Roger de Mortimer (before 1153-before 8 July 1214) was a medieval

marcher lord A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...

, residing at

Wigmore Castle Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle about from the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England. History Wigmore Castle was founded after the Norman conquest of England, Norman Conquest, probabl ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. He was the son of

Hugh de Mortimer Hugh de Mortimer (c. 1100 – 26 February 1180/81) was a Norman English medieval lord. Lineage The son of Ranulph de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle, Stratfield Mortimer, Cleobury Mortimer and at times, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle and ...

(died 26 February 1181) and Matilda Le Meschin.

Early life

Roger would appear to have been of age in 1174 when he fought for King Henry II against the rebellion of his son,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. In 1179 Roger was instrumental in the killing of

Cadwallon ap Madog Cadwallon ap Madog was the son of Madog ab Idnerth who had died in 1140, while Idnerth was a grandson of Elystan Glodrydd who had died in around 1010 and had founded a dynasty in the Middle Marches of Wales, in the area known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren ...

, the prince of

Maelienydd Maelienydd, sometimes spelt Maeliennydd, was a cantref and lordship in east central Wales covering the area from the River Teme to Radnor Forest and the area around Llandrindod Wells. The area, which is mainly upland, is now in Powys. During the M ...

and

Elfael Elfael was one of a number of Welsh cantrefi occupying the region between the River Wye and river Severn, known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, in the early Middle Ages. It was divided into two commotes, Is Mynydd and Uwch Mynydd, separated by the chain of ...

, both of which Mortimer coveted. He was imprisoned until June 1182 at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

for this killing.

Children

He had married Isabel (d. before 29 April 1252), the daughter of

Walchelin de Ferriers Walchelin de Ferrieres (or Walkelin de Ferrers) (died 1201) ( Latinised to ''de Ferrariis'', literally "from the smiths") was an Anglo-Norman baron and principal captain of King Richard I of England. Origins The de Ferriers family is believed to ...

Oakham Castle Oakham Castle is a historic building in Oakham, Rutland. The Castle is known for its collection of massive horseshoes and is also recognised as one of the best examples of domestic Norman architecture in England. It is a Grade I listed building ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

before 1196. With Isabel, Roger had three sons and a daughter: *Hugh de Mortimer (d. 1227) – married Annora (Eleanor) de Braose, daughter of William de Braose and his wife Maud *

Ralph de Mortimer Ranulph or Ralph de Mortimer (before 1198 to 6 August 1246) was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire. He succeeded his elder brother before 23 November 1227 and built Cefnllys and Knuckla ...

(d. 1246) * Philip Mortimer * Joan Mortimer (d. 1225) – married May 1212 to Walter II de Beauchamp (1192–1236) and they had a son William III de Beauchamp (1215–1269) who married Isabella de Mauduit. They had a child

William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick {{Infobox noble , name = William de Beauchamp , title = 9th Earl of Warwick , image =Beauchamp.svg , caption =Arms of Beauchamp: ''Gules, a fesse between six cross crosslets or'' , alt ...

(1237–1298). Roger is often wrongly stated to have been the father of Robert Mortimer of Richards Castle (died 1219) - married Margary de Say, daughter of Hugh de Say. But this Robert was born before 1155 and therefore could not have been a son of Roger.

Lord of Maelienydd

In 1195 Roger, with the backing of troops sent by King

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

, invaded

and rebuilt Cymaron Castle. In 1196 he joined forces with

Hugh de Say Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

of Richards Castle and fought and lost the battle of

New Radnor New Radnor ( cy, Maesyfed) is a village in Powys, Wales, to the south of Radnor Forest, and was the county town of Radnorshire. In the 2001 census, the community's population of 410 was split evenly between male and female, in 192 households. ...

against

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd, commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys'' (c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197 and native Prince of Wales. It was believed that he ...

, allegedly losing some forty knights and a large number of foot in the fight. By 1200 he had conquered Maelienydd and issued a new charter of rights to

Cwmhir Abbey Cwmhir Abbey ( cy, Abaty Cwm Hir), near Llandrindod Wells in Powys, is a Welsh Cistercian monastery founded in 1176 by Cadwallon ap Madog. A spurious tale was later recorded that the abbey was founded in 1143 by Meredudd ap Maelgwn at Ty-faenor ...

. In the summer of 1214 he became gravely ill and bought from King John the right for his son to inherit his lands while he still lived. He died before 8 July 1214.

References

Sources

* * *Cokayne, George E. ''Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom/13 Volumes Bound in 6 Books'', IV:191; IX:272-3 * Dugdale, William, ''Monasticon'' ** IV, Kington St Michael Nunnery, Wiltshire III ** VI, Wigmore Abbey, Herefordshire III, ''Fundationis et Fundatorum Historia'' *''Annales de Theokesberia'' *''Annales de Wigornia''

External links

Mortimer History - Medieval Mortimers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortimer of Wigmore, Roger 12th-century births 1214 deaths Year of birth unknown Anglo-Normans Anglo-Normans in Wales People from Herefordshire

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

Norman warriors Lords of Wigmore