Francis`s maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Beaumont, was the only child of William Phelip, Lord Bardolph, and his wife Joan, Lady Bardolph, and the sole heiress of the lordship of Bardolph. She married John Beaumont around 1428, and died shortly after her father `s death. Her exact date of death is not known, but it was between 6th June and 10th August 1441, and appears to have been sudden.
With William`s and Elizabeth`s death, Elizabeth`s oldest son Henry, then aged 7, became heir of the lordship of Bardolph. Since he was still a minor, Henry VI granted all the possessions and privileges that came with the title to his father, John Beaumont. The full text of the grant, put into English, reads like this:
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For John Viscount Beaumont. The King, to whom all etc. [1]
Know that although our dear and faithful cousin John Viscount Beaumont was in no small way bereaved, and lost through death Elizabeth, lately his wife, daughter of William Phelip, lately Lord Bardolph deceased, he has come and been received. [2]
We did not fail to see the merits and the good and free service the same viscount spent, gave and dedicated to us. From our gratitude, special grants to the same viscount: custody of all castles, manors, lordships, towns, lands, tenements, rents and services, together with military fees and ecclesiastical advowson, abbeys, priories, hospitals, vicaries, chapels, at Canterbury and whichever other beneficiaries, as far as free and entitled by birth, [3] which Henry, son of the same viscount, as well as son and heir of the same Elizabeth, or another heir, of the same Henry`s body, or for lack of such, after Henry`s death, William, younger son of the same viscount and Elizabeth and brother of the same Henry, or another heir, of the same William`s body, or for lack of such, after Henry`s and William`s death, Joan, daughter of the same viscount [4] and Elizabeth and sister of the same Henry and William, sons, by and after the deaths of the aforesaid William Phelip and Elizabeth as well as Joan, lately wife of the same William Phelip still alive [5] or Anne, wife of Reginald Cobham, knight, similarly still alive, inherit.
Even some of them which [6] by and after the deaths of the others, in fee simple or fee howsoever in feetails it can descend, revert or remain, together with the wardships, marriages, reliefs [7], escheatures, fixtures and all other profits, comforts and remunerations which to some of the aforementioned premises [8] belong or are seen to [9] and that to us or our heirs by reason of the minority some of the aforementioned Henry, William, sons, and Joan, daughter, or other heirs, some of the same Henry, William, sons, and Joan, daughter [10], who can in any possible, always save for us and our heirs and all that concerns us, inherit the said Viscount Beaumont after the death of the said viscount during the minority of some of the aforementioned Henry, William, sons, and Joan, daughter, and other of their heirs [11].
Should we have and hold their custody and the aforementioned castles, manors, lordships etc. [12], or some of it, in our hands or in our heirs` hands for a time for some of the above-said reasons which may happen and occur [13] long before the heirs of the abovesaid Elizabeth have reached the full age [14] at which we or our heirs render it to them, and which explicitly mentions the said castles, manors, lordships, towns, lands, tenements, rents, services, military fees, advowsons and other premises as well as their true value. Nothingstanding other gifts and grants by us to the same viscount, which for the present facts [15] do not exist.
Testimony etc. According to the king at Westminster, 10th day of August [16]. By the king himself and on the aforesaid date, made by Parliament.
(Original text to be found here.)
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[1] This is the exact form of the grant.
[2] Despite his wife`s recent death and his father-in-law`s death only shortly before that, John followed his summons to the king and was received by him personally.
[3] This affirms that this was Henry Beaumont`s birthright through his mother, which was not mentioned before in the grant.
[4] Joan Beaumont, Francis`s mother. She may have just been an infant at the time the grant was made.
[5] Literally, "still surviving". While her husband William had been Lord Bardolph, he had held that title and the corresponding possessions in her name. It was only with her death in 1447 that the title fell to her grandson William. The older grandson, Henry Beaumont, died only a little over a year after the grant was made.
[6] The phrasing here is unclear, but it seems to say that in case some lands or possessions fall back to Henry, William or Joan Beaumont during their minority, John is entitled to hold them for his children without them falling first to the king.
[7] Money owed after certain actions.
[8] Lands, manors, lordships, etc.
[9] Are considered to belong to the possessions.
[10] The descendants of Henry, William and Joan, in case they have children but predecease their father.
[11] As above.
[12] Again, this is the exact form of the grant.
[13] That is to say, the deaths of the above-named individuals.
[14] Their majority, which in the case of either Henry or William would have been 21, in the case of Joan, would have been 14 if married by that time and 15 if not.
[15] They are irrelevant for that grant and treated as non-existent.
[16] Though it is not explicitly said in the grant, it was made in the 19th year of Henry VI`s reign, that is to say 1441. The grant was made only 4 days before John Beaumont`s 32rd birthday.
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