General Notes

Walter de Lacie, elder son, paid in the 10th of Richard I, 1199, 2000marks for the king's favour and to have livery of his lands, but thisbeing the last year of that monarch's reign, his brother and successor,King John, exacted no less than 1000 pounds for similar favour of livery.In the 9th of the latter king's reign, Walter de Lacie obtained aconfirmation of his lands and dominion of Meath in Ireland, to be held byhim and his heirs for the service of 50 knights' fees; as also his feesin Fingall, in the valley of Dublin, to be held by the service of sevenknights' fees. But in three years afterwards, King John passing intoIreland with his army, Lacie was forced to deliver himself up and all hispossessions on that kingdom, and to abjure the realm. He was subsequentlybanished from England, but in the 16th of the same reign, he seems tohave made his peace, for he was allowed to repossess his Castle ofLudlow; and the next year he recovered all of his lands, except thecastle and lands of Drogheda, by paying a fine of 4000 marks to thecrown. After this we find him Sheriff of Herefordshire, in the 18th ofKing John, and 2nd of Henry III, and in the 14th of the latter king,joined with Geoffrey de Marisco, then Justice of Ireland, and Richard deBurgh, in subduing the King of Connaught, who had taken up arms to expelthe English from his territories. So much for the secular acts of thisbaron. Of his works of Piety, it is recorded that he confirmed to thecanons of Lathony all those lands and churches in Ireland, granted tothem by his father, Hugh de Lacie; and of his own bounty, gave them thechurch of Our Lady of Drogheda, with other valuable gifts. To the monksat Creswil, in Hereford, he was a special benefactor, having conferred onthem 200 acres of land and wood called Ham; also 600 acres, with thewoods thereto belonging, and common pasture for their cattle in NewForest, and in divers pasturages. Moreover, the ninth sheaf of wheat andother corn, except oats, throughout all his lordships in England andWales. Likewise the tithe of all the hides of those cattle which wereyearly sold at the larder of his Castle at Ewyas. In Ireland he foundedthe Abbey of Beaubee, in Normandy, which was a first cell to the greatAbbey of Bec in Normandy, and afterwards at Furness, in Lancaster. Hemarried Margaret, daughter of William de Braose, of Brecknock, and in1241, being then infirm and blind, departed this life, leaving his greatinheritance to be divided among females, viz., the daughters of his sons.