William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville
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William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (12 or 31 August 1392 – 18 February 1461), was an English nobleman and an important, powerful landowner in south-west England during the
Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
. Bonville's father died before Bonville reached adulthood. As a result, he grew up in the household of his grandfather and namesake, who was a prominent member of the Devon gentry. Both Bonville's father and grandfather had been successful in politics and land acquisition, and when Bonville came of age, he gained control of a large estate. He augmented this further by a series of lawsuits against his stepfather, Richard Stucley. Bonville undertook royal service, which then meant fighting in France in the later years of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
. In 1415, he joined the English invasion of France in the retinue of Thomas, Duke of Clarence,
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
's brother, and fought in the Agincourt campaign. Throughout his life, Bonville was despatched on further operations in France, but increasingly events in the south-west of England took up more of his time and energy, as he became involved in a feud with his powerful neighbour Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon. In 1437, King Henry VI granted Bonville the profitable office of steward of the
Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...
. This had traditionally been a hereditary office of the earls of Devon, and the Earl was enraged at its loss. The dispute soon descended into violence, and Bonville and Courtenay ravaged each other's properties. The situation was exacerbated in 1442 when the Crown appointed Courtenay to effectively the same stewardship it had appointed Bonville, which inflamed the situation even more. The feud between them continued intermittently for the next decade. Generally, Henry and his government failed to intervene between the two parties; when it did, its efforts were ineffectual. On one occasion Bonville was persuaded to undertake further service in France—primarily to get Bonville out of the region—but the mission was poorly funded, a military failure, and when Bonville returned the feud reignited. In 1453, King Henry became ill and entered a
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for eighteen months, heightening the political factionalism that had riven his reign. Bonville generally seems to have remained loyal to the king, although his guiding motivation was to support whoever would aid him in his struggle against Courtenay. Their feud was part of a broader breakdown in law and order which eventually evolved into 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 ...
in 1455. Bonville seems to have managed to avoid implication in the variable swings in political fortune which followed until 1460. At this point, he threw in his lot with the rebellious Richard, Duke of York. His new allegiance brought him little profit; his son was killed alongside York at the
Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI of ...
in December 1460, while Bonville himself took part in the
Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in England. It took place at St Albans in Hertfordshire, the first battle having been fought in 1455. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of W ...
two months later on the losing side; with the new Earl of Devon watching, he was
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on 18 February 1461.


Background and early life

The Bonvilles were one of the major
gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest ...
families of late-fourteenth-century Devon, often working in close co-operation with their neighbours. The most important of these were the Courtenay
earls of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be con ...
. Bonville's grandfather had been a retainer of the 11th Earl,
Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
. The historian Christine Carpenter comments, on the family's social position, that they were of sufficiently "landed and official status to be regarded as what might be termed 'super-knights'"; she echoed the medievalist
K. B. McFarlane Kenneth Bruce McFarlane, FBA (18 October 1903 – 16 July 1966) was one of the 20th century's most influential historians of late medieval England. Life McFarlane was born on 18 October 1903, the only child of A. McFarlane, OBE. His father was ...
, who had previously described the family as "a powerful and respected element in Devon...there was no need for them to stand in dread of the great, for they were not small themselves". William Bonville was born on either 12 or 31 August 1392 or 1393 in
Shute, Devon Shute is a village, parish and former manor located west of Axminster in East Devon, off the A35 road. It is surrounded by farmland and woodland beneath 163-metre (535') Shute Hill. St Michael's Church dates from the 13th Century and contains m ...
, to John Bonville (d. 1396) and Elizabeth Fitzroger (c. 1370–c. 1414). William Bonville's grandfather was his namesake Sir William Bonville, who had been
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for
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
and Devon on multiple occasions and has been described by a historian as one of "the most prominent west-country gentry in the late fourteenth century". On hearing of the birth of his grandson, a contemporary reports, Sir William "raised his hands to heaven and praised God". Along with the Abbot of Newenham, he stood
godparent In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...
to the young William. The younger William was heir to both his father and grandfather; the latter—who had married twice—had substantially expanded the family patrimony. He has been described by the scholar Ralph Griffiths as a "capable, energetic and well-connected man". Bonville's father died when his son was four, and young William probably grew up in his grandfather's household. Grandfather Bonville died in 1408, while Bonville was still legally a
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. As was customary, King Henry IV took both Bonville's
wardship In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient jur ...
and marriage into his own hands. This was valuable
royal patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
, which the King granted firstly to Sir John Tiptoft, and then to Edward, Duke of York. Bonville had a younger brother, Thomas, who, by the time William came of age, had already married a cousin of Robert, Baron Poynings. This connection to the Poynings family, the historian J. S. Roskell has suggested, was instrumental in Bonville's own marriage.


Marriages and children

In 1414 he married Margaret Grey, daughter of Reginald, Baron Grey of Ruthin. Lord Grey promised to pay 200 marks to Bonville on the wedding day, and Bonville likewise contracted to settle estates to the value of 100 pounds on himself and his wife, jointly. Grey also paid another 200 marks in instalments over the following four years. With Margaret he had four known children: :William Bonville, who around 1443 married Elizabeth Harington, only daughter of
William Harington, 5th Baron Harington William Harington (c.1394–1458) was an English nobleman who inherited the title of 5th Baron Harington of Aldingham, Lancashire. He was son of Robert Harington, 3rd Baron Harington, whose title he inherited in 1418 after the death of his older b ...
. :Margaret Bonville, who married Sir William Courtenay, of Powderham. :Philippa Bonville,who married Sir William Grenville, of Stowe, whose mother was from a branch of the Courtenay family. :Elizabeth Bonville,who by November 1446 married an important Midlands landowner, Sir
William Tailboys William Tailboys, de jure 7th Baron Kyme (c.1416 – 26 May 1464) was a wealthy Lincolnshire squire and adherent of the Lancastrian cause during the Wars of the Roses. He was born in Kyme, Lincolnshire, the son of Sir Walter Tailboys and his ...
. These marriages further enhanced Bonville's aristocratic and political connections. After Margaret died, sometime between April 1426 and October 1427, he married Elizabeth Courtenay, widow of John Harington, 4th Baron Harington and daughter of his grandfather's associate Edward Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon. The couple required
papal dispensation In the jurisprudence of the canon law of the Catholic Church, a dispensation is the exemption from the immediate obligation of law in certain cases.The Law of Christ Vol. I, pg. 284 Its object is to modify the hardship often arising from the ...
to marry because Elizabeth was already a godmother to one of Bonville's daughters and in the eyes of the
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this placed her within a prohibited degree of
consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...
. Since Elizabeth was already well connected, being the sister-in-law of
William Harington, 5th Baron Harington William Harington (c.1394–1458) was an English nobleman who inherited the title of 5th Baron Harington of Aldingham, Lancashire. He was son of Robert Harington, 3rd Baron Harington, whose title he inherited in 1418 after the death of his older b ...
, and aunt of Thomas Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon, this marriage greatly increased Bonville's links to the
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. With Elizabeth he had no known children, but with Isabel Kirkby he had an illegitimate son: :John Bonville (died 1491), who married Alice Dennis. His father granted him a
financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are o ...
in 1453, and at death bequeathed him "substantial" property.


Estates and wealth

Bonville's father and grandfather had both had successful careers. As such, when Bonville
came of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
in 1414 he inherited an income of approximately £900 per annum; for context, the historian Martin Cherry says this was "a figure not far short of that enjoyed by the fifteenth-century earls of Devon themselves". His lands—comprising 18 manors—were situated all over England, although concentrated in Devon, particularly around Shute in the south-east of the county, and Somerset. These lands encompassed his grandfather's patrimony, with manors in Devon, Somerset, Dorset and
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
. The Fitzroger estates were mainly in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, the
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, and the south-east of England in
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and
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. Owing to the deaths of their husbands in 1396 and 1408, respectively, Bonville's mother and grandmother each held a third of his inheritance in dower. His mother had remarried in 1397, to Richard Stucley, an important
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
landowner. In 1410 she granted Stucley a life-interest in her inheritance, with remainder to their children. On her death in April 1414 Stucley thereby gained Devon lands worth around £105 per annum as well as Wiltshire manors of the Bonville estate, including the valuable manor of Chewton. Stucley based his claim on the tradition of
courtesy Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly cul ...
. On reaching his legal majority, Bonville sued his stepfather for his maternal inheritance. This struggle took over six years, but he succeeded in establishing his rights to the estates by 1422. Bonville's grandmother survived until 1426; by then Bonville had also inherited substantial estates from other relatives, including a cousin and an aunt. These brought him the manors of Yelverton and Mudford Sock, and as a result, says the ''
History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...
'', "without doubt Bonville ranked among the very wealthiest landowners of the West Country".


Political career and royal service

Bonville undertook royal service in France in 1415, and joined Henry V's Agincourt campaign, travelling in the
retinue A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble, royal personage, or dignitary; a ''suite'' (French "what follows") of retainers. Etymology The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French ''retenue'', it ...
of the King's brother, Thomas, Duke of Clarence. While in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, sometime before his seventeenth birthday, Bonville was knighted. In 1421, Bonville acted as one of the Duke of Clarence's
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s following the latter's death at the
Battle of Baugé The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and a Franco- Scots army on 22 March 1421 at Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War. The English army was led by the king's brother Thomas, ...
. Roskell suggests that Bonville must have been greatly trusted by Clarence—at the time of his death,
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...
to the English throne—because the Duke had borrowed money from Bonville. Bonville had returned to England before May, when he attended parliament at
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
. Henry V died in France in August 1422 leaving his six-month-old son Henry as his heir, and his surviving brothers,
John, Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford KG (20 June 138914 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son of ...
and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester as the baby King's regents. The war in France continued in spite of Henry VI's youth, and Bonville returned in 1423 in Gloucester's army. Bonville fought in the campaign to regain Le Crotoy, bringing with him a retinue of ten
men-at-arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a knig ...
and 30 archers. On his return to England, much of Bonville's time was occupied with the administration of his estates. Extensive as they were, there was occasional friction—some of it violent—with his neighbours. In 1427 he was engaged in a bitter feud with Sir Thomas Brooke, whom Bonville—described as a "thrusting and able man"—accused of unilaterally enclosing parkland in Axmouth and obstructing roads that Bonville's tenants needed to use. The matter went to the
arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
of Bonville's godfather, the Abbot of Newenham, who found against Brooke, who had to pay all Bonville's legal costs and reverse his enclosure. By now, Bonville was also a royal official, having been appointed Sheriff of Devon in 1423, although he received few other commissions in the county before 1430. From then on he was regularly occupied with his duties as a royal official in the region: he was a
justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Devon from July 1431, for Somerset from March 1435, and for Cornwall from November 1438. Other commissions included local inquiries into necromancy, piracy,
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
,
desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...
(from the Earl of Warwick's fleet in 1438), felonies, smuggling and concealment of treasure. In 1437 King Henry VI's minority ended, and he began his personal rule. Bonville was appointed to the King's Council, being described as a "King's knight". He was zealous in combating piracy off the Cornish coast, to such an extent that in 1454 the Duke of Burgundy made an official complaint to the English government about the treatment meted out to Burgundian shipping in the area. In 1440 Bonville, with Sir Philip Courtenay—a close friend of Bonville's—commanded a small fleet of thirty
galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
s to patrol the
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. They saw little action; the occasional encounters with the enemy did not necessarily go in their favour, as on one occasion rival Portuguese merchants captured two ships from Bonville's fleet.


Feud with the Earl of Devon


1437–1440

In 1437, Bonville was appointed
Steward Steward may refer to: Positions or roles * Steward (office), a representative of a monarch * Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district * Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other ins ...
of the county of Cornwall for life, for which he received a salary of 40 marks yearly. This immediately made him an enemy of the young Earl of Devon, Thomas Courtenay; Courtenay's wealth was already reduced by his mother's dower, and so granting Bonville the stewardship was not only a blow to the regional hegemony the Courtenays traditionally enjoyed but reduced the earl's income further. The stewardship was a significant source of patronage to whoever held it in its own right. During the Earl's minority, Courtenay influence in Devon waned and shifted towards the county's upper gentry ("among whom Bonville was pre-eminent", argues Cherry). The historian Hannes Kleineke has argued that the minority created a power vacuum in the county which the regional gentry, such as Bonville, had helped fill. This enabled them to find new areas of profit in the absence of traditional Courtenay patronage. Bonville's (and other local gentry's) pre-eminence in Devon was found to be almost unassailable by the Earl, who wished to regain the regional authority that his ancestors had held. This friction between Bonville and Courtenay soon turned violent. The grant of the stewardship has been described by Carpenter as "the immediate catalyst for the Courtenay–Bonville feud, which had been threatening for some time". It was one of many internecine and familial feuds within the English noble families in the second half of Henry VI's reign. It was further exacerbated, in 1440, by what the Griffiths calls "a serious blunder" by the crown—a contemporary council
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described the grant as causing "grete trouble". Courtenay—in what Griffiths describes as "imprudent treatment" by the crown—was granted the office of steward of the
Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...
. This, Cherry says, was "a post so similar to that held by Bonville as to be hardly distinguishable from it," and disrupted an already fragile balance of power in the region. Violence between Bonville and Courtenay broke out soon after and "divers and many men erehurte". In November 1442 both men were summoned before the King's Council to explain themselves. Bonville attended in person and was bound over. Courtenay, says Griffiths, "disdainfully made his excuses". Bonville antagonised Courtenay by going out of his way to recruit men to his retinue who had traditionally been retained by the Earl. An arbitration took place; or, at least, a decision was imposed upon them, even if an "unworkable" one, according to the historian John Watts. Bonville was by now fifty years old and had not been abroad for nearly 20 years, but in 1443 the council—probably hoping another stint in France would "divert his ample energies from the West Country"—appointed him seneschal of Gascony. He was not the government's only option for the post: his own retainer
Sir Philip Chetwynd ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
had been governing Guyenne since the previous November. The council intended that Courtenay should also help relieve
Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period, t ...
, although in the event he did not do so. Accompanied by
Sir John Popham Sir John Popham (1531 – 10 June 1607) of Wellington, Somerset, was Speaker of the House of Commons (1580 to 1583), Attorney General (1581 to 1592) and Lord Chief Justice of England (1592 to 1607). Origins Popham was born in 1531 at Hunt ...
—a "reliable and experienced" soldier—Bonville sailed in March the following year. He had
indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...
d to provide 20 men-at-arms and 600 archers as an advance-guard to a larger expeditionary force. King Henry presented him with a personal gift of £100 towards his campaign expenses. Yet it is almost certain that their fleet did not leave Plymouth for many more months. Griffiths has suggested that by now, "the time had passed when a modest-sized army like Bonville's would do". Its size had been limited by the fact that the vast majority of the men raised by the Crown were despatched to
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, which was considered more important. At least one ship and men (possibly amounting to a third of his army) and materiel was lost ''en route''. Bonville focussed on assaulting the harbour, fleet and town of
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
itself (French chroniclers referred to Bonville as a
corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and ...
). His campaign achieved little, and Bonville himself was seriously injured in a skirmish.


1440–1453

Bonville was absent from England for slightly over two years and returned in April 1445. During his absence, Courtenay had become increasingly powerful in Devon. The King, though, was revealing himself to be a weak-willed monarch, unwilling—or unable—to impose the King's peace in the south-west, or, for that matter, elsewhere. Henry was under the influence of his favourite,
William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, (16 October 1396 – 2 May 1450), nicknamed Jackanapes, was an English magnate, statesman, and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He became a favourite of the weak king Henry VI of Engl ...
, and Suffolk's government could not afford to alienate the Earl of Devon. Conversely, Suffolk was still an attractive ally for Bonville against the Earl, as Bonville's Lincolnshire associate and later son-in-law, Tailboys, was closely linked with Suffolk. Suffolk's policy was one of trying to keep both Bonville and Courtenay happy. Bonville's newly-acquired political proximity to Suffolk brought benefits. In 1444 Bonville joined the duke's retinue to France, where Bonville played a central role in the betrothal ceremony between King Henry and his bride-to-be,
Margaret of Anjou Margaret of Anjou (french: link=no, Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorrain ...
. By a
writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...
of 10 March the following year Bonville was elevated to the peerage. This was both in recognition of his successes in France—it had been a "turbulent period" in Gascony—but also a reflection of the esteem Suffolk held him in. As Baron Bonville of Chewton; he was summoned to every parliament until the end of his life as ''Willelmo Bonville domino Bonville et de Chuton''. In 1446 Bonville suppressed a revolt in Somerset, in which Wells Cathedral was attacked by "insurgents against the peace of the Church and the King". Bonville's association with Suffolk was not to last. In early 1450, the duke was impeached in the House of Lords and
exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
d as a result. Suffolk was subsequently murdered ''en route'' to the continent. Roskell notes that, although Bonville is known to have attended this parliament, it remains unknown what position he took—if he took any—on Suffolk's impeachment. One of the most powerful critics of Suffolk's government had been Richard, Duke of York, and the Earl of Devon soon allied himself with the duke as a means of furthering his position in the
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
. Courtenay saw his newly-reinforced position as sufficiently secure to allow him to reignite the feud with Bonville, who in Taunton was recruiting men to his banner at sixpence a day. To this end he launched a series of raids onto Bonville properties, which culminated in Courtenay's besieging of Bonville's
Taunton Castle Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England. It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of ...
with a force of over 5,000 men—a crisis that the contemporary
chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
r William Worcester described as "''maxima perturbatio''". Fighting alongside Courtenay was Edward Brooke, Lord Cobham, son of the Thomas Brooke whom Bonville had feuded with over a decade previously. Courtenay's alliance with York was not as strong as the Earl believed, and when York arrived in Devon to restore order, he promptly cast both Bonville and Courtenay, with many of their retainers, into prison for a month. Bonville was forced to put Taunton Castle into the duke's custody. This particular phase of the feud was suspended by the holding of a loveday (''dies amoris'') between Bonville and Courtenay at Colcombe in 1451. This was an important enough political event for it to warrant the attendance of Richard, Lord Rivers and his wife Jacquetta, Lady Rivers as the King's representatives. The Earl of Devon's continuing alliance with York brought Courtenay further problems in 1452. By then, York felt excluded from the government as the King had a new favourite, Edmund, Duke of Somerset. In February that year York rebelled and marched on London with a large force. He faced the King's army at
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
, south-east of London. Courtenay stood alongside him. Somerset and much of the rest of the nobility faced York and Courtenay down: they surrendered without a fight. Bonville had raised a body of men to join the King's army, and subsequently profited from Courtenay's disfavour with the King. The historian
A. J. Pollard Anthony James Pollard (born 1941) is a British medieval historian, specialising in north-eastern England during the Wars of the Roses. He is considered a leading authority on the field. He is emeritus professor of the University of Teesside. In ad ...
suggests that Bonville was given "a free hand" in the region as a result of York's and Devon's eclipse and according to Cherry, this allowed Bonville to become the predominant figure in county politics. He was commissioned to oversee the arrest and prosecution of the Earl of Devon's men after Blackheath, and the following year King Henry demonstrated the esteem Bonville stood in when, during Henry's royal progress through the south-west, he stayed at Bonville's ''caput'' of Shute. Bonville received further offices and responsibilities. He was confirmed as steward of the Duchy of Cornwall, reappointed seneschal of Gascony and also made lieutenant of Aquitaine. Bonville has been described by historians connected to ''The Gascon Rolls Project'' as being "an excellent choice for lieutenant" and received the constableship of
Exeter Castle Rougemont Castle, also known as Exeter Castle, is the historic castle of the city of Exeter, Devon, England. It was built into the northern corner of the Roman city walls starting in or shortly after the year 1068, following Exeter's rebellion ...
. He also received grants of lands and estates in South Teign, the
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
, borough and
manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...
of Lydford, the
conservancy Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
of the River Exe, and forestry rights in Dartmoor, making him, wrote the historian Bertram Wolffe, "exalted in the west country". Bonville never took up his seneschalcy as what remained of England's territorial possessions in France were lost at the Battle of Castillon in July 1453. King Henry—now in Exeter—appointed Bonville to a large commission of oyer and terminer to investigate sympathy for York's rebellion in the area, and the King made him a gift of £50.


Henry's illness and Yorkist government

In August 1453, King Henry suffered a period of illness and mental collapse during which he was unable to respond to people or stimulus. He was, therefore, unable to carry out his royal duties. The Lancastrian regime, already weakened by factionalism, was paralysed, and the national political scene became increasingly tense. Bonville attended a council at Westminster in early 1454. This, a Paston correspondent reported, was only after he had "maken all the puissance they can and may to come hider o Westminsterwith theym". It was rumoured that Bonville was planning to join up with other lords—those of Beaumont, Poynings, Clifford and Egremont—and march on London itself, although in the event this did not occur. Everyone, including Bonville, was preparing for war on a national scale. The
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
eventually appointed the Duke of York as
protector Protector(s) or The Protector(s) may refer to: Roles and titles * Protector (title), a title or part of various historical titles of heads of state and others in authority ** Lord Protector, a title that has been used in British constitutional la ...
of the realm during the King's incapacitation, and York appointed Salisbury
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
. Although Courtenay was nominally York's ally, the Earl did not see any major benefits from this relationship. (York's other allies, argues John Watts, the Nevilles, received York's assistance in their on-going feud with the Percies in Yorkshire.) Bonville experienced no lessening of his position during the protectorate; indeed, he had committed flagrant acts of piracy against foreign shipping off the south-west coast, which went unpunished. The most prominent victims of Bonville's actions were the Duke of Burgundy's merchants; Burgundy was England's ally on the continent, a position which Bonville's ships endangered.


Battle of St Albans and Bonville's ascendancy

In early 1455 King Henry made a sudden recovery. York and Salisbury were removed from their positions in government and retired to their estates. National politics, already heavily partisan, was tense. The King summoned a great council to be held in Leicester in May. Several chroniclers of the day suggest that Somerset was poisoning the King's mind against York. He and the Nevilles may have feared imminent arrest. In any case, they reacted swiftly and with violence. They ambushed the King's small army at the First Battle of St Albans on the 22nd in a
pre-emptive strike A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war ''shortly before'' that attack materializes. It ...
. Courtenay fought for the King and was wounded. Bonville may also have been sympathetic to the royal cause, as one of his pursuivants was used as a messenger by the King's councillors. He did not join the royal army, however. Michael Hicks has suggested that both Bonville and Courtenay were more interested in prosecuting their own feud than the national one. King Henry had been captured by the Yorkists after the battle: once again they controlled the government. Although clearly unwilling to turn against his King at this point, Bonville did attend the Yorkist parliament of September 1455, where he voted in favour of the Duke of York's appointment as protector. Bonville was appointed to the parliamentary committee set up to improve naval defence. He also used his local influence to ensure that the vacant Bishopric of Exeter was reserved for the Earl of Salisbury's youngest son, George Neville, and in November Bonville received a general
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
. In the south-west, Bonville and his ally,
James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, Earl of Wiltshire (24 November 1420 – 1 May 1461) was an Old English (Ireland), Anglo-Irish nobleman and soldier. Butler was a staunch House of Lancaster, Lancastrian and supporter of List of English consorts, ...
(also at this time very close to the court) were recruiting heavily. They caused a proclamation "to be cryed at Taunton in Somersetshire that every man that is likely and wole go with theym and serve theym shalle have ''vjd.'' ixpenceevery day as long as he abideth with theym". Bonville's dominance in the south-west forced the Earl of Devon to respond drastically, and at the end of April 1454 Devon brought an armed force of hundreds of men into Exeter in a planned
ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
. The plan failed, but Bonville was prevented from carrying out his duty as a collector of a royal loan. Although in the following June both Bonville and Courtenay were instructed by the King to keep the peace—and each bound over for £4,000 to do so—they appear to have continued their war of attrition. Such was the "anarchic state of affairs" in Devon following St Albans that the Michaelmas term judicial sessions that were due to be held in Exeter had to be cancelled. Courtenay went on to terrorise the county with his army and ransacked Bonville's houses. This culminated on 23 October 1455 with what has been described as the "most notorious private crime of the century", when Courtenay's son—also
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
—and a small force of men attacked and brutally murdered one of Bonville's close councillors, the prominent local lawyer
Nicholas Radford Nicholas Radford (c. 1385 – 23 October 1455) of Upcott, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Upcott in the parish of Cheriton Fitzpaine, and of Poughill, Devon, Poughill, Devon, was a prominent lawyer in the Westcountry who served as Member of Parliament for ...
. Carpenter comments: "there were other enormities, principally directed against Lord Bonville. Nothing was done".


Bonville's challenge and Courtenay's ascendancy

Radford's murder marked the beginning of a brief campaign—a "range war"—between the two sides, even more violent than had gone before; which, says Griffiths, turned the region "periodically into a private jousting-field".
Edmund Lacey Edmund Lacey (or Lacy; died 1455) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of Exeter in England. Lacey was educated at University College, Oxford, where he was a mature commoner, then Fellow, and subsequently Master of the College from 139 ...
, the Bishop of Exeter, complained that his tenants "dared not occupy the land". Bonville retaliated against Courtenay by looting the Earl's Colcombe manor; says the historian John Gillingham, "on both sides houses were pllaged, cattle driven off, and plenty of plunder taken". Determined to "bring Devon ourtenayout into the open on as equal terms as possible", says the historian Michael Hicks, and believing himself to have the "backing of God, the law, and the commonweal", on 22 November 1455 Bonville challenged Courtenay to a
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
, albeit for both men to be accompanied by their retainers. He may also have been attempting to draw the Earl out of the city of Exeter, which Courtenay had been occupying for over a fortnight, or to distract him from his siege of Powderham Castle, which Bonville had already twice attempted unsuccessfully to lift. Courtenay had no choice but to take up Bonville's challenge, which openly informed the Earl that "all due salutacions of friendlihode ere nowlaide aparte". On 15 December the two sides met in battle near
Clyst St Mary Clyst St Mary is a small village and civil parish east of Exeter on the main roads to Exmouth and Sidmouth in East Devon. The name comes from the Celtic word clyst meaning 'clear stream'. The village is a major part of the electoral ward of ...
, to the east of Exeter. "Moche people wer sleyn": Although the engagement appears to have been somewhat inconclusive, if anyone lost, it was Bonville, who managed to escape alive, although, suggests Hicks, dishonoured, as he had been the challenger. Two days later, Courtenay attacked Bonville's Shute residence, pillaging it thoroughly and carrying away much booty. Courtenay continued his campaign against Bonville for two months. Neither party had sufficient military or political weight to crush their opponent, and, "nasty as they were, there was little danger of the fights spreading geographically". Outside the region, the national political situation had become increasingly fraught with tension, and the Bonville–Courtenay feud soon became just one battlefield in the broader one of the
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The Earl was subsequently imprisoned, although only for a short period, and died in 1458 with neither the feud resolved or Bonville beaten. Bonville was made a Knight of the Garter the same year.


Wars of the Roses

Courtenay, by his actions at St Albans, had earned the support of Henry's powerful Queen, Margaret, who was by now implacably opposed to the Yorkist party. His son Thomas, who inherited the earldom, married the Queen's cousin, Marie de Maine, and in 1458 Bonville's grandson married Katherine Neville, daughter of the powerful northern magnate Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury. The modern historians Roskell and Woodger in the ''History of Parliament'' suggest that throughout this period Bonville managed to conceal any sympathy for the Duke of York and remained "outwardly loyal to Henry VI". The historian Charles Ross has described Bonville during this period as "a veteran servant of the House of Lancaster, who had been promoted to his peerage by King Henry VI nd whoclung to the court he had always served". He swore to uphold the rights of young Edward, Prince of Wales against the Yorkists at the 1459 Parliament, and in early 1460 he was commissioned to raise an army in the south-west. Within a few months, say Roskell and Woodger, Bonville "revealed his true colours" and fought for the Yorkists at the Battle of Northampton in June 1460. Here the victorious Yorkists again captured King Henry, and Bonville was put in charge of his safe-keeping. Bonville attended the parliament of November that year which passed the
Act of Accord The Act of Accord was an Act of the Parliament of England which was passed on 25 October 1460, three weeks after Richard of York had entered the Council Chamber and laid his hand on the empty throne. Under the Act, King Henry VI of England was to ...
. This act effectively granted York the throne on Henry's death, and thus disinherited the Prince of Wales. Margaret and her nobles withdrew to the north, where they gathered an army and began to
pillage Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
the Yorkist lords' estates there. York and the Earl of Salisbury, with their smaller army, marched north the following month; Bonville remained in London. Bonville's son William marched with York, and died with him at the
Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI of ...
, where the Yorkist army went down to a crushing defeat by the Lancastrian army on 30 December 1460.


Second Battle of St Albans

The Lancastrians proceeded to march south; Salisbury's son, Richard, Earl of Warwick, had been left in charge of the King in London. Bonville, who had been in the south-west raising an army, returned to London. Warwick, Bonville and other lords left the capital on 12 February 1461 with an army to intercept the Queen's force before the latter could reach the city gates. They encountered each other at the
Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in England. It took place at St Albans in Hertfordshire, the first battle having been fought in 1455. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of W ...
on 17 February 1461. Bonville—along with
Sir Thomas Kyriell Sir Thomas Kyriell (1396–18 February 1461) was an English soldier of the Hundred Years' War and the opening of the Wars of the Roses. He was executed after the Second Battle of St Albans. Background The de Criol, Kyriel or Kyriell family b ...
—was placed in charge of the King, whom the Yorkists had brought with them as the "nominal" head of their army (said the early-20th-century historian C. L. Scofield). They were responsible for Henry's protection during the battle. This, suggests Ross, may indicate that even at this late stage Bonville was still primarily motivated by a wish to protect the King he had served since youth. Warwick's force was rapidly isolated by the swift-moving Lancastrian army, and Warwick fled, leaving the field—and King—to the victorious Lancastrians. Bonville and Kyriell were also captured. The following day they were summoned before the Queen and Prince Edward, and it is possible that both had been promised a pardon by the King. However, in the presence of the Earl of Devon—and probably at his instigation—the two were tried for treason. The result was a foregone conclusion. Prince Edward "was jugge ys own selfe", and sentenced them to death. Both men were beheaded the same day; the executions were met with what the historian David Grummitt has described as the "general condemnation" of contemporaries. Bonville's death extinguished the male line of the Bonville family of Chute, and, says Pollard, settled the Bonville-Courtenay "blood feud" for good.


Aftermath

Bonville's household was almost immediately dissolved, although some of his staff remained with his widow. He had left no
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
when he died. His estates and wealth were effectively divided three ways: between his widow; his brother; and his illegitimate son. As both Bonville's legitimate sons had predeceased him, his estates and titles passed to his one-year-old great-granddaughter Cecily '' suo jure''. She later married Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset. A portion of the patrimony had been entailed in the male line by Bonville's grandfather, and these lands descended to his younger brother, Thomas, and then Thomas' son. Much of Bonville's retinue entered the employment of Humphrey Stafford and Bonville's old ally Sir Philip Courtenay of Powderham. Bonville's and Courtenay's deaths prolonged the power vacuum in Devon, and, says the historian Malcolm Mercer, "a dominant source of authority in the area remained elusive thereafter". Although executed for treason, Bonville escaped attainder due to the victory a few weeks later of Edward of York—son of Richard of York—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 ...
on 29 March 1461. The Lancastrian army was destroyed: Queen Margaret escaped to Scotland, Henry went on the run in the
north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
, and Edward claimed the throne as King Edward IV. Following the battle, the Earl of Devon was captured and beheaded at
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 ...
. Edward IV's cousin and chancellor,
Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...
George Neville, later called Bonville a "strenuous cavalier", and the 1461 attainder of ex-King Henry referred to Bonville's "prowesse of knyghthode". In recognition of the contribution that Bonville and his family had made to the House of York, Edward granted Bonville's widow Elizabeth a large dower. She died 18 October 1471 having never remarried.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonville, William, 1st Baron Bonville 1392 births 1461 deaths English MPs 1422 15th-century English nobility 1 English politicians convicted of crimes High Sheriffs of Devon Knights of the Garter People executed under the Lancastrians People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation People from East Devon District People of the Hundred Years' War People of the Wars of the Roses Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Devon