Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester

Arms of De Quincy: Gules, seven mascles or 3,3,1

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester (c.1195 – 25 April 1264^[1][2]), Hereditary Constable of Scotland, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman prominent in England and Scotland.

Origins

He was the second son and eventual heir of Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester by his wife Margaret de Beaumont (d.1235). He bore arms different from his father's.

Career

He probably joined his father on the Fifth Crusade in 1219, where the elder de Quincy fell sick and died. His elder brother having died a few years earlier, Roger thus inherited his father's titles and estates, which latter he did not take possession of until February 1221, probably due to his absence on crusade. He did not formally become earl until after the death of his mother in 1235. Having inherited by his first mariage the office of Hereditary Constable of Scotland and one-third of the lordship of Galloway, Roger ruled his portion of Galloway strictly. The Galwegians rebelled under Gille Ruadh, not wanting their land divided, but the rebellion was suppressed by King Alexander II of Scotland. The Galwegians revolted again in 1247, forcing Roger to take refuge in a castle. Faced with a siege and little chance of relief, Roger and a few men fought their way out and rode off to seek help from Alexander, who raised forces to suppress the rebellion. In the following years Roger was one of the leaders of the baronial opposition to King Henry III of England, although he fought for Henry against the Welsh in the 1250s and 1260s.

Marriages & progeny

Roger married thrice but produced no male progeny:

• Firstly to Helen of Galloway (c.1208-1245), eldest of the three daughters and co-heiress of Alan, Lord of Galloway. Helen's share of her paternal inheritance, which passed to her husband, was the office of Hereditary Constable of Scotland and one-third of the lordship of Galloway. The peerage title of Lord of Galloway went however through Helen's half-sister Devorguilla to her husband John Balliol, with part of the de Morville lands in Lauderdale.^[3] Roger's marriage to Helen of Galloway produced no son and heir, only three daughters and co-heiresses as follows:
  • Helen de Quincy, who married Alan la Zouche, Lord Zouche of Ashby;
  • Elizabeth de Quincy (or Isabel), who married Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan.
  • Margaret de Quincy (or Margery), who married William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby and was thus stepmother to her own stepmother.
• Secondly in about 1250 he married Maud de Bohun (d.1252), daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, who died two years later. Without progeny.
• Thirdly in 1252 he married Eleanor de Ferrers, daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. Without progeny.

Death & succession

He died without male progeny and therefore the earldom of Winchester became extinct. His estates were divided between his three daughters and co-heiresses.

References

•  William Hunt (1896). "Quincy, Saer de". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography 47. London: Smith, Elder & Co. (Roger de Quincy is a subarticle in his father's article.)
• Grant G. Simpson, “An Anglo-Scottish Baron of the Thirteenth century: the Acts of Roger de Quincy Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland” (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Edinburgh 1963).

Notes

1.  William Hunt (1896). "Quincy, Saer de". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography 47. London: Smith, Elder & Co. His dates are given as 1195?-1265 at the beginning of the subarticle, but his death date is given as 25 April 1264 near the bottom of the page.
2. Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families, "ROGER de Quincy (-25 Apr 1264, bur [Brackley])"
3. Stewart, John, LL.D., & Burnett, George, Lord Lyon, editors, "The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland", vol.1, 1264-1359, Edinburgh, 1878, pps:33 & 45.