Stogursey

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Stogursey is the name of a small village and parish in Somerset, which takes its name from the manor of Stoke. By 1086 it was in the possession of William de Falaise, who had recently married Geva, daughter of Serlo de Burci, and widow of Martin "de Wallis" (?). Early in the 1100's, William and Geva's daughter, Emma, was betrothed William Fitz Humphrey, and the couple received the manor of Stoke upon their wedding. The manor was renamed Stoke Courcy, and is now known as Stogursey.

The descendants of Emma and William took their name from the village, and became known as de Gursey, de Curci, or de Courcy. The most well-known member of the family was John de Courcy, who made himself virtual Prince of Ulster after conquering it in 1177. He died about 1219, his descendants (all illegitimate) today being the Baron Kingsale of Ireland.

Within the village, at the bottom of the street, stands the church of St. Andrew, built early in the 1100's by William de Falise, though believed to incorporate earlier features. However, some of this may be due to the workers being English, not Norman; and the fact that in the 1940's Reverend Basil Tucker removed much of the Victorian era work, giving the church its original, sparse yet pleasing shape.

Less than a quarter of a mile to the south are the restored remains of Stoke Courcy castle. During the reign of King John of England (1199-1216)it became the property of one of his favorites and closest advisors, Fulke de Breaute of Gascony. Fulke's sister, Avice de Breaute, was mother of Sir Nicholas FitzMartin (c.1210-1282), who, like the de Courcys, was a descendant of Geva de Burci, William de Falise's wife, via her son Robert fitz Martin. Said to be tyrannical, Fulke made the castle and village a stronghold and den of robbers; he was eventually expelled in the reign of Henry III, and is said to have died in poverty in Normandy after 1224.

In 1868, Stogursey was described as "a parish in the hundred of Cannington, county Somerset, 7 miles from Nether Stowey, its post town, and 8 W. of Bridgwater. The village is situated near the Bristol Channel, which bounds the parish on the N. The parish contains the hamlets of Burton, Knighton, Shurton, Stoford, Week, and Fairfield."