Sir Roger de Leyburne Knight

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Roger de Leyburn, son and heir. In September 1252 he took part in a tournament or Round Table at Saffron Walden. In the encounter between him and Arnulf de Munteny they are called milites electissimi, the latter was mortally wounded, and Roger fell under suspicion. He was pardoned on 20 October on the ground that the wounding was accidental. He was in the King's favor, and in July 1253 was granted an allowance of 40 marks per annum for life to maintain him in the King's service. In this year he went with the King to Gascony. In 1256 he was engaged in the Welsh war, and when the force in which he was serving was ambushed and almost destroyed by Llewelyn, he escaped.

For some years little is heard of Roger de Leyburn, but he appears to have been attached to the household of Prince Edward, who in December 1259 made him "approver" of his castle and manor at Bristol, and gave him (at Paris, 27 Nov 1260) the manor of Elham in Kent. In 1260-61 he was summoned to come to the King with horse and arms, but soon afterwards he was on the Barons' side, like other of the lords of the Marches, especially Roger de Clifford, with whom he was closely associated. Thereby he incurred the King's displeasure, and was called to account in respect of the manor of Elham and his use of the moneys of Prince Edward while he was the Prince's bailiff. For a time he seems to have been a wanderer. With other Marchers, however, on 18 Aug 1263, at Lambeth, he became one of the Prince's adherents, supporting him against Montfort. He thus recovered the King's favor, being made his steward in August, and in December he was made Warden of the Cinque Ports and Chamberlain of Sandwich, as well as Sheriff of Kent.

Roger de Leyburn was one of the King's party who agreed to refer the dispute with Montfort to the arbitration of King Louis IX. When hostilities broke out in 1264 he was with the King at Northampton, and then took a leading part in the defence of Rochester Castle, where he was wounded. He fought at Lewes, 14 May, where he was taken prisoner, but released on giving hostages. After this he took refuge in the Welsh Marches and laid waste the country. On 4 Jun 1264 he was summoned to a Council. Refusing to attend the Oxford Parliament, he was sentenced to exile in November. In December, however, he was one of those allowed to go to Kenilworth to see Prince Edward, then a prisoner there. In January 1264/5 he had a safe conduct for passage to Ireland. He and Roger de Clifford were allowed to have an interview with Prince Edward at Hereford in May 1265, which is supposed to have led to the Prince's escape soon after. He fought at Evesham (4 August), where he saved the King's life, and was quickly rewarded.

Roger de Leyburn was again made Sheriff of Kent in August, a keeper of the peace in Westmorland and co. Kent; Keeper of the coast of Kent and of the King's works at Westminster; Sheriff of Cumberland and keeper of Carlisle; Keeper of the forest of Cumberland, warden and justiciar of the forest North of Trent, and (in October) a keeper of the city of London. He had other grants, including the manor of Berwick, and liberties for his manor of La Mote. Keeper of Rochester Castle, November 1265. In December, as the King's steward, he was sent to London with William Waleran to induce the citizens to make an accommodation with the King. The Mayor and about 40 citizens returned with him to Windsor, but were imprisoned by the King for a time. He was made custodian for life of the seven hundreds of the Weald of Kent, 12 Mar 1265/6. In September 1266 the King, wishing to show him special favor, ordered all persons to receive him everywhere with due honor as the King's Knight, and in October remitted debts due by him. In December he was appointed Constable of Nottingham Castle. In 1267 he was again Warden of the Cinque Ports, and in 1268 acquired the Castle of Leeds, Kent, by exchange with the King.

In Paris, on 27 August 1269, Roger de Leyburn was one of the 4 guarantees on the part of Prince Edward to King Louis, as to their joint crusade. In November he was going to Gascony on the Prince's business. In May 1270 he had protection for four years on going to the Holy Land with the Prince. He appears to have gone part of the way, but returned. The Papal Nuncio was ordered to compel him to repay 1,000 silver marks received from the Cardinal Ottobon on his taking the Cross and saying he was ready to set out. On 20 Jan 1270/1 he was commissioned to hear and determine cases of trespass in the Welsh Marches, but in April a substitute was appointed, as he was unable to go. He founded a chantry of two priests in Leybourne Church.

Roger de Leyburn married, 1^stly, (----), who was in Gloucester Castle in 1263 when it was captured by Montfort's sons. He married, 2^ndly, before September 1267, Eleanor, widow, 1^stly, of William de Vaux and, 2^ndly, of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, and daughter of William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, by his 1^st wife, Sybil, 3^rd daughter and coheir of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, sister of Walter, 8th Earl of Pembroke. Roger de Leyburn died circa October 1271, being still alive in the middle of that month. Dower was assigned to his widow 2 November. Eleanor died before 26 Oct 1274, and was buried at Leeds Priory.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Leyburn), Vol.VII, p. 634, Vol.XIV p. 433