William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer, KG (24 March 1330 – 28 May 1381) was an English noble, soldier and diplomat. After serving in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and for the household of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, he was impeached during the Good Parliament of 1376, the earliest recorded impeachment in the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...

Early life and service in France

Born on 24 March 1330 in Scampston, Buckrose Wapentake,

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

(now

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Latimer was the son of William Latimer, 3rd Baron Latimer, by Elizabeth, daughter of John de Botetourt, 1st Baron Botetourt. He had married Elizabeth, daughter of

Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel Edmund Fitzalan, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1 May 1285 – 17 November 1326) was an English nobleman prominent in the conflict between King Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard Fitzalan, 1st Earl of Arundel, died in 1302, while Edmund was ...

and Alice de Warenne, by 1353 and they had a daughter, Elizabeth (1357–1395). She married firstly John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby and secondly Robert Willoughby, 4th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. He was present at the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France ...

in 1346, and by 1351 he had been

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed and was in royal service in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

. In January 1356 he was present when Edward Balliol surrendered his claim to the Scottish throne and he served in

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

in 1359. He was created a Knight of the Garter in 1361 in succession to Sir William FitzWarin and fought on the side of John de Montfort, Duke of Brittany at the

Battle of Auray The Battle of Auray took place on 29 September 1364 at the Breton-French town of Auray. This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Breton War of Succession, a part of the Hundred Years' War. In the battle, which began as a siege, a Bre ...

in 1364. In 1368, he was appointed Keeper of Bécherel and in 1370 of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte.

Return to England and impeachment

After returning to England, he served as Steward of the Household from 1368 to 1370 and Chamberlain of the Household from 1371. His son-in-law John Neville, Lord Neville de Raby was appointed Steward of the Household in the same year, and until 1376 they were prominent figures in

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

and Latimer was high in favour with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the king's son. He became Constable of Dover Castle in 1373 and

Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is the name of a ceremonial post in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but it may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the ...

in 1374. He was also involved in negotiations with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1373 and France in 1375. When

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

was called in April 1376, known as the Good Parliament and led by Peter de la Mare, the members wanted to remove corrupt advisers from court. Latimer, Neville, London merchant Richard Lyons and Alice Perrers were accused, and the charges against Latimer were that he had been guilty of oppression in Brittany; had sold the castle of Saint-Sauveur to the enemy, and impeded the relief of Bécherel in 1375; that he had taken bribes for the release of captured ships, and retained fines paid to the king, notably by Sir Robert Knolles, and the city of Bristol; and finally, that in association with Robert Lyons he had obtained money from the crown by the repayment of fictitious loans. Seconded by William of Wykeham, de la Mare sought to have Latimer immediately convicted, with the Commons acting on behalf of the king. They were unsuccessful and a trial took place. The charges were proven and he was removed from his positions in the royal household and on the council, fined and imprisoned. He was pardoned in October 1376 and with Lancaster's recovered influence he returned to favour. Latimer's impeachment is the earliest recorded in Parliament.

Later life

Latimer was named an executor of the will of

, who died in June 1377. In 1377 he became governor of Calais, and took part against the French at the Battle of Sluys. He also accompanied Thomas of Woodstock, Earl of Buckingham on his expedition through France into Brittany in 1380. Latimer died on 28 May 1381 and was buried at Gisborough Priory, now in

. He was survived by his wife and their daughter, Elizabeth who married John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, and had descendants.

Footnotes

References

* ;Attribution *

External links

Inquisition Post Mortem
#375-389, dated 1381. {{DEFAULTSORT:Latimer, William Latimer, 4th Baron 1330 births 1381 deaths English soldiers People of the Hundred Years' War Impeached British officials Members of the Privy Council of England Garter Knights appointed by Edward III People from Ryedale (district) 14th-century English diplomats Barons Latimer 14th-century English Navy personnel