Sir William Bagot (died 1407) was a politician and administrator under
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
.
![Somefeudalcoatso00fostrich Page 051 center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Somefeudalcoatso00fostrich_Page_051_center.png)
William Bagot was a Warwickshire man who began his career in politics in Warwickshire under the
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation c ...
. In addition, he also served both
John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
and his son
Henry Bolingbroke
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of Fran ...
, as well as
Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG (22 March 136622 September 1399) was an English peer. As a result of his involvement in the power struggles which led up to the fall of King Richard II, he was banished and died in exile in Venice.
B ...
, future Duke of Norfolk. He was knighted by 1386. He was appointed
High Sheriff of Leicestershire
This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Leicestershire, United Kingdom. The 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 ...
and
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
jointly for 1382/3 and attended Parliament as a
Knight of the Shire
Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...
for
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
11 times between 1388 and 1402.
[Clark, Linda. ‘Bagot, Sir William (d. 1407)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004]
He became one of Richard II's "continual councillors" together with Sir
John Bussy
Sir John Bussy (also Bushy; died 29 July 1399) of Hougham in Lincolnshire was a member of parliament representing Lincolnshire or Rutland eleven times from 1383 to 1398 as a Knight of the Shire. He was also Speaker of the House of Commons at th ...
and Sir
Henry Green
Henry Green was the pen name of Henry Vincent Yorke (29 October 1905 – 13 December 1973), an English writer best remembered for the novels ''Party Going'', ''Living'' and '' Loving''. He published a total of nine novels between 1926 and 1952 ...
. The three continual councillors acquired an infamous reputation.
He was tasked by Richard in 1399 with the other two councillors and Treasurer
William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
William le Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann (c. 1350 – 29 July 1399) was a close supporter of King Richard II of England. He was a second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton.
Life
He was a soldier-adventurer in Lithuan ...
, to assist the Duke of York in protecting the realm during his forthcoming military expedition to Ireland. The exiled and dispossessed
Henry Bolingbroke
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of Fran ...
seized the opportunity to return to England and forcibly recover his inheritance. Bussy, Green, and Scrope were captured when
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...
surrendered to Henry and summarily tried and executed the next day. Bagot managed to escape to Ireland but was eventually captured and brought to London for trial. He was treated lightly by King Henry (as he was by then) and only imprisoned for a year.
He died at his Warwickshire home on 6 September 1407. He had married by 1379, Margaret, sister and heiress of Robert Whatton of Nottinghamshire; they had 2 daughters. His heir was his daughter Isabel, who married Thomas Stafford. Brasses of William and Margaret can be seen in
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry / West Midlands county. With a population of 801 ( 2001 Census), Baginton village is 4 miles (6.5 km) south ...
Church, Warwickshire.
He appears as a character in Shakespeare's play ''
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
''.
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
History of Parliament BAGOT,Sir William (bef.1354-1407) of Baginton, WarwksWilliam Bagot Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagot, William
1407 deaths
High Sheriffs of Leicestershire
High Sheriffs of Warwickshire
Year of birth unknown
Male Shakespearean characters
Sheriffs of Warwickshire
English MPs February 1388
English MPs September 1388
English MPs January 1390
English MPs November 1390
English MPs 1391
English MPs 1393
English MPs 1394
English MPs 1395
English MPs January 1397
English MPs September 1397
English MPs 1402