William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu (
c. 1275 – 18 October 1319) (aliasde Montagu, de Montacute,
Latinized to de Monte Acuto ("from the sharp mountain")), was an English peer, and an eminent soldier and courtier during the reigns of
Edward I and
Edward II. He played a significant role in the wars in Scotland and Wales, and was appointed
steward of the household to Edward II. Perhaps as a result of the influence of his enemy,
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, Edward II sent him to
Gascony as
Seneschal in 1318. He died there in October of the following year.
Origins
Seal of William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu, inscribed in Latin: S(IGILLUM) DE GUILLAUME SIRE DE MONTAGU ("seal of William,
lord of the manor of Montagu"). The arms displayed by the knight are apparently those of Peter de Montfort (died before 4 March 1287) (Bendy of eight or and azure)[1] (son of
Peter de Montfort of
Beaudesert Castle), the father-in-law of William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu
William Montagu was born in about 1275, the son and heir of
Simon de Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu (d. 26 September 1316), by either his first wife, Hawise de St Amand (died 1287), daughter of
Amaury de St Amand, or his second wife, Isabel, whose parentage is unknown.[2] The
Montagu family was of Norman origin, later prominent in the
West Country of England.[3] They held extensive lands in
Somerset,
Dorset and
Devon.[4] From his father's
inquisition post mortem, he is known to have had two brothers, John Montagu and Simon Montagu.[2]
Career
Montagu spent a great part of his life serving in the wars in Scotland, Wales and on the continent. He distinguished himself in the
First War of Scottish Independence,[2] having been summoned for
feudal military service in 1301 and placed in charge of shipping for the war in March 1303.[2][5]
In 1304, he was with King
Edward I at the Siege of
Stirling Castle.[2] In the same year he and his uncle, Amaury de St Amand, were imprisoned in the
Tower of London for an alleged offence for which he was soon acquitted.[2] On 22 May 1306, he and others were knighted by King
Edward I (1272–1307), together with the king's son the
Prince of Wales and future King
Edward II (1307–1327).[2][5]
In reward for his services, in August 1316, he was granted the marriage of the king's
ward Joan de Verdun, daughter and heiress of Theobald de Verdun,[7] whom he married-off the following year to his younger son, John Montagu (d. August 1317).[7][5]
In November 1316, he was appointed
Steward of the Household to King
Edward II, a position which was accompanied by the grant, on 13 January 1317, of an annuity of 200 marks which he received until June 1317, when in lieu of the annuity the king granted him for life, as "King's Bachelor", several
manors, including
Gravesend in
Kent and Kingsbury in
Somerset.
On 26 September 1317, the King granted him
licence to crenellate his mansion house at
Cassington in Oxfordshire.[7] He was summoned by writ to
Parliament on 20 November 1317, where he was one of the majores barones in the king's party.[7]
Elizabeth de Montfort survived her husband and remarried to Sir Thomas Furnivall (d. before 18 April 1332) of
Sheffield, who was pardoned and fined £200 on 8 June 1322 for marrying her, a widow of a
tenant-in-chief, without royal licence.[14][15] Furnivall's son, Thomas Furnivall (d. October 1339), had married Joan de Verdun (d. 2 October 1334), widow of Elizabeth's eldest son, John Montagu.[16][5] Elizabeth died in August 1354, and was buried in the
Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford (now
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford), where her tomb still exists in the Latin chapel.[15]
By his wife Montagu had four sons and seven daughters:[5]
Sons
John Montagu (died 1317), eldest son and heir apparent, who predeceased his father. In 1317 in the royal chapel at
Windsor Castle he married his father's ward, Joan de Verdun (d. 2 October 1334), daughter and heiress of Theobald de Verdun by Maud Mortimer, daughter of
Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer. The marriage was childless.[7][17] He died in 1317 having predeceased his father, and was buried at
Lincoln Cathedral on 14 August 1317. His widow, Joan de Verdun, remarried, on 24 February 1318,to Sir Thomas Furnivall (d. October 1339), by whom she had three sons and two daughters.[16][7][5][17]
Firstly, before 29 August 1338,
Alice of Norfolk (died before 30 January 1352), daughter and co-heiress of
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk (1300–1338), a younger son of King
Edward I,[19][20][21] by whom he had a son and four daughters.[22] Alice of Norfolk is said to have died as the result of an assault by her husband and his retainers.[22][23]
Secondly he married a wife named Joan, whose parentage is unknown, by whom he had a son and two daughters.[22]
Daughters
Alice Montagu, the eldest daughter, who married, before 27 January 1333, as his first wife, Sir Ralph Daubeney (3 March 1305 – c.1378), by whom she was the mother of Sir Giles Daubeney, 3rd Baron Daubeney (d. 24 June 1386).[24][13]
Katherine Montagu, who married Sir William Carrington.[25][26][27]
^Douch, R. (1951). "The career, lands and family of William Montague, Earl of Salisbury, 1301–44". Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research. 24. London: 85.
doi:
10.1111/j.1468-2281.1951.tb00382.x.
^Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the
Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, pp. 243–4, pedigree of Courtenay
Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.
ISBN978-1449966348.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. IV (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.
ISBN978-1460992708.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Robertson, Herbert (1893–1895).
Stemmata Robertson et Durdin. London: Mitchell and Hughes. Retrieved 21 October 2013.