Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester
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Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester (1195? – April 25, 1265) was a medieval nobleman who was prominent on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border, as Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland.
He was the second son of Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester, and Margaret de Beaumont.
He probably joined his father on the Fifth Crusade in 1219, where the elder de Quincy fell sick and died. His elder brother having died a few years earlier, Roger thus inherited his father's titles and properties. However, he did not take possession of his father's lands until February 1221, probably because he did not return to England from the crusade until then. He did not formally become earl until after the death of his mother in 1235.
Roger married Helen, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Alan, Lord of Galloway. Without legitimate sons to succeed him, Alan's lands and dignities were divided between the husbands of his three daughters, so Roger acquired Alan's position as Constable of Scotland, and one-third of the lordship of Galloway (although the actual title of Lord of Galloway went through Helen's half-sister Devorguilla to her husband John I de Balliol).
The Galwegians rebelled under Gille Ruadh, not wanting their land divided, but the rebellion was suppressed by Alexander II of Scotland. Roger ruled his portion of Galloway strictly, and the Galwegians revolted again in 1247, forcing Roger to take refuge in a castle. Faced with a siege and little chance of relief, Roger and a few men fought their way out and rode off to seek help from Alexander, who raised forces to again suppress the rebellion.
In the following years Roger was one of the leaders of the baronial opposition to Henry III of England, although he fought for Henry against the Welsh in the 1250s and 1260s.
Following Helen's death in 1245, Roger married Maud de Bohun, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, around 1250. Maud died only two years later, and Roger married his third wife, Eleanor Ferrers, daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby the same year.
Roger had three daughters by his first wife, but no sons. His subsequent marriages produced no issue. After his death his estates were divided between the daughters, and the earldom of Winchester lapsed. The three daughters of Roger and Helen of Galloway were:
- Helen (also known as Ela or Elena), who married Alan Baron Zouche of Ashby;
- Elizabeth (also known as Isabella), who married Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan;
- Margaret, who married William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (and was thus stepmother to her own stepmother).
[edit] References
- Hunt, William (1896). "Saer de Quincy, first Earl of Winchester". Dictionary of National Biography 48. (Roger de Quincy is treated a subtopic of his father's article)
- Grant G. Simpson, “An Anglo-Scottish Baron of the Thirteenth century: the Acts of Roger de Quincy Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland” (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Edinburgh 1963).
| Preceded by Saer de Quincy |
Earl of Winchester | Succeeded by Title extinct |
