FEUDAL BARONAGE 



the king that the separation of this earldom from the crown was within his 

 power. 1 From being Gaveston's chief supporter after the king, he later 

 became, through the former's ingratitude, one of his chief enemies, 3 his hos- 

 tility to the favourite being already active in February, 1308.* But in July, 

 1309, he was once more won over to Gaveston's side, only, however, to be 

 speedily alienated by Gaveston's coarse familiarity in styling him ' pot-belly ' 

 (boele crevee), in reference to his figure. As a consequence, Lincoln joined 

 with his son-in-law, Thomas, earl of Lancaster, and other earls, in refusing to 

 attend the council summoned to York in October, 1309.* At Stamford on 

 6 August previously he had joined in the letter of the barons to the Pope. 5 

 He was one of the petitioners for the ordinances and one of the ordainers 

 elected on 20 March, 1310, to supersede the king's authority until Michael- 

 mas, 1311.' Lincoln, however, seems to have acted with some duplicity, as 

 he is alleged to have had a secret understanding with the king, 7 who appointed 

 him to be guardian of the kingdom during his absence in Scotland in Sep- 

 tember, 1 3 1 o. 8 Lincoln spent Christmas at his manor of Kingston in Dorset, 

 probably engaged in sporting for wildfowl, 9 but early in the next year he 

 returned to London, where he died at his house in Holborn, afterwards called 

 after him ' Lincoln's Inn,' on 5 February, and on the 28th of the same month 

 was buried in the Lady Chapel of St. Paul's Cathedral. 10 He had been a large 

 contributor to the ' new work ' at the cathedral. 11 Bishop Stubbs, quoting 

 some chronicler, describes him as 'the closest counsellor of Edward I.' li! His 

 uncertain action in 1310 was perhaps due to the conflicting feelings of loyalty 

 to his old master's son and of perpetuating his old master's policy. 13 On his 

 death-bed he is represented as counselling his son-in-law to opposition to the 

 royal authority. 14 Hemingburgh describes him as ' courteous, handsome, and 

 active,' 15 and elsewhere he is represented as ' active in war and ripe in counsel.' 16 

 The ' Compoti ' of the earl's Lancashire and Cheshire manors were published 

 by the Chetham Society in 1884," the Lancashire inquest after his death 

 having been printed in 1868." 



Alice, his daughter and heir, was born in 1283, and was contracted in 

 marriage to Thomas, son of Edmund, earl of Lancaster, the king's brother, in 

 1292, whom she married on 28 October, I294. 19 She left him in 1318, and 

 took refuge with John, earl of Warenne. 20 After Thomas's death she married 

 (before 1326) Eubolo L'Estrange. He died in 1335 and his widow married 

 in February, 1336, Hugh de Freyne, who died the same year. The countess 

 herself died 2 October, 1348, having borne no issue. 



1 Chron. Edto. I. and II. (Rolls Ser.), ii. 155 ; Stubbs, Constit. Hist. ii. 347*. 



2 Chron. Edw. I. and II. I 5 8. Chron. Lanmost (Bannatyne Club), 211. 



* Hemingburgh (Eng. Hist. Soc.), ii. 275. 6 Chron. ofEdtv. I. and II. (Rolls Ser.), i. 161. 



6 Rymer, Foedera (Rec. Com.), ii. 105 ; Rolls of Par!. (Rec. Com),i. 445 ; Hemingburgh, ii. 276 ; Stubbs, 

 Constit. Hist. ed. 1880, ii. 356. 



1 Bain, Cat. of Docs. Scot. iii. 177. 8 Cal. Pat. R. 1307-13, 282. 



Ibid. 146 ; Cal. of Docs. Scot. iii. 197. 



10 A magnificent tomb supporting a cross-legged statue of the earl in linked mail perished in the great 

 fire of London, but a representation has been preserved by Hollar. Whitaker, Hist, of Wkalley, ed. 1876, 

 i. 248 ; Wever, Funeral Monts. 366. His arms are described by Ormerod, Hist, of Ches. (ed. Helsby), i. 

 6 99 3. 



11 Dugdale, St. Paul's, ed. 1818, ii. w Stubbs, Constit. Hist. ed. 1880, ii. 346. 



13 Diet. Nat. Biog. xxxi. 375. i* Walsingham, Hist. Angl. (Rolls Ser.), i. 130. 



15 Op. cit. ii. 74. i Trokelowe (Rolls Ser.), 72. 



n (Old Ser.), vol. 112. is (Old Ser.), vol. 74 (i). 



i Chron. Edto. I and II. (Rolls Ser), ii. 54- w Ibid. 



3" 



