Nielsen Hayden genealogy

William de Montagu

Male Abt 1285 - 1319  (~ 34 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name William de Montagu 
    Birth Abt 1285  of Shepton Montague, Somerset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Buried Aquitaine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Buried Priory of St. Frideswide (now Christ Church), Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Death 18 Oct 1319  Gascony, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [5, 6, 7, 8
    Burial Bruton Priory, Somerset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Siblings 1 sibling 
    Person ID I7804  Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others | Ancestor of AP, Ancestor of DDB, Ancestor of DGH, Ancestor of EK, Ancestor of JTS, Ancestor of LD, Ancestor of LDN, Ancestor of LMW, Ancestor of TNH, Ancestor of TWK
    Last Modified 8 Apr 2018 

    Father Simon de Montagu,   b. Aft 1250   d. 26 Sep 1316 (Age < 64 years) 
    Mother Hawise de St. Amand   d. 1287 
    Marriage Aft 24 Oct 1270  [5, 9
    Family ID F4543  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Elizabeth de Montfort,   b. of Beaudesert, Warwickshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Aug 1354 
    Marriage Aft 20 Jun 1292  [5, 9, 10, 11
    Children 
    +1. Alice de Montagu   d. Bef 1345
    +2. Hawise de Montagu   d. Aft 13 Oct 1361
    +3. William de Montagu,   b. Between 1302 and 1303, of Shepton Montague, Somerset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 30 Jan 1344 (Age ~ 42 years)
    Family ID F4542  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 Jun 2018 

  • Notes 
    • King's yeoman, King's bachelor, Steward of the King's Household, Keeper of Abingdon Abbey 1318, Seneschal of Gascony 1318-19.

      "He was sum. to Parl. 20 Nov 1317 and later." [Complete Peerage]

      From the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography:

      Between 1301 and 1304 William Montagu [...] made his mark in the Scottish wars. In 1302, described as king's yeoman, he was entrusted with the supervision of shipping for the war. In 1306, like many of his illustrious contemporaries, he was knighted along with Edward, prince of Wales. In 1314 he was keeper of Berwick. This military experience served him well, for it is as 'commander of the royal cavalry' (prefectus militie regis) in 1316, a description accorded to him by the Vita Edwardi secundi, that he first emerged as an important servant of the king (Vita Edwardi secundi, 68). In that year he played a leading part in suppressing the revolt of Llywelyn Bren (d. 1318) in Glamorgan and in settling the disputes between the townspeople of Bristol and Bartholomew Badlesmere (d. 1322), the constable of the castle there. In November 1316 he was appointed steward of the royal household. The material rewards of his stewardship included a pension of 200 marks, the absolution of his father's debts, forfeited lands in Cumberland, a quay on the Thames, and the marriage of Joan, one of the heirs of Theobald de Verdon, which he bestowed upon his younger son. He also acted as a channel of patronage for others and a number of grants were made on his information. By influencing the king and making himself a lynchpin in the relationships which bound Edward II to his courtier supporters Montagu developed the importance of the stewardship, which after his death became an important focus of contention among the rival magnates and the particular object of the earl of Lancaster's ambitions.

      Montagu was relieved of the stewardship on 16 November 1318 and replaced by Badlesmere. This was almost certainly a concession to Thomas of Lancaster who had accused Montagu of combining with Roger Damory to plot against his life, a factor which delayed his reconciliation with the king. Lancaster's deep suspicion of Montagu is one of the clearest signs that the courtiers around Edward II were his ardent supporters, rather than a 'middle party' as was once thought. On 20 November Montagu was appointed seneschal of Gascony and Aquitaine and governor of the Île d'Oléron. Although prestigious, this appointment was an effective demotion since it withdrew him from the centre of affairs, so reducing his influence over the king. [...] The permanent loss of his forceful presence and military experience disadvantaged the king in the troubled years which followed.

  • Sources 
    1. [S142] Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families by Douglas Richardson. Salt Lake City, 2013., place only.

    2. [S76] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004-ongoing., date only.

    3. [S76] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004-ongoing.

    4. [S150] Burke's Peerage.

    5. [S142] Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families by Douglas Richardson. Salt Lake City, 2013.

    6. [S128] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant ed. Vicary Gibbs, H. A. Doubleday, Duncan Warrand, Howard de Walden, Geoffrey H. White and R. S. Lea. 2nd edition. 14 volumes (1-13, but volume 12 spanned two books), London, The St. Catherine Press, 1910-1959. Volume 14, "Addenda & Corrigenda," ed. Peter W. Hammond, Gloucestershire, Sutton Publishing, 1998.

    7. [S893] John P. Ravilious, 12 Sep 2002, post to soc.genealogy.medieval.

    8. [S1526] The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz, Wife of Reverend John Owsley, Generations 1-15, Fourth Preliminary Edition, by Ronny O. Bodine and Bro. Thomas Spalding, Jr. 2013.

    9. [S128] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant ed. Vicary Gibbs, H. A. Doubleday, Duncan Warrand, Howard de Walden, Geoffrey H. White and R. S. Lea. 2nd edition. 14 volumes (1-13, but volume 12 spanned two books), London, The St. Catherine Press, 1910-1959. Volume 14, "Addenda & Corrigenda," ed. Peter W. Hammond, Gloucestershire, Sutton Publishing, 1998., year only.

    10. [S893] John P. Ravilious, 12 Sep 2002, post to soc.genealogy.medieval., year only.

    11. [S1526] The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz, Wife of Reverend John Owsley, Generations 1-15, Fourth Preliminary Edition, by Ronny O. Bodine and Bro. Thomas Spalding, Jr. 2013., "c1292".