Alexander de Stanedis (Lord of the Manor 1220-1240)

From Standish Wiki

1205 First mention of St. Wilfrid's Church	1220	1240 Radulphus de Standish (Lord of the Manor 1240-1246)

A list of members of the Standish family living at that time includes, in addition to Alexander (who was Rector), Sir Edward, Hugh, Sir Henry and Richard. Richard, who should have inherited the manor, appears to have been Dean of Warrington, a fact which may have been the reason for him not succeeding his father, Radulphus. Both Edward and Henry would appear to have been Rectors also, those in charge of a church being called 'Sir' then.

Just before he died, Radulphus was engaged in a dispute with Richard, son of Siward de Longetre, concerning the advowson of Standish Church. These disputes occur again and again in the history of the two families. This one occurred because, while Alexander was Rector, his vicar Leising had paid him twenty shillings as a pension and on Leising's death, when it should have been the turn of the Langtree family to make the new appointment, Alexander had presented a new vicar of his own choice. Furthermore, Richard de Langtree also complained that in 1219, when he had sown his assarted land, Radulphus had set about sixty horses upon it and they had eaten and destroyed his crops. Moreover when he had hired ploughs from his neighbours Radulphus had seized them and would not return them without a heavy ransom.

Alexander died about 1240. During the twenty years that Alexander held the manor of Standish there is little of note recorded. He called his eldest son Radulphus, a name that, if not already a family name, was to become so, and in the English form of Ralph was used in the family down the years.^[1]

1. ↑ Eleanor Johnson, The Standish Family 1189-1920 (Published by the Standish Local History Group, 1972)