In the succeeding reign, viz. that of Henry III., Fitz-Gwarine procured a
grant of his estates, to him and his heirs for ever; for which he gave
the king two coursers, and two hundred and sixty-two pounds, an enormous
sum in that age, and which gives us an idea of the wealth of
Fitz-Gwarine. The same monarch also granted him the liberty of a fair on
St. Luke’s day, and a market on Wednesday, at Whittington; but on account
of its proximity to Oswestry and Ellesmere, both market and fair are now
quite lost. There were, however, fairs on the last Thursdays in April,
July, and November, in the memory of several of the present inhabitants;
but in want of sufficient attendance, they were discontinued. They
consisted chiefly of horses, oxen, sheep and swine, that were, in a great
measure, furnished from the extensive common of Babin’s wood: upon the
inclosure of which, great part of the land that before had reared cattle,
sheep, &c. was converted to arable purposes, and consequently the fairs
were but ill supplied with those useful animals, which defect was the
principal cause of the putting a stop to the fairs.
Strange, lord of Knockin, and possessor of the castle there, had several
conflicts or wars with Fitz-Gwarine, during the agitated reign of John.
In some of these skirmishes they threw down, or considerably damaged each
others castle; for we find grants given by Henry III. to each of these
Barons to repair and fortify them. Whittington castle was so completely
fortified by Fitz-Gwarine, that we never after hear of its being taken
from its possessors. Out of the refuse materials Fitz-Gwarine built a
chapel that soon became the parish church, and of which, I shall say more
hereafter.
In a tower in the gateway was till very lately a figure on horseback,
representing Fitz-Gwarine painted in a course manner, under which were
the following lines, alluding to his fortifying the castle:
“This was Sir Foulke Fitz-Warine late a great and valiant knight,
Who kept the Britons still in awe and oft times put to flight;
He of this castle owner was, and kept it by command,
Of Henry late surnam’d the Third, then king of all this land.
His grandfather, a Lorrainer, by fame was much befriended,
Who Peverley’s daughter took to wife, from whom this Fulk descended;
His ancient acts of chivalry in annals are recorded,
Our king of England afterwards him baron made and lorded.”
Fulk Fitz-Gwarine had the misfortune to be stricken with blindness in his
old age. Upon his death, he was buried in the porch of Whittington
church; and his remains were found there in an oak coffin three inches
thick, by digging a grave in the year, 1796.
He had a daughter named Eva, who was second wife to Llewelyn, king of
Wales; and it was through her that Fitz-Gwarine came to know of John’s
private message to Llewelyn, which I omitted to mention in its right
place.
I state from very good authority, that this Fulk, or to avoid confusion
Fulk the second, was married to Clarice of Abbourville, but of what
family she was, or when they were married, I have not been able to
discover. Fitz-Gwarine, it is stated, went generally by the appellation
of Proudhome, as a mark of respect to his nobility.
He left behind him a son, who enjoyed his father’s estates and titles,
but for no considerable time. He followed king Henry III. through all
that prince’s adverse fortune, and righting in his behalf at the battle
of Lewes, had the irreparable misfortune of being drowned in the act of
crossing a river; leaving behind him a young son, the fourth
Fitz-Gwarine.
Dugdale states, that it was Fitz-Gwarine the second who was drowned at
Lewes; but though, a most excellent historian, he is certainly wrong in
this particular, for the following reasons: When Fitz-Gwarine the second
was appointed Lieutenant of the Marches in the first year of Richard I.
he at least must have been of age; and from that time to the battle of
Lewes was 75 years, consequently he must have been near 100 years old; an
age, at which it is highly improbable he could have been found in the
field of battle. Besides, we are informed, that the Fulk who fell at
Lewes, left a son in his minority, which is very unlikely to have been
the case with Fulk the second at such an advanced age. Another, though
not so strong as the two preceding proofs, is the certainty of
Fitz-Gwarine the second being buried at Whittington; a circumstance that
could hardly have taken place, if Dugdale’s statement had been correct.
Though this might have happened, yet the other two are sufficient
arguments to prove that the son is the person whom that author has
mistaken for the father.
Immediately after the battle, (the events of which must be known to every
person who has read the English history) the earl of Leicester created
Peter de Montford, one of his chief accomplices, governor of Whittington
castle. Leicester also obliged the captive king to deliver Whittington
with several other bordering castles, into the hands of Llewelyn ap
Gryffydd, king of Wales, by a writ dated from Hereford, June 22, 1265.
That cruel earl likewise, in Henry’s name, gave Llewelyn the entire
sovereignity of Wales, and homage of all the barons under him. Henry,
after he regained his liberty, confirmed those grants, but for what
reason I have not been able to make apparent, unless money was his
object, as it was done in consideration of Llewelyn giving him 30,000
marks as a recompense.