III. - ROGER DE STAFFORD succeeded his father Richard as will be seen in the pedigree (page 263). This is corroborated by a “grant made by Richard de Stafford to Roger his son of all the land witch he held and possessed of the gift of Sir Eustace de Mortein in the Township of Eyam”, by the same tenure - quaint, though not unusual - of the burning lamp on the altar of St. Helen.[10] It is undated, but of the time of Henry III., as is [Page 265] also a grant[11] of three acres of land in Hassop by Peter de Hassop, son of Robert de Lasey, to Roger, son of Richard de Stafford. Also undated, but of the same period, is a “grant to Roger son of Richard de Stafford and his heirs of two oxgangs of land in Eyam by Eustace de Morteyn at a yearly rent of 8d.”[12]

Another grant[13] to him, also undated, is from William Morteyn, of one oxgang of land, a garden and a toft called “Cattle Hill”, for which he paid 2d. as a chief rent. “Presumedly it was this Roger de Stafford who bought for £10 the custody and the marriage of Isabel, second daughter of Simon de Melner, Forrester of Fee of Languedale, from Thomas Turbott”[14] From what we know of such transactions, she probably became the wife of one of his sons, though it is quite possible that he might himself have married her. Of his family we have little knowledge beyond that supplied by the “Proceedings with respect to the divorce”, which only mentions one son. There is, however, evidence of a second son in an undated charter, which is “a grant by Roger son of Roger de Stafford to Richard de Stafford his brother of all the land in Eyam which Richard de Stafford his grandfather gave him”.[15] The exact date of this grant is uncertain, but it is undoubtedly of the time of Edward I., [Ed: 1272-1307] and thus prior to the evidence taken with a view to the divorce, the date of which was the second year of Edward II. [Ed: 1309] The only son of Roger de Stafford there mentioned is his son Richard, who eventually carried on the family of which he appears at that time to have been the head and the fourth member in line of succession.