Susannah (?)1

F, #2492, d. after 1726

Marriage* Principal=William Griffith1 
Death*after 1726 1 
Married Name Griffith1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Molly Noble1

F, #2493

Marriage*5 August 1746 Wilton, Fairfield, CT, Principal=Nathaniel Griffith1 
Married Name Griffith1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Elizabeth Griffith1

F, #2494, b. circa 1732, d. 6 March 1779

Father*Stephen Griffith1 b. c 1693
Mother*Hannah Norcross1 b. 16 Feb 1698/99
Elizabeth Griffith|b. c 1732\nd. 6 Mar 1779|p84.htm#i2494|Stephen Griffith|b. c 1693|p83.htm#i2483|Hannah Norcross|b. 16 Feb 1698/99|p7.htm#i192|William Griffith|b. s 1663\nd. b 23 Jul 1734|p83.htm#i2468|Mary (?)||p83.htm#i2469|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Hannah Sanderson|d. 14 Mar 1743|p14.htm#i412|

Birth*circa 1732 1 
Marriage*14 October 1753 Norwalk, Fairfield, CT, Principal=Isaac Betts1 
Death*6 March 1779 1 
Married Name14 October 1753 Betts1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Isaac Betts1

M, #2495

Marriage*14 October 1753 Norwalk, Fairfield, CT, Principal=Elizabeth Griffith1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Seth Griffith1

M, #2496, b. 23 October 1737, d. before 1790

Father*Stephen Griffith1 b. c 1693
Mother*Hannah Norcross1 b. 16 Feb 1698/99
Seth Griffith|b. 23 Oct 1737\nd. b 1790|p84.htm#i2496|Stephen Griffith|b. c 1693|p83.htm#i2483|Hannah Norcross|b. 16 Feb 1698/99|p7.htm#i192|William Griffith|b. s 1663\nd. b 23 Jul 1734|p83.htm#i2468|Mary (?)||p83.htm#i2469|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Hannah Sanderson|d. 14 Mar 1743|p14.htm#i412|

Baptism*23 October 1737 Hardwick, Worcester, MA1 
Marriage*1756 Principal=Polly Wescott1 
Death*before 1790 Rensselaer, NY1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Polly Wescott1

F, #2497

Marriage*1756 Principal=Seth Griffith1 
Married Name Griffith1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Silas Griffith1

M, #2498

Father*Stephen Griffith1 b. c 1693
Mother*Hannah Norcross1 b. 16 Feb 1698/99
Silas Griffith||p84.htm#i2498|Stephen Griffith|b. c 1693|p83.htm#i2483|Hannah Norcross|b. 16 Feb 1698/99|p7.htm#i192|William Griffith|b. s 1663\nd. b 23 Jul 1734|p83.htm#i2468|Mary (?)||p83.htm#i2469|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Hannah Sanderson|d. 14 Mar 1743|p14.htm#i412|

Residence*1765 Redding, CT1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Samuel Griffith1

M, #2499, b. circa 1700, d. after 1770

Father*William Griffith1 b. s 1663, d. b 23 Jul 1734
Mother*Mary (?)1
Samuel Griffith|b. c 1700\nd. a 1770|p84.htm#i2499|William Griffith|b. s 1663\nd. b 23 Jul 1734|p83.htm#i2468|Mary (?)||p83.htm#i2469|William Griffith|b. c 1638\nd. a 1710|p83.htm#i2466|Lydia (?)|b. c 1640|p410.htm#i12296|||||||

Birth*circa 1700 1 
Marriage*24 September 1723 Rochester, Plymouth, MA, Principal=Eleanor Estey1 
Death*after 1770 1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Eleanor Estey1

F, #2500

Marriage*24 September 1723 Rochester, Plymouth, MA, Principal=Samuel Griffith1 
Married Name24 September 1723 Griffith1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S198] Descendants of William Griffith, online http://members.surfbest.net/rgriffithone@surfbest.net/Griffith/griff00t.htm.

Susanna (?)1

F, #2503

Marriage*18 November 1673 Watertown, Middlesex, MA, Principal=Richard Norcross1 
Married Name18 November 1673 Norcross1 
Married Name Shattuck1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 376.

Joseph Child Jr.1

M, #2505

Marriage*23 September 1680 Principal=Sarah Norcross1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

John Stearns1

M, #2506

Marriage*2 April 1713 Principal=Mary Norcross1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Richard Norcross1

M, #2507, b. 30 December 1687

Father*Richard Norcross1 b. 4 Aug 1660, d. 1745
Mother*Rose Woodward1
Richard Norcross|b. 30 Dec 1687|p84.htm#i2507|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Rose Woodward||p19.htm#i569|Richard Norcross|b. 11 Dec 1621\nd. 1709|p14.htm#i408|Mary Brooks|b. c 1630\nd. 24 Feb 1671/72|p14.htm#i404|||||||

Birth*30 December 1687 1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Samuel Norcross1

M, #2508, b. 14 October 1689, d. 1724

Father*Richard Norcross1 b. 4 Aug 1660, d. 1745
Mother*Rose Woodward1
Samuel Norcross|b. 14 Oct 1689\nd. 1724|p84.htm#i2508|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Rose Woodward||p19.htm#i569|Richard Norcross|b. 11 Dec 1621\nd. 1709|p14.htm#i408|Mary Brooks|b. c 1630\nd. 24 Feb 1671/72|p14.htm#i404|||||||

Birth*14 October 1689 1 
Death*1724 Durham, CT1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Abigail Norcross1

F, #2509, b. 11 July 1692

Father*Richard Norcross1 b. 4 Aug 1660, d. 1745
Mother*Rose Woodward1
Abigail Norcross|b. 11 Jul 1692|p84.htm#i2509|Richard Norcross|b. 4 Aug 1660\nd. 1745|p14.htm#i411|Rose Woodward||p19.htm#i569|Richard Norcross|b. 11 Dec 1621\nd. 1709|p14.htm#i408|Mary Brooks|b. c 1630\nd. 24 Feb 1671/72|p14.htm#i404|||||||

Birth*11 July 1692 1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Faith Page1

F, #2510, b. 6 November 1707

Birth*6 November 1707 1 
Marriage*28 January 1730/31 Groton, MA, Principal=Jeremiah Norcross1 
Married Name28 January 1730/31 Norcross1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Elizabeth Benjamin1

F, #2511

Marriage*27 March 1742 Principal=Peter Norcross1 
Married Name27 March 1742 Norcross1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Lydia Wheeler1

F, #2512

Marriage*6 November 1741 Shrewsbury, MA, Principal=William Norcross1 
Married Name6 November 1741 Norcross1 

Last Edited14 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 377.

Bridget (?)1

F, #2513

ChartsParley P. Pratt Pedigree

Marriage* Principal=Bigod Eggleston1 
Married Name Eggleston1 

Family

Bigod Eggleston b. 20 Feb 1586, d. 1 Sep 1674
Child

Last Edited24 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S200] MD Henry Bond, Early Settlers of Watertown, p. 416.

Sir Thomas de Furnival1

M, #2514, b. circa 1270, d. 3 February 1332

 

Father*Thomas de Furnival b. 1229, d. 12 May 1291; son and heir2,3,4
Sir Thomas de Furnival|b. c 1270\nd. 3 Feb 1332|p84.htm#i2514|Thomas de Furnival|b. 1229\nd. 12 May 1291|p84.htm#i2520||||Thomas de Furnival|d. b 28 Jul 1260|p85.htm#i2521|Bertha de Ferrers||p85.htm#i2522|||||||

ChartsAnn Marbury Pedigree

Birth*circa 1270 1 
Marriage*before January 1272/73 Bride=Joan le Despenser1,4 
Marriage*before 8 June 1322 2nd=Elizabeth de Mountfort5 
Death*3 February 1332 1,5,4 
Arms* D'argent ou la bende de gulez ou vi martelez de gules (Falkirk). De argent a une bende e vi mereloz de goules (Parl., 1,2,3,4,5 Nob). "The handsome Thomas de Furnival, who when seated on horseback does not resemble a man asleep, bore Six martlets and a red bend in a white banner" (Carlaverock). Sealed, 1301: A bend bet. 6 martlets (Birch).5
Event-Misc*5 June 1291 He had livery of his father's lands5 
Event-Misc8 June 1294 He was to attend the king wherever he might be4 
Summoned*between 1 August 1295 and 1324 parliament5 
Event-Misc12 November 1296 Granted markets, fairs, and free warren at his Manors of Worksop and Sheffield5 
Summoned7 July 1297 serve against the Scots, having £20 lands in Notts. and Derb.5 
Occupation*23 November 1298 Captain of the troops in Notts. and Derb.5 
Summoned17 November 1299 lead men to Berwick, against the Scots5 
Summoned14 January 1300 summon knights to the King at Carlisle5 
Summoned24 June 1300 serve against the Scots, having £40 lands in Yorks.5 
Event-Misc1301 Seals letter to the Pope as Lord of Sheffield5 
Summoned1 March 1301 purvey wheat and oats from Derb. and arrange men's journey to proceed against the Scots5 
Event-Misc1 April 1307 He was pardoned for acquiring sine lic. Eyum Manor, Derb.5 
Summoned18 January 1308 Coronation of King Edward II5 
Feudal*5 March 1316 Bingham cum Saxondale, Sutton, Weston, Ossington, Gresthorp, Normanton, and Worksop, Notts., Treeton, Whiston, Ecclesfield, Sheffield, Handworth, and Bradfield, Yorks.5 
Event-Misc18 June 1320 He was conservator of the Peace for Notts.5 
Event-Misc*8 June 1322 Pardoned for marrying sine lic., Principal=Elizabeth de Mountfort5 
Summoned13 February 1323 go without delay with horses and arms and as much power as possible to Lancs., to support Jn. Darcy le Neveu in protecting Hornby Castle against the Scots5 
Event-Misc*12 March 1324 Sir Thos. de F., Kt., and his s. Thos. owe 500 m. in Notts. (C. R.), Principal=Sir Thomas de Furnival5 

Family

Joan le Despenser b. c 1259, d. b 8 Jun 1322
Children

Last Edited3 Apr 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-30.
  3. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 92.
  4. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 117.
  5. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 93.

Joan le Despenser1

F, #2515, b. circa 1259, d. before 8 June 1322

Father*Sir Hugh le Despenser1 b. 1223, d. 4 Aug 1265
Mother*Aline Basset1 b. 1245, d. b 11 Apr 1281
Joan le Despenser|b. c 1259\nd. b 8 Jun 1322|p84.htm#i2515|Sir Hugh le Despenser|b. 1223\nd. 4 Aug 1265|p84.htm#i2516|Aline Basset|b. 1245\nd. b 11 Apr 1281|p84.htm#i2517|Sir Hugh le Despenser|d. bt 23 Feb 1238 - 30 May 1238|p490.htm#i14691||||Sir Philip Basset|d. 29 Oct 1271|p84.htm#i2518|Hawise de Lovaine||p84.htm#i2519|

ChartsAnn Marbury Pedigree

Birth*circa 1259 2 
Marriage*before January 1272/73 1st=Sir Thomas de Furnival1,3 
Death*before 8 June 1322 1,4 
Married Namebefore January 1273 Furnival1 
Event-MiscJanuary 1273 He owes to Joan, d. of Hugh le Despenser, 1000 m., on condition that if his s. h. Thomas, a minor married to Joan by his fathr's wish, shall presume to do anything against that marriage when he comes of age, then Thos. de F., sen., shall pay the 1000 m. within a year after Thos. de F., jun., has protested aagainst the marriage., Principal=Thomas de Furnival5 

Family

Sir Thomas de Furnival b. c 1270, d. 3 Feb 1332
Children

Last Edited22 May 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 67.
  3. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 117.
  4. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 68.
  5. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 92.
  6. [S284] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, Marmion 7.
  7. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 93.

Sir Hugh le Despenser1

M, #2516, b. 1223, d. 4 August 1265

 

Father*Sir Hugh le Despenser2 d. bt 23 Feb 1238 - 30 May 1238
Sir Hugh le Despenser|b. 1223\nd. 4 Aug 1265|p84.htm#i2516|Sir Hugh le Despenser|d. bt 23 Feb 1238 - 30 May 1238|p490.htm#i14691||||Thomas Despencer|b. c 1170\nd. b 1218|p136.htm#i4073|Rohaise (?)||p136.htm#i4074|||||||

ChartsAnn Marbury Pedigree

Birth*1223 1 
Marriage* 1st=Aline Basset1,2 
Death*4 August 1265 Evesham, slain1,2 
Burial* Evesham Abbey3 
DNB Despenser, Sir Hugh (c.1223-1265), justiciar, was a middle-ranking baron who became a leading supporter of Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and the last holder of the office of justiciar of England re-established after the baronial seizure of power in 1258. He inherited his estates, which were mainly in Leicestershire, from his father, Hugh Despenser (d. 1238), who was a hereditary officer of Earl Ranulf of Chester, and high in the favour of Henry III. In recognition of his father's faithful service, the king in February 1238 permitted Despenser to marry as his friends thought best for his advancement. His wardship was bestowed on his uncle Geoffrey Despenser, he was given respite of knighthood in July 1244, and in the following January he received two casks of wine for the feast to celebrate his knighthood. Other marks of royal goodwill included gifts of timber in 1247 and 1249, and of free warren on an estate in Rutland in 1253.

From the late 1250s Despenser began to figure increasingly prominently in public affairs. In 1255 he was appointed constable of the royal castle at Horston, Derbyshire, for five years, and between April and September 1257 he was a member of the retinue of the king's brother Richard of Cornwall on his visit to Aachen for his coronation as king of the Romans. Next year he was included in the baronial twelve appointed to help draw up the provisions of Oxford, and under its terms he became a member of the committee of twelve chosen to represent the baronage at parliaments, and was reappointed constable of Horston Castle. He had been a friend of Simon de Montfort since at least 1256 when the two men undertook with others to arrange the politically sensitive marriage of Henry, son and heir of Edmund de Lacy, and on 1 January 1259 Montfort named him as an associate executor of his will, but this is not necessarily evidence of firm political loyalties. By early 1260 Despenser was married to Alina, daughter of Philip Basset, an influential magnate also involved in the Lacy covenant and a member of the parliamentary committee of twelve, who increasingly sided with the king. Moreover in August 1260 Despenser was one of the nobles summoned to London even though known supporters of Montfort were omitted, and the following month he was a member of the Lord Edward's household. His son and heir Hugh Despenser, the ill-starred favourite of Edward II, was born on 1 March 1261.

For unexplained reasons Despenser never took up his duties as justice on the special eyre in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire in November 1259. Nevertheless about 20 October 1260 a committee of five chosen by the royal council rejected the king's own nominee and chose instead Despenser to replace Hugh Bigod, the brother of the earl of Norfolk, as justiciar and keeper of the Tower of London, with an annual salary of 1000 marks. He thus became the chief administrative and judicial officer of the king, one of the appointments that caused Henry III to complain that the new baronial officials ‘were wholly ignorant of their offices’ (Treharne and Sanders no. 30, 215). Regardless of this Despenser discharged the omnicompetent duties of his predecessor and was particularly active trying cases on the special eyre in Sussex in the winter of 1260–61. Together with Philip Basset, his father-in-law, he was also retained as a member of the king's household in December 1260. About 12 June 1261 however, after Henry III had regained his authority, he was dismissed as justiciar and keeper of the Tower, despite his protests that he could not be removed against the wishes of the barons, and replaced by Basset. He was not among the king's tenants-in-chief summoned to London in October 1261, and in June 1262 he was deprived of Horston Castle. By then Despenser's family was irreconcilably divided. Basset sided with the king, but Despenser himself, his brother-in-law John fitz John (who was also the nephew of Hugh Bigod), his cousin John Despenser (son of his former guardian), and John's half-brother, Roger de St John (who was probably married to Hugh Despenser's sister), supported Simon de Montfort.

When Montfort regained the ascendancy, Despenser was reappointed justiciar and keeper of the Tower, between 15 and 18 July 1263, on the usual salary, and later that year, between 23 September and 7 October, acted as regent during the king's visit to France. By the end of October, however, as disorder spread, he ceased to function as justiciar, although he seems to have kept control of the Tower. On 13 December 1263 he was one of the king's opponents who agreed to submit the baronial cause to the arbitration of Louis IX, but he rejected the king's abrogation of the provisions of Oxford. In March 1264, as keeper of the Tower, he led an angry crowd of Londoners who sacked Richard of Cornwall's manor of Isleworth, Middlesex, but in April he gave refuge in the Tower to the City's Jewish community which was being despoiled by, among others, John fitz John. At the battle of Lewes on 14 May 1264 Despenser fought in the front rank of the victorious rebel army, and forced his wounded father-in-law to surrender. No doubt it was at the request of his solicitous sons-in-law that Basset received a royal grant of venison and conies three weeks later. Despenser was also probably behind moves to secure the release of his cousin John, who had been captured fighting the king at Northampton.

With Montfort's triumph Despenser became a leading figure in the new government. He resumed his duties as justiciar on the customary salary, and was promised a staff of a hundred knights or serjeants to distrain offenders against the church. Although not formally a member of the new ruling Council of Nine, which included Roger de St John, he participated in its discussions, attended parliaments, authorized writs, and witnessed numerous royal charters. He was present at Westminster on 3 November 1264, when Henry, prior of St Radegund, took up his duties as treasurer, and on 25 February 1265, when Thomas de Cantilupe was appointed chancellor, the king himself folding the writ. He was also in attendance at Hereford on 7 May 1265 when special arrangements were approved for Cantilupe's absence from court.

Despenser was given a key role in co-ordinating the defences of the country to meet the threat of invasion by the king's supporters who had fled abroad. He assembled troops at London and ships at Sandwich, had custody at different times of the castles of Devizes, Oxford (later committed to Roger de St John), Orford, and Nottingham, and was given special responsibility for the defence of the coastline of East Anglia. As the threat of invasion passed he became increasingly active in the desperate search for a settlement with the king. On 11 and 15 September 1264 his name was included in panels to amend the new form of government, and on 24 September he went to France as a baronial envoy to inform the papal legate Guy Foulquois, cardinal-bishop of Sabina, that the barons were prepared to modify the Provisons of Oxford if the king would promise to expel aliens and rule through natives. Despenser was among those who were excommunicated on 20 October when they refused to submit.

Despenser profited considerably from his alliance with Montfort, despite the view of some that he was never fully rewarded for his support. In September 1264, eight years after the Lacy agreement, he was allowed to purchase the wardship on preferential terms. Robert de Pierpoint, who had been captured at Lewes, was kept in Despenser's prison until he undertook to pay a ransom of 700 marks, and Marmaduke Thweng, another of his prisoners, also had to be ransomed. Despenser, for his part, could be relied on to use his authority in favour of the Montfort family. On 30 June 1264 he headed a court that awarded vindictive damages of 10,000 marks, to be paid within ten days, against William (VI) de Briouze for allegedly ravaging one of the younger Simon de Montfort's manors, and on 18 November he was an obvious choice for the committee to adjudicate on the difficult problem of Eleanor de Montfort's dower.

Leaving his wife in the Tower, Despenser accompanied Montfort on his last campaign in the marches in the summer of 1265, and with John fitz John and others tried unsuccessfully to resolve the dispute between the earl and his fellow triumvir Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester. The collapse of Montfort's power brought disaster for Despenser and most of his relatives. John Despenser was captured at Kenilworth, and in the battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265 Roger de St John was slain, and Despenser himself, having refused to flee, was killed, reportedly by the thrust of a dagger. With the king's permission, his body was buried, with that of Montfort, at the foot of the steps before the high altar of the abbey church, where his remains were reported to have performed miracles, curing blind and disabled people. His widow surrendered the Tower before seeking the protection of her father, who was given Despenser's lands for his services to the king. Alina married as her second husband, by October 1271, Roger (III) Bigod, earl of Norfolk, the brother of the man Despenser had replaced as justiciar in 1260. She died in 1281.

Clive H. Knowles
Sources

Chancery records · Ann. mon., vols. 2, 4 · T. Stapleton, ed., De antiquis legibus liber: cronica majorum et vicecomitum Londoniarum, CS, 34 (1846) · [W. Rishanger], The chronicle of William de Rishanger, of the barons' wars, ed. J. O. Halliwell, CS, 15 (1840) · The historical works of Gervase of Canterbury, ed. W. Stubbs, 2 vols., Rolls Series, 73 (1879–80) · H. R. Luard, ed., Flores historiarum, 3 vols., Rolls Series, 95 (1890), vols. 2–3 · J. Stevenson, ed., Chronica de Mailros, Bannatyne Club, 49 (1835) · E. B. Fryde and others, eds., Handbook of British chronology, 3rd edn, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, 2 (1986) · C. H. Knowles, ‘The justiciarship in England, 1258–65’, British government and administration: studies presented to S. B. Chrimes, ed. H. Hearder and H. R. Loyn (1974) · R. F. Treharne and I. J. Sanders, eds., Documents of the baronial movement of reform and rebellion, 1258–1267 (1973) · GEC, Peerage
Wealth at death

lands seized: CIPM, 1, nos. 769, 771, 772, 798, 856
© Oxford University Press 2004–5
All rights reserved: see legal notice      Oxford University Press


Clive H. Knowles, ‘Despenser, Sir Hugh (c.1223-1265)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7552, accessed 24 Sept 2005]

Sir Hugh Despenser (c.1223-1265): doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/75524 
Note* The descent of the Spencer family from the le Despenser family is reported by Earl Spencer's 2004 book. However, it is considered to be spurious by scholars. See discussion on gen-medieval-l@rootsweb.com (archives) during mid-April 2005 sub (Hugh le Despenser) -GEB 
Event-Misc*1 January 1244/45 He was given two casks of the King's wine for the feast of his Knighthood3 
Residence* Loughborough, Leicestershire, England1 
Event-Misc7 November 1255 He was appointed constable of Herron Castle for 5 years3 
Event-Misc*April 1257 He went to Aachen with Richard, Earl of Cornwall for Richard's coronation as King of the Romans, Principal=Richard of England3 
Summoned14 March 1257/58 serve against the Welsh3 
Event-MiscJune 1258 Oxford, He was chosen one of twelve barons to deal with the King's council in parliament3 
Event-Misc*25 October 1260 He was appointed Justiciar of England1,3 
Event-MiscJune 1261 He was removed as Justiciar by Henry III3 
Summoned25 May 1263 serve against the Welsh3 
Event-Misc16 July 1263 He was reappointed Justiciar3 
Event-MiscMarch 1264 While Constable of the Tower, he led rioters in sacking the mansion of the King of the Romans at Isleworth3 
(Simon) Battle-Lewes14 May 1264 The Battle of Lewes, Lewes, Sussex, England, when King Henry and Prince Edward were captured by Simon of Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Simon ruled England in Henry's name until his defeat at Evesham, Principal=Henry III Plantagenet King of England, Principal=Simon VI de Montfort5,6,7,8,9,10 
Event-Misc11 September 1264 He was appointed arbiter to consider peace between the King and the Barons3 
Summoned*24 December 1264 Parliament3 
(Simon) Battle-Evesham4 August 1265 Evesham, Principal=Edward I "Longshanks" Plantagenet King of England, Principal=Simon VI de Montfort11,12,13 

Family

Aline Basset b. 1245, d. b 11 Apr 1281
Children

Last Edited24 Sep 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 82.
  3. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 67.
  4. [S376] Unknown editor, unknown short title.
  5. [S284] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, Plantagenet 4.
  6. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 5, p. 10.
  7. [S284] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, Fitz Alan 7.
  8. [S342] Sir Bernard Burke, Extinct Peerages, p. 21.
  9. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 218.
  10. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 34.
  11. [S342] Sir Bernard Burke, Extinct Peerages, p. 15.
  12. [S342] Sir Bernard Burke, Extinct Peerages, p. 27.
  13. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 31.
  14. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 58-30.
  15. [S297] Charles Spencer, The Spencers, (not seen, reported on e-mail address).
  16. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 216.

Aline Basset1

F, #2517, b. 1245, d. before 11 April 1281

Father*Sir Philip Basset1 d. 29 Oct 1271
Mother*Hawise de Lovaine1
Aline Basset|b. 1245\nd. b 11 Apr 1281|p84.htm#i2517|Sir Philip Basset|d. 29 Oct 1271|p84.htm#i2518|Hawise de Lovaine||p84.htm#i2519|Alan Basset|b. c 1155\nd. 1233|p210.htm#i6279|Aline de Gay|b. c 1159|p210.htm#i6280|Sir Matthew de Lovaine Knt.|d. b Jun 1258|p367.htm#i11000|Muriel (?)||p367.htm#i11001|

ChartsAnn Marbury Pedigree

Birth*1245 2 
Birth1246 1 
Marriage* 2nd=Sir Hugh le Despenser1,3 
Marriage* without issue, Groom=Roger Bigod3 
Death*before 11 April 1281 1,4 
Married Name le Despenser1 

Family

Sir Hugh le Despenser b. 1223, d. 4 Aug 1265
Children

Last Edited30 Apr 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 13.
  3. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 82.
  4. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, p. 278.
  5. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 58-30.
  6. [S297] Charles Spencer, The Spencers, (not seen, reported on e-mail address).
  7. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 216.

Sir Philip Basset1

M, #2518, d. 29 October 1271

 
 

Father*Alan Basset2 b. c 1155, d. 1233
Mother*Aline de Gay2 b. c 1159
Sir Philip Basset|d. 29 Oct 1271|p84.htm#i2518|Alan Basset|b. c 1155\nd. 1233|p210.htm#i6279|Aline de Gay|b. c 1159|p210.htm#i6280|Thomas Bassett|d. c Feb 1181|p210.htm#i6282|Adeliza Dunstanville|d. a 1186|p210.htm#i6283|Steven de Gay||p210.htm#i6284|Aline Pippard||p210.htm#i6285|

Marriage* Principal=Hawise de Lovaine1 
Of* Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England2 
Marriage*before 23 March 1254/55 2nd=Ela Longespée2,3,4 
Death*29 October 1271 2,4,5 
Burial* Stanley, Wiltshire, England2,4 
Death1272 1 
DNB* Basset, Philip (d. 1271), justiciar and royalist nobleman, was a younger son and eventually—on the death of his brother, Fulk Basset, bishop of London, in 1259—heir of Alan Basset, lord of Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Despite a strong family tradition of royal service, which Basset continued by his presumably youthful participation in Henry III's expedition to Brittany and Poitou in 1230, Philip Basset and several of his brothers (he had at least four) were at the heart of the rebellion of 1233–4 against the Poitevin faction, for Henry had seized a Basset manor in favour of a foreigner and had disgraced the justiciar Hubert de Burgh, for whom the Basset family had worked during Henry's minority. However, on the death in 1234 of the rebellion's head, the earl marshal, Henry granted the rebels peace and restoration. Basset went on crusade in 1240 with the king's brother, Richard of Cornwall, henceforth a lifelong associate. In the 1240s and 1250s he served the king in many matters, military, administrative, and judicial. Evidently often at court, he witnessed many charters and received frequent gifts from the king. No great interruption occurred as a result of his support of Fulk in the latter's clash with the king in 1251 over the disgrace of Henry of Bath, senior justice coram rege and a Basset relation.

When the greatest crisis of the reign broke in 1258, Basset's omission from the twelve chosen by the king for the twenty-four to formulate a plan of reform probably does not denote that he had deserted Henry. Rather, he was not quite important enough to be included; Fulk, the head of his family, was in the king's twelve however. Yet if it is correct to classify Basset as a royalist at this date, he must be considered a moderate royalist—a characterization applying to the rest of his life. His name was evidently acceptable to the barons when they were choosing the twelve to act on their behalf in parliaments. He was also named in the twenty-four chosen to arrange taxation. After Fulk's death in May 1259 Basset became an arbitrator on the demands of Simon de Montfort and his wife against Henry, and he filled a vacancy on the most important body, the Council of Fifteen, which was a mixture of royalists and reformers. The council had to split in the king's forthcoming absence, and Basset was designated in October among those who should remain in England, with the justiciar Hugh Bigod. He was active in the justiciar's administration, and Henry's letters from France show an increasing reliance on Bigod and Basset at the expense of the radical reformers. After Henry's return in April 1260 Basset's involvement in administration continued, and he was prominent in the group who advised the king now that Henry had largely freed himself from the Council of Fifteen. Basset was also entrusted with castles from November 1259 onwards. When Henry reasserted his authority at Whitsuntide 1261, although he dared not abolish the justiciarship, he hoped to turn it to his advantage by appointing his henchman to it. There are hints that Basset chafed at Henry's restriction of the judicial role of the office to little more than the presidency of the court coram rege, by contrast with the wide-ranging eyres envisaged in the 1258 scheme of reform and partly implemented by the previous holders of the resurrected office. However, though rarely mentioned in royal records, Basset loyally dispatched much judicial business and many kinds of administrative business. His function as the head of government, under the king, is signalled by his employment as the leading member of the regency council when Henry went abroad in July 1262 and by Henry's frequent letters from abroad ordering him to act in matters great and small. This monitoring by the king, together with disturbances in the Welsh marches and a visit of Simon de Montfort to encourage his supporters, may, however, have weakened the justiciar's authority, and the royalist position was crumbling by the time of Henry's return in December.

By July 1263 Basset was probably one of the few accompanying Henry at the Tower of London, and the capitulation to their opponents entailed Basset's loss of the justiciarship (between about 15 and 18 July) to its previous occupant, Hugh Despenser. While justiciar, Basset was also, for various periods, sheriff of four shires and constable of at least five castles, and he was sufficiently trusted by the new regime to be kept in such positions. But he worked against the constraints imposed on the king, and incurred destruction of property (probably in March 1264) for his stance. Basset was prominent at the royalist capture of Northampton on 5 April, which seemed a decisive defeat for the Montfortians. There is a hint that he expected Henry to reappoint him as justiciar. Even if disappointed by Henry's policy of merely ignoring Despenser, Basset fought courageously for Henry at Lewes on 14 May, suffering wounds and imprisonment—eventually at Dover. After the battle of Evesham (4 August 1265) he moderated Henry's desire for revenge, protesting against the decree disinheriting the rebels and, as one of the arbitrators who drew up the dictum of Kenilworth (31 October 1266), securing a more lenient policy. He helped to construct Henry's reconciliation with the earl of Gloucester after the earl seized London in 1267, and, despite such blocking of the king's desires, Basset remained frequently at court.

Basset's first wife was Helewisa de Lovaine, and their daughter, Alina, was Basset's sole heir. Alina married first Hugh Despenser, and second, after his death, Hugh Bigod's son, Roger (d. 1306), who became earl of Norfolk. Basset married as his second wife, in 1254 or 1255, Ela, the daughter of William Longespée, earl of Salisbury, and widow of Thomas, earl of Warwick. An impression of respect for Basset from all sides arises from the chroniclers' epitaphs noting his death on 29 October 1271. This occurred at North Weald Bassett, one of his Essex properties, but he was buried at Stanley, near his Wiltshire properties. His widow long outlived him.

R. Malcolm Hogg
Sources

PRO · Chancery records · H. T. Riley, ed. and trans., Chronicles of the mayors and sheriffs of London, AD 1188 to AD 1274 … The French chronicle of London, AD 1259 to AD 1343 (1863) · Ann. mon., 4.247 · Paris, Chron. · CIPM, vol. 1, no. 807, 272–3 · A. Gransden, ed. and trans., The chronicle of Bury St Edmunds, 1212–1301 [1964], 50 · W. Stubbs, ed., Chronicles of the reigns of Edward I and Edward II, 1, Rolls Series, 76 (1882), 82
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R. Malcolm Hogg, ‘Basset, Philip (d. 1271)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1643, accessed 24 Sept 2005]

Philip Basset (d. 1271): doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16436 
Occupation* Justiciar of England1 
Residence* Wootton Basset, Wiltshire, England1 
Arms Barry undy of 6 or and gu. (M. Paris III, Camden, Charles, St. George). Barry undy of six (Birch).7

Family

Hawise de Lovaine
Children

Last Edited24 Sep 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S218] Marlyn Lewis, Ancestry of Elizabeth of York.
  3. [S285] Leo van de Pas, 30 Jun 2004.
  4. [S284] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, Longespée 3.
  5. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 132.
  6. [S376] Unknown editor, unknown short title.
  7. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, p. 52.
  8. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 13.

Hawise de Lovaine1

F, #2519

Father*Sir Matthew de Lovaine Knt.2 d. b Jun 1258
Mother*Muriel (?)2
Hawise de Lovaine||p84.htm#i2519|Sir Matthew de Lovaine Knt.|d. b Jun 1258|p367.htm#i11000|Muriel (?)||p367.htm#i11001|Sir Godfrey de Lovaine|d. bt 2 Jan 1225 - 16 Apr 1226|p367.htm#i11005|Alice de Hastings||p367.htm#i11006|||||||

Marriage* Principal=Sir Philip Basset1 

Family

Sir Philip Basset d. 29 Oct 1271
Children

Last Edited24 Oct 2003

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-31.
  2. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 155A-27.
  3. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 13.

Thomas de Furnival1

M, #2520, b. 1229, d. 12 May 1291

 

Father*Thomas de Furnival2,3 d. b 28 Jul 1260
Mother*Bertha de Ferrers2
Thomas de Furnival|b. 1229\nd. 12 May 1291|p84.htm#i2520|Thomas de Furnival|d. b 28 Jul 1260|p85.htm#i2521|Bertha de Ferrers||p85.htm#i2522|Gerard de Furnival|b. a 12 Mar 1179/80\nd. 1218|p85.htm#i2525|Maud de Luvetot|b. c 1178\nd. 1250|p85.htm#i2524|Sir William de Ferrers Earl of Derby|b. c 1168\nd. 22 Sep 1247|p90.htm#i2688|Agnes of Chester|b. c 1174\nd. 2 Nov 1247|p90.htm#i2689|

Birth*1229 3 
Death*12 May 1291 3 
Deathbefore 23 May 1291 1,4 
Burial* Church of Friars Minor, Doncaster, Yorkshire, England3 
Arms* D'argent a une bende entre six merlots de goules (Glover).4 
Residence* Worksop, Nottingham, England1 
Residence Sheffield, Yorkshire, England1 
Feudal*8 May 1254 (at inquest) lands at Bratenton and Hertenton, Derb., Principal=Sir William de Ferrers Earl of Derby4 
Feudal*14 April 1266 lands lately of Wm. de Furnivall at Wirkesop, Whitstan, and Gresthorp, Principal=William de Furnival4 
Event-Misc*24 June 1266 His castle at Sheffield burns4 
Event-Misc25 July 1270 Lic. for him to build and fortify a stone castle at his manor at Sheffield.4 
Event-Misc*January 1273 He owes to Joan, d. of Hugh le Despenser, 1000 m., on condition that if his s. h. Thomas, a minor married to Joan by his fathr's wish, shall presume to do anything against that marriage when he comes of age, then Thos. de F., sen., shall pay the 1000 m. within a year after Thos. de F., jun., has protested aagainst the marriage., Principal=Joan le Despenser4 
Criminal*5 April 1274 bailed after being imprisoned at Wallingford Castle for homicide4 
Event-Misc7 February 1277 He and others were disturbers in Yorks. with John de Eyvill in 48-9 Hen III.4 
Summoned*1 July 1277 serve against the Welsh4 
Summoned28 June 1283 Shrewsbury, parliament4,5 
Summoned16 April 1291 serve against the Scots4 

Family
Children

Last Edited1 Jun 2005

Citations

  1. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-30.
  2. [S168] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots, 148A-29.
  3. [S301] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Robert Abell, p. 117.
  4. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 92.
  5. [S347] Carl Boyer 3rd, Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, p. 101.
  6. [S325] Rev. C. Moor, Knights of Edward I, v. 2, p. 93.
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