Hugh de Mortimer was a Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 English medieval baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

.

Lineage

The son of Hugh de Mortimer (b ? - d 26 Feb 1148/50), the son of Ralf de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle

Wigmore Castle

Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...

, Cleobury Mortimer

Cleobury Mortimer

Cleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town in Shropshire, England. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census. Although sometimes regarded as a village, it is in fact the second smallest town in Shropshire , having been granted a town charter in 1253.Several...

 and at times, Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...

, Bishop's Castle

Bishop's Castle

Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun...

 and Maelienydd

Maelienydd

Maelienydd, sometimes spelt Maeliennydd, was a cantref and lordship in east central Wales covering the area from the River Teme to Radnor Forest and the area around Llandrindod Wells. The area, which is mainly upland, is now in Powys...

.

Anarchy

During the Anarchy

The Anarchy

The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...

 of King Stephen

Stephen of England

Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...

's reign, Mortimer was an ardant royalist until at least 1148. This was because Wigmore Castle

Wigmore Castle

Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...

 had been confiscated from his father by King Henry I

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

. He only seems to have returned to England from his Norman estates in 1137.

Private Wars

He did quarrel violently with his neighbouring Lords, most notably with Miles, earl of Hereford

Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford

Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Brecknock was the son of Walter de Gloucester, who served as hereditary sheriff of that county between 1104 and 1121....

, his son Roger

Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford

Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford, was born some time before 1125 and, according to the Hereford Cathedral Book of Obits, died on 22 September 1155...

 and Josse de Dinant, lord of Ludlow

Ludlow Castle

Ludlow Castle is a large, partly ruined, non-inhabited castle which dominates the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. It stands on a high point overlooking the River Teme...

. The latter ambushed Mortimer and only released him after the payment of a substantial ransom. During this time Mortimer also took over the Royal castle at Bridgnorth.

Opposition to King Henry II

Hugh was one of the Barons who objected to Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

's demand for the return of Royal castles in 1155. Henry II launched a campaign in May 1155 against Hugh, simultaneously besieging his three principal castles of Wigmore, Bridgnorth and Cleobury. On 7 July 1155, Hugh formally submitted to Henry II at the Council at Bridgnorth. He was allowed to keep his own two castles (though Cleobury had been destroyed during the siege) but Bridgnorth returned to the crown.

Marriage & issue

Between 1148 and 1155 Hugh married Maud le Meschin (also known as Maud/Matile du Bessin), daughter of William le Meschin, Lord of Skipton

Skipton Castle

Skipton Castle is situated within the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. The castle has been preserved for over 900 years, built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron.- History :...

, Yorkshire, and Cecily de Rumilly. Maud (Matilda) was the widow of Philip Belmeis of Tong

Tong

-Chinese:*Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese*Tong , a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities*tong, pronunciation of several Chinese characters*See:...

. Hugh and Maud's son Roger de Mortimer of Wigmore succeeded his father as Lord of Wigmore. Hugh and Maud had three other sons, Hugh (killed in a tournament), Ralph, and William. Hugh may have died 26 Feb 1180/81 in Cleobury Mortimer

Cleobury Mortimer

Cleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town in Shropshire, England. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census. Although sometimes regarded as a village, it is in fact the second smallest town in Shropshire , having been granted a town charter in 1253.Several...

, Shropshire, England, and was buried at Wigmore

Wigmore

Wigmore is a village and parish in the northwest part of the county of Herefordshire, England. It is located on the A4110 road, about west of the town of Ludlow, in the Welsh Marches...

.

Sources

• FMG on the Mortimers and the Earls of March
• Remfry., P.M., Wigmore Castle, 1066 to 1181 (ISBN 1-899376-14-3)
• Weis, Frederick Lewis Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came To America Before 1700 (7th ed.), line 136-24
• Davies, Norman, The Isles: A History
• Barber, Richard
  Richard Barber
  Richard William Barber FRSL FSA FRHistS is a British historian who has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. He has specialised in Arthurian legend, beginning with a general survey, Arthur of Albion which is still in print in a...
  
  , Henry Plantagenet