William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose

Arms of William de Braose as blazoned in the Falkirk Roll of Arms, c. 1298, which gives the tail as doubled: Azure crusilly (i.e. semy) of crosses crosslet a lion double queued rampant or William de Braose (–1326) was the second Baron Braose, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber. He was held as a hostage after being captured in 1264 during the Second Barons' War and records of some of his childhood expenses survive from his time as a hostage. He first entered royal service in 1286 and, in 1291, he succeeded his father as baron. He continued in royal military service, serving in Scotland as well as in Wales. Protracted disputes over his lands embroiled him throughout his life and at the end of his life helped spark a revolt against King Edward II of England's favourites, the Despensers. He married twice, and his heirs were his daughter Aline and his grandson John de Bohun.

Family and early life Braose was the son of William de Braose, 1st Baron Braose and his first wife, Aline, daughter of Thomas de Multon.

Sometime around 1285, Braose confirmed grants of land by his ancestors to the religious house of Sele Priory. In 1286 Braose was in the king's service, for unspecified duties overseas. It is possible that these included accompanying the king, Edward I, to Paris where Edward performed homage to the new French king, Philip IV, for Edward's French lands.

Marcher Baron

The younger Braose succeeded his father before 1 March 1291, when he did homage for his father's lands. He was summoned a number of times to Parliament from 1291 until 1322 as Baron Braose. He was the second Baron Braose, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber.

After his father's death, Braose continued to serve Edward. He contributed both money and personal military service in Edward's wars in Wales, Scotland, and France. This led in 1307 to Braose giving testimony to papal commissioners inquiring into the events surrounding Cragh's hanging and whether or not it would support the canonisation of Cantilupe.

It was most likely Braose who commissioned a condensed copy of the Domesday Book, now in the Public Record Office as manuscript E164/1. This copy has a marginal notation of "Br" next to the estates owned by Braose's ancestor, the first William de Braose.

Braose was embroiled in a dispute over his lordship of Gower in 1299 when the Bishop of Llandaff, John de Monmouth, brought a case against Braose to the king. Although the case was adjudicated in 1302, the resulting decision was overturned. In 1304 Braose secured King Edward's confirmation of earlier grants and charters granting Braose special rights and liberties in Gower. He managed this because he was serving the king in Scotland at the time, and thus had easy access to the king. In 1305, however, Braose miscalculated and insulted a royal judge, This episode caused the case of Gower to be reopened in 1306, and Braose was only able to settle the issue again by the grant of rights to his men in Swansea and Gower.

In 1320 King Edward II of England confiscated the lordship of Gower on the grounds that Braose had given it to his son-in-law Mowbray without royal permission. Over the preceding years Braose had promised Gower to a number of persons, In 1322 Gower was given to the younger Despenser again, who then traded it for the honours of Usk and Caerleon. Braose was then induced to sue the new holder of Gower for the return of the barony in April 1324, which action succeeded in June 1324. Braose then promptly gave Gower to the elder Despenser, returning the property to the Despenser family once more. The lordship of Gower eventually ended up in the hands of the Beauchamp family, but it was not until the 1350s that the issue was decided.

Marriage, death, and legacy The name of Braose's first wife was Agnes, but her family is not known. His second wife was Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Raymund de Sully. He had two daughters with his first wife, but no children with his second wife, who outlived him.

Braose died not long before 1 May 1326 Aline, the elder daughter, married John de Mowbray and Richard de Peschale. The second daughter, Joan, married James de Bohun and Richard Foliot, son of Jordan Foliot. Mowbray received the lands of Gower and Bramber before Braose's death.