Roger Mortimer 1287-1330
Roger Mortimer gets surrpisingly little attention in history books and lessons, when one considers the fact that for
three years he was in effect the ruler of England, so I've tried to make it up to him a bit here.
Roger Mortimer was born on April 25th 1287 at Wigmore in Herefordshire.
He was the eldest son of Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Wigmore,
and his wife, Margaret de Fiennes
.
This is an artists reconstruction of what Wigmore Castle, built by William Fitz-Osborne, the Earl of Hereford,
would have
looked like in the Middle Ages before it was dismantled by Colonel Massey in 1643 during the
Civil War.
It stood just over on the English side of Offa's Dyke, hence commanding a strategic position.
The Mortimer family were one of the richest and most powerful on the Welsh
border, they crop up again and again in history.
The place name Wigmore means 'marsh full of incests', as in wig, short for
earwig.
For centuries the great family of Mortimer dominated, with scare a rival, the
whole of this wild region, and on more than one occasion
played a prominent part in the making of English history.
Despite, however, their mighty record in past times, few traces survive of the this bold race of chieftans, save the once
dread name of Mortimer.
This is his family tree for the Mortimers;
Roger Mortimer
|
Ralf Mortimer (fought at Hastings)
|
Hugh Mortimer
___|____
| |
Millicent Ferrers= Ralf (1082)
|
Maud de la Meschines=Hugh I (1108-1185)
|
Roger(1155-1214)=Milicent de Ferrers
|
|
|
|
|
William Marshall | Llewyln ap Iorwerth(1173-1240)
| | |
Eva= William de Braose Ralph II(1190-1246) = Gwladys b.1205
| |
Maud===Roger(1231-1282) Geoffrey de Grenville=Maud de Lacy
________| |
| | Joan=Peter de Grenville
Ralph Edmund _________________|_______________
| | | |
Roger Mortimer b.1287= Joan de Grenville Beatrice Maud
1066 & All That
The Mortimers came to England in 1066 when Ralph Mortimer was one of the
knights in William the Conquerer's army. His father, Roger, was the Seigneur of
the castle and township of Mortemer-sur-Eaulne in Normandy, where the oxbow
in the river causes there to be a stagnant, marshy area. The place name Mortemer
means 'dead lake'. There are lots of similarities in the architecture of Normandy
and Herefordshire, such as the dovecotes or columbaria, where pigeons were kept
for winter food. A good example of one in Herefordshire can be seen at Eardisland near to the river Arrow.
Ralph Mortimer fought to put down the revolt of Wild Edric of Shrewsbury in 1074. As a reward
he was given his estates at Wigmore which became the family home of the Mortimers, plus many of the manors of the late Earl of Hereford
who had supported Edric. Hence by the time that the Doomsday Book was compiled, Ralph
Mortimer held lands in twelve counties including nineteen in Shropshire, alluded to by place names such
as Cleobury Mortimer.
In the reign of Henry III., Ralph II de Mortimer, who was a terribly turbulent fellow in his day, married the dark Gladys, daughter of Llewelyn, who about the
same time took part in a conference at Wigmore.
Ralph II's son, Roger Mortimer
helped Henry III against Llewyln and Simon de Montford, and gave a welcome to Prince Edward, son of Henry III, at his castle after Prince Edward's flight from Widemarsh Common.
Through his grandmother, Maud, Roger Mortimer (1287-1330) was descended from
William Marshall, the greatesT knight in Christendom, who was a champion at tournaments and hand-to-hand
combat. When Henry, the second son of Henry II died, William Marshall followed out the dying
son's last request of carrying his cross to Jerusalem, and he went on to win so many battles
in the holy land that the crusader's were loath to let him return to Europe. Also Roger great, great grandfather was
Llewyln ap Iorwerth, one of the great warrior princes in Wales who had won back much land from
the English. Llewyln was believed to be ultimately descended from King Arthur, there being
an old prophesy that a descendant of Arthur would one day rule England.
Death of Roger's Uncle
Roger's father had meant to have been for clerical work but with the sudden
and unexpected death of his elder brother Ralph, he returned from
Oxford University and groomed as heir.
Roger was sent to be fostered in the household of his uncle,
Roger Mortimer of Chirk whose claim to fame was that he had
carried the head of 'Llyweyln the Last' (Llyweyln Yr Ail) to King Edward I in 1282 after he
had been slain in a skirmish near Builth.
During the reign of Edward II, Roger IV Mortimer,
of Wigmore together with his uncle Roger of Chirk held the frontier
against the marauding Welsh.
The were joined by Humphrey de Bohun who was the
the brother-in-law of the king to put down a rising
by Llewelyn Bren.
Roger Marries
Just over the Shropshire border is Ludlow with its castle.
By 1300, about the time that the Mappa Mundi was drawn,
the castle and much of the lands there were owned by the de Geneville family.
Sir Geoffrey de Geneville first came to England round about 1250. He married Maud de Lacy
, a co-heiress of the de Lacy family, after whom Holme Lacy is named. Through his marriage to the Lacy family,
Sir Geoffrey gained Ludlow castle, other lands in England and Wales, plus half the county
of Meath in Ireland, and Trim including its great castle.
When Geoffrey and Maud's son, Peter died in 1283, they gave all they owned in England and Wales
to their second son, Peter. Peter went on to Joan, the daughter of the Count of La Marche and
Angoulême. Nine years later Peter too passed away, leaving no sons but only three daughters,
Beatrice, Maud and Joan. Because Geoffrey and Maud knew that the Geneville family line was
about to die out, they did not want their estates to end up being split in three, so they
put Beatrice and Maud in Aconbury Priory, and offered Joan to the Mortimers for her to be
wed to Roger.
After a sixteen-month betrothal,Roger junior was married at the tender age of fourteen to Joan who was
fifteen and a half on September 20th 1301 at Pembridge. The following day a comet appeared in the sky
which was visible for seven days. This was Halley's comet, which that very year was painted by
the Italian artist, Giotto, one of the pioneers of the Renaissance, in his 'Adoration of the Magi', and had been depicted
in the Bayeux Tapestry
Roger's Honeymoon
In those days many marriages between families were diplomatic and the
bride and groom were often of different generations, so
they were not expected to be intimate very soon. However in the case of Roger and Joan, being
fourteen and fifteen years old, they must have had that physical bonding very soon for within
the first three years of their marriage they had had two children, Edmund and Margaret.
Roger's Youth
One of Roger's companions during his youth was Edward, Prince of Wales, the future Edward II.
They even shared the same birthday, April 25th, though Edward was three years older. That date was popularly considered to be ominous so on that day people would dress in black and pray in processions. This must have at times given
Edward and Roger a sense of foreboding.
The two lads
probably first met when Roger's uncle was conducting the siege of Caerlaverock Castle in 1300.
Edward and Roger had much in common. They both liked exotic animals, Edward had a lion and a camel, and Roger kept peacocks
at Wigmore. They both were fond of jewellery, costumes, ornaments, carpets, metal work,
and books. Despite or maybe because of Edward's pious seriousness, he liked to surround himself
with people who were fun, fashionable and cultured, who preferred jousting and music to the stuffiness of court.
Roger and Edward were both well-educated and literate, in contrast to the barons. Another childhood friend of Edward was
another Herefordian, Robert de Clifford.
As an aside, the reason why Edward I bestowed a new title on his son, Edward, 'The Prince of Wales', was to thwart an ancient
prophesy supposed to be made by Merlin to king Arthur, that one day a prince of Wales would be ruler of Britain.
Death of Roger's Father
Sadly Roger's father Edmund was mortally wounded in another skrirmish near Builth in 1304, and was taken back to Wigmore castle
where he died on July 17th. When Edmund Mortimer died, his estates reverted to the Crown. The executor of his will was the Herefordian, Walter de Thornbury. As
Roger was still a minor, he became a ward in the royal household, king Edward I put him
under the wardship of Piers Gaveston, though he was mainly looked after by Walter de Thornbury when he was at Wigmore. However, within a year, Roger had bought his wardship back
on May 16th 1305. On April 9th 1306, Roger was endowed with all the possessions of the estates he inherited from his father, and which were held directly by the king. This meant that he became
Lord Mortimer of Wigmore, inheriting the barony of Wigmore with its castle, manners, towns and estates. Roger also gained some new estates, including more manors in Herefordshire, the town of Presteigne and also Ludlow Castle.
Roger Knighted
The primary purpose of being a baron in those days was not to amass estates but to fight.
On the very same day that Roger came into his inheritance he got a summons to serve in the king's army in Scotland, and for this reason to gather his men at Carlisle on July 8th.
Perhaps to make his barons and other members of the nobility more enthusiastic about war,
Edward I decided to dish out a number of knighthoods. The king summoned all those who were holders of a knight's fee ( a feudal estate usually of greater value than £40 per annum), but had not yet received a knighthood
, to come to London and be knighted on Whitsunday, May 22nd.
The 267 who qualified were permitted to camp in the grounds of Temple church near to the Strand, the London centre for the Knights Templar.
After a procession from the Temple to Westminster Abbey, the route lined with cheering crowds,
Edward Prince of Wales was knighted as the war-scarred Earl of Hereford knelt down to fasten his spurs.
After about thirty other names, the monks at Westminster Abbey called out the names Rogerus de
Mortuo Mari de Wigmore and his relative Rogerus de Mortimer Mari de Chirk. They
stood forward, washed their hands in bowls of silver then priests sprinkled their hands with holy water. In solemnity, they
made their vows of knighthood, these being to uphold the Church, the Crown, the order of the
Knighthood itself, to spare the life of a vanquished enemy who entreated them to be merciful,
to have respect for women and to live chastely. Having done this, both Mortimers were tapped
with the royal sword by the Prince of Wales, and were given their spurs.
Scotland
After William Wallace had been executed by the English at Smithfield, London, Robert Bruce who
was the Earl of Carrick, met with his rival claimant to the Scottish throne, John Comyn of Badenoch, an English sympathizer, in the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, as they
were meant to be discussing respect for one another's property. However to the shock of Britain, Robert Bruce and his brother-in-law, Christopher Seton actually stabbed John Comyn to death
within the church. Such an act was the greatest outrage since the murder of Thomas à Becket in
Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. For this Bruce was excommunicated, but he still went on to have himself crowned king of Scotland at Scone in March 1306. This angered king Edward and made him determined to teach Robert Bruce a lesson.
The royal army left London during the early part of June. Roger and others who received a knighthood were still in England when the news of Aymer de Valence's victory over Bruce at the Battle of Methven on June 26th.
Lord Mortimer of Chirk and the Earl of Hereford helped to guide Edward's forces up the western side
of Scotland, bringing them across the loowlands in order to support Valence. They reached
Lochmaben Castle, the birthplace of Robert Bruce, which to their surprise surrendered without
a fight. At the same time as the English were still at Perth, John McDougall of Argyll commanded
an army that had been raised locally against Bruce at Dalry, and defeated him. The English army pressed northwards as far as
Aberdeenshire. By September they had captured the strongholds of Kildrummy Castle and
Dunaverty Castle, and the campaign in Scotland was effectively over. Bruce's womenfolk and important rebel earls had been
captured though Bruce himself was still at large.
French Tournament
With the Scottish campaign winding down, twenty-two young knights deserted the English army going
to France for a tournament, including Roger and Piers Gaveston. Roger had been fond of taking part in these. In the early part of
the 14th century Touraments had not yet become parades of chivalry, but were still show battles,
in which men often perished. In 1241 more than eighty knights were killed in just one tournament.
Roger's grandfather had had a Round Table tournament at Kenilworth which were pitched fights although the weapons had
been blunted. Some of Roger's relatives had lost their lives tourneying, including one Lord
of Wigmore in 1227. It was through tourneying that young Roger Mortimer had caught king Edward I's attention, and had
previously gained his inheritance much earlier than expected.
When king Edward I heard that these knights had deserted to go gadding off to France, he was livid, and confiscated their estates.
Roger and other knights went to prince Edward at Wetheral Priory, asking him to put in a good word for them to the king.
Prince Edward got his stepmother, the young and benevolent Queen Margaret to entreat her husband to forgive the young knights. The following January
king Edward did restore the estates of Roger and most of the rest of the twenty-two knights, apart from Piers Gaveston whom
the monarch did not really like as he was deemed to be too close to his son and heir.
Gaveston Banished
Piers Gaveston and prince Edward were inseparable friends since childhood. They
swore a secret pact to be as brothers-in-arms, they would fight together, protect each other, and share all their possessions.
When king Edward found out about this he was incensed. This was why he would not restore Gaveston's estates.
Prince Edward, not liking to see Piers landless, so he wanted to give him the county of Ponthieu
in France. When the monarch heard of this, he was beside himself with anger, and physically attacked his son.
He made Edward and Piers take an oath, promising never to see one another again without the king's permission.
The monarch also had Piers banished from the kingdom. Prince Edward accompanied him to his journey to Dover, showering
gifts on him on the way.
Death of Edward I
King Edward, the great warrior, the 'Hammer of the Scot's', was an old man of sixty eight and fading fast. He was still up in Carlisle, and summoned Roger and his uncle and the rest of the
English nobility to be there at the parliament he had called. The Scots had taken encouragement from another ancient
prophesy of Merlin that on the death of the Covetous King, the Scots and Welsh would unite
and be victorious. Robert the Bruce, raised another army, stronger than before. On May 10th he
defeated Aymer de Valence at Loudon Hill, and within a week, he outsmarted another English force, driving them back to Ayr Castle.
King Edward, to quash rumours that he was already dead, rode out from Carlisle towards Scotland.
But he was active through will power not physical strength. On July 7th, at Burgh-on-Sands, he stopped to rest a while. Later that afternoon he died.
Gaveston Back
Edward I was hardly cold on the slab before Piers Gaveston had returned to England and was
back with Edward. On August 6th, Edward made him the Earl of Cornwall, one of the richest earldoms in England. This had been intended for Edward I's son by his second wife, Thomas of Brotherton.
Edward also wanted to make him a member of the royal family by marrying him to his niece, Margaret de Clare, the daughter of his sister, Joan, and Gilbert de Clare.
This again displeased many lords.
Many younger members of the nobility, friends of Edward, had nothing against the raising of Gaveston. Also older royal advisors such as Lord Mortimer of Chirk, respected by Edward, were on Gaveston's side. However many of the older
nobility who were not friends with Edward disliked Gaveston, resenting his relationship with Edward and considering him to be cheeky, young upstart. For example he called the
Earl of Warwick the 'Black Hound of Arden', the Earl of Lancaster 'Churl', the Earl of Lincoln 'Burstbelly' and the Earl of Gloucester 'Horeson'.
After the funeral of Edward I in October 1307, Edward II and the court set off for Berkamstead, the manor of
his widowed stepmother, Margaret, to get ready for the wedding of Piers and Margaret de Clare there.
The court including Roger Mortimer then moved on to Kings Langley in Hertfordshire where on November 26th, Roger's name is written beside that of Gaveston's as they and a few others witnessed a grant made to the new monarch by John
Fitzreginald.
Wallingford
On December 2nd a tournament in honour of Piers Gaveston was held in Wallingford on December 2nd.
This was a turning point in the reign of Edward II.
Wallingford had been a royal residence, so that the roughly two hundred knights gathered there were
taken aback that Edward was handing it over to Piers. During the toureying, Gaveston, a champion fighter, was the leader of
one group of knights, whilst the others were led by the Earls of Hereford, Warenne and Arundal.
Gaveston's younger men won, a great humiliation for their opponents. To add insult to injury,
Gaveston mocked the fallen, mud-splattered vanquished.
A lot of odium rose across the land against Gaveston. However those who stayed on his & Edward's
side including Roger and his uncle were to benefit. The Justiciar of Ireland was commanded to
return all of Roger's lands there to him. Roger's grandfather-in-law, Geoffrey de Geneville
was told that he could hand over all of his estates in the emerald isle to Roger and Joan when he passed away.
It appears that round about the same time, Roger was proposed for the position of Seneschal of Gascony. This would have meant that he would be the
governor of the Duchy of Aquataine, though the didn't take this up maybe because he was deemed to be too young.
Roger's uncle was made the Justiciar of Wales, with great powers there.
Letters of protection were issued for Roger to come with Edward II to France for his forthcoming marriage to Princess Isabella, which he did when he embarked at Dover for Calais in January 8th 1308.
Boulogne Declaration
During his planned fortnight absence in France, Edward had arranged for Gaveston to be in charge of
England. This outraged many of the earls, although to his credit, Piers did nothing contraversial during this time.
However it was felt by many that the king was mixing too closely his private and public life.
Roger and his uncle knew that rightly or wrongly they were sworn to support the partnership between Edward and Piers
rightly or wrongly. Many other earls felt that the loyalty that they had promised, for example, when they were knighted, was to the Crown
rather than any specific king.
During Gaveston's two weeks as ruler, when many of the English earls had gone to France, staying at Boulogne, the
Earls of Hereford, Lincoln, Surrey, Pembroke, jointly with the Bishop of Durham and five barons, produced
a declaration stating their commitment to protecting the Crown over and above a monarch if he were deemed to be not
fulfilling his role properly because this was in the best interests of the nation, and that they would be prepared, if necessary, to use force to
rectify the situation.
Roger did not apply his seal to this declation, perhaps out of personal faithfulness to
king Edward, and maybe he also realized that he was only a lesser lord so much opposition would
not allow him to advance and might allow great Earls such as Lancaster to increase their power.
Edward Marries Isabella
On January 25th Edward II married Isabella the Fair of France. She was the only daughter of king
Phillip of France and the sister of future king Charles IV. Isabella though only twelve, was said to be wise and beautiful.
Geoffrey of Paris described her as being the 'beauty of beauties....in the kingdom if not
in all Europe'.
Edward's Coronation
When the couple disembarked at Dover, Edward rushed over to where Gaveston was, and
preferred his company to that of his young wife. Ready for the coronation, London
was festooned with banners, flowers and flags to welcome the young queen, but it was
not hard to see that she wasn't getting the attention that one might have expected.
The coronation was delayed a week, very possibly over which role that Gaveston should
perform at the ceremony because the earls did like the idea of Piers carrying the crown.
The earls stood up to Edward and insisted that he add a fourth clause to the coronation oaths, that to '
uphold and defend the laws and righteous customs which the community of the realm shall determine'. With so many
powerful men united against him, Edward agreed, though he did not give in over Gaveston's part
in the crowning. The lords let things go ahead, as they felt that they could deal with Piers
at a later time.
On February 25th, Edward was crowned King of England, Wales and Ireland at Westminster
Abbey by the Bishop of Winchester. The Earl of Hereford bore the sceptre and Roger Mortimer,
Hugh de Spencer, and Roger's cousins, Thomas de Vere and Edmund FitzAlan between them carried a large, fine chequered cloth
on which lay the royal robes. Gaveston, of course, carried the crown.
The coronation passed off without incident but at the banquet in Westminster Hall things were different.
Gaveston turned up changed into imperial purple trimmed with pearls, as though he himself was joint king.
Edward encouraged him to show off. The king ignored his young bride and spent the entire feast beside Gaveston paying no attention
to anyone else. Also the all gold and jewellery that Edward had received as wedding presents he
gave to Piers. The French nobility present stormed out in disgust shouting their annoyance as they left. This embarrassed everyone else
bu the king.
Earls Rebel
Two days after the coronation, there was a parliament in Westminster Hall. They demanded that
the king should make a charter to commit himself to his promises of carrying out his
duties as monarch as the lords in parliament had seen fit. Only Edward II's cousin, the Earl Thomas of
Lancaster (Edward I's brother, Edmund's son) stood by him. After the session, the lords starting getting ready
for possible fighting. Roger Mortimer was also preparing for conflict, but he was loyal to Edward
, thoough most of the lords and earls were opposed. A sign of the friendship between Roger and
Piers was when on March 17th they made a joint request for a gift of land to John of Bolstone.
In April there was another meeting of parliament at Westminster. The Earl of Lincoln spoke
on behalf of the rebels. He said that the lords held a higher loyalty to the Crown rather than
any monarch, demanded that Gaveston be banished, and forwarded the suggestion that the king
himself might be put on trial. On May 18th Edward agreed that Gaveston should leave England, but
made him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland instead to maintain Piers' dignity and spite the lords.
By this time Roger Mortimer appears to have left court, probably for Wigmore with his wife and mother, or to some
other of their lands.
Ireland
That autumn Roger and Joan followed Gaveston to Ireland. Their primary motives for crossing St George's Channel were to meet
Joan's grandfather, to take possession of Meath, and to be present at a court case about their
manor of Duleek.
Ireland was supposed to be under English rule, but in fact the one half ruled by the English was in dire poverty with an absence of major lords to organize things, and the other half largely a lawless place
with warring clans and lords. Some of the warlords were English, some Irish and some Anglo-Irish, and they
fought against anyone. This is where we get the expression 'beyond the pale' because the area staked
English settlement was called the Pale, from the Latin word palus which means stake.
The first destination of the Mortimers was Trim Castle, the residence of Joan's grandfather at the
centre of the Geneville estates. This castle had first been built by Hugh de Lacy in 1172, a year after the English first
invaded Ireland, though it was reconstructed in 1190. It was the largest and strongest fortress in Ireland. Geoffrey de Geneville, 82, had lived there
since 1254, he had been Justiciar governing Ireland for three years in the 1270's, and could remember most of the history of the English in Ireland, so he was up on
who was a friend and who was a foe. Standing on the Boyne river, Trim was the frontier of the Pale.
It is probable that Roger and Gaveston were carrying out military operations in Ireland together.
We do not know this for sure because soldiers on the field rarely write about what they did.
However two friends were in the same part of Ireland, had been allies before, had the same martial spirit, and
had mutual friends in Ireland, such as Roger's guardian Walter de Thornbury who was made Chancellor of Ireland on Gaveston's suggestion (Walter had previously been
Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer). Another Herefordian John de Sapy had served in both
Roger's and Piers' households.
Gaveston was very successful in Ireland. He defeated the rebels in Leinster and brought it under English control, likewise the Wicklow Mountains.
He secured his gains by strengthening strongholds and building a road through the mountains between Castle Kevin and Glendalough.
Gaveston Allowed Back
With his successes in the emerald isle, Gaveston had done himself proud, and was now expecting
to be let back into England. Meanwhile in England, Edward had been winning the earls back by means such granting them lands. In the Westminster parliament of April 1309, Edward II asked to be
allowed to raise a tax and to have his friend Perrot return to England. Parliament granted the tax on various provisos, but refused the second request.
Edward II then offered to accept all the lords' conditions for the tax provided that they assented to having Gaveston back.
The king was successful in this, playing earl off against earl.
Roger and Piers returned to England about the same time. By July 20th Roger had
arrived at court and Edward had the rights formerly enjoyed by Roger's
predecessors in Trim returned to him. Around the same time, Edward renewed Gaveston's position as the Earl of Cornwall.
Gaveston Cheeky Again
Once again Gaveston was up to his old tricks of cheeking the earls. He called the Earl of
Lancaster 'The Fiddler', and alientated the moderate Earl of Pembroke,
who was a peacemaker, calling him 'Joseph the Jew'. Gaveston overstepped the mark when he insisted that the monarch should dismiss one of the Earl of Lancaster's retainers, which happened.
Roger spent the rest of 1309 at Court, and probably Christmas with Edward and Gaveston.
Lords Ordainers
In February the Earls of Hereford, Lancaster, Warwick, Oxford and Arundal demanded that Gaveston be once again banished. Edward
in response put his faithful retainers in charge of crucial strongholds, for example Roger in Builth Castle.
However, only three Earls were with the king. After sending Gaveston up north as a precaution, Edward agreed to accept the
the creation of a committee of twenty-one Lords Ordainers, comprised of earls, barons and bishops
who were to draft a number of articles that put restrictions on royal power.
Scotland and Ireland
Edward, in response to criticism that he was neglecting Scotland, announced that parliament
was to move up to York, and on the 18th of June issued a writ that Roger and other lords
were to have their retinues mustered in Berwick by September 8th. Another writ at the same time
stipulated that Roger raise one hundred men at arms from his lordship at Ewyas which he shared with his kinsman, Theobold de Verdon, and a third one
that Roger raise two hundred men at arms from three of his Welsh lordships.
However Roger did not go, because on June 16th he had been given the go-ahead by the monarch to
return to Ireland, which he obviously preferred, so after being at Wigmore to organize his Welsh men for the
expedition to Scotland, he set off with Joan for Ireland, arriving in early September. One of the reasons cited for
his choosing Ireland over Scotland was that he had been warned by the wise Earl of Pembroke to stay away from Gaveston as this could easily drag him down too. Herefordshire knights that accompanied
Roger were William de Adforton, Hugh de Croft, William de Thornbury, and Hugh de Kinnersley,
There were Irish raids into English held lands in Ireland. Roger knew that he had to
fight there to retain his lordships and to keep the loyalty of his tenant lords, or else
he stood to lose them all together.
Scottish Debacle
Edward's Scottish campaign had not been going very well. Robert Bruce would not face the English in open battle, harrying them instead, so by the summer of 1311, Edward called it off and after leaving Piers in the safety of
Bamburgh Castle, moved south, convening a parliament for August 8th. Roger too was summoned, but ignored the writ as he was too
tied up in Ireland. The rest of the other lords however did come, for a good reason, to hand a set of Ordinances to the king for him to comply to.
There were forty-one Ordinances. Six of these were from the previous year and concerned the
rights of the Church, maintaining the king's peace in all the kingdom, and upholding Magna Carta.
The new ones dealt with the king's right to declare war without his lords' consent, as he had just
done in Scotland, the removal of royal officials deemed to be too thick with Gaveston, including Herefordian
John de Sapy. One emphasised the need to have efficacious ministers as keepers of Scotland,
Ireland and Gascony otherwise they might be lost. The sole Ordinance that bothered Edward was number twenty, that Gaveston had to
leave the realm, meaning all the lands held by Edward before November 1st because he had misled the king and given him foolish advice, and that there should
be no more appointments for Piers. Edward was in too weak a position to disagree, Gaveston sailed from these shores.
Griffin De La Pole
One of the Ordinances expressed concern over the competence of the keepers of Scotland,
Ireland and Gascony, but not Wales. This was because Roger's uncle, Lord Mortimer of
Chirk was doing such a fine job there. By 1312 he had been Justiciar of Wales for four
years. Edward had made him the constable of Blaenllyfori and Dinas castles on top
of other Welsh castles he was already in charge of. Lord Mortimer was more or less
a surrogate prince of Wales.
In 1309 the heir of the lorship of Welshpool had died whilst a royal ward. Lord Mortimer of Chirk,
in his capacity as the Justiciar of Wales was requested to take custody of the wardship.
An enquiry had decided that the rightful heir should be the deceased heir's sister, Hawise, who
was married to John de Charlton, the King's chamberlain, and a friend of Roger Mortimer and
Piers Gaveston, hence the lordship was handed over to John de Charlton.
However Griffin de la Pole, the brother of the late lord, and the uncle of Hawise thought that
according to Welsh custom he should be the new lord of Welshpool. By the way, his Welsh name was Griffin ap Owain, the
name de la Pole refers to the pool in Welshpool. He sought a commission to
find out whether the lordship was subject to Welsh or English law. Edward II blocked this
investigation and handed the lordship over to John de Charlton. Griffin was angry and attacked
John de Charlton in early 1312, laying seige to him and his wife in Welshpool Castle.
Earl of Lancaster
This matter would have quickly been over and largely forgotten had it not been for
the Earl of Lancaster stepping in on Griffin's side when he requested his help.
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, the king's cousin was swollen up after he had just inherited a fifth
earldom, that of Lincoln when Henry de Lacy passed away in 1311. Lord Mortimer wanted to do his duty
of breaking up Griffin's siege, so he brought his army to just outside Welshpool.
Lord Mortimer offered Griffin to try and settle the dispute through the courts, but he turned it down.
However, after several weeks Griffin realized that Thomas of Lancaster was not going to
send forces to help him, so he changed his mind and agree to settle things through diplomacy.
Earl of Arundal
However, Griffin soon found someone else who would come to his support, the Earl of Arundal, who
was a cousin of the Mortimers. Arundal sheltered Griffin's men as they ransacked the
surrounding area. This was a personal betrayal to the Mortimers and treason to the king.
Nevertheless in the end Lord Mortimer managed to crack the siege and rescue John de Charlton and his wife.
The Earl of Lancaster who could not see dutifulness in others, regarded Lord Mortimer's actions
as a declaration of emnity towards him. In the early part of 1313 a commission was set up to
investigate the whole episode, and Lord Mortimer of Chirk was invited to sit on it.
The Earl of Lancaster objected to his presence, resulting in a rupturing in relations between the
two lords. Because Roger had been so close to his uncle, he too felt that he could no longer trust Lancaster.
Rebellion In Ireland
During all this time Roger Mortimer had still been in Ireland. During lent 1312, a distant relative,
Robert de Verdon, instigated a rebellion in Louth. He was the younger brother of the heir to
the de Verdon half of Meath, so the insurrection caught up a various members of the
Mortimers and de Verdons. The rebels damaged the barony of Louth so that the Justiciar of
Ireland, John Wogan had to take it back. Two of the other de Verdon brothers, Miles and Nicolas, then joined in the rebellion rather
than remaining loyal to their elder brother in England, Theobald. Roger, as a local lord and as the brother-in-law of
Theobold de Verdon, felt obliged to intervene to try and restore order. Wogan was defeated by the
de Verdons, so Roger had to take control of things. He forced the de Verdons to surrender, and
made them appear in court. At the end of May, he transported over forty of the key rebels to
Wogan to put in prison.
Death of Gaveston
After being exiled twice, in early 1312 Piers Gaveston actually had the temerity to return to England.
This angered the lords so much, that Gaveston was forced to give himself up to the moderate Earl of Pembroke.
Pembroke was sworn to protect Gaveston's life, but the young Gascon was kidnapped by the Earls of Warwick,
Lancaster and Arundal, and on June 19th beheaded him. This must have been upsetting for Roger to
lose a friend in this way.
Gascony
The death of Gaveston in a way weakened opposition to Edward II as the loss of this focus of
grievance took the wind out of the rebels sails. Also in November Queen Isabel gave birth to a son, hence
making Thomas Earl of Lancaster further down the line to the throne.
On the news of Piers Roger returned to England, though he played no part in negotiations with the earls, and
the evidence is that he went over to Gascony, there being several possibilities as to why.
He was doing some personal services to Edward II, for example
returning items belonging to Gascony-born Gaveston to his family there.
- Dealing with problems between Amanieu d'Albret and the English
seneschal John de Ferrers. After all Amanieu was related to Roger's wife, Joan, and the replacement for
de Ferrers when he died that September was Amaury de Craon, another of Joan's kinsmen.
- He was acting on behalf of the Earl of Pembroke in some dealings with the Count of Foix. After all Edward had requested
that Pembroke attend to this.
Stirling Castle
Robert Bruce had been a thorn in Edward II's side. The Scots were not strong enough to
meet the English in open battle so they harried them. Bruce had come up with a new way
to capture castles, grapping hooks attached to rope ladders, and was one by one taking the
English fortresses in Scotland. Edward II had been slow to understand that castles had
a strategic rather than just a symbolic value.
It was Robert Bruce's brother, Edward, who laid siege to the most strategically important castle
in Scotland in English hands, Stirling, strongly fortified and well supplied. When the castle commander, Sir Phillip de Mowbray, a
Scot loyal to king Edward realized that the English were not interested in coming to break
the siege, he craftily made the following terms in Edward Bruce, if the English had not arrived
within three miles of Stirling Castle by Midsummer's Day next year, he would surrender the castle.
Edward Bruce agreed. His brother, Robert was furious for he knew that this would encourage
the English to send a large army into Scotland.
Nevertheless for the time being, Edward II was more preoccupied by his dispute with his earls.
However, when in October 1313 the Earls of Hereford, Warwick, Lancaster and Arundal knelt before
him to beg his pardon, Edward began to focus more attention on Scotland. After all, this could be
a good way for him to lead to the destruction of the forces of the erstwhile rebel earls that he still
did not really trust.
Berwick To Bannockburn
In December 1313 ninety-five English earls and barons, Roger and his uncle amongst them,
received a summons to gather with their retinues at Berwick-On-Tweed on June 10th the following year.
Roger had already secured the release of the de Verdon rebels, in those days criminals were often
pardoned if they agreed to go on a military campaign.
In March 1313 Roger Mortimer was commanded to gather three hundred foot soldiers from his
estates in South Wales.
On June 17th, a week later than planned, the English force sallied forth from Berwick.
On June 23rd, the Earls of Hereford and Gloucester were the first to see Stirling Castle.
The Earl of Hereford, the herediary constable of England was indignant that the Earl of Gloucester was
put in overall command. The person who should have been put in command was Aymer de Valance, the
Earl of Pembroke who had defeated Robert Bruce seven years ago at Methven and Dalry, and lost
to him at Loudon Hill. He knew best how the Scottish leader could operate and win in conditions that
were hard for mounted knights.
Philip de Mowbray came riding out from the castle under safe conduct from the Scots.
He informed the king that, since the siege had been broken, there was no need to fight the
Scots there, especially as conditions were so against them. Robert Bruce had blocked all the
narrow paths through the woodland, the Scots had strewn metal balls with spikes over the road to
prevent a cavalry charge, to the left of the wood was a steep slope, to the right, marshland with
streams running into the river Forth.
Bruce Slays Bohun
While Philip de Mowbray was parleying with companions of Edward II, the advance party of knights
acting as reconnaissance spotted some Scots running at the wood's entrance, and mistaking this for flight, chased after them.
The Scottish battalion in the wood, led by Robert Bruce himself, were surprised that the
English knights should make this move before their foot soldiers were in place.
One of the English Knights. Sir Henry de Bohun, the nephew of the Earl of Hereford, seeing his change for
glory, levelled his lance and charged at Bruce. The Scots' leader's steadied his horse as de
Bohun approached and at the last moment he swerved to miss his lunge, then smashed de Bohun on the
back of his head with his axe, killing him to the shock and amazement of those who watched.
Now the English vanguard and the Scots rushed together and came to blows. The Scottish pulled the
Earl of Gloucester off his steed, but his fellow knights came in to help him as he scrambled to his
feet and extracted himself from the foe. The woodland favoured Bruce's men against the English knights because it
stopped them from charging and hindered their withdrawal, and many fell before they managed to ride to safety.
Schiltroms
Meanwhile, another contingent of English knights set off to see if they could ride around the
woods through the marshland in order to be able to attack the Scots from all sides. Their main
mistake had been to set off before their archers who were still dusting off after their march or still several hills away
were ready and in place. The Scots seeing this English manoeuvre, sent out groups of tightly ranked pikemen whose weapons were as long as sixteen feet, known collectively
as schiltroms who stood their ground before the English advance. The English having no
archers with them to break up these formations, after a frustrating and fruitless skirmish, had to
retreat.
English Camp Overnight
King Edward, now realizing that the English could do little
until they had their men ready, decided to just advance across the Bannockburn, and camp there for the night.
This was a bad location, the men could not get much sleep and were hungry. The only reason why
the English chose such a poor spot was because they never imagined that the Scots would come and actually attack them there.
This was particularly foolish as they should have remember that Robert Bruce's forte was in well-planned surprise attacks.
Just as dawn was breaking on June 24th, the English woke seeing the massed ranks of the Scots. "What?" exclaimed King Edward, "Do they mean to fight?".
The Earl of Gloucester urged the monarch not to join battle, feeling that a day's rest would be to the English advantage, so did other
English leaders. Moreover, archers on each side were firing at each other, so there was less
need to engage the bulk of his forces in combat. However, Edward's response was to
accuse Gloucester of treachery and deceit. The twenty-four-year-old Earl, annoyed at such remarks, and fuming from a heated quarrel with the Earl of Hereford,
, remarked "Today it
will be clear that I am neither a traitor nor a deceiver!", and commanded his five hundred mounted men to
ride forward towards the troops of Lord Douglas. Other groups of English followed them into the battle. Edward, seeing that the situation was out of
hand, prepared himself to join in. strapping on his helmet. It is likely that both the Mortimers were with him doing likewise.
Amongst the ensuing mêlée, the Earl of Gloucester, the second greatest lord in the land after the
Earl of Lancaster, lost his life.
The Archers
The strategic thinking of the English had not reckoned that the Scots would come to them,
and had left their archers stationed furthest away from the front, where they were no use.
Nevertheless, the archers came to work their way round the flank where they would be in a suitable
position to fire at the enemy's end schiltrom. However, Bruce had anticipated this, and had
several hundred horsemen prepared under Keith, which he then sent in against the English bowmen.
This succeeded in scattering the English archers, leaving their knights unsupported whilst the
Scots could bring their own to unleash a volley of arrows at the men from south of the border.
The English outnumbered the Scots, but because they had chosen such a narrow place to
fight, they were blocked in, and men at the back had to wait until the knights at the front
had fallen before they could engage the enemy. King Edward's horse was killed beneath him,
and only a charge by the brave Sir Giles D'Argentein saved him. However, this gave the Scottish the
whiff of victory and they fought on with a greater frenzy.
The English stumbling from effort, the heat and lack of sleep, sounded the retreat, prompting
the Scots to yell "On them! On them! On them! They fail" leaping forward. At this cheering, the
Scots' camp attendants who were noncombatants came out of the woods and onto the ridge. eager to see
what was happening. The English footsoldiers mistook them for a fresh force of reinforcements, and were disheartened. Though
some of the English stood doggedly still to fight on, the bulk of their army led in panic.
Men drowned in the river Forth as they tried to escape, others were cut down as they attempted to
cross the Bannockburn. The Scots attacked the English wagon trains, killing the boys who attended it.
Roger Captured
The wise Earl of Pembroke, understood that the only way out was to try and make it to Stirling
Castle to the north, seeing his monarch hesistate, seized his reins to lead him that way.
Sir Giles d'Argentein stated his determination to stay and fight rather than flee, and
turned round and charged into the Scots where he was slain after a few minutes combat. In the
other direction, five hundred mounted men gathered protectively around the king as they galloped towards the
castle, clearing the Scottish foot soldiers around the edges.
However, the Earl of Pembroke, once he had seen that Edward II was well on his way to safety, he and some other
knights turned round to engage Bruce's men in a rearguard action. Amongst them was Roger
Mortimer. Many of Pembroke's men fell where they stood, and when their numbers were too diminished, they had to fight as they
pulled back. The Earl of Pembroke's horse perished beneath him, and he only just succeeded in
escaping capture on foot. Roger Mortimer was not so fortunate, he was surrounded and taken prisoner.
Earl of Hereford Captured
Edward II made his way to back south to Dunbar. The Earl of Hereford got to Bothwell Castle, but
there he as well as six hundred men-at-arms and a thousand foot soldiers were captured by their
pursuers, along with the Privy Seal of England, which symbolised the totalness of the Scots' victory
never again would they win such a victory against the English.
Roger Returned
Roger Mortimer and Robert Bruce were third cousins through the same branch of the family as the newly
slain Earl of Gloucester. Moreover, Roger was a close ally of the Earl of Ulster, Bruce's father-in-law.
Roger was therefore taken to Bruce and treated with great respect, and was soon afterwards
returned without being ransomed. He was given the task of handing back the Privy Seal and the
royal shield which had been found on the battlefield, which he did to Edward at Berwick-on-Tweed.
With him also were the bodies for burial of the Earl of Gloucester and Robert Clifford.
Now one can see why this was called the 'Age of Chivalry'.
Richard FitzGilbert (Strongbow)
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William Marshall = Isabel
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William de Braose=Eva Marshall Isabel=Gilbert de Clare (Earl of Gloucester)
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Maud de Braose=Roger Mortimer -----------------------
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Edmund Mortimer=Margaret de Fiennes Richard de Clare Isabel=Robert Bruce of Annandale
| | |
Roger Mortimer Gilbert de Clare Robert Bruce of Carrick
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Gilbert de Clare Robert Bruce, King of Scotland
(Earl of Gloucester)
York Parliament
Bannockburn freed Scotland completely from English rule and now the Scots were in a position
where they could raid the north of England. It also took the pressure off the Earls of Lancaster and
Warwick and now they were in a position to demand changes in the royal household. They claimed that Edward II
had flouted the Ordinances, and in a superstitious age, many felt that the defeat had been divine
retribution for the Archbishop of Canterbury had threatened to excommunicate anyone who did not
adhere to the provisions of the Ordinances.
Parliament met at York in September to try and sort things out. Edward came out of this quite well
because he could count on Roger Mortimer whose retainers represented Herefordshire and
Shropshire as knights, and the Earl of Pembroke as his loyal supporters.
The results of this parliament were:
- The Chancellor and the Treasurer were removed from office,
but the new Chancellor, John Sandall, Bishop of Winchester, and the new Treasurer, Sir Walter de Norwich,
were not foes of Edward II, and John Sandall was in fact a friend of Roger.
- John de Charlton, a friend of Roger, kept as the Chamberlain of the Royal Household.
- William de Melton, also a friend of Roger, was appointed as Keeper
of the Wardrobe.
- But Hugh Despenser the Younger drew closer to the king.
Hugh Despenser
Roger and his uncle felt disquiet at the rise of Hugh Despenser. Since the death of Gaveston,
Edward II had been looking for a close companion. The king trusted and asked for direction from men such as the Earls of Pembroke, and Hereford, but they were
more diplomatic relations. The monarch also had much respect for Roger Mortimer, but Roger was far too Roy of the Rovers, what with wanting to pop off to Ireland
to sort them out etc, and far too fond of warmth and affection from his own wife. The young king
was drawn to Hugh Despenser to fill the gap since Gaveston was killed. That October Roger and the Earl of Hereford went to attend Piers' burial at King's Langley.
Roger and his uncle were
not very comfortable about this because Hugh Despenser had sworn to avenge the death of his grandfather at the
battle of Evesham in 1265 at the hands of Roger's grandfather.
Scots Invade Ireland
Robert Bruce now turned his attention towards Ireland,
wanting his brother to invade and hopefully become king there. This was however not his primary motive but it was to force the
English to have to fight on two fronts, hence making his position in Scotland more secure. One of the men
that Edward Bruce had with him was Sir Philip de Mowbray, the erstwhile constable of Stirling castle now a turncoat for the Scots.
As soon as word of the invasion reached Roger, he acted. On his birthday, he appointed attorneys to act on his behalf in England, making a grant of rents
to his brother, John Mortimer, and a grand of £40 for each year of his life to his trusty
and steadfast retainer, Robert de Harley.
The Scottish invaders were joined by various Irish nobles including Donnell O'Neil, king of
Tir Eoghain. The Earl of Ulster was too far away to put together resistance, though a few Irish lords chose to resist Bruce, and mustered their men at
Moyry pass but were defeated by the Scots.
Dundalk
In late June 1315 Edward Bruce landed in Dundalk. He decided to use terror to subdue or gain the support of the Irish lords,
necessary for his conquest of their country. The Anglo-Irish inside Dundalk saw fit to
come out to do battle with the Scots camped outside. The battle was hard and close until the Scots fought their adversaries back into the town, at which point the Irish lords who had been fighting
alongside the English turned and fled, leaving the townsfolk to be butchered in the streets which ran red with
blood.
Roger Acts As Rearguard
It seems that Roger was in Trim when the massacre took place in Dundalk. As the Justiciar of Ireland and the Earl of Ulster and those allied to England mustered to move north to oppose Bruce,
Roger Mortimer formed the rearguard. There were a few skirmishes which forced Bruce to retreat, after which
it was decided that Roger should go forth alone against the Scots. Roger moved his men north towards Bruce's at Coleraine, but the Scotsman managed to get his men
across the river Bann before burning the bridge. The two armies now could not meet but each side
went about devastation the countryside on either side of the river.
Edward Bruce played off Felim O'Connor and Rory O'Connor against each other,
prompting Edward II to question the loyalty of lords in Ireland, but
he did not doubt that of Roger Mortimer. Meanwhile, the Earl of Ulster had not been expecting
Bruce to attack him, but he did on September 10th at Connor, a great victory for the Scot, and the earl fled to Carrickfergus Castle, where the Scots laid siege.
The Earl of Ulster, slipped away to join Felim O'Connor in Connacht whilst the English felt that he had become a traitor.
Five hundred reinforcements arrived from Scotland for Bruce who began to march south towards Roger in county Meath. The armies met at Kells. This was a disaster for Roger as Hugh and Walter de Lacy fled after three hours of fighting, leaving
Roger against a much larger Scots' army. Only the Herefordian and a few of his men survived the battle, retreating into the town of Kells. The Scots started to attack and burn the the place, though Roger and a handful of followers in a brave and desperat
move forced their way out of the gates and free of the destruction. Now only one of two castles in Ireland were still held by the English.
Llewelyn Bren
What slowed down military operations on both sides in Ireland was famine. Terrible weather in 1314 and 1315 meant rotten harvests,
people starved and revnue could not be raised to fund armies. These conditions were felt throughout the British Isles.
The Earl of Gloucester fell at Bannockburn but left no heir. His lands along the Welsh border and including Glamorgan were taken into custody whilst it was worked out how to
dispose of them. Glamorgan was left in the hands of a royal administrator called Ingelram de Berengar. He was sympathetic to people's sufferings under the famine, but was replaced by the
hard Payn de Turberville who tried to squeeze out of the Welsh the little they had left in order to keep money flowing into the royal coffers. Turberville dismissed any Welshmen from office.
One of these, Llywelyn Bren, the Lord of Senghennydd appealed to king Edward II, pleading on behalf of his suffering people.
Edward II, callously refused to listen, so Llywelyn Bren returned to his estates and prepared for
war. On January 28th Llywelyn's men slew the Sheriff of Glamorgan outside the walls of Carephilly Castle and rampaged through the town.
Roger Puts Down Rebellion
When news of this rebellion reached king Edward, he appointed William de Montagu and Herefordian
Hugh Audley, the husband of one of the Gloucester co-heiresses, to recapture Caerphilly Castle.
However, he soon had second thoughts and instead appointed the Earl of Hereford to put down the
insurrection, with Roger Mortimer and his uncle to help out. Roger returned to Wigmore to raise
a force which was ready to move by the end of February.
The Herefordians moved from the north, John Giffard of Brimpsfield marched from the south, whilst Henry of Lancaster, William
de Montagu and John de Hastings coming in from the east. Caerphilly Castle was easily retaken, and Llywellyn Bren retreated into
the wilds of Ystradfellte, rallying his men for a last ditched battle at the edge of the Great Forest. However, Llywellyn sensing that
there was slim chance of victory, then resolved to settle things by handing himself over to the English, surrendering to Roger Mortimer
, the Earl of Hereford and John de Hastings.
Roger saw no need to exact any revenge on the Welsh but understood their plight. He escorted Llywelyn to
the Earl of Hereford's castle at Brecon, and later with him and his family to London.
Roger and Bren discovered that they had much in common, both being literate though martial men of noble backgrounds.
In the capital, persuaded Edward II to spare the life of Llywellyn and that of his adopted son,
Llywellyn ap Madoc ap Howel, and might well have also persauded the monarch to replace Turberville by John Giffard of Brimpsfield.
Bristol Riots
In Bristol the food crisis exacerbated an ongoing dispute between the locals and the constable,
Bartholomew de Badlesmere as to who should control the customs. There were riots and twenty people
were killed, and the Bristolians hid them from arrest.
Edward II commmanded Roger Mortimer to go and help Badlesmere sort out the situation in Bristol.
At that very time, they were already discussing marriage plans for Roger's fourteen-year-old son, Edmund, promising to be intelligent and
Badlesmere's infant daughter, Elizabeth. The wedding soon took place at Wigmore, with Badlesmere
giving £20,000 for the marriage. This helped Roger pay off his debts including those to the Floretine banking house of Bardi.
It was just like Roger to combine his son's marriage with military plans, after all in those days, an alliance between two
families could become in need a military one, both parties sworn to defend one another.
On June 27th 1316, Edmund Mortimer married Elizabeth de Badlesmere in the chapel of the manor house of Ernwood in
Kinlet in Shropshire. The young couple received the manors of Arleigh in Staffordshire which had been held by Hugh Audley.
They also got that of Bisley in Gloucester which was in the hands of Joan, the widow of Henry de Bohun, who was slain
by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. Herefordian guests included Roger's uncle, Lord Mortimer of Chirk,
Robert de Harley, John de Sapy, Robert de Sapy, Edmund Hakelut and Master John Walwayn.
Wigmore Castle Rebuilt
The wedding guests retired to Wigmore castle, where Roger was to stay until the end of August, apart from the two weeks he
would spend sorting out Bristol. This was to prove the longest stay that the Herefordian would make in his
ancestral home. Wigmore Castle had been a defensive 13th-century edifice which Roger remoulded as a place of greater grandeur and luxury for it to serve
as not just a main residence but also an office, an armoury and a treasury.
Bristol Subdued
Roger organised the positioning of siege machines to retake control of Bristol, six of which were
stored at Wigmore. With huge stones hurled at them with no seeming likelihood of a let-up, the Bristolians surrendered on July 26th.
Ireland
Meanwhile things were bad in Ireland. In December 1315, Edward Bruce destroyed Kells, then advanced to Granard, plundering the manor, then setting it on fire.
This was his pattern in the Emerald Isle, capture, ransack then burn. He was helped by the Lacy brothers. At Ardscull on January 26th 1316 a battle took place between the Scots and the forces of Edmund Butler, the Justiciar. Although Bruces men sustained greater losses
, the English were the ones who fled. Trim Castle, manned by Roger's vassal, Walter de Cusack, still managed to hold out, mainly because there was not enough food in the area
to support a besieging army for long. In April the with the English only gripping on to Dublin and one or two castles, the Scots returned to the north, where on May 1st at Dundalk, Edward Bruce had
himself crowned King of Ireland.
With his uncle being restored as the Justiciar of Wales, and the constableship of two royal
castles put back in his care, Roger persuaded king Edward II to let him go and fight in Ireland rather than Scotland.
Edward thereby appointed Roger the King's Lieutenant of Ireland, a rank above Justiicar. This was the highest position that a
Mortimer had held since Roger's grandfather was guardian of England forty-five years ago in the reign of Edward I.
Roger set about preparing his forces. There were to be pardons for crimes of those who would go with him.
Lots of Herefordians were to depart with him, including Robert de Harley, Hugh de Croft, and
Gilbert de Bohun. Edward II ordered that all lords who held land in Ireland, except the Earl of Pembroke should either go in person or send an appropriate number of their men instead. They
were to be 'under the orders of king's cousin, Sir Roger Mortimer of Wigmore'. Futhermore there
were moves to get a thousand Genoese soldiers in plate armour to boost the ranks.
Meanwhile Robert the Bruce had come to the aid of his brother in Ireland and the Scots again
marched south to besiege Dublin in February 1316, whilst they also laid waste to every village in Kildare where they were
not welcomed.
Youghal
Roger landed in Youghal on the south coast on April 7th 1316. His forces numbered some six hundred and fifty men of the
roayl army, a hundred men of his own and about two hundred men of those lords and knights who held land in Ireland.
This force multiplied as Irish angry at the Scots eagerly came to swell its ranks. The Scottish, seeing that
the country was rising up against them,
quickly retreated north.
Roger realized that the Scots had overplundered
the land and had places outside Ulster where they
could furnish their supplies, so they were in effect already defeated.
Sir Hugh de Croft
Roger wanted to bring the de Lacy brothers to book so he sent one of his truest knights,
Sir Hugh de Croft with letters stamped with the royal seal, commanding them to submit to
the King's Lieutenant, ie Roger himself. They replied by killing sir Hugh. If this was done
to impress the Scots or the other Irish lords it had no effect, and in any case the Scots
were in no position to leave Ulster, and anyway Robert the Bruce had left Ireland on May 22nd.
A battle took place in Meath on June 3rd between Roger and Walter de Lacy where Roger s
made a surprise attack which caused the foe to flee. The following day Walter and Hugh, with a force
including about a dozen top de Lacy members attacked Roger but they were easily repulsed
and retreated. Meath was now firmly under Roger's control.
On July 20th Roger had the de Lacy family in Ireland declared outlaws and felons and
had their lands there confiscated, banishing them from Ireland. Roger set about mopping
up any Irish lord who had sided with the Scots. On September 11th he rode against the
Irish of Imail and at the battle of Okinselagh, Roger's foes came out the worst.
He then turned his attention to the O'Byrne clan forcing their chief to surrender and had
him banged up in Dublin Castle. By October, he had subdued any Irish siding with the
Scottish.
Hugh Despenser
Edward II wanted to control Ireland through Roger rather than let him just get on
with governing the place. For example Roger had wanted to make his clerk, Nicolas de Balscot the
chancellor of Dublin Cathedral, but the king appointed his own choice, James d'Ardingel
from Florence instead. This decision of Edward II might well have been influenced by
Roger's rival, Hugh Despenser. Despenser was married to the eldest of the three heiresses
of the Earl of Gloucester, hence claimed the largest third of Glamorgan. Despenser
took it upon himself to take Llywelyn Bren from the Tower of London, transport him to
Cardiff where he was barbarically executed. along with the lord of Senghennudd whom thje
Earl of Hereford and Roger were vowed to protect. Roger was shocked by word of this, but
there was nothing that he could do as he was still in Ireland.
Roger Creates Knights in Ireland
In November Roger took the government to Cork where he stayed for the rest of the year, clearing
up the rebellion in Cork and Desmond. In January he was in Clonmel fighting in Waterford
and Leinster. Roger was soon back in Dublin where he had a great feast in the castle on
February 19th, when he created some new knights, for example the fiercely loyal and
competent John de Bermingham. From March Roger spent four weeks in Drogeda sorting out the
last vestiges of opposition, meaning that he had all the southern Ireland under his thumb, and
all remained was to remove Edward Bruce from Ulster. However before he could muster his
men for this, he received orders to return to England. He appointed the Archbishop
of Cashel, William FitzJohn to govern in his absence, and determined to get his revenge
on the de Lacy family, having John de Lacy whom he had caught starved to death in Trim
Castle.
Edward's Favourites
When Roger returned from Ireland the king was well impressed with him. Roger was sure of himself enough to
leave £1,000 of unpaid bills from the living expenses of his household for the Irish Exchequer to pay, especially
as the Deputy Treasurer who was in charge of the Exchequer was one of his own men, Nicolas de Balscot.
However Edward II was back to his old tricks of lavishing his favourites which annoyed the Earls.
These were namely Hugh Despenser plus three new ones William de Montagu, Roger Damory and Hugh Audley, these last two
receiving the hands in marriage of the last two of the three Gloucester heiresses.
The Earl of Lancaster saw this as a threat to his influence and power. Lancaster accused Edward II of disobeying the Ordinances and
called for these men to be banished. Edward refused, and as relations between him and his cousin broke down, Edward
began raising an army in York lest open fighting should occur when parliament was held there in October.
The Earls of Pembroke and Badlesmere sought to sort things out between Edward and Lancaster because without Lancaster's co-operation the border could
not be protected against the Scots, nor could Parliament work properly and besides there was the risk
of civil war breaking out. Pembroke and Badlesmere therefore tried to negotiate with lots of others to back them up.
It was agreed that gifts made contrary to the Ordinances should be revoked,
Damory, Audley and Montagu should be banished from the court apart from to answer military and parliamentary summons, there was to be a permanent ruling council, made up of
eight bishops, four earls and four barons which would keep an eye on Edward's government, two of these bishops, one baron and one earl to stay with the king at all times. In return
Lancaster agreed to fight against the Scots if needed.
Roger was chosen
to be one of the four permanent
barons whilst Hugh Despenser was not.
Roger was further pleased that he received £4,000 for saving Ireland from the Scots (the Justiiciar of Ireland usually got £500).
Edward Bruce Slain
On October 18th, Sir John de Bermingham defeated Edward Bruce at Faughart, just above Dundalk. Philip de Mowbray was mortally wounded, and several Irish chiefs on Bruces side perished such as the
King of the Hebrides and the King of Argyle.
Hugh and Walter de Lacy managed to escape. Edward Bruce himself was slain, and John de Bermingham returned to court with his head. It was the end of the only Scottish king of Ireland and the only overseas success in Edward II's reign.
New Abbot of Wigmore
Roger spent Christmas 1318 at Wigmore Castle.
He and Mortimer of Chirk went to Wigmore Abbey to witness the abbot, Philip de Galeys resign.
Philip who was getting on a bit was to receive a pension, servants and a room near the infirmary.
John de Clehonger replaced him, being presented by the new Bishop of Hereford, Adam of Orleton, himself from one of Roger's estates.
Wigmore Abbey had been founded by Hugh Mortimer during the reign of King Stephen.
Little is known of the history of beyond what is recorded in Dugdale's Monasticon', copied from a curious
old thirteenth century manuscript, written by one of the canons; wherein the old chronicler thus quaintly describes the
choice of a site for their new habitation:
'It happened, one day in August, that one of the canons whose name was Walter de Aygameth,
sat in the field of Beodune among the reapers, and contemplated all the country about;
and considered very attentively, and saw the place where the abbey is now situated,
and marked the spot, and returned to his house, and told the abbot and his brethren what he had seen;
who went with him and considered the place onall sides,
and saw that the place was very large, good and convenient to make their abbey there.
And they were very joyful, and glad beyond measure,
and went to Sir Hugh de Mortimer and told him what they had found, and that place suited them very well,
to make a permanent dwelling by his aid.
And immediately he granted it them fully and with much joy; and promised them his aid,
and commanded immediately that they should remove thither the goods they had at Wigmore.
And they had orders to do thus, they made small delay in putting them into effect;
and built themselves, for the time, little habitations of wood, by the aid and advice of Sir Hugh'.
During his lifetime Sir Hugh made numerous gifts and grants to the new abbey, including a fine gold chalice.
When at length the worthy knight expired, 'full of years' and honour, one hundred poor people received during Lent a dole
bequeathed by him, consisting of one Loaf, two Herrings and some Pottage'.
Wedding of Roger's Daughter
About this time, Roger's daughter married John, the heir of John de Charlton, lord of Powys.
John's younger brother, Thomas and Orleton had gone together to Avignon
to petition the Pope of have another Mortimer, Henry de Burgage, the nephew of Bartholemew de Badlesmere, appointed as Bishop of Lincoln.
To help the Pope make up his mind, Badlesmere handed him £15,000. Another of Rogers Herefordian friends, Alexander Bicknor was Archbishop of Ireland.
Roger's Daughter Isabella Marries
In 1315, one of Roger's vassals, Walter Hakluyt had died.
The Earl of Warwick had claimed some of Walter's lands in Wales. However, the next year Warwick died, but the dispute continued.
Roger won the king's permission that his daughter Isabella, born in 1314 should eventually marry Warwick's son, born the same year.
The marriage took place about 1328.
Roger Governor of Ireland Again
Things were going when for Roger when in March he was made the governor of Ireland again. Roger's title in the quietened isle was now to be 'Justiciar' rather than 'King's Lieutenant'. The position went without a massive salary but it came with the castles of Roscommon,
Rawdon and Athlone.
In May he attended the marriage of his eldest daughter, Margaret and Thomas, son and heir of Lord Berkeley.
The only fly in the ointment was that since Damory, Audley and Montagu had been removed from court, Edward II was concentrating his affection on Roger's rival, Hugh Despenser, who was strengthening his own position by persauding the king to give him lands and castles from
Audley and Damory.
In Ireland Roger rewarded those who had fought against the Scots by awarding them the lands of
those such as the de Lacys who had sided with Bruce. Roger showed his diplomacy by pardonning the rebel Miles de Verdon.
The heirs of many English lords who fell were just minors, so Roger had to grant these wardships to others to look after them himself as in the case of the heir of Richard de Clare. Roger toured the country seeing that a stop was put to looting,
and to those who started protection rackets.
In the warring many bridges had been destroyed, a number of important ones were rebuilt in stone.
A university was founded at Dublin, maybe this was coincidental, maybe it was Roger's doing for he had a keen interest in education.
To help the return of order, it was ordained that assizes should be held and a gaol founded by a well-established lawyer and two knights in each Irish county.
Roger's rule in Ireland was strong, effective and popular, and with the end of the famine there was a mood of optimism.
Despenser
Trouble was brewing between Roger Mortimer and Hugh Despenser as the latter strengthened his position at court.
In 1318 he was made King's Chamberlain which meant that he controlled access to the king.
When Gilbert de Clare, the Earl of Gloucester fell at Bannockburn, the earldom was split in three between the
husbands of de Clare's daughters, these men being Despenser, Damory and Hugh Audley.
Despenser was the new lord of Glamorgan.
Although the land of Gwennllwg had been separated from Glamorgan, Despenser wanted it so he tricked its men into thinking that under his rule
they would be better off. Despenser also got his hands on parts of Carmarthen, including the new town of Llandilo which was under the constabulary of Edmund Hakluyt, one of Roger's fondest vassals. Despenser was thus rubbing up Roger the wrong way, as well as Damory and Audley.
Furthermore there was the Earl of Hereford who still hadn't forgiven Despenser for the murder of
Llywelyn.
Gower
William de Braose, the lord of Gower,being strapped for cash,
decided to sell it to his son-in-law, John de Mowbray. However, Despenser had wanted Gower and pleaded to Edward II that no one had to right to receive a lordship without the royal assent.
This was true in England but not in the Marches. Roger Mortimer had not yet arrived at Westminster when the monarch took Gower from Mowbray and gave it to Despenser. Edward sensed that this had annoyed other lords so he tried to make it up to them a bit, for example in the case of Roger
Mortimer by accepting his advice to help in Ireland the heir of the late Richard de Clare.
Nevertheless, Edward could not feel just how angry the lords were because Despenser would not let them see the king. Perhaps an ominous sign was when the Earl of Pembroke, usually the great peacemaker, went abroad. When Edward's officer attempted to take Gower, he was met with several days resistance.
Roger's Dilemma
Roger had to chose between supporting the king or supporting the Crown whose duties Edward was seen to have let down.
Roger also had an urge to avenge his grandfather slain by a Despenser. Fellow Herefordian, Roger de Clifford had witnesses his mother's estate seized by Despenser without getting any compensation.
On January 30th 1321, the Earls of Hereford,
Surrey and Arundel as well as northern
lords such as the Earl of Lancaster
were among twenty-eight lords
forbidden to attend an assembly
to discuss the Crown estates. Roger Mortimer was not present at this meeting because he had probably already given up
trying to reason with Edward II. On Roger's way back to Wigmore, he learnt that the king had
replaced him as Justiciar of Ireland by Ralph de Gorges, one of Despenser's henchmen. Roger, feeling mistreated, decided to
raise an army in the Marches, delegating running his Irish estates, to his second son, Roger junior.
Meanwhile the Earl of Hereford was gathering
forces in Brecon.
Edward II had ordered Lord Mortimer of Chirk, who was still Justiciar of Wales, to
inspect all of his castles to make sure that they were defesnible for the king, so making the elder Mortimer
decide between his sovereign and his monarch. For him, blood was thicker than water.
On March 27th, Edward sent an order to the Earl of Hereford, Roger Mortimer, Roger Damory,
John de Hastings and John de Charlton:
to maintain the king's peace........and not to permit any assemblies
to be made....as complaint has reached the king that mnay of their men
... make assemblies and musters in a warlike manner, whereat the king
is astonished, as it is unknown why such assemblies are made.
The king ordered those lords whom he still felt he could get on his side to
meet him at Gloucester on April 5th. Roger and the Earl of Hereford replied for
the Marcher lords, that they would not go whilst Despenser was in the king's company, suggesting that Hugh
should be put in the custody of the Earl of Lancaster. Edward II however, remained stubborn
and retaliated by confiscating the lands of Audley, and on April 13th he commanded
Roger Mortimer, Hereford, Hastings, Damory, Charlton, Giffard and the Berkeleys to
maintain the peace in their lands and not be permit assemblies and demonstrations in
a warlike manner to be made...
on May 1st Edward II wrote to Roger Mortimer and the Earl of Hereford forbidding them
to take up arms and ordered them to report to Westminster.
Roger Attacks
Before he received this order, Roger had aleady decided to lead the way in attacking
Despenser's lands. On May 1st, Roger and Mortimer of Chirk had marched south from Wigmore,
staying the night at Bromyard where his men grabbed property belonging to locals, grabbing more as
his army moved through Ledbury. The Bishop of Hereford, Adam of Orleton sent his own men to
reinforce Roger's army.
The army was swollen by the men from Damory,
Audley, Hastings, Mowbray, Sir Roger de Clifford, John Giffard, Henry le Tyers,
Lord Berkeley, Sir John Maltravers until there were 800 men-at-arms, 500 other horsmen, and 10,000 foot soldiers. Newport and Cardiff soon fell to them, and they
toured south Wales wrecking Despenser's property.
Ralph de Gorges, the new Justiciar of Ireland was
captured and Roger took him back and locked him up in Wigmore, before he led his army to attack the Earl of Arundal's castle at Clun.
Roger Marches On London
On July 29th 1321 Roger led his forces from Waltham to London.
Everyone of the Marcher lords, dressed as their men in green tunics with the right top quarter and right arm yellow, blocked a different point around the city
Roger camped out in the grounds of the priory of St John in Clerkenwell.
The Earl of Pembroke returned to negociate between the king and rebels.
The dispute boiled down to whether Edward should act as he felt fit or whether he should
act in accordance with his coronation oath. The litmus test would be whether or not Edward would exile the Despensers, and pardon them for rebelling
and the lords
made it clear that they would appoint a new king if Edward refused. Feeling the weight against him, Edward had to give in.
Edward's Revenge
The Despensers were exiled. Hugh the younger became a pirate and the elder went to live in Bordeaux. The coalition of lords had achieved its goal and broke up.
Edward thus realized that the key adversaries such as Lord Badlesmere were isolated and plotted his revenge.
Edward took queen Isabella on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, whence he went alone to meet Hugh Despenser on the
Isle of Thanet, telling Isabella to return to London by way of Leeds Castle in Kent which was owned by the Badlesmeres.
According to rules of hospitality in the Middle Ages, a housekeeper was obliged to give shelter to anyone who was passing on a journey.
However, Lord Badlesmere who was away at the time had told his wife not to let anyone in because of the then circumstances of possible enemies. When Isabella asked for shelter she was refused.
Infuriated, Isabella ordered her men to force the gates, but they failed to and several of them were killed.
The queen then reported back to her husband,
who determined to teach the Badlesmeres
a lesson by sending the Earls of Pembroke,
Richmond and Norfolk to besiege it. Lord Badlesmere asked Roger Mortimer with whom he was at Oxford to
relieve the castle. Roger, with the Mortimer's links of marriage to the Badlesmeres couldn't really refuse, and
Lord Mortimer of Chirk and the Earl of Hereford backed him up, expecting others to come in on their side.
However, Roger and co had got as far as Kingston-upon-Thames when the Earl of Lancaster, whose support Roger was hoping for, declared that he disapproved of the Herefordians going to Leeds Castle.
Roger's men, knowing that they were not strong enough to relieve the siege, ventured no further. The defenders at Leeds,
seeing that they couldn't hold out without help, surrendered and placed themselves at the king's mercy.
Unfortunately, mercy was not given, and Edward had a dozen of the defenders hanged, and the
had Lady Badlesmere and her children, including Elizabeth (the eight-year-old girl betrothed to Roger Mortimer's son) sent to the Tower of London.
Earl of Lancaster
Roger and the Earl of Hereford moved north to try and get the support of the Earl of Lancaster in the wake of
Edward II's brutality at Leeds Castle. Lancaster reassured them that he too was shocked and told them he would support them.
This emboldened Roger and Hereford who openly avowed their opposition to the monarch.
Edward raised an army at Cirencester, and ordered John de Bermingham in Ireland to sack all the men that Roger had appointed.
Roger and Hereford, not wanting to be cut off from their lands, retreated back to the Marches. Things turn a bad turn for them as their
allies turned agains them and the Welsh rose up against the Marcher lords.
Roger's forces retreated behind the river Severn securing the bridge at Worcester.
The king's forces then tried to cross England's longest river at the next crossing, Bridgenorth, where a vanguard crossed on , but on January 5th 1322 Roger's men counter-attacked, defeated the monarch's men and burnt the bridge there.
The next bridge upstream was Shrewsbury. Roger whose forces were strung out, appealed to the Earl of Lancaster for help, but he refused because of a personal dislike for Badlesmere.
Meanwhile the Welsh had taken Chirk and Clun castles.
Roger Mortimer went to Betton Strange near Shrewsbury to negociate via the Earls of Richmond, Pembroke, Arundal and Warenne an end of hostilities.
He would only agree to give up the rebellion if the king would guarantee his and his colleagues' lives.
Several times Roger, requested but every time Edward refused to agree.
Finally, the Earl of Pembroke, without asking the king's consent, himself promised that they would be pardonned their lives would be spared if they surrendered.
Trusting that they were now safe, Roger and Mortimer of Chirk entered Shrewsbury Castle to surrender, where to their surprise they were put in chains and sent to the Tower of London.
Wigmore Forfeited
The day after Roger surrendered a group of men-at-arms arrived at Wigmore where the peacocks were strutting about the yard, and their leader, Alan de Charlton delivered a message to the castellan that Wigmore Castle was be to forfeited because Roger had
rebelled. In fact everything that Roger owned was forfeited, personal possessions as well as land. At Wigmore most of Roger's possessions were connected to war or baby care, other items included
a chess baord painted with gold, another gaming board crafted out of aromatic nutmeg, a green bedcover embroidered with owls, with four matching rugs or carpets,
a great hanging tapestry for a great hall, embroidered with popinjays and griffons.
Shockingly Lady Mortimer was arrested too and her possessions removed as well, taken by guard to be
imprisoned in Hampshire accompanied by six men of her household. To arrest women and children for the crimes of
their husbands went against the codes of chivarly, but not only was Lady Mortimer taken, but so were their two eldests son's, Edmund and Roger who along with the
children of the Earl of Hereford who were imprisoned in Windsor. The youngest son, John was kept under guard in Hampshire. Their third son, Geoffrey would have been jailed but he was in France serving in the household of
the de Fiennes family. Three of their eldest four daughters too were put in prison, only
Maud was spared that fate, being allowed to marry John de Charlton of Powys. Roger's mother,
Margaret de Fiennes had Radnor Castle and all its possessions confiscated.
Pope Backs Roger's Men
King Edward even wanted to remove and exile various churchmen for supporting Roger, such as Adam Orleton, Bishop of Hereford,
and Henry de Burgage, Bishop of Lincoln. However, Pope John XXII refused to allow this.
Roger In The Tower
Roger and his uncle entered the Tower of London on February 13th 1322, Roger being placed in a high, narrow cell. His gaolers only had 3d a day for his upkeep making things harsh but enough to keep him alive.
Herefordshire merchants passing through London who were still faithful and brave enough carried news to Roger of what was going
on in the country. If found out, they would face a stiff punishment, for example Arnold le Glover of Hereford was fined 20 marks for talking with Mortimer of Chirk and Thomas atte Barre, a hundred marks for speaking with Roger.
Boroughbridge
When the Earl of Hereford and Lord Clifford heard what had happened to Roger and his uncle, they determined not to give
themselves up to the king's men, but fled north to team up with the Earl of Lancaster.
Edward II gathered a army to come after then, summoning men from all over England and even France.
The Despensers back from exile joined him, and many of Lancaster's supporters melted away.
With his forces in Pontefract, Lancaster wanted to stay put, confident that his royal status would save him from the king's anger, but Lord Clifford drew his sword and holding it to Lancaster's face, persuaded him that they should retreat further north, making for Boroughbridge at the river Ure, twenty miles from York.
Unfortunately, a spy in Lancaster's ranks told Sir Andrew de Harclay of this plan, so Harclay gathered forces
in Cumberland and Westmoreland marching them through the night so that they reached the bridge first.
Lancaster's forces were trapped between Edward's men advancing from the south and Harclay's holding the bridge, as well as positioning pikemen opposite a nearby ford.
On March 22nd, the rebels decided that the Earl of Hereford and Lord Clifford should attack the bride, whilst Lancaster would cross the ford with his cavalry.
The Earl of Hereford led the charge across the bridge, only to be showered with arrows.
A pikeman under the bridge skewered the Earl of Hereford, whose screams as he died caused his men to panic. Neither was Lancaster having any success with fording the river enduring a hail of arrows, hence he called off the attack, retreating back with the
promise of a renewed attack the following morning. However during the night, lots of the Earl of Hereford's men deserting, many slipping away in borrowed or stolen clothes, pretending to be peasants or beggars.
When the new day arrived, Harclay crossed the river, and soon overwhelmed.
What shocked contempories was the unprecented judicial bloodbath as many of the leading rebels were executed including the Earl of Lancaster, and Sir Roger de Clifford who
was drawn and hanged at York. Edward II also had other rebels such as Badlesmere put to death, having his beheaded in Canterbury.
Roger Mortimer and his uncle, Mortimer of Chirk now feared for their own lives. but the king, satisfied that the rebellion had been put down, and perhaps still with some affection for the Mortimers, decided to only jail them from life.
Ordinances Revoked
With opposition crushed Edward and Despenser had the Ordinances curbing his authority repealed, and parliament became just
an advisory body. Despenser got greedier and more power-mad. He got the king to swell the coffers of the treasury as much as he liked and to impose huge fines on
those who protested against this or other injustices. Despenser helped himself to other people's land if he fancied it, including some manors of Roger Mortimer.
Despenser was even trying to persuade Edward II to change his mind about sparing Roger.
Queen Isabella
Queen Isabella resented Despenser for his greed, his callousness and especially the way he could
wrap Edward round his little finger. Isabella also wrote to the Treasurer on behalf of Roger's wife because
she was being mistreated.
Meanwhile Roger was managing to smuggle letters out of the Tower of London whilst he plotted his escape. He tried to maintain contact with his supporters in the church such as Adam Orleton, Bishop of Hereford and Alexander Bicknor, the Bishop of Durham.
Of course he needed help for this and he found it in the form of Gerald d'Alspaye whom he persuaed to assist him.
Unfortunately, Roger's letters to the priors of Leominster and Wormsley were intercepted.
Despenser and Roger, realizing that Roger must be scheming, concluded that he was a danger as long as he was alive, so
they decided to have him put to death, arranging this for the first part of August.
Queen Isabella got word of this, and informed those who would rescue Roger.
Roger's Escape
August 1st was the feast day of St Peter ad Vincula, St Peter in chains, apt for Roger.
Most of the garrison at the Tower took part in a feast with much eating and drinking and making merry.
However, Gerard d'Alspaye sat there without enjoying any of the wine because he had slipped sleeping potion into it.
One by one the guests collapsed into a drugged stupor. Geradl rushed up to where Roger was kept with a rope ladder and a crowbar and started working to free the Herefordian. Roger prayed that if they succeeded, he would dedicate a chapel in Ludlow to St Peter.
Soon Roger was free from the cell, and the men climbed down the wall of the Tower to the river Thames where a small boat was waiting.
They rowed to Greenwich where four of Roger's men-at-arms were ready for them with spare horses, and they rode to
Portchester where a small vessel took them over to the Isle of Wight, where another sea-going boat was prepared which carried Roger across to Normandy.
Wanted Dead Or Alive
On hearing of Roger's escape, Edward II sent messengers to all the sheriffs of England proclaiming that Roger Mortimer of
Wigmore was wanted dead or alive. Roger meanwhile had made his way to Picardy in France where he
stayed with his uncel and cousin, John and Robert de Fiennes. When Edward II found out Roger's whereabouts he ordered his hosts
to arrest Roger, but of course, they took no notice. In England support for Roger manifested itself
in attacks on the Despensers' manors whilst in France, Roger's third son, Geoffrey who was in France too inherited Lusignian estates when his grandmother died, and thus
was in a stronger position to support his father. The king of France, Charles Iv, was too an enemy of Edward II because of the
dispute as to whether Gascony should belong to England or France. Charles IV stepped in and
confiscated it.
All Edward could do was take it out on Roger's supporters in England, for example by confiscating their lands, as in the case
of the English lands of the de Fiennes family. The Bishop of Hereford, Orleton who by the way that year dedicated the church of Weobley and three altars therein, was found guilty of providing arms and horses for Roger's escape in a court where the
jury was selected by the king himself, hence biased. Edward II was also angry as his queen, Isabella, whom he suspected had helped in Roger's escape, and was especially annoyed when she stuck up for
the
accused Bishop of Hereford. Later her lands and property were seized.
Edward also took it out on Roger's relatives in England. Roger's wife was imprisoned in the royal castle of
Skipton-in-Craven in Yorkshire. Roger's sons in England were gaoled, and his daughters there, Margaret, Joan and Isabella, were
shut up in priories.
Isabella Goes To France
Unfortunately, the Earl of Pembroke, who had often acted as a wise peacemaker, died in June 1324.
There would be no other such man to disfuse disputes.
As for the dispute between Edward II and Charles IV, charles offered to return all Edward's lands in France he had confiscated if Isabella came to France as
a negotiator. In March 1325 she set sail for her homeland, accompanied by a retinue that Edward and Dispenser had chosen for her, in order to spy on her.
There were no French people with her, Edward had had them all arrested. Arriving in France, Isabella negotiated with her brother, Charles IV, about the lands in Gascony, and in May 1325, a peace treaty was ratified between England and France. This
fell in favour of France, Gascony was not to be given back to Edard straight away, it was to be
surrendered completely to Charles, then only parts were to be granted back to Edward.
This left the issue of who would come to France to pay homage to Charles IV, Edward II or his son.
In the end Prince Edward went to France to pay homage. King Edward commanded Isabella to return to England, but
she refused as long as Despenser would be so close to her husband, and she dressed in mourning. The French king also refused to send her back.
It was during this very year, 1325, that Bishop Orleton, dedicated the church of Weobley and three altars therein;
one of them was doubtless in the chapel of St Nicolas, which belonged to the family of Bridges of 'the Ley'.
Roger Meets Isabella
In December 1325 Roger who had been in Hainault came to the French court to meet Isabella, the first time that
they had met for sure for four years. At first Roger and Isabella were bound in mutual hostility for Despenser but then they
became more emotionally involved, as they became lovers. Edward II, piqued that he had been cuckolded, took it out on Roger's wife, wanting to have her confined to Elstow
priory for the rest of her life, but Lady Mortimer evaded capture, despite the fact that Edward
sent extra men to search for her in Worcester and Radnor.
Edward II called for his son, Prince Edward, to come back to England but he refused.
The king and Despenser prepared for the invasion which they expected from Roger and Isabella, Despenser hid his treasure in Caerphilly Castle, and all gold exports from England were banned for fear that these would be used to help fund an invasion.
Isabella and Roger prepared such a joint action, though the queen had a moment of doubt and Roger had the only known instance of his losing self control
when in June 1326, she suggested that she should return to her husband, and he threatened to kill her if she did. They both got over it and continued with their resolve to act together.
Despenser plotted to bribe with silver Charles IV's courtiers to kill Isabella, but the ship carrying this money was intercepted by a Hainault vessel.
This close shave, spurred Isabella and Roger on to getting a move on with the invasion.
Roger's Armada
The last occasion that the couple were definitely in France was in May when they attended the coronation
of the Queen of France. with Roger bearing the robes of Edward II. Roger went to Hainault to
organize the invasion fleet. Count William of Hainault ordered a hundred and forty vessels to be gathered between
Rotterdam and Dordrecht before September. In the end there were only ninety-five ships were ready for use, the number of these
that were troop transporters suggests that Roger's force conisted of at least 1,100 men, possibly 1,500. On September 20th, Roger and Isabella were together in Brill ready to depart.
Roger's resolve was stiffened by the news that his uncle Lord Mortimer of Chirk had died in the Tower of London whilst in the
custody of Hugh Despenser.
Orwell Landing
On September 24th the flotilla landed in the mouth of the river Orwell in Suffolk a spot chosen because it was within striking distance of London, yet protected by rivers from the king's forces to the south, and as it was in territory controlled by the Earl of Norfolk, an enemy of the Despensers.
When Edward heard of their landing, he ordered Robert de Wateville to gather forces from the eastern counties to march towards the Orwell.
Edward even offered to pardon such criminals as murderers if they would fight against Roger.
However, Waterville was an old friend of Roger Mortimer, and had been a guest at his son, Edmund's wedding in 1316, and instead of going to fight Roger, he went to join him.
Thomas Wake, Roger's cousin did likewise. Henry , Earl of Lancaster also gathered his forces to come in on Roger's side.
Roger and Isabella spent their first night in Walton.
Roger ordered the ships to return for the continent, for the same reasons as William the Conquerer had, to force his men to fight with him as there was no exit.
Roger and Isabella knew that they must not appear to be emotionally involved lest disapproval of their living in sin lose them support. They also realized that though many of the lords would side with them, the ordinary people
could well still support the king as they traditionally saw the monarch as their
protector against the barons, so Isabella understood the importance of winning their hearts and minds.
She won the locals over when foreign mercenaries started looting around Walton.
They were ordered to stop, and offered compensation to anyone whose property had been affected. Roger and Isabella also comprehended that Isabella needed to appear the leader of the invasion, so Roger better try and keep a low key.
Staying at the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, Isabella could make her mission seem like a crusade.
Edward could not muster enough forces to pin the invaders down in Suffolk, and they marched inland to where they met up with the Earl of Lancaser in Dunstable.
The Bishops including of course the Bishop of Hereford publicly voiced their support for Isabella.
Despenser had lots of money in the Treasury but he didn't know how to go about using it to raise forces against Isabella, for
legal rather than military matters were his forte, in contrast to Roger Mortimer.
London
Edward was alarmed that he couldn't raise an adequately strong army to counter Roger.
Also he concluded that Londoners were not be to trusted to defend his rule, they disliked
Despenser too much. so having arranged for the three sons of Roger that he held in captivity to be
moved to the Tower of London, he left the capital.
Roger and Isabella, although they heard of Londoners looting houses of those friendly with the
Despensers, also felt that the inhabitants of the capital to be too fickle for reliability so they moved their forces
to chase Edward's as he fled westwards to South Wales.
When the invaders reached Oxford they were joined by the Bishop of Hereford who preached a sermon, comparing
Despenser to the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve.
Chaos In The Capital
Meanwhile with Edward in Tintern, a meeting at Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's dwelling, was broken up by a mob.
The Mayor of London, Hamo de Chigwell, one of the judges who had sentenced Roger to death, was dragged into the Guildhall, where he
was forced to swear support for the rebels. John le Marshall, suspected of being a spy for Despenser was pulled from his house to Cheapside where he was beheaded.
The Treasury, Walter de Stapleton, was next on the rioters list. When he heard at Holborn that his house was being ransacked, he decided to ride through the City to the Tower, he was caught by the mob and also decapitated.
Roger was not cheered by the news of the chaos in London, rather he feared for the lives of his sons in the Tower, hence they sent a bodyguard there to help protect them, though they felt they couldn't turn their entire army round and return to London.
Bristol Falls
Roger's forces moved onto Bristol where Despenser was holed up in the castle.
The townsfolk's threw open the city gates to the Herefordian, though he still had to take the castle.
Fortunately for him, there had recently been constructed some houses abutting the castle walls which weakened them, and it only took eight days to capture the fortress, and the elder Despenser was taken prisoner.
Both Roger and the Earl of Lancaster deemed that he had done them too much harm to be spared.
Edward & Hugh Despenser Caught
King Edward's Welsh forces did not come to his rescue, neither would Hugh Despenser's men in Glamorgan serve their lord, probably remembering his cruelty in the times of Llewyelyn Bren.
Retreating to Caerphilly castle, Edward tried to get the men of South Wales to rally round him, but to no avail.
Moving on to Neath with a few supporters, Edward tried to negotiate with Roger, but no terms were accepted apart from surrender. Making a dash for it, Edward and Hugh Despenser were captured, and Despenser was taken to Hereford by Isabella, and
Edward to Kenilworth by Lancaster. Hearing of this, the last loyalist stronghold, Caerphilly castle submitted.
Despenser Executed At Hereford
Roger and the earls decided that Hugh Despenser was to be executed like his father. Roger wanted this to be carried out in Hereford, whence Hugh Despenser was brought on November 24th.
A huge crowd had formed there with trumpets and drums to mock his entry. A crown on nettles was placed on his head, and his surcoat was reversed. The crowd then pulled his from his horse, and stripping him of his clothes, wrote on his skin verses from the Bible that dealt with arrogance and wickedness.
Despenser was led to Hereford market places where in front of Roger, Isabella and the Lancastrian lords charges were read out.
He was accused of being a a traitor, a pirate, disregarding the Ordinances and Magna Carta,
aiding other traitors in the murder of the Earl of Hereford, of putting Roger and his uncle in a harsh prison in order to murder them, imprisoning Roger's and the Earl of Hereford's relatives,
of confiscating the property of churchmen such as the Bishop of Hereford.
Hugh Despenser was sentenced to be hanged, thereby he was roped to four horses, dragged through the city to Hereford castle where he was strung up and killed after having been horribly mutilated.
Roger and Isabella were pleased that their victory since arriving in suffolk and been so quick and had cost very few innocent causualties apart from the victims of the London riots.
Roger Meets Joan
Roger and Joan met again for the first time in five years. The meeting possibly took place at Roge's manor in Pembridge in November 1326
In the early part of 1327 Roger obtained some romance books at Westminster as presents for his wife.
These were handed over to Walter de Lingen, the canon of Wigmore and Walter de Evesham, Roger's clerk for them to be then passed
on to Joan who was staying in Wigmore. It must have been sad when they met because he had become Isabella's lover after Joan had born him so many children.
Edward's Fate
There remained the question of what to do with Edward. Some wanted him put on trial for treason hoping that he would be found guilty and executed, leaving the throne to his son, Edward.
Roger was favour of sparing the king's life for he remembered that the king had spared him back
in 1322. Roger also wanted to nurture the affection and respect of Prince Edward, something he felt would be
very hard to obtain if Edward II was put to death.
The wishes of those opposed to killing Edward II gained sway, and Roger and others made up their minds to imprisoned Edward II for life
without trial. A temporary measure was for Isabella to be handed Edward's seal so that she could rule on Edward II's behalf or
on Prince Edward's , though they knew that this state of affairs would not last long before it was challenged.
Parliament Called
London was returning to normal and now elected Richard de Bethune, one of Roger's most loyal supporters, as its new mayor. Parliament was convened for
January 7th at Westminster Hall, but it could not proceed without the king being there, and he refused to come. Bishop Orleton told the assembly that it was
a good job that Edward II did refuse to turn up because the monarch kept a dagger under his cloak ready to kill his estranged wife.
Reprenstatives of boroughs throughout the kingdom, apart one from South Wales where there was still loyalty to Edward II were
summoned to a meeting where Orleton put it to them that if the king refused to come to Parliament, did Parliament want the king to rule the country or his son to rule it instead?
There was indecision in the meeting. Roger duly dismissed Parliament until nine o'clock the next morning.
Meanwhile he asked Richard de Bethune to write to Parliament asking the
members to come to the Guidlhall to swear an oath of allegiance to
Isabella and her son, Prince Edward, and to depose
the king. Roger persuaded Parliament to
carry out his wish of deposing Edward II.
Landmark In History
This was a landmark in history, being the first time that an English monarch had been deposed
by parliament. Indeed this was the first time that an important king in the whole of Europe had
been dethroned in such a way, although there had been a case of a minor German prince several years beforehand.
However, this was not a constitutional landmark for there was legal device in parliament that
justified this, it was just that Edward II was asked to accept what parliament had wanted, and that
he had little other choice than to acquiesce.
Kenilworth
The charges against Edward II were read out to him by the Bishop of Hereford in the hall of Kenilworth Castle on January 20th.
These accused him of being a corrupt and incompetent king who had allowed favourites to hold power unjustifiably.
Edward wept as the charges were read out, and then given the choice of abdicating in favour of
his son or letting Roger be monarch. He chose Prince Edward.
Edward III's Minority
The day after Edward II abdicated, his son, was proclaimed as the new king, Edward III.
The new king was only fourteen and too young rule by himself. His protectors were to be
Isabella and Roger whose role was to advice him, take care of the privy seal which was used to close informal documents, and
appointed the Chancellor who held the great seal which was used on formal ones, and who controlled who could meet the monarch.
Edward III's Coronation
The coronation took place at Candlemas, February 1st 1327. Three of Roger's sons, Edmund, Roger and Geoffrey
attended the ceremony with him. In his confidence he had them dressed as earls. After he was knighted by John of Hainault,
the young king knighted Roger's boys too. Present as the archbishop of Canterbury placed the crown on Edward's head were
the Bishop of Hereford and Roger's other allies, the bishops of Lincoln and Ely.
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