William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beamont
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Sir William de Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont (April 1438 – December 19, 1507) was the son of Sir John de Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont and Elizabeth Phelip. He was born at Edenham, Lincolnshire. Although his exact date of birth is not recorded, parish records show the date of his baptism as April 23, 1438.
Sir William led an uneventful life until the feud between the houses of York and Lancaster broke into open bloodshed. Whilst he always claimed in life "...to let each man place his feet in the soil as the good lord intended...", he couldn't in conscience watch the house of York rape and pillage the land and called for the Lancastrians.
He fought in several of the major battles of the Wars of the Roses, most notably the Battle of Towton, which was the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. However, it was during this battle that he was captured by the Yorkists and on November 1, 1461 a bill of attainder was brought against him and all his lands and titles were forfeit.
After the restoration of Henry VI in November 1470, the King revoked the bill of attainder and restored Sir William's lands and titles. However, this was not to last long and the following April, he was again in conflict, this time with King Edward IV and once again was stripped of his lands and titles.
During the period 1471 through 1474, he was continually at war, holding (amongst other bastions), St Michael's Mount along with John De Vere, Earl of Oxford, for the Lancastrians in 1473. However, misfortune continued to dog Sir William and in 1474 he was taken prisoner. He was not to be released until the death of Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field (August 23, 1485).
Sir William's lands and titles were restored (for the second time), by act of Parliament on November 7, 1485. However, the strain of the war years seems to have left untold psychological scars and between 1487 and 1495 Sir William was variously unfit and most often reliant upon the care of his friend and former comrade at arms John De Vere.
Sir William died on December 19, 1507 at the age of 69 at John De Vere's house in Wivenhoe, Essex.
Although married twice, firstly to Lady Joan Stafford and then after the annulment of their marriage, to Lady Anne Neville, he was without legitimate heir. At least one child was born to his mistress Jayne Stephens circa 1459, by the name of John Francis Beaumont. Whilst Sir William never recognised the child as his heir, he did provide for the child's education and welfare.
Upon the death of Sir William, the Viscountcy of Beaumont became extinct in both England and France and due to discord and fighting between his great nephews, the title fell into abeyance.
[edit] References
The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 62-63.
