Biography of Stephen Segrave 1171-1241

Paternal Family Tree: Segrave

Around 1171 Stephen Segrave was born to Gilbert Segrave.

Before 1202 Stephen Segrave (age 30) and Rohese Despencer were married.

In 1202 Stephen Segrave (age 31) and Ida Hastings were married.

In 1202 [his son] Gilbert Segrave was born to Stephen Segrave (age 31) and [his wife] Rohese Despencer.

In 1220 Stephen Segrave (age 49) was appointed Constable of the Tower of London.

In 1221 Stephen Segrave (age 50) was appointed High Sheriff of Hertfordshire and High Sheriff of Essex.

In 1222 Stephen Segrave (age 51) was appointed High Sheriff of Lincolnshire.

In 1232 Stephen Segrave (age 61) was appointed Chief Justicar.

Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1233. How the proscribed nobles attacked the king's army at Grosmont [Map].

The king had by this time collected a powerful army at Gloucester, with which he advanced towards Hereford in Wales, where he invaded the marshal's territory, endeavouring by all the means in his power to deprive him of his inheritance, and to seize his person. That cautious soldier had, however, before the king's approach, withdrawn all the cattle and provisions, wherefore the king, not being able to stay there, owing to the failure of his provisions, turned off with his army to the castle of Grosmont [Map]. After he had stayed there some days, the marshal and his proscribed confederates found out by means of their spies that the king passed the night inside that castle while his army were encamped outside the walls. The whole body of them therefore, except the marshal, who refused to attack the king, marched for that place with the Welsh chiefs and a larse army a little after dusk on Martinmas day, and rushing on the king's troops who were lying asleep in their tents, took possession of more than five hundred horses, with all their baggage and equipments, the men themselves taking to flight nearly naked in all directions. The conquerors however did not wish to wound or make prisoners of any of them, and there were only two knights slain out of the whole number. They then took all the waggons and carts containing the money, provisions, and arms, and having carefully disposed of their booty, returned to their safe hiding-places. The following nobles all were witnesses of this occurrence, namely, Peter bishop of Winchester, Ralph bishop of Chichester, Stephen Segrave (age 61) the justiciary, Peter de Rivaulx the treasurer, Hugh Bigod earl of Norfolk, William earl of Salisbury, William Beauchamp (age 47), William Daubeney the younger, and many others, who fled nearly naked, losing all their property; great numbers of the king's army then, and especially those who had lost their horses and all their money, went away in great trouble and returned to their homes. The king, who nad been thus left as it were alone, in the midst of his enemies, then put his Poictevin freebooters in charge of the castles of Wales, to repel the attacks of his enemies, and gave the command of his army to the nobles, John of Monmouth, and Ralph de Thoeny, to the latter of whom he also gave the castle of Matilda, which belonged to him by old right; whilst he himself, after making these arrangements, returned to Gloucester.

Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1233. Hoto the marshal retook the castle which he had given up to the kinq.

About this time, the fifteen days having expired since the marshal surrendered his castle to the king on condition that he would restore it to him when he again asked for it, he sent to the king, asking him, as the period was expired, to restore his castle to him according to their treaty, for which he had made the bishop of Winchester and Stephen Segrave (age 61), who at that time performed the functions of justiciary, his guarantees, and which they had also confirmed by oath. The king however angrily replied that he would not give it up, but would more likely reduce his other castles to subjection. The marshal then, seeing that no oath or terms of peace were observed by the king's advisers, collected a large army and laid siege to the castle once his own, and placing his engines of war round it, easily regained possession of it.

Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1233. How the king dismissed some of his ministers from his court.

1233. The seventeenth year of king Henry's reign he held his court at Christmas at Worcester, where, by the advice of Peter bishop of Winchester, as was said, he dismissed all the native officers of his court from their offices, and appointed foreigners from Poictou in their places. He also dismissed William de Rodune, a knight who carried on the duties of Richard the grand marshal at his court. By the same person's advice the king also dismissed Walter bishop of Carlisle, from his office of treasurer, and then took from him a hundred pounds of silver, and also spitefully deprived him of some trusts, which he the king had by his own charter confirmed to him for life. All his former counsellors, bishops and earls, barons and other nobles, he dismissed abruptly, and put confidence in no one except the aforesaid bishop of Winchester and his son Peter de Rivaulx; after which he ejected all the castellans throughout all England, and placed the castles under the charge of the said Peter. The bishop then, in order to gain the king's favour more completely, associated with himself Stephen de Segrave (age 62), a yielding man, and Robert Passelewe, who kept the king's treasury under Peter de Rivaulx; and he entirely ruled the kingdom with the assistance and advice of those men. The king also invited men from Poictou and Brittany, who were poor and covetous after wealth, and about two thousand knights and soldiers came to him equipped with horses and arms, whom he engaged in his service, placing them in charge of the castles in the various parts of the kingdom; these men used their utmost endeavours to oppress the natural English subjects and nobles, calling them traitors, and accusing them of treachery to the king; and he, simple man that he was, believed their lies, and gave them the charge of all the counties and baronies, as also of all the youths of the nohility, both male and female, who were foully degraded by ignoble marriages. The king also entrusted them with the care of his treasury, with the enforcement of the laws of the country and the administration of justice. In short, judgment was entrusted to the unjust, laws to outlaws, the preservation of peace to the quarrelsome, and justice to those •who were themselves full of injury, and when the nobles of the kingdom laid complaints before the king of the oppression they endured, the said bishop interfered, and there was no one to grant them justice. The said Peter too made accusations against some of the other bishops of the kingdom, and advised the king to avoid them as open enemies.

Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1233. The king was in the meantime at Westminster, where he attended the conference on the 9th of October, as he had promised the nobles, in order to consult with them as to the reforms necessary to be made in the kingdom; but the evil advice which he followed prevented this being carried out. Several of the bishops present humbly begged the king, in the Lord's name, to make peace with his barons and other nobles whom he had condemned to banishment without any trial by the peers, burning their villages and buildings, cutting down their woods and fruit trees, and destroying their parks and lakes. The king however said that they were traitors, although it was by their assistance that he ought to arrange his plans and manage the business of the kingdom. Peter bishop of Winchester also replied that the peers in England were not like those in France; wherefore the king of Kngland had a right, by the justiciaries whom he appointed, to banish any guilty persons from the kingdom and to condemn them after trial. The bishops, on hearing these words, as if with one voice threatened to excommunicate by name the principal amongst these evil advisers of the king; and amongst these they especially named Peter bishop of Winchester, and his son Peter de Rivaulx, Stephen Segrave (age 62) the justiciary, and Robert Paaselewe the treasurer. To these threats Peter of Winchester replied, that he had been consecrated a bishop by the supreme pontiff at Rome, and was therefore exempt from their authority, and he appealed to the apostolic see against their pronouncing that sentence upon him. The bishops aforesaid then excommunicated all those who had estranged the king's affection from his natural English subjects, and disturbed the peace of the kingdom.

In 1236 Stephen Segrave (age 65) was appointed Castellan Beeston Castle.

In 1236 Stephen Segrave (age 65) was appointed Castellan Chester Castle.

After 1236 Stephen Segrave (age 65) was appointed Canon Leicester Abbey.

Chronica Majora. 08 Jun 1236. In the same year, Peter de Rivaulx and Stephen Segrave (age 65), of whom we have made mention above, were received into favour by the king. In this year, too, on the eighth of June, the nobles of England assembled at Winchester in presence of the king, when the latter endeavoured, by a •warrant from tlie pope, to annul some grants which he had made to some of them before he had contracted his marriage, as though he was unable of himself, mthout the connivance of the pope, to whom, as he said, the giving of rights in the kingdom belonged. Many were astonished at this, and said that the king was endeavouring much more than became him, or was his duty, to place his kingdom in slavery, and to reduce it to its last extremity.

On 09 Nov 1241 Stephen Segrave (age 70) died at Leicester Abbey.

Royal Descendants of Stephen Segrave 1171-1241

Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland

King Edward IV of England

King Richard III of England

Anne Neville Queen Consort England

King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Queen Anne Boleyn of England

Catherine Parr Queen Consort England

Queen Catherine Howard of England

Jane Grey I Queen England and Ireland

George Wharton

Brigadier-General Charles FitzClarence

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Queen Consort Camilla Shand

Diana Spencer Princess Wales