Sir William de Clare Knight

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Henry de Grey married (it is said) Anne, daughter and heir of Ralph de Rockley, by Isabel, daughter of William de Clare.He died 10 or 16 December 1342, aged 60 or 61.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. VI, p. 175

• Background Information. ⁸²¹
Sir William de Clare, Knight of Petersfield, Mapledurham and Sunworth in Buriton, Hampshire, of Walsingham, Wells amd Warham, Norfolk. Constable of Winchester Castle.

Second son of Sir Gilbert de Clare and Isabel Marshall, grandson of Sir Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Amice FitzWilliam of Gloucester, Sir William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke and Isabel FitzRichard. Sir William was born 18 May 1228.

When William was knighted, his brother, Richard, had a great tournament in his honour in November of 1247. The following year, William accompanied his brother, now Earl Richard on a pilgrimage to St Edmund's at Pontigny, Yonne, France. William was awarded free warren of his demense lands at Petersfield and Mapledurham the same year. William was granted a weekly market and yearly faire at his manor, Little Walsingham in 1252, increased to two yearly faires at Petersfield in 1255. In 1256, William received an annuity of 100 marks and free warren of his other lands in 1257, as well as a weekly market at Little Walsingham.

In May of 1258, he and his brother, Richard, were having breakfast at Winchester with Prince Edward (son of Henry III whom William's father fought at the Battle of Lewes in 1264), where the brothers were poisoned by Richard's steward, Walter de Scotenay, who was executed for the deed the following year. Richard recovered, but William died from the poisoning, and was first buried at Dureford Abbey, Sussex, late to be reinterred beside his father at Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire.

Richardson's Magna Carta Ancestry, p. 459-460