He was the second son and eventual heir of Sir William Cheyne lord of the manor of Poyntington in Somerset by his second wife Joan Gorges, a daughter of Ralph Gorges of Bradpole in Dorset. His elder half-brother was Sir Edmund Cheyne, Warden of the Channel Islands, who married a certain Katherine but died without children and whose estates Ralph eventually inherited. Katherine remarried to Sir John Strecch of Wambrook in Somerset. Her ledger stone, with a much worn black-letter Gothic inscription describing her as "Lady of Poyntington" survives in Poyntington Church, reset in the south-west wall. It was in 1401 that her penultimate husband's half-nephew Sir William Cheney married the heiress of Stretch of Pinho.
Ancient origins
in her 1889 work The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages made some attempt at identifying the ancient origin of this family, called Chaunduit in the lists of Leland. Concerning the armorials of Cheney of Brook, according to the Survey of Cornwall by Richard Carew :
Career
He spent part of his official career in Ireland, having apparently been recommended for service there by Robert de Ashton, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, who was his mother's cousin. He served as Deputy Justiciar of Ireland in 1373, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1383–4. Despite only serving a year in the latter role he was handsomely remunerated. He was three times a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1378, 1386 and September 1388 and High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1376-77 and 1388-89. He served on numerous official commissions throughout his career. He was Deputy Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Marriage and children
In 1368 he married Joan Pavely, a daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Pavely of Brooke ; by his wife Agnes de la Mare sister of Robert de la Mare, son of Peter de la Mare of Steeple/Market Lavington, Wiltshire. Agnes de la Mare married firstly John Forstal of Lavington, brother of Robert Forstal. By his wife, Joan de Pavely, he had one son and heir, Sir William Cheyne, MP for Dorset in 1402, who married Cecily Stretch, younger daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Stretch, of Pinhoe and Hempston Arundel in Devon, three times MP for Devon. Cecily was the widow of Thomas Bonville, third son of Sir William Bonville of Shute in Devon. Sir William had two sons. His eldest son was Edmund Cheyne, of Brook, who married Alice Stafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Hooke, and aunt to Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon. His other son, John Cheyne of Pinhoe, received the manor from his mother Cecily Stretch. His daughter married Sir John Wadham of Merryfield and Edge.
The ledger stone on top is missing its original monumental brasses, but the stonework of the chantry chapel retains several relief sculptures of heraldic escutcheons, some held by angels. Also shown is the heraldic badge of a ship's rudder, later adopted by Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke visible on his chest tomb in CallingtonChurch in Cornwall. Hamilton Rogers described the chantry chapel monument to Sir Ralph Cheney as follows:
Rudder heraldic badge
Cheney's heraldic badge was a rudder, apparently first adopted by his ancestors the Pavely family of Brook. Aubrey stated concerning his visit to Brook Hall: "Mr Wadman would persuade me that this rudder belonged to the Paveleys who had this place here". Use of the Rudder badge descended to Cheney and then to Willoughby. Camden stated of Cheney's descendant: "Lord Willoughby, by report Admiral, used the helme of a ship for the seal to his ring". Aubrey asserted that it had been used by "Lord Willoughby de Broke" in the reign of King Edward IIIs. However "there was no such baron until Hen. VII. and no Willoughby, Admiral, appears in Rapin's List". The device of a Rudder in stained glass windows was recorded by John Leland when he visited Brook. It survives today in Edington Church, and Aubrey noted the presence in a chapel south of the chancel in Westbury Church "in one window some rudders of ships or". Also present in church of "Seend".
