The Whittaker Family of Cheshire

4th Lord of Kinderton. 6th Baron of Kinderton

Sir Roger de Venables was the heir of Hugh in 1240. He fought alongside Henry III in the Barons’ War. His seal was an Oval, antique gem, a draped figure holding a bunch of grapes with the inscription

Roger Venables witnessed a grant in Cheshire to Adam de Dutton of Warburton Dutton, Cheshire who was a tenant of the constables of Chester. This Adam de Dutton appears to have been an under-tenant of the Venables who held, but do not appear to have occupied, Pishill manor in Oxfordshire. Pishall-Venables was noted in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as 40 hides of Pyrton and also appears to be connected to the manor of Stonor (480 acres). By the 16th century Pishill Venables was called the manor of Stonor. It is known that under-tenants occupied the manor from the 12th century.

In 1259 the Abbey of Chester and Roger Venables came into conflict. Roger challenged the abbey’s right to the advowson of Astbury church. An advowson was the right to appoint a parish priest. The abbot wrote that Roger had illegally gained control but had died within the year miserably. No details were given as to the cause of his death. The long legal dispute outlived Roger and was finally settled in 1299 in favor of the abbey.

Roger de Venables, with other wealthy benefactors contributed to the building of Henry III’s church, Westminster Abbey in Westminster, now a part of London. Their contribution was memorialized by carved shields of arms in the choir aisles and far eastern bays of the nave. On the south side is the shield of Roger de Venables.

Roger de Venables married Alice Peninton daughter of Alan of Peninton Hall, in Lancashire about 1240. She was endowed of ten pounds per annum in Eccleston. His sisters were Elizabeth who received the 4th part of Rosthorne and Beatrix the wife of Roger Croft. Roger Venables died in 1261