Biography | The date of birth for William Snelston who married Marjorie Saunders has been calculated based on 30 years per generation - going back from an estimated date of birth for Roger the dyer and assuming that the dotted line in the Visitation of London does not imply missed generations.
If we look at the Visitation of Gloucester 1623 for Cotton, you will see that Margaret Snelston [6717] was the heire of Thomas Snelston, and if we move up at 30 years per generation from her grandson ( Richard Cotton [6729])'s date of birth, we would arrive at a birth year for Margaret at circa 1515. Going back from here, we must assume that her father Thomas Snelston [6716] had no surviving male children as daughter Margaret was his heire. At 30 years a generation, puts Thomas at a birth year of circa 1485.
The ONLY earlier, entitled ancestor left who could possibly show legitimately the arms of Baguley, Bostock and Snelson, marshalled in a single achievement, then must be Thomas's father, John Snelston [6715]. At another 30 years a generation, this means that we have estimated a year of birth for this John Snelston at the year 1455. John's father Thomas Snelston [5290] who married Issabel Bostock [5291], would only be entitled to show the Bostock arms on his shield as an escutcheon of pretence, however their children (ie John Snelston born circa 1455 and his descendants) would be entitled to quarter the arms of the mother Issabel Bostock.
As Issabel [5291] was an heraldic heiress, she could show her father's arms legitimately with Baguley and Bostock, as her grandmother an Unknown Baguley [23267] was a Baguley heiress. Therefore, all other things being equal, John Snelston [6715] born circa 1455 is Roger the dyer's direct ancestor.
I have separately calculated William Snelston's birth year using the same 30 year rule per generation to circa 1486. This is only 1 year different from the independently calculated year of birth for Thomas Snelston [6716], an armiger whose heire was Margaret Snelston who was born circa 1515-1530.
It all fits too easily, but it is all we have to go on. The case might be more coincidental than robust. However, I am assuming from here that William Snelston [4957] who married Margery Saunders [6956] was the son of John Snelston [6715], grandson of David Bostock [6714], armiger and great-great grandson of Sir William Baguley [6711], armiger and that this is how the three arms came to be quartered together on the Macclesfield Chalice. Accordingly, without hard proof, and on the logic of this argument, I have inferred or assumed in good faith the linkage between William Snelson [4957] ( born circa 1486 ) and his deducted parent, John Snelston [6715] ( born circa 1455 ).
The latter John Snelston's parents were Thomas Snelston [5290] and Issabel Bostock [5291], great grand daughter and heire of Sir William Baguley.
This seems crazy, but I tried it - just as a sanity check. I applied this theory of 30 years per generation to Roger the dyer's antecedents as described above, and followed them back in a straight line all the way to Osmer Bostock [6742] who we know was around in 1066. He is referred to in the Visitation of Cheshire 1580, which in turn points to an earlier Sir Gilbert Bostock [6741], who appears to be associated with Warin de Vernon [6748] and Martini Banester. None of these names appear in "My Ancestors Came with the Conqueror" by Anthony Camp, although there are several Vernon references.
Some sources refer to Osmer as "Sir Osmer". He is more likely to have been a thegn or thane, an Anglo-Saxon title (Anglo-Saxon: �eg(e)n, Danish: degn, Old High German: degan, Old Norse: thegn or "king's follower") meaning an attendant, servant, retainer or official, usually in a military sense similar to the later "knight."
The date calculated as an approximate date of birth for Osmer Bostock [6742] at 30 years per generation, going back from Richard Cotton [6729] who we know was 19 years old in 1589 is the year 995 AD !!! Isn't that amazing. I think this means that whilst we might be out perhaps as much as 25 years in each generation, over a period crossing many hundreds of years, perhaps SIX HUNDRED YEARS and some 20 generations, the integrity of the guesstimate stands up.
It is possible that Osmer Bostock was aged 71 at the time of the Battle of Hastings, if indeed he was there. I wonder why he is referred to in the Visitation of Cheshire 1580 if he wasn't a defender in the Conquest ? His lands evidently were granted to Richard de Vernon, Baron of Shipbrook, one of the invaders mentioned in the Battle Abbey Roll along with Hugh and Walter de Vernon, presumably his relatives. This does not mean he was actually at the Battle.
So what ? Well, I think this all lends support for the date estimates for the relationship between Roger Snelson [6878] the dyer and donor between the years 1624-1634 of the Macclesfield Chalice, the heiress Margaret Snelston [6717] (who married Richard Cotton ) circa 1540, the heiress Isabel Bostock [5291] (who married Thomas Snelston [5290]) around about 1450, and the heiress [23267] of Sir William Baguley who married David de Bostock some time close to the year 1390. At least, that's the way I see it. |