William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby (31 January 1272 – 20 Mar 1325) was an English peer who lived under two kings,

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

and Edward II. His baronial caput was Groby in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

Origins

He was born in 1272 at Yoxall in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, the son and heir of William de Ferrers (1240-1287),G. E. Cokayne, ''

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 re ...

'', n.s., vol.5, pp.340-2 of Groby in

(a significant figure in the Second Barons' War between King Henry III and Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester), the younger son of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby, by his second wife Margaret de Quincy, daughter and heiress of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester (c.1195-1264). His mother was Anne Durward, a daughter of Alan Durward and Margery of Scotland.

Career

Being a minor aged 15 at his father's death, he became a ward of Nicholas Seagrave until 1293, when he recovered

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

of his estates. By 1295, Ferrers was abroad on royal service, and acting as

's agent at the Duke of Brabant's court in Hainault. Although he was short of money at the time (having had to

mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners t ...

the Newbottle manor for £200), this did not prevent him taking part in the King's military campaign.Beardwood, A,. 'The Trial of Walter Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, 1307-1312' ''Transactions of the American Philosophical Society'' 54 (1964), 14. Other royal service included on the Scottish Marches under both King Edwards in their various campaigns there. In 1296, under the King's instruction, the Keeper of Scotland, John de Warenne restored Ferrers to his Scottish estates that the King still held. He fought at the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298 and at the Siege of Caerlaverock two years later. Following the siege, the Keeper of Galloway also by order of King Edward, restored to Ferrers those estates in that region that the King had still held. In 1301 William Ferrers was signatory to the (eventually unsent) Barons' Letter of 1301 to

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...

, in which Ferrers and 95 other English barons and five English earls repudiated the Pope's claim to overlordship of the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

and defended the aggressive policy of King Edward I.Cokayne, G.E., ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant'' V, eds V. Gibbs & H.A. Doubleday (2nd ed., London 1916), 343. The barony was created by writ on 29 December 1299, and William was summoned to parliament. Financial problems in the early fourteenth-century led him into conflict with his cousin John Ferrers which centred over a disputed claim to the Newbottle manor. The feud was periodically suspended when both parties fought alongside the King in Scotland, specifically when William was there again in 1303, 1306, 1308, and 1311. In 1317 Edward II appointed him Constable of Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire. His final summons to military service was on 1 May 1325. He was buried in the St Philip and St James Church,

Hinckley and Bosworth Hinckley and Bosworth is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous v ...

Borough,

Marriage

William Ferrers married Ellen de Menteith, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Menteith. They had his heir, Henry, four younger sons, and a daughter.

References

{{reflist 13th-century English people 14th-century English people People from Yoxall 1 1272 births 1325 deaths Burials in Leicestershire