Re: GEN-MEDIEVAL-D Digest V06 #767

men to a king of
I am looking at a photocopy of the IPM of my forebear William Pateshall of
Pudlestone in Herefordshire, dated 34 Eliz, in which the jury finds that he
was seised in his own demesne in fee of his manor and other nearby lands, and
held them of the queen "per servitium militare", as of the honour of
Richard's Castle, "sede vacante Episcopatus Wigorn"- that is to say during the then
current vacancy in the see of Worcester.

This I take to be clear evidence that whenever the see of Worcester had an
incumbent bishop the bishop was entitled to call on William Pateshall to
perform military service. The bishop, as tenant in chief, must himself I think
have held the honour of Richard's castle by military service. I do not know when
or how his predecessors acquired Richard's Castle.

I have not yet found any record of William Pateshall, or of any of his
ancestors, who are traceable through six generations back to Ralph Pateshall
(living in the 14th century) having been called on to engage in soldiering by any
of the bishops of Worcester. But having regard to the history of the Welsh
marches it must be probable that they often were.

In case it is of interest, the family arms were Azure on a chevron argent
between three hurtes or three escallops gules

Tim Powys-Lybbe...

It is always difficult to say that there is one set of arms for a
family, not to mention one set for a surname. I can find these arms
given also for members of the medieval Patshull family:

Ermine, a lion gules crowned or (Dictionary of British Arms, vol I, p.
170)

Per pale Argent a fess Sable between three crescents Gules (Coat No 17,
quoted by Sebastian Nelson in his thesis on "The Paston Boom of Arms"