The Battle Abbey Roll. Vol. I.
by
The Duchess of Cleveland.

Prepared by Michael A. Linton
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Dabernoune : for D'Auberon, "a family now but little known in France. The name was probably taken either from a fief or some hamlet in the parish of Abernon, in the canton of Orbec and arrondissement of Lisieux, Calvados, now called Abenon. The Abbe' De La Rue (Hist, des Trouveres, vol. ii. p. 357) speaks of the trouvere Pierre d'Abernon, wrongly named Pierre de Vernon by the author of L'Etat de la poesie francaise au XIIe. et XIIIe. siecles. An Enguerrand d'Abernon also figures among the witnesses to the foundation charter of Savigny Abbey in 1112. Roger d'Abernon followed the Conqueror to England."—Recherches sur le Domesday. He was a subtenant of Richard de Clare or de Tonbridge both in Suffolk and Surrey in 1086; and received from the new King the Manor of Stoke in the latter county, since known as Stoke d'Abernon. Here his descendants remained for three hundred years. Sire John D'Abernon, about 1300, bore Azure a chevron Or. Two of the most curious brasses in England, representing knights of this family, are still to be seen in Stoke Abernon Church chancel. "These figures are of an early date, as may be inferred from the character of the armour and the form of the shields, which are of the heater kind, and of small size. Nothing can be ascertained in regard to the particular persons they were intended to commemorate; the inscriptions which surrounded the verge of each slab being either obliterated or lost. The most ancient figure is six foot four inches in length, and represents a knight vested in a hood and jacket of mail, a long surcoat, and mail leggings: he stands upon a lion couchant; a sword is appendant from his girdle, and under his arm is an upright spear: on his shield are the D'Abernon arms. The second figure, which stands, also, upon a lion, couchant, is arrayed in a mixture of mail and plate armour: the chief facings being of the latter kind. On his head is a casque with a collar of mail attached to it. He wears a short surcoat, the shirt of which is richly embroidered; and has a shield and sword, like the preceding. This figure is of considerably less stature than the other knight; and above it is a canopy in the early pointed style."—Brayley and Britton's Surrey. Either of these may have been Sir John, for the heater shield continued in use up to the end of the fifteenth century. The last D'Abernon died about 1450, leaving a daughter and heir Elizabeth, married first to Sir William Crosier, and secondly to John, son of Reginald, Lord Grey de Wilton.

Another of the family, Ingelram d'Abernon, in 1165, held four fees of the Honour of Clare, and was a benefactor to Stoke Clare (Mon. i. 1007). He is the reputed ancestor of the Devonshire Dabernons, and has left his name to Bradford Dabernon in that county. "In 1242, Eugenius Dabernon held Drewsteignton. Westcote supposes him to have succeeded Drogo de Teign in this Manor. In 1295, it was held by Sir Peter Edgecumbe, and sometime before by John Dabernon, by the service of half a knights fee of the Lord Hugh Courtenay, and by him of the King in capite. But Sir Peter seems only to have had a temporary tenure in Drewsteignton, perhaps during the wardship of some minors of the Dabernon family. For Risdon not only mentions Eugenius Dabernon as having held the manor in the reign of Henry III., but also says it remained in that name to the time of Henry V. We find in the Harleian MSS. Johannes Dabernon fuit dominus ibidem Anno 9, Hen. V."—Polwhele's Devon. In the following reign it was held by Stephen de Durnford. Their residence bore their name of Auberon. The line of Bradford Dabernon had ended in the time of Edward I. with an heiress, married to John Dennis, a cadet of Dennis of Orleigh; but a younger branch survived, and was subsequently seated at Dunsland, in the same parish. John Dabernon, temp. Henry IV., acquired Dunsland through the heiress of Cadio or Cadiho; and it again passed away with his granddaughter. Week-Dabernon, another of their manors, was granted to Tavistock Abbey in 1353, by John Dabernon of Bradford Dabernon.—Lysons' Devon. This latter date is in contradiction of the former one.