Biography of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219

Paternal Family Tree: Marshall

Descendants Family Tree: William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219

Temple Church, London

Tintern Abbey, County Wexford

Cilgerran Castle

Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Ware, Hertfordshire

Hertford Priory

1168 Eleanor Ambushed by Guy de Lusignan

1189 Coronation of King Richard I

1216 Death of King John

1217 Second Battle of Lincoln

Around 1141 [his father] John Fitzgilbert (age 36) and [his mother] Sybil of Salisbury were married.

In 1146 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke was born to John Fitzgilbert (age 41) and Sybil of Salisbury.

The History of William Marshal 1152 Siege of Newbury.

Dunc vindrent avant losengier,	Then came forward the flatterers,
Qui felon sunt & paltonier	Who are treacherous and corrupt	510
Qui l'enfant loérent a pendre.	Who praised the child (age 6) to be hanged.
Bien fu al pére fait entendre,	It was well made known to the father,
Mais il dist ke ne li chaleit	But he said that he did not care
De l'enfant, quer encore aveit	About the child, for he still had
Les enclumes e les marteals	The anvils and the hammers	515
Dunt forgereit il de plus beals;	With which he would forge more beautiful ones;
E quant li reis oï ço dire,	And when the king heard this,
Si 'n out grant maltalent e ire.	He felt great displeasure and anger.
Lors commanda l'enfant a prendre	Then he ordered the child to be taken
& mener as furges por pendre;	And led to the gallows to hang;	520
Vers les forches le fist porter,	He had him carried toward the gallows,
Mais il ne vot pas deporter	But he did not want to proceed
K'ove lui n'alast a grant gent:	Without with him taking a great crowd:
Mult se doutot d'enbuchement.	He greatly feared an ambush.

In 1165 [his father] John Fitzgilbert (age 60) died.

The History of William Marshal 1168 War with Poitou.

Devant lui out grant batestal,	In front of him was a great uproar,
Quer il lor out doné estal	For he had resisted them forcefully
Come li senglers fait as chiens.	As a wild boar does to the dogs.
De lui prendre n'i eüst riens,	There was nothing they could take from him,
Qu'il nel poeient atechier,	For they couldn't touch him,	1695
Qui ne I'osoient aprochier.	Who they dared not approach.
Ja de lui n'eüssent ballie	Never would they have seized him
Si ne fust une sorsaillie,	If it weren't for an unexpected attack,
Ke uns chevaliers saillit la haie.	Where a knight leaped over the hedge.
Sanz nul respit e sanz delaie	Without any respite and without	1700
Parmi la haie le feri	Through the hedge he struck him
D'un glaive, si ku'il le choisi,	With a spear, so that it chose him,
Parmi les quises d'oltre en outre,	Through the leg-armour one side to the other,
Si que la glaive parut oltre	So that the spear appeared on the other side
Al mains plus de demie teise.	More than three feet¹	1705
Lors le pristrent, dont molt li peise;	Then they took him, which greatly weighed on him;
& s'al prendre le keneüssent,	And they wouldn't have known his capture,
A tot le mains fait li eüssent	At the very least to have done to him
Tant ke la mort li fust quemune;	Until death had been given to him;
De cent vies n'en portast une.	Of one hundred lives he wouldn't have spared one.	1710

Note 1. "demie teise" i.e. "three feet". A "toise" was a unit of measure of equivalent to the distance between the fingers of outstretched arms i.e. six feet; half being three feet.

Eleanor Ambushed by Guy de Lusignan

                    On 27th March 1168 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 46) and her party were ambushed by brothers Guy I King Jerusalem (age 18) and Geoffrey Lusignan (age 18).
                
                    [his uncle] Patrick of Salisbury 1st Earl Salisbury (age 46) was killed. His son William (age 18) succeeded 2nd Earl Salisbury.
                
                    William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 22) held off the enemy, was wounded and captured whilst Eleanor escaped. Eleanor subsequently paid his ransom.

In 1185 Gilbert Clare 3rd Earl Pembroke (age 8) died. Earl Pembroke extinct. It is possible his sister [his future wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 13) inherited the title. Her husband William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 39) was created 1st Earl of Pembroke in 1199 which suggests she didn't inherit the title.

In August 1189 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 43) and Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 17) were married at Temple Church, London [Map]. The title Earl Pembroke (1C 1138) was not included in the settlement since it had been rescinded as a consequence of Isabel's father having supported King Stephen. The difference in their ages was 26 years. She the daughter of Richard "Strongbow" Clare 2nd Earl Pembroke and Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham.

Coronation of King Richard I

                    Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. [3rd September 1189] First, the bishops, abbots, and many clerics came, dressed in purple copes, with the cross, candles, and censers preceding them, all the way to the door of the inner chamber. There they received the aforementioned Richard, who was to be crowned, and led him to the church of Westminster up to the altar with a reverent procession and singing in this manner.
                
                    At the front, clerics dressed in albs led the procession, carrying holy water, the cross, candles, and censers. Then came the abbots, followed by the bishops. In the midst of them walked four barons [of the Cinque Ports] carrying candlesticks with candles.
                
                    After them came [his brother] John Marshal (age 44), carrying in his hands two large and heavy spurs from the royal treasury. Next to him walked Geoffrey de Lucy, carrying the royal crown.
                
                    After them came two earls, whose names are these: William Marshal (age 43), Earl of Striguil, and 
                
                    And after them came six earls and barons carrying a chessboard on which were placed the royal insignia and garments
                
                    William (age 39), Earl of Salisbury. One of them, namely William Marshal, carried the royal sceptre, on the top of which was a golden cross. The other, namely William, Earl of Salisbury, carried the royal rod, which had a dove at its summit.
                
                    And after them came three earls, whose names are these: David (age 37), brother of the King of Scots, Earl of Huntingdon; Robert, Earl of Leicester; and in the midst of them went John (age 22), Earl of Mortain and Gloucester, carrying three swords with golden scabbards taken from the royal treasury.
                
                    And after them went William de Mandeville, Earl of Aumale and Essex, carrying the golden crown in his hands. Then came Richard (age 31), Duke of Normandy, with Hugh (age 64), Bishop of Durham, walking on his right, and Reginald, Bishop of Bath, walking on his left, while a silk canopy was carried over them. The entire throng of earls, barons, knights, and others, both clerics and laypeople, followed all the way to the courtyard of the church, and thus into the church up to the altar.
                
                    When they arrived at the altar, before the aforementioned archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, clergy, and people, Duke Richard made these three oaths. Firstly, he swore and vowed before the holy Gospels and the relics of many saints that he would uphold peace, honour, and reverence to God and the Holy Church and its ordained ministers for all the days of his life. Secondly, he swore that he would administer right justice to the people entrusted to him. Thirdly, he swore that he would abolish bad laws and corrupt customs, if any exist in his realm, and would uphold good ones.
                
                    Then they stripped him of the garments he had been wearing, except for his shirt and breeches. The shirt was, in fact, torn at the shoulders.
                
                    Then they placed upon him sandals adorned with gold.
                
                    Then the archbishop handed him the sceptre in his right hand and the royal rod in his left.
                
                    In prima fronte præcedebant clerici albis induti, portantes aquam benedictam et crucem et cereos et thuribulos: deinde veniebant abbates; deinde episcopi. In medio autem illorum ibant quatuor barones portantes candelabra cum cereis.
                
                    Inprimis venerunt episcopi et abbates et cleric multi induti cappis purpureis, præcedentibus eos cruce, cereis, thuribulis, usque ad ostium thalami interioris. Et ibi receperunt praedictum Ricardum, qui coronandus erat, et duxerunt eum in ecclesiam Westmonasterii usque ad altare cum reverenti processione et cantu in hunc modum.
                
                    Post illos veniebat Johannes Marescallus, portans in manibus suis duo calcaria magna et ponderosa de thesauro regis. Juxta illum ibat Godefridus de Luci portans pileum regale.
                
                    Post illos veniebant duo comites, quorum hæc sunt nomina; Willelmus Marescallus comes de Striguil, et Willelmus comes de Salesbiria: unus illorum, scilicet Willelmus Marescallus, portans sceptrum regale, in cujus summitate signum crucis aureum erat: et alter, scilicet Willelmus comes de Salesbiria, portans virgam regalem, habentem columbam in summitate.
                
                    Et post illos veniebant tres comites, quorum hæc sunt nomina; David frater regis Scotiæ comes de Huntedona, et Robertus comes Leicestriæ, et in medio illorum ibat Johannes comes Meretoni et Gloucestriæ, portantes tres gladios cum vaginis aureis sumptos de thesauro regis.
                
                    Et post illos veniebant sex comites et barones portantes unum scaccarium super quod posita erant insignia regalia et vestes.
                
                    Et post illos ibat Willelmus de Mandevilla comes de Albemarla et de Exessa, portans coronam auream in manibus suis. Deinde venit Ricardus dux Normanniæ, et Hugo Dunelmensis episcopus a dextris illius ibat, et Eeginaldus Bathoniensis episcopus a sinistris illius ibat, et umbraculum sericum portabatur super illos. Et omnis turba comitum et baronum et militum et aliorum, tarn clericorum quam laicorum, sequebatur usque in atrium ecclesiæ, et sic usque in ecclesiam ad altare.
                
                    Cum vero perventum esset ad altare, coram prædictis archiepiscopis et episcopis, abbatibus, comitibus, baronibus, clero et populo, hæc tria fecit Ricardus dux sacramenta. Juravit itaque et vovit coram positis sacrosanctis Evangeliis et plurimorum sanctorum relliquiis, quod pacem et lionorem et reverentiam omnibus diebus vitse suae portabit Deo et Sanctse Ecclesise et ejus ordinatis. Deinde juravit quod rectam justitiam exercebit in populo sibi commisso. Deinde juravit quod leges malas et consuetudines perversas, si aliquse sunt in regno suo, delebit, et bonas custodiet1.
                
                    Deinde exuerunt eum vestibus suis quibus indutus fuerat, exceptis camisia et braccis. Camisia vero ilia dissuta erat in scapulis,
                
                    Deinde calciaverunt eum sandaliis auro contextis.
                
                    Deinde tradidit ei archiepiscopus seeptrum in manu dextera, et virgam regalem in sinistra.
                
                    Note 1. [et bonas custodie] Hoveden has here, "et bonas leges conderet et sine fraude et malo ingenio eas custodiret."

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Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. 3rd September 1189. Then Richard (age 31), Duke of Normandy, came to London, and having gathered there the archbishops and bishops, earls and barons, and a large multitude of knights, on the third day before the Nones of September, on a Sunday, the moon being in its nineteenth phase, on the feast of the ordination of Pope Saint Gregory, an ill-omened day, the aforementioned Richard, Duke of Normandy, was consecrated and crowned as King of England at Westminster in London by Baldwin (age 64), Archbishop of Canterbury. Assisting him in this office were Walter, Archbishop of Rouen, John, Archbishop of Dublin, Formale, Archbishop of Trier, Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, Hugh (age 64), Bishop of Durham, William, Bishop of Worcester, John, Bishop of Exeter, Reginald, Bishop of Bath, John, Bishop of Norwich, Seffrid, Bishop of Chichester, Gilbert, Bishop of Rochester, Peter, Bishop of St. David's in Wales, the Bishop of St. Asaph in Wales, the Bishop of Bangor in Wales, Albinus, Bishop of Ferns in Ireland, and Concors, Bishop of Kildare in Ireland.

Geoffrey, Archbishop-elect of York, John, Bishop-elect of Whithorn in Galloway, the Abbot of Westminster, the Abbot of St. Albans, the Abbot of St. Augustine's in Canterbury, the Abbot of Hyde in Winchester, Benedict, Abbot of Peterborough, the Abbot of St. Edmund's, the Abbot of Crowland, the Abbot of Battle, the Abbot of St. Mary's in York, Arnold, Abbot of Rievaulx, the Abbot of Holm Cultram, the Abbot of Mortemer, and the Abbot of St. Denis, who had come on behalf of the King of France, were present.

Also present were William, Earl of Aumale and Essex, Hamelin (age 60), brother of King Henry, Earl of Warenne, John (age 22), brother of King Richard, Earl of Mortain and Gloucester, Robert, Earl of Leicester, Richard (age 36), Earl of Clare, Waleran (age 36), Earl of Warwick, William de Aubigny (age 51), Earl of Sussex, Aubrey (age 74), Earl of Oxford, William (age 39), Earl of Salisbury, William Marshal (age 43), Earl of Striguil, and David (age 37), brother of the King of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon.

Moreover, these barons were present: Robert de Lacy, Nigel de Mowbray (age 43), Roger Bigot, Reginald de Lucy, Gervase Paynel, William de Humet, Baldwin Wake, Robert de Stafford, John,²⁰ Constable of Chester, Jollan de Neville, William de Neville, Henry de Putot, Ranulf de Glanville (age 77), Justiciar of England, Gerard de Glanville, his brother, Gilbert Basset (age 34), Gerard de Camville, and Richard de Camville.

Deinde Ricardus dux Normanniæ venit Lundonias, et congregatis ibi archiepiscopis et episcopis, comitibus et baronibus et copiosa militum multitudine, tertio nonas Septembris, die Dominica, luna xix., festo ordinationis Sancti Gregorii papa, die mala, prædictus Ricardus dux Normanniæ consecratus et coronatus est in regem Angliæ, apud Lundonias in Westmonasterio, a Baldewino Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, ministrantibus illi in illo officio Waltero Rothomagensi archiepiscopo, Johanne Dublinensi archiepiscopo, Formale¹ Treverensi archiepiscopo, Hugone Lincolniensi episcopo, Hugone Dunelmensi episcopo, Willelmo Wigornensi episcopo, Johanne Exoniensi episcopo, Reginaldo Bathoniensi episcopo, Johanne Norwicensi episcopo, Sefrido Cices- trensi episcopo, Gilleberto Rofensi episcopo, Petro episcopo de Sancto David in Wallia, episcopo² de Asfath in Wallia, episcopo³ de Pangor in Wallia.—Albinus episcopus Fernensis⁴ in Hibernia, Concors episcopus Heghdunensis⁵ in Hibernia;

Gaufridus Eboracensis electus, Johannes electus Candidæ Casæ in Galweia, abbas de Westmonasterio⁶, abbas de Sancto Albano⁷, abbas de Sancto Augustino Cantuariæ⁸, abbas de Hyda Wintoniæ⁹, Benedictus abbas de Burgo¹⁰, abbas de Sancto Eadmundo¹¹, abbas de Croilandia¹², abbas de Bello¹³, abbas Sanctæ Mariæ Eboraci¹⁴, Arnaldus abbas Rievallis, abbas de Holm Cultram¹⁵, abbas de Mortemer¹⁶, et abbas de Sancto Dionysio¹⁷, qui venerant ex parte regis Franciæ.

Willelmus comes Albemarliæ et Essesse, Hamellinus frater regis Henrici comes Warennæ, Johannes frater regis Ricardi, comes Meretonæ et Gloucestriæ, Robertus comes Leicestriæ, Ricardus comes de Clara, Wallerannus comes de Warwic, Willelmus de Aubeni comes de Suthsex, Albricus comes¹⁸, Willelmus¹⁹ comes de Salesbiria, Willelmus Marescallus comes de Strignil, David frater regis Scotiæ comes de Huntendona.

Præterea hi barones interfuerunt, Robertus de Lasci, Nigellus de Mumbray, Rogerus Bigot, Reginaldus Lusci, Gervasius Painel, Willelmus de Humet, Baldewinus Wag, Robertus de Stanford, Johannes constabularius Cestrize, Jollanus de Nevil, Willelmus de Nevil, Henricus de Puteaco, Ranulfus de Glanvil justitiarius Anglize, Gerardus de Glanvilla frater ipsius, Gillebertus Basset, Gerardus de Camvilla, Ricardus de Camvilla.

Note 1. Fulmar, Formalis, or Formator, archdeacon of Treves, was elected archbishop by intrigue in 1183, and consecrated by pope Urban III. on Whit Sunday 1186. He never gained full possession of his see, and was, with his competitor Rodolf, deprived by Clement III. in 1189. He then came to England, where he died.

Note 2. [episcopo] Reiner, 1186-1224.

Note 3. [episcopo] Guy, 1177-1190.

Note 4. [Fernensis] Albinus, 1185-1122.

Note 5. [Heghdunensis] Concord, bishop of Euaghduu.

Note 6. Walter, 1176-1190.

Note 7. Warin, 1188-1195.

Note 8. Roger, abbot 1178-1212.

Note 9. John Suthill, abbot 1181-1222.

Note 10. Benedict, abbot 1181-1193.

Note 12. Sampson de Totington, 11821211.

Note 12. Robert of Reading, abbot of Croyland, 1175-1190.

Note 13. Odo, abbot of Battle 1175-1200.

Note 14. Robert Harpham, 1184-1189, was dead. The abbey was represented by William the prior.

Note 15. Everard, 1175-1192.

Note 16. Mortemer-en-Lions. William Tholomeus, 1179-1200.

Note 17. Hugh Foucaut, 1186-1197.

Note 18. De Vere, earl of Oxford.

Note 19. William of Evreux, son of Patrick, 1168-1196.

Note 20. De Lacy.

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In 1190 [his son] William "The Younger" Marshal 2nd Earl Pembroke was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 44) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 18).

In 1191 [his son] Richard Marshal 3rd Earl Pembroke was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 45) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 19).

In 1194 [his daughter] Maud Marshal Countess Norfolk and Surrey was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 48) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 22).

All About History Books

The Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough, a canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: "In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed." Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

In 1197 [his son] Gilbert Marshal 4th Earl Pembroke was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 51) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 25).

Around 1199 Stephen Devereux (age 8) was placed in the retinue of retinue of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 53) for training as a knight, and over the years became trusted a member of the earl's inner circle.

In 1199 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 53) was created 1st Earl Pembroke.

Around 1199 [his son] Walter Marshal 5th Earl Pembroke was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 53) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 27).

Tintern Abbey: History. Tintern Abbey, County Wexford [Map] was founded around 1200 by William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 54), as the result of a vow he had made when his boat was caught in a storm nearby. Once established, the abbey was colonised by monks from the Cistercian abbey at Tintern in Monmouthshire, Wales, of which Marshal was also patron. To distinguish the two, the mother house in Wales was sometimes known as "Tintern Major" and the abbey in Ireland as "Tintern de Voto" (Tintern of the vow).

On 9th October 1200 [his daughter] Isabel Marshal Countess Cornwall, Gloucester and Hertford was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 54) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 28).

Around 1201 [his daughter] Sibyl Marshal was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 55) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 29).

In May 1202 Stephen Devereux (age 11) accompanied William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 56) to Normandy to counter a French invasion.

In 1203 [his daughter] Eva Marshal was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 57) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 31).

In 1204 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 58) was captured at Cilgerran Castle [Map].

Around December 1206 [his son-in-law] Hugh Bigod 3rd Earl Norfolk (age 24) and [his daughter] Maud Marshal Countess Norfolk and Surrey (age 12) were married. She the daughter of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 60) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 34). He the son of Roger Bigod 2nd Earl Norfolk (age 62) and Ida Tosny Countess Norfolk (age 50). They were third cousins.

Around 1208 [his son] Anselm Marshal 6th Earl Pembroke was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 62) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 36). His name was probably Ansel or Hansel rather than Anselm.

All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

After 1208 [his son] Anselm Marshal 6th Earl Pembroke and [his daughter-in-law] Maud Bohun Countess Pembroke and Winchester were married. She by marriage Countess Pembroke. She the daughter of Humphrey Bohun 2nd Earl Hereford 1st Earl Essex (age 4) and Matilda Lusignan Countess Hereford and Essex. He the son of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 62) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 36). They were half third cousin once removed.

In 1210 [his daughter] Joan Marshal was born to William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 64) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 38).

In September 1214 [his son] William "The Younger" Marshal 2nd Earl Pembroke (age 24) and [his daughter-in-law] Alice Béthune Countess Pembroke were married. She by marriage Countess Pembroke. She the daughter of Baldwin Béthune Count Aumale and Hawise Blois 2nd Countess Albemarle and Essex. He the son of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 68) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 42).

Death of King John

                    On 19th October 1216 King John of England (age 49) died at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire [Map]. His son Henry (age 9) succeeded III King of England.
                
                    John Monmouth (age 34) was present.
                
                    On his deathbed, John appointed a council of thirteen executors to help Henry reclaim the kingdom and requested that his son be placed into the guardianship of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 70).
                
                    King John's will is the earliest English royal will to survive in its original form. The document is quite small, roughly the size of a postcard and the seals of those who were present at the time would have been attached to it. Translation of the will taken from an article by Professor S.D. Church in the English Historical Review, June 2010:
                
                    I, John, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, hindered by grave infirmity and not being able at this time of my infirmity to itemize all my things so that I may make a testament, commit the arbitration and administration of my testament to the trust and to the legitimate administration of my faithful men whose names are written below, without whose counsel, even in good health, I would have by no means arranged my testament in their presence, so that what they will faithfully arrange and determine concerning my things as much as in making satisfaction to God and to holy Church for damages and injuries done to them as in sending succour to the land of Jerusalem and in providing support to my sons towards obtaining and defending their inheritance and in making reward to those who have served us faithfully and in making distribution to the poor and to religious houses for the salvation of my soul, be right and sure. I ask, furthermore, that whoever shall give them counsel and assistance in the arranging of my testament shall receive the grace and favour of God. Whoever shall infringe their arrangement and disposition, may he incur the curse and indignation of almighty God and the blessed Mary and all the saints.
                
                    In the first place, therefore, I desire that my body be buried in the church of St Mary and St Wulfstan at Worcester. I appoint, moreover, the following arbiters and administrators: the lord Guala, by the grace of God, cardinal-priest of the title of St Martin and legate of the apostolic see; the lord Peter bishop of Winchester; the lord Richard bishop of Chichester; the lord Silvester bishop of Worcester; Brother Aimery de St-Maur; William Marshal earl of Pembroke; Ranulf earl of Chester; William earl Ferrers; William Brewer; Walter de Lacy and John of Monmouth; Savaric de Mauléon; Falkes de Bréauté.
                
                    The signatories were:
                
                    Guala Bicchieri (ca 1150 - 1227) Papal Legate.
                
                    Bishop Peter de Roches, Bishop of Winchester.
                
                    Richard le Poer (? - 1237), Bishop of Chichester.
                
                    Sylvester of Worcester, Bishop of Worcester.
                
                    Aimery de St-Maur (? -?1219), Master of the English Templars.
                
                    William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke.
                
                    Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln (age 46).
                
                    William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby (age 48).
                
                    William Brewer (? - 1226), 1st Baron Brewer.
                
                    Walter de Lacy (ca 1172-1241) Lord of Meath.
                
                    John: (1182 - 1248) Lord of Monmouth.
                
                    Savaric de Mauléon (? - 1236) Seneschal of Poitou from 1205.
                
                    Falkes de Bréauté (? - 1226) Seneschal of Cardiff Castle.

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Second Battle of Lincoln

                    On 20th May 1217 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 71) and Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln (age 47) fought at Lincoln, Lincolnshire [Map] during the Second Battle of Lincoln.
                
                    Rebels William Mowbray 6th Baron Thirsk (age 44) and William Ros (age 17) were captured. William D'Aubigny (age 66) fought for the rebels. Thomas Chateaudun I Count Perche (age 22) died fighting for the rebels.
                
                    Bishop Peter de Roches led a division of the royal army and earned some distinction by his valour.

In or before 1218 [his son-in-law] Gilbert Clare 5th Earl Gloucester 4th Earl Hertford (age 37) and [his daughter] Isabel Marshal Countess Cornwall, Gloucester and Hertford (age 17) were married. She by marriage Countess Gloucester, Countess Hertford. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 71) and [his wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 45). He the son of Richard Clare 3rd Earl Hertford and Amice Fitzrobert Countess Hertford. They were third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

On 14th May 1219 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 73) died. On 14th May 1219 His son [his son] William (age 29) succeeded 2nd Earl Pembroke.

In 1220 [his former wife] Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke (age 48) died. She was buried in the choir of Tintern Abbey [Map].

Chronica Majora. "Whilst the mutability of time was thus sporting with and deluding the world with its variable occurrences, [his son] Earl Gilbert, marshal (age 44), had, with some other nobles, arranged a sort of tilting-match, called by some adventure," but wliich might rather be called a "misadventure;" they tried their strength about a crossbow-shot from Hertford [Map]; where he by his skill in knightly tactics, gained for himself the praise of military science, and was declared by all, considering his small size of body, to have justly distinguished himself for his valour. This was what the said earl chiefly aimed at; for he was, in the first place, destined to clerical orders, and was reported to be weak and unskilful in warlike exercises. He was, at this tournament, mounted on a noble horse, an Italian charger, to which he was not accustomed, accoutred in handsome armour, and surrounded by a dense body of soldiers, who soon afterwards, however, left him, and dispersed, intent on gain. Whilst the earl, then, was amusing himself by checking his horse at full speed, and anon goring his sides with his sharp spurs, to urge him to greater speed, and, as the case required, suddenly drew rein, both the reins suddenly broke off at the junction with the bit. By this accident the horse became unmanageable, and tossing up his head, struck his rider a violent blow on the breast. Some there were who imhesitatingly asserted that the bridle had been treacherously cut by some jealous person, in order that, being thus left at the mercy of his horse, he might be dashed to pieces and killed; or, at least, that he might be taken by his adversaries at will. Moreover, he had dined, and was nearly blinded by the heat, dust, and sweat, and his head was oppressed by the weight of his heavy helmet. His horse, too, could not be restrained by him, or any one else; but he, at the same time, fainted away, began to totter in his saddle, and soon after fell, half-dead, from his horse-with one foot, however, fixed in the stirrup; and in this manner he was dragged some distance over the field, by which he suffered some internal injuries, which caused his death. He expired in the evening of the 27th of June, amidst the deep and loudly-expressed sorrow of those who beheld him, at a house [Map] of the monks of Hertford. When he was about to breathe his last, having just received the viaticum, he made a bequest to the church of the blessed Virgin at Hertford, for the redemption of his soul. His body was afterwards opened, when his liver was discovered to be black and broken, from the force of the blows he had received. His entrails were buried in the said church, before the altar of St. Mary, to whom he had committed his spirit when dying. On the following day, his body-preceded by his [his son] brother (age 42), and accompanied by the whole of his family - was carried to London, to be buried [Map] near his father. At this same tournament, also, was killed one of the earl's retinue, named Robert de Saye, and his bowels were buried with those of the earl. Many other knights and men-at-arms were also wounded and seriously injured with maces, at this same tournament, because the jealousy of many of the parties concerned had converted the sport into a battle. The affairs of the cross and the interests of the Holy Land suffered great loss by the death of the said earl, for he had intended to set out for Jerusalem in the next month, without fail, having collected money from all in the country who had assumed the cross; for permission to do which, he had paid two hundred marks to the pope; following the prudent example of [his former son-in-law] Earl Richard (age 32).

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Effigy of William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke. THIS nobleman derived his surname from his ancestors exercising the offices of Marshal in the King's court. He was the son of [his father] John Mareschal, who performed that service for King Henry the Second. He had an elder brother [his brother] John, who on their fathers death was confirmed by the same King in that honourable post. This John dying in the reign of Richard the First, William became his heir. Richard gave him his ward [his former wife] Isabella, daughter of Richard de Clare (surnamed Strongbow), the Conqueror of Ireland, Earl of Striguil and Pembroke, in marriage, and with it the Earldom above mentioned. He distinguished himself by his adherence to King John in his adversity, and on his death became guardian to his son, Henry the Third. He speedily marched against the French Prince Lewis, the pretender to the Crown, raised the siege of Lincoln, routed his marauding forces, straitly beleaguered London, and soon compelled Lewis to forego his pretensions, and to evacuate the kingdom. He died in 1219, at his manor of Caversham, near Reading, in Berkshire. His body was conveyed to Reading, where it was received in solemn procession by the monks of the Abbey, and placed in the choir of their Church while a mass was said for his soul; thence to St. Peters, Westminster, where it underwent the same ceremony; and from thence to the Church of the New Temple [Map], where it was buried, on Ascension day. Matthew Paris assigns to him the following epitaph, which styles him a Saturn, as a severe castigator of the Irish; an Apollo, as the glory and honour of England; a Mercury, as a diplomatist in Normandy; and a Mars, as a warlike and invincible knight against the French^a:

Sum quern Saturnum sibi sensit Hybernia, Solem

Anglia, Mercurium Normannia, Gallia Martem.

The costume of this figure very well accords with the period of William Mareschal the elder's decease. He wears a hauberk of chain-mail, long surcoat, and on his shield is a lion rampant. The Earls of Pembroke of this name bore, Party per pale Or and Vert, a lion rampant Gules, crowned and langued Azure.

Note a. Matt. Paris, edit. Watts, p. 304.

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Biography of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219

William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219 appears on the following Descendants Family Trees:

Royal Descendants of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219

Ancestors of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke 1146-1219