Audley complained to Lancaster who, believing that his prestige had been
restored since the affair with Warenne whom he had beaten so unreservedly, called the barons together.
‘We must rid ourselves of these Despensers,’ he announced.
‘The King will never hear of it,’ was the answer.
‘The King would not hear of Gaveston’s banishment, yet he was banished,’
retorted Lancaster.
‘Aye, and lost his head too, and although many liked to pretend they had no hand in that affair, I was never afraid to admit that I was there and I believe—
and so do other right-thinking men— that one of the best deeds any Englishman ever did was to rid the country of that parasite.’
This was the old Lancaster. Many of the barons were now turning to him
once more for leadership, and it was certainly not difficult to rouse them against the Despensers. Even Warenne was on Lancaster’s side in this, so were
Hereford and Arundel; and the fiery Marcher barons hated the Despensers too as they had taken land near the Marcher country.
The foremost of the Marcher barons were the Mortimers. They were kings in
their territory and had been for centuries. The Conqueror had used them to keep peace on the Welsh border and their power had grown even greater since the subordination of the Welsh. The leaders of the Mortimer clan were the two
Rogers— the elder, the Lord of Chirk, had taken an active part in the battles of Edward the First, but he had always been a man of strong will and had fallen out of favour with the King for leaving the army in Scotland without permission. At that time his lands and chattels had been confiscated but after the first Edward’s death Edward the Second had restored his possessions and given him greater power. It suited Edward’s indolent nature to set up a man like Mortimer and give him authority over many Welsh castles making him like a king in his
county.
His nephew, that other Roger de Mortimer, Baron of Wigmore, joined him
and they had been working closely together for some years. Roger de Mortimer the younger was a man of overpowering personality. He was tall and extremely handsome in a dark bold way. He had become Earl of Wigmore when his father had died. Roger was then in his very early teens and since he had been under age Edward the First had put him under the wardship of Gaveston for at this time Edward had not realized what an evil influence Gaveston was having on his son.
Roger had been noticed for his outstanding good looks when he was created a knight at the same time as the Prince of Wales and at the coronation of young Edward he had been a bearer of the robes. Along with his earldom he had
inherited important estates and a marriage was very soon arranged for him
which would enhance his possessions still further. Joan de Genville was
connected with the Lusignans and therefore had associations with the royal family and among other advantages she brought to Mortimer the town of
Ludlow and estates in Ireland.
In that troubled country he had achieved great success, for his experiences with the Welsh had taught him how to deal with the Irish.
It had come to Roger de Mortimer’s ears that the young Hugh le Despenser
had been warning the King that it was time he curbed the power of the
Mortimers, who, in the Despensers’ opinion, were becoming too powerful in the Marcher country and regarded themselves as rulers there in subservience to none. Thus when it was known that Lancaster was rousing the barons against the Despensers the Mortimers were ready with their support.
Being somewhat wild and lawless men they could not wait for conferences.
They went into the attack at once, and as the young Despenser had taken lands bordering on the Marcher country which he swore belonged to him because they were part of the Gloucester inheritance, they ravaged those lands, seized the castle, made off with valuables and cattle and declared open war.
The young chamberlain came to the King in despair. ‘See what these
Mortimers have done,’ he cried. ‘Oh, it was a mistake to allow them so much power.’
‘My dear Hugh,’ cried the King, ‘we will punish them, I promise you.
Everything shall be restored.’
‘But how?’ cried Hugh.
‘My dear, I promise you something shall be done. I shall issue a writ
forbidding anyone to attack you and your father. I shall threaten them with death. It is treason. Yes, Hugh, there shall be a writ and all that the Mortimers have taken shall be restored to you.’
But neither the King nor Hugh had realized how strong was the opposition.
Under Lancaster the barons stood together insisting that Edward call a
Parliament to discuss the matter of the Despensers and when it was assembled, the barons were present in large numbers all wearing white badges on their arms to indicate to the King that they were unanimous in their decision to get rid of the Despensers.
It was Lancaster who led the attack. The Despensers had appropriated funds from the royal exchequer, he said. He had proof of this. They had become richer than their deserts warranted. They must be banished from the land and their ill-gotten gains taken from them.
The King’s furious despair was of no avail.
Hugh the elder saw that the country was on the verge of civil war. The King would find that there was scarcely a nobleman ready to support him. He would be defeated and deposed. His son was nine years old; the Queen would not stand with the King and she had friends in France; they could set up a regency under Lancaster. Because of this state of affairs the elder Despenser decided that they should go quietly.
The Despensers left court and the trouble subsided.
Edward wept. It was the Gaveston problem all over again.
The Queen was amused. Everything was working her way. She was
pregnant once more and at the time of the banishment her time was very near.
She had decided to go to the Tower this time for her confinement. There she would brood on the future. She had two boys and her daughter Eleanor. They were all in good health. If her fourth child was a girl, perhaps her plans would be delayed. But she had two boys already. No, after this fourth child there should be no more. She had done with humiliation, with standing aside for
Edward’s favourites.
She had borne enough. It was her turn now.
As she lay awaiting the birth of her child she wondered why she had chosen such a gloomy place. Although it was the month of June there was a chill in the stone walls and she had noticed that much of the place was in need of repair.
The roof was not watertight and when it rained, her bedclothes were wet.
The whole place had been neglected, and she knew who was to blame for that.
The Despensers had used money for their own needs which should have been
spent in repairs. It was a well known trick, and it was one of the reasons why people considered it a boon to get the custody of such places.
Oh the cursed Despensers! First Gaveston and now them. And if some evil
fate overtook young Hugh le Despenser what then? Some new young man
would appear in due course.
What a man to have married her to! And what a joke that she had managed
to get four children by him. Something of an achievement.
But no more. This is the end, she promised herself. Now she would start to work towards that goal which had been in her mind for some time now.
The birth was not difficult. She bore children easily; and this was another girl.
She decided to call her Joanna and she became known as Joanna of the
Tower.
Edward came to the baby.
‘Another girl,’ said Isabella, watching him closely. He was good-looking
still. She felt angry when she regarded him because in the beginning if he had been prepared to be a good husband to her she would have loved him and
worked with him. Then there would not have been this perpetual trouble which time and time again grew out of his infatuations— first Piers Gaveston and now Hugh le Despenser. If only he would be more reasonable with them; if only he did not have make the relationship so blatant, it would have been so much