he eschews ‘matters of ceremony’ like coronations, pageants, and ‘superfluous exuberances’ such as ‘great inundations, strange monsters,’ and the like.
Trussell next devoted himself to the history of Winchester, and in 1642 he completed his ‘Touchstone of Tradition, whereby the certaintie of occurrences in this kingdom and elsewhere, before characters or letters were invented, is found out. …’ The work consists of five books, the second of which is dedicated to Walter Curll [q. v.], bishop of Winchester, and the fourth to Thomas Wriothesley, fourth earl of Southampton [q. v.]; it contains lists of the marquises, earls, bishops, mayors, and freemen of Winchester, besides accounts of local occurrences and antiquities. The manuscript, which passed through various hands, including those of Sir Thomas Phillipps (Wood, Athenæ, ii. 261, 270, iv. 222; Gough, Topography, i. 378, 387; Notes and Queries, 1st ser. vii. 616, 2nd ser. xi. 204), is now among Lord Mostyn's manuscripts (Hist. MSS. Comm. 4th Rep. App. p. 355). Bishop Nicolson guessed that it was too voluminous, and Kennett that it was too incomplete, to be published (Gough, Topography, i. 387); but it was largely used in ‘A Description of Winchester,’ 1750, 12mo, and in the ‘History and Antiquities of Winchester,’ 2 vols. 1773, 12mo (see vol. i. pp. vii, 219, ii. 154). Trussell also contributed, with Michael Drayton and others, to the ‘Annalia Dubrensia,’ 1636, 4to, edited by Captain Robert Dover [q. v.] He married Elizabeth Collis, widow of Gratian Patten, and left issue three daughters (Berry, Hants Genealogies, p. 143).
[Authorities cited; Works in Brit. Mus. Library.]
TRUSSELL or TRUSSEL, WILLIAM, sometimes styled Baron Trussell (fl. 1330), was son of Edmund Trussel of Peatling in Leicestershire and Cubblesdon in Staffordshire (Cal. Rot. Chart. Rec. Comm. p. 166). He was pardoned as one of the adherents of Thomas of Lancaster on 1 Nov. 1318, and was returned as knight of the shire for Northampton in 1319. Both he and his son were in arms with Thomas of Lancaster against the king at Boroughbridge in March 1322. He is said to have fled beyond seas after Lancaster's overthrow (French Chronicle of London, Camden Soc. p. 44), but he was still in Somerset with some outlaws like himself in August 1322. He escaped abroad, however, not to return until 24 Sept. 1326, when he landed with Isabella at Harwich. On 27 Oct. 1326 the elder Hugh le Despenser [q. v.] was tried before him at Winchester, Trussel being described as ‘justiciarius ad hoc deputatus,’ and sentenced by him to be hanged, the younger Despenser suffering a like fate on 24 Nov. 1326. Trussel delivered judgment in a long speech full of accusations of a very unjudicial character (Annales Paulini, i. 314, 317; Gesta Edwardi II, pp. 87–9).
On Monday, 26 Jan. 1327, Trussel, acting as procurator of the whole parliament, solemnly renounced allegiance to Edward II at Berkeley. On 12 Feb. he received a commission of oyer and terminer, but on 28 Feb. was named as one of the envoys sent to the pope by King Edward to obtain the canonisation of Thomas of Lancaster (Rymer, ii. 695). Despite his absence, he seems to have held the office of escheator (Cal. Pat. Rolls, p. 27), but he probably returned to England by 18 Aug. He was appointed to another mission in March 1328 (ib. p. 250), and also in May 1330 to negotiate an alliance with the kings of Aragon, Portugal, Majorca, and Castile, but it seems likely that his departure was delayed till late in September. Part of his mission was to negotiate a marriage between Peter, the eldest son of the king of Aragon, and the king's sister Eleanor. He still continued to act occasionally as justice, but on 28 June 1331 a commission of oyer and terminer to him had to be confided to Richard de Wylughby, as he was too much occupied with other business of the king to act (ib. p. 138). On 25 June he received a hundred marks for his expenses while thus engaged (ib. p. 150). On 15 July 1331 he received power with John Darcy to treat for a marriage between Edward, the king's son, and the daughter of the king of France. On 18 Oct. Edward granted him the lordship of Bergues in Flanders for his services. In February 1332 he and his son William were sent on the king's service to the king of France and the court of Rome, receiving 60l. from the Bardi for the expenses (Pat. Rolls, pp. 233, 255). On 24 Feb. 1333 he and three others received power to treat with Ralph, count of Eu, for a marriage between his daughter Joan and John, earl of Cornwall (ib. p. 413), and on 26 March 1334 he and others received power to renew the negotiations commenced at Montreuil, Agen, and elsewhere (Rymer, ii. 881). On 16 July 1334 he was appointed to arrange a marriage with the daughter of the lord of Lara for John of Cornwall (Cal. Pat. Rolls, p. 564), and on 2 Aug. to receive the homage of the Count of Savoy (Rymer, ii. 891). On 28 March 1335 the king appointed him to carry out his orders to prevent the members
