Gorges family

The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. They obtained the manors of Wraxall, Somerset and Bradpole in Dorset. The family again reached prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Gorges family obtained the manors of Wraxall, Somerset and Bradpole in Dorset. Ralph de Gorges was marshal of the army of King Edward I in the wars in Gascony in 1293, and was in opposition to Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. He was summoned to Parliament as Baron Gorges by writ between 1308 and 1322 and is mentioned in the Nomina Villarum 1315-16.

This was a large manor returned as 3 knights' fees in the Testa de Nevill. The de Morville family held Knighton in the 12th century. Local legend associates Knighton with Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland (d.1202)' one of the 4 knights who murdered Thomas a Becket Archbishop of Canterbury in his cathedral on 29/12/1170, and is said to have fled after the murder to Knighton. However, this is not supported by reliable historical evidence which states that Hugh fled first to Saltwood Castle near Canterbury, and thence to de Morville's Knaresborough Castle in Yorkshire. The era is too early to seek evidence in shared armourials, heraldry not having become widespread until the early 13th century, but it appears the two families sprang from a common 11th-century source, not clearly documented. In the 13th century Eleanor, heiress of John (or Ivo) de Morville (d.1256), married Ralph de Gorges Eleanor died in 1292, still seized of the manor, having outlived her husband. Her son Ralph de Gorges leased the manor in 1305 to William de Caleshale and his wife for the duration of their lives. Before 1316 the manor had reverted to Ralph de Gorges, knighted sometime thereafter.

The family of Gorges was associated with the manor of "Tothill". It cannot be stated with certainty where this was located. There appear to be two possibilities:

Ralph, 1st Baron Gorges had a son, Ralph, 2nd Baron Gorges, and 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Eleanor and Joan. He appears to have married off his 2nd. daughter Eleanor to the young Theobald Russell (1303–1340) of Yaverland, Isle of Wight and Kingston Russell, Dorset, son and heir of Sir William Russell (d.1311), who was possibly his ward. Ralph I, 1st Baron previously had settled the manor of Knighton in tail-male on two younger sons, William and Theobald, of his daughter Eleanor, wife of Theobald Russell. William Russell the elder of the two died without issue and Knighton Manor was delivered to Theobald in 1343

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