Sir Ralph de Mortimer [b], Lord of Wigmore, b abt 1065, of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England. He md Melisende/Millicent abt 1085. She was b abt 1070.
Children of Ralph de Mortimer and Melisende/Millicent were:

• Hawise de Mortimer b abt 1093, of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 1189. She md Stephen of Aumale, Count of Aumale, Earl of Holderness, abt 1104, son of Eudes of Champagne, Count of Champagne and Aumale, Earl of Holderness, and Adelaide.
• Sir Hugh de Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore, b abt 1098.

Sir Hugh de Mortimer [d], Lord of Wigmore, b abt 1124, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 1180/81. He md Maud le Meschin abt 1150, daughter of Sir William le Meschin, Lord of Skipton-in-Craven, and Cecily de Rumilly.
Children of Hugh de Mortimer and Maud le Meschin were:

• Hugh de Mortimer b abt 1152.
• Sir Roger de Mortimer b abt 1158.

• Ralph de Mortimer b 1190.
• Joane de Mortimer b abt 1192, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 1268. She md Walcheline de Beauchamp 1212, son of Sir Walter de Beauchamp, Lord Beauchamp, and Bertha de Braose.

• Sir Roger de Mortimer b abt 1231. See LINE A
• Hugh de Mortimer b abt 1238. See LINE B

• Isabella de Mortimer b abt 1248, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 1 Apr 1292. She md Sir John Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, 1260, son of Sir John Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, and Maud le Boteler.
• Sir Edmund de Mortimer, 7th Baron Mortimer, b 1261.

• Sir Roger de Mortimer b 25 Apr 1287.
• Maud de Mortimer b abt 1290, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 18 Sep 1312, Alton, Staffordshire, England. She md Sir Theobald de Verdun, Lord Verdun, Justiciar of Ireland, Knight, 29 Jul 1302, son of Sir Theobald de Verdun, Lord Verdun, Constable of Ireland, and Margery de Bohun.
  

• Sir Edmund de Mortimer, Earl March, Knight, b abt 1307.
• Margaret de Mortimer b abt 1310, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d 5 May 1337; md Sir Thomas de Berkeley, Jul 1320.
• Maud de Mortimer b abt 1311, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d aft Aug 1345; md Sir John de Cherleton bef 13 Apr 1329.
• Joan de Mortimer b 1314, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d aft 1337. She md James de Audley bef 13 Jun 1330, son of Nicholas de Audley, and Joane Martin.
• Catherine de Mortimer b 14 Feb 1313/14, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, d abt Oct 1369. She md Sir Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, 1337, Warwickshire, England, son of Sir Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and Alice de Toeni.

Sir Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March, b 11 Nov 1328, Ludlow, Shropshire, England, d 26 Feb 1359/60. He md Philippa de Montagu abt 1345, daughter of Sir William de Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, and Katherine de Grandison.
Child of Roger de Mortimer and Philippa de Montagu was:

Elizabeth de Mortimer b abt 1372, d aft 8 Oct 1407. She md Sir Henry de Percy, "Hotspur", Earl of Northumberland, Knight of the Garter, bef 10 Dec 1379, son of Sir Henry de Percy, Knight of the Garter, and Margaret de Neville.

Isolde de Mortimer [j] b abt 1269, of Shropshire, England, d aft 1336. She md Hugh de Audley abt 1286, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England, son of James de Audley, Justiciar of Ireland, and Ela Longespee.

NOTES:
a. He was one of the leaders of the Norman forces at the battle of Mortemer in 1054, but having given assistance in the escape one of the French prisoners, Ralph, Count of Montdidier, he was exiled and his lands confiscated. He was later reconciled with Duke William who restored some of his lands,though not Mortemer; thereupon Saint-Victor-en-Caux became the caput of the Norman honour of this family. He is said to have founded the abbey there. He was still living in 1078 or later, but was deceased in 1086. His wife Hawise, who is not further identified in Complete Peerage, appears to have survived him.

b. He succeeded his father before 1086, when he appears in Domesday Book as a tenant-in-chief in twelve counties, the majority of his holdings being in Herefordshire and Shropshire (Wigmore in the latter county being the caput of the honour). He attested a notification of William I between 1078 and 1087. In 1088, he, with Bernard de Neufmarche and roger de Lacy, at the head of a large body of English, Norman and Welsh fighting men, attacked Worcester, with the intention of burning the town and pillaging the church. But they were defeated by the Bishop's men. In 1089, he sided with William Rufus against Robert Curthose, but between 1091 and 1095, he is found witnessing with Duke Robert a charter for Jumieges. In 1104, he was an adherant of Henry I against Duke Robert, the last mention of him in the records. His date of death is not known. He married firstly, Melisande, who was dead before 30 Mar 1088, when she is mentioned in a charter as deceased. Ralph secondly married Mabel.

c. He attested a charter by Gerold, Abbot of St. Lucien at Beauvais in the time of Stephen, Count of Aumale, and in 1144 he initiated the reconquest of the Marches after the revolt of the Welsh on the death of Henry I, by successfully reoccupying the cantreds of Maelienydd and Elfael. In 1145 he captured and imprisoned the Welsh prince Rhys ap Howel (and in 1148 blinded him), and in the following year he slew Meredith, son of Madog ap Idnerth, late chieftain of Elfael and Maelienydd. The name of his wife is not known, and he appears to have died about 1148-50.

d. He succeeded his brother, Roger, who died s.p. in 1153. In succeeding to the throne in Dec 1154, Henry II required Bridgnorth Castle, which had been in the hands of Hugh de Mortimer for many years, and he refused to surrender it. Whereupon the King in person went first to Cleobury, which he took and destroyed, and then to Bridgnorth, which he took after several days of assault, on 7 Jul 1155. He figures in the returns of knights' fees in Normandy of 1172 as owing service of 5 knights and holding himself 13 1/2 knights' fees. He completed the foundation of Wigmore Abbey before his death, and was also a benefactor to the Templars in Lincolnshire. He married Maud, widow of Philip de Belmeis, and daughter, and after the death of her brother, coheir, of William le Meschin, of Skipton-in-Craven, by Cecily, daughter and heir of Robert de Romilly. He died between Michaelmas 1180 and 1181. His widow was still living in the time of Richard I's reign.

e. Eldest surviving son and heir (brother Hugh having died s.p. and v.p.), he was a benefactor of Gloucester Abbey, Jumieges, and other religious houses. Between 1182 and 1189, he attested at Rouen a charter of Henry II to the monks at Barbery. In 1191, due to a charge of conspiring with the Welsh against the King, he was forced to surrender his castles and to abjure the country for three years. In 1195 he drove the sons of Cadwallon out of Maelienydd, but the following year Rhys, Prince of South Wales, defeated a force lead by Mortimer and Hugh de Say with much slaughter near Radnor. In Apr 1202, he witnessed a charter of the King at Montfort-sur-Risle and appears to have been with King John at Bonport the following Jul. Upon the loss of Normandy in 1204, Roger adhered to King John and thus forfeited his Norman lands. In 1205, he landed at Dieppe and was captured by John de Rouvray whereupon he was compelled to pay a ransom of 1,000 marks. He was back in England in 1207 when his wife, Isabel, had a grant of Oakham for life. In 1212 he paid 3,000 marks for the marriage of the heir of Walter de Beauchamp, to whom he married his daughter Joan. He married Isabel, daughter of Walkelin de Ferrieres, seigneur of Ferrieres-Saint-Hilaire and Lord of Oakham. He died before 19 Aug 1214, having with the King's permission, resigned his lands to his son Hugh, when he was taken ill. Widow Isabel married secondly, Piers Fitz Herbert of Blaen Llyfni, who predeceased her. In addition to the two sons who succeeded him, Roger and Isabel had two additional sons, Robert and Philip. Isabel died before 29 Apr 1252.

f. He was one of a deputation in 1216 sent by King John to William de Briwere, after his forced adherence to the Barons during their occupation of London, to arrange for his return to the King's service, and in Sep 1217 he witnessed, at Lambeth, the articles drawn up between Henry III and Louis of France. In Nov 1227, he gave relief for the lands of his brother, Hugh, and the King took his homage. In 1231 he was made custodian of Clun Castle and honour during pleasure, and in 1233, with the other Lords Marchers, he exchanged hostages with the King, and he was present on 28 Jan 1235/36 at the confirmation of Magna Carta at Westminster. In Jun 1242, he was summoned to come to the King's aid in Gascony. He married, in 1230, Gladys (Gladusa) Duy, or dark-eyed, daughter of Prince Llewelyn ap Iorwerth by his second wife, Joan, illegitimate daughter of King John, and widow of Reynold de Braose.

g. A minor at his father's death, ge had livery of his inheritance 26 Feb 1246/47, and was made a knight at Whitsuntide 1253, by the King at Westminster. He served in Gascony in 1253 and 1254, and from 1255 to 1264 was chiefly occupied with his duties on the March in opposition to his cousin, Llewelyn ap Griffith. He initially took the side of the Barons during their disputes with the King in 1258, and in 1259 was sworn of the King's Council. He was one of the armed nobles with the King in Dec 1263, when Henry demanded but was refused entry to Dover Castle. He was with the King at the taking of Northampton in Apr 1264, and also in May was with the King at Lewes, but fled from the field to Pevensey, but was later allowed to return to England, giving hostages that they would come to Parliament, when summoned, and stand trial by their peers. Mortimer and the other Lords Marchers did not attend Montfort's "Parliament", but were constrained to make peace with him in Aug 1264, and in Sep, Mortimer, as constable of Cardigan, was ordered to give the castle to Guy de Brien, Montfort's nominee. The Marchers again broke the truce, but before Christmas, Montfort and Llewelyn reduced them to submission. In Jun 1265, he was among the "rebels holding certain towns and castles throughout the land, and raising new wars". Later that month, he contrived the plan for Edward's escape from Hereford Castle, upon which he came to Wigmore, and Mortimer and Roger de Clifford rode out to meet him and drove off his pursuers. On 4 Aug 1265, Mortimer commanded the rear guard at Evesham, and after Montfort's death his head was sent to Mortimer's wife at Wigmore. Mortimer was liberally rewarded, receiving among other grants, the county and honour of Oxford, along with the lands forfeited by Robert de Vere. He was sheriff of Hereford from Easter 1266 to Michaelmas 1267, and on 4 May 1266, he, with Edmund the King's son, and others, was given power to repress the King's enemies, but on 15 May he was heavily defeated by the Welsh at Brecknock, barely escaping. He took part in the siege of Kenilworth in Jun 1266. In Dec 1272 he put down a threatened uprising in the North, and in 1274 and 1275 sat as a Justice of Chester. He was one of the magnates at Westminster who gave judgment against Llewelyn on 12 Nov 1276, and several days after was appointed "captain" of Salop, Stafford, and Hereford, and also of the Marches against the Welsh prince, where, for two years, he served as military commander of expeditions into Wales, which provided for the conduct of the war and the widening of the roads and passes through the woods to enable English troops to penetrate the fastness of the country. He died shortly before 30 Oct 1282, being aged about 50. His widow died shortly before 23 Mar 1300/01.

h. Aged 30 and more in 1282, he had been bred for the church. On 8 Aug 1282, while his father was still living, he received custody of the castle and hundred of Oswestry, and had livery of his inheritance 24 Nov 1282. He was summoned to perform military service against the Welsh in 1283, and in Jun 1287 was a commissioner of array in Salop and Staffordshire. In Jul 1287 he was ordered to be intendant on the Earl of Gloucester, and captain of the expedition into Brecknock, and in Nov ordered to reside in his lordship until the rebellion of Rhys ap Meredith should be put down. He was summoned to Parliament from 24 Jun 1295 to 2 Jun 1302, whereby he became Lord Mortimer. On the outbreak of war he was commissioner in his own lands in the March to seize the property of the alien religious. On 7 Jul of that year he was summoned for service beyond seas, and for military service against the Scots later in that year. He married, circa 1285, Margaret, daughter of Sir William de Fiennes, by Blanche de Brienne. After Edmund's death in 1304, the castle of Radnor was restored to his widow Margaret (after seizure upon her son's forfeiture), but her presence in those parts was evidently too great an encouragement to the contrariants to suffer, and she was therefore lodged in various places (Hants, Skipton-in-Craven, Pontefract Castle, and Elstowe nunnery) by order of the King. Her lands, which had been seized by order of the King in 1322, were restored to her in 1328.

i. At the outset of his career, he became, by the inheritance from his father, and in consequence of his marriage, a great magnate in both Wales in Ireland, being also bestowed with many important offices. Initially, in the dispute between the King and the Depsensers versus the Earl of Lancaster, he appears to have attempted to take a middle course. In 1320, in a private war between the Earl of Hereford and Despenser regarding Gower, he and his uncle, Roger Mortimer of Chirk took sides with the former. The following year, when the King summoned Mortimer and the Earl of Hereford to attend him, they refused because the younger Despenser was in the King's train. The King later yielded and banished the Despensers. When the King's forces besieged the castle of Leeds in Kent, which had refused admission to the Queen, the Earl of Hereford and Mortimer came near to Kingston, but did little to relieve the situation. After taking the castle, the King's forces went in pursuit of the Earl and Mortimer. Having been unable to solicit aid from the Earl of Lancaster, both surrendered to the King at Shrewsbury 22 Jan 1321/22, and were sent to the Tower. When the Earl of Lancaster was overthrown at Boroughbridge 22 Mar 1321/22, the Despensers returned to power, and the Mortimers were tried and condemned to death in July. But on 1 Aug 1324, Roger escaped the Tower, and went to France, where he was welcomed by Charles IV, and became adviser and lover to his sister, Queen Isabella. On 24 Sep 1326, the Queen, with Mortimer, John of Hainault and their forces, landed near Ipswich, and were joined by Henry, Earl of Lancaster and other opponents of the Despensers. When the King fled to the Despensers in Wales, Mortimer followed him, and on 26 Oct captured the elder Despenser at Bristol, who was duly tried, condemned and hanged. On 16 Nov, both the King and the younger Despenser were captured, the latter eventually suffering the same fate. After Parliament deposed Edward II and made his son King, Mortimer was restored all of his lands and given a full pardon. In 1728, he was created Earl of March. While holding no office in the government, he obtained posts in it for his friends, and had secured for himself a flood of lucrative grants which enabled him to make a display of great magnificence while exercising the almost regal power he had acquired through Queen Isabel. This self-aggrandisement led to increasing discontent with his rivals, the first being Henry, Earl of Lancaster, who had been appointed guardian of the young King upon his succession, and whom had been gradually ousted by Mortimer from the control of his young charge. When Lancaster began forming opposition to Mortimer, Mortimer overran Lancaster's lands and seized Leicester 4 Jan 1328/29. When Lancaster's adherents deserted him, he was forced to make terms with his enemy, and this success secured Mortimer's ascendancy for the time being. There followed more lucrative grants: reversion of the castles of Builth and Montgomery, the hundred of Chirbury (on the death of Queen Isabel), custody of the lands and marriage of Richard Fitz Gerald, Earl of Kildare, the town of Droitwich, the castle of Athlone, palatine rights in Meath (Trim) and Uriel (Louth), custody of the town and castle of Bristol, and others. Early in 1330, he had involved Edmund, Earl of Kent, uncle of the King, in a plot to restore Edward II, Edmund having been persuaded that his half-brother still lived. The resulting trial for treason, the condemnation and execution of Edmund on 19 Mar 1329/30, while a success for Mortimer, soon reacted against him. Edward III, who had long chafed against the restraints imposed on his freedom and at Mortimer's influence on his mother, was roused at last and himself headed a conspiracy to get rid of the tyrant. On the evening of Oct 18, the conspirators broke into Mortimer's castle, where he was overpowered and arrested. On 28 October, Edward took the government into his own hands and in the Parliament which met in London on 26 Nov, Mortimer was impeached, found guilty, and condemned to be executed. Three days later he was hanged at the Elms, Tyburn.

j. A post by Douglas Richardson on SGM states his doubt that Isolde de Mortimer (wife of James de Audley) was the dau of Sir Edmund de Mortimer; there is evidently only one source for this claim, which are unpublished manuscripts at the British Library, as well as an obvious chronology problem for Isolde as daughter of Sir Edmund. He cites a biography of Sir James de Audley, son of Sir James de Audley and Isolde de Mortimer, in which is stated that upon being severely wounded at Poitiers, he (Sir James de Audley) sent for several of his kinsmen (his brother Sir Peter de Audley, Sir Bartholomew de Burghersh, Sir Stephen Cosington, the Lord Willoughby, and Sir Ralph de Ferrers) whom he stated were all "of his blood and lineage". Tracing back four of these five individuals, it becomes apparent that one thing they have in common is a connection to William de Ferrers, yet there is no such connection for Sir James de Audley. Whereupon, Mr. Richardson noted that Edmund de Mortimer had an uncle, Hugh de Mortimer who married Agatha de Ferrers, and this would (1) substantiate the blood connection claim, and (2) solve the chronology problem. Thus, it would appear that Isolde de Mortimer was the daughter of Hugh de Mortimer ("youngest son of Ralph de Mortimer by his Gladys, his wife"), and Agatha de Ferrers, 6th daughter of Sir William de Ferrers and his first wife, Sibyl Marshal.

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SOURCES:
CP: Vol VIII[433-442], Vol IX[266-283]; AR: Line 27[28-32], Line 28[29-30], Line 70[32], Line 120[32-34], Line 132C[27-29]; SGM: Douglas Richardson

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