Peter De Mauley
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Peter de Maulay or Peter de Mauley (died 1241) was a nobleman and administrator who was one of King
John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...
's "evil counsellors". First appearing in the historical record in 1202, Maulay was in England by 1204 and serving as an official of John. During the rebellions of the end of John's reign, Maulay supported the king and was given custody of the king's younger son as well as important prisoners. Maulay continued to serve the new king, Henry III, after 1216 but ran into difficulties with the young king's regents and was accused of treason in 1221. Maulay was cleared of the charges, but retired to his lands in late 1221. In 1223 Maulay's lands at
Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...
were confiscated by the king but were returned within a few months. Upavon was again confiscated in 1229 and given to another noble, but in 1233 King Henry regranted the manor to Maulay, an event which led to a revolt by
Richard Marshal Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke ( 1191 – 15 April 1234), was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England ...
, the
Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
, against the king. In 1241 Maulay went on
crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, and died late that year, probably in the Holy Land.


Early life

Maulay's parentage is unknown, but he originated from the
Maulay Maulay () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Vienne department The following is a list of the 265 communes of the Vienne department of Franc ...
region in
Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...
. He appears to have had a younger brother named Aimery, who possibly was the same as an Aimery de Maulay who owned lands in Quinçay and La Rochelle between 1218 and 1259. In a monastic chronicle, Peter is said to have relinquished his lands in France to Aimery in 1204,Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 26 footnote 60 after the overlordship of the lands passed from King
John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...
to King
Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...
.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 29 Peter's first appearance in the historical record was in 1202, when he received land around
Loudun Loudun (; ; Poitevin: ''Loudin'') is a commune in the Vienne department and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, western France. It is located south of the town of Chinon and 25 km to the east of the town Thouars. The area south of Loudun ...
in exchange for Moncontour.Cockayne ''Complete Peerage'' VIII pp. 555–558 Under John, he was appointed an usher in the king's household,Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 20 where he soon became a close advisor of the king. He was considered one of the "evil counsellors" of John by the chronicler
Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), 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 ...
.Vincent "Maulay, Peter (I) de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' After John's loss of Normandy, Maulay went to England and was given the manor of
Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...
in Wiltshire. His grant of the manor was at the king's pleasure, because the manor, which had been held by a noble who forfeited his land in England by staying in Normandy after its loss, would need to be restored to its rightful holder if John recovered Normandy. He served as an envoy to Rome in 1213 and in 1214 was in command of royal forces at
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
in France. In 1214 he married Isabella, the daughter and heiress of
Robert of Thornham Robert of Thurnham (sometimes Thornham, Tornham, or Turnham) (died 1211) was an English soldier and administrator. The namesake of his landowner father, he was the younger brother of Stephen of Thurnham. Robert made his reputation in connection w ...
. Robert had died in 1211, so through his wife, Maulay acquired the
Barony of Mulgrave Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
in Yorkshire.Sanders ''English Baronies'' pp. 66–67 Maulay paid the king 7000
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
as a fine for the right to marry Isabella, one of the highest fines paid for the right to marry under John.Turner ''King John'' p. 79 According to the medieval chronicler
Ralph of Coggeshall Ralph of Coggeshall (died after 1227), English chronicler, was at first a monk and afterwards sixth abbot (1207–1218) of Coggeshall Abbey, an Essex foundation of the Cistercian order. He is also known for his chronicles on the Third Crusade ...
, Maulay was the murderer of John's nephew
Arthur of Brittany Arthur I (; ) (29 March 1187 – presumably 1203) was 4th Earl of Richmond and Duke of Brittany between 1196 and 1203. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Through Geoffrey, Arthur was t ...
.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 138 When the barons of England revolted against John in 1215, Maulay was given command of
Corfe Castle Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the Corfe Castle (village), village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and ...
by John. Along with Corfe, Maulay was given custody of John's younger son,
Richard of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of ...
. He was also given
Gomshall Gomshall is a village in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England.OS Explorer map 145:Guildford and Farnham. Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton. It is on the A25, roughly halfway between Guildford and Dorking, and ...
in Surrey. In 1216 he was given the office of Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset, where he made a name for himself with his exactions and heavy profiteering. Besides the custody of Richard of Cornwall, Maulay was also responsible for supervising the confinement of John's niece, Eleanor of Brittany, who, as elder sister of Arthur,Warren ''King John'' p. 37 had a strong claim to the English throne and had been held captive since 1202.Warren ''King John'' p. 77 At times, he was also responsible for keeping John's wife,
Isabella of Angouleme Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...
and his heir, Prince
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
, safe from rebels, as long as they were at Corfe.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 71


Under Henry III

Maulay remained in office under the new king, Henry III, who succeeded to the throne in late 1216. While at Corfe, he had custody of William of Lancaster, who had been captured by the royalist side at Rochester in 1215. Ranulf de Blondeville, the
Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...
, attempted to secure William's freedom but was rebuffed by Maulay, leading the earl to threaten to depart England and the king's cause and go on crusade.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 26–27 In early 1217 Maulay was ordered by the regent,
William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman during High Medieval England who served five English kings: Henry ...
, to surrender control of
Sherborne Castle Sherborne Castle (sometimes called Sherborne New Castle) is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited ...
and Somerset to William Longespee, the
Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de Sa ...
, to help secure the return of Longespee to the royal cause.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 30–31 But Maulay refused to do so.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 35 In October 1217, Maulay was summoned to the royal court to answer charges that he had waged a private war against the earl over control of Somerset and that he had broken a truce that had held between the two men.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 66 The dispute was finally solved in February 1218 when Maulay was confirmed by the regent as custodian of Sherborne Castle and in the office of Sheriff of Somerset. Maulay compensated Longespee for his loss with a payment of 500 pounds, and a further payment of 1000 pounds by the government and custody of a royal ward.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 71 Maulay received a total of 6561 marks by 1221 from ransoms paid by 16 prisoners he held at Corfe.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 46 He also paid nothing into the
Exchequer In the Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''Transaction account, current account'' (i.e., mon ...
from Somerset or Dorset for the period from 1218 to 1220,Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 72 with the total owed to the government amounting to a bit over 1500 pounds.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 120 Maulay's extortions, however, led to him losing custody of Richard of Cornwall in 1220. Maulay brought Richard of Cornwall to London to attend his brother's second coronation,Denholm-Young ''Richard of Cornwall'' p. 3 which occurred on 17 May 1220.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 188


Treason accusations

On 20 May 1221 Maulay was accused of treason by Richard Mucegros and
Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent ( , ; – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England (1215–1232) and Justiciar of Ireland (1232) during the reigns of King John and his son and successor King Henry I ...
before the king. The specific crime was alleged to be a plot to hand over Eleanor of Brittany, still held at Corfe Castle, to King
Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...
. Maulay was imprisoned for a short time but on 4 June was released after surrendering Corfe to the king. He was allowed to retain his sheriffdom. The accusation may have owed more to the fact that Maulay had recently taken Mucegros' lands into custody because Mucegros had failed to make a payment due for a royal fine. The event may also have been used by de Burgh as an opportunity to weaken
Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) (List of Latinised names, Latinised as ''Petrus de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III of England, Henry III. He was not an ...
, Maulay's patron and de Burgh's rival, while des Roches was out of England, by taking Corfe from one of des Roches' primary supporters.Carptenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 249 In July Peter des Roches returned to England and in late July was instrumental in clearing Maulay of the charges. Maulay was not given back custody of Corfe, but on 29 July the royal government discharged the 7000 marks that Maulay still owed for his marriage fine. The stated reason for the release of this debt was to compensate Maulay for his expenses while controlling Corfe, but the real reason appears to have been to compensate for its loss.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 256 In late 1221 Maulay agreed to go on crusade with Peter des Roches and Falkes de Breauté, another of des Roches supporters.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 260 The loss of the city of
Damietta Damietta ( ' ) is a harbor, port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the Damietta branch, an eastern distributary of the Nile Delta, from the Mediterranean Sea, and about north of Cairo. It was a Cath ...
in Egypt in September meant that the three men postponed their departure,Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 270 and in November 1221 Maulay was replaced as sheriff. In return for Maulay's agreement to the ouster, the Exchequer wrote off more debts that Maulay owed the government, this time over 8800 marks.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 274–275 Maulay retired to his lands in Yorkshire.


Upavon case

In February 1223, Maulay forfeited Upavon to the king. This was part of a string of confiscations that struck at supporters of des Roches, including William de Cantilupe, Breauté, and
Robert de Vieuxpont Robert de Vieuxpont (died 1227/8), also called Vipont, Veteripont, or ''de Vetere Ponte'' ("from the Old Bridge"), Baron of Westmorland, was an Anglo-Norman noble landowner and administrator. He entered royal service and was initially employed i ...
, by taking back grants that had been made earlier and which were held at the king's will. The seizures were made to teach the nobles a lesson and curb their dissension from the royal government, which was in the hands of Roches' rival de Burgh. Most of the manors, including Upavon, were returned to their previous holders in April after a settlement between de Burgh and those who resented his government.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 346–350 Around this time Maulay began work on
Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wade (folklore), Wada, a 6th-century ruler of ...
, in Yorkshire, which was part of his wife's inheritance. In June and July 1224, Maulay was present on the royal side at the siege of
Bedford Castle Bedford Castle was a large medieval castle in Bedford, England. Built after 1100 by Henry I of England, Henry I, the castle played a prominent part in both the civil war of the Anarchy and the First Barons' War. The castle was significantly ex ...
, which was held by de Breauté against the government.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 364–366 In 1225 Maulay claimed that he had sworn to King John that he would not give up custody of the royal castles until after John's son came of age.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' p. 123 Maulay lost Upavon to the king again in 1229,Weiler ''Kingship, Rebellion and Political Culture'' p. 15 with the king regranting Upavon to
Gilbert Basset Gilbert Basset (died 1241) was an English baronial leader during the reign of King Henry III. Early life Basset was the eldest son of Alan Basset, baron of Wycombe. About 1231 he appears to have negotiated a truce with Llewellyn of Wales on be ...
.Weiler ''Kingship, Rebellion and Political Culture'' p. 147 This grant to Basset was by charter, with the lands to be held in
fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...
. Maulay claimed that he only gave up his tenure because of threats by de Burgh.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' pp. 334–337 Maulay returned to royal service in 1230 when he joined the royal expedition to Brittany and was once more at the royal court in 1232 as a follower of
Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) (List of Latinised names, Latinised as ''Petrus de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III of England, Henry III. He was not an ...
. Maulay regained Upavon in 1233, after the king reopened the case. Henry justified his action as being exercised "per voluntatem nostrum", or through his own will. Henry opened a case of
quo warranto In the English-American common law, ''quo warranto'' (Medieval Latin for "by what warrant?") is a prerogative writ issued by a court which orders someone to show what authority they have for exercising some right, power, or franchise they clai ...
and then declined to recognise his own charter as valid, thus granting the manor to Maulay. Although the case could be made that Maulay's right to the manor was better than Basset's, it is more probable that the dispute over Upavon and its ownership was the opening move in an effort to curtail the influence of
Richard Marshal Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke ( 1191 – 15 April 1234), was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England ...
, the
Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
.Denholm-Young ''Richard of Cornwall'' p. 25 It was also an attempt to turn back grants made by the king to de Burgh's supporters, now that de Burgh had fallen from power. The royal actions led to conflict between Henry III and the barons, because of Henry's grant of the manor to Basset. The restoration to Maulay and Basset's deprivation were considered illegal by many of the nobles and led to a revolt by Basset and Marshal, who was Basset's overlord. Maulay was seen as a non-Englishman who was profiting over a popular English noble, Basset. Maulay was briefly in disgrace but managed to return to favour, and was named constable of
Devizes Castle Devizes Castle was a medieval fortification in the town of Devizes, Wiltshire, England, on a site now occupied by a Victorian-era castle. It is a Grade I listed building. The original castle (not currently visible) was overbuilt by the current s ...
in January 1234, his first royal appointment since 1221.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 425 He was granted the office of
Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. 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 respon ...
in 1236, perhaps owing these offices more to his former ward, Richard of Cornwall, than to his patron des Roches, who fell from power in 1234. Des Roches' loss of power did not adversely affect Maulay's royal service.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 462 Maulay was present at the baptism of Prince
Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
, and was one of the nobles who raised the infant from the
baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...
.


Last years and legacy

Maulay had vowed to go on crusade in 1220, and in 1241 he finally set out for the Holy Land, along with Richard of Cornwall. Maulay died later in 1241, probably while still in the Holy Land. His wife died before him and his heir was his son
Peter de Maulay Peter de Maulay or Peter de Mauley (died 1241) was a nobleman and administrator who was one of King John of England's "evil counsellors". First appearing in the historical record in 1202, Maulay was in England by 1204 and serving as an official ...
. Besides his heir, Maulay had two other sons, Robert and Stephen, and a daughter, Hilary, who married Piers de Brus, son and heir of Piers de Brus, the
Lord of Skelton The Lord of Skelton was a title in the Peerage of England held by: *Robert de Brus Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Sc ...
.Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 77 Maulay had endowed a
chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a set of Christian liturgical celebrations for the dead (made up of the Requiem Mass and the Office of the Dead), or # a chantry chapel, a b ...
at
Meaux Abbey Meaux Abbey (archaic, also referred to as ''Melsa'') was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1151 by William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle ( Count of Aumale), Earl of York and 4th Lord of Holderness, near Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, ...
in Yorkshire in memory of his wife. He also confirmed grants of lands to
Eskdale Priory Eskdale may refer to: Australia *Eskdale, Queensland *Eskdale, Victoria New Zealand *Eskdale, New Zealand United Kingdom *Eskdale, Cumbria, England *Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland *Eskdale, North Yorkshire, England *Eskdale (UK Parlia ...
, a Grandmontine house founded by Isabella's father,Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 38 and footnote 101 and to
Nostell Priory Nostell Priory is a Palladian house in Nostell, West Yorkshire, in England, near Crofton and on the road to Doncaster from Wakefield. It dates from 1733 and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory. The Priory and its co ...
. Maulay was also a benefactor of the Knights of Saint Thomas, a military religious order for Englishmen.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 249


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maulay, Peter de 12th-century births 1241 deaths High sheriffs of Somerset High sheriffs of Northamptonshire English feudal barons English people of French descent Christians of the Barons' Crusade