William de la Pole

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William de la Pole is the name of several prominent Englishmen in the 14th century, all from the same family.

[edit] Sir William de la Pole (The Elder)

Sir William de la Pole (the elder) was a merchant in Kingston-upon-Hull and Ravenser Odd. He was the eldest son of Owen ap Griffith de la Pole (alias Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn and was therefore the great-grandson of Gwenwynwyn ab Owain the last ruling Tywysog of the Welsh princely realm of Powys Wenwynwyn.

The ruling family of Powys-Wenwynwyn appeared to change their name after they were dispossessed by Llywelyn Fawr in 1212. For a period both the names "Ap Gwenwynwyn" and "de la Pole" (the latter simply means, 'Of Poole') are interchangeable. Why the family did this remains obscure, but Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn married Hawise Le Strange (the daughter of John Le Strange - a prominent Anglo-Norman) and Gruffydd's children and grandchildren may have wished to adopt some of these Anglo-Norman customs themselves. These were the twilight years of Welsh independence, and being Welsh was not particularly fashionable in English society - nor safe.

Sir William's grandfather Gruffydd was involved in the Welsh Wars and was instrumental in killing Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282. He died himself in 1289. Sir William's father Owen ap Griffith de la Pole who accompanied Gruffydd died shortly afterwards in 1292.

Sir William de la Pole was born in exile in 1275 in Yorkshire and had several younger brothers including Lewis de la Pole, Owen de la Pole and Griffin de la Pole, any of which could claim to be the de jure Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn. Sir William married Elena Rotenheryng and they had two sons; Sir William and Sir Richard. Sir William (the elder) died about 1329.

[edit] Sir William de la Pole (The Younger)

Sir William de la Pole (the younger) (d. 1366) was a wealthy merchant in Kingston-upon-Hull and Ravenser Odd, a royal moneylender and baron of the Exchequer.

Sir William was, along with his older brother Sir Richard de la Pole, a strong supporter of the government of Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella. They loaned the pair large sums of money in 1327, and in return received appointment as gaugers of wine throughout England, and control of customs in Hull and later in London. They lost some of these posts after Mortimer's fall, but their wealth meant they could be totally excluded from the government of Edward III.

In 1332 Sir William convinced the king to convert the office of chief magistrate of Hull to Lord Mayor of Hull, a post which he filled for the next 4 years. He also represented the city of Hull in five sessions of Parliament (March 1332, September 1334, May 1336, September 1336, and February 1338).

During this time he continued as the king's financier, and in 1339 he was appointed second baron of the exchequer. The next year, however, Edward III had him arrested and imprisoned. He was convicted, though the charges were annulled by Parliament in 1344.

Sir William (the younger) had three sons;