Edmund
Mortimer and the treasurership of York
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
On 13th
November 1263 King Henry III promised to Edmund Mortimer (Mortuo Mari) that he
would provide him with an ecclesiastical benefice as soon as one became
available.[1] Edmund
Mortimer was the second, but eventually first surviving son of Roger Mortimer,
Lord of Wigmore.[2]
But before the king
could carry out his promise the Battle of Lewis intervened. This battle (14th
May 1264) was part of the ongoing struggle between Simon de Montfort (Monte
Forti), Earl of Leicester, and Henry III on who should be the chief advisers of
the king; English nobles or nobles from the English areas of France. The King
lost the Battle of Lewis and was taken captured by Simon de Montfort.
Henry
III and de Montfort claim the treasurership of York
While in captivity
Simon de Montfort used the presence of the King to issued letters purporting to
be sanctioned and agreed by Henry III. In one such letter, Henry III later
recalled, Simon de Montfort affixed the king’s seal to a letter granting the
treasury-ship of York to Amaury de Montfort, his son, against the will Henry
III.[3]
The treasurer’s
position in York cathedral was seen for many years as a rich reward for
political favourites. In January 1256 John Mansell was made treasurer of York.
John Mansell was a close friend and trusted adviser of King Henry III.[4] John
Mansell was also a noted pluralist holding many church positions across the
country. In 1262 John Mansell was still treasurer at York.[5] But
by 1263 he had fled the country and never returned to England.[6]
Simon de Montfort was therefore attempting to change not just the government
but the top positions in the church that were still loyal to the king.
On 28th May
1265 Henry III escaped from his captors, assisted by Roger Mortimer of Wigmore.[7] On
7th August 1265 King Henry was a Worcester when he addressed a
letter to the chapter of York informing them that the king had resumed full
power and therefore revoked and annulled the grant made to Amaury de Montfort
of the treasury-ship of York.[8]
Edmund
becomes Treasurer of York
On 17th
September 1265 Henry III granted the treasurership position to Edmund de
Mortimer and the chapter at York were to assign Edmund a stall in the choir and
a place in the chapter.[9] Edmund
de Mortimer was still a minor in 1265 when made treasurer. In 1282 he was said
to be thirty years old and more (born 1252) and in 1301 was said to be forty
years or more (born 1261). In 1268 Edmund Mortimer was at Oxford, studying theology
at the university, when the constable of the castle was instructed to pay £20
towards Mortimer’s expenses.[10] Presumingly
he didn’t get much money from York or the king had desired to endow Edmund
Mortimer with special favour. Following his appointment as treasurer there was
a protract dispute with Amaury de Montfort of the office and this may help
restricted Edmund’s income from York.[11]
In 1268 the case was at the Roman curia.[12]
It would appear that
Rome had favoured Edmund, or not seriously object to him as in 1270 Edmund
Mortimer was still listed as treasurer of York. He was a late teenager at that
time. It is presumed that he didn’t do much in the way of actually accounting
at York cathedral. The cartulary of the treasurership does not mention his
name. The office of treasurer was created in 1218 with the prebend of Newthorp
as endowment and the office received further endowments in 1242. Although the
treasurership was the least of the four major dignities in York cathedral, the
office was the next richest after the deanery. In 1291 it was valued at £233
10s 8d.[13]
York Cathedral
In 1276 he was living
at the king’s houses in Oxford, presumingly still studying at the university.[14]
In the 1270s Edmund Mortimer had acquired a canonry and an unnamed prebendary
at Hereford which he resigned in 1276 for the prebend of Huntington. By 1282 he
had resigned Huntington and acquired the prebend of Hunderton.[15] Edmund
Mortimer had also acquired a prebend in the Diocese of Salisbury which he
neglected. In 1284 a letter of summons was sent to him by way of his vicar
because the cathedral officials didn’t know where Edmund was living.[16]
Edmund
become 2nd lord Wigmore
In 1282 Edmund’s father
died and Edmund succeeded to the family estates as 2nd Baron Wigmore.
As the second son, Edmund Mortimer had plans of a clerical career, may be end
up as a bishop or archbishop. His elder brother, Ralph Mortimer was the
initially heir to the family estates and was one time sheriff of Shropshire and
Staffordshire in the area of family influence. But Ralph died before October
1274 and so Edmund became the heir and his clerical career was all but finished.[17]
Shortly after succeeding to the family estates Edmund Mortimer resigned the
treasurer of York and was succeeded there in 1285 by royal provision, by Bogo
de Clare.[18]
Llewelyn ap Gruffurd
A few weeks after
succeeding to the family estates Edmund Mortimer successively defeated Llewelyn
ap Gruffudd, King of Wales, in an ambush. Llewelyn was separated from his army
in the battle near Orewin Bridge and was killed later that day, 11th
December 1282, in a wood near Aberedw.[19] Edmund’s
father had first acquired his mortal illness while on campaign against Llewelyn.[20]
Treasurership
of York returns
The treasurership of
York comes into the story of Llewelyn ap Gruffurd and Edmund Mortimer. After the
battle of Evesham in 1265 Amaury de Montfort fled to France and pursued his
clerical career there. In 1275 Amaury sailed to Wales with his sister, Eleanor
de Montfort as she went to become wife of Llewelyn ap Gruffurd. But they were
captured at sea by mercenaries of King Edward I and taken captive. Amaury de
Montfort had a difficult imprisonment in Corfu castle until April 1282 when he
agreed to never return to England without the invitation of the king, if
released.
In 1278 Eleanor de
Montfort married Llewelyn and died in child birth in 1282 a few months before
her husband was killed. A few years later Amaury de Montfort left the church
and became a knight and in 1301 was killed on campaign in Italy.[21]
Edmund
Mortimer at Wigmore
In about 1285 Edmund
Mortimer married Margaret, daughter of Sir William de Fiennes, second cousin of
Queen Eleanor of Castile. Edmund Mortimer engaged himself fully in the
administration and military duties of the estates and was called to Parliament
on a number of occasions. On 17th July 1304 Edmund Mortimer died and
was buried at Wigmore.[22]
He was succeeded by his son Roger Mortimer who in 1328 was created Earl of
March.[23]
Edmund
Mortimer the son
In the fourteenth
century another son of Edmund and Margaret Mortimer, also called Edmund
Mortimer, became rector of Hodnet in Shropshire and, as is said, treasurer of
York cathedral.[24]
Whatever about Hodnet rectory, Edmund’s name does not appear among the
treasurers of York in the fourteenth century.[25]
It would seem that Edmund the younger is confused with his father in this
regard.
===============
End of post
===============
[1] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry III,
1258-1266, p. 298
[2]
A.B. Emden, A Biographical Register of
the University of Oxford (Oxford University Press, 1989), p. 1316
[3] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry III,
1258-1266, p. 436
[4]
Janet E. Burton (ed.), The Cartulary of
the Treasurer of York Minster: And Related Documents (University of York,
1978), p. 27
[5]
W.H. Bliss & J.A. Twemlow (eds.), Calendar
of Papal Registers, volume V, 1398-1404 (Stationery Office, London, 1904),
p. 383
[6]
Janet E. Burton (ed.), The Cartulary of
the Treasurer of York Minster: And Related Documents, p. 27
[7]
Thomas F. Tout, ‘Mortimer, Roger’, in Dictionary
of National Biography, Vo. 39, p. 133
[8] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry III,
1258-1266, p. 436
[9]
A.B. Emden, A Biographical Register of
the University of Oxford, p. 1316
[10]
A.B. Emden, A Biographical Register of
the University of Oxford, p. 1316
[11] G.E.
Cockeye, The Complete Peerage (Alan
Sutton, Gloucester, 1987), vol. IX, p. 281, note (f)
[12]
Diana E. Greenway (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae
Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6, York (London, 1999), p. 25
[13] Janet
E. Burton (ed.), The Cartulary of the
Treasurer of York Minster: And Related Documents, pp. v, 91
[14]
A.B. Emden, A Biographical Register of
the University of Oxford, p. 1316
[15]
J.S. Barrow (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae
Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 8, Hereford (London, 2002), pp. 43, 44, 159
[16]
Diana E. Greenway (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae
Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 4, Salisbury (London, 1991), p. 84
[17]
G.E. Cockeye, The Complete Peerage,
vol. IX, p. 281
[18]
Diana E. Greenway (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae
Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6, York (London, 1999), p. 109
[20]
Thomas F. Tout, ‘Mortimer, Roger’, in Dictionary
of National Biography, Vo. 39, p. 134
[22]
A.B. Emden, A Biographical Register of
the University of Oxford, p. 1316
[23]
G.E. Cockeye, The Complete Peerage,
vol. VIII, p. 433
[24] http://whipplephoto.com/Genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I9541&tree=tree1
accessed on 15 May 2016
[25]
B. Jones (ed.), Fasti Ecclesiae
Anglicanae 1300-1541: Volume 6, Northern Province (London, 1963), pp. 12-15
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