William la Zouche

circa 1215 - 1271

William was probably born somewhere around 1215-1220 ⁽¹⁾, the son of Roger la Zouch ⁽³⁰⁾. He had brothers Alan and Eudo, and sisters Lora and Alice ⁽²⁾

• William was the only son of William to survive to adulthood, but its not clear where he outlived his father to inherit the family lands, dying soon afterwards, or pre-deceased his father. Whichever it was, he died without issue, thus making his sister the sole heir.
• Joyce has her own page.

1. His date of birth is very roughly estimated from the date of his marriage (between 1235-1242)
2. See his father's page.
3. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1237-1242", page 53, mentions:
   De terris Rogeri la Zuch'.- Mandatum est vicecomiti Salop' quod per sacramentum etc. inquirat quantum terre Rogerus de la Zusch' tenuit de rege in capite in predicto comitatu et per quod servitium et quantum valeat et quis propinquior heres ejus sit; et inquisitionem mittat et ad catalla que fuerunt ejusdem Rogeri manum non mittat donec rex aliud inde preceperit. Teste ut supra.
   Eodem modo scribitur vicecomiti Devon'.
4. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1237-1242", page 61/2, mentions:
   Pro Alano filio Rogeri la Zuch'.- Rex cepit homagium Alani filii et heredis Rogeri la Zuch' de terris quas tenuit in capite de rege in comitatu Devon' et de terris et feodis que tenuit in capite de rege in comitatu Salopie et relevium suum ei inde perdonavit. Et mandatum est predictis vicecomitibus (sic) quod de predictis terris ei plenam saisinam habere faciant in bailliis suis et si quid inde ceperit (sic) plene ei restituat. Teste rege apud Westmonasterium, xvj. die Junii.
5. "The book of Fees, commonly called Testa de Nevill, Part II, 1242-1293", page 1370, has the following entry, dated 1238, sub Devon :
   Et Nimeton' fuit escaetta domini regis de terra Normannorum. et Willelmus de la Zuche tenet ipsam de dono Rogeri de la Zuche qui ipsam habuit de ballio domini regis.
6. They must have married after the death of the first husband (which the Victoria County History for Cambridge, vol 10, sub Stow Cum Quy dates to 1235. I have not been able to verify this yet) but before 1242/43 when William held Quy in Cambridgeshire ⁽⁷⁾, which Maud's father William held previously ⁽⁸⁾.
7. "The book of Fees, commonly called Testa de Nevill, Part II, 1242-1293", page 922, has the following entry, dated 1242/43, sub Cambridge and Huntingdon :
   Baronia Picoti
   Willelmus la Cushe tenet in Cueye quartam partem feodi j. militis in capite de domino rege.
   Willelmus de Cueye tenet in Cueye et in Hattele feodum dimidi militis de Willelmo la Cusche
8. "Liber Memorandorum Ecclesie de Bernewelle", page 261, has the following entry:
   Queye [Quy]
   Willelmus de Hobrigg tenet feodum j militis de episcopo Elyensi, et debet j sectam. Willelmus de Queye tenet in Queye et n Hatell feodum dimidii militis de Willelmo de Hobrigg quitenet in capite de domino Rege.
9. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1237-1242", page 170, mentions:
   [1240] Pro Willelmo la Zuch'.- Mandatum est baillivis portus de Portesm' quod permittant Reginaldo Normanno, vadlettum (sic) Willelmi la Zuch', eunti ad dominum suum, transfretare cum duobus dextrariis. Teste rege apud Westmonasterium, xxix. die Januarii.
10. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1232-47", page 297, names William la Zuche and Alan la Zuche amongst a lengthy list of people given protection whilst overseas with the king in 1242.
11. "Feet of Fines for Essex", Volume 1, page 160, lists entry 869:
    [32 Henry III. 1247-48] Morrow of Hilary. Osbert le Paumer, dem. William la Zuche and Matilda his wife, ten., the latter by William de Cuey. 8 acres of land with appurts. in Hobrig'. Assize of mort d'a. Dem. quitclaimed to ten. Cons., 1 mark of silver.
12. "The book of Fees, commonly called Testa de Nevill, Part II, 1242-1293", page 1427, has the following entry, dated (on page 1423) 1248/49, sub Devon :
    De escaetis, dicunt quod manerium de Niminton' Regis fuit escaeta domini regis per mortem Joelis de Moyne, Normanni, et dominus Johannes Rex dedit manerium illud Rogero la Szusch', et idem Rogerus dedit illud Willelmo la Szusch' qui modo tenet illud, et valet per annum x.l.
13. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 84, states:
    Jan 12 1251. Simple protection for one year from Michelmas for William la Zusche.
14. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 96, states:
    May 16 1251. Appointment, during pleasure, of William la Zuche to keep the isle of Lunday with the castle, and mandate to Robert Wallerand to deliver it to him by an indenture of the arms, utensilasand other things therein.
15. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 272, states:
    Feb 14 1254. Mandate to Alan de la Zuche, justice of Chester, to give full seisin to Edward, the king's firstborn son and heir, or his attorney, bearer of these letters, of the county of Chester, with all the castles and towns thereof and the castles of Rothelan, Dissard and Gannoc, which the king, by charter, has granted to the said Edward to hold to him and his heirs for ever.
    The like to the following to give seisin of the following:
    William la Zusche, the isle ol Lunday.
    Waleraund le Tyes, the castles of Grosmunt, Skenefrith and White Castle.
    John son ot Geoffrey, justiciary of Ireland, the town of Bristol, with the castle.
    Robert Waleraund, the castles of Keremerdin and Cardigan.
    Richard de Vernun, the castle of the Peak.
    Richard de Grey, the isles of. Gernereye and Gereseye and all other ialands in his keeping.
    Guy de Rocheford, the castle of Montgomery.
    The abbot of Persore and hia co-eacheator in the county of Lincoln, the towns of Staunford and Graham, with the honour.
    William de Cantilupo, the castle ol Buelt.
    Peter de Sabaudia, the lands late of the countess of Eu.
    Walter de Arundel, bailiff of the island of Oleron.
16. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 374-7, includes Eudo la Zuche and William la Zuche amongst a lengthy list of people given protection while going with the queen to the king in Gascony in 1254.
17. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 378, states:
    Oct 29 1254. Mandate to W. la Suche, keeper of the island of Lunday, to put Adam de Aston or his proctor in possession of the church of St. Mary, Lunday, the king having granted it to him on the resignation of Henry de Wongsham, to whom the king had previously granted it; and cause to be paid to him henceforth lawful tithes of fish, birds, conies and animals and all other things which are renewed yearly in the said island.
18. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 512/3, includes Alan la Zuche and William la Zuche amongst a list of fifteen people given protection, who are in Ireland on the service of Edward, the king's son in 1256.
19. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1247-58", page 603, states:
    Sept 15 1257. Protection with clause for William de la Zuche, staying by order of the king in the service of Edward, the king's son, in Ireland.
20. "Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office, Vol I, Henry III", entry no. 393, includes:
    JOHN DE TRAILY.
    John, his son, aged 23, is his heir.
    BEDFORD.
          La Hoo, 3 half virgates land held by doing the king's foreign service only, and they are held by William de la Suzche in dower with his wife in Merstone parish; and ½ virgate held of William Beufoz of the fee of Sir William de Bello Campo for 2d.
                                                                                                    C. Hen. III. File 20 (8)
21. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1258-66", page 147, lists a number of men granted an annuity in 1261 until such time as the king provided "more abundently in wards or escheats". The list includes William la Zusche, 40 marks, as well as his brothers - Alan la Zusche, 50 marks & Eudo la Zusche, 30 marks
22. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1258-66", page 163, states:
    July 9 1261. Appointment, during pleasure, of Reynold son of Peter to keep the county of Southampton with the castle of Winchester in the form lately provided.
    Mandate to William de Wlntreshill to deliver the said county to him and let him have the summonses of the Exchequer and the king'a writs with all the issues of the county received since Easter. The like of the following to keep the following counties and castles:
    :
    Alan la Zusche, Northampton with the castle of Northampton; mandate to Simon de Pateshull to deliver them.
    William la Zuche, Surrey and Sussex wdth the castle of Gildeford; and mandate to John de Wauton to deliver these.
23. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1258-66", page 168, states:
    July 19 1261. Re-commitment to John de Wauton of the counties of Surrey and Sussex with the castle of Guldeford, as William la Zuche, to whom the king lately committed them during pleasure is ill; the said John is to keep them until Michaelmas so that he shall answer at the Exchequer for a whole year.
24. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1258-66", page 177, states:
    Oct 8 1261. Appointment, during pleasure, of William la Zusche to keep the counties of Surrey and Sussex and the castle of Gildeford. Mandate to John de Wauton to deliver the keeping of these to him.
25. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1259-1261", page 449
26. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1259-1261", page 490
27. "Record Society for the Publication of Original Documents relating to Lancashire and Cheshire, Vol 14 (Annales Cestrienses)", pages 82 (latin) / 83 (transcript), states:
    [1262]. ... Thomas de Orreby resigned the office of justiciary of Chester after Christmas. William la Zouche succeeded him, first arriving at Chester on the morrow of S. Scholastica, the virgin [February 11].
28. "Feet of Fines for Essex", Volume 1, page 263, lists entry 1565:
    [50 Henry III. 1265-66] Mich.* Joyce (Joyosa) la Eusche, pl. William la Euche and Matilda his wife, impedients. Manor of Hobrigge with appurts. Plea of warranty of charter. Impedients to hold, for their lives, of pl. and the heirs of her body by the yearly rent of 6d. at Michaelmas, for all service, custom, and exaction, and doing all other services to the chief lords of that fee. Reversion to pl. and her said heirs; to hold of the heirs of Matilda. And then the heirs of Matilda shall warrant to pl. and her heirs against all men for ever. If pl. shall die without heir of her body, remainder to the right heirs of Matilda; to hold of the chief lords. Endorsed: And Richard le Botiller and Dionis' de Monte Caniso put in their claim.
29. "Close Rolls of the reign of Henry III, preserved in the Public Record Office, 1264-68", page 368. A complete translation is given in "The Whilton Dispute 1264-1380", Robert C Palmer, 1984, pp 40-41, which reads:
    CR, 1264-1268, p. 368             Date: 4 March 1267
    Memorandum: Roger de Whelton, son and heir of William, came into Chancery on the Friday after Ash Wednesday and acknowledged that he would observe firmly and faithfully in perpetuity everything contained in the writing below, to wit:
    To all faithful Christians who will see or hear this writing, Roger de Whelton, son and heir of William de Whelton, knight, greetings in the lord. Know that I have granted and given, on my behalf and on behalf of my heirs and assigns, to William la Zouche and his heirs and assigns all right and claim which I had or am able to have in any way by right or by inheritance in all manors, lands, and tenements, advowsons, reliefs, services, wards, escheats, mill-sites, and dowers with all other appurtenances pertaining to the said manor or to the said lands which could come to me by the name ofthe abovesaid William de Whelton, my late father, or by the name of Fina, my late mother, in any way by right or by inheritance in whatsoever counties they shall be in England in the power of the lord king such that neither I, Roger, nor my heirs nor my assigns nor another in our name for us or through us can exact or sell anything of right or claim in the said manors, lands, tenements, advowsons, reliefs, services, wards, escheats, mill-sites, and all the other abovesaid appurtenances nor sell or alienate in any way to the damage of the abovesaid William la Zouche or to our advantage the abovesaid right without the consent and full will of the abovesaid lord William la Zouche. In testimony of which business I have placed my seal to this writing, these being witnesses: William de Valence, Master G. Gyfford the chancellor, Roger de Leyburn, R. Waleraund, R. Aguylon, W. de Saint Omer, Alan la Zouche, and others.
    Memorandum also: on the same day in the same Chancery the same Roger appointed his attorneys, to wit, John le Kue and William de Blechington or either of them, to restore all the manors and lands of the abovesaid Roger before justices which can accrue to the same Roger by whatsoever right and, when they have been restored, to deliver the seisin of them to the same William la Zouche.
30. Dugdale's "Monasticon", volume 6, page 1002, num III, sub Priory of Swavesey, reads:
    Carta Willielmi la Zouche.
    Omnibus Christi fidelibus ad quos praesentes literae pervenerint, Willielmus la Zouche, filius Rogeri la Zouche, salutem in Domino sempiternam. Noveritis nos inspexisse omnes chartas et munimenta Rogeri patris nostri, ac chartas et munimenta Alani Zuche avi nostri quondam comitis Britanniae facta prior de Swavesey. Nos igitur praefatus Willielmus omnes chartas et munimenta praedicta confirmavimus, &c. Et quandocunque et quotiescunque contigerit dictum prioratum in aliquo tempore de priore vacare, volumus et concedimus, pro nobis, haeredibus, et assignatis nostris, quod praesentatus sive denominatus sit a venerabili viro abbate sancti Sergii et Bachi Andegavensis, qui pro tempore fureit, et statim sine aliqua difficultate, per nos seu assignatos nostros admittatur, in quorumcunque manus manerium nostrum de Swavesey imposterum devenrit; et ulterius per nos seu assignatos episcopo dioecesis ibidem praesentetur et instituatur secundum consuetudinem patriae ibidem usitatam.
    The charter is undated, but can be estimated to have been made between the death of William's brother Alan in 1270 (as prior to that date, Alan held Swavesey), and William's own death in late 1271.
    William names his father Roger la Zouch and his grandfather as Alan la Zouch, Earl of Brittany. Whilst the genealogy is correct, Alan la Zouch was not Earl of Brittany. However the family had ties with the aristocracy of Brittany going back many generations (for example Alan's brother Eudo was Duke of Brittany by right of his wife, and Swavesey had come to his father from the Vicomtes of Rohan, in Brittany), so it is quite feasible that William (or the scribe who wrote/copied the charter) was under the misaprehension that Alan held that title.
31. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Henry III, 1266-72", page 614, states:
    Jan 2 1272.Grant to Imbert de Muntferrant of that which pertains to the king of the wardship of the lands of William la Zuche, who held in chief, to hold to him or his assigns with the marriage of the heirs.
32. "Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office, Vol I, Henry III", entry no. 795, states:
    WILLIAM LA ZUCH
    Writ of certioari, 3 Feb. on the complaint of John de Traylli, that the escheator had taken into the king's hand the manor of Hobrugg', which the said William held by the courtesy of England of the inheritance of Maud the said John's mother. Inq. The day of St Peter ad Cathedram, 56 Hen III.
    ESSEX. Hobrug' manor was not held of his own inheritence, but he held it by the courtesy of England of the inheritence of Maud, sometime his wife. Sir John de Trailly is the next heir of the said Maud.
                                                                                                    C. Hen. III. File 41 (8)
33. "Calendar of the Close Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, Edward I, 1268-1272", page 466, lists:
    Quia rex accepit per inquisicionem, quam per magistrum Ricardum de Clifford', escaetorem regis citra Trentam, fieri fecit, quod Willelmus la Zuch', nuper defunctus, tenuit manerium de Hobrigg' de hereditate Matillis de Trailly quondam uxoris sue per legem Anglie, eo quod prolem de ea suscitaverat, et non de propria hereditate ipsius Willelmi, et quod Johannes de Trailly est propinquior heres ipsius Matillis, mandatum est eidem escatori quod prefato Johanni seisinam habere faciat de manerio predicto, salvo jure cujuslibet. Teste rege apud Westmonasterium xxvj die Februarii.
34. "The Whilton Dispute 1264-1380", Robert C Palmer, 1984, p 161 gives a translation of plea brought by Hugh de Montgomery. It begins :
    Source: CP 30/ 127, rn.       131 Date: circa II May 1299
    Northamptonshire. Hugh de Mortimer formerly by his attorney before the justices at Westminster sought against Felicia who was the wife of Philip de Montgomery two-thirds of the manor of Whilton with appurtenances as his right etc. by a writ of right "because John Wake chief lord [of that fee] remitted to the lord king his court thereof" etc. And wherefore he said that a certain William the ancestor of the same Hugh was seised in his demesne as of fee and right in time of peace in the time of the lord King Henry, father of the present king, taking thereof esplees to the value of etc. And from the same William descended the right etc. to a certain William as son and heir. And from the same William, because he died without heir from himself, the right descended etc. to a certain Joyce as sister and heir; and from the same Joyce, to this Hugh who now [demands] as son and heir. And that such is his right he offered [suit and good proof]. ...
     
    The same plea is noted in "Collections for a History of Staffordshire", Vol 7, Part 1, "Plea Rolls of the reign of Edward I - Bancoo Roll, Easter 27 E I". An entry on page 53 reads:
    North. A writ superseding a Great Assize which Hugh de Mortimer had arraigned against Felicia formerly wife of Philip de Monte Gomery, respecting two parts of the manor of Whelton, and which Hugh claimed as his inheritance, giving the following pedigree from one William his ancestor, who was seised of it temp. Henry III.

               William, temp Hen III *
         _________|________________
        |                          |
     William                    Jocosa
    son & heir               sister & heir
      ob.s.p.                      |
                     Hugh de Mortimer the plaintiff,
                               son & heir
    
    * Another suit at the back of the membrane shows the ancestor of Hugh was William La Zusche.