♂William de Beauchamp

William de Beauchamp (died 5 June 1298) was an English baron of Elmley in Worcestershire who inherited the earldom of Warwick from his uncle in 1268 and fought in Edward I’s wars in Wales and Scotland. He was the twenty-second great-grandfather of Nancy Jane Blanchard (1929–2006), through his daughter Isabel de Beauchamp (died 1306).

Early life and inheritance

William was the son and heir of William de Beauchamp, of Elmley and Salwarpe in Worcestershire, and Isabel Mauduit, a daughter of William Mauduit, Baron of Hanslope in Buckinghamshire. He was probably born between 1238 and 1242. He succeeded his father at Elmley and in two hereditary offices: Sheriff of Worcestershire and Pantler at the king’s coronation.

In 1268 he became the heir of his uncle, William Mauduit, Earl of Warwick^W. From him he inherited the earldom of Warwick, the office of Chamberlain of the Exchequer^W, and the baronies of Warwick and Hanslope, and he became the 9th Earl of Warwick.

Marriage

Maud FitzJohn, the widow of Gerard de Furnival of Sheffield, married William de Beauchamp before 1270. The couple had one son, Guy, who succeeded his father as Earl of Warwick, and three daughters, Isabel, Anne and Amy; Anne and Amy became nuns at Shouldham. In 1297 Maud was one of the co-heiresses of her brother, Richard FitzJohn, and inherited the manors of Cherhill in Wiltshire, Potterspury in Northamptonshire and Quarrendon in Buckinghamshire, with townships in Thomond^W in Ireland.

War in Wales and Scotland

William fought in Wales in 1277, and again in 1282 and 1283. On 10 June 1292 he had a license to crenellate^W at Hanslope, the king’s permission to fortify his house there. In the next Welsh war he defeated the Welsh at Maes Moydog^W on 5 March 1294/5, and the following year, campaigning in Scotland, he defeated the Scots at Dunbar^W in April 1296. In 1297 he was with the English army that was defeated at Stirling.

Death

William de Beauchamp died at Elmley on 5 June 1298, leaving a will. Maud survived him by nearly three years and died on 16 April 1301. Both were buried at the Franciscan friary, the Friars Minor, at Worcester.

The family

Their son Guy de Beauchamp was knighted by Edward I on 25 March 1296. Weeks after his father’s death he fought in the king’s division at the Battle of Falkirk^W on 22 July 1298, where he distinguished himself for bravery and was rewarded with estates in Scotland. In 1300 he took part in the siege of Caerlaverock^W.

Notes

Sources

William’s parentage, offices, inheritance, marriage, children, campaigns, death and burial, and Maud’s inheritance from her brother, are from Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry (2005), BEAUCHAMP 4, pp. 53–54, a printed genealogy of the medieval nobility that cites the Complete Peerage, the Victoria County History of Worcestershire and Buckinghamshire, and the registers of the bishops of Worcester. Guy’s knighthood and service in Scotland are from the same work, BEAUCHAMP 5, p. 54.

Birth and death dates

No record of his birth is given. Richardson estimates it at about 1238–42 from his age, stated as 26 and as 30 in 1268. Richardson gives his death as 5 (or 9) June 1298, and Maud’s as 16 (or 18) April 1301.