William I de Cantilupe
Encyclopedia
William I de Cantilupe (d.1239) (anciently Cantelow, Cantelou, Canteloupe, etc, Latinised to de Cantilupo) was an Anglo-Norman baron and royal administrator.
in 1200/1. The family probably originated from the Norman manor which is now the small hamlet of Canteloup, in Normandy, 11 miles east of Caen
.
and in 1204 as Under-Sheriff of Herefordshire
. In 1205 he took part in the ineffectual expedition to Poitou.
In 1207 he was Sheriff of Worcestershire, serving until the end of the reign of King John in 1216. In 1209, following his appointment as Sheriff of Warwickshire
and Sheriff of Leicestershire
, his main residence became Kenilworth Castle
in Warwickshire.
(1215). He was commissioned by King John to negotiate the return of such rebels to peaceable relations. He served as gaoler of baronial hostages, which action probably gained him the description by the contemporary chronicler Roger of Wendover
(d.1236) as one of John's "evil counsellors".
, to which as was usual, was appended his family name. The location now has a modern cartographical spelling as "Cantlow", one of the many ancient variants of the family name. This manor had previously been held by William the Chamberlain de Tankerville before it escheat
ed to the crown.
of the Cantilupe feudal barony
. The grant, for knight-service
of one knight, was in exchange for the manor of Coxwell
, Berkshire, which had been previously granted to him. Eaton had been held at the time of William the Conqueror by the latter's brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, but later escheated to the crown. At Eaton Cantilupe built a castle.
(1216–1272). They believed themselves obliged to hold their castles until Henry should have achieved 14 years of age, when he would be able to follow his own policy. These many refusals met with a forceful response from the council. In 1217, under the regency
council, during which year he was a Baron of the Exchequer
, Cantilupe was at the siege of Mountsorrel Castle
, Leicestershire, which was razed to the ground, and was also at the Second Battle of Lincoln. He served the council at the siege of Bedford
in 1224. He later served in Wales (1228 and 1231) and Brittany (1230).
(d.1266) became Bishop of Worcester, of which see William had had custody in 1208.
Origins
He was born c.1159 in Buckinghamshire, the son of Walter de Cantilupe, recorded in 1166 as a minor landowner in Essex and Lincolnshire, who was a younger brother of Fulk de Cantilupe(d.1217/18), Sheriff of BerkshireHigh Sheriff of Berkshire
The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'....
in 1200/1. The family probably originated from the Norman manor which is now the small hamlet of Canteloup, in Normandy, 11 miles east of Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
.
Career under King John
In 1198 he was Steward to John, Count of Mortain, the future King John(1199–1216), in which year his uncle Fulk de Cantilupe was also a member of the Count's household. From 1200 to 1204 he served as Sheriff of WorcestershireHigh Sheriff of Worcestershire
This is a list of Sheriff and since 1998 High Sheriffs of Worcestershire.The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
and in 1204 as Under-Sheriff of Herefordshire
High Sheriff of Herefordshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now...
. In 1205 he took part in the ineffectual expedition to Poitou.
In 1207 he was Sheriff of Worcestershire, serving until the end of the reign of King John in 1216. In 1209, following his appointment as Sheriff of Warwickshire
High Sheriff of Warwickshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
and Sheriff of Leicestershire
High Sheriff of Leicestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Leicestershire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
, his main residence became Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
in Warwickshire.
Role temp. Magna Carta
Cantilupe was granted several manors formerly held by rebel barons during 1215-16, at the time of the signing of Magna CartaMagna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
(1215). He was commissioned by King John to negotiate the return of such rebels to peaceable relations. He served as gaoler of baronial hostages, which action probably gained him the description by the contemporary chronicler Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...
(d.1236) as one of John's "evil counsellors".
Granted Aston Cantlow
In 1204 he was granted the Warwickshire manor of AstonAston Cantlow
Aston Cantlow is a village and civil parish in the Stratford district of Warwickshire, England, on the River Alne. It lies north-west of Stratford, and north-east of Wilmcote. The parish stretching across the valley of the Alne includes the villages of Aston Cantlow, Little Alne, Shelfield, and...
, to which as was usual, was appended his family name. The location now has a modern cartographical spelling as "Cantlow", one of the many ancient variants of the family name. This manor had previously been held by William the Chamberlain de Tankerville before it escheat
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
ed to the crown.
Granted Eaton Bray
In 1205 he was granted the manor of Eaton, Bedfordshire, (from 16th.c. "Eaton Bray") which became the caputCaput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...
of the Cantilupe feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
. The grant, for knight-service
Knight-service
Knight-service was a form of Feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his overlord....
of one knight, was in exchange for the manor of Coxwell
Coxwell
- Places :*Coxwell Avenue, a street in Toronto, Canada**Coxwell , a subway station in Toronto*Great Coxwell, a village in Oxfordshire, England**Great Coxwell Barn*Little Coxwell, a village in Oxfordshire, England...
, Berkshire, which had been previously granted to him. Eaton had been held at the time of William the Conqueror by the latter's brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, but later escheated to the crown. At Eaton Cantilupe built a castle.
Career under Henry III
Following the death of King John in 1216, many of his appointees to governorships of royal castles were reluctant to hand over their castles to the regency council which governed during the minority of his son, the future King Henry IIIHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
(1216–1272). They believed themselves obliged to hold their castles until Henry should have achieved 14 years of age, when he would be able to follow his own policy. These many refusals met with a forceful response from the council. In 1217, under the regency
Regency
Regency is the rule of a regent. It may also refer to:* Specific periods when a throne was vacant:** Regency in France, 1715–1723, a.k.a. Régence** British Regency, 1811–1820*The Hōjō Regency during the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.- Other:...
council, during which year he was a Baron of the Exchequer
Exchequer
The Exchequer is a government department of the United Kingdom responsible for the management and collection of taxation and other government revenues. The historical Exchequer developed judicial roles...
, Cantilupe was at the siege of Mountsorrel Castle
Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel is a village in Leicestershire on the River Soar, just south of Loughborough with a population in 2001 of 6,662 inhabitants.-Geography:...
, Leicestershire, which was razed to the ground, and was also at the Second Battle of Lincoln. He served the council at the siege of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
in 1224. He later served in Wales (1228 and 1231) and Brittany (1230).
Manors held
Among many manors held by William were:- Eaton, Bedfordshire
- Ipsley, Warwickshire. As tenants of which the Hubbard family took the later arms of Cantilupe ("Cantilupe modern"), 3 leopard's faces jessant-de-lysJessant-de-lysJessant-de-lys is a heraldic term denoting a fleur-de-lys issuing out of any object. It is most frequently seen in conjunction with a leopard's face, meaning in heraldic language the face of a lion.-Description:...
- BrentingbyBrentingbyBrentingby is a village in Leicestershire, England....
, Leicestershire. As tenants of which the Woodforde family took the later arms of Cantilupe ("Cantilupe modern"), reversed. - Calne, Wilts.
- Calstone, Wilts.
Progeny
He had married Mazilia (or Marcelin) Braci, who had brought him lands in Kent, and was succeeded by his eldest son William II de Cantilupe(d.1251). His younger son Walter de CantilupeWalter de Cantilupe
Walter de Cantilupe was a medieval Bishop of Worcester.-Life:He came of a family which had risen by devoted service to the crown...
(d.1266) became Bishop of Worcester, of which see William had had custody in 1208.
Sources
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. C, p. 961
- Sanders, I.J. English Baronies, A Study of Their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960