Dear Newsgroup ~
Note: This is a revision of a post which I made earlier today. In the earlier post, I inadvertedly confused William de Beauchamp, baron of Bedford, died 1260, with his son of the same name who died in 1262. The two men have been sorted out correctly in the current post. I apologize for any confusion.
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Sir William de Beauchamp, baron of Bedford (died 1260) had a long and interesting life. He was a Baron of the Exchequer, Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, 1235–7, hereditary Grand Almoner at Coronation of King Henry III, and lived to an advanced age. His second wife, Ida, was the daughter of William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury (died 1226), and hence a granddaughter of King Henry II.
Below are various records which concern the last years of Sir William de Beauchamp's life.
1. He presented to the church of Tyringham, Buckinghamshire in 1251–2. Reference: Lipscomb, History & Antiqs. of Buckingham 4 (1847): 379, which may be viewed at the following weblink:
https://books.google.com/books?id=mXkgAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA379
2. On 8 June 1256 the Abbot of Wardon was quit of 50 marks at which he was amerced before the king against William de Beauchamp of Bedford for a false claim. Reference: Henry III Fine Rolls Project, Fine Rolls of Henry III, 41/825 available at the following weblink:
http://www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/home.html
3. About 25 Jan. 1257 his son, Simon’s widow, Isabel de Beauchamp, arraigned an assize of novel disseisin against him in a Bedfordshire plea. Reference: Justices Itinerant, JUST 1/1185, image 746 (available at
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT3/JUST1/JUST1no1185/IMG_0746.htm).
4. On 10 June 1257 he granted his son, William de Beauchamp, the Castle and barony of Bedford, Bedfordshire, the manor of Beauchamp, Essex, one messuage in Hendon, Middlesex, and one messuage, lands, and rent in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire. Reference: Fowler, Calendar of Feet of Fines for Bedfordshire (Pubs. Bedfordshire Hist. Soc. 6) (1919): 164, which is available at the following weblink:
https://archive.org/details/publicationsofbe06bedf/page/n285
5. On 30 June 1257 the king recorded that he had granted respite "from William de Beauchamp of Bedford and Ida his wife until the Assumption of Blessed Mary from 60 marks which they owed to the king and which was exacted from them by summons of the Exchequer concerning several debts." Reference: Henry III Fine Rolls Project, Fine Rolls of Henry III, 41/825 available at the following weblink:
http://www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/home.html
6. On 5 May 1257. "Concerning a fine of William de Beauchamp. The king has ratified and agreed to the gift which William de Beauchamp of Bedford made to William de Beauchamp his son of all his lands which he held of the king in chief, and the same William son of William for that ratification has made fine with the king by 500 marks, concerning which he will render 50 marks at the Exchequer of Michaelmas in the forty-first year and 50 marks at the Exchequer of Easter next following, and thus 100 marks from year to year at the same terms until the aforesaid 500 marks are paid. And concerning the aforesaid lands and tenements which the aforesaid his father held of the king in chief he will do the service due and accustomed therefor. And he has the king’s letters patent in respect thereof." Reference: Henry III Fine Rolls Project, Fine Rolls of Henry III, 41/612 available at the following weblink:
http://www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/home.html
7. Matthew Paris discusses the persecution of the Abbot of Wardon by Sir William de Beauchamp and Ida his wife. He states that Ida was of noble birth ["genere nobilem"]. On pages 356 and 554-555, he mentions William and Ida by name. Below is a partial transcript of the discussion on page 554.
pg. 554-555: “De Willelmo de Bello-Campo et Yda uxore ejus. Erat autem tunc temporis quidam miles dives, Willelmus de Bello-campo dictus, uxorem habens nomine Ydam, genere nobilem sed moribus degenerem nimis et ignobilem, quæ circumdegentium religiosorum et religiosarum persecutrix fuerat indefessa. Hæc igitur nacta jam nocendi abbati de Waredune de regis ira oportunitate ....”) Reference: Luard Matthæi Parisiensis, Monachi Sancti Albani, Chronica Majora 5 (Rolls Ser. 57) (1880): 356, 554–555, which may be viewed at the following weblinks:
https://books.google.com/books?id=bW_SAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA356
https://books.google.com/books?id=bW_SAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA554
8. For transcripts of undated letters written to Sir William de Beauchamp and his wife, Ida, see Brewer, Monumenta Franciscana 1 (Rolls Ser. 4) (1858): 286 (letter to William de Beauchamp), 301 (letter to Ida, wife of William de Beauchamp). These may be viewed at the following weblinks:
https://books.google.com/books?id=mklgfIm0FjAC&pg=PA286
https://books.google.com/books?id=mklgfIm0FjAC&pg=PA301
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The published Annals of Dunstable in Luard, Annales Monastici 3 (Rolls Ser. 36) (1866): 215 indicate that Sir William de Beauchamp died in 1260. Below is a transcript of that record which may be viewed at the following weblink:
https://books.google.com/books?id=sYBJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA215
Annals of Dunstable sub A.D. 1260 — “Eodem anno mortuus est Willelmus de Bellocampo senior; et domina Ida dotem suam ad libitum suum recepit, et statim ad Simonem de Pateshulle conversa, manerium suum apud Craule ingressa est, domos prostravit, arbores incidit, et alia damna enormis ibidem perpetravit.”).
Recently I was going through Common Pleas lawsuits for 1260 and I came across a lawsuit involving Sir William's widow, Ida Longespée, in the Michaelmas term of that year. Below is a brief abstract of this record:
In Michaelmas term 1260 Ida widow of William de Beauchamp sued Simon de Pateshill in the Court of Common Pleas in a Bedfordshire plea regarding dower.
Reference: Court of Common Pleas, KB26/169, image 8f (available at
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H3/KB26no169/aKB26no169fronts/IMG_0008.htm).
Michaelmas term in 1260 ran from 9 October to 29 November. As such, it would appear that Sir William de Beauchamp, baron of Bedford, died in 1260, sometime before 9 October 1260.
In Michaelmas term 1261 following, there is another suit between Sir William's widow, Ida, and Simon de Pateshulle in the Court of the King's Bench. In that lawsuit, Ida as William's widow sued Simon de Pateshulle for her dower in Legh and Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire.
Reference: Court of King’s Bench, KB26/171, image 13f (available at
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H3/KB26no171/aKB26no171fronts/IMG_0013.htm).
Claiming to take her dower at her choice, Ida, raided Simon's manor at Little Crawley (in North Crawley), Buckinghamshire, “pulled down houses, cut down trees, and did other enormous damage,” for which actions she was subsequently fined five marks.
On 16 April 1261 the king pardoned Ida de Beauchamp the 5 marks which she was amerced the previous year [the words "previous year" are interlined] before Gilbert of Preston in an assize of novel dissesin that Simon of Pattishall arraigned before the same Gilbert against her, concerning a tenement in Craul' [Little Crawley, Buckinghamshire]. The king gave order to the barons of the Exchequer to cause Ida to be quit from the aforesaid 5 marks. Reference: Henry III Fine Rolls Project, Fine Rolls of Henry III, 45/360 and 45/361 (16 April 1261) available at the following weblink:
http://www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/home.html
For interest's sake, the following is a list of the numerous 17th Century New World immigrants that descend from Sir William de Beauchamp and his wife, Ida Longespée:
Robert Abell, Dannett Abney, Samuel Argall, William Asfordby, Walter Aston, Barbara Aubrey, Charles Barham, Audrey Barlow, Marmaduke Beckwith, Dorothy Beresford, John Bevan, Essex Beville, Joseph Bickley, William Bladen, George & Nehemiah Blakiston, Joseph Bolles, Thomas Booth, Elizabeth Bosvile, George, Giles & Robert Brent, Edward Bromfield, Nathaniel Browne, Stephen Bull, Nathaniel Burrough, Elizabeth, John, and Thomas Butler, Charles & Leonard Calvert, Edward Carleton, Kenelm Cheseldine, Grace Chetwode, Jeremy Clarke, William Clopton, St. Leger Codd, Henry Corbin, James Cudworth, Francis Dade, Humphrey Davie, Frances, Jane & Katherine Deighton, Anne Derehaugh, Edward Digges, George Elkington, John Fenwick, Henry Filmer, Henry Fleete, Edward Foliot, William Goddard, Muriel Gurdon, Katherine Hamby, Warham Horsmanden, Anne Humphrey, Edmund Jennings, Edmund, Edward, Richard, & Matthew Kempe, Mary Launce, Hannah, Samuel & Sarah Levis, Thomas Ligon, Nathaniel Littleton, Thomas Lloyd, Anne Lovelace, Henry, Jane, Nicholas, & Vincent Lowe, Percival Lowell, Gabriel, Roger & Sarah Ludlow, Thomas Lunsford, Anne, Elizabeth & John Mansfield, Anne & Katherine Marbury, Elizabeth Marshall, Anne Mauleverer, Richard More, Joseph & Mary Need, John & Margaret Nelson, Philip & Thomas Nelson, Thomas Owsley, John Oxenbridge, Herbert Pelham, Henry & William Randolph, George Reade, Elizabeth Saint John, Katherine Saint Leger, Richard Saltonstall, Diana & Grey Skipwith, Mary Johanna Somerset, John Stockman, Rose Stoughton, Samuel & William Torrey, Margaret Touteville, Jemima Waldegrave, Olive Welby, John West, Hawte Wyatt, Amy Wyllys.
Do you descend from Sir William de Beauchamp and his wife, Ida Longespée? If so, I'd very much appreciate seeing your line(s) of descent from this couple down to about 1650. Thanks!
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah