Though an 18th-century pedigree names the founder of the house as one Edvardus Stratford from an "illustrious Anglo-Saxon family" in the 9th century, and some researchers theorise the house descends from a cadet branch of the NormanHouse of Tosny which came to England with William the Conqueror, indisputable descent begins with Robert de Stratford, an original burgess of Stratford-on-Avon in the 1200s. His children and nephews rose to positions of significant power and influence in the political and religious landscape of England in the fourteenth century, and originated all other branches of the family. The children and nephews of Robert de Stratford include:
Ralph de Stratford, also known as Ralph Hatton of Stratford, Bishop of London
Andrew de Stratford, landowner and verderer, progenitor of the Stratfords of Wessex
The Stratfords of Farmcote
A cadet branch of Stratfords, founded by Stephen de Stratford, were granted Lordship of the Manors of Farmcote, Hawling and Temple Guiting in 1314. His son, John Stratford, in 1320 became a member of parliament for Gloucestershire, and his son was raised to the knighthood as Sir Stephen Stratford. Sir Stephen married Elizabeth Monthault, descendant of Eustace de Montaut, and all later cadet branches stem from this union. Following the dissolution of Hailes Abbey in 1539 this branch took Farmcote Manor House as their seat. This line were cousins to Robert Dover, and involved in the establishment of the Cotswold Olimpick Games in 1612. The Farmcote and Hawling estates were sold in 1756, by sons of Walter Stratford, though part of Farmcote Manor still stands, and Stratford tombs, arms and effigies can be found in the estate chapel there. Notable members of this line include:
Stephen de Stratford, progenitor of the Stratfords of Farmcote
John Stratford, member of parliament for Gloucestershire, 1320
Thomas de Stratford Senior Proctor of Oxford University, Archdeacon of Gloucester, Prior of Caldwell
John Stratford Merchant and entrepreneur, a significant grower of tobacco in the Cotswolds
The Stratfords of Wessex
Andrew de Stratford, a nephew of John de Stratford and friend of William of Wykeham, moved to the Wessex area as part of his uncle's familia when he became Bishop of Winchester. Acquiring land in the New Forest, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, Andrew married a certain Christine and founded a cadet branch of Stratfords, descendants of which remain in Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Berkshire to this day. Notable members of this line include:
The Manor of Merevale in north Warwickshire was purchased in the mid-seventeenth century by Edward Stratford, 9x great grandson of Sir Stephen de Stratford of Farmcote. In 1749 the property was inherited by Penelope Bate Stratford who married into the Dugdale baronets, who still possess the estate.
Edward Stratford of Merevale Hall settled the sum of £500 on his younger brother Robert Stratford to establish a line in Ireland. Robert settled at Baltinglass Castle, and his grandson entered the peerage as Earls of Aldborough, of the Palatinate of Upper Ormond. The title was created on 9 February 1777, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Amiens, for John Stratford, 1st Viscount Aldborough. He had already been created Baron Baltinglass, of Baltinglass, in the County of Wicklow, on 21 May 1763, and Viscount Aldborough, of the Palatinate of Upper Ormond, on 22 July 1776. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland. Three of his sons, the second, third and fourth Earls, all succeeded in the titles. They became extinct on the death of the latter's grandson, the sixth Earl, in 1875. Their seats were Belan House, Aldborough House, Baltinglass Castle and Stratford House. and went on to sire the Earls of Aldborough. Notable Stratfords of Baltinglass include:
Abigail Stratford was the daughter of Robert Stratford, progenitor of the Irish Stratfords. In 1697 she married George Canning, and in 1703 they had a son, named Stratford Canning. He had a son sometime after 1734, also named Stratford Canning, who had a son in 1786, also named Stratford Canning, who was created 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe on 24 April 1852.
The Wingfield-Stratfords, Viscount Powerscourt, and Baron Wrottesley
Lady Amelia Stratford was the daughter of John Stratford, 1st Earl of Aldborough. On 7 September 1760 she married Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt, and took his name; it is from this maternal Stratford lineage that the current Viscount Powerscourt descends. The Stratford descendant Viscounts Powerscourt are as follows:
Mervyn Richard Wingfield, 8th Viscount Powerscourt
Mervyn Patrick Wingfield, 9th Viscount Powerscourt
Mervyn Niall Wingfield, 10th Viscount Powerscourt
Mervyn Anthony Wingfield, 11th Viscount Powerscourt
The heir presumptive to the viscountcy is a kinsman of the current holder, also a Stratford descendant: Richard David Noel Wingfield, a great-great-great-grandson of the Rev. Hon. Edward Wingfield, the third son of the fourth Viscount. He has a son, Dylan.
When Edward Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough died in 1801 he bequeathed the bulk of his estate to Amelia's grandson on the proviso that he took back the Stratford name, thus becoming John Wingfield-Stratford in 1802. This line inherited Stratford House in London, and Amelia lived there until her death in 1831. It was sold in 1832. Notable Wingfield-Stratfords include:
There are two main variant coats of arms associated with the Stratford family, Type A and Type B. Type A can be further divided into the "Trestle" and "Roundel" subtypes.
Type A (trinity)
The Type A Stratford Coat of Arms is the oldest of the two, first associated with John de Stratford and his familia in the early 1300s. It can be divided into two broad subtypes; Trestle, and Roundel.
Trestle
The Trestle type is most closely associated with the original Warwickshire Bishops, the Hampshire Stratfords descended from Andrew Stratford, and with Nicholas Stratford. The design is consistently based around gules, a fess humette, surrounded by three trestles argent. Variants include colour of fess and trestles, and number of trestles. In heraldry the trestle as a charge is extremely rare, and known for symbolising hospitality. The fess humette is apparently intended to represent a banqueting table, with the trestles gathered around.
Roundel
The Roundel type is associated solely with the medieval Bishops, and appears to be an archaic, simplified or corrupted version of the Trestle type. The design is consistently based around a fess, surrounded by three roundels. Variants include colour of fess, field and rondel. A single example of a variant Roundel type surviving is in the later Irish recording of a shield in the name of Stratford: argent, a fess between three hawks heads erased, gules.
Streatfield
The arms of the Streatfield family, recorded in the sixteenth century, bear a striking resemblance to an attributed form of Stratford arms. This could be seen as evidence that the Streatfields, though their line cannot be traced beyond the 1500s, are in fact a branch of the Stratford family, the name having been corrupted at some point prior to the sixteenth century.
Type B (lion)
The Type B Stratford Coat of Arms was first recorded by the Heralds Visitations to Gloucester of 1543, and since has been consistently based around a lion rampant, gules, on a barruly of ten, Argent and Azure. It is associated with the Gloucester, Merevale and Irish branches. Variations have included the addition of a crescent to denote a younger son, a change in the barruly number, change in langue colour, and in lion colour. The Earls of Aldborough took supporters of human figures, a winged woman and armoured man, representing Fame and War. Officially: Dexter a Female figure, representing Fame, vested Ar, winged Or, in her right hand a trumpet gold, and in her left hand an olive branch vert, the sword belt Gules. Sinister, a man in complete armour Proper, garnished Or, spurs, sword, shield and spear of the last, sword belt Gules, holding in his right hand the spear, and upon his left arm the shield. They also adopted the motto "Virtuti Nihil Obstat Et Armis" .
The Stratford Type B Coat of Arms is remarkably similar to two other prominent Coats of Arms, an extremely unorthodox occurrence. The exact relationship to the arms of Luxembourg and of Lusignan are unknown, if indeed any exists at all. Both bear a barruly of ten Argent and Azure, and both have a lion rampant gules - though often on these royal arms it is granted a crown, and the lion of Luxembourg bears a forked tail as difference. The similarity is too close to be dismissed satisfactorily as independent coincidence, and historians have generated various theories as to the connection between the houses and the arms, none conclusive.
