Notes
Note for: William* E. De Longespee, BEF 1173 - 7 MAR 1225/26 Index
[Master File.ftw]
William Longespee became Earl of Salisbury in right of his wife. In the be
ginning of King John's reign this nobleman was sheriff of Wiltshire, he w
as afterwards warden of the marches of Wales, and then sheriff of the coun
ties of Cambridge and Huntingdon. About this period (14th John ) [1213], t
he baronial contest commencing, William Longespee at once espoused the roy
al cause and maintained it so stoutly that he was included by the barons a
mongst the evil councillors of the crown. The next year he was again const
ituted sheriff of Wilts and he held the office from that time during the r
emainder of his life. He had also a grant of the honour of Eye, in Suffol
k, and was the same year a witness to the agreement made between King Jo
hn and the barons as guarantee for the former. He was likewise a witne
ss to the charter whereby John resigned his kingdom to the Pope. After th
is we find him a principal leader in the royal army until the very clo
se of John's reign, when he swerved in his loyalty and joined, for a sho
rt period, the ranks of Lewis of France. Upon the accession, however, of H
enry III [1216], he did homage to that monarch, particularly for the coun
ty of Somerset, which the king then gave him; and joining with William Mar
shall. governor of the king and kingdom, raised the siege of Lincoln wh
en he was constituted sheriff of Lincolnshire and governor of Lincoln Cast
le, being invested at the same time with sheriff of the co. of Somerset, a
nd governorship of the castle of Shirburne. His lordship soon afterwards a
ccompanied the Earl of Chester to the Holy Land, and was at the batt
le of Damieta, in which the crescent triumphed. He served subsequent
ly in the Gascon wars, whence returning to England, Dugdale relates, "the
re arose so great a tempest at sea that, despairing of life, he threw h
is money and rich apparel overboard. But when all hopes were passed, th
ey discerned a mighty taper of wax burning bright at the prow of the sh
ip and a beautiful woman standing by it who preserved it from wind and ra
in so that it gave a clear and bright lustre. Upon sight of which heaven
ly vision both himself and the mariners concluded of their future securit
y, but everyone there being ignorant what this vision might portend exce
pt the earl, he, however, attributed it to the benignity of the blessed vi
rgin by reason that, upon the day when he was honoured with the gird
le of knighthood, he brought a taper to her altar to be lighted ever d
ay at mass when the canonical hours used to be sung, and to the intent tha
t, for this terrestrial light, he might enjoy that which is eternal." A ru
mour, however, reached England of the earls having been lost, and Hube
rt de Burgh, with the concurrence of the king, provided a suitor for his s
upposed widow, but the lady, in the interim, having received letters fr
om her husband, rejected the suit with indignation. The earl soon after ca
me to the king at Marlborough and, being received with great joy, he prefe
rred a strong complaint against Hubert de Burgh, adding that, unless the k
ing would do him right therein, he should vindicate himself otherwise to t
he disturbance of the public peace. Hubert, however, appeased his wrath wi
th rich presents, and invited him to his table, where it is asserted th
at he was poisoned, for he retired to his castle of Salisbury in extreme i
llness and died almost immediately after, anno 1226. His lordship left iss
ue, four sons and five daus., viz., William, his successor; Richard, a can
on of Salisbury; Stephen, Justiciary of Ireland; Nicholas, bishop of Salis
bury; Isabel, m. to William de Vesci; Ela, m. 1st, to Thomas, Earl of Warw
ick, and 2ndly to Philip Basset, of Hedendon; Idonea, m. to William de Bea
uchamp, Baron of Bedford; Lora, a nun at Lacock; and Ela, jun., m. to Will
iam de Odingsells. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Ext
inct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, England, 1883, p. 167, d'Eve
reux, Earls of Salisbury]
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I have attached William to Rosamund Clifford as that is how it is sho
wn by Brian Tompsett at Directory of Royal Genealogical Data, althou
gh he provides the following notes: "The House of Clifford, Chapter 5: Mu
ch controversy surrounds the identity of the Mother of William, for Rosamu
nd was not the king's only mistress, though there are many who believe s
he was. Those who dispute Rosamund's claim base their case on the dispari
ty in the ages of all concerned, but there is other evidence as well whi
ch can not be ignored. Unfortunately, the records date neither the bir
th of Rosamund nor that of her father, or her reputed sons. Documents al
so indicate an Ida, and an Ykenai as his mother. Died on Crusade."
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William Longsword, 3rd earl of Salisbury, Longsword also spelled LONGESP
ÉE (d. March 7, 1226, Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng.), an illegitimate s
on of Henry II of England, and a prominent baron, soldier, and administrat
or under John and Henry III. He acquired his lands and title from Richa
rd I, who in 1196 gave him the hand of the heiress Ela, or Isabel, daught
er of William, earl of Salisbury. He held numerous official positions in E
ngland under John.
He was sent on missions to France (1202) and to Germany (1209). In 1213-
14 he organized John's Flemish allies, taking part in the destruction (121
3) of the French fleet at Damme, then the port of Bruges, and leading t
he right wing of the allied army at Bouvines (July 27, 1214), where he w
as captured. He was exchanged and was back in England by May 1215, wh
en he was employed by John in inspecting the defenses of royal castles a
nd fighting the rebels in the southwest.
During John's war against the barons, Salisbury deserted the king after t
he landing of Louis of France (May 1216); he returned to royal allegianc
e, however, by March 1217, fought at Lincoln (May) and Sandwich (August
), and attested the Treaty of Kingston (September 1217). Salisbury held va
rious posts during the minority of Henry III and served against the Wel
sh in 1223 and in Gascony in 1225. He and his wife were benefactors of Sal
isbury Cathedral and laid foundation stones of the new cathedral in 122
0. William was buried there and his effigy, a splendid early example, sti
ll survives. [Britannica CD '97]
EARLDOM OF WILTSHIRE
IV. 3.
EARLDOM OF SALISBURY
III. 3. ELA (or ISABEL), only daughter and heir, born circa 1191, in 11
96 was given by Richard I, with the Earldom of SALISBURY, to his bastard b
rother, WILLIAM LONGESPEE. He was with Richard I in Normandy 1196-98; a
nd was present at John's Coronation, 27 May 1199. Sheriff of Wilts, Midsum
mer 1199-1202; 1203-1207; 1213 till his death. In 1202 he went on a diplom
atic mission to France; in 1203 he was keeper of the castle of Avranche
s; in 1204, with the Earl Marshal, he escorted Llewelyn to the King at Wor
cester. Keeper of the castle and honor of Eye, 1205; in which year he l
ed a small band of knights to Rochelle. He was of the escort of William t
he Lion, King of Scots, to meet John at York, November 1206. In 1208, wh
en the King anticipated the Interdict by several orders regarding monks a
nd clergy who refused to celebrate divine service, those of the dioce
se of Ely were put under the direction of the Earl of Salisbury. He head
ed an Embassy in March 1209 to the prelates and princes of Germany, on beh
alf of the King's nephew Otto; in December he was appointed Keeper of t
he March of Wales. He attended John on his expedition to Ireland, 1210. Fr
om May 1212 to March 1215/6 sheriff of Cambs and Hunts; sometime (certain
ly in 1212-13, when invasion from France threatened) Keeper of Dover Castl
e; in Aug. 1212, supervisor of the keeper of the Archbishopric of Canterbu
ry. He was one of the 4 Earls who, at Dover in May 1213, swore that John w
ould observe the terms laid down by the Pope for satisfaction of the bisho
ps, and witnessed his declaration of homage to the Papal See. He was th
en preparing an expedition, of which he was joint commander, to help the C
ount of Flanders against France. In June he went overseas again in the sa
me cause, with a credit of over 20,000 marks. In 1214, as Marshal of the K
ing of England, he commanded combined forces which recovered almost all Fl
anders for the Count; but on 27 July the Earl and the Counts of Flanders a
nd Boulogne were captured at the battle of Bouvines. In May 1215 he was o
ne of the 3 Earls appointed to visit and examine the state of the royal ca
stles, and a messenger from the King to the City of London; and he w
as at Runnymede in June, on the King's side. Later in the year, with Falk
es de Bréauté, the Earl led a punitive expedition into the eastern countie
s. He remained a zealous loyalist till after mid-June 1216; but, presumab
ly before the end of the month, when Louis had entered Winchester, the Ea
rl surrendered Salisbury Castle to him. He had returned to his allegian
ce before 7 March 1216/7, when his lands were restored to him. On 14 Mar
ch he had a grant of Sherborne Castle and the co. of Somerset, and under g
rants of Somerset and Devon, 14 and 17 August, he served as sheriff of bo
th counties till Michaelmas 1217. At Whitsuntide he marched with the Ea
rl Marshal to the relief of Lincoln. In August he was with Hubert de Bur
gh in the victory over the French fleet off Thanet, and in September he wi
tnessed the treaty with Louis at Lambeth. He was among the guarantors of t
he truce with France, March 1219/20. In 1220 he and his Countess laid t
he 4th and 5th stones at the founding of the new cathedral at New Saru
m. He was with the King, October 1223, in the successful expedition again
st Llewellyn. In 1224 Keeper of the Castles of Bridgnorth and Shrewsbur
y, accounting as sheriff of Salop and Staffs, Christmas 1223 to Michaelm
as 1224. In 1225 he went with the young Earl of Cornwall, as supervisory c
ommander, on a successful expedition to Gascony. He died 7 March 1225
/6 in Salisbury Castle, and was buried in the Cathedral. After his deat
h, the Countess, who (according to the Lacock account) was born 1187, d
id homage for her inheritance, 19 March 1225/6; on the 23rd she was requir
ed to surrender Salisbury Castle; the county of Wilts was committed to h
er during pleasure, 22 January 1226/7. She founded Lacock Abbey, 1229; to
ok the veil there in 1238; was Abbess, 1240-57; died 24 August 1261, and w
as buried there. [CP 11:379-82]