Maurice Russell, knight

Sir Maurice Russell(1356-1416) and first wife Isabel Childrey. Rubbing from monumental brass, floor of the south chapel, St Peter's Church, Dyrham. [1]

Sir Maurice Russell, JP (2 February 1356 – 27 June 1416) of Kingston Russell, Dorset and Dyrham, Glos. was an English gentleman and knight. He was a prominent member of the Gloucestershire gentry. He was the third but eldest surviving son and heir of Sir Ralph Russell (1319–1375) and his wife Alice (died 1388). He was knighted between June and December 1385 and served twice as Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in 1402 and 1404. He held the post of Sheriff of Gloucestershire four times, and was Coroner and Justice of the Peace, Tax Collector and Commissioner of Enquiry. His land holdings were extensive in Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. He was descended from an ancient line which can be traced back to 1210, which ended on the death of his son Thomas, from his second marriage, as a young man without male issue. Most of his estates, despite having been entailed, passed at his death into the families of his two daughters from his first marriage.

  1. ^ Davis C.T. The Monumental Brasses of Gloucestershire, London, 1899, reprinted Bath, 1969, pp.25-28. The Russell arms are shown with ensquared quatrefoil diapering in the field