William Malet (born before 1175–1215),
feudal baron of Curry Mallet in
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lor ...
, was one of the guarantors of ''
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by t ...
''. In 1190, he accompanied King Richard the Lionheart on third crusade.
[Nigel Saul, Magna Carta Trust: William Malet, available at http://magnacarta800th.com/schools/biographies/the-25-barons-of-magna-carta/william-malet/] While still on crusade in 1191, he took part in the
Siege of Acre.
Upon returning to England, he served as
Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset
The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...
in 1209. The precise nature of his relationship to an earlier
William Malet is unknown.
William Malet was one of the rebel barons who were heavily indebted to King John.
It is believed that by 1214 he owed the king as much as £1333.
In 1214 he entered into an agreement to serve with the king along with 10 knights and 20 other soldiers in exchange for the cancellation of his debts.
[ However, the agreement broke down for an unknown reason and by 1215 he joined the rebellion.]
Landholdings
Amongst the manors comprising his feudal barony were his ''caput
Latin words and phrases
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