THIRD GENERATION

3. Ralph (Radulfus) FORTESCUE of Modbury⁽³⁾. From a deed found at Eton College, found in 1885 he is named as granting land to Modbury Priory.

"Richard Fortescue was summons to Assize de Morte D'Ancestre in AD 1199. He recites that his father Richard, and grandfather Radulfus (Ralph) had each granted parts of the same land to the Priory.

This is proof that two generations of his predecessors held land in Modbury Parish as well as naming the succession."

Clermont postulates in the 1885 supplement to chapter 1 of his 1880 edition that "Taking the year AD 1185 as the probable date of the deed and assuming that Richard was not less than 30 years old, he already being married to his wife Ysmeina, we have AD 1155 as the date of Richard's birth. 33 years being the average length of a generation. Therefore Ralph was born about 1089"


Visitations to the County of Devon mentions a deed dated 1135. Whether this is the same Deed is not clear. It also has Sir Richard son of William as the person named in a deed of 1199 as married to Ysmeina. But from above this is not true

Ralph (Radulfus) FORTESCUE of Modbury had the following children:

+4 i. Richard FORTESCUE of Modbury.