Philip le Despenser

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1290, Stoke, Gloucestershire, England

Notes:

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, in its article on Hugh the elder, calls Hugh the younger his father's "only son," evidently in error.

Family/Spouse: Margaret de Goushill. Margaret (daughter of Ralph de Goushill and Hawise Fitzwarine) was born on 12 May 1294 in Whittington, Oswestry, Shropshire, England; was christened in Whittington, Oswestry, Shropshire, England; died on 29 Jul 1349. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Philip le Despenser was born on 6 Apr 1313 in Lincolnshire, England; died on 22 Aug 1349.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 1 Mar 1261, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England

Notes:

Earl of Winchester. Called "The Elder", despite being the second of three consecutive Hughs Despenser. Fought at Falkirk, at the siege of Caerlaverock, and at Bannockburn.

"Sir Hugh le Despenser, of Loughborough, Arnesby, Parlington, Ryhall, &c., Wycombe, Compton-Basset and Wootton-Basset, &c., s. and h. [of Sir Hugh le Despenser who d. 4 Aug. 1265], b. 1 Mar. 1260/1. In 28 May 1281 he was given the administration of the lands which his father had forfeited, and had livery of his mother's lands, 8 Aug. 1281, although he was not of age till 1 Mar. following. He had livery of the manor of Martley, co. Worcester, 3 Mar. 1281/2, as h. of his father's first cousin, John le Despenser. He was with the King in Gascony in 1287. Was one of those ordered, 22 Aug. 1288, during the King's absence abroad, to abstain from violations of the peace. Was appointed Constable of Odiham Castle, 12 June 1294. Was appointed an envoy to treat with the King of the Romans, June 1294, with the King of France, 1 Jan. 1295/6, and with the King of France and the King of the Romans, Nov. 1296. He accompanied the King to Scotland in 1296. Was one of the proxies who swore to the treaty with the Count of Flanders, 5 Feb. 1296/7 to 18 Aug. 1307. Received instructions to threaten the Clergy, 21 Mar. 1296/7. One of the King's Council, 1297. Accompanied the King to Flanders in Aug. 1297. He was with the King in Scotland in 1300, 1303, 1304, and 1306. Was appointed an envoy to the Pope, Sep. 1300, to treat of peace with the King of France, 25 Apr. 1302, and an envoy to the Pope, Oct. 1305. In 1305 he was appointed and sworn, in Parl., a commissioner to treat with the Scots. At the Coronation of Edward II, 25 Feb. 1307/8, he was one of the four who carried the table (saccarium) on which were laid the royal robes. Constable of the castles of Devizes and Marlborough, 12 Mar. 1307/8 to 2 Dec. 1308. Constable of the Castle of Strigoil and Keeper of the town of Chepstow, 12 Mar. 1307/8 to 17 July (or 21 Aug.) 1310. Appointed Justice of the forests South of Trent during the King's pleasure, 16 Mar. 1307/8, and for life, 28 Aug. 1309. In the quarrel about Gavastone in 1308 he alone sided with the King against the Barons, who induced the King to promise to dismiss him from Court. He took part in the Baron's letter to the Pope, 6 Aug. 1309. Had licence to crenellate all his dwelling houses throughout the kingdom, 29 Sep. 1311. Keeper of the forests South of Trent, 14 June 1312 to 19 Feb. 1314/5. He was one of the King's deputies in the treaty with the magnates concerning the death of Gavastone, 20 Dec. 1312. Was pardoned for all arrears and debts to the King, 25 Mar. 1313, and accompanied him to Pontoise, 23 May following. He was excluded from the peace that was arranged between the King and the discontented barons in the autumn of 1313. Was at the battle of Bannockburn, 24 June 1314, and accompanied the King in his flight to Dunbar, and thence by sea to Berwick. A few months afterwards the party of the Earl of Lancaster obtained his dismissal from Court, and his removal from the council in Feb. 1314/5. A commission was appointed, 13 July 1315, to hear complaints against his acts of oppression as Keeper of the forests South of Trent. He was in the Scottish Wars in 1317. He was again specially excluded when peace was made with the Earl of Lancaster in Aug. 1318: to avoid the Earl, he is said to have gone "on pilgrimage" to Compostella. Was sent to set in order the affairs of Gascony, 28 Feb. 1319/20, and on missions to the King of France and the Pope in Mar. following. Was appointed Constable of Marlborough Castle, 2 May 1321. He was sum. for Military Service from 14 Mar. (1282/3) 11 Edw. I to 11 May (1322) 15 Edw. II, to attend the King at Shrewsbury, 28 June (1283) 11 Edw. II, to attend the King at Salisbury, 26 Jan. (1296/7) 25 Edw. I, to Councils from 8 Jan. (1308/9) 2 Edw. II to 1 July (1317) 10 Edw. II, and to Parl. from 24 June (1295) 23 Edw. I to 14 Mar. (1321/2) 15 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser, whereby he is held to have become LORD LE DESPENSER. In May and June 1321 the barons of the Welsh Marches and their adherents ravaged the lands of the younger Despenser in Wales, and those of the elder throughout the country. In Aug. of that year both Despensers were accused in Parl., chiefly on account of the son's misconduct, of many misdeeds, viz., of accroaching to themselves royal power, counselling the King evilly, replacing good ministers by bad ones, &c. Wherefore they were disinherited for ever (19 Aug.), and exiled from the realm, not to return without the assent of the King and Parl. The elder Hugh accordingly retired to the Continent. His lands were taken into the King's hand, 15 Sep. 1321. The sentence on the Despensers was pronounced unlawful at a provincial council of the clergy about 1 Jan. 1321/2. In Mar. following the elder Hugh accompanied the King against the contrariants, and was present at the judgment on the Earl of Lancaster. The proceedings against the Despensers were annulled and cancelled in the Parl. of York, the lands of the elder Hugh being formally restored, 7 May 1322. Three days later, 10 May, the King granted him £20 a year from the issues of co. Hants, to be received nomine et honore comitis Wyntonie, and girded him with the sword as EARL OF WINCHESTER. He accompanied the King in his expedition against the Scots in Aug. 1322. He was appointed Keeper of the forests South of Trent, 27 June 1324, for life. He was sum. for Military Service from 20 Sep. (1322) 16 Edw. II to 1 May (1325) 18 Edw. II, to Councils from 20 Nov. (1323) 17 Edw. II to 20 Feb. (1324/5) 18 Edw. II, and to Parl. from 18 Sep. (1322) 16 Edw. II to 10 Oct. (1325) 19 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser Comiti Wynton. He m. in or before 1286, without the King's lic. (fine of 2,000 marks, afterwards remitted), Isabel, widow of Sir Patric de Chaurces or Chaworces, of Kidwelly, co. Carmarthen, Somborne, Hants, &c. (who d.s.p.m. shortly before 7 July 1283), and da. of William (de Beauchamp), Earl of Warwick, by Maud, sister and coh. of Sir Richard fitz John, of Shere, Surrey, Fambridge, Essex, &c. [Lord FitzJohn], and 1st da. of Sir John fitz Geoffrey, of Shere and Fambridge. She d. shortly before 30 May 1306. On the King's flight to Wales in Oct. 1326 the Earl was dispatched to defend Bristol, which, however, he at once surrendered on the arrival of the Queen, 26 Oct. Next day he was tried--without being allowed to speak in his own defence--condemned to death as a traitor, and hanged on the common gallows. On his death, 27 Oct. 1326, at the age of 65, all his honours were forfeited, the sentence of 'Exile' passed on him in 1321 being re-affirmed in Parl., 1 Edw. III." [Complete Peerage]

"When the queen landed in England with an armed force in September 1326, she put out a proclamation against the Despensers. On the king's flight to Wales in October 1326, Earl Hugh was dispatched to defend Bristol, which, however, he at once surrendered on the arrival of the Queen. The next day, 27 October 1326, Sir Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, was tried -- without being allowed to speak in his own defence -- condemned to death as a traitor, and hanged on the common gallows, all honors forfeited. His head was sent to Winchester." [Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry]

Hanged in his armor, then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs.

Hugh married Isabel de Beauchamp between 10 Sep 1285 and 27 Jan 1287. Isabel (daughter of William de Beauchamp and Maud fitz John) died before 30 May 1306. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Bef 1224, of Ryhall, Rutland, England

Notes:

"Sir Hugh le Despenser of Loughborough, Burton, Hugglescote, Freeby, and Arnesby, co. Leicester, Parlington and Hilliam, co. York, Sibsey and Aukborough, co. Lincoln, Ryhall and Belmesthorp, Rutland, s. and h. of Sir Hugh le Despenser, of the same (who d. between 23 Feb. and 30 May 1238). He was b. in or before 1223. Had respite of knighthood, 11 July 1244. On 7 Nov. 1255 he was appointed Constable of Horston Castle for five years from the preceding Michaelmas. In Apr. 1257 he accompanied Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to Aachen, for the latter's coronation, on 17 May, as King of the Romans. At the Parl. of Oxford, in Jun 1258, he was one of the twelve elected by the Barons to redress grievances, and also one of the twelve elected to treat with the King's Council in Parl. Appointed Justiciar of England, 25 Oct. 1260, being the nominee of the Barons: he was deprived of his office by the King, May or June 1261. Attended Montfort's Parl. at Oxford in Apr. 1263. Appointed Justiciar of England and Constable of the Tower of London, about 15 July 1263, by the Barons, with the assent of the King. In Mar. 1264, when Constable of the Tower, he led the rioters who sacked the mansion at Isleworth of the King of the Romans. Was at the battle of Lewes, 14 May 1264. Appointed, by the counsel of the Barons, Constable of the Castles of Devizes and Oxford, 12 July, of Orford Castle, 18 July, and of Nottingham Castle, 15 Dec. 1264. Was appointed an arbiter to consider the peace between the King and the Barons, 11 Sep. 1264. He was sum. for Military Service against the Welsh, 14 Mar. (1257/8) 42 Hen. III and 25 May (1263) 47 Hen. III, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser Justic' Anglie. He was appointed an arbiter between the Earls of Leicester and Gloucester in May 1265. He m., in or before 1260, Aline, da. and h. of Sir Philip Basset, of Wycombe, Bucks, Compton-Bassett and Wootton-Basset, Wilts, &c., Justiciar of England, by his 1st wife, Hawise, da. of Sir Matthew de Lovaine, of Little Easton, Essex. He joined the Earl of Leicester in his last campaign, and with him was slain at the battle of Evesham, 4 Aug. 1265. He was bur. in Evesham Abbey." [Complete Peerage IV:259.]

Hugh married Aline Basset before 1261. Aline (daughter of Philip Basset and Hawise de Hastings) was born about 1240 in of Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England; died before 11 Apr 1281. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Between 1241 and 1249
• Alternate birth: 1245

Notes:

Also called Aliva.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1240, of Elmley, Worcestershire, England
• Alternate death: 5 Jun 1298, Elmley, Worcestershire, England
• Alternate death: 9 Jun 1298, Elmley, Worcestershire, England

Notes:

Earl of Warwick. Hereditary Chamberlain of the Exchequer, an office he inherited from the Mauduit family. Hereditary Sheriff of Worcestershire.

William married Maud fitz John before 1270. Maud (daughter of John fitz Geoffrey and Isabel le Bigod) died on 16 Apr 1301; was buried on 7 May 1301 in Friars Minor, Worcester, Worcestershire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 18 Apr 1301

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 30 May 1238
• Alternate death: Bef 31 May 1238

Hugh married (Unknown). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ravilious (31 Dec 2003) hypothesizes that she may have been a daughter of Saher de Quincy and Margaret de Beaumont.

Notes:

"Justiciar of England 1261; one of the deputation of the Barons to the Council of Lyons 1245; Constable of the castles of Oxford, Bristol, Corfe, and Sherburne; Sheriff of four counties; made prisoner with 'tuenti wounde' at Lewes, 1264, and imprisoned by De Montfort at Dover Castle, but was liberated after the battle of Evesham, 1265; was one of the arbitrators by which the 'dictum de Kenilworth' was drawn up; a member of the King's Council 1270; d. 'Bonae Memoriae' 1271." [The Wallop Family, citation details below.]

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has him as the son of a wife of Thomas Basset preceding Aline de Gai; they name this wife "Alice de Gray," but they also note that "the similarity of [the names Alice de Gray and Aline de Gai] is such that the possibility that Alan had only one wife cannot be excluded."

Philip married Hawise de Hastings. Hawise (daughter of Ralph de Hastings) was born in of Little Easton, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Asserted in CP, the ODNB, Ancestral Roots, and The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz as a daughter of Matthew de Lovaine (Louvain, Louvaine, etc.), but Andrew Lancaster pointed out on SGM in June 2016 that this appears to have been based on the assumption that Philip Basset held Wix because Matthew de Louvaine was his wife's father, rather than her overlord, "ignoring the possibility that the family had enfeoffed a cadet branch which evidently was expected to inherit."

Lancaster points to Clarence Smith's 1966 article "Hastings of Little Easton (part 1) in Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, Volume 2, Part 1. Says Lancaster: "[T]he snippets of evidence are small and the argument seems simple. [Smith] says CP asserts it was a free marriage when it was not. And then secondly he points to the clear evidence for an enfeoffed heiress being bought by the Bassets."

Quoting Smith:

"[Ralph de Hastings] was dead by Michaelmas 1210, leaving a daughter under age whose custody and marriage had been granted to Alan Bassett for 100 marks. It is not therefore surprising to find at the death of Sir Philip Basset of Wycombe, younger son of this Alan, in 1271, that he held under Sir Matthew de Lovaine the manor of Wix 'by courtesy of England of the inheritance of Helewisia his wife'. [...] G. W. Watson in the article on Despenser in the Complete Peerage, IV, p. 261, says that Sir Hugh Despenser married 'Aline, da. & h. of Sir Philip Basset of Wycombe, Bucks....by his first wife Hawise, da. of Sir Matthew de Lovaine of Little Easton, Essex,' to which is appended a footnote: 'She had, in free marriage, the manor of Wix, Essex, by the service of 20s. a year. Some genealogists say that she was da. of John de Grey of Eaton, Bucks.' Her fathering on Sir Matthew de Lovaine has no other support than the quite unwarranted assumption that she held Wix in free marriage: in fact she held it by inheritance as the Inquisition specifies, and Sir Matthew was her overlord but not her father."

The IPM of Philip Basset specified as evidence is IPM 56 H3, Calendar I, No. 807, p. 273.

John Watson said on SGM, 6 Jun 2016: "Clarence Smith's evidence that Ralph de Hastings was dead in 1210 and that his heiress was in the custody of Alan Basset is presumably taken from the Pipe Rolls of 12 John: 1209-1210, to which I have no access at the moment. (There is nothing in the fine rolls, close rolls, patent rolls, etc.) If anyone can confirm this, then I think it is a reasonable assumption that Hawise, first wife of Philip Basset was the daughter of Ralph de Hastings and not a daughter of Matthew de Louvain. She was presumably named after her grandmother, Hawise wife of William fitz Robert." Andrew Lancaster replied: "Yes, for the death 1210, Clarence-Smith cites the Pipe Rolls, PRS 26 NS, p. 35."

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 7 Jan 1269

Notes:

Sheriff of Worcestershire, 1243 to his death.

William married Isabel Mauduit. Isabel (daughter of William Mauduit and Alice de Beaumont) died before 1267; was buried in Cokehill Nunnery, Worcestershire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"Sheriff of Yorkshire 1234. Admitted to the Privy Council 1237; Chief Justice of the Forests 1241; Seneschal of Gascony 1243; Justiciar of Ireland 1245." [The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz]

John married Isabel le Bigod before 12 Apr 1234. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 1218

Notes:

Also called Thomas Dispensator.

Thomas married Rohese. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1231
• Alternate death: 1232
• Alternate death: Abt 1233

Notes:

"Basset, Alan (d. 1232), administrator, was one of the three sons (probably the youngest) of Thomas Basset (d. c. 1182). He founded the Bassets of Wycombe, and was a noted servant of Richard I, John, and Henry III. In 1197 Richard I sent him on a diplomatic mission with William (I) Marshal to the counts of Flanders and Boulogne to detach them from their allegiance to King Philip of France, and shortly afterwards, with his elder brother Thomas, he attested as surety for Richard in France concerning the king's treaty with the count of Flanders against Philip. Between 1197 and 1199 he witnessed six more of Richard's documents in France. Following Richard's death, he was soon in attendance upon John; Alan, Thomas, and Gilbert Basset were all described as barons when they witnessed the homage of the king of Scots to John at Lincoln on 22 November 1200. In 1202 and 1203 Alan witnessed ten of John's charters in France, and, between 1200 and 1215, twenty-five royal charters in England. Remaining loyal to John, he is often recorded in that king's service, and received such rewards as numerous quittances of scutage. In 1215 he was named in Magna Carta as one of the 'noblemen' whose counsel the king relied upon, and he was among the royalist barons who attended John at Runnymede. He appears to have accompanied John on his expedition to the north of England in the winter of 1215 - 16. He was in Henry III's service by 14 December 1216. In 1217 he fought at the battle of Lincoln, and helped to pacify the kingdom afterwards, and in 1220 he was one of three ambassadors sent to France to arrange a four-year truce. He was still in royal service in 1228, but died late in 1232." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Alan married Aline de Gay. Aline (daughter of Philip de Gay and Cecily) was born in of Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, England; died in 1230. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Abt 1233

Notes:

Also called Aline de Grey.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 11 Apr 1236
• Alternate death: 14 Apr 1236

Notes:

BEAUCHAMP, WALTER de (d. 1236), judge, was son and heir of William de Beauchamp, lord of Elmley, Worcester, and hereditary castellan of Worcester and sheriff of the county. A minor at his father's death, he did not obtain his shrievalty till February 1216 (Pat. 17 John, m. 17). Declaring for Louis of France on his arrival (May 1216), he was excommunicated by the legate at Whitsuntide, and his lands seized by the Marchers (Claus, 18 John, m. 5). But hastening to make his peace, on the accession of Henry, he was one of the witnesses to his reissue of the charter (11 Nov. 1216), and was restored to his shrievalty and castellanship (Pat. 1 Hen. III, m. 10). He also attested Henry's 'Third Charter,' 11 Feb. 1225. In May 1226 and in January 1227 he was appointed an itinerant justice, and 14 April 1236 he died (Ann. Tewk. 101), leaving by his wife (a daughter of his guardian, Roger de Mortimer), whom he had married in 1212, and who died in 1225 (Ann. Worc. 400), a son and heir, William, who married the eventual heiress of the earls of Warwick, and was grandfather of Guy, earl of Warwick [see Beauchamp, Guy de]. [J. Horace Round, Dictionary of National Biography (1885-1900)]

Walter married Joan de Mortimer about 10 Jul 1214. Joan (daughter of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers) died in 1225. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1196, of Hanslope and Hawridge, Buckinghamshire, England
• Alternate death: Bef 15 Feb 1257
• Alternate death: Apr 1257
• Alternate death: 12 Apr 1257

Notes:

Hereditary Chamberlain of the Exchequer. Joined the barons against King John, causing his castle at Hanslope to be taken and destroyed. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Lincoln in 1217. He fought in France in 1242.

William married Alice de Beaumont before 3 Mar 1216. Alice (daughter of Waleran de Beaumont and Alice de Harcourt) was born about 1197 in of Warwick, Warwickshire, England; died between 1246 and 1263. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 1263

Notes:

Also called Alice of Warwick; Alice de Newburgh.

Notes:

Earl of Essex. Chief Justiciar of England from 1198 to his death.

Chief Forester; Sheriff of Northamptonshire 1184-89, 1191-94; Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire 1190-93; Constable of Hertford Castle; Sheriff of Staffordshire 1198; Sheriff of Yorkshire 1198-1200, 1202-4; Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire 1199-1204; Sheriff of Westmorland 1199-1200; Sheriff of Hampshire 1201-4; Sheriff of Shropshire 1201-4.

He was raised in the remarkable household of his uncle, the justiciar of England Ranulph de Glanville, along with, among others, the future king John, and the Walter brothers, nephews of Glanville's wife Bertha de Valognes. Theobald Walter would become chief butler of England and Ireland and the founder of enduring lordships in Munster and Leinster. Hubert Walter would become archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey's predecessor as justiciar of England, and then -- after Geoffrey succeeded him as justiciar -- Chancellor of England.

Geoffrey married Aveline de Clare before 29 May 1205. Aveline (daughter of Roger de Clare and Maud de St. Hilary) was born about 1172; died before 4 Jun 1225. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Between 22 Nov 1220 and 4 Jun 1225
• Alternate death: Bef 1225

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 18 Feb 1225

Notes:

Earl of Norfolk. Hereditary Steward of the Household; Hereditary Warden of Romford.

Magna Carta surety.

Hugh married Maud Marshal, Marshal Of England in 1207. Maud (daughter of William Marshal and Isabel de Clare) was born in 1192; died on 27 Mar 1248; was buried in Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 29 Mar 1248
• Alternate death: Between 1 Apr 1248 and 7 Apr 1248

Notes:

Countess of Norfolk and Surrey.

"Which Maud in July 1246, as senior coh. of her brother Walter, late Earl of Pembroke, was allowed the office of Marshal." [Complete Peerage]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1185

Notes:

"Basset, Thomas (d. c. 1182), justice, belonged to a distinguished family of royal servants which began with Ralph Basset (d. 1127?), the brother of Thomas's father, Gilbert (d. in or before 1154). Thomas Basset had entered Henry II's service by 1163. His first known post in the royal administration was as sheriff of Oxfordshire (1163 - 4). A baron of the exchequer from 1169 to c. 1181, he was an itinerant justice in the south and west in 1175, and again in 1179; in December 1180 he joined the justiciar Ranulf de Glanville and other royal justices at Lincoln in approving a final concord. He was custodian of the honour of Wallingford for the king from 1172 to 1179. He witnessed royal documents in England fourteen times between 1174 and 1179, and he was with the king in Normandy, c. 1181, attesting at Barfleur. He died shortly afterwards, perhaps in 1182." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Thomas married Alice de Dunstanville. Alice (daughter of Alan de Dunstanville) was born in of Shiplake, Oxfordshire, England; died after 1181. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1185
• Alternate death: Aft 1209

Notes:

Called by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Adeliza de Dunstanville.

Philip married Cecily. Cecily died after 1195. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Referred to in some sources as Cecily or Sedzilia de Berkeley, allegedly a daughter of Roger de Berkeley d. 1170, on what evidence I am unaware.

William married Helewise de Guerres. Helewise died after 1219 in Bildeston, Suffolk, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Hereditary sheriff of Worcestershire, 1170-1197.

William married Bertha de Briouze. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Some sources (including Leo van de Pas) say that this Roger de Mortimer was married twice, once to a Millicent de Ferrers, parentage unknown, and once to Isabel de Ferrers, daughter of Walkelin de Ferrers. In this model, Ralph is a son of Isabel whereas Joan is a daughter of Millicent. We have been unable to find a plausible source for any of this. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Complete Peerage, Ancestral Roots, etc., all show this Roger de Mortimer married only once, to Isabel.

"He was a benefactor of Gloucester Abbey, of Kington, St. Michael, Wilts, of Cwmhir, of Jumièges, and of Saint-Victor-en-Caux. Between 1182 and 1189 he attested at Rouen a charter of Henry II to the monks of Barbey (diocese of Bayeux). In 1191, upon a charge of conspiring with the Welsh against the King, he was forced to surrender his castles and to abjure the country for three years. In April 1194 he was in England again, and witnessed a charter of Richard I, after his second Coronation at Winchester. Roger was a strenuous Lord Marcher, and in 1195 drove the sons of Cadwallon out of Maelienydd, and restored Cwmaron Castle; but next year Rhys, Prince of South Wales, defeated a well-equipped force of cavalry and foot under Mortimer and Hugh de Say, of Richard's Castle, with much slaughter, near Radnor. He was one of the magnates who refused to serve personally in France in 1201, but his fine was remitted. On 1 April 1207 he witnessed a charter of the King at Montfort-sur-Risle, and he appears to have been with John at Bonport in July following. On the loss of Normandy in 1204 Roger adhered to John and forfeited his Norman lands. In 1205 he landed at Dieppe, and being captured by John de Rouvray, bailiff of Caux, was compelled to pay a ransom of 1,000 marks. He was in England again by June 1207, when he was directed to hand Knighton Castle to the custody of a successor; in that year his wife Isabel had a grant of Oakham for life. In 1210 some of his knights served in the King's invasion of Ireland. In 1212 he proffered 3,000 marks for the marriage of the heir of Walter de Beauchamp, to whom he married his daughter Joan. In May 1213 he was one of the sponsors for John's good faith in his reconciliation with Archbishop Langton at the command of the Pope." [Complete Peerage]

"To the Wigmore chronicler Roger (II) de Mortimer was 'as befitted his years, gay, full of youth and inconstant of heart, and especially somewhat headstrong'. He had served Henry II faithfully during the rebellion of the king's sons in 1173–4, but at the time of his father's death he was in King Henry's prison, because in 1179 his men had killed Cadwallon ap Madog, the ruler of Maelienydd, when the latter was returning from court with a royal safe conduct. He may not have been released until 1182. Roger's conflicts with the Welsh would persist throughout his life, as he struggled to establish his rule over the middle march of Wales. In 1195 he brought Maelienydd under his control, rebuilding the castle at Cymaron. A grant to the abbey of Cwm-hir in Powys in 1199, commemorating 'our men who died in the conquest of Maelienydd', points to casualties as well as achievement (in 1196 his forces were among those heavily defeated at Radnor by the Lord Rhys of Deheubarth), but in 1202 he could be described as supreme in central Wales. [...] In 1191 he was accused by William de Longchamp, the justiciar, of having entered into an unexplained conspiracy with the Welsh against the king, and was forced to abjure the realm, though his exile was much shorter than the three years reported by Richard of Devizes. It is possible that he had become a supporter of Count John, Richard I's brother. But if this was so, he soon transferred his allegiance back to the king, for it was with royal support that he attacked Maelienydd in 1195. However, he later served in Normandy under John as king, and in 1205 was captured when trying to occupy Dieppe, subsequently paying a ransom of 1000 marks. Roger de Mortimer remained loyal to John for the rest of his life. [...] Being overcome by ill health, he transferred his lands to his son, and by 19 August 1214 he was dead. He was buried at Wigmore Abbey. He had at first been on bad terms with the canons, and tried to revoke grants made to them by his father, until the solemnity with which they commemorated Hugh's anniversary reconciled him to them." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Roger married Isabel de Ferrers. Isabel (daughter of Walkelin de Ferrers) died before 29 Apr 1252; was buried in Hospital of St. John the Baptist, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Founded the Hospital of St. John the Baptist at Lechlade "in or before 1246" (VCH Gloucester II: 125).

Lechlade, in Gloucester, is the highest navigable point of the Thames. It is also where, about 350 years later, TNH's 10XG-grandfather Thomas Prence, several-time governor of Plymouth Colony and husband of Patience Brewster, was born.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 22 Jun 1222, of Hartley, Buckinghamshire, England

Notes:

Hereditary Chamberlain of the Exchequer. Joined the barons against John in 1215, but made his piece with Henry III in 1217.

Robert married Isabel Basset before 1194. Isabel (daughter of Thurstan Basset) was born in of Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England; died between 24 Oct 1225 and 11 Dec 1225. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 11 Dec 1225

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 24 Dec 1203
• Alternate death: Bef 13 Oct 1204
• Alternate death: 12 Dec 1204

Notes:

Earl of Warwick. Also called Waleran de Warwick; Waleran de Newburgh.

Waleran married Alice de Harcourt about 1196. Alice (daughter of Robert de Harcourt and Isabel de Camville) died in 1205. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 1208
• Alternate death: Aft Aug 1212
• Alternate death: Aft Sep 1212

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 1198

Notes:

Also called Piers de Lutegareshale.

Died as a lay monk at Winchester.

Peter married Maud. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ancestral Roots calls her "Maud de Mandeville", and Complete Peerage's foldout chart of the earls of Essex (volume 5, between pages 116 and 117) places her in a way that can be, but shouldn't be, read as suggesting that she was a daughter of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, d. 1144.

Todd A. Farmerie, 11 Jun 2002, soc.genealogy.medieval:

This is the case I had in mind the other day, of a connection almost certainly wrong, probably drawn from other secondary sources assumed to be reliable, while these in turn were derived from the chart of the Earls of Essex in CP. In this chart, Maud is placed under a horizontal line connecting Geoffrey's children, but is not connected to that line. This placement was certainly done solely for the purposes of graphical arrangement, and was never intended to display relationship. However, as far as I know, no one has ever published this "correction".

What has been published are studies of Geoffrey Fitz Piers, son of "Peter de Ludgershall" and "Matilda". These follow in detail the manipulations that Henry II took to ensure that the Mandeville birthright, represented by Beatrice de Say, grand-niece of Geoffrey, Earl of Essex, came to his favorite. This man, Geoffrey Fitz Piers, was specifically said by a contemporary chronicler to be of insubstantial origins. Now if Geoffrey Fitz Piers was maternal grandson of Earl Geoffrey, and nephew of the recently deceased Earl William de Mandeville, then he would neither have been of lowly origins, nor would Henry have had to manipulate the status of the Say heiress in order to justify Geoffrey coming into the Mandeville inheritance -- he would have been the legal heir. Simply put, this connection is wrong on so many levels, that it would require a higher burden of proof than for a connection that does not have so many strikes against it.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Aft 1115, of Clare, Herefordshire, England

Notes:

Also called Roger Fitz Richard. 2nd Earl of Hertford, but generally styled Earl of Clare.

Roger married Maud de St. Hilary. Maud (daughter of James de St. Hilary du Harcourt and Aveline) was born in of Field Dalling, Norfolk, England; died on 24 Dec 1193; was buried in Priory of Great Carbrooke, Norfolk, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1195

Notes:

Also called Maud de St. Hilaire du Harcouet.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: of Framlingham, Suffolk, England
• Alternate birth: Abt 1150

Notes:

Earl of Norfolk. Hereditary Steward of the Household; Privy Councillor; Keeper of Hertford Castle 1191; Judge in the King's Court 1195, 1196, 1199, 1202; Chief Judge in the King's Court 1197; Warden of Romford Forest 1200.

Magna Carta surety.

Edward Maunde Thompson, in the Dictionary of National Biography (1886):

BIGOD, ROGER (d. 1221), second Earl of Norfolk, was son of Hugh, first earl [q. v.] On the death of his father in 1176, he and his stepmother, Gundreda, appealed to the king on a dispute touching the inheritance, the countess pressing the claims of her own son. Henry thereupon seized the treasures of Earl Hugh into his own hands, and it seems that during the remainder of this reign Roger had small power, even if his succession was allowed. His position, however, was not entirely overlooked. He appears as a witness to Henry's award between the kings of Navarre and Castile on 16 March 1177, and in 1186 he did his feudal service as steward in the court held at Guildford.

On Richard's succession to the throne, 3 Sept. 1189, Bigod was taken into favour. By charter of 27 Nov. the new king confirmed him in all his honours, in the earldom of Norfolk, and in the stewardship of the royal household, as freely as Roger, his grandfather, and Hugh, his father, had held it. He was next appointed one of the ambassadors to Philip of France to arrange for the crusade, and during Richard's absence from England on that expedition he supported the king's authority against the designs of Prince John. On the pacification of the quarrel between the prince and the chancellor, William Longchamp, bishop of Ely, on 28 July 1191, Bigod was put into possession of the castle of Hereford, one of the strongholds surrendered by John, and was one of the chancellor's sureties in the agreement. In April 1193 he was summoned with certain other barons and prelates to attend the chancellor into Germany, where negotiations were being carried on to effect Richard's release from captivity; and in 1194, after the surrender of Nottingham to the king, he was present in that city at the great council held on 30 March. At Richard's re-coronation, 17 April, he assisted in bearing the canopy. In July or August of the same year he appears as one of the commissioners sent to York to settle a quarrel between the archbishop and the canons.

After Richard's return home, Bigod's name is found on the records as a justiciar, fines being levied before him in the fifth year of that king's reign, and from the seventh onwards. He also appears as a justice itinerant in Norfolk. After Richard's death, Bigod succeeded in gaining John's favour, and in the first years of his reign continued to act as a judge. In October 1200 he was one of the envoys sent to summon William of Scotland to do homage at Lincoln, and was a witness at the ceremony on 22 Nov. following; but at a later period he appears to have fallen into disgrace, and was imprisoned in 1213. In the course of the same year, however, he was released and apparently restored to favour, as he accompanied the king to Poitou in February 1214, and about the same time compounded by a fine of 2,000 marks for the service of 120 knights and all arrears off scutages. Next year he joined the confederate barons in the movement which resulted in the grant of Magna Charta on 15 June 1215, and was one of the twenty-five executors, or trustees, of its provisions. He was consequently included in the sentence of excommunication which Innocent III soon afterwards declared against the king's opponents, and his lands were cruelly harried by John's troops in their incursions into the eastern counties.

After the accession of Henry III, Bigod returned to his allegiance, and his hereditary right to the stewardship of the royal household was finally recognised at the council of Oxford on 1 May 1221. But before the following August he died. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hugh, as third earl, who, however, survived him only four years.

Roger married Ida de Tony about 25 Dec 1181. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Stewart Baldwin, at The Henry Project, states that "The parentage of Ida remains unknown":

While it had been known for some time that the mother of William was a "countess" Ida, her identity was only recently proven. As one of two known contemporary English countesses named Ida, the wife of Roger Bigod had already been a prime candidate [see Paul C. Reed, "Countess Ida, mother of William Longespée, illegitimate son of Henry II", TAG 77 (2002), which was going to press just as the crucial discovery was made]. Convincing proof of her identity as the wife of Roger Bigod was only recently discovered by Raymond W. Phair, who announced his discovery in the soc.genealogy.medieval newsgroup on 3 July 2002, and then published it in The American Genealogist [Raymond W. Phair, "William Longespée, Ralph Bigod, and Countess Ida", TAG 77 (2002), 279-81], citing a list of prisoners after the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, in which Ralph Bigod was called a brother of the earl of Salisbury. The parentage of Ida remains unknown, but see Reed (2002) for the possibility that she might have been a daughter of Roger de Toeni and Ida of Hainault.

Douglas Richardson's Royal Ancestry (2013) gives Ida de Tony as a daughter of Ralph de Tony and Margaret of Leicester. Richardson set forth his arguments for this in a 2008 post to soc.genealogy.medieval, reproduced below:

From: Douglas Richardson
Subject: Ida de Tony, wife of Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and mother of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 06:32:55 -0800 (PST)

[...] For conclusive evidence that Ida, wife of Earl Roger le Bigod, was a member of the Tony family, see Morris, The Bigod Earls of Norfolk in the 13th Century (2005): 2, who cites a royal inquest dated 1275, in which the jurors affirmed that Earl Roger le Bigod had received the manors of Acle, Halvergate, and South Walsham, Norfolk from King Henry II, in marriage with his wife, Ida de Tony (citing Rotuli Hundredorum 1 (1812): 504, 537). Morris shows that Earl Roger le Bigod received these manors by writ of the king, he having held them for three quarters of a year at Michaelmas 1182 (citing PR 28 Henry II, 1181-1182 (Pipe Roll Soc.) (1910):64). This appears to pinpoint to marriage of Ida de Tony and Earl Roger le Bigod as having occurred about Christmas 1181.

For evidence that Ida de Tony was the mother of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury (illegitimate son of King Henry II of England), see London, Cartulary of Bradenstoke Priory (Wiltshire Rec. Soc. 35) (1979): 143, 188, which includes two charters in which Earl William Longespee specifically names his mother as Countess Ida. Furthermore, among the prisoners captured at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 was a certain Ralph [le] Bigod, who a contemporary French record names as "brother" [i.e., half-brother] to William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury [see Brial, Monumens de Règnes des Philippe Auguste et de Louis VIII 1 (Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la France 17) (1878): 101 (Guillelmus Armoricus: "Isti sunt Prisiones (capti in bello Bovinensi)...Radulphus Bigot, frater Comitis Saresburiensis"); see also Malo, Un grand feudataire, Renaud de Dammartin et la coalition de Bouvines (1898):199, 209].

As for Countess Ida's parentage, it seems virtually certain that she was a daughter of Ralph V de Tony (died 1162), of Flamstead, Hertfordshire, by his wife, Margaret (b. c.1125, living 1185), daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester [see C.P.7 (1929): 530, footnote e (incorrectly dates Ralph and Margaret's marriage as "after 1155" based on the misdating of a charter --correction provided by Ray Phair); C.P. 12(1) (1953): 764 - 765 (sub Tony); Power, The Norman Frontier in the Twelfth and Early Thirteenth Centuries (2004): 525 (Tosny pedigree)].

For evidence which supports Ida's placement as a child of Ralph V de Tony, several facts may be noted. First, Countess Ida and her husband, Roger le Bigod, are known to have named children, Ralph and Margaret, presumably in honor of Ida's parents, Ralph and Margaret de Tony [see Thompson, Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmenis (Surtees Soc. 136) (1923): fo.63b, for a contemporary list of the Bigod children]. Countess Ida was herself evidently named in honor of Ralph V de Tony's mother, Ida of Hainault. Next, William Longespee and his descendants had a long standing association with the family of Roger de Akeny, of Garsington, Oxfordshire, which Roger was a younger brother of Ralph V de Tony (died 1162) [see C.P. 8 (1932): chart foll. 464; 14 (1998): 614; Loyd, Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Fams. (1951): 2; VCH Oxford 5 (1957): 138; Harper-Bill, Dodnash Priory Charters (Suffolk Rec. Soc. 16) (1998): 34 - 37, 39 - 40, 72 - 73; Fam. Hist. 18 (1995 - 97): 47 - 64; 19 (1998): 125 - 129]. Lastly, Roger le Bigod and his step-son William Longespée both had associations with William the Lion, King of Scots, which connection can be readily explained by virtue of King William's wife, Ermengarde, being sister to Constance de Beaumont, wife of Countess Ida's presumed brother, Roger VI de Tony [see C.P. 12(1) (1953): 760 - 769 (sub Tony)].

William the Lion was likewise near related to both of Countess Ida's presumed parents, her father by a shared descent from Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror, and her mother by a shared descent from Isabel de Vermandois, Countess of Surrey. Roger le Bigod and William Longespee were both present with other English relations of William the Lion at an important gathering at Lincoln in 1200, when William the Lion paid homage to King John of England [see Stubbs, Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Houedene 4 (Rolls Ser. 51) (1871): 141 - 142].

Thus, naming patterns, familial and political associations give strong evidence that Ida, wife of Earl Roger le Bigod, was a daughter of Ralph V de Tony.

A later post from Richardson in the same thread:

From: Douglas Richardson
Subject: Re: Ida de Tony, wife of Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and mother of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 11:28:47 -0800 (PST)

Morris says that Ida de Tony was a ward of the king when the king married her to Roger le Bigod. That presumably means she was not yet 21 at her marriage, which occurred at Christmas 1181. If so, she would have to have been born no earlier than 1160.

Also, to be a ward of the king, your father would have been a tenant in chief of the king who left a minor heir in custody. The only requisite Tony male in this time period that would appear to fit that description would be Sir Ralph de Tony (husband of Margaret de Beaumont), who died in 1162, leaving a minor son, Roger. An estimate for a birth of Sir Ralph de Tony is hard to determine, but he was conceivable born as early as 1130, and probably no later than 1135. We know his parents were married in the reign of King Henry I who died in 1135.

As for the chronology of other parts of the Tony family. Sir Ralph de Tony's sister, Godeheut de Tony, wife of William de Mohun, had a grandson and heir, Reynold de Mohun, born about 1185. So Godeheut de Tony was born say 1135, give or take. Sir Ralph de Tony's younger brother, Sir Roger de Tony, had his son and heir, Baldwin, born about 1170. So Sir Roger was born say 1140, give or take.

In any case, the fact that Ida de Tony was a ward at the time of her marriage would seem to clearly indicate her parentage.

An email from Todd A. Farmerie to Marianne Dillow, reproduced in the same thread as Richardson's two posts above (the archives of the thread are somewhat jumbled, making it hard to tell the exact order of posts). It summarizes Farmerie's reservations about Richardson's identification of Ida de Tony's parents. In the scheme that Farmerie considers equally probable, Ida's parents would be Ralph de Tony's father Roger de Tony and Roger's wife Ida de Hainault:

I think you already had others point you to the group archives. Let me just say that this is not about confidence in an individual's work. It is a legitimate difference of opinion, two people, each equally qualified, using the same data, and reaching different conclusions.

I didn't want to get into another round of argument in the group, as it has been argued several times before. Briefly, though, everything that has been said about her being child of Ralph would also apply to her being sister of Ralph. All of the names, all of the associations, etc.

Whether she was daughter or sister comes down to how old you think she is, and we have no evidence. Thus, virtual certainty is a bit of an exaggeration. That she was of this immediate family is pretty safe, but which generation, there is room for doubt.

Let me also say this, and I just offer it at face value. This is not the first 'near certainty' that has been proclaimed with regard to her parentage. For years it was argued that it was almost certain she was a completely different person. Then a new piece of evidence comes out and we have seamlessly switched to a different near certainty. Basically, when someone says that something is a virtual certainty, they are doing it either because they think it is absolutely certain, and are simply recognizing that all history has a minute chance of revision, or alternatively, because they know it isn't certain, but they have convinced themselves that it is the right answer and are trying to make it sound better than it really is. This is not a 99.99% certainty, it is a 75% likelihood, coupled with a strong gut feeling and some gilding of the lily. That, at least, is my view.

I guess my real point is, don't take anything at face value. Mr. Richardson has made some insightful hypotheses. As far as I know, he was the first to guess that Ida, wife of Roger de Toeny was identical to Ida, mother of William Longespee. He had no evidence for it - it was just a strong gut instinct that led him to the right answer when proof was found a decade later. He has also reached some conclusions that are nothing but wishful thinking (such as his first 'certain' ancestry of Ida, which we now know is completely false). Both were expressed with equal certainty. Mr. Richardson is not unique in this. The same is true of others here, myself included. Don't just accept what anyone says. Look at all of the different opinions and ignore who is saying what, just take what seems the best solution from it, no matter who offers it.

Even if only one person has suggested a connection, look at the evidence and try out some other possibilities and see if they will fit as well. No one is right all the time - everyone has their biases, and to be good at this, it is important to move beyond the individual opinions and reach your own conclusions from the original data. (Sorry to preach.)

Finally, a post from the same thread setting forth a chronological argument for Richardson's position, and giving a reasonable guess as to her year of birth:

From: mississippienne@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Ida de Tony, wife of Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and mother of William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 10:54:13 -0800 (PST)

[...] Girls as young as 12 were considered marriageable during this time period, and since we have no firm dates for either Ida's birth or that of her son William, she might've been as young as 15 or as old as her twenties by the time she gave birth to him. Unless someone happens upon a charter in which William de Longspee helpfully provides his exact date of birth and that of his mother, we will probably never know for sure. All we know is that she went onto have at least eight children with Roger Bigod; assuming no twins, Ida was bearing children at least until about 1190. As M. Sjostrom points out, it's stretching the chronology to the breaking point to get Ida de Tony to be the daughter of Ida of Hainault.

I think a reasonable time for Ida de Tony would be a birth c. 1160, her son William born 1175-1180, marriage to Roger Bigod in 1181, at which point she was bearing his children until the early 1190s or thereabouts, when she would've been in her thirties.

Notes:

Also spelled William le Mareschal. Earl of Pembroke.

Hereditary Marshal of England; Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1189-94; Sheriff of Sussex 1193-1208; Warden of the Forest of Dean and Constable of St. briavels Castle 1194-1206; Constable of Lillebonne 1202; Protector and Regent of the Kingdom 1216-19; and, in right of his wife, Earl of Pembroke and Striguil and Lord of Leinster. Advisor to King John at Runnymede.

Wikipedia:

"William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke [...], also called William the Marshal (Norman French: Williame le Mareschal; Anglo-Norman: Guillaume le Marechal), was an English (or Anglo-Norman) soldier and statesman. Stephen Langton eulogized him as the 'best knight that ever lived.' He served four kings -- Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III -- and rose from obscurity to become a regent of England for the last of the four, and so one of the most powerful men in Europe. Before him, the hereditary title of 'Marshal' designated head of household security for the king of England; by the time he died, people throughout Europe (not just England) referred to him simply as 'the Marshal'. He received the title of 1st Earl of Pembroke through marriage during the second creation of the Pembroke earldom."

William married Isabel de Clare in Aug 1189 in London, England. Isabel (daughter of Richard "Strongbow" fitz Gilbert and Eve of Leinster) was born in 1173; died on 7 Mar 1220; was buried in Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]