Friends in High Places:Roger Mortimer(d.1282),lord of Wigmore,andthe EnglishCrowninthereignofHenry 3

Despite the academic attention given to several Mortimers in recent years, Roger Mortimer (d. 1282), lord of Wigmore, remains an elusive figure. He features sporadically in most studies of the thirteenth century and no detailed biography currently exists. This gap in the scholarship is all the more surprising given Roger’s role in the making of his family's fortunes – from prominent regional powerbrokers to figures of much wider territorial and political significance. This paper looks afresh at Roger’s life and lordship, his rise in the estimations of the English crown, and his relationship with Henry III and the Lord Edward. His career and contribution to events during the period of baronial reform and revolution in England (1258–1267), and beyond, will be examined alongside the rewards he received for his steadfast royal service. Especial attention will be given to the land grants bestowed upon the Mortimers in the aftermath of the battle of Evesham (1265), which, it will be argued, not only enhanced the family’s standing and widened its political horizons but enabled Roger to forge a mighty legacy for himself and his successors.

Dr Alastair Ayton graduated from the University of St Andrews in December 2020, with a thesis entitled: ‘Politics, Policy and Power: the Marcher Lords and the English Crown in the March of Wales, 1254–1272’. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of the MHS and a trustee of the Society.