The 6th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, rebelled against the king (Henry III) but was defeated at the Battle of Evesham by the king’s son, Edward – who became King Edward I. The battle, which took place on 4th August 1265, was not so much a battle as a bloodbath. De Monfort’s men were outnumbered two to one, and he was killed in the fighting.[1]
This is relevant to our story because also killed in the battle was one John de Beauchamp, the owner of the Manor of Hunsdon. On his death, Hunsdon passed to the husband of his sister, Roger de Mowbray (Baron of Thirsk).[2] Roger was the son of William de Mowbray, a Norman Lord and English Nobleman who was one of the executors of the Magna Carta (for which he was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III).[3]
According to Herbert Cockayne Gibbs (referenced in the article at footnote 3), Roger died the year after inheriting Hunsdon (i.e. in 1266). However, he had a son, also called Roger who became 1st Baron Mowbray. It is said that Roger de Mowbray gave Hunsdon Church to Merton Priory. In view of the short time between Roger Sr’s acquisition of Hunsdon House and his death, it is likely that the benefactor was Roger Jr, but evidence of this is not well attested.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Evesham accessed 21st August 2024
[2] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol3/pp323-332#anchorn34 accessed 21st August 2024
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_de_Mowbray accessed 21st August 2024