The Despenser Family

I don't think that I have seen a reference to the Despensers in relation to the history of Belchamp Walter. While this is not to be unexpected I think that there should be a mention due to the involvement of Sir John de Botetourt and Edward II.

On the subject of Edward II there is much talk about his favourites and the his effectiveness as a king. I will leave the subject of his sexual preferences to other historians and commentators on the period as I don't think that it really serves the tale that I am relating here. Suffice it to say that Sir John was involved with both (or all) of the known "favourites" of Edward II. Noteably Piers Gaveston, who he has been reported as partaking in his capture by the Earl of Warwick in 1312 and both of the Hugh Despensers (the Elder and Younger), the Younger Hugh appears to have threaten the aging Sir John and Maud into "releasing" at least one of their manors to him.

Botetourt and Despenser

John Botetourt was definitely a supporter of Thomas Lancaster and fought for him at the Battle of Boroughbridge 1322. Fought may have been doubtfull as John was an old man of 60 (the dates are a little questionable here) and his role may have been more as a tactician. In any case Lancaster was an enemy of Gaveston and in a similar manner it is safe to summise that he would have felt the same way about Hugh Despenser the Younger.

John Botetourt was also involved in the Ordinances of 1311-1312. These were drawn in an attempt to moderate Edward II's powers after he succeeded his father, Edward I, in 1307 - these Ordinances, in a similar manner to the revisions of Magna Carta, were largely ignored by Edward II.

The influences of the Despensers on Edward II were brought to a conclusion at the Battle of Boroughbridge - the end of the Despenser War (1321-1322). However, Hugh Despenser survived and was finally tried and hung-drawn-and-quatered in 1326 for his crimes of corruption. Edward II was deposed in 1327 - I need to unpick the Mortimer and Isabella story

The historical records regarding these "land transfers" I think are mainly based on IPMs that only give a partial view of what really went on. The interaction between the Botetourts and the Despensers is a prime target for the hallucinations of AI interpreting history. The Inquisitions in question are dated 1320 (18 Edward II), this is just before the Despenser War (1321-1322).

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Katherine Warner

In researching these pages I came across Katherine Warner and her blogs about Edward II. This was in addition to her book seen in Waterstone's about the brothers and sisters of Edward II.

Katherine has an alternative view on Edward II contrary to most of what I have read up to now. It is well established that Edward II had some some controversial "press" and that he was "not a good king" - the fact that he has favourites is not unusual for the period and not an indication of homesexuality.

At Easter 1324, Hugh Despenser sent a letter (which fortuitously still exists in the National Archives) to Sir John Botetourt, a man in his sixties who held the Oxfordshire manor of Iselhampstead with his wife Maud, who had inherited it.

Hugh demanded that the manor be handed over to him, and told Botetourt that as he had "received" his son John the younger, a Contrariant of 1321/22 and an adherent of the executed Contrariant Bartholomew, Lord Badlesmere, the king "can hang and draw you" (il vous peut pendre e trayner).

John Botetourt, unsurprisingly, did hand over Iselhampstead to Hugh Despenser a few days after receiving this threat, and the manor was in Hugh's possession at the time of his downfall in October/November 1326. This whole affair reveals firstly that Hugh was willing to threaten people with execution unless they gave him their manor(s), and secondly, that someone must have told him that John Botetourt's son had visited him. [2]

As with the case of Thomas of Bishopstone just a few weeks later, it seems that Hugh seized on information his spies sent to him as a pretext to seize a manor or two or to demand a large fine; he used people's adherence, real or imagined, to Edward II's enemies to enrich himself at their expense.

Another common tactic used by Hugh and his father Hugh the Elder between 1322 and 1326 was to accuse men of having supported Thomas, earl of Lancaster in 1321/22, and to demand a heavy fine or to take one or several of their manors as punishment.

Favourites

In addition to the opposition of some of Edward's choices in his reign, Sir John and the other Lords Ordainers, there were many that "issues" with him.

It is well established that Piers Gavenston and Hugh Depenser the Younger were both favourites. The demise of Gaveston has got to have been related to the Lord Ordainers and their opposition to Edward II. After Piers' execution Edward was infuenced by the Despensers, the Elder and the Younger.

The Despensers and the de Botetourts

This is not particuarly clear. It is not surprising the Sir John de Botetourt was not a "fan" of either Gavenston or Despenser. The involvement with the capture and assasination of Gaveston, the actions of the Lords Ordainers in curbing Edward II's powers and the fact that Sir John was on the side of Thomas Lancaster in the Battle of Boroughbridge is similarly not surprising.

The Despenser Family

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