William Brewer

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William Brewer (also William de Briwerre ) (* around 1145; † November 24, 1226 ) was an English nobleman, civil servant and judge. He is considered a prime example of a civil servant who loyal to the four Angevin kings Heinrich II. , Richard the Lionheart , Johann Ohneland and Heinrich III. served. From a relatively low background, his skills, hard work and the unscrupulous exploitation of royal favor made him one of the closest advisers to kings and a powerful baron.

origin

William Brewer was a son of Henry Brewer who served as a royal forester in Bere , Hampshire . The Brewer family probably came from Hampshire, as William's grandfather, who was also called William Brewer, owned land near Winchester . To this end he founded the nunnery of Polsloe Priory in Devon .

Promotion and service as a royal official

Brewer became the forester of Bere to succeed his father. Before 1179 he was also sheriff of Devon. In 1185 the king handed over the administration of the Barony of Brampton to him after its baron Fulk Paynel († 1208) fled England. Brewer later managed to marry his daughter Alice to Fulk Paynel's son and heir William Paynel. Around 1185 Brewer was also the overseer of the tin mines in Cornwall . Under Richard the Lionheart Brewer rose from local officials to officials at the royal court, which he owed primarily to his acquaintance with other officials who rose in the service of the king. At the royal court, Brewer served in the treasury, which is why he was in Worms on June 29, 1193 , where the amount of the ransom for the captured king was negotiated. In addition to his duties in the treasury, Brewer served under Richard the Lionheart and Johann Ohneland as a judge, including the King's Bench and as sheriff of numerous counties . At times he served as sheriff of several counties at once, which he apparently administered effectively. It is true that the representations of Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset turned to King John, whom they no longer wanted Brewer as sheriff. In 1209 Brewer negotiated unsuccessfully in Dover with the papal envoys to repeal the interdict the Pope had imposed on England in 1208. The king's confidence in Brewer was evident when Brewer was hired to oversee eight episcopal elections after the interdict was repealed in 1214. Even during the minority of Johann's son and successor Heinrich III. Brewer was a senior officer in the Treasury. It is thanks to him that the royal finances, which had broken down after the First War of the Barons, were restored. Brewer was now one of the leading advisers to the regent William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke . After the resignation of the aged marshal on April 9, 1219, he continued to support the three leading ministers Hubert de Burgh , Peter des Roches and the papal legate Pandulf . When tensions increased between these ministers, Brewer supported Justiciar Hubert de Burgh.

Increase in power and enrichment

Brewer benefited enormously from his offices. King John in particular rewarded his important officials amply, and setbacks such as 1209, when Brewer had to resign most of his sheriff offices, did not lead to the end of his career. 1203 Brewer received estates in Cornwall, 1204 other estates in Derbyshire and Buckinghamshire . In addition, the king granted market rights or borough status to numerous places in his possession , and he was also given guardianship of underage heirs and the management of royal castles. At his death, Brewer is said to have owned property with around 60 Knight's fees . The main focus of his goods was in south west England with the center in Bridgwater in Somerset. He received this as a gift from Fulk Paynel in 1199 after he had successfully campaigned for his pardon by the king. Numerous other barons also bribed him with money and gifts when he stood up for the king in their favor. William Ferrers gave him the estate of Blisworth in Northamptonshire and Henry de la Pomeroy , Lord of Berry Pomeroy gave him the estate of Bradworthy in Devon, so that Brewer might be suitable for him. King John allowed Brewer to build a castle in Bridgwater , and Brewer was also allowed to fortify his estate in Ashley in Devon and another estate in Hampshire.

Brewer tried to form his own barony out of these goods. Reviled by the king's opponents as his bad advisor , he unscrupulously pushed through his interests. He ignored the inheritance rights of minors, intimidated or blackmailed his opponents. As a favorite of the king, who tolerated Brewer's actions, he was accordingly an opponent of the aristocratic opposition and also stood on the side of the king during the war of the barons. In 1223 he tried to confirm the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forests by Henry III. to prevent by stating that the acceptance of the Magna Carta had been forcibly wrested from King John.

Religious foundations

Because of his wealth, Brewer was able to make generous donations to the Church. In doing so, he usually far exceeded his noble neighbors in terms of the amount of his donations. His foundations included three religious branches: in 1196 he founded the Premonstratensian branch of Torre in Devon, in 1201 he founded an Augustinian branch in Mottisfont in Hampshire and in 1201 the Cistercian Abbey of Dunkeswell in Devon. He established a hospital at his headquarters in Bridgwater, Somerset . He also made donations for numerous churches and monasteries. He donated the impressive sum of 4,000 marks to the Knights Templar in Acre on the condition that it would support the planned crusade of his nephew, Bishop William Brewer . He was buried in front of the altar of the monastery church in the Dunkeswell Abbey, which he donated, in the Cistercian costume.

Family and offspring

William married Beatrice de Valle († before 1220), who was said to have been the lover of Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall († 1175) and mother of his son Henry FitzCount . From Reginald of Cornwall she is said to have received the Colton estate in Somerset. He had at least seven children with her, including two sons and five daughters:

  1. ∞ Fulbert of Dover
  2. ∞ Baldwin Wake of Bourne, Lincolnshire
  • Johanna († before 1232) ∞ William de Percy († 1245), Lord of Topcliffe, Yorkshire
  • Alice
  1. ∞ Reginald de Mohun from Dunster, Somerset
  2. ∞ William Paynel of Bampton
  • Margery
  1. ∞ William de la Ferté
  2. ∞ Eudo de Dammartin
  3. ∞ Geoffrey de Say

Brewer tried to care for his children adequately. He married two of his daughters to minor nobles whose guardian he was. His eldest son Richard received the Odcombe estate in Somerset and other properties in Wiltshire at an early age . However, when Richard died childless in 1215, the goods returned to Brewer. His heir eventually became his second son, William Brewer . When he died childless in 1232, his estates were divided among the families of Brewer's five daughters.

literature

  • Ralph V. Turner: William Briwerre. In: Men raised from the dust. Administrative service and upward mobility in Angevin England . University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1988. ISBN 0-8122-8129-2 , pp. 71-90

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ralph V. Turner: William Briwerre. In: Men raised from the dust. Administrative service and upward mobility in Angevin England . University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1988. ISBN 0-8122-8129-2 , p. 71
  2. ↑ Gatehouse Gazetteer: Gains Castle, Ashley. Retrieved June 20, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Brewer, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Briwerre, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman, civil servant and judge
DATE OF BIRTH around 1145
DATE OF DEATH November 24, 1226