WIGMORE CASTLE, HEREFORDSHIRE. H 



This induced the Earl of Leicester to take advantage of his in- 

 fluence with Llewelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of Wales, and induce 

 him to commence his attacks on all who were in opposition to the 

 rebellious barons, with an army amounting, according to Hume, to 

 the number of 30,000 men ; and thus, in 1263, he ravaged with 

 fire and sword, among others, the possessions of Roger Mortimer. 

 The efforts of this nobleman alone, though made with much judg- 

 ment and gallantry, were insufficient to repel him, and it was not 

 until reinforcements arrived under Prince Edward, that the Welsh 

 were driven back to their fastnesses. Llewelyn, however, renewed 

 his attacks in the following year, not only instigated by, but assist- 

 ed with English forces under Simon and Henry de Montford ; and 

 it was not until the battle of Evesham, in 1265, that a decisive 

 victory put an end to such devastations. 



Roger Mortimer married Matilda, eldest daughter of William de 

 Braiose by Eva, fifth daughter and heiress of William IMarshiil, 

 Earl of Pembroke, and by her had five sons and one daughter. Sir 

 Ralph, his eldest, died during the lifetime of his father ; Edmund, 

 who became Lord of Wigmore ; Roger, Lord of Chirk, who married 

 Lucy, daughter and heiress of Sir William Le WWre, knight ; Sir 

 William de Mortimer, knight, afterwards Canon of Wigmore, from 

 whom, according to one account, are descended the barons of Rich- 

 ard's castle, he having received several estates, according to the cus- 

 tom of aims, from his mother ;* Sir Geoffry, who died before his 

 father ; and ^Margaret, the wife of Robert de Vere^ Earl of Oxford. 



Richard's castle came into possession of a branch of the IMortimer 

 family, from a marriage with the heiress of Hugh, and the surviv- 

 ing sister of Elias de Say, and her husband was Robert de Morti- 

 mer, who held twenty-three knights' fees from the honor of the 

 castle of Ewias. He was the son of Robert, second son of Hugh, 

 Lord Mortimer, and, therefore, cousin of Roger, whose history has 

 just been given.t 



* Pedigree in the College of Arras. This does not, however, appear quite 

 correct. 



f Sir H. Nicolas, in his notes to The Siege of Caerlaverock, gives a diffe- 

 rent descent. He says, "In the reign of Henry 1 1., Robert de Mortimer, 

 younger son of Hugh, second Baron Mortimer, by the tenure of Wigmore 

 castle, acquired Richard's castle, in Shropshire, by marrying Margery, the 

 daughter and heiress of Hugh de Say. His grandson, Robert de Mortimer, 

 hj Joyce, the daughter and heiress of William le Zouche, had issue Hugh, 

 his son and heir, who succeeded his father in his lands in 1287 ;" and " with 

 whom the male line failed," one of his daughters and coheiresses marrying 

 Sir Richard Talbot, in which family Richard's castle was vested. I have 

 preferred the pedigree in the College of Arms. 



