Sir Giles Daubeney facts for kids
Sir Giles Daubeney (born 1395, died 1446) was an important person in medieval England. He lived in places like Barrington Court and South Petherton in Somerset. He was a brave knight and held important jobs like "Knight of the Shire" and "Sheriff." His special memorial, a brass picture, can still be seen in a church in South Petherton today.
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Sir Giles Daubeney: A Medieval Knight
Early Life and Important Jobs
Giles Daubeney was born in 1395 in a place called Kempston in Bedfordshire. He was baptized there on October 25th. He was the second son of Sir Giles Daubeney and Margaret Beauchamp. His older brother, John, passed away in 1409.
From 1418 to 1421, Giles Daubeney served in wars against France. He was a "Knight of the Shire" for Somerset in 1425 and 1429. This meant he represented Somerset in the English Parliament. He also worked as a "Sheriff." A Sheriff was like a chief law enforcer for a county. He was Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset from January to December 1426. Later, he was Sheriff for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire from 1431 to 1432.
Family Life
Sir Giles Daubeney was married three times. His first wife was Joan Darcy. She was the third daughter of Philip Darcy, a Baron from Lincolnshire. Joan passed away before her husband. Their oldest son and heir was William Daubeney (1424–1460).
After Joan's death, Sir Giles married Mary Lake before May 18, 1436. Mary was the oldest daughter of Simon Lake of Cotham, Nottinghamshire. She died on February 17, 1443, and was buried in South Petherton Church. His third wife was named Alice. She outlived him and married again. Alice died on March 26 or 27, 1455.
Sir Giles Daubeney died at Barrington on January 11, 1446. He was 50 years old.
His Memorial in South Petherton
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A special type of memorial, called a monumental brass, for Sir Giles Daubeney and his first wife Joan Darcy can still be seen. It is in the Church of St Peter and St Paul in South Petherton. These brass memorials include two engraved plates and four shields with family symbols.
The brass picture of Sir Giles Daubeney is about 123.8 centimeters (48.7 inches) tall. The brass picture of Joan is about 120.7 centimeters (47.5 inches) tall. The messages are on two plates under their feet. Each shield with family symbols is about 12.7 centimeters (5 inches) by 15.5 centimeters (6.1 inches).
Family Symbols (Heraldry)
The four shields show different coats of arms, which are like family logos. Three of these shields have been repaired over time. They are placed on either side of the figures, which are shown under fancy Gothic arches. The shields display these symbols:
- 1: Daubeney family symbols: A red shield with four white diamond shapes joined together. (You can see this at the top of this article).
- 2 and 3: Daubeney family symbols mixed with Darcy family symbols. The Darcy symbols are a blue shield with three five-petal flowers and six small crosses. They also include Meinell family symbols: a blue shield with three gold double bars and a gold top section.
- 4: Darcy family symbols (which are very worn) mixed with Meinell family symbols.
The Inscription
The memorial includes a poem written in Latin. It is a type of poem called a Quisquis epitaph, which means "Whoever..." It has four lines, with two lines on each plate.
Here is the rhyming inscription and what it means in English:
- Sis testis Xpe, q(uo)d non jacet (hic) lapis iste
- Corpus ut ornetur, sed spiritus (ut) memoretur
- Quisquis eris, qui transieris, sta perlege plora
- Sum q(uo)d eris, fueramq(ue) q(uo)d es, pro me p(re)cor ora
Translated simply, line by line, it says:
- "Be a witness, O Christ, that this stone does not lie here
- To make the body look good, but to remember the soul.
- Whoever you are, who passes by, stop, read, and cry:
- I am what you will be, and I was what you are. I ask you, please pray for me!"
