My interest in the Vernon family stems from my 12xgreat grandmother, Elizabeth Vernon, daughter of Sir Henry Vernon of Haddon Hall, co. Derby, and grand-daughter of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury. She married Sir Robert Corbet of Morton Corbet c.1500 and had seven children, Roger, Richard, Reginald, Dorothy, Mary, Anne and Jane. Elizabeth survived her husband by 50 years and was known as Old Lady Corbet of Shawbury. Shaw's Stafford p.399 quotes "She was 50 years his widow, living to see 233 descendants of her own body and left behind her the character of an amiable and virtuous lady". She died on March 29th, 1563, and was buried at Morton Corbet.
The following is a summary of my somewhat limited research into Elizabeth's ancestral line, and is based mostly on 'Burke's Peerage & Baronetage' and 'Lysons Magna Britannia'. There is conflict between these two sources, so much of this content must be taken as unreliable.
Notation: Each person is given a unique reference, e.g. F1. The letter indicates generation..
F1 Richard, Lord of Vernon, was one of the barons created by Hugh Lupus, Earl of the co. palatine of Chester, at the time of William the Conqueror, by the title of Baron of Shipbroke. According to the Domesday Book, he was a considerable landed proprietor.
G1 William de Vernon, 2nd son of F1.
J1 Richard de Vernon, great grand-son of G1. Married Avice, daughter and co-heir with her sister, Elizabeth, of William de Avenell, of Haddon, co. Derby, and d.v.p., leaving four sons. Another source conflicts with this information - the first connection of the ancestral family of Vernon with the county (Derbyshire) was by the marriage of Richard, a younger son of one of the Barons of Shipbrooke, Cheshire, with a coheiress of the Avenells of Nether-Haddon; this Richard died without male issue, leaving a daughter and heiress, married to Gilbert le Francis, whose son Richard took the name Vernon and settled at Haddon Hall and was the common ancestor of the Vernons of Haddon, Stokesay, Hodnet, Sunbury, etc.
K1 Warine, son of J1
K2 Sir William, son of J1
K3 Sir William de Vernon, Kt., Chief Justice of Chester (15 Henry III). Married Margery (d. 1239), daughter of Sir Robert de Stokeport (and sister of Robert de Stokeport), and by her acquired the manor of Appleby Parva, and the advowson of Appleby Magna, co. Leicester. He was successed by his son, L1
K4 Daughter and heiress of J1. Married Gilbert le Francis.
L1 Sir Richard de Vernon, who in 1252 had a grant from Henry III of the Castle of the Peake. Married Margaret de Vipont and was succeeded by his son, M1.
L2 Richard, son of K4. Took the name Vernon and settled at Haddon Hall. Married a daughter of Michael de Harela. Died 1322, aged 65. William, his grandson then aged 10 (O1), being the son of Richard (presumably N1) who died v.s.p. was found to be his heir.
M1 Sir Richard de Vernon, Kt. Married (1) Alionore (d.s.p.), daughter of Giles de Frenes. Married (2) Juliana, daughter of William de Vesey (by Agnes, daughter of William de Ferrars, Earl of Derby), by whom he acquired Harlaston, and by her had a son, N1.
N1 Sir Richard de Vernon, son of M1. Married Matilda, daughter and co-heiress with her sister, Alionore, of Sir William Camville, Lord of Aston and Clifton Camville. Summoned to Parliament as Baron, 2&4 Edw II. Sir Richard d.v.p. leaving a son William (O1), 10 years old, and a daughter, Isabella, who in 1337 married Sir Richard Stafford. Conflicting sources show him as the son of L2 and M1. L2 and M1 do not appear to be the same person as their marriages differ.
O1 Sir William de Vernon, Kt. Born 1312-3. Married Margaret, daughter of Robert, Baron de Stopford, and was succeded by his son, P1
P1 Sir Richard de Vernon, Kt. Haddon and Harlaston. Married Juliana, daughter of Robert of Roger de Pembruge (by Juliana Zouche), and sister and heir of Fulco de Penbruge. Died 1377, leaving a son, Q1.
Q1 Sir Richard de Vernon, Kt. Haddon and Harlaston. Born 1370. Married Johanna, 2nd daughter and co-heiress with her sister, Isabella, of Richard Stackpole (after the death of Isabella, widow of Rese ap Griffith, she became possessed of the Griffith and Somerville estates). Sir Richard Vernon died 1401, leaving 2 sons and 2 daughters.
R1 Sir Richard Vernon, eldest son of Q1. Born 1394-5. Married Benedicta, daughter of Sir John Ludlowe (who inherited Tong, Salop, on the death in 1446 of Isabella, widow of Fulco de Pembruge). He was Speaker of the Parliament held at Leicester in 1425, and Treasurer of Calais. He died in 1451, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, S1.
S1 Sir William Vernon, Kt. Knight Constable of England. Born 1416. Married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Sir William Swynfen, Kt., by Jocosa, youngest daughter of William Durvassal, alias Spernore. She was also heiress of Robert Pype. Sir William died 1467, aged 46, leaving four sons and four daughters, and is buried in a tomb which still lies in the parish church in Tong, Shropshire.
T1 Sir Henry Vernon, eldest son of S1. Lord of Haddon, &c. Governor and Treasurer to Price Arthur, eldest son and heir-apparent of Henry VII. The Prince spent much of his time with Sir Henry of Haddon, where one of the apartments was called "the Prince's Chamber". Married Anne, daughter of John Talbot, the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, by whom he had issue with six daughters and four sons. He died in 1515 and is buried in a tomb which still lies in the parish church in Tong, Shropshire.
U1 Richard (Sir), son of T1. Inherited Haddon. Married Margaret, daughter of Sir Robert Dymoke, Kt. Died 1517.
U2 Thomas, son of T1
U3 Humphrey, son of T1
U4 John (Sir), son of T1.
U5 Elizabeth Vernon, daughter of T1. See top of page.
Please contact me by e-mail if you think you have any interests in common with mine.