Seal 2 WilliamDeForz 4thEarlOfAlbemarle Died1260

William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died 1260) ( Latinised as ''de Fortibus'', sometimes spelt Deforce) played a conspicuous part in the reign of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

, notably in the

Mad Parliament The Oxford Parliament (1258), also known as the Mad Parliament and the First English Parliament, assembled during the reign of Henry III of England. It is best known for the Provisions of Oxford, a set of constitutional reforms that forced the king ...

of 1258. William married twice. His first wife was Christina (died 1246), daughter and co-heiress of

Alan, Lord of Galloway Alan of Galloway (before 1199 – 1234), also known as Alan fitz Roland, was a leading thirteenth-century Scottish magnate. As the hereditary Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland, he was one of the most influential men in the Kingdom of S ...

. Her mother was one of the co-heiresses of the

Earldom of Chester The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, and a ...

on the death of the last Earl in 1237. He claimed that, as a Palatine, it could not be divided, and his wife should get it as the oldest co-heir. He got the title, but the court decided that the lands should be divided, but this wife died in 1239 without issue. However, he and his wife

quitclaimed Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...

the earldom to Henry III in 1241 in exchange for modest lands elsewhere. In 1241, on the death of his father,

William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, he inherited his lands, including honours associated with

Cockermouth Castle Cockermouth Castle () is in the town of Cockermouth in Cumbria on a site by the junction of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent. It is a grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. History The first castle on this site was built by the ...

in Cumberland, and

Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History The castle was originally a motte and bai ...

in Craven,

Skipsea Castle Skipsea Castle was a Norman motte and bailey castle near the village of Skipsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Built around 1086 by Drogo de la Beuvrière, apparently on the remains of an Iron Age mound, it was designed to secure the newl ...

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

, both in Yorkshire. He joined Henry III in campaigns in

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

and Wales in 1242 and 1245, but not in Wales in 1257 because he was ill. He held local offices in Cumberland, including justice of the forest for Cumberland in 1251, and

sheriff of Cumberland The high sheriff, sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferre ...

in 1255 and keeper of Carlisle Castle, an office he held until his death. Two years after the death of his first wife, he remarried in 1248 to Isabella de Redvers (1237–1293), daughter of

Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon (1217 – 15 February 1245), feudal baron of Plympton in Devon and Lord of the Isle of Wight, was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold and grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon. ...

and Lord of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. William de Forz died at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

in 1260. His widow Isabella, on the death of her brother

Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon (1 January 1236 – 1262), feudal baron of Plympton in DevonSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, pp. 137–8, Barony of Plympton and Lord of the Isl ...

in 1262, inherited his lands and called herself Countess of Devon and Aumale. She had six children, all of whom pre-deceased her, including Thomas who died unmarried in 1269, and

Avelina Avelina is a female first name. History The name was borrowed into the Russian language as "" (''Avelina'').Petrovsky, p. 33 Its diminutives include Avelinka (), Lina (), and Ava (). In Latin languages, the name may have been latinized from ...

who married

Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and Earl of Leicester (16 January 12455 June 1296) nicknamed Edmund Crouchback was a member of the House of Plantagenet. He was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his chi ...

in 1269, but died childless in 1274 aged 15.

Sources

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albemarle, William De Forz, 4th Earl of 1260 deaths History of Galloway Earls of Albemarle High Sheriffs of Cumberland Year of birth unknown