Ralph Basset, 1st Baron Basset (before 1265 – 31 December 1299) of

Drayton Bassett Drayton Bassett is a village and civil parish since 1974 in Lichfield District in Staffordshire, England. The village is on the Heart of England Way, a footpath. Much of the housing is clustered together but more than half is 20th century in t ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, was an English nobleman who fought in both the Anglo-French War and in the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty o ...

. He was the son of one of

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

's barons,

Ralph Basset Ralph Basset (sometimes Bassett; died c. 1127) was a medieval English royal justice during the reign of King Henry I of England. He was a native of Normandy, and may have come to Henry's notice while Henry held land in Normandy prior to becomin ...

(d.1265), and Margaret de Somery. In 1291, he was made Governor of Edinburgh Castle. He was created 1st Baron Basset of Drayton in 1295.

Family and title

Ralph Basset was the son of one of

's baronial lords, also called

, and Margaret de Somery. Ralph senior was killed in the

Battle of Evesham The Battle of Evesham (4 August 1265) was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by the future King Edward I, who led the ...

with de Montfort's forces in 1265 with his lands and titles being forfeited due to his rebellion. In some records Ralph Basset is listed as the ''2nd Baron Basset of Drayton'', his father being the first. The Barony of Drayton was created during

Simon de Montfort's Parliament Simon de Montfort's Parliament was an English parliament held from 20 January 1265 until mid-March of the same year, called by Simon de Montfort, a baronial rebel leader. Montfort had seized power in England following his victory over Henry III ...

in 1264 but the validity of the summons and appointments have been debated over the subsequent centuries. Depending on the view taken, in 1295, Ralph Basset was either created as the 1st Baron Basset of Drayton or he regained his father's title as the 2nd baron. Ralph Basset married Hawise de Grey and on his death at the close of 1299 was succeeded by his son, another

Governor of Edinburgh Castle

In the political tumult brought about by the various

competitors for the Crown of Scotland When the crown of Scotland became vacant in September 1290 on the death of the seven-year-old Queen Margaret, 13 claimants to the throne came forward. Those with the most credible claims were John Balliol, Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale, ...

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

was able to gain an advantage. On 11 June 1291 the town and castle of Edinburgh were placed into his hands and he subsequently granted the governorship of Edinburgh Castle to Drayton and the Castle was garrisoned with English soldiers.Grant, Memorials of the Castle of Edinburgh, pp. 26, 27
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Notes

1299 deaths 13th-century English people Year of birth uncertain 1 {{England-baron-stub