CHAURCES 153 CHAURCES or CHAWORTH BARONY BY Thomas de Chaurces, s. and h. of Thomas de C.(*) WRIT. On 8 June 1294 he, with about 60 others, had summons to attend the King wheresoever he might be, and, again, I. 1299. on 26 Jan. 1296/7 was sum. to attend the King at Salisbury, which writs, however, did not constitute a sum. to ParLC") He was sum. to Pari. 6 Feb. (1298/9) 27 Edw. I, by writ directed Thome de Chaworth, whereby he is held to have become LORD CHAURCES,('=) but was not sum. to the Pari, at Lincoln, 26 Sep. 1300, though his name as " Thomas de Chaurces,{f) Dominus de Norton '{") is affixed to the celebrated letter of the Barons to the Pope in 1301. He m. Joan before i Nov. 1301, when she was living. He d. 13 15, before 20 Oct., when his lands were ordered to be taken into the King's hands. [After his death none of his posterity were sum. to Pari, until the creation by patent in 1628. His successors were (i) his s. and h. William Chaworth (henceforward the family name), who was sue. by his s. and h. (2) Sir Thomas C.,(') who m. Alice, and was sue. by his s. and h. (3) Sir Thomas C, who m. Jane, da. of Geoffrey Luttrell, and who d. (1370-71) 44 Edw. III. Theirs, and h. ap. (4) Sir Thomas C, ;«., istly, Joan, widow of Sir Richard de la Pole, the King's butler (both being alive 28 May {') This Thomas was s. and h. of William de C. (living 1232), by Alice, ist da. of Robert Alfreton, of Norton, co. Derby, and coh. of her br., Thomas A., of the same, was a minor and ward (1241-42) 26 Hen. Ill, but came of age (1246-47) 31 Hen. III. C') As to these writs, see Preface. (') As to how far these early writs of summons did in fact create any peerage title, see Appendix A in the last volume. V.G. (^) He is called Chaors, Chaurces, Chawrces, Chawerches, Schawrces, Chawerch, Chawurces, and this does not exhaust the list of contemporary spellings. The French 17th century form was Chourches or Chourses. The place itself, in Maine, is now written Sourches. Df Cadurcis is the latinised form of the name, and Chaworth the one which has survived in England. V.G. (*) The personal nature of the English Baronage as opposed to the feudal tenure of the continental Nobles is shown by the fact that, in a letter intended for foreign parts, the subscribers thereto go out of their way to add to their description the fact of their tenure of some Lordship; thus though ^^ Johannes ap Adam, Dominus de Beverstoue" was not Lord Beverstone; though " Henricus de Percy, Dominus de TopcUve " was not Lord Topdive, and, though in this case, the signer was not Lord Norton, a territorial description is added; yet the very method of summoning to Pari, by writ (such writs being directed to those summoned, under their personal names, not under their territorial designations, as, e.g., that to "Thomas de Chaworth Chevalier) stamps the personality of any dignity which may be held to have been thereby conferred. His will (Latin), dat. AfHrton [Alfreton], 6 Nov. 1347, directs his burial to be with his grandfather. Lord Thomas, in the Abbey of Beauchief, co. Derby, and makes his s. and h. Thomas executor, but mentions no wife. V.G. 20
