William (Vesci) de Vescy (abt. 1125 - bef. 1183)

Born about 1125 in Yorkshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before Sep 1183 before about age 58 in Alnwick, Northumberland, England

Biography

"Since most of his possessions descended to him from his mother, he adopted her name of Vescy, by which he and his successors were known. He was Sheriff of Northumberland, 1157-70, and of the Honor of Lancaster, 1166-70. At the Inquest of 1166 his carta showed that his tenants held of him 26 knights' fees, plus one third and one seventh of a fee.

"Like his father, William continued to be controversial in his loyalties to the King. Alnwick was continually involved in disputes and successfully fought off raids from the Scottish King William the Lion in 1172 and again in 1174. When William the Lion invaded Northern England in 1174, he laid siege to de Vescy's own castle of Alnwick. William the Lion kept 500 men with him at Alnwick while the rest of his men set off into the countryside where they massacred 300 people who had taken refuge in a church in Warkworth. An English force from Newcastle discovered William the Lion's campsite outside of Alnwick and under the cover of a thick morning fog took the Scottish King, in a surprise attack, prisoner. A stone close 1/2 mile from the castle marks the site where William the Lion was captured.

"On 16 March 1176/7, when Henry II arbitrated between the Kings of Castile and Navarre, he was among the witnesses of the award. He was a benefactor of many religious houses.

"He married, before 1169-71, Burga, daughter of Robert DE STUTEVILLE, by his wife Helewise. Having taken the habit of a monk at Alnwick Abbey, he died shortly before Michaelmas 1183 and was buried near the door of the Chapter House there. His widow, who was living in 1185, was buried with him." [Complete Peerage XII/2:274-5, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

Marriage

m. before 1169-71, Burga de Stuteville (living 1885).^[1] Issue:

• Sibyl Cecilia^[2]

Timeline

1157-70: Sheriff of Northumberland

1166-70: Honor of Lancaster

1166: Inquest - carta showed his tenants held of him 26 knights' fees, plus one third and one seventh of a fee.

1174: When William the Lion invaded Northern England and laid siege to de Vescy's own castle of Alnwick, he was one of those who, after a forced march, raised the siege, 13 July, and took the Scottish King prisoner.

16 Mar 1176/7: when Henry II arbitrated between Kings of Castile and Navarre, he was among the witnesses of the award.

Died ante Michaelmas 1183^[3]

Buried Alnwick Abbey^[4]

Religion

• monk at Alnwick Abbey
• benefactor of _____ ? religious houses.

Sources

1. ↑ bur. Alnwick Abbey. p. Robert de STUTEVILLE and Helewise (Complete Peerage, n.d.).
2. ↑ Cawley, C. (2006) Medieval Lands v.3. fmg.ac. Note: Cawley calls daughter Sibyl Cecilia and doesn't show any daughter Agnes.
3. ↑ Complete Peerage, n.d.
4. ↑ near door of Chapter House (Complete Peerage, n.d.)

• Burke, B. (1866). A Genealogical History of the Dormant: Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire Harrison, (pp.15). Google eBook.

• [Complete Peerage XII/2:274-5, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

• Phillips, Weber, Kirk and Staggs Families of the Pacific Northwest, by Jim Weber, rootsweb.com

• Wikipedia: William de Vesci

• Weis, F. (2004). Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists who Came to America Before 1700. Genealogical Publishing Co. Google Books. [1]