Draft:House of Earley

The House of Earley( Maison de Erleigh ), was a noble house that existed from 12 - 14 centuries originating from Normandy,France before migrating to England during the norman conquest of England. They were a House comprised of knights for the Kingdom of England ,and members had participated in many conflicts for the kingdom during the Hundred Years' War. They were prominent due to the lands and titles which the held as vassals, most of which are in modern day counties of Somerset and Berkshire. The most notable titles in Somerset being High sheriff of Somerset and Dorset, and the landed settlements of Durston and Beckington while in Berkshire, they most notably owned Sonning and Earley. The ultimate mentioned includes the Earley Manors of St Nicholas (now Whiteknights Park) and St Bartholomew of which the House would borrow their name. The Family is pivotal to mediaeval history of to Earley and the to a noticeable extent the greater county area and their influence is still seen such as with the previously mentioned Whiteknights Park located within the campus of The University of Reading being named after John d'Earley IV who was given the epithet "the Whiteknight".

Origin
House of Earley originates from Normandy,France. They migrated to England during the Norman conquest of England in 1066 as Knights of William the Conqueror. The House was established by John d'Earley I a Norman Knight who paid 5 marks for scutage of his lands at Beckington to King Henry II in 1161. John would die in 1165 the same year his widow Adela paid (another) 5 marks scutage, his son William d'Earley I would succeed him.

William d'Earley I
William would become Earl in 1165 after the death of his father John d'Earley under King Henry II. He is described as Lord of Durston Manor as well as the manors of Earley in 1166. He held a Knights fee "in capite" of the king due to his tenure of North Petherton .He founded Buckland Priory of regular canons of St.Augustine Buckland, Somerset in 1166. although the Priory was notably disorderly and would kill their steward who was a relation of William, this lead to Sister hospitallers of the order of St John taking over under the command of the King in 1180. .In 1180 the sheriff of Berkshire rendered an account from the lands of William d'Earley in the manor of Charlton, Wantage, Berkshire William would marry Lady Aziria and had 2 sons John II and Henry. He would die around 1195.

John d'Earley II
John d'Earley II ,first son and heir of William d'Earley, would take over his fathers estates in 1195 soon after his death where he would pay scutage to King Richard I for the lands he held, as well as holding a singular knights fee in Berkshire. In 1197 Maud daughter of Robert d'Earley would give John a quitclaim for two hides of land (240 acres/98 hectares) in Earley and Sonning. In 1199 he held the manor and hundred of North Pertherton at an annual rent to King John of 100 shillings. John would also give the Abbey of Atheney, Somerset in return for a yearly rent of a pair of gilt spurs: for this grant he received 2 marks of silver, Sibyll a bezant and his son John (III) a pair of spurs which was witnessed by Groffrey d'Earley and William d'Earley. In the year 1188, William Marshal at the time in service of King Henry II granted John d'Earley as squire and to serve him for his entire life and would become a knight by 1199. In 1198 John would fight in Battle of Gisors the battle famous for being where King Richard coined the term "Dieu et mon droit". John was deemed so trustworthy to William that he was charged with the mission of carrying the news of the death of Richard as well as Richard's choice successor being his brother King John to Geoffrey Fitz Peter making the journey from France to England. In1202 King John made John d'Earley joint sheriff of Devonshire in order to supress a reported uprising.