Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 2 Vol 4.djvu/287

DESPENSER 269 pardon for the acts of piracy which he had committed in I32i.() He was sum. for Military Service from 30 June (13 14) 7 Edw. II to I May (1325) 18 Edw. II, to Councils from 14 Mar. (1316/7) 10 Edw. II to 20 Feb. (1324/5) 18 Edw. II, and to Pari, from 29 July (1314) 8 Edw. II to 10 Oct. (1325) 19 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser juniori, whereby he is held to have become LORD LE DESPENSER. He ;«., in 1306, after 14 June,() at Westm., Alianore, 1st sister of the whole blood and coh. of Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, and da. of Gilbert (de Clare), Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, by his 2nd wife, Joan of Acre, da. of King Edward I. They had livery of her inheritance in England and Ireland, 15 Nov. 13 17, the King having taken his homage, 22 May I3i7.() He accompanied the King in his flight to Wales in Oct. 1326, and with the King was captured near Llantrisant, co. Glamorgan, 16 Nov. I326.('^) He was taken to Hereford, tried — without being allowed to speak in his own defence — con- demned to death as a traitor,(*) and hanged on a gallows 50 feet high. to kill the King, the two Despensers, and the Prior of Coventry, from whose oppres- sions they had suffered much. To this end John and Robert were furnished with 7 pounds of wax and 2 ells of canvas. Labouring incessantly for about five months, they made 7 images, of the King, the Despensers, the Prior and two of his officers, and of one Richard de Sowe, who lived near, and was to serve merely as a test case. Accordingly, about midnight, 27 Apr. 1324, Robert, under John's supervision, pushed a sharp pin of lead {une hroche de plum acu) two inches into the forehead of the image of Richard, and on going to inquire the next day found him hrayaunt et criaunt harrou, sanz auoir conissance de nul homme. Richard languished thus for some time, till on Sunday morning, 20 May, John thrust the pin into the heart of the image and left it there till the Wednesday following, when Richard died. In the end the accused were acquitted by a jury, the necromancer died in prison, and the informer was taken into custody. {Coram Rege, Hilary, 18 Edw. II, Rex, m. 24). (*) Patent Roll, 18 Edw. II, p. 2, m. 4. It is stated in the writ that, when exiled by the contrariants, he had through fear of death consorted with divers malefactors at sea and on land, and stayed with them to save his life, the while they perpetrated depredations and other crimes. C") Patent Roll, 34 Edw. I, w. 18. Cf. Langtoft, vol. ii, p. 368. (<=) Fine Roll, II Edw. II, m. 6: Close Roll, 10 Edw. II, m. 4. C^) " Mcccxxvi, xvi° kalendas Decembris, videlicet in festo sancti Edmundi Archiepiscopi . . . dominus Rex Edwardus, fugiens in Walliam, a Walensibus fuit captus et ductus ad castellum Lantrosin prope Neiz in Wallia. Dominus Hugo Despenser filius de prope in quodam bosco captus fuit." {Annahi Paulini, p. 318). if) The judgment, at great length, recited and held him responsible for every untoward event that had occurred since his exile, but the sentence came at last. " Sire H. com traiteours estes trouez par quel vous agardont totes les bones gentz du Roialme greindres et meindres Riches et pouers par comun assent qe vous com laron estes trouez et attaint par quel vous serez pendu et com traiteour vous estes troue par quei vous serrez trayne et quartere et enuoie par mye le Roilmie et pur ceo qe vous fuistes vtelage par nostre seignur le Roi et par comune assent et estes reuenuz en court saunz comun assent et saunz garant vous serez decole Et pur ceo qe vous fuistes tut temps deleal et procurat' descord entre nostre seignur le Roi et nostre