John Folville

The Folvilles had their seat at Ashby Folville, Leicestershire since at least 1137 when its lordship was held by Fulk de Folville.{{harvnb|Nichols|1795}} The family name, ultimately derived from Folleville in the French region of Picardy, is attached to several other sites in Leicestershire, such as the deserted village of Newbolt Folville.The Battle Abbey Roll: with some account of the Norman lineages, ed. by Catherine L.W. Primrose, 3 vols. (London: John Murray, 1889), I, 17{{unreliable source?|date=February 2020}}

The family seems to have gained most their estate at the beginning of the 12th century. Several of their possessions, such as Ashby and the manor at Teigh, were in the hands of other parties at the time of the Domesday survey, but had passed to the Folvilles by the reign of Stephen (1135–1154). The family were well-established in Leicestershire by the mid 13th-century. In 1240 a member of the family donated a large sum to the church at Cranoe.{{harvnb|Hoskins|1964|p=82}}

The Folvilles were rebels during both Barons Wars; Sir William Folville (d. c. 1240) had his lands seized for his part in the First Barons' War in 1216{{harvnb|Nichols|1795}} and Sir Eustace Folville (murdered in 1274) was one of the knights appointed to enforce the Provisions of Oxford in 1258{{harvnb|Page|1935}} and stoutly defended Kenilworth Castle after the Battle of Evesham in 1265.{{harvnb|Nichols|1795}}

Folville was summoned with horses and arms to a Military Council before the King's teenage son and Lieutenant of England held at Rochester, Kent in September 1297, a few days before the English defeat at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. John was ordered to muster at Newcastle Upon Tyne for service against the Scots in December.{{sfn|Parl Writs I|1827}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}} King Edward soon returned from his expedition to Flanders and took charge of matters in Scotland and gained revenge at the Battle of Falkirk the next summer.{{harvnb|Scott|1982}}

In 1299 Folville helped defend Edinburgh Castle{{harvnb|Moor|1929|p=}} and was again summoned in June 1301 to join the King in his two-pronged attack which aimed to capture the whole of Scotland.{{sfn|Parl Writs I|1827}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

Folville served as MP for Rutland in 1298 and 1301 and as MP for Leicestershire from 1300 to 1306.{{sfn|MPs|1878}} In 1304 he was accused of breaking into the home of William Hubert of Teigh and carrying away charters and muniments{{sfn|Patent Rolls|1232{{ndash}}1509}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}} but appears to have been excused as in 1306 he was appointed as a commissioner to enquire into progress on the building of a prison in Leicester.{{sfn|Patent Rolls|1232{{ndash}}1509}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}} In December 1309 he was appointed as a Justice of Leicestershire to receive complaints of violations of the Statute of Stamford.{{sfn|Parl Writs II Digest|1834}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

Folville died in 1310 and an inquisition held found that he owned Ashby Folville for the service of two Knight's fees.{{sfn|Cal Inq PMs V|1908}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

Folville's wife Alice outlived him but found herself in trouble when she was imprisoned in Lincoln prison in September 1332, perhaps in relation to some of her sons' activities.{{sfn|Close Rolls|1224{{ndash}}1468}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

Folville married Alice and they had the following issue;

• Sir John Folville (1286–1327), Knight of the Shire of Leicester 1324. Ancestor of the Woodford and Smith families who later held the manor of Ashby. He married Mabel de la Mare, daughter and heir of Geoffrey de la Mare The Manors of Allexton, Appleby and Ashby Folville https://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/Vol11Allextonetal.pdf of Ashby Mares, Northamptonshire.
• Eustace Folville (d. 1346), credited with killing Roger de Beler in 1326 and being leader of the Folville Gang
• Richard Folville (d. 1341), Vicar of Teigh. Member of the Folville Gang credited with the kidnapping and ransom of Richard de Willoughby in 1332. Beheaded outside his church after a fire-fight.
• Walter Folville
• Robert Folville
• Laurence Folville
• Thomas Folville

All of the sons were at some time involved in rustling, kidnapping or vigilantism and were collectively known as "The Folville Gang" although they often acted independently of one another.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite book

| title=Leicestershire Manors: The Manors of Allexton, Appleby and Ashby Folville

| first=George

| last=Farnham

| date=1919–20

| publisher=Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

| location=Leicester

| url=https://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/Vol11Allextonetal.pdf

}}

• {{cite book

| title=The Folvilles of Ashby Folville

| first=David J.

| last=Lewis

| date=2022

| publisher=Society of Genealogists, Genealogists' Magazine, vol.34.4, pp.169-177

| location=London

}}

• {{cite book

| title=Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem

| year=1908

| volume=V

| publisher=HMSO

| location=London

| ref={{harvid|Cal Inq PMs V|1908}}

}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

• {{cite book

| title=A History of the County of Leicestershire: Gartree Hundred

| volume=V

| first=W.G.

| last=Hoskins

| year=1964

| publisher=Boydell and Brewer

| location=London

| url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22045

}}

• {{cite book

| title=The Knights of Edward I

| author1-first=Charles

| author1-last=Moor

| year=1929

| volume=

| publisher=Harleian Society

| location=London

}}

• {{cite book

| title=The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester

| first=John

| last=Nichols

| year=1795

| publisher=John Nichols

| location=Leicester

}}

• {{cite book

| title=A History of the County of Rutland

| first=William

| last=Page

| year=1935

| publisher=Victoria County History

| location=London

| url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/rutland/vol2/pp151-155

}}

• {{cite book

| title=Close Rolls

| date=1224{{ndash}}1468

| publisher=Parliament of England

| location=Westminster

| ref={{harvid|Close Rolls|1224–1468}}

}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

• {{cite book

| title=Patent Rolls

| date=1232{{ndash}}1509

| publisher=Parliament of England

| location=Westminster

| ref={{harvid|Patent Rolls|1232–1509}}

}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

• {{cite book

| title=Members of Parliament 1213-1702

| year=1878

| publisher=Public Record Office

| location=London

| ref={{harvid|MPs|1878}}

}}

• {{cite book

| title=Parliamentary Writs

| year=1827

| volume=I

| publisher=Public Record Office

| location=London

| ref={{harvid|Parl Writs I|1827}}

}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

• {{cite book

| title=Parliamentary Writs Alphabetical Digest

| year=1834

| volume=II

| publisher=Public Record Office

| location=London

| ref={{harvid|Parl Writs II Digest|1834}}

}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2020}}

• {{cite book

| title=The History Of Teigh In Rutland

| first=E.Basil

| last=Redlich

| year=1926

| publisher=Kingstone Press

| location=Shipston on Stour

}}

• {{cite book

| title=Robert the Bruce King of Scots

| author1-first=Ronald McNair

| author1-last=Scott

| year=1982

| publisher=Hutchinson & Co

| location=London

| page=

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folville, John}}

Category:13th-century births

Category:1310 deaths

Category:Year of birth unknown

Category:English MPs 1298

Category:English MPs 1301

Category:English MPs 1306

Category:People from the Borough of Melton

Category:Members of the Parliament of England for Leicestershire