• General Notes

  BARONY OF LATIMER [OF CORBY] (IV)
  
  WILLIAM (LE LATIMER), LORD LATIMER, son and heir, was born on the Saturday before the Annunciation (24 March 1329/30), at Scampston, and baptized in the parish church, St. Andrew's, Rillington. At the battle of Crécy, being then aged 16, he was in the first division with the young Prince of Wales. On 7 April 1351, being then in the King's service at Calais, he had livery of all his father's lands, and on 1 February 1351/2 had seisin of the office of engraving and making the King's dies in the Tower of London and the city of Canterbury. On 30 October 1351 he obtained a charter confirming the lordship of Corby to him. He was then a knight and was going beyond the seas. In 1353 he made an agreement as to bounds with John Holme, lord of Great Edstone, North Riding, Yorks. On 5 July 1354 he had a grant of 500 marks per annum at the Exchequer until the lands hcld in dower by his mother Elizabeth should come into his hands. At Roxburgh on 20 January 1355/6 William dominus de Latimer was a witness to Balliol's surrender of his claim to the kingdom of Scotland. In 1359 he was in the expedition to Gascony, and was madc Lieutenant and Captain-General in that Duchy, first by Edward III in or before September 1360, and then by John de Montfort as Duke, the latter having attained his majority before 8 December. In October he had been superintending the defence of Bécherel. He was nominated K.G. circa 1362, on the decease of Sir William FitzWarin. In 1362 William de Latymer and Robert le Latymer, captains of Vannes, were joined in a commission. On 29 September 1364 Charles of Blois, claiming the Duchy in right of his wife came suddenly on John de Montfort and Sir William Latimer, who were besieging Auray; Charles was slain in the battle with a thousand of his men, and Montfort's title was soon after acknowledged by the King of France. Latimer took a leading part in the negotiations for the peace. In 1365, as William Latymer, lord of Danby, he had licence to found a college of 13 chaplains in the church of Helpringham, where his ancestors were buried. He was still in Brittany in 1366. He was summoned to Parliament from 24 February 1367/8 to 2 October 1379, by writs directed Willelmo Latymer or de Latymer. There is proof of his presence in Parliament. In 1368 he was made warden of the forests north of Trent and the castle and town of Bécherel were committed to him. In or before 1369 he was appointed Steward of the King's household, and is later called Chamberlain. He was also appointed to numerous commissions. He had grants of free warren at Willeby, Northants, in 1368 and at Knapton, &c., Yorks, in 1378. In 1369 William, baron de Latimer was witness to a truce with Scotland, and on 5 July 1370 was appointed one of the conservators of the truce on the Scottish marches, an appointment renewed by Richard II in May 1378. In 1370 also he was Captain of St. Sauveur le Vicomte. In April 1372 he was constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports, and in May 1377 was made keeper of Eltham manor, Kent, with a salary of £80 per annum. Among other wardships he paid £1,500 for that of John, son and heir of Henry de Beaumont, 5 December 1373. Early in 1373 he mustered with the large force sent to Calais under the Duke of Lancaster, and in June was sent to treat with Ferdinand, King of Portugal, and Eleanor his consort. In 1374 the Pope urged him to use his influence to bring about peace between England and France, and in 1375 he was one of those sent to treat with France in September and in October with Flanders. The Count of St. Pol was his prisoner in 1375 and lodged in the Tower. He was high in the favour of John of Gaunt, and shared his unpopularity with the people, being involved in his temporary loss of power in 1376, and impeached by the Good Parliament. He surrendered, but was released on bail, and, soon regaining favour at Court, was fully restored. He was nominated one of the executors of the will of Edward III in 1376, and next year was a member of the Council appointed to act during the new King's minority, and was leader of those sent with a royal message to the city of London. In 1377 he was one of the commanders of the fleet which attempted, about Michaelmas, to surprise the Spaniards at Sluys, but was dispersed by a storm. In this year and later he made a settlement of his manors of Helpringham, &c. In view of the coming Coronation of Richard II he and John, son of John de Mowbray, of Axholme, tenants of the lands of William Beauchamp, of Bedford, claimed to perform the office of almoner, and to take the silver alms dish and a cask of wine. The claim was allowed except as to the cask of wine, and William did the service for himself and John, who was a minor. In February 1378/9 he was appointed one of the commissioners for making peace with Scotland. In July 1380 he accompanied Thomas of Woodstock in his expedition through France to assist Brittany. He was constable of this force, with which he served till its return, leaving Vannes 11 April 1381, after engaging that day in conversations with the French.
  
  He married Elizabeth (c), in or before 1353, when a Papal indult was granted to Sir William Latimer and Elizabeth his wife. He died s.p.m., 28 May 1381, aged 51, shortly after a stroke of paralysis while dismounting from his horse, when on a visit to Sir Robert Halys, and was buried, in accordance with his will, in the Priory of Guisborough, in Cleveland, before the high altar of our Lady, under a tomb of alabaster, in the presence of the Prior of Durham. His will, dated 10 July 1380, in the manor of Preston, Kent, was proved 31 May 1381. In 1383 his executors had confirmation of the pardon for the fine of 20,000 marks granted 8 October 1376. His widow had assignments of dower 9 October 1381 and later. She was living in March 1385/6, but died before 23 March 1388/9, when the escheator was ordered to give seisin of the manor and hundred of Corby, &c., to Elizabcth, wife of Sir John de Nevill, daughter and heir of Sir William Latimer. [Complete Peerage VII:470-5, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]
  
  (c) She is said to have been a daughter of Edmund FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel. Beltz (p. 148) refers to a pedigree by Vincent (no. 5, p. 33), but gives no other authority.
  

Details of William's family with Elizabeth FitzAlan