Thornhills by Charles Travis Clay

I have finally got a copy of C T Clay's article "The Family of
Thornhill" from the Yorks Arch Journal, Vol 29 of 1929, pp. 286-321,
though the line to the Savile marriage is only in 287-307. I have
not seen this article reported elsewhere on sgm, though doubtless
someone will prove me wrong on that! Clay shows the line to the
Saviles as (use a non-proportional font, eg Courier, for a better
display):

(1) Essulf
(2) Jordan fitz Essulf ( - >1194)
(3) Richard de Thornhill ( - <1209)
& Alice ( - >1209)
(4) Sir John de Thornhill (<1203 - <1250)

Tim Powys-Lybbe...

Clay includes "it is quite possible that the pedigree in Harleian Soc,
xvi, 317, which gives Maud as a sister of Brian FitzAlan of Bedale is
correct".

& Olivia de la Mare
(5) Sir Richard de Thornhill* (ca1228 - <1290)

Tim Powys-Lybbe...

Sir Brian de Thornhill, d. 1343, son of Sir Richard, son of Sir John,
son of Richard, son of Jordan fitz Essulf, was rector of Bedale (and was
not a knight). Clay refers to the possibility that his step-mother may
have been a FitzAlan of Bedale, leading one to the conclusion that this
was how Brian got that job. In 1292, his nephew Sir John was in
Scotland on the king's service with Brian FitzAlan (Cal. Pat. Rolls,
1281-92, p. 468) and in 1294 he was in the household of Brian FitzAlan
(Cal. Chancery Warrants, i, 47).

Clay has an explanation of how Maud was referred to by Foster as Maud
of Fixby: "Apart from the Christian name there seems to be no evidence
whatever for this statement [by Foster]; and is is probable that the
marriage was confused with that of a later Richard de Thornhill, who
acquired Fixby my marriage with Margaret de Totehill." There are
several refutations of Foster's work in this account by Clay, leading
one, or me anyhow, to wonder what Foster was doing. Though Clay adds
later, on the misidentification of Simon Thornhill's wife as Mary or
Elizabeth Babthorpe: "This is only another illustration of the
difficulties which prevent a satisfactory identification of the wives of
most members of the Thornhill family".

& Margaret
(6) Sir John Thornhill ( - 1322)
& Beatrice ( - ca1328)
m. bef 1286
(7) Brian Thornhill ( - <1369)
& Joan
m. bef 1342
(8) Sir Simon de Thornhill ( - ca1369)
& Elizabeth (?)
(9) Elizabeth Thornhill (ca1368 - >1414)
& Henry Savile ( - 1412)
(5) Sir Richard de Thornhill* (ca1228 - <1290)
& Maud ( - >1290)

Anyone who wants a copy of the (excellent) article for strictly research
purposes only, please e-mail me.