The Elland Feud
| A feud between:
the Plantagenet family of the honour of Pontefract and the Plantagenet-Warrene
family of
the manor
of Wakefield, Conisbrough and Lewes. |
Key: Red -supporter of King
Edward II and III. Green- supporters
of Thomas Earl of Lancaster.
1.A feudal state of affairs developed between Thomas "Plantagenet" and Earl Warrene who held the manor of Wakefield. This feud occurred between 1317 and 1354. Thomas was popularly
known as Thomas earl of Lancaster, he assumed the name of de Laci
when he married Alice de Laci, the heiress of Pontefract Castle.
Thomas married Alice when she was
10 years old in 1294*. Edward II made Thomas, earl of Lancaster his
chief commander during the wars with Scotland. However Edward II became
disenfranchised as a result of Thomas' popularity with the people.
Thomas argued that the population were being over-taxed and had suffered
a number of famines. Edward appeared indifferent to the peoples plight.
* Alison Weir gives her birth year
as 1281 which would make her about 13 years of age at the time of her marriage
contract in 1294.
Thomas led the barons who captured Edward II's favourite,
Piers Gaveston, at Scarborough & put Gaveston to death at Blacklow
Hill, near Warwick, thus began the Elland Feud. Some have placed
the genesis of the feud from the time when John De Warrene of Reigate
& Conisbrough, abducted Thomas' wife, although others say that
Thomas' wife was not abducted but ran away of her own free will with
an adherent of earl Warrene, the latter seems more likely as Thomas subsequently
divorced Alice:
In 1317, Thomas's wife (Alice de Laci who held the estates
of Pontefract prior to her marriage) was abducted at Canford, Dorset
by the men of John De Warrene 8th earl of Warrene Lord of
the Wakefield manor, Conisbrough and Sandal Magna castles. Alice was,
according to one record, taken forcibly to Reigate Castle in Sussex,
the Warrenes' main stronghold. This was most probably done with the
support of Edward II.
As a result, Thomas Earl Lancaster laid seige to Conisbrough
Castle.Thomas was later beheaded in 1322 at Pontefract by the king
for his rebellion at Pontefract and Boroughbridge.
2. In the subsequent siege and fighting at Conisbrough Castle [abt. 1318] Exley of Exley Hall, & Siddal in Southowram killed
the half-nephew of Sir John de Eland (The high steward to
John earl of Warrene and High Shire-Reeve of Yorkshire)
3. Exley took refuge with Sir Robert Beaumont of Crosland Hall, a kinsman after
which, Exley paid compensation to the Elland family in the form
of a parcel of land.
4. In 1341 Sir John de Eland [the
Sherriff of Yorkshire and earl Warrene's steward] with his
men then travelled to Crosland Hall, on the way killing Hugh Quarmby of Quarmby Hall andLockwood of Lockwood. He
he lay in ambush and when the drawbridge was lowered to allow a servant
girl to return home, killed Sir Robert Beaumont
[de Bellomonte] by severing his head.
They then sat down in Crosland Hall and ordered a large meal, inviting
Adam Beaumont to join them but he refused but was forced to watch anyway.
5. Following these events Lady Beaumont [Gracia
Beaumont nee Crosland], her two sons John and Adam and also the son of Lockwood, Hugh Quarmby's son and
Lacy of Cromwell Bottom moved to Burnley,
Lancashire for safety.Whilst here they honed their skills in archery
and fencing.
6.In due course [1353] Adam Beaumont and the others returned
and killed Sir John de Eland in
an ambush at Lane Head, Broadfoot, on his way to the Shire-Reeves
Tourn in Brighouse. They then repaired to Furness in Lancashire but
returned a year later.
Note: Lockwood was originally North Crosland
in D.B.
7. At Cromwell Bottom [Bothan] Wood, Adam Beaumont, Quarmby, Lockwood and Thomas de Laci
then conspired to kill John de Eland jnr.
and his son on their way to church.
They first took the miller and his wife hostage at Elland
Mill on Palm Sunday, 1354. Sir John had already been forewarned of
a possible ambush and had taken the precaution of wearing armour under
his clothing. On approaching Elland Mill the group were fired upon
with arrows, killing the sheriff of Yorkshire, Sir John and mortally
wounding his son. Another story says Sir Ellands horse reared up throwing
him off and was killed by the four accomplices, this version has Elland's
son being killed at a later time on his way to church with his family
Quarmby and Lockwood were
chased and slain, Lockwood having been
betrayed by his sweetheart at Cawthorne. She was the daughter of
the tenant of Cannon Hall, Cawthorne. The tenant came to hear of
Lockwood's involvement and sent word to the owner, Bosville, of Cannon
Hall, and Bosville sent men to Cannon Hall who then hanged Lockwood.
Adam Beaumont died, later fighting
against the Turks in Hungary with the Knights of Rhodes9.
The Lacys' (de Lacis') faded temporarily
in the north.
8. The Elands
became extinct, their relatives, the Saviles
succeeded to the Elland Estates when Sir John Savile married Isobel
de Eland. They continued to live at New Hall [rebuilt in 1400's]*
The Saviles already owned the manor
of Thornhill and estates since Edward III's time, their original seat
and estates being at Dodworth, near Barnsley.
9. John de Falconberg/Fauconberg succeeded John de Elland
as Shire-Reeve (Viscount) of Yorkshire in 1342.
|
Supporters of Edward II & III |
Supporters of Thomas Earl of Lancaster. |
1.Earl Warrene (House of
Warrene)*
2. Sir John de Eland (snr.)
3. Sir John de Eland's nephew
4. John de Eland (jnr.) and
son.
5.Saviles |
1.Thomas Plantagenet Earl
of Lancaster (House of Lancaster)
2. Robert and Lady
Beaumont of Crosland Hall and two sons
3. Quarmby of Quarmby Hall
and son.
4. Lockwood of Lockwood and
son.
5. Lacy of Cromwell Bottom. |
* Warrene returned to supporting Edward II after the
death of Gaveston.
These events are said to have given rise to a popular local drama called
"Revenge upon Revenge", the last scene of which, in manuscript form
was reported by Joseph Hunter to be kept at Cannon Hall, Cawthorne
at that time (1831). Watson provides us with a poem of 124 verses, written
anonymously which describes the feud and Sir John de Elland:
Quarmby, anciently the seat of a family of that
name. In the reign of King Edward III. 1341, Sir John Elland,
being High-Sheriff of Yorkshire, a quarrel took place between him
and three neighbouring gentlemen: John de Lockwood, Sir Robert
de Beaumont, and Sir Hugh Quarmby; what occasioned the dispute does
not appear, but it arose to such a dreadful height, as to cause the
death of all the three, who were murdered in one night, by the Sheriff
and his men; a circumstance that strongly marks the ferocious manners
of the times. --Watson [also in Hunter's South Yorkshire8].
The fate of Sir Hugh Quarmby and Sir Robert de Bellomonte
is thus related by a poet of those days :-
"He raisd the country round about,
His friends and tenants all,
And for his purpose picked out
Stout sturdy men, and tall:
To Quarmby-Hall they came by night,
And there the Lord they slew;
At that time Hugh of Quarmby hight,
Before the country knew."
[There are 122 other verses]
-From The Yorkshire
Dictionary
To Lockwood then the self same night
They came, and there they slew
Lockwood of Lockwood , that wiley wight,
That stirred the strife anew.
When they had slain thus suddenly
To Sir Robert's aide,
To Crossland they came craftily
Of nought they were afraid.
The lady cry'd, and shreik'd withal,
Her dearest knight into the hall
And there cut off his head5.
|
The single vese found in the Rev. T.D. Whitaker's Loidis & Elmete6
is dated the 24th year of Edward III's reign i.e.1351 but some think this
is an error and should be 1341.7
* New Hall was purchased and restored in 1943 &
resold in 1971.
Joyce Moore
is descended from the Ellands, the Lacys of Cromwellbottom, Isabel
De Lacy and Thomas, her husband, etc. All but one person is her ancestor.
Joyce says reading about this, as a descendent, it sounds like a comedy
that was written for the stage!
Janis Comstock-Jones is tracing
the Lockwoods of Lockwood. The name Lockwood does not occur in the Domesday
Book which was then called 'Crosland' [North]. It is speculated that Lockwood
gained its name when the family name was applied to the vill to differentiate
it from South Crosland.
Sources/References:
1. Midgley J.F. Midgleyana.
Litho Press, Cape Town, 1968.
2. Pratt C. T. The History
of Cawthorne, Barnsley 1881.
3. Hunter, Joseph South Yorkshire : History of
the Deanery of Doncaster vol II, 1831.
4. The
Yorkshire Dictionary, Thomas Langdale, 1822.
5. Whitaker, T. D., Loidis and Elmete
[123 verses]
6. Turner, J. H. The Eland Tragedies [one
verse]
7. Yorkshire Archaeological Journal XI
8. Hunter, J. South Yorkshire Vol II p. 231.
9. Watson, John. History of Halifax.
10. The Eland Murders, 1350-1. A Study of the Legend
of the Eland Feud. Yorks,. Arch. Soc. Journ. Vol 51, pp61-79
11. Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families
: The Complete Genealogy. Random House. 2002
12. Guidebook : Welcome to Cannon Hall Museum, a pamphlet
by the Friends of Cannon Hall Museum
13. Midgley, Samuel. The
History of the Town and Parish of Halifax.1789.
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© Copyright 2000. Tim Midgley 2000, revised 5th December
2009.