Page:VCH Lancaster 1.djvu/411

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FEUDAL BARONAGE the king that the separation of this earldom from the crown was within his power.^ From being Gaveston's chief supporter after the king, he later became, through the former's ingratitude, one of his chief enemies,* 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 ' {f)Qele 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/ He was one of the petitioners for the ordinances and one of the ordainers elected on 20 March, 13 10, 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,'^ who appointed him to be guardian of the kingdom during his absence in Scotland in Sep- tember, 1 3 10.* Lincoln spent Christmas at his manor of Kingston in Dorset, probably engaged in sporting for wildfowl,' 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.^" He had been a large contributor to the ' new work ' at the cathedral." Bishop Stubbs, quoting some chronicler, describes him as 'the closest counsellor of Edward I.' ^^ His uncertain action in 1 3 1 o was perhaps due to the conflicting feelings of loyalty to his old master's son and of perpetuating his old master's policy." On his death-bed he is represented as counselling his son-in-law to opposition to the royal authority." Hemingburgh describes him as ' courteous, handsome, and active,'^°and elsewhere he is represented as ' active in war and ripe in counsel.'" 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, 1294." She left him in 13 18, and took refuge with John, earl of Warenne.'"' 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 Cirim. Edw. I. and 11. (Rolls Ser.), ii. 155 ; Stubbs, Constit. Hist. ii. 347«. 2 Chron. Edvj. I. and II. 158. 3 Qhnn. Lanercost (Bannatyne Club), 211.

  • Hemingburgh (Eng. Hist. Soc), ii. 275. ^ Chron. of Edw. I. and II. (Rolls Ser.), i. 161.

6 Rymer, Foedera (Rec. Com.), ii. 105 ; Rolls of Pari. (Rec. Com), i. 445 ; Hemingburgh, ii. 276 ; Stubbs, Constit. Hist. ed. 1880, ii. 356. 7 Bain, Cal. of Docs. Scot. iii. 177. ^ Cal. Pat. R. 1307-13, 282. 9 Ibid. 146 ; Cal. of Docs. Scot. iii. 197. 1" 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 Whalley, ed. 1876, i. 248 ; Wever, Funeral Monts. 366. His arms are described by Ormerod, Hist, of Ches. (ed. Helsby), i. 6993. 11 Dugdale, St. Paul's, ed. 1818, 1 1. 12 Stubbs, Cmstit. Hist. ed. 1880, ii. 346. 1' Diet. Nat. Biog. xxxi. 375. 1* Walsingham, Hist. Angl. (Rolls Ser.), i. 130. 1' Op. cit. ii. 74. ^* Trokelowe (Rolls Ser.), 72. 17 (Old Ser.), vol. 112. " (Old Ser.), vol. 74 (i). 19 Chron. Edw. I and II. (Rolls Ser), ii. 54. «" Ibid. 3"