Guillaume de Lusignan "e Valence," Lord of Pembroke

   Another name for Guillaume was William de Valence 2st Earl of Pembroke.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
William de Valence, Lord of Valence, Montignac, Bellac, Rancon, and Champagnac, 4th son of Hugh X (le Brun), Count of La Marche and (jure uxoris) of Angoulême, by Joan of Lusignan by Isabel, widow of John, King of England, and daughter and hair of Aymer, Count of Angoulême. He was born after 1225, probably at the Cistercian Abbey of Valence, near Lusignan. In 1247 William, with his brothers Guy and Avmer and sister A1ice, came to England at the invitation of their half-brother, Henry III. On 31 July the King granted him 500 marks p.a. until he should be able to give him lands of equal value, with the custody of various fiefs, and issued orders for the delivery of Goodrich Castle to William on 7 Aug an order followed for the delivery of Pembroke Catle; and on 13 Aug William married Joan de Munchensy, a coheir of the Earls of Pembroke, and was granted the Lordship of Wexford. Henry knighted him on 13 Oct., and for years continued to make him grants with lavish generosity.

On 2 Oct 1249, William was appointed joint Ambassador to France. He took the cross on 6 Mar 1250. From Oct. 1253 to Sep. 1254 he was with the King in Aquitaine. On the death of his father-in-law, Warin de Munchensy, in 1255, William was given the custody of the heir, his wife's half-brother, William de Munchensy. In the Parliment of 1257 he quarrelled with Simon de Montfort.

In 1258 William, his brothers, and his brother-in-law the Earl of Surrey were chosen by the King as 4 of his 12 representatives on the Committee of 24 appointed under the Provisions of Oxford; but they refused to swear to observe the Provisions, and fled towards the coast. They took refuge in Wolvesey Castle, Winchester, where they were besieged by the Barons and compelled to capitulate, but were allowed to leave England.

In Feb. 1259/60 William was one of Henry's representatives to negotiate a peace with the French, and he returned to England with Prince Edward about Easter 1261, when he was fully restored by the King at Rochester on 30 Apr. In 1262 he was again with the King in France and on Feb 1262/3 he was Ambassador to Louis. In 1264 he was in arms for the King, served with him at the siege of Northampton in April, and fought at Lewes on 14 May. He escaped to Pevensey, and thence to France.

In May 1265, William landed in Pembrokeshire with an armed force and joined Edward and Gloucester. He took part in the siege of Gloucester in June, the attack on Kenilworth on 1 Aug, and the battle of Evesham on Aug. In Aug 1270 he sailed for Palestine with Prince Edward. From 1273 to 3279 he constantly acted for Edward I in Aquitaine. On 12 May 1275 he was appointed Constable of Cilgerran Castle and Warden of St. Clears. Late in I 279 he was ambassador to the King of Castile. On 6 Jul 1282 he was app. Commander of the army of West Wales; and next year he forced David ap Griffith to surrender by taking his stronghold of Bere in Snowdonia. On 4 June 1285 he was appointed Guardian and Lieutenant of England during the King's absence.(e380) From Sep. to Nov. 1289 he was engaged in negotiating the Treaty of Salisbury with Scotland. In 1294 William and the Earl of Norfolk suppressed the revolt in South Wales. With his wife, William was a benefactor to Pembroke Priory,(h380) and founded a hospital at Tenby. Although sometimes styled Earl of Pembroke, he was never created Earl and was never invested with the Earldom.

William de Valence, married, 13 Aug. 1247, Joan, daughter of Warin de Munchensey, Lord of Swanscombe, by his 1^st wife, Joan, 5^th daughter and in her issue coheir of William (Marshall), 4th Earl of Pembroke. William died 18 May 1296, in England, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Joan, who retained until her death the lordship of Pembroke and Wexford, as well as Goodrich Castle, died in 1307, before 20 September.

~ Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. X, pp. 377-381

• Web Reference: William de Valence burried at Westminster Abbey. Wikipedia Entry for William de Valence

• Web Reference: Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands, Guillaume de Lesignan ""de Valence:.
The parentage of William de Lusignan "de Valence is stated by Matthew Paris, when he records his visit to England in 1247 to his uterine half-brother King Henry III with his older brother and his sister, Alice [Matthew Paris, Vol. IV, 1247, p. 627]. Seigneur de Valence, de Montignac, de Bellac, de Rancon et de Champagnac. Matthew Paris records the performance of "Willelmus frater dominus regis uterinus congonomento de Valentia" in a tournament in 1248, and in many other tournaments [Matthew Paris, Vol. V, 1248, pp. 17-18, 1249, pp. 83 and 92]. He styled himself Lord of Pembroke, but was never invested with the earldom of Pembroke [Complete Peerage X 380]. The testament of "Hugo de Lezignen comes Marchie", dated 8 Aug 1248, appoints as his heirs "Hugonem Brunum comitem Angolisme, Guidonem, Gaufridum, Willelmum de Vallencia, milites, et Ademarum, clericum, filios meos" [Notre-Dame des Châtelliers, LXXVI, p. 82].

William married Joan Munchensey, daughter of Warin Munchesey, Lord of Swanscombe and his wife Joan Marshal of Pembroke. The Chronicle of Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire names "Johannam" as the daughter of "Warino de Montecaniso" and his wife, adding that she married "domino Willihelmo de Valentia" [Dugdale Monasticon V, Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire V, In Chronicis Abbatiæ Tynterne in Wallia, p. 271]. Matthew Paris names her and her father when he records her marriage [ Matthew Paris, Vol. IV, 1247, p. 628].

The Annals of Dunstable record that "Willelmus de Walence, patruus domini regis" died in 1295 [Annales de Dunstaplia, p. 400].

Guillaume married Joan de Munchensy, daughter of Warin de Munchensy Lord of Swanscomb and Joan Marshall, on 13 Aug 1247 in England.¹⁴¹ (Joan de Munchensy was born in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales and died 1307 Before 10 Sep in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales ¹⁴¹.)