Reference: MC 107-2, CP XII/2 pg. 751, MCA pg. 684

     Robert is probably the same as Reginald de Quincy, who is named in The Dictionary of National Biography, (Sidney Lee, editor; London, 1894) as the "second son of Saher de Quincy".

    There are conflicting records for Robert. The Complete Peerage (CP XII/2 pg. 751) indicates that Robert de Quincy, eldest son and heir apparent of Saher de Quincy (IV) d.s.p. (decessit sine prole, died without issue) in 1217 at London when he was accidentally poisoned through medicine prepared by a Cistercian monk. See G.E. Cokayne: The Complete Peerage, Sutton Publishing, 2003, Vol. XII/2, page 751 for details.

    Some highly respected sources show it was this Robert de Quincy, a son of Saher de Quincy (IV), and not his uncle Robert de Quincy, who married Hawise of Chester, Countess of Lincoln and had a daughter. Please see Frederick Lewis Weis:  The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215, Baltimore, 1991, page 140, Line 107 and Douglas Richardson: Magna Charta Ancestry, Baltimore, 2005, page 684 for details. According to these sources, Robert did not d.s.p.; he married Hawise of Chester, Countess of Lincoln and they had a daughter who is shown above as well as next:


Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester and High Constable of Scotland.
Died (d.s.p.m; died without male heirs) on April 25, 1264 at which time the Earldom of Winchester reverted to the crown.

References:  MC 74-2, MC 108-2, MC 139-2, CP XII/2 pg. 751- 754

Please click to view the Seal of Roger de Quincy shared by Victor de Quincey.

Arms of Roger de Quincy
    The arms of Roger de Quincy are described as "Gules, seven mascules conjoined, three, three, and one, or."  (A.C. Fox-Davies:  A Complete Guide to Heraldry, London, 1909)  These are the same arms claimed by the Quincys of Massachusetts.
    Professor Salisbury (Family Memorials, 1885, page 308) reports that Roger de Quincy assumed the device of the seven mascules, and goes on to explain that "it appears that the descendants of the younger sons of Saher de Quincy were very numerous, and, as the lands and property were divided, they went into different employments, and became part of the yeomanry of England, but yet carefully retained the arms, and the tradition of their Norman descent."  This may explain the use of this device by the Quincys of Massachusetts to this day.
    According to Richard Thomson, An Historical Essay on the Magna Charta of King John (London, 1829)  page 251, these arms were borne by Ferrers of Groby; who were descendants of William de Ferrers, a younger son of Margaret de Quincy and William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (see below).

    Roger married Helen of Galloway (died after November 21, 1245).  Helen was a daughter of Alan of Galloway, Lord of Galloway, High Constable of Scotland and Advisor to King John (died in 1234) and a daughter or sister of Roger de Lacy, of Pontefract, Constable of Chester. Note:  Alan of Galloway had a second marriage to and additional children by Margaret de Huntingdon, a great granddaughter of David (I) "The Saint", King of Scotland. See MC 139 & 140.
Arms of Alan of Galloway    Roger and Helen had the following daughters, among whom his lands were divided:

Roger de Quincy married secondly in 1250 to Maud, widow of Anselm Marshal, 9th Earl of Pembroke, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford and 1st Earl of Essex. She d.s.p. on October 20, 1252. CP XII/2 pg. 753

Roger de Quincy married thirdly to  Eleanor, widow of William de Vaux and daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. CP XII/2 pg. 753

Robert de Quincy, 3rd son

Reference: MC 114-2

    Robert was the third son of Saher de Quincy by an unknown mother from Colne Quincy, Essex.  His date of birth is unknown, so perhaps he was born after the death of his older brother Robert in 1217. However, Dr. Jackson Howard in his Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (1899) states that two brothers with the same Christian name are of frequent occurrence from the 12th to 17th centuries.

    Robert married in 1237 to Elen, (also Helena and Helen) widow of John le Scot, Earl of Chester and daughter of Llewellyn ap Iorworth, Prince of Wales and his wife Joan who was a natural daughter of King John. For her ancestry, see Elen.
    Robert and Elen had the following daughters:


Generation Five
Elizabeth de Quincy
Died before November 1328

References:  MC 108-3, AR 114A-27, CP XII/2 pg. 753

    Elizabeth married to Alexander de Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan, Constable of Scotland (died in 1290), son of William Comyn and Margaret, Countess of Buchan. Alexander de Comyn was a greatX2 grandson of Donald Bane, King Donald III of Scotland; and as such was a descendant of the ancient Celtic Kings of Dalriada and Alba. For this descent, please click on Donald Bane.
    Elizabeth and Alexander had the following children:


Generation Six
Agnes Comyn
Living in 1320

Reference:  SP (Strathearn) pg. 249-250, (Caithness) pg. 317-318, FvanR pg. 22 & 24

    Agnes (also known as Emma) married Malise, 6th Earl of Strathearn (1257 - 1312)  Malise was the eldest son of Malise, 5th Earl of Strathearn and Matilda, daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Orkney and Caithness.
    Malise took a prominent part in the treaty for the marriage of Margaret the Maid of Norway (the last of the direct descendants of Malcolm Cænmore and St. Margaret the Exile), to Edward, the eldest son of King Edward (I) of England.  However, this marriage never took place because Margaret died in Orkney while travelling from Norway to Scotland.  For further details, see A Troubled Time in Scotland.
Malise Graham swore fealty to King Edward (I) in 1296.

    Agnes and Malise had the following children:


Generation Seven
Malise, 7th Earl of Strathearn
Died circa 1328/29

Reference:   SP (Strathearn) pg. 251, FvanR pg. 20

    Malise married at least twice, but according to SP (Strathearn) pg. 251, the name of his first wife has not been ascertained.

Malise and his first wife had the following children:

Malise married secondly (as her first husband) to Jean or Joanna Menteith, a daughter of Sir John Menteith of Rusky, but they had no recorded issue.  Joanne survived her husband and married second to John Campbell, Earl of Atholl, third to Maurice Moray and fourth to William, 5th Earl of Sutherland.
 

Generation Eight
Malise, 8th Earl of Strathearn, Earl of Caithness and Orkney
Died between 1344 and 1350

Reference:  SP (Strathearn) pg. 252-254, (Caithness) pg.318-320

    Malise succeeded to the Earldom of Caithness and Orkney in right of his great-grandmother Matilda, daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Caithness and Orkney.

    Malise married to Marjorie Ross, daughter of Hugh, 4th Earl of Ross and Lady Maud Bruce, a sister of Scotland's national hero, King Robert the Bruce. Marjorie was a sister of William, 5th Earl of Ross. SP (Ross) pg. 236-237)

    Marjorie and Malise had the following daughters:


Generation Nine
Isabella
Isabella was the second daughter of Malise, Earl of Strathearn, Orkney and Caithness and was declared by her father to be the heiress of the earldom of Caithness.
References:

    Isabella married to William Sinclair of Roslin.  William was a minor when his father was slain in Andelusia by the Saracens on August 25, 1330, so the marriage must have been after 1330 and before 1345 when their son Henry was born.  William Sinclair died in 1358.

    Isabella and William had the following sons:


Generation Ten
Arms of SinclairHenry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney
Born circa 1345
Died (slain) circa 1400 - 1404

    Henry Sinclair was one of the competitors for the Earldom of Orkney through his mother, the other competitors being his cousins Alexander del Ard and Malise Sperra, Lord of Skaldale.  These three proceeded to Norway where, having submitted their claims to King Hakon, he, at Marstrand on August 2, 1379, formally invested Henry as Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland.
References:  SP (Sinclair) Volume VI, pg. 568-569,FvanR pg. 27

        For the continuation of this line, see Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney.


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