SIR HAMILTON
LANPHERE SMITH
Scientist / Astronomer / Photographer
Knight's Templar Extraordinaire
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Astronomer
It is from this marriage that the Beckwiths derive their name. - Lady Beckwith Bruce promised by inheritance an estate of manor of Land called in Anglo Saxon “Beckworth”, from “Beck” or brook and “wortt” an estate. To perpetuate the name she required her husband by a marriage contract dated 1226 to assume the name Beckwith. This Sir Hercules de Malebisse was lord Fleenton in Graven inherited from his great grandfather Sir Hugh the Nroman Lord of Clint. By his marriage with lady Beckwitt Bruce, he became lord of Nglebarby and owner of the manors of Beckwith and Beckwitt shan. Their son was Sir Hercules de Beckwith de Clint, who married the daughter of Sir John Ferrous of Tameworth Castle who by his marriage into the house of Marmion inherited by tenure the Castle of Tameworth the high office of Champion of England. They had one child Sir Nicholas Beckwith de Clint who married the dauthter of Sir John Chouvorth and also had one son Harmon Beckwith who was seized of the lordship of Clint and Nglebarby in Whitby Strand, Pickering, and Roxley manor, of Beckwith and Beckwithshaw.
He took upon himself the coat of Armes of John Lord de Malebisse in 1339, and in proof of descent presented to the Earl Marshall of England, the marriage contract of his great grand-father Sir Hercules de Malebisse to the Lady Beckwitt Bruce. The decision of the Earl Marshall dated 1339 is still to be seen in the Heralds office. The marriage contract reads as follows: “Be it known to all nobles, where this present writing shall came, be seen, or heard, where as Harmon Beckwith, son and heir of Nicholas Beckwith was named by the Earl Marshall of England by a processor that was dated, from the aforesaid Marshalls Manor of Reayssing Castle in the County of Norfolk Jan. 18th in the tenth year of our sovereign Lord the King in the Year of our Lord 1339. That the said Harmon Beckwith should usurp and take with him a coat of arms, which was apperceiving unto John Lord de Malebisse, for which letter use by virtue of this process wh charge from that time will appear at the Mew Mansion House of Claymore before us and bring with him all such evidence and records of arms, that we may allow, grant, and set out hands to your test and portently forever, and also that from appearance will be the 14th day of October next coming, in the aforesaid year above written, and the said orator did appear at the said day appointed and did bring with him such evidence whereof one piece dated from the 10th Year of Henry the third which was in the year of our Lord 1226, from one Hercules de Malebiesse the son of Sir Simon de Malebisse Knight who married the lady Bechwith Bruce one of the daughters of Sir William Bruce lord of Nglebarby and other lands in Pickering, that the said Hercules de Malebiesse, should change his name, or else his coat, and his portently forever, and so it was that he said Hercules de Malebiesse changed his name from de Malebiesse to Bechwitt, and did hold his coat, - whereof I the said Marshall Peter Mawlam Lord of the Lake, Lord Chamberlain to our soverign Lord King Edward 3rd, and Henry Lord Percy, Sir Robert Boynton Knight, and Sir William Aeton, did see and allow it in proof, and said coat to be his arm lineally descended, where of we have our hands and seals to the aforesaid test, the day and year above written in the presence of many.”
Sir Hamon Bechwith had numerous issue three sons and four daughters 1st William 2nd Thomas, 3rd John Beckwith of Seough whose line became extinct in the next generation. A daughter married Sir John Tilliert, Knight. Another married Sir William Callhorpe, Knight. Anne married William Treville and a daughter married William Cunlable. William Beckwith was sired of the manor of Beckwith and Beckwith Shaun in the 5th Year of the reign of Edward the Third 1332, and married the daughter of Sir Guias Mc Fleet, Knight, of Mghill in the County of York who commanded a Knights retinue at the battle of Agincourt in France. Of Thomas the second son of Sir Harmon nothing is now known, he probably died young. John the third son served with Sir Gerard Usfleet under King Henry in his French wars, he was at the siege of Hasfleur, and at the battle of Agineonst, 1424. His name is found among there of other gentlemen at arms, in the records - Sir William Beckwith 1381, has three sons Thomas, Hercules, and John, of there sons Thomas the eldest succeeded his father in the 4th year of the reign of King Richard the 2nd. He held the manor of Magna Otringer and of Housley near Thunlry and married the daughter of John Sawley of Saxton. He was succeeded by his son Adam Beckwith who married Elizabeth de Malebisse in 1370. Thus bringing two branches one from a son the other from a grandson of Sir Hugo together, that had been separated nearly 300 years.
DE MALEBISSE
“Sir Hugh de Malebisse held lands in the a time of William the Conqueror” estate that “Domesday Books” It tells us of this valient old knight, who came to Engalnd in the train of the Norman William - the family must have been nobel, wheathy and prominent, if we are to judge from their magnificent gifts to abbeys and monisteries, and their connections with many of the noble families of England - many of them were high shierffs, and chief Justices, which in those days were offices of very high importance and filled only by the most prominent nobels - they were Lords of several Mannors of estates - Sir Hugh had three sons, 1st Richard, 2nd Hugh, and 3rd Galfred. The latter willed all his lands “to the service of God, Madamme St Mary, and the monistery of Sevro” in the year 1142, becoming the first Prior - Sir Hugh de Malebisse. The second son of Hugh was married twice, his first wife of Emma, daughter of Sir William de Percy, one of the greatest and most powerful Norman Burson, and Ancestor of “Harry Holspur” His second wife was Maude daughter of Knyveton of Knyventon. By his first wife Emma, daughter of Sir William de Percy and Emma de Peat. (See page 1) he had the following children: 1 Hugh, 2 rich, 3 Simon, of there the 1st Hugo de Malebisse was chief justice Afsiri County Yorkwho was married twice; his first wife was Constancia, the second wife Beatrice, lady of the Manor of Wylkes B. Cambridge. He founded the priory of Spinney during the reign of Henry 3rd , around 1200, and dying enthans issue, the greater part of his lands passed to his brother Richard de Malebisse the lord of Ancaster, Knyventon and their estates, and who lived during the reign of “Richard the Lion Hearted”, and possibly accompanied him to the Holy Land - Thus Sir Richard was chief finder of Galles, Dervent and Hosesdale, and was Chief Justice of County York during the 4th years 1203 of the reign of King John.
In the first years of the reign 1190 of King John he purchased the farm of Gueltres and founded in 1198 the “Ministry of Newvo” in Lincolnshire of the order “Praemonstratensis”, and “gave to God, Madamme St Mary and the Abbey of Newvo” of which his uncle Galfred was prior all his lands in the village of Newvo, with the churches of Ancaster, and Knyveton, and also other lands. He had three sons 1st Robertus the eldest whose lime became extinct in the second generation, 2nd John, 3rd Richard the youngest was the Lord of Benningworth and died without issue - John the 2nd son founded that church of the Malebisse family which became extinct in the eleventh generation, when Elizabeth de Malebisse married Adam Bechwith, Lord of Clint in 1379 the other son of Hugh was Sir Simon de Malibisse, lord of Cowton in Graven, who married the daughter of John de Methly. They had but one child Sir Herculed de Malebisse who in 1226 married Lady Beckwith Bruce dauther of Sir William Bruce Lord of Nglebarby, which lordship and other lands he had inherited from his ancestor Sir Robert Bruce of Skelton Castle, and who was the progenitor of the Royal Bruces of Scotland.
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