| Notes |
- EARL OF SALISBURY
AR-142-2
William Longespee became Earl of Salisbury in right of his wife. In thebeginning of King John's reign this nobleman was sheriff of Wiltshire, hewas afterwards warden of the marches of Wales, and then sheriff of thecounties of Cambridge and Huntingdon. About this period (14th John )[1213], the baronial contest commencing, William Longespee at onceespoused the royal cause and maintained it so stoutly that he wasincluded by the barons amongst the evil councillors of the crown. Thenext year he was again constituted sheriff of Wilts and he held theoffice from that time during the remainder of his life. He had also agrant of the honour of Eye, in Suffolk, and was the same year a witnessto the agreement made between King John and the barons as guarantee forthe former. He was likewise a witness to the charter whereby Johnresigned his kingdom to the Pope. After this we find him a principalleader in the royal army until the very close of John's reign, when heswerved in his loyalty and joined, for a short period, the ranks of Lewisof France. Upon the accession, however, of Henry III [1216], he didhomage to that monarch, particularly for the county of Somerset, whichthe king then gave him; and joining with William Marshall. governor ofthe king and kingdom, raised the siege of Lincoln when he was constitutedsheriff of Lincolnshire and governor of Lincoln Castle, being invested atthe same time with sheriff of the co. of Somerset, and governorship ofthe castle of Shirburne. His lordship soon afterwards accompanied theEarl of Chester to the Holy Land, and was at the battle of Damieta, inwhich the crescent triumphed. He served subsequently in the Gascon wars,whence returning to England, Dugdale relates, "there arose so great atempest at sea that, despairing of life, he threw his money and richapparel overboard. But when all hopes were passed, they discerned amighty taper of wax burning bright at the prow of the ship and abeautiful woman standing by it who preserved it from wind and rain sothat it gave a clear and bright lustre. Upon sight of which heavenlyvision both himself and the mariners concluded of their future security,but everyone there being ignorant what this vision might portend exceptthe earl, he, however, attributed it to the benignity of the blessedvirgin by reason that, upon the day when he was honoured with the girdleof knighthood, he brought a taper to her altar to be lighted ever day atmass when the canonical hours used to be sung, and to the intent that,for this terrestrial light, he might enjoy that which is eternal." Arumour, however, reached England of the earls having been lost, andHubert de Burgh, with the concurrence of the king, provided a suitor forhis supposed widow, but the lady, in the interim, having received lettersfrom her husband, rejected the suit with indignation. The earl soon aftercame to the king at Marlborough and, being received with great joy, hepreferred a strong complaint against Hubert de Burgh, adding that, unlessthe king would do him right therein, he should vindicate himselfotherwise to the disturbance of the public peace. Hubert, however,appeased his wrath with rich presents, and invited him to his table,where it is asserted that he was poisoned, for he retired to his castleof Salisbury in extreme illness and died almost immediately after, anno1226. His lordship left issue, four sons and five daus., viz., William,his successor; Richard, a canon of Salisbury; Stephen, Justiciary ofIreland; Nicholas, bishop of Salisbury; Isabel, m. to William de Vesci;Ela, m. 1st, to Thomas, Earl of Warwick, and 2ndly to Philip Basset, ofHedendon; Idonea, m. to William de Beauchamp, Baron of Bedford; Lora, anun at Lacock; and Ela, jun., m. to William de Odingsells. [Sir BernardBurke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage,Ltd., London, England, 1883, p. 167, d'Evereux, Earls of Salisbury]
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I have attached William to Rosamund Clifford as that is how it is shownby Brian Tompsett at Directory of Royal Genealogical Data, although heprovides the following notes: "The House of Clifford, Chapter 5: Muchcontroversy surrounds the identity of the Mother of William, for Rosamundwas not the king's only mistress, though there are many who believe shewas. Those who dispute Rosamund's claim base their case on the disparityin the ages of all concerned, but there is other evidence as well whichcan not be ignored. Unfortunately, the records date neither the birth ofRosamund nor that of her father, or her reputed sons. Documents alsoindicate an Ida, and an Ykenai as his mother. Died on Crusade."
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William Longsword, 3rd earl of Salisbury, Longsword also spelledLONGESPÉE (d. March 7, 1226, Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng.), an illegitimateson of Henry II of England, and a prominent baron, soldier, andadministrator under John and Henry III. He acquired his lands and titlefrom Richard I, who in 1196 gave him the hand of the heiress Ela, orIsabel, daughter of William, earl of Salisbury. He held numerous officialpositions in England under John.
He was sent on missions to France (1202) and to Germany (1209). In1213-14 he organized John's Flemish allies, taking part in thedestruction (1213) of the French fleet at Damme, then the port of Bruges,and leading the right wing of the allied army at Bouvines (July 27,1214), where he was captured. He was exchanged and was back in England byMay 1215, when he was employed by John in inspecting the defenses ofroyal castles and fighting the rebels in the southwest.
During John's war against the barons, Salisbury deserted the king afterthe landing of Louis of France (May 1216); he returned to royalallegiance, however, by March 1217, fought at Lincoln (May) and Sandwich(August), and attested the Treaty of Kingston (September 1217). Salisburyheld various posts during the minority of Henry III and served againstthe Welsh in 1223 and in Gascony in 1225. He and his wife werebenefactors of Salisbury Cathedral and laid foundation stones of the newcathedral in 1220. William was buried there and his effigy, a splendidearly example, still survives. [Britannica CD '97]
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1176 - 1226 (50 years)
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