The de Boeles Connections to Ramsey Abbey

Back to The de Boelles of Bedfordshire

The de Boelles/de Buelles of Bedfordshire who I believe were the origin of the some of the Bowles of Bedfordshire and possibly many of the later Bowles lines, had an early connection to Ramsey Abbey. The family likely originated in Bouelles, Normandy when knights from there accompanied their lord Hugh de Gournay in William Prince of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066. By the 1100's they had established themselves in Bedfordshire and in the 1200's at least three members of the family were prominent in the Royal Court. See The de Boeles

Sir Walter de Stukeley (Stivecle) was Abbot Trianel's Steward at Ramsey Abbey and held land at Abbot’s Ripton, Stukely, Wells. He married Alina Wake, their son and heir Barnabas de Stukeley's sister and co-heir Mary married Peter de Bueles/de Boelles.

See The Family Tree of the de Buelles/de Boelles of Bedfordshire

Many of the de Bueles are mentioned in The Cartuary of Ramsey Monastery

There was also an Osbert de Boel in that period. The cartuary lists a charter for 4 pence income from 3 acres of land in Upwell, Norfolk which an Osbertus Bolle had given to the abbey. It is undated but all the dated charters in the book are from the early 13th century.

In a somewhat lower economic scale, the same book also lists other Bolles holding land from the abbey: an Andrea (Andrew) Bolle was renting a cottage plot (a cotterel) in Barnwell for an annual rent of 2s 6d and 2 chickens, a Richard Bolle held a small farm with a house and outbuildings with an enclosed plot of land at Warboys (a croft) for '1 pence and two hens on the Feast of St Martin and at Christmas one hen and at Easter 5 eggs', the same or another Richard Bole held a croft and 3 acres at Shillington for 4s annually and an Albricht Bolle