Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 39.djvu/139

 bury Annals, p. 179): yet he hesitated not to provoke still further the wrath of Leicester by receiving a royal grant of three marcher townships which belonged to the earl (Dunstaple Ann. in ''Ann. Man.'' iii. 226).

Mortimer was a party to the agreement to submit the disputes of king and baron to the arbitration of St. Louis. But when Leicester repudiated St. Louis's decision, Mortimer took a most active part in sustaining the king's side. He was specially opposed by two of Leicester's sons, Henry and Simon de Montfort (ib. p. 227). But while Henry was entangled in an attack on Edward at Gloucester, Mortimer with his wild band of marauders pursued Simon to the midlands, where Mortimer took a leading part in the capture of Northampton on 5-6 April (, Chron. p. 21, Rolls Ser.; cf., Collectanea, i. 174). At Lewes, Mortimer, with his marcher followers, succeeded in escaping the worst consequences of the defeat. They retired to Pevensey, and, on Edward and Henry of Almaine being surrendered as hostages for their good behaviour, they were allowed to march back in arms to the west (Dunstaple Ann. pp. 232-4). On reaching his own district Mortimer at once prepared for further resistance. But Llywelyn was now omnipotent in Wales, and the marchers could expect little help from England. Accordingly, in August they again entered into negotiations with the triumphant Montfort party and surrendered hostages (Hot. Pat. in, Simon de Montfort, p. 220). But in the autumn Mortimer refused to attend Montfort's council at Oxford, and he and the marchers again took arms. Montfort summoned the whole military force of England to assemble at Michaelmas at Northampton in order to complete their destruction. In the early winter Mortimer felt the full force of the assault. Leicester, taking the king with him, marched to the west, united with Llywelyn, ravaged Mortimer's estates, and penetrated as far as Montgomery (, De Hello, pp. 35-40). So hard pressed were the marchers that they were forced to sue for peace, which they only obtained on the hard condition that those of their leaders who, like Mortimer, had abandoned the baronial for the royal side should be exiled (ib. p. 41; cf. Ann. Londin. in, Chron. Edward I and II). Mortimer was to betake himself to Ireland.

The hard terms of surrender were never carried out. The baronial party was now breaking up. and the quarrel between Leicester and Gilbert of Clare, eighth earl of Gloucester [q. v.], gave another chance to the lords of the Welsh marches. At first Gloucester contented himself with persuading Mortimer not to go into exile, but Gloucester soon retired to the west, where he concluded a fresh confederacy with Mortimer and his party and prepared again for war. Montfort was forced to follow him, and for security brought with him the captive Edward. On 28 May 1265 Edward escaped from his captors near Hereford. The plan of escape had been prepared by Mortimer, who provided the swift horse on which Edward rode away (, i. 320-1, Eng. Hist. Soc.), and who waited with a little army of followers to receive Edward in Tillington Park. Mortimer conducted Edward to Wigmore, where he entertained him (Flor. Hist. iii. 2). It was largely through Mortimer's influence that the close alliance between Edward and Gloucester was made at Ludlow. Civil war rapidly followed. Mortimer took a part only less conspicuous than those of Edward and Gloucester in the campaign that terminated at Evesham (4 Aug.), where he commanded the rear-guard of the royalist forces (, i. 323). The wild ferocity of the marchers was conspicuous in the shameful mutilation inflicted on Montfort's body, and in sending the head of the great earl as a present to Mortimer's wife at Wigmore (, De Bello, p. 46; Liber de Antiquis Leffibus, ip. 76; ). Mortimer's share in the struggle was by no means ended at Evesham. Llywelyn was still very formidable, and in a battle fought on 15 May 1266 at Brecon Mortimer's force was annihilated, he alone escaping from the field (Waverley Ann. in Ann. Mon. ii. 370). But a little later in the year Mortimer took a conspicuous part in the siege of Kenilworth, commanding one of the three divisions into which the king's army was divided (Dunstaple Ann. p. 242). He now received abundant rewards for his valour. He had the custody of Hereford Castle and the sheriffdom of Herefordshire. He was made lord of Kerry and Cydowain. His chief Shropshire estate of Cleobury received franchises, which made it an independent and autonomous liberty of the marcher type (, Shropshire, iii. 40, iv. 221-2). But his greed was insatiable. The Shropshire towns began to complain of the aggressions of his court at Cleobury. Moreover, he urged that the hardest conditions should be imposed on the 'Disinherited,' and sought to upset the Kenilworth compromise, fearing that any general measure of pardon might jeopardise his newly won estates. This attitude led to a violent quarrel with Gilbert of Gloucester, who in 1267 strongly took up the cause of the 'Disinherited' (,