Some of the following notes are compiled from material in
'THE WILTSHIRE MAGAZINE' COLLECTION
of The Society of Genealogists - London - Goswell Road EC1 - [DGWF 1/95]
Others are from Personal Papers loaned by NWF through his daughter - [NFB 7/97]
(original transcript initialled - 'TKE')

FOSBURY CAMP - near Tidcombe in Wiltshire. In the Hundred of Kynewardston.

A Bivallate Iron Age Camp - 1st century B.C. - Built as a defensive camp against or by the Belgae during their advance into Britain from Gaul.

- from an article by J.P.  Freeman-Williams MD in 'The Wiltshire Magazine' collection -


Early Fosbery Family Chronology

1042 - Time of King Edward the Confessor

FOSBERG  or  FORSTEBERY was held by Alwinus when it was assessed at 2 hides and valued at 15 Shillings, later, at the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086 the value was assessed at 30 shillings.

The Conqueror, King William I - 1066 to 1087

FISTESBERIE , FOSTESBERGE - Held by Rainerus - who in accordance with the Norman custom probably assumed the surname de FORSTEBERYE.

The first mentioned Norman Tenant of this land was Robert Fitz-Girold and later his son of the same name.
- Reference - Domesday Book ad 1086 -

King Richard I - 1189 to 1199

1194 - Robertus de FORSTESBURIE & Alice his wife were at Beding in Sussex.

King Henry III - 1216 to 1272

1244 - John de FORSTBURY later again referred to as John de FORESTESBI held Southgrove Forest within the Forest of Savernake - 28th year of Henry III's reign.

1250 - Gilibert de FORSTESBURY testified in the matter of Richard de Harden.

1265 - Robert de FORSTEBURY testified as to the property of Richard de Harden - son of the above.

1268 - 1272 - Final years of King Henry III -  James de FORSTEBURY at Grafton testified regarding Robertus de Puncharden and Alicia his wife ( n�e Esturmy).

King Edward I - 1272 to 1307

1274 - Peter de FORSTEBURY was " Forester of Fee" in Savernake Forest to the King - in other words he held lands from the King. He is also referred to when serving on the Jury in Forestry Court matters in the Hundred Rolls of KYNEWARDSTON - during the reign of Edward I - as Petrus de FORSTEBUR'

1281 - Johnes de FORSTEBURY - forester in the Forest of Savernake is on record regarding the Wood of Helme in that forest.

1286-7 - His son Peter born at Fosbury was baptised at the church of Shalburn.

King Edward II - 1307 to 1327

1309 - Post Mortem Inquisition of the aforesaid Johnes showed him to have held a Messuage and Offices of 120 acres of land at Fosbury in capite from the King. His lawful heir was Peter whose birth and age were proven.

King Edward III - 1327 to 1377

1330 - Peter son of Johnes de FORSTEBURY is sued by John de Berwyk regarding his holdings in West Kenete, Kenet and Lokerigge and Shagh.

1334 - John , a second son of Johnes above mentioned, has a lawsuit regarding land.

1335 - John de FORSTEBURY sued by Adam Barbast and Alicia over his holdings in West Kenete, and John sues Adam de Brunesden and Amabilla his wife, still in reference to his holdings in West Kinete, Shaw and Overton.

1360 - 34 Edw III - Oct 3rd - Grant for life, or until other order, to William de Forstebury, one of the yeomen of the chamber, 6d a day out of the issues of the county of Wilts.

1377 - John de Forstebury, of Salisbury [Plaintiff] - sued Nicholas Stretchefald and John Cuttyng [Defendants] for Debt.

1377 - Thomas Forstebury [Plaintiff] - sued William Wadgate [Defendant] for Trespass and Assault.

King Henry V - 1413 to 1422

1416 - Andrew FOSTEBURY Wool Merchant of Wiltshire had his Merchant's Mark registered. This would then be fixed as a Lead Seal to qualify bolts of cloth for bulk sale abroad.

Queen Elizabeth I - 1558 to 1603

1565 - Joanna FOSBERYE married at the church of St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London.

1579 - John FOSBERYE and eight other members of this family were registered at Kingsclere in Hampshire.

1598 - John FOSBURY was born at Wroughton in Wiltshire.


The following is a copy of a letter from E.G. Fosbery (Emily Georgiana) to M.M. (her sister Mary) Fosbery dated November 1896 tracing the first Fosbery:

"(our brother) George (Vincent F.) is hunting under and above ground for the first Francis, the second we have got, who went to Ireland . If we could but trace him and where he came from, we could join up. We have got the first Fosbery. His name was Reinerius he was a Saxon landowner in the time of Edward the Confessor. He lived at Fortesburi in Wiltshire and , like all Saxons, had no surname. George has a record in monkish Latin of the numbers of his servants, both bond and free, the rent roll of his land and messuage, etc. During his time, William the Norman came over and, as you know, William made a complete survey of the land with wonderful care.

Reinerius and his neighbour, Girauldus are both in it. At their death the inquest made for mortmain was taken, and as the Normans never Latinised Christian names, nor used any, only one like the Saxons, they wrote their two sons in rolls thus: Jean, so called Johannes de Fortesburi, son of Reinerius, and Warenne, fils de Girauld. Girauld had little land to leave so his son Warenne was merely called fils de Girauld, while Reinerius' son , Johannes, possessed the Fortesburi, or Saxon fortress, and was therefore called Jean de Fortesburi.

Then for several hundred years it is all plain sailing. They are often called deFortesburi, de Fortesbourg, de Fosberi - never without the "de". Through the reigns of Richard and Henry they extended their possessions and had nearly all the land on either side of the River Kennet in Berkshire and a castle at Southgrove in Savernake, but no castle now remains. They seemed always fighting with each other and there are pages of Latin records concerning the legal disputes of Robert and Alice deFortesburi under Richard the First. When Peter deFosberi died leaving a baby boy, little John Fosberi, to his mother Isabella as guardian and she died, Edward I became guardian, and after his death, when John was twenty-one, he went to Edward II to claim three Fosberi messuages, one thousand argents, in the forest of Savernake, all back rents, etc., and George says that the most careful lawyers of the present day could not take more pains than was taken. Two actual letters from the King ( Edw II ) exist about it, and the testimony of sundry knights and barons that he was born a Fosberi, with amusing particulars and dates. The King gave him all the back rent and accumulations, and confirmed him in his possessions.

[ Emily Georgiana Fosbery (Mrs. Edward Holmes) to her sister Mary Fosbery (Mrs. Alfred Begbie), and referring to their brother George Vincent Fosbery ]


Family after 1565
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FOSBURY VILLAGE TODAY
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