Edmund de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (c.1230–1258) was an important landholder in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

, with a strategic manor at Stanbury which was important for east–west communication, and as Lord of the Honour of Pontefract he possessed

Pontefract Castle Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War ...

Origins

He was the son and heir of John de Lacy, jure uxoris Earl of Lincoln (c. 1192–1240) 8th

Baron of Halton The Barony of Halton, in Cheshire, England, comprised a succession of 15 barons and hereditary Constables of Chester under the overlordship of the Earl of Chester. It was not an English feudal barony granted by the king but a separate class o ...

, 8th Hereditary

Constable of Chester The Constable of Chester was a mediaeval hereditary office held by the Barons of Halton. The functions of the Constable are unclear, possibly they related to the custody of Chester Castle (built in 1070 by Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester), ...

, and feudal baron of Pontefract. His father was one of the 25 barons who forced

John, King 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 sign

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 the ...

in 1215. Edmund's mother was Margaret de Quincy, suo jure Countess of Lincoln (c.1206–1266).

Earl of Lincoln

There is doubt as to whether Edmund de Lacy became Earl of Lincoln, as he predeceased his mother, but not his father. ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...

'' gives him as the 3rd Earl, but notes that "he does not appear to have been formally invested with the earldom, presumably because his mother outlived him".''Complete Peerage'', Vol.VII, p.680 Although he signed as Constable of Chester on documents, contemporaries would refer to him as Earl of Lincoln and he is known to have held the estates of the earldom.

Tournament

Somewhere between 1248 and his death in 1258 he was the leader of a group of twenty knights headed for a tournament between

Tickhill Castle Tickhill Castle was a castle in Tickhill, on the Nottingham/Yorkshire West Riding border, England and a prominent stronghold during the reign of King John. Early history The gatehouse range, seen from the bailey The castle started as an 11th-c ...

and Blyth. A knight who gave him hospitality is known to have written a letter to his baillif; A knight to his bailiff, greetings. You will have heard that on the morrow of the Purification ebruary 3we are to arrive with all our household at the estate that we have committed to your faithful keeping. We shall be coming to you with Lord E

mund Mund is a former municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Mund and Birgisch merged into the municipality of Naters.Halton, 9th Constable of Chester, feudal baron of Pontefract,

Lord of Bowland The Lordship of Bowland is a feudal barony associated with the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. The lordship fell into disuse between 1885 and 2008, during which time it was widely believed to have lapsed; it was revived in 2008. In 1 ...

, etc. He also became Earl of Lincoln, even though his mother,

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

Countess was still alive. As he was a minor he became a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the king, which wardship was later acquired by his mother. Normally his inheritance would have been held in wardship until he reached the

age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...

(21). However, Edmund was allowed to succeed his father at only 18 years of age. He was brought up at the royal court of King Henry III and

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253. ...

Marriage and issue

Having been brought up at the royal court of Henry III and

, in May 1247 at

Woodstock Palace Woodstock Palace was a royal residence in the English town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Henry I of England built a hunting lodge here and in 1129 he built of walls to create the first enclosed park, where lions and leopards were kept. The lodge b ...

he made a 'Savoyard' marriage to

Alésia of Saluzzo Alesia may refer to: Places France * Alesia (city), an ancient city in Gaul * Alésia (Paris Métro), a station in the Paris Métro * Rue d'Alésia, Paris * Le quartier Alésia, an unofficial district of Paris that mostly overlaps Petit-Montrou ...

(Alice de Saluces), who had been brought to England by

Peter II, Count of Savoy Peter II (120315 May 1268), called the Little Charlemagne, held the Honour of Richmond, Yorkshire, England (but not the Earldom), from April 1240 until his death, holder of the Honour of l’Aigle, and was Count of Savoy (now part of France, Swit ...

Eleanor's uncle. She was the daughter of

Manfred III of Saluzzo Manfred III (died 1244) was the third Marquess of Saluzzo, from 1215 to his death. He was the son of Boniface of Saluzzo and Maria di Torres of Sassari (in Sardinia). Since his father died in 1212, he succeeded his grandfather Manfred II as mar ...

Eugene L. Cox, ''The Eagle of Savoy: The House of Savoy in the Thirteenth Century'', (Princeton University Press, 1974), 169. in

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, and sister of

Thomas I of Saluzzo Thomas I (1239–1296) was the fourth Marquess of Saluzzo from 1244 to his death. He was the son of Manfred III and Beatrice of Savoy. He succeeded his father Manfred III. He was also the grandson of Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy. Biography Unde ...

. By his wife he had issue including: *

Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (c. 1251February 1311), Baron of Pontefract, Lord of Bowland, Baron of Halton and hereditary Constable of Chester, was an English nobleman and confidant of King Edward I. He served Edward in Wales, France, and Sc ...

Death and burial

He died 2 June 1258 and was buried at Stanlow Abbey founded by his paternal grandfather

John fitz Richard John fitz Richard (died 11 October 1190) was an Anglo-Norman soldier, Baron of Halton and hereditary Constable of Chester. Historical records refer to him as "John, Constable of Chester". He died at Acre in the Holy Land. Origins He was ...

(died 1190), 6th Baron of Halton, 6th Hereditary Constable of Chester.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontefract, Edmund de Lacy, Baron of 1230s births 1257 deaths 13th-century English nobility 13th-century English landowners

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

English feudal barons Burials at Stanlow Abbey Barons of Halton