William Russell, knight
Encyclopedia
Sir William Russell was holder of a moiety
of the feudal barony
of North Cadbury
, Somerset, but spent most of his life engaged in the administration and defence of the Isle of Wight
, where he obtained by marriage the manor of Yaverland
. He served as constable of Carisbrooke Castle
, and sat in parliament
on 2 occasions, firstly as burgess
for Great Bedwyn
, Wiltshire, and then for the County of Southampton
. As a baron his military service was called on several times by King Edward I
Hammer of the Scots.
, Dorset, steward of Kings John
(1199-1216) and his young son Henry III
(1216-1272). Shortly before his death King John had granted Russell the manor of Kingston by grand serjeanty
, which grant was confirmed by Henry.
William had inherited from his mother Isabel de Newmarch a moiety
of the Newmarch barony of North Cadbury, and it was this holding per baroniam which, although the other half had gone to Nicholas de Moels
, the husband of Isabel's sister Hawise de Newmarch, nevertheless brought him membership of the baronage
, with all the onerous duties which accompanied such a dignity.
, Isle of Wight.
Sir William Russell was seated at Yaverland for the remainder of his life and played a central role in the defence of the Island from the frequent attacks by the French. He was appointed as one of 3 Wardens of the Island and Constable of Carisbrooke Castle
, the caput
of the Island, from which all manors were held under feudal ties. In 1294 he received royal instructions for putting the Island into a proper posture to meet the threatened invasion by France of the southern coasts of England. In 1295, still as a younger son, his brothers being still alive, he was elected to parliament as burgess
for Great Bedwyn
, Wiltshire, where the Russell family held the manor of Little Bedwyn
, apparently acquired by his grandfather John Russell. In 1297 he was summoned by King Edward I to join with his barons to muster in London in preparation for a military expedition crossing over to Flanders
. Sir William was summoned by royal writ to be at York on 25th May 1298 to oppose the Scotsman William Wallace
. He fought at the Battle of Falkirk
, where a great English victory was won. However, the Scottish forces regrouped and Russell was again summoned to join King Edward's army on 24th June 1300 at Carlisle
.
He was present at the Siege of Caerlaverock
later that year, during which his armourials were recorded in the eponymous roll of arms
made then by the herald
s. Russell was again summoned as "Sir William Russell of the Isle" to be ready at Carlisle in 1301, after which the army wintered with much hardship in Scotland. In 1302 he was appointed for a 2nd time a Warden of the Isle, with Sir John de Lisle. In 1307 Russell received another summons from King Edward I Hammer of the Scots to join the royal army at Carlisle within 15 days of July 8th, to counter the aggression of Robert the Bruce. Before the campaign commenced, the King determined on knighting his son, and was accorded by parliament the customary feudal aid
, a form of taxation, to meet the costs of the splendid ceremony. Russell was appointed as collector of this feudal aid for the county of Southampton. On this occasion the royal army was spared any fighting since Bruce had in the meantime been defeated by the border barons acting independently. King Edward II, just knighted as Prince of Wales, succeeded his father later in the year 1307 and called his first parliament to meet at Northampton, to which Sir William Russell was summoned by writ for the county of Southampton. Russell thereupon relinquished his duties as Constable of Carisbrooke Castle to his successor Nicholas de Bois. In 1308 by letters patent
Russell was appointed 1 of 3 justiciaries for the Channel Islands
to make enquiry into encroachments to the royal revenues. In 1309 Russell was summoned by royal writ to be ready "with horse, arms, and all his lawful service (i.e. retinue)" at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, by September 29th., to punish the Scots for their non-observance of the truce recently entered into. By now Russell was in failing health and being unable to meet the summons in person, he sent knights to serve in his stead. Sir William Russell died in 1311, leaving an only son, Theobald Russell, still a minor aged only 7.
to Ralph III, 1st Baron Gorges
(d.1324) of Knighton
manor, Isle of Wight, Wraxall, Somerset
, and Bradpole
, Dorset. Gorges married off his young ward to his 2nd daughter Eleanor, who eventually became one of 3 co-heiresses to her brother Ralph IV, 2nd Baron Gorges(d.1331). Theobald and Eleanor had 5 sons. The eldest was Sir Ralph Russell(d.1375) who inherited his patrimonial Russell lands, whose adult male line was to die out on the death of his 3rd son and eventual heir Sir Maurice Russell
(1356-1416) of Kingston Russell and Dyrham
, Gloucestershire. Theobald I & Eleanor's 2nd son was Theobald II Russell, who was made the heir of his uncle the 2nd Baron Gorges, who had died without male issue and left him the bulk of the Gorges lands on condition he should change his family name and arms to Gorges. This he did and founded a new line of “Gorges” based at Wraxall. The history of the youngest 3 sons, William, John and Richard, is not recorded, although William, apparently based at Knighton, is known to have died without male issue on 24/3/1343.
Moiety
Moiety may refer to:* Moiety , a part or functional group of a molecule* Moiety , either of two groups into which a society is divided* An Australian Aboriginal kinship group* Native Hawaiian realm ruled by a Mo'i or Ali'i...
of the feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
of North Cadbury
North Cadbury
North Cadbury is a village west of Wincanton in the River Cam in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It shares its parish with nearby Yarlington and includes the village of Galhampton, which got its name from the settlement of the rent-paying peasants, and the hamlet of...
, Somerset, but spent most of his life engaged in the administration and defence of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, where he obtained by marriage the manor of Yaverland
Yaverland
Yaverland is a village on the Isle of Wight, just north of Sandown. It has about 200 houses. About 1/3 of a mile away from the village is the Yaverland Manor and Church. Holotype fossils have been discovered here of Yaverlandia and a pterosaur, Caulkicephalus...
. He served as constable of Carisbrooke Castle
Carisbrooke Castle
Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight, England. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.-Early history:...
, and sat in parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
on 2 occasions, firstly as burgess
Burgess
Burgess is a word in English that originally meant a freeman of a borough or burgh . It later came to mean an elected or unelected official of a municipality, or the representative of a borough in the English House of Commons....
for Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Bedwyn was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295–1640:-1640–1832:Notes...
, Wiltshire, and then for the County of Southampton
Southampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. Centred on the town of Southampton, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1295 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election....
. As a baron his military service was called on several times by King Edward I
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...
Hammer of the Scots.
Origin
William Russell was the 3rd son and eventual heir of Sir Ralph Russell(b.1204), son of John Russell of Kingston RussellKingston Russell
Kingston Russell is a large mansion house and manor near Long Bredy in Dorset, England, west of Dorchester. The present house dates from the late 17th century but in 1730 was clad in a white Georgian stone facade. The house was restored in 1913, and at the same time the gardens were laid out...
, Dorset, steward of Kings John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
(1199-1216) and his young son 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...
(1216-1272). Shortly before his death King John had granted Russell the manor of Kingston by grand serjeanty
Serjeanty
Under the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...
, which grant was confirmed by Henry.
William had inherited from his mother Isabel de Newmarch a moiety
Moiety
Moiety may refer to:* Moiety , a part or functional group of a molecule* Moiety , either of two groups into which a society is divided* An Australian Aboriginal kinship group* Native Hawaiian realm ruled by a Mo'i or Ali'i...
of the Newmarch barony of North Cadbury, and it was this holding per baroniam which, although the other half had gone to Nicholas de Moels
Nicholas de Moels
Nicholas de Moels was a medieval Norman administrator in Somerset.He was born about 1195. He married, as her 2nd. husband, Hawise de Newmarch, younger daughter & co-heiress of James de Newmarch feudal baron of North Cadbury, Somerset, in about 1224...
, the husband of Isabel's sister Hawise de Newmarch, nevertheless brought him membership of the baronage
Baronage
The baronage is the collectively inclusive term denoting all members of the feudal nobility, as observed by the constitutional authority Edward Coke. It was replaced eventually by the term “peerage”-Origin:...
, with all the onerous duties which accompanied such a dignity.
Marriage to Katherine de Aula
In about 1280 William married Katherine de Aula, heiress of the de Aula family of the Isle of Wight, who brought to the Russell family the manor of YaverlandYaverland
Yaverland is a village on the Isle of Wight, just north of Sandown. It has about 200 houses. About 1/3 of a mile away from the village is the Yaverland Manor and Church. Holotype fossils have been discovered here of Yaverlandia and a pterosaur, Caulkicephalus...
, Isle of Wight.
Career
Carisbrooke Castle
Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight, England. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.-Early history:...
, the caput
Caput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...
of the Island, from which all manors were held under feudal ties. In 1294 he received royal instructions for putting the Island into a proper posture to meet the threatened invasion by France of the southern coasts of England. In 1295, still as a younger son, his brothers being still alive, he was elected to parliament as burgess
Burgess
Burgess is a word in English that originally meant a freeman of a borough or burgh . It later came to mean an elected or unelected official of a municipality, or the representative of a borough in the English House of Commons....
for Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Bedwyn was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295–1640:-1640–1832:Notes...
, Wiltshire, where the Russell family held the manor of Little Bedwyn
Little Bedwyn
Little Bedwyn is a village and civil parish on the River Dun in Wiltshire, about south-west of the market town of Hungerford in neighbouring Berkshire....
, apparently acquired by his grandfather John Russell. In 1297 he was summoned by King Edward I to join with his barons to muster in London in preparation for a military expedition crossing over to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. Sir William was summoned by royal writ to be at York on 25th May 1298 to oppose the Scotsman William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
. He fought at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
, where a great English victory was won. However, the Scottish forces regrouped and Russell was again summoned to join King Edward's army on 24th June 1300 at Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
.
He was present at the Siege of Caerlaverock
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle, built in the 13th century, in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve area at the Solway Firth, south of Dumfries in the southwest of Scotland. In the Middle Ages it was owned by the Maxwell family. Today, the castle is in the care of Historic...
later that year, during which his armourials were recorded in the eponymous roll of arms
Roll of arms
A roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms...
made then by the herald
Herald
A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
s. Russell was again summoned as "Sir William Russell of the Isle" to be ready at Carlisle in 1301, after which the army wintered with much hardship in Scotland. In 1302 he was appointed for a 2nd time a Warden of the Isle, with Sir John de Lisle. In 1307 Russell received another summons from King Edward I Hammer of the Scots to join the royal army at Carlisle within 15 days of July 8th, to counter the aggression of Robert the Bruce. Before the campaign commenced, the King determined on knighting his son, and was accorded by parliament the customary feudal aid
Feudal aid
Feudal aid, or just plain aid is the legal term for one of the financial duties required of a tenant or vassal to his lord. Variations on the feudal aid were collected in England, France, Germany and Italy during the Middle Ages, although the exact circumstances varied.-Origin:The term originated...
, a form of taxation, to meet the costs of the splendid ceremony. Russell was appointed as collector of this feudal aid for the county of Southampton. On this occasion the royal army was spared any fighting since Bruce had in the meantime been defeated by the border barons acting independently. King Edward II, just knighted as Prince of Wales, succeeded his father later in the year 1307 and called his first parliament to meet at Northampton, to which Sir William Russell was summoned by writ for the county of Southampton. Russell thereupon relinquished his duties as Constable of Carisbrooke Castle to his successor Nicholas de Bois. In 1308 by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
Russell was appointed 1 of 3 justiciaries for the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
to make enquiry into encroachments to the royal revenues. In 1309 Russell was summoned by royal writ to be ready "with horse, arms, and all his lawful service (i.e. retinue)" at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, by September 29th., to punish the Scots for their non-observance of the truce recently entered into. By now Russell was in failing health and being unable to meet the summons in person, he sent knights to serve in his stead. Sir William Russell died in 1311, leaving an only son, Theobald Russell, still a minor aged only 7.
Succession
William's infant son Theobald(1303-1349) was granted in wardshipWard
Ward may refer to:* A Watchman as in Watch and Ward* Ward , someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian* USS Aaron Ward, a series of U.S...
to Ralph III, 1st Baron Gorges
Gorges family
The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. Radulph, Lord of the Château de Gorges came over to England from Gorges in the canton of Périers in Normandy in the army of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 and acquired a knighthood. He had thus started the history of...
(d.1324) of Knighton
Knighton
Knighton may mean:* Knighton, Powys a market town on the English/Welsh border**Knighton railway station serving the above town**Knighton Town F.C., its football club* Knighton, Leicestershire, a suburb of Leicester, England* In Staffordshire:...
manor, Isle of Wight, Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...
, and Bradpole
Bradpole
Bradpole is a village in south west Dorset, England, in the Brit valley, one mile outside Bridport. The village has a population of 2,270 , 38.8% are retired.- External links :***...
, Dorset. Gorges married off his young ward to his 2nd daughter Eleanor, who eventually became one of 3 co-heiresses to her brother Ralph IV, 2nd Baron Gorges(d.1331). Theobald and Eleanor had 5 sons. The eldest was Sir Ralph Russell(d.1375) who inherited his patrimonial Russell lands, whose adult male line was to die out on the death of his 3rd son and eventual heir Sir Maurice Russell
Maurice Russell, knight
Sir Maurice Russell of Kingston Russell, Dorset and Dyrham, Glos. was a prominent member of the Gloucestershire gentry, the 3rd son, but eventual heir of Ralph Russell and his wife Alice. He was knighted between June and December 1385 and served twice as Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in...
(1356-1416) of Kingston Russell and Dyrham
Dyrham
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.-Location and communications:Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west . It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, about north of Bath and a little south of the M4 motorway...
, Gloucestershire. Theobald I & Eleanor's 2nd son was Theobald II Russell, who was made the heir of his uncle the 2nd Baron Gorges, who had died without male issue and left him the bulk of the Gorges lands on condition he should change his family name and arms to Gorges. This he did and founded a new line of “Gorges” based at Wraxall. The history of the youngest 3 sons, William, John and Richard, is not recorded, although William, apparently based at Knighton, is known to have died without male issue on 24/3/1343.
Sources
- Sanders, I.J. English Baronies, a Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960. North Cadbury, p.68
- Scott-Thomson, Gladys FRHistSoc, Two Centuries of Family History, London, 1930. (Contains pedigree of Russell of Kingston Russell & critique of Wiffen's work)
- Wiffen, J.H. Historical Memoirs of the House of Russell from the Time of the Norman Conquest, 1883. vol.1 (Confounds the family of Russell of KR with Russell ancestors of Dukes of Bedford, but otherwise contains excellent biographical research)
- Gorges, Raymond & Brown, Frederick, Rev., FSA. The Story of a Family through Eleven Centuries, Illustrated by Portraits and Pedigrees: Being a History of the Family of Gorges. Boston, USA, (Merrymount Press privately published), 1944.
- Victoria County History, Hampshire, Isle of Wight