I am LOVING and following Dr. Beth Hartland of King's College London who has this to say in her study of the knights of Henry III and William I : " Edward I was fortunate to be able to count men of the calibre of Walter L'Enfant and William de Cauneton among his loyal servants in Ireland. The ties of service that bound these Anglo-Irish knights to their kind were nurtured by their retention as household knights..which lasted through their careers. However these links were not retained by royal effort.. Indeed for Edward I..Ireland was a low priority. Rather it was the efforts of the Anglo-Irish community which maintained those links"
She goes on to say things like : " Why men like Walter L'Enfant 'no less distinguished on the field than in council' opted to remain in royal service. "( little money)...and a way of" getting close to the English court, a more pressing problem in the case of knights like Walter who lacked English land "
Guess we know where they lived and did not live..
also " That Ralph Piperd, Lord of Dysert Meath, Deputized Walter the Younger to deliver seisin of this lands to Edward I..is evidence of the standing of the L'enfants within the Lordship"
so proud of this family..
Dr. Beth Hartland is Editor of the Calendar of Henry III Fine Rolls
(www.finerollshenry3.org.uk) @Henry3FineRolls
I found Louisa Faunt in the 1900 census,some years ago and puzzled at who she might be, thinking I suppose that I knew everything about the family. I did have the living children documented, or so I thought. So who was this Louisa living in Beverly with a daughter Helen , aged 2 months,named, surely after her mother Ellen?
My Great Grandfather Patrick in his last relationship before his death also has a daughter Helen. Was this Louisa possibly a cousin? I put Louisa in with the " mystery Faunts" like Michael who has a son Walter John die of cholera infantum in 1901 and "our " Michael died unmarried in 1911.
My second clue was the 1885 New Jersey census which showed William, Ellen, William and Nellie as family #81 page 13 in Beverly. Jane( Jennie), Mikle ( Michael), Louisa and Edwin (infant Edward who does not live out the year) are found on page 14 presumably also family #81. My Patrick called "Patsy" here and Mary his wife are called family #113 on page 18 of the census, which is not viewable.
Shortly after this I found her birth which confirmed that Louisa Fauntt was born 27 Jul 1880 to William Fauntt and mother surnamed Lynch who was born in Ireland.
The 1900 census ( aren't they wonderful!) shows John W. Farley who Louisa marries living in the next house or apartment. That he was Helen's father is sort of confirmed by a newspaper account which shows Clara Farley getting into an argument with our Louisa around this same time.
Beverly NJ was quite the place! Love my Great Aunt Louisa, who I never met and her family, which I now have. A letter I cherish from my Grandmother Retta Swanson Faunt, written before her early death, mentions "Louisie" so I like to think Patrick and she were close.
