William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont (April 1438 – 19 December 1507) was an English

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and landowner who was a leading supporter of the Lancastrian faction during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. He was the son of

John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont (c. 1409 – 10 July 1460), was an English nobleman and magnate from Folkingham, Lincolnshire. He was a councillor to King Henry VI and was rewarded for his services, becoming a leading member of the E ...

and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Phelip. He was born at

Edenham Edenham ( ) is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately north-west of Bourne, and on the A151 road. While the civil parish is called 'Edenham', the parish council is called Edenham ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. Although his exact date of birth is not recorded, parish records show the date of his

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

as 23 April 1438.

Wars of the Roses

Sir William led an uneventful life until the

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

between the houses of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Lancaster broke into open bloodshed. While he always claimed in life "...to let each man place his feet in the soil as the good lord intended..."()), he ultimately sided with the Lancastrians.

Battles and land issues

He fought in several of the major battles of the

. He was probably knighted before the Battle of Northampton, where his father was killed. He fought at the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

, the bloodiest battle ever fought on

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 ...

soil, but was taken prisoner and attainted along with other prominent Lancastrian lords. Beaumont obtained a general pardon two days before Christmas, but all his lands were declared forfeit and granted to Lord Hastings. This action erected a permanent barrier to any reconciliation with King Edward. After the restoration of Henry VI in November 1470, King Henry revoked the

bill of attainder A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of people, guilty of some crime, and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attai ...

and restored Sir William's lands and titles. However, the following March, he opposed Edward's landing at Ravenspur. He joined forces with the

Duke of Exeter The title Duke of Exeter was created several times in England in the later Middle Ages. Exeter is the main town of Devon. It was first created for John Holland, the half-brother of King Richard II in 1397. That title was rescinded upon Henry IV ...

, but they were too weak and were forced to stand aside at Newark and allow Edward to march south to London. Beaumont fought under Oxford at the

Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV. On Sunday 14 April ...

, but suspecting treachery, they fled. With the Yorkist

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

on the throne again, Beaumont was once more stripped of his lands and titles. Between 1471 and 1474, he was continually at war, holding (amongst other bastions),

St Michael's Mount St Michael's Mount ( kw, Karrek Loos yn Koos, meaning " hoar rock in woodland") is a tidal island in Mount's Bay, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a causeway of granite se ...

along with

John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (8 September 1442 – 10 March 1513), the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, a first cousin of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (2nd creation), was one of the principal ...

, for the Lancastrians in 1473. However, misfortune continued to dog Sir William, and in 1474, he was taken prisoner and imprisoned at Hammes. Released by

Sir James Blount Sir James Blount (died 1493) (sometimes spelt ''Blunt'') was commander of the English fortress of Hammes, near Calais. Blount was the son of Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy, and uncle of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy. In 1473, he sat in ...

, he landed at

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

with Henry Tudor and fought against

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

at the

Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...

on 22 August 1485. Sir William's lands and titles were restored (for the second time) by act of Parliament on 7 November 1485.

Mental illness

By 1487, Beaumont was reported to be incapacitated by mental illness. Parliament ruled that he no longer had "sadness eriousnessor discretion to rule and keep" his estates, and gave Beaumont's former comrade-in-arms

control of Beaumont's lands during his lifetime. He and his family lived in the care of his friend for his remaining years. The precise nature of Beaumont's mental illness is not known, but two sources suggest that he was not completely incapacitated. He was witness to a bond in 1488, which suggests he was capable of lucidity at that time. In 1498, an inscription written in his name bequeathed a book to his wife. He died on 19 December 1507, aged 69, at Oxford's home at Wivenhoe, where he is buried. His widow later married Oxford. The Beaumonts were one of only seven great families who remained irreconcilably anti-Yorkist throughout the Wars of the Roses.

Family

Beaumont married firstly on 6 August 1462, Joan daughter of

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 6th Earl of Stafford, 7th Baron Stafford, (December 1402 – 10 July 1460) of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and t ...

. This marriage was set aside before 1477. He married secondly Elizabeth Scrope, daughter and coheir of Sir Richard Scrope, the second son of

Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton (1418–1459) was a member of the English peerage in Yorkshire in the 15th century. Born 4 June 1418 to Richard Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton and Margaret Neville, he was still a minor when his fat ...

, by Eleanor, the daughter of Norman Washbourne.. At least one child was born to his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

Jayne Stephens circa 1459, by the name of John Francis Beaumont. Whilst Sir William never recognised the child as his heir, he did provide for the child's

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and welfare. Upon the death of Sir William, the Viscountcy of Beaumont became extinct in both England and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and due to discord and fighting between his great-nephews, the title fell into abeyance.

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaumont, William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount 1438 births 1507 deaths People from Edenham People of the Wars of the Roses English knights 15th-century English people 16th-century English nobility Viscounts Beaumont Barons Beaumont