Hikaru,

I have no idea if you even have the same email or follow anything here anymore, but one passage that you wrote I found and it rings true which I am now looking at to prove:

"Sir John and Sir Simon can be proven to be brothers and can be proven to have a sister Maude married to a man from an established Herefordshire gentry family by the name of Henry le Frene."

I have found a source which mentions Maud, wife of Sir Walter Devereux, who I call 'the Elder' to differentiate from his son:

"Pardon, for 40s. paid to the king by Thomas de Maurdyn, to him Westminster, and John de Maurdyn and Agnes, his wife, of their trespass in acquiring to themselves and the heirs of Thomas from John son and heir of Henry le Frene a messuage and a virgate of land in Wystanston, Amberleye and Frene, co. Hereford, said to be held in chief, and the reversion of a virgate of land in the same towns, likewise held in chief, which Walter Deveros; and Maud, his wife, hold for the life of Maud of the inheritance of the said John son of Henry, and entering therein and receiving the attornments of the said Walter and Maud without the king's licence; and grant that they may retain the said messuage and virgate, and enter on the other virgate after the death of Maud, without let or hindrance."

Great Britain. ''Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 14: 1367-1370'', (London: 1913), p. 367.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031081105&view=1up&seq=379&skin=2021

This ties in directly with the Devereux research that I am conducting now, and I would love to know where you found this possible relationship from. The close association between the Burneys and the Devereuxs at this time really does explain this, but I need more obviously.

Darrell E. Larocque