The Ancestry of Christian Cockshead

Our brick wall, the furthest back we have been able to go with the Brinsmead line by direct provable links, ends with Thomas and Agnys Brinsmead of St Giles in the Wood. They had a son, Robert Brinsmead who married Christian Chockshead of Chumeleigh. We know that from the marriage record from St. Giles in the Wood, and from the grant of a marriage liscence by the Bishop of Exeter in 1639 that identified her last made and residence. Every Brinsmead known today descends directly from Robert Brinsmead and Christian Cockshead, so to the extent these links can all be verified, they apply to everyone linked to our Brinsmead family tree (still itself a work in progress - additions welcome).

All the research on this page comes from Brinsmead descendant James Verrier-Jacobs, and is published with his permission.

Christian Chockshead's Immediate Ancestry

One of the best sources of mediaval ancestry are the Visitations by the College of Heralds. Christian Cockshead is mentioned in one such visitation as shown on the chart below.

This chart is taken from The Visitation of the County of Devon in the Year 1620, by Henry St. George, Samson Lennard, William Camden

The Ancestry of Thomazin Pollard of Horwood 

The chart takes one back to Thomazin Pollard, and her father Anthony Pollard. Using further visitation records and other sources, Brinsmead descendant James Verrier-Jacobs has traced the following line of sucession. Amazingly, it takes us back to William the Conqueror, assuming each of these steps can be verified.

Anthony Pollard m. Petronella Chudleigh (Ref: Visitation of Devon 1531,1564,1620).

James Chudleigh m Margaret Stourton (Ref: Visitation of Devon 1531,1564,1620).

James Chudleigh m. Joanna Pomerory

John Chudleigh m. Johanna Beauchamp.

John Chudleigh m. Thomasine Prouse

Sir Richard Prouz (Ref: Visitation of Devon 1531,1564,1620).

Sir William Prouz m. Alice Ferrers

William Prouz

Walter Prouz

William Prouz

Peter Prouz of Eastervale m. Mary Redvers de Vernon (Ref: TCP Devon, BE 1883 "Courtenay of Devon" with input from TCP vol IV, appendix 1).

Henry 1st Beauclerc King of England

William Redvers de Vernon m. Mabel de Beaumont

Robert de Beaumont m. Maud Fitzroy de Dunstanville (Ref: BE 1883 "Bellomont of Leicester"and "The House of Hamilton" by John Anderson).

Reginald de Dunstanville (Ref: "The Royal Bastards of Medieval England" by Chris Given-Wilson). You can find information on Reginald de Dunstanville, First Earl of Cornwall and High Sheriff of Devon, here.

Henry 1st, Beauclerc King of England, 4th son of William the Conqueror. You can find information on Henry here, including reference to his illegitimate son Reginald de Dunstanville)

William the Conqueror

Caution

Spectacular as this information may appear to Brinsmead descendants, caution is still necessary. Early geneology research is frought with pitfalls. As yet, the editor has not independently verified these connections. They are presented as the results of research by James Verrier-Jacobs (and without any implied doubts about that research) for the interest and further exploration by descendents of Robert Brinsmead and Christian Cockshead. They should not, at this point, be incorporated into on-line trees like Ancestry, as to do so without full verification may mislead others.