BLACK English Knight Wilelmus de Staunton 14c. Nottingham England

YOU DON’T DESTROY WHAT LOOKS LIKE YOU.

The Staunton family owned vast land in Nottingham and beyond the Church of St. Mary, Staunton in the Vale, Nottinghamshire, was their private family church. Some of their monuments show their visible negroid phenotype, which is undeniable that they were so-called BLACK English nobles. The modern-day Britons tried to hide the family’s facial features by destroying their monuments, but even with sandpaper, bleach to remove their brown paint, and the chisel, some monuments have a good facial outline.

14c Knight in sunk relief with a dog at his feet and helmet and shield with two chevrons over his body. The inscription runs around the edge of the slab, and according to 17c Thoroton, it reads: LATIN “Hic jacet Wilelmus de Staunton Miles filius Galfridi de eadem militis qui obiit nonis Maii anno domini mcccxxvi. Cujus animae propitietur Deus”.

(Here lies William de Staunton, Knight, son of Sir Geoffrey of the same, Knight, who died on the third day before the Ides of May 1326, On whose soul may God have mercy) – However, this may be a later recut inscription which may cast doubt on the actual person commemorated Sir William Staunton, d1326, was the son of Geoffrey de Staunton and his wife, Alice de Ros / Roos of Hamlake. He was the great-grandson of Sir Mauger de Staunton

The sunken effigy could also be his father, Geoffrey He married Isabell, sister of Sir Ralph de Kirkton, Merton, Kilvington & Wilbarston. Children 1. William m Joan (parents of Geoffrey married Joan de Loudham

Margaret William owned large possessions in Nottingham, Lincolnshire, and elsewhere including the manors of Staunton, Flawborough, Bassingham and Quarrington. In 1277, he was required by his overlord, Robert de Ros of Belvoir, to accompany him to the war in Wales and was granted protection until Michaelmas while on this service. Two years later, he went to France again for military service. His Inquisitio post mortem was held the Wednesday before the Feast of St. John the Baptist 19 Ed. ii. states that Geoffrey, his grandson, aged 24, was his heir. 

Staunton family monuments in the Choir of St Lawrence and St Mary’s Staunton church, published in Thoroton’s History and Antiquities of Nottinghamshire (1677).

“And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.”

1 Maccabees-3:48 KJV  

Citation: 1 wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket 10/01/23 2- From Medievalists.net November 12, 2012