William la Zouche, 1st Baron Zouche (1276/86–1352),

lord of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

Harringworth Harringworth is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located close to the border with Rutland, on the southern bank of the River Welland, and around north of Corby. At the 2001 census, the population of the pa ...

in Northamptonshire, was an English

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

and soldier who fought in the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of Scotla ...

. He is referred to in history as "of Harringworth" to distinguish him from his first cousin (of the senior line) Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche (1267–1314) of

Ashby de la Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch (), also spelled Ashby de la Zouch, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire borders. Its population at the 2021 census was ...

in Leicestershire.

Ancestry

William was the son of Eudo la Zouche (d. 1279) by his wife Millicent de Cantilupe (d. 1299), widow of John de Mohaut, daughter of William III de Cantilupe by his wife Eva de Braose, 3rd daughter and co-heiress of William de Braose,

Baron Bergavenny The title Baron Bergavenny (or Abergavenny) was created several times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain, all but the first being baronies created by error. Abergavenny is a market town in South East Wales with a ...

. Millicent de Cantilupe was a great heiress, being a co-heir to her brother George de Cantilupe (d. 1273), Baron Bergavenny, feudal baron of Totnes in Devon (formerly held by de Braose), she was heiress of the

English feudal barony In the kingdom of England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was the highest degree of feudal land tenure, namely ''per baroniam'' (Latin for "by barony"), under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. The d ...

Eaton Bray Eaton Bray is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is situated about three miles south-west of the town of Dunstable and is part of a semi-rural area which extends into the parish of Edlesborough. In the 2021 United Kingdom ...

(formerly held by Cantilupe) and of the manor of

, amongst many other lands. William's younger brother was Roger la Zouch, Lord of Lubbesthorpe (d. 1303), father of

Roger la Zouch Sir Roger la Zouch was the instigator of the murder of Roger de Beler and also MP for Leicestershire in 1324, 1331 and 1337 and Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire during the 1330s. Ancestry Roger was the son of Roger la Zouch, Lord o ...

the instigator of the murder of Roger de Beler in 1326. William's sister, Eva la Zouch, was married to the rebel

Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1281 – 31 May 1326), ''The Magnanimous'', English feudal barony, feudal Berkeley family, baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. H ...

who was imprisoned in

Wallingford Castle Wallingford Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon ' ...

and died there also in 1326.

Career and life

William inherited the manor of

, including a park and wood, upon the death of his mother Millicent de Cantilupe in 1299. William was summoned to Parliament by writ as

Baron Zouche Baron Zouche is a title which has been created three times, all in the Peerage of England. Genealogy The la Zouche family descended from Alan la Zouche (d. 1190), lord of the manor of North Molton in North Devon, England, originally called ...

of Harringworth from 1308 to 1325 and to serve against the Scottish from 1314 (after the disastrous

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

) to 1317. William was pardoned for his role in the death of

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall ( – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househo ...

in October 1313 but made a Conservator of the Peace in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

from 1317 to 1321 and ordered to suppress illegal meetings. In February 1322, William was ordered to muster as many

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 kni ...

and foot soldiers as he could and to march to the King to aid in the suppression of the rebels of

Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster ( 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman of the first House of Lancaster of the royal Plantagenet Dynasty. He was Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby from 1296 to 1322, and Earl of Lincoln and Sa ...

. William declined and sent two men-at-arms in June, claiming ill health as his excuse. Later in 1322, William was summoned to serve against the Scots and against Lancaster's rebels. He was summoned to defend Aquitaine in 1324, which was lost under the poor leadership of

Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being ...

, and to go to Gascony in 1325. After Queen Isabella and

Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, 1st Earl of March (25 April 1287 – 29 November 1330), was an English nobleman and powerful marcher lord who gained many estates in the Welsh Marches and Ireland following his advantageous marr ...

's successful overthrow of her husband,

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

, William was summoned to the Parliament held in January 1327 which decided it had lost confidence in the rule of Edward and forced his

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

. William died on 10 March 1352.

Inquisition post mortem An Inquisition post mortem (abbreviated to Inq.p.m. or i.p.m., and formerly known as an escheat) (Latin, meaning "(inquisition) after death") is an English medieval or early modern record of the death, estate and heir of one of the king's tenants-i ...

s found he held land in Shropshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

Family

William married Maud Lovel (d. 1346), daughter of

John Lovel, 1st Baron Lovel John Lovel (died 1310), Lord of Minster Lovel, Docking and Titchmarsh, was an English noble. He fought in the wars in Wales, Gascony and Scotland. He was a signatory of the Baron's Letter to Pope Boniface VIII in 1301. Biography John was t ...

of Titchmarsh.Cockayne ''Complete Peerage'', Vol. XII/2, p. 940 By her, William had at least ten children including: * Elizabeth la Zouche (c.1284–1311), m. Sir Oliver de Ingham * Eudo la Zouche (1297/8 – April 1326, Paris) m. Joan, daughter and heiress of

William Inge (judge) Sir William Inge (c. 1260 – May 1322) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1316 to 1317. He was born in or near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, the son of Thomas Inge, a minor landowner and administrator. William Inge w ...

. Succeeded by his son William la Zouche, 2nd Baron Zouche. * William la Zouche * John la Zouche, elder * Roger la Zouche * Thomas la Zouche * John la Zouche, younger * Edmund la Zouche * Millicent la Zouche m. William Deyncourt * Isabel la Zouche * Thomasina la Zouche * Maude le Zouche (c.1290 – 31 May 1349), m. Sir Thomas Mallory, Knight (c.1287–1318) and had one child together: Sir Christopher Mallory, Lord of Hutton Conyers, York (c.1317–c.1378) who married Joan, (daughter of Robert Conveyors, of Hougton Convyers).

References

Bibliography

''Ancestors of Scott Wolter'' ~ Volume 2, Family Groups by Diana Jean Muir (2018) p. 234 – "Sir Thomas Mallory and Maud le Zouch, daughter of William Mortimer le Zouche and wife Maud Lovel. . . " * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zouche, William la Zouche, 1st Baron 13th-century births 1352 deaths 13th-century English people 14th-century English nobility English MPs 1308–09 People from Leicestershire English MPs 1325 Barons Zouche People from North Northamptonshire English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence Lords of Glamorgan