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 and other judges. He was one of the commissioners appointed to treat with the guardians of Scotland in 1290, and in this capacity was present at the parliament of Brigham (, Docts. illustr. of Hist. of Scotland, i. 159, 163, 171). He was also present at Norham in 1291, and at Berwick in 1292 during the deliberations relative to the Scottish succession, and in the latter year was one of those appointed to decide on the claims of William de Ros and John de Vaux. In 1292 Lincoln was one of the sureties for Gilbert de Clare, eighth earl of Gloucester [q. v.] (Rot. Parl. i. 75–7).

In 1293 Lincoln served on an embassy to France to treat for peace. In the following year he was on his way to Gascony, but while still at Portsmouth was recalled by the outbreak of war in Wales. While proceeding to relieve his castle of Denbigh he was defeated by his own Welshmen on 11 Nov.; Lincoln himself escaped with difficulty. He remained in Wales till the spring of 1295. On 14 Jan. 1296 he sailed from Plymouth with Edmund, earl of Lancaster, on his way to Gascony. After pillaging St. Matthieu, near Cape Finisterre, they landed at Blaye in mid-Lent and marched against Bordeaux, which they besieged without success. On the death of Edmund on 5 June, Lincoln was chosen to succeed him by the voice of the whole army. He defeated Robert of Artois before Bourg-sur-Mer, and besieged Aux for seven weeks in July and August with great vigour, but was at length forced to retire to Bayonne. In February 1297 the citizens of Bellegarde, who were besieged by the French, appealed for assistance. Lincoln marched out to their aid, but was defeated and forced to retreat once more to Bayonne. However, in the summer he made a successful raid towards Toulouse, which lasted till Michaelmas. He then went back to Bayonne till after Christmas, and about Easter 1298 returned to England. On 15 May he was appointed to arrange the marriage between Edward, prince of Wales, and Isabella of France (Fœdera, i. 905). He was one of the nobles who swore on the king's behalf that he would reconfirm the charters on his return from the Scottish war. He accompanied Edward to Scotland, and was present at the battle of Falkirk on 22 July. In July 1299 he was summoned to attend the council at York to deliberate on the affairs of Scotland. In 1300 he was again in Scotland, and present at the siege of Caerlaverock in July, when he commanded the first division. On 26 Sept. 1300 he was sent with Hugh Despenser on a mission to the pope to complain of the injury done by the Scots (, pp. 195–6, 451), and was also entrusted with a mission to the king of France on 14 Oct. In March 1301 he was directed to attend the Prince of Wales in person on his invasion of Scotland at midsummer, and during September and October was engaged in Galloway (Cal. Docts. Scotl. ii. 1191, 1224, 1235, 1240). During the next two years he was constantly employed in negotiations with the French king. Finally, after proclaiming peace at Paris on 20 May 1303 (Fœdera, i. 952–5), he went to Gascony to take possession of it in Edward's name; he remained there for the following year (Chron. Edw. I and II, i. 127–9;, ii. 230). On 16 Sept. 1305 he was one of the commissioners appointed in the parliament at Westminster to arrange the affairs of Scotland, and in the same parliament was a receiver and trier of petitions from Gascony (Rolls of Parliament, i. 267, 159). On 15 Oct. he was sent on a mission to Lyons with presents for Pope Clement V (Fœdera, i. 974). He returned to London on 16 Feb. 1306, and was publicly received by the mayor (Chron. Edw. I and II, i. 143–4). Later in the year he went to Scotland with the Prince of Wales, who was ordered to act by his advice (Chron. Lanercost, p. 204). In January 1307 he was one of the commissioners appointed to hold a parliament at Carlisle (Rolls of Parl. i. 188–9). In the summer he accompanied Edward on his march to Scotland, and was present at the king's death on 7 July.

Lincoln attended Edward II into Scotland, and in the following year, 1308, was present at the coronation on 25 Feb., when he carried the sword. The monk of Malmesbury says that Lincoln gave his assent to the creation of Piers Gaveston [q. v.] as Earl of Cornwall, in August 1307, and advised Edward II that the separation of this earldom from the crown was within his power (Chron. Edw. I and II, ii. 155). The same authority says that, after the king, Lincoln was Gaveston's chief supporter, but that through the latter's ingratitude he came to be the chief of his enemies (ib. ii. 158). Lincoln's enmity to the favourite was already active in February 1308 (Chron. Lanercost, p. 211). He was, however, once more won over to Gaveston's side in July 1309, only to be speedily alienated by the nickname of ‘burst-belly’ (boele crevée), which Gaveston applied to him. As a consequence Lincoln joined with his son-in-law, Thomas of Lancaster, and other earls, in refusing to attend the council at York in October 1309 (, ii. 275). He had joined in the letter of the barons to the pope at Stamford on 6 Aug. previously. On 16 March 1310