Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Encyclopedia
Edmund of Cornwall of Almain (26 December 1249 – 1300) was the 2nd Earl of Cornwall
of the 7th creation.
on 26 December 1249, the second and only surviving son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
and his wife Sanchia of Provence
, daughter of Ramon Berenguer
, Count of Provence, and sister of Henry III
's queen, Eleanor
. He was baptised by his mother's uncle, Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
, and was named Edmund in honour of Saint Edmund of Abingdon
, Boniface's predecessor as archbishop.
In 1257, Edmund joined his parents on their first visit to Germany, to pursue Richard's nominal title as king and claimant to the Holy Roman Empire
, returning in January, 1259. In 1264, after his father's capture at the Battle of Lewes
, Edmund was held prisoner with his father at Kenilworth Castle
, being released in September 1265. He and his father returned to Germany in August 1268, and according to a semi-mythical account written many years later, acquired a relic
of the blood of Jesus Christ
previously belonging to Charlemagne
, before returning to England in August 1269. He is said to have given part of this relic to the monks of his father's foundation at Hailes Abbey
in Gloucestershire
, following a ceremony in September 1270.
In February 1271, Edmund sailed with his cousin, Edmund Crouchback
, to join the crusade of Lord Edward
, Crouchback's elder brother. Edmund's father, Richard, already had one surviving son, Henry of Almain
, fourteen years older than Edmund, who was originally destined to inherit Richard's lands and titles. On 13 March 1271, while attending mass at Viterbo
, Henry was attacked and killed by his cousins Guy de Monfort
and Simon the younger de Montfort, sons of Simon de Monfort
, in revenge for the brutal deaths of their father and older brother at Evesham
. Hearing of this, the King forbade Edmund to proceed any further and return to England.
from Edmund Crouchback, who was still abroad on the crusade. On 6 October 1272, Edmund married Margaret, sister of Gilbert de Clare, at the chapel in Ruislip
. On 13 October, on the feast of Edward the Confessor
, Edmund was knighted by Henry III at Westminster Abbey
and invested with his father's honours and titles as Earl of Cornwall. Although his father's claim to the German crown and title of Holy Roman Emperor
lapsed with his father's death, Edmund continued to style himself 'Edmund of Almain', or 'Edmund earl of Cornwall, son of Richard the king of Germany'.
that the king owed him. Edmund was present at Edward's coronation in Westminster Abbey, and in summer 1277 took fourteen of his knights to join Edward's expedition to Wales. In 1279 Edmund was appointed, along with Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford
, and Godfrey de Giffard, Bishop of Worcester
, to the regency council formed to govern England when Edward and Eleanor
, the Queen consort
, travelled to France to take possession of Ponthieu
. Edmund also lent the king 3000 marks that year, to aid a re-coinage. In May 1280 he travelled abroad with the abbot of Colchester
, and in June, with the assistance of Eleanor and Robert Burnell
, Bishop of Bath, resolved a long-standing dispute with the bishop of Exeter
over rival jurisdictions.
Between April 1282 and December 1284 Edmund served as Edward I's lieutenant in the government whilst the king conducted a campaign in Wales, mediated the collection of the clerical subsidy towards the costs of the proposed crusade, ensured the exchequer rolls
were transported to Shrewsbury
, attended a clerical convocation
in Northampton in January 1283 as the king's representative, as well as taking custody of wardships and estates on his personal account.
Between 13 May 1286 and 12 August 1289, Edward I crossed the channel to restore order in Gascony
and mediate between Alfons
, King of Aragon and Charles the lame
, King of Sicily
, Edmund acted as regent in England. When Rhys ap Maredudd
of Dryslwyn
captured Llandovery Castle
in June 1287, Edmund suppressed the rebellion, taking Dryslwyn in September, Rhys however evaded capture and went into hiding. Edmund met the cost of this campaign with loans from Italian merchants of about £10,000. In June 1289 Edmund mediated between Humphrey de Bohun
, Earl of Hereford
and Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester
, in a dispute over the Welsh marches
between their lands, and forbade de Clare to build a castle at Morlais in Brecknockshire
. Edward's return to England was followed by an inquiry into wrongdoings by the government during his absence, and though several judges and officials were disgraced, Edmund was retrospectively pardoned for any forest offences and allowed to answer by proxy any complaints against his administration in Cornwall, where he was High Sheriff
from 1289 to 1300.
in honour of St Edmund Rich, the monks of the abbey there saw Edmund as 'a kind of bounteous defender and protector' and undertook to provide two priests to say masses for the souls of Edmund and his ancestors in the chapel. In September 1289 visited Oxford
to attend the translation of Frideswide
's relics. In April 1290 a writ was served on Edmund demanding his presence at the Archbishop of Canterbury
's court, this became one of the earliest recorded breaches of what later became termed as parliamentary privilege
, and the archbishop was fined £10,000. Edward I celebrated Christmas of that year at Edmund's manor at Ashridge
in Hertfordshire
, where he held parliament and discussed the business of Scotland. Edmund's loans were vital to the crown, he had lent Edward £4,000 that year, he lent a further £4,000 to Antony Bek
, Bishop of Durham, to be repaid from the revenue of Howden Manor
. In May 1296 the king entrusted prisoners captured in the Scottish campaign to Edmund's castles at Wallingford
and Berkhampsted, it is said he also ordered Edmund's treasure be moved from Berkhampsted to London. In 1297 Edmund was summoned to Gascony and was absent during the crisis between the king and barons. Later that year Edmund promised the output of his mines in Cornwall and Devon as repayment for 7,000 marks the king owed the men of Bayonne
, and served as councillor to the king's son, Edward
, who was governing England during the kings absence. By 1299 the crown owed Edmund £6,500 and borrowed a further 2,000 marks, to be repaid from the profits of the vacant archbishopric of York.
ors were ordered to take hold of Edmund's estates. Edmund's heart and flesh were buried at Ashridge, attended by the king's son Edward, and on 23 March 1301 his bones were placed in Hailes Abbey
, attended by the king in person. Leaving no children, Edmund's entire estate passed to the crown, excepting a dower
for his widow.
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
of the 7th creation.
Early life
Edmund was born at Berkhamsted CastleBerkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England.The original fortification dates from Saxon times. Work on the Norman structure was started in 1066 by William the Conqueror who later passed the castle to his half-brother, Robert, Count of...
on 26 December 1249, the second and only surviving son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , 1st Earl of Cornwall and German King...
and his wife Sanchia of Provence
Sanchia of Provence
Sanchia of Provence was the third daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. Sanchia was described as "of incomparable beauty".-Life:...
, daughter of Ramon Berenguer
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Ramon Berenguer IV , Count of Provence and Forcalquier, was the son of Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda of Sabran, heiress of Forcalquier. After his father's death , Ramon was imprisoned in the castle of Monzón, in Aragon until he was able to escape in 1219 and claim his inheritance. He was a...
, Count of Provence, and sister of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
's queen, Eleanor
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
. He was baptised by his mother's uncle, Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
Boniface of Savoy was a medieval Bishop of Belley in France and Archbishop of Canterbury in England. He was the son of the Count of Savoy, and owed his initial ecclesiastical posts to his father. Other members of his family were also clergymen, and a brother succeeded his father as count...
, and was named Edmund in honour of Saint Edmund of Abingdon
Edmund Rich
Edmund Rich was a 13th century Archbishop of Canterbury in England...
, Boniface's predecessor as archbishop.
In 1257, Edmund joined his parents on their first visit to Germany, to pursue Richard's nominal title as king and claimant to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, returning in January, 1259. In 1264, after his father's capture at the Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
, Edmund was held prisoner with his father at Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
, being released in September 1265. He and his father returned to Germany in August 1268, and according to a semi-mythical account written many years later, acquired a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
of the blood of Jesus Christ
Relics attributed to Jesus
A number of relics associated with Jesus have been claimed and displayed throughout the history of Christianity. Some people believe in the authenticity of some relics; others doubt the authenticity of various items...
previously belonging to Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, before returning to England in August 1269. He is said to have given part of this relic to the monks of his father's foundation at Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey is two miles northeast of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England.The abbey was founded in 1245 or 1246 by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, called "King of the Romans" and the younger brother of King Henry III of England. He was granted the manor of Hailes by Henry, and settled it with...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, following a ceremony in September 1270.
In February 1271, Edmund sailed with his cousin, Edmund Crouchback
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster
Edmund of Crouchback, 1st Earl of Leicester and Lancaster , was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his childhood he had a claim on the Kingdom of Sicily. His nickname refers to his participation in the Ninth Crusade.-Childhood:Edmund was born in London...
, to join the crusade of Lord Edward
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, Crouchback's elder brother. Edmund's father, Richard, already had one surviving son, Henry of Almain
Henry of Almain
Henry of Almain , so called because of his father's German connections as King of the Romans , was the son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and Isabel Marshal.As a nephew of both Henry III and Simon de Montfort, he wavered between the two at the beginning of the Barons' War, but...
, fourteen years older than Edmund, who was originally destined to inherit Richard's lands and titles. On 13 March 1271, while attending mass at Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
, Henry was attacked and killed by his cousins Guy de Monfort
Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola
Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola was the son of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England.He participated in the Battle of Evesham against the royalist forces of his uncle, King Henry III of England, and his cousin, Prince Edward...
and Simon the younger de Montfort, sons of Simon de Monfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, in revenge for the brutal deaths of their father and older brother at Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
. Hearing of this, the King forbade Edmund to proceed any further and return to England.
Succession and marriage
Following Richard's death on 2 April 1272, Edmund was recognised as his heir, and swore homage to the king for his father's estates on or before 1 May 1272. In the July of that year, Edmund obtained a four year lease of the town and Lordship of LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
from Edmund Crouchback, who was still abroad on the crusade. On 6 October 1272, Edmund married Margaret, sister of Gilbert de Clare, at the chapel in Ruislip
Ruislip
Ruislip is a suburban area, centred on an old village in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.It was formerly also a parish covering the neighbouring areas of Eastcote, Northwood, Ruislip Manor and South Ruislip in the area. The parish appears in the Domesday Book, and...
. On 13 October, on the feast of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, Edmund was knighted by Henry III at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and invested with his father's honours and titles as Earl of Cornwall. Although his father's claim to the German crown and title of Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
lapsed with his father's death, Edmund continued to style himself 'Edmund of Almain', or 'Edmund earl of Cornwall, son of Richard the king of Germany'.
Royal service
When Henry III died in November 1272, Edmund took a post in the governing council in England, and was among the councillors who wrote to Edward I to advise him of his father's death. Having inherited a vast wealth from his own father, Edmund began making loans to prominent members of the court. In June 1273 he travelled to France to meet Edward I, and two months later, in Paris, acknowledged the repayment of 2,000 of the 3,000 marksMark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
that the king owed him. Edmund was present at Edward's coronation in Westminster Abbey, and in summer 1277 took fourteen of his knights to join Edward's expedition to Wales. In 1279 Edmund was appointed, along with Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
, and Godfrey de Giffard, Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
, to the regency council formed to govern England when Edward and Eleanor
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
, the Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
, travelled to France to take possession of Ponthieu
Ponthieu
Ponthieu was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged together to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France. Its chief town is Abbeville.- History :...
. Edmund also lent the king 3000 marks that year, to aid a re-coinage. In May 1280 he travelled abroad with the abbot of Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, and in June, with the assistance of Eleanor and Robert Burnell
Robert Burnell
Robert Burnell was an English bishop who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1274 to 1292. A native of Shropshire, he served as a minor royal official before entering into the service of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England...
, Bishop of Bath, resolved a long-standing dispute with the bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
over rival jurisdictions.
Between April 1282 and December 1284 Edmund served as Edward I's lieutenant in the government whilst the king conducted a campaign in Wales, mediated the collection of the clerical subsidy towards the costs of the proposed crusade, ensured the exchequer rolls
Pipe Rolls
The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rolls, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury. The earliest date from the 12th century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833. They form the oldest continuous series of records kept by...
were transported to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, attended a clerical convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
in Northampton in January 1283 as the king's representative, as well as taking custody of wardships and estates on his personal account.
Between 13 May 1286 and 12 August 1289, Edward I crossed the channel to restore order in Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
and mediate between Alfons
Alfonso III of Aragon
Alfonso III , called the Liberal or the Free , was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1285...
, King of Aragon and Charles the lame
Charles II of Naples
Charles II, known as "the Lame" was King of Naples, King of Albania, Prince of Salerno, Prince of Achaea and Count of Anjou.-Biography:...
, King of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
, Edmund acted as regent in England. When Rhys ap Maredudd
Rhys ap Maredudd
Rhys ap Maredudd was a senior member of the Welsh royal house of Deheubarth, a principality of Medieval Wales. He was the great grandson of The Lord Rhys , prince of south Wales, and the last ruler of a united Deheubarth...
of Dryslwyn
Dryslwyn Castle
Dryslwyn Castle is a native Welsh castle, sited on a hill roughly halfway between Llandeilo and Carmarthen in Wales. It is notable inasmuch as it is the only native Welsh castle with three wards.- Excavation :...
captured Llandovery Castle
Llandovery Castle
Llandovery Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It occupies a hilltop overlooking the River Towy and the land surrounding it....
in June 1287, Edmund suppressed the rebellion, taking Dryslwyn in September, Rhys however evaded capture and went into hiding. Edmund met the cost of this campaign with loans from Italian merchants of about £10,000. In June 1289 Edmund mediated between Humphrey de Bohun
Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun , 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex, was an English nobleman known primarily for his opposition to King Edward I over the Confirmatio Cartarum. He was also an active participant in the Welsh Wars and maintained for several years a private feud with the earl of Gloucester...
, Earl of Hereford
Earl of Hereford
The title of Earl of Hereford was created six times in the Peerage of England. See also Duke of Hereford, Viscount Hereford. Dates indicate the years the person held the title for.-Earls of Hereford, First Creation :*Swegen Godwinson...
and Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester
Earl of Gloucester
The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear. See also Duke of Gloucester.-Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation :...
, in a dispute over the Welsh marches
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
between their lands, and forbade de Clare to build a castle at Morlais in Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
. Edward's return to England was followed by an inquiry into wrongdoings by the government during his absence, and though several judges and officials were disgraced, Edmund was retrospectively pardoned for any forest offences and allowed to answer by proxy any complaints against his administration in Cornwall, where he was High Sheriff
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
from 1289 to 1300.
Church and State
In 1288 Edmund had a chapel built in AbingdonAbingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in honour of St Edmund Rich, the monks of the abbey there saw Edmund as 'a kind of bounteous defender and protector' and undertook to provide two priests to say masses for the souls of Edmund and his ancestors in the chapel. In September 1289 visited Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
to attend the translation of Frideswide
Frideswide
Saint Frithuswith was an English princess and abbess who is credited with establishing Christ Church in Oxford.-Life:...
's relics. In April 1290 a writ was served on Edmund demanding his presence at the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
's court, this became one of the earliest recorded breaches of what later became termed as parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
, and the archbishop was fined £10,000. Edward I celebrated Christmas of that year at Edmund's manor at Ashridge
Ashridge
Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles north west of...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he held parliament and discussed the business of Scotland. Edmund's loans were vital to the crown, he had lent Edward £4,000 that year, he lent a further £4,000 to Antony Bek
Antony Bek
Antony Bek was a medieval Prince Bishop of Durham.-Early life:Bek and his elder brother Thomas Bek were members of a family of knights. Their father was Walter Bek, who held lands at Ersby in Lincolnshire. Another brother was John Beke, who held the family lands in Ersby...
, Bishop of Durham, to be repaid from the revenue of Howden Manor
Howden
Howden is a small market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the M62, on the A614 road about north of Goole and south-west of York. William the Conqueror gave the town to the Bishops of Durham in 1080...
. In May 1296 the king entrusted prisoners captured in the Scottish campaign to Edmund's castles at Wallingford
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...
and Berkhampsted, it is said he also ordered Edmund's treasure be moved from Berkhampsted to London. In 1297 Edmund was summoned to Gascony and was absent during the crisis between the king and barons. Later that year Edmund promised the output of his mines in Cornwall and Devon as repayment for 7,000 marks the king owed the men of Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, and served as councillor to the king's son, Edward
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, who was governing England during the kings absence. By 1299 the crown owed Edmund £6,500 and borrowed a further 2,000 marks, to be repaid from the profits of the vacant archbishopric of York.
Death
In July 1297 Edmund was granted licence to make a will, his poor health is mentioned in a summons of December 1298, and by 1300 he was terminally ill. The date Edmund died is unknown, but was before 25 September 1300 when Edward I commanded celebration of exequies for the late earl, the following day the royal escheatEscheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
ors were ordered to take hold of Edmund's estates. Edmund's heart and flesh were buried at Ashridge, attended by the king's son Edward, and on 23 March 1301 his bones were placed in Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey is two miles northeast of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England.The abbey was founded in 1245 or 1246 by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, called "King of the Romans" and the younger brother of King Henry III of England. He was granted the manor of Hailes by Henry, and settled it with...
, attended by the king in person. Leaving no children, Edmund's entire estate passed to the crown, excepting a dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
for his widow.