Lady Despenser's Scribery - Introduction
- This small corner of the web concentrates mainly on the life and times of Hugh Despenser the younger, as well as the reign of Edward II and the fourteenth century in general. It contains snippets of some (though certainly not all) of the research I have done in order to write a novel about him (and hopefully, later, a biography as well). Oh yes, some 21st century stuff sneaks its way in too, from time to time!
Sorry if I've been a bit quiet these last few days - I took a road trip up to Yorkshire and did a bit of a whistle-stop tour of several sites!
Anyway, here's a brief (!) summary of what I got up to. I intend to do some longer posts on the individual places and their connections with Edward/Hugh in the very near future...
My original intention was to travel to York on the Friday and spend the afternoon there, and on Saturday and Sunday I had planned to watch the jousting group Destrier train at some nearby stables. Then, on Monday, I would travel back home via Lincoln. However, best laid plans of humans and rodents and all that - the Destrier training was cancelled and I suddenly had two spare days to fill!
The original Friday worked out OK - I visited Clifford's Tower, the 14th C houses in Goodramgate and, of course, York Minster - all in 5 hours. It would have been a bit quicker but the Chapter House in the Minster was closed for a function and I had to wait until late afternoon to get in - but it was well worth it. The atmosphere in there was one of great power and presence which echoed that of the rest of the Minster. In fact I found it all to be a bit overwhelming and the fact that you had to pay for everything somehow made it feel less spiritual and more touristy - but there again, by this stage I was rather tired and still faced with another hour's drive to the guesthouse.
York Minster
The next day was rather ambitious itinerary-wise. First of all I travelled to Beverley Minster which really felt like York's less flashy little sister. It felt far more peaceful in this beautiful place: the architecture was simpler and less ornate and it wasn't crowded with tourists. The bells also made the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in any church or cathedral. I wish I could have stopped longer but my next destination was over an hour away and the clock was ticking.
Beverley Minster
My next place on the wish-list was Rievaulx Abbey. But before I got there I decided to try and find the remains (grassy humps in a field) of Watton Priory - where one of Hugh's daughters was forcibly veiled. Unfortunately I couldn't quite locate the spot and, without a more detailed map, was probably not going to. So I continued on my long and winding road to Rievaulx.
My first impression of the abbey was that it wasn't unlike Tintern in style and location - except that it was far bigger. And, just like Tintern, it was gorgeous. As I started to walk into the grounds it began to rain (just a shower) so I sheltered in the museum. Once it stopped I stepped outside again to the glorious scent of rain-soaked earth. And then, from the dark clouds surrounding the sunlit valley, thunder started to roll - totally magical.
Rievaulx Abbey
It was hard to drag myself away from Rievaulx too, but there was one more place I wanted to visit before it closed (and yes, there was yet again another hour or so's drive to get there) - and that was Scarborough Castle - as a little homage to Piers Gaveston (And of course I couldn't help thinking about you, Anerje while I was there!). It was a steep climb up to where Gaveston surrendered to his eventual killers and, for me, seemed quite an unusual layout for a castle. The walls - and sea cliffs - enclose a very large area with not much in it apart from a keep and some accommodation ruins. I suppose there might have been other, wooden buildings there at some point, but nothing remains of them now. The whole place felt quite melancholy and brooding. It also gave the impression of being a soldier's place - not a homely castle (like Goodrich). It was an interesting and quite dramatic location, but I can't say that it was a favourite castle of mine.
Scarborough Castle Keep
I ended the day with fish and chips on the sea front - away from the hectic and noisy area of the amusement arcades and fast food shops and then geared up for an hour and a half drive back to base - and a well-needed evening of rest.
The next day (Sunday) was my last of the trip. I'd decided to go home a day earlier in order to save some money (hence cramming everything in). For this part I kept to my original plans and travelled south to Lincoln - ostensibly to visit the Cathedral. Of course, by the time I got there - and it being a Sunday - there was a service about to start and the eastern end was closed off. To get the 'cathedral experience', I joined in with the Matins, wondering if Edward II and Hugh ever worshipped here too.
Lincoln Cathedral (does anyone else spot a twin-towered theme going on?)
Afterwards, I went out for some air and ended up having a brief tour of the nearby Bishop's Palace - a maze of ruins on many different levels. Brief diversion over, I returned to the cathedral to look around. Once again, it was a beautiful and amazing place and, like Beverley, had retained a simplicity in its architecture that I had not expected. Like York, it was the Chapter House I really wanted to see - as this was the place where Hugh decked John de Ros in parliament - and I was not disappointed. Not quite as big as York's, it was still impressive and built to a similar octagonal design.
I stayed in Lincoln for longer than I'd planned - it's such a lovely place, despite the very steep hill (called Steep Hill strangely enough) that nearly had me needing resuscitation. And the fact that I lost where I'd parked the car and so did a tour of the side-streets in completely the wrong direction. The time slippage did mean though that I had no time on my homeward journey for my last intended destination: Newark castle. That will have to wait for another time.
I would like to give a very special mention to all the lovely people I met up there (yes, they really are friendly 'up north'!). In particular the guide at York Minster (really funny and full of interesting facts), the guide at Beverley Minster, the English Heritage staff at Scarborough who pointed me in the direction of the best fish and chip shop, and finally the staff at my B&B as well as the place itself: Rudstone Walk was the most comfortable and helpful place I've ever stayed. I'd recommend it to anyone. Thanks to all for making my weekend so memorable and enjoyable.
Finally - belated happy birthday to Edward II for 25th April! I didn't forget!
When Roger returned to England – arriving in July, many things had changed, and not for the better as far as he was concerned. Edward had three new favourites – Roger Damory, Hugh Audley and William Montacute, who some were already saying were worse than Gaveston had ever been. But what must have been of greater personal concern to Roger was that his enemy and rival, Hugh Despenser the younger had not only inherited Glamorgan, the larger portion of the earl of Gloucester’s estate through his wife, but he had also recently been appointed as Edward’s chamberlain.
The feud between the two men was rooted in a conflict before they were born. At the battle of Evesham in 1265, Roger’s grandfather, fighting for the royalist forces had defeated Simon de Montfort’s rebel army and slain Hugh’s grandfather (also another Hugh). According to the Vita Edwardi Secundi, Hugh the younger had vowed to avenge his grandfather’s death on the younger Roger de Mortimer and to despoil his lands. In addition, it was Hugh who had been responsible for taking Llywelyn Bren (who had been Roger’s prisoner and to whom Roger had promised a stay of execution) from the Tower of London and executing him in Cardiff. Hugh had also shown himself to be aggressive in claiming new lands for himself too, as his attempted annexation of his brother-in-law Audley’s land of Gwynllwg had shown.
Damory and Audley, Edward’s new favourites were causing all sorts of problems at court in 1318. His generous treatment of them was causing huge problems with his cousin Thomas of Lancaster who was threatening open rebellion if they were not banished from court. And having such a powerful earl with an enormous army at his back as an enemy was a very bad thing indeed. One of the reasons Roger had been summoned back was to negotiate with Lancaster on behalf of the king. An accord which started in April (while Roger was still in Ireland), concluded at the Treaty of Leake in July, and finally ratified at the parliament at York in November saw an uneasy truce at long last between Edward and his cantankerous cousin – even if it was to be short-lived.
In March 1319, Roger was once more (and for the last time) appointed to the governorship of Ireland. Edward the Bruce was no longer a threat as he had been killed in October 1318 and most of his army destroyed at the battle of Faughart. Thence his time in Ireland was spent largely peaceably – restoring order and rebuilding what had been damaged or destroyed during the conflicts of the previous years. Coinciding as it did with the end of the famine years, Roger’s administration seems to have been both successful and popular and when he left Ireland again in October 1320, for the last time, he could at last feel reassured that his Irish estates were safe and the land was peaceful under the authority of his deputy, the earl of Kildare.
In his absence from England, it was clear that Despenser had grown ever more powerful. With Damory and Audley now displaced from the King’s affections and Montacute dead, Despenser had taken their place as his favourite and was proving to be far more dangerous and clever than any of his predecessors. As chamberlain, he, together with his father now controlled all access to the king and seemed to have taken on most of the administration of the country. Edward was devoted to him and it must have looked as though what Despenser wanted, Despenser got. And what Despenser wanted was land – particularly the land belonging to the estate of the dead Earl of Gloucester. To achieve his ends he mounted a clever and entirely ruthless campaign against his brothers-in-law, the inheritors of the lands he coveted. Now Gwynllwg had finally been given to him – and so had the lordship of Gower – against the laws of the Marches and to the anger of the Marcher barons. Roger, of course, was also one of the barons and, like them, he must have been alarmed to see Despenser gain so much land on his borders so quickly. Ironically, just as his Irish lands had become safe, his Marcher ones were now under threat.
An anti-Despenser coalition soon formed, led by Roger and the earl of Hereford and supported by the earl of Lancaster. In 1321, their anger boiled over and the rebel army marched south, towards London, burning and despoiling all of the lands of both Despensers and their adherents in what became known as the Despenser Wars. Edward, seeing London surrounded and most of his barons up in arms against him soon found that he had no choice but to submit to their demands and to exile both Despenser the son and the father. Once again, the anger of many of the aristocracy had proved too great a force for Edward to resist.
However, with the object of their anger now gone (or sort of, as Hugh the younger was still hovering around the Cinque ports and the English channel in his new career as a pirate), the coalition lost its cohesion and the barons’ little clique started to fall apart. In contrast, the King suddenly found himself in a much stronger position, and, fuelled with the desire for revenge against those who had humiliated him and his favourites, he sought to bring them down. Summoning those forces still loyal to him, he started to move against the rebel barons, starting with Bartholomew Badlesmere, whose wife had refused Queen Isabella entry to the Badlesmere castle of Leeds. Hereford and Roger started to move their forces to go to Badlesmere’s aid but were halted by an order from Lancaster, who happened to have an intense hatred of the man.
Unsurprisingly, Leeds Castle fell to Edward’s besiegers and 12 of the garrison were hanged. Roger and Hereford were forced northwards, aiming to link with Lancaster’s forces and form a defence against the royalist army. Edward determined to follow them, mustering his army and demanding that the rebels surrender. In addition, he removed Roger from his position as Justiciar of Ireland and his uncle from being Justiciar of Wales. The two Mortimers though, resolved to stand their ground. After all, they had assurances from Lancaster that he would send them military support. In the event though, Lancaster, true to form, did not appear and uncle and nephew, in the words of the Vita ‘deserted their allies, and threw themselves on the lord king's Mercy’.
The surrender was not without issue. The earl of Pembroke had given them terms which meant that, in turn for their capitulation, their lives would be spared and they would be pardoned. However, this was half lie for, upon their arrest, they were not pardoned but were sent to the Tower of London in chains. It did seem though, that for the time being at least, their lives were to be spared.
Hereford had already fled further north, meeting with Lancaster’s forces at Tutbury Castle. Between them they had a considerable force of men, but now the King had even greater numbers, and worse – the Despensers had rejoined him from exile. They decided that it would be folly to stand and face the king and therefore would flee even further north – maybe hoping to garner some help from their erstwhile enemies, the Scots. However, Edward’s army eventually caught up with them and at what would become known as the Battle of Boroughbridge they were completely defeated. It seemed as if any opposition to Edward and Hugh’s regime had now been completely annihilated.
Sources:
The Vita Edwardi Secundi - edited and translated by Wendy R. Childs
The Greatest Traitor - Ian Mortimer
After being knighted it seems that Roger really started to take his role as a knight pretty seriously (although I’m sure it wasn’t down to any great personality change – just better opportunities). He joined the king in his Scottish campaign of 1306, after Robert the Bruce had seized the Scottish throne in March of that year. The army, under the command of Edward, Prince of Caernarvon, had set off almost immediately after the Feast of the Swan – maybe even the day after Hugh Despenser’s wedding to Eleanor de Clare (I think we can assume that Hugh didn’t have much time with his new bride). By autumn, the campaign had proved largely successful, although Bruce had disappeared into the fastnesses of the lochs and mountains to lick his wounds. Full of their victory, a number of the young knights – including Roger, decided to desert the southward bound army in order to journey overseas to take part in a tourney. The king was so furious at this disobedience that he had their lands declared forfeit. However, thanks to the intercession of his queen, this was soon overturned and by the time of the Carlisle parliament at the end of the year, all seemed to be forgiven.
In 1308 Roger decided to go to Ireland, to stamp his authority on the estates he’d come into through his wife. At this time Ireland was a particularly unruly place with clan fighting clan, Norman-Irish lord fighting clan and Norman Irish lords fighting each other. As some native Irish laws forbade any inheritance through women, and Roger’s lands in Ireland had come to him through his wife and grandmother, he must have felt particularly threatened by a rising sentiment of Irish nationalism. During his first trip to Ireland it seems that he worked with Gaveston (who had been sent there as Lieutenant of Ireland by Edward during his first exile) to quell rebellious factions – something which they achieved with great success.
His second visit was in 1310, leaving an England that was once again in turmoil over the barons’ frustration about Edward’s favouritism of Gaveston – to their disadvantage. It seems that Roger deliberately stayed out of the arguments – and did not even answer Edward’s summons for a new (and, as it turned out, unsuccessful) Scottish campaign. Roger remained in Meath for the next couple of years, consolidating his estates and putting down a rebellion by the de Verdon brothers. With the shock death of Gaveston in 1312, Roger returned to England, both out of loyalty to Edward and his kinsman the Earl of Pembroke, and also to help his uncle defend his Welsh estates against the Earl of Lancaster who now had a feud with him.
Not much is known of what Roger did around this time although there is a suggestion that he travelled to Gascony, possibly to deal with a conflict between his wife’s kinsman Amanieu d’Albret and John de Ferrers, the English Seneschal, or maybe on other business for Edward. In any case he was back by June 1314 as he took part in the catastrophic (for the English anyway) Battle of Bannockburn. It is most likely that he fought with Edward’s bodyguard and formed a defensive rearguard as Edward fled. He was lucky not to be among the casualties of the day, but was captured by Bruce’s men and taken to their king. Mortimer was Bruce’s third cousin, as was Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester who was slain on the field. The Bruce magnanimously released Roger without claming a ransom (possibly because of his kinship) and sent him back to England as an escort to the Earl of Gloucester’s body, and Edward’s privy seal and royal shield, both of which had been lost on the battlefield. Although he could count himself lucky to be both alive and free, Roger must also have felt great shame at arriving back at court as the bearer of the reminders of the great English defeat.
Not long after, followed another defeat – this time a personal one. Early in 1315, Roger received information through his informers that Edward and Robert Bruce were planning the invasion of Ireland. Roger left immediately to defend his lands – just as Edward Bruce was sweeping through Connacht. Robert’s brother soon gained a reputation for ruthlessness, particularly after a bloody massacre at Dundalk. This time, however, the English resistance seemed to lack the cohesive quality it had under Gaveston and Roger suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Kells. His army was destroyed by Bruce’s men thanks to the treachery of two of Mortimer’s retainers – Hugh and Walter de Lacy; Roger himself only just escaped with his life, fleeing to Dublin and from there back to England. Ireland was now on the verge of being ruled by Scotland.
Trim Castle, County Meath
Back in England, Roger must have fretted to be allowed to return to Ireland and fight the Scots but for the time being he was required on English business. His experience in the field was called upon twice – to put down the rebellion of Llewellyn Bren in Wales and to subdue another rebellion of Bristol merchants. Both tasks were carried out successfully.
Meanwhile in Ireland, Edward the Bruce and his army were wreaking terrible destruction throughout the land, plundering and burning whole areas and committing the population - already suffering from the great famine of that time – to appalling suffering. The English justiciar and other Anglo-Norman lords tried their best to fight back but were defeated time and again. It looked as though, with Edward Bruce crowning himself King of Ireland in January 1316, that Ireland was a lost cause. Roger had proved himself to be a capable strategist and brave commander in the field and it was to him that Edward II turned in desperation. On 23rd November 1316, Roger was made the King’s Lieutenant of Ireland and sent to fight the Scots with a royal army and funding from the Crown.
He spent the next few months planning his campaign and garnering support and intelligence sources. The logistics of moving such a large number of men, horses and supplies over the Irish Sea was mind-boggling and gradually time began to slip away as the preparations took on monstrous dimensions. In Ireland meanwhile, taking advantage of these almost farcical events, Edward Bruce had now been joined by his brother Robert to ensure that the Irish would stand firm against any new invasion from England. From the previous attempts to oust them it looked as if they had little to fear anyway.
In April 1317, Roger’s army finally made landfall on the Irish coast at Youghal. It was an impressive host and looked as if it meant business – certainly not the bedraggled men that the Bruces seemed to have been expecting. To make matters worse for them, the native Irish, tired of the Scottish oppression and brutality, welcomed the English attackers, swelling their ranks with their own conscripts. Seeing the tide suddenly turning against them, and with their own men tired and hungry, the Bruces were forced to flee north, into Ulster. Roger did not follow them immediately, but set about restoring order in the south and winning the hearts and minds of its people. He also took the opportunity for a bit of revenge against those who had betrayed him previously – especially the de Lacy clan who he roundly defeated in a battle in early June. Hugh and Walter de Lacy were not killed but were forced to flee to Scotland as outlaws and felons. Their property was confiscated.
Roger now seemed to rule in southern Ireland like a king, making grants of land to his loyal retainers and performing knighting ceremonies (one of those knighted was his young son, John, who was probably only about nine or ten at the time). His authority was complete and he continued to lead his army against pockets of resistance, successfully quelling them all. From England, Edward issued a series of orders that at times undermined his lieutenant’s command. It was almost as if Edward sensed that Mortimer was getting above himself and was trying to reign him in and show him who was really boss. But Roger continued to practically do whatever he wished – although he was careful not to rile Edward too much. Even so, this is probably the first glimpse we see of a power struggle between the two – one that was to soon escalate out of all proportion in the coming years.
There was only one victory left for Roger to achieve – the final push against the Scots in the north. However, before he could start serious preparations for his campaign, he was summoned back to England, his role as Lieutenant at an end: Edward wanted him where he could control him. We will never know how Roger felt at his command being taken from him but he must have felt rage, and a sense of betrayal at not being allowed to finish what he had started. In one last act of revenge against the family who had acted so treacherously against him, he summoned John de Lacy (an illegitimate son of either Hugh or Walter) to him at Trim Castle. De Lacy had been captured and previously imprisoned at Dublin – but this was not enough for Mortimer. De Lacy’s family had abandoned him on the field at Kells and later, had murdered an emissary and one of Roger’s friends in a shocking act of cold-blooded thuggery. The man now before Roger was to pay the price – and was sentenced to be imprisoned at Trim – and starved to death. The order given, Roger sailed for England in early May 1318 to find that, at court, everything had changed and there was a new favourite pulling the strings of power: his old enemy Hugh Despenser the younger.
Sources:
The Greatest Traitor - Ian Mortimer
Ok, I admit that it has nothing to do with chocolate and not alot to do with Easter either but, as I'm still in the process of researching Roger Part 2, I wanted to give you all a fun post for over the Easter holiday. So, in eerie synchronisation with Alianore and Susan, I have managed to pull together some funny searches that have hit my blog over the past few weeks. Apologies if any are from you out there - but no offence is intended (you should see some of the strange stuff I've put into Google in the past!).
when did death by quartering end?
Usually when the person was dead - which was probably a bit before the quartering if the usual processes were followed!
dad and servant lady
Just what sort of site do you think this is? There again, maybe it was meant to refer to Hugh the elder and an unknown dalliance with a washer-woman.
torture hugh despencer
Now, really, that is just not nice. What did he ever do to you?
tutivillus heights
Sounds like a prime medieval housing location!
what does a lady's job in the middle ages do in preparation for the king
That depends on what the lady's 'job' entailed. But if it was that sort of a job then she wouldn't have been much of a lady! There again, perhaps she was just wanting to iron his underpants (OK, OK, I know they didn't have underpants)!
what sort of punishment is drawing?
That depends on whether you like still life or not.
what happened to chepstow castle
I don't know, it was still there the last time I looked.
hugh despenser penis
Oh here we go again (yawn) 0h the strange obsession with Hugh's genitals, as observed by Alianore in her latest post. Now if only I had a pound...
king of power2
What Edward II would have liked to have been known as.
self defence abh
Wasn't that what Hugh claimed when he attacked John de Ros?
roman reused
?????????
lady d memory
Now either this refers to my ability to recall things - which as anyone who knows me will tell you is rather unpredictable, or else I'm supposed to be dead. Personally I prefer the former.
why did the yorkist win the battle of tewkesbury
Why did the chicken cross the road? Come on, where's the punch line?
most dreadful forms of execution
Obviously should include drawing (see above). I'm sure whatever method was used was dreadful to the person it was being used on!
what did hanging drawing and quartering symbolise
Ummm.... death?
caerphilly castle scaffolding
Yes, it's b****y annoying, isn't it? Especially when you want to get a good photo of the castle. I can't see why anyone would want to Google it though *shrugs*
Anyway, happy Easter to all! May the good chocolate fairy smile kindly on every one of you ;-)
This post is the first in a new mini-series of posts about Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore and later the 1st Earl of March. Being the nemesis of both Hugh Despenser and Edward II, as well as the possible lover of queen Isabella, he deserves a little section all to himself!
Coat of arms of Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March
So ‘our’ Roger grew up in an atmosphere steeped in military lore, an attitude further reinforced by the fact that the Mortimers were first and foremost Marcher Lords, controlling lands inhabited by an often rebellious native Welsh population. The aristocracy had always been a warrior class, its males brought up to handle weapons and fight battles – but for Roger, warfare seemed to be truly in his blood. Up until the age of seven, he probably remained at Wigmore – under the control of his mother (when she was there), and grandmother. After that, like all boys, he would have been sent out to the household of another lord – usually a relative – to receive further training to prepare him for knighthood. There is nothing to tell us where he went, but two possibilities stand out more than others.
Coat of arms of Roger de Mortimer of Chirk
The second possibility is that Roger grew up in the household of Prince Edward of Caernarvon – later to become Edward II. The prince had several young nobles in his retinue as companions, and all tended to play a part in his later life. After Edmund Mortimer’s death, Roger became a royal ward under Prince Edward. Edward then gifted the wardship upon his dearest companion, Piers Gaveston. This was an extremely valuable wardship for someone of Gaveston’s status and it would have had to have been agreed to by Edward I. According to Ian Mortimer, the fact that it happened so smoothly suggests that Roger had already had some sort of relationship (not that sort!) with either Gaveston or Edward.
The wardship did not last long however. By 1304, an amount had been agreed with Gaveston for Roger to buy himself out of it. 2,500 marks was a lot of money, but it seems that Roger somehow found the amount (although maybe not in one go) by 1305. Even so, he was not granted full control over his estates until April 1306. That he could do so must have been agreed by the king himself for Mortimer was still technically underage by two years – Edward I was obviously impressed enough by this young man to entrust him with the heavy responsibilities of a feudal lord.
Indeed, he was already further advanced along the path of manhood than many of his contemporaries for he was also a married man and a father. His marriage had taken place on the 20th September 1301 (when he was 14) at the family manor of Pembridge. His bride was Joan de Geneville, the daughter of Peter and granddaughter and heiress of Geoffrey de Geneville, a lord who held large estates in both England and Ireland. Joan was fifteen at the time of the marriage so it is likely that the marriage was consummated immediately. In any case, the marriage certainly was to prove fruitful (and, it must be assumed, successful) in light of the numbers of children they produced together. By the time Roger came into full possession of his lands in 1306 at 19, they already had at least two children together.
In 1306, Roger was knighted at the Feast of the Swan along with 266 others – including his uncle Roger, who for all his years on the battlefield, had not yet been dubbed. It was a ceremony without precedence for its size and grandeur – England had never seen so many men made into knights at one go. This wasn’t just for show though – the king had a purpose in bringing so many of his lords together: he was planning another campaign into Scotland. The Feast of the Swan was the ultimate morale booster.
Sources:
The Greatest Traitor, Ian Mortimer
ODNB
York Minster
Beverley Minster
Rievaulx Abbey
Scarborough Castle Keep
Lincoln Cathedral (does anyone else spot a twin-towered theme going on?)
