120 Review of Waylen’s History of Marlborough. 
long favour us with a special and detailed history of the important 
part which our county played in the history of the baronial wars 
of the 12th and 13th century. Henry II., soon after his accession, 
granted the castle of Marlborough to his son John, Earl of Mor- 
tagne, afterwards King John, whose marriage with the heiress of 
the Earl of Gloucester was celebrated here in the year 1189. John 
appears to have been throughout his life attached to the spot, as a 
place of occasional residence and a repository. for much of his 
treasure. He conferred many charters also upon the burgesses 
of the adjoining town. Numerous contemporary documents attest 
these facts, of which Mr. Waylen gives several interesting extracts. 
In the great contest of this unhappy monarch with his barons, the 
castle of Marlborough slipped from his grasp, being delivered up 
by its warden, Hugh de Neville, to Prince Louis of France, who 
had been called in by the disaffected barons to head their forces, 
and laid claim to the Crown. By him it was made over to William 
Mareschal, the younger, son of the great Earl of Pembroke, of 
the same name. The former, however, shortly after withdrew his 
support from Louis, and Marlborough Castle re-opened its gates to 
the friends of Prince Henry who had been proclaimed King under 
the title of Henry III. by the elder Mareschal, and crowned at 
Gloucester in presence of the Pope’s legate and the loyal barons. 
Henry was often at Marlborough. And it was during his illness 
there in the year 1126 that the gallant William Longespee, 
who had visited the King, his uncle, to remonstrate against the 
attempts of the favourite Hubert de Burgh to obtain possession of 
his birthright by marriage with his mother, the Countess EJa of 
Sarum, was struck (through poison as some suppose) by a sudden 
sickness which proved speedily mortal. Marlborough continued to 
be a favourite residence of Henry III., probably owing to the 
opportunities for sport afforded by the neighbouring royal forests 
of Savernake and Albourn Chase. The Liberate Rolls contain many 
directions to the constable of the castle for its improvement and 
repairs, with interesting particulars of the accommodation provided 
in it for both the King and the Queen, of which Mr. Waylen 
