22. BOSON

Sampson  Tree

 EDMUND DE BOSON (22)

 

EDMUND DE BOSON. There are a number of online family trees which make Edmund Boson, born c.1363, the son of Robert Boson, who died around 1285. This is clearly untrue.

There is however a tree in the Visitations of the County of Dorset which makes Edmund Bosone the son of Robert Bosone and Joan St George, the father of John Bosone of Bosomzeal, and the grandfather of Jennette Bosone who married Baldwin Fulford.[1] Here, too the dating of some of the entries is suspect, and there are not enough generations between Robert Bosone and Jennette Boson. One possibility is that there was an earlier Edmund Boson born in the 13^th century, who, like the later one, had a son John. This would explain the frequent confusion. Baptismal names were often repeated in a family. But this is only a theory and should be treated with caution.

This Edmund would have been born in the 13^th century.

If our theory is correct, then Edmund had two sisters, Alice and Joan, both of whom are also our ancestors.

 

These Bosons come from the South Hams, the most southerly part of Devon, between Dartmoor, Plymouth, Salcombe and Dartmouth. We find them early in the parish of Malborough, north of Salcombe. But Edmund’s mother Joan St George brought one third of the manor of Dittisham (pronounced “Ditsum”) to the Boson family. This lies on the lower reaches of the Dart. Here, they either built the house known as Bozomzeal or renamed an existing manor house.

The Boson children would have been taken for baptism in St George’s church, in Dittisham. This has been rebuilt since the 13^th century, but still has its Norman font, made of local red sandstone. The cover is modern. Here we may imagine Edmund being christened.

 

We have no evidence of Edmund’s wife.

If we are correct about the Boson tree, then they had a son named John.

 

This was a time of uncertainty, with many barons still resentful after Henry III reissued Magna Carta in 1216. A number of them went on crusades. It culminated with the rebellion of Simon de Montfort in 1264, a war which ended when Simon was killed in 1265.

Edmund and his family may have benefited from the period of prosperity which followed in the reign of Edward I (1272-1307).

 

Our information is scanty. We do not know for certain that this Edmund existed, let alone when he died.

 

[1] St. George, Henry; Lennard, Samson; Rylands, J. Paul;  ed. Colby, Frederic Thomas, The visitation of the county of Dorset, taken in the year 1623.1885.