Key Facts

Snapshot:	served England during various conflicts in England, Wales, and France
Parents:	33625988Geoffrey de Say 33625989Hawise de Clare
Born:	by 1209 or so location unknown
Died:	by 12 February 1271/2 location unknown
Buried:	unknown

16812994William de Say has been described by many other genealogists. I'm especially fond of: G. H. White, ed., The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant, 2nd edition, volume XI (1949), pages 470-473. Another well-respected work is: Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), volume IV, pages 564-566. Both are regarded as reliable by Wikitree's Magna Carta Project, and both are promoted by The Baronial Order of the Magna Charta, among others. Because these works already provide well-written, lengthy, evidence-based descriptions of 16812994William's life, this profile page is deliberately brief and non-inclusive. My statement focuses mostly on essential genealogical facts (i.e., who 16812994William's parents were and when he lived). I encourage you to read the abovementioned works by White and Richardson for a more thorough description of 16812994William.

16812994William de Say was the son of 33625988Geoffrey de Say1 and (as explained below) 33625989Hawise de Clare.

"Rex mortuo Galfr'o de Say: cepit homagiu̅ Will'i de Saẏ fil ⁊ h̅edis p͡dc̃i Galfr̃ [...]"
Various records prove that 16812994William's father was 33625988Geoffrey de Say, but this is perhaps the most direct and explicit. Full page.1

Problem: Resolved Who was 16812994William's mother? The following is copied from: Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), volume IV, pages 563-564. New research indicates that Geoffrey de Say, the Magna Carta baron, actually married Hawise de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford. Gerald Paget notes that Geoffrey de Say had scutage of the knights fees 7 March 1215, which he held of the Earl of Clare in free-marriage (see Paget Baronage of England (1957) 485: 3-4 (sub Say), cites C. 16 John m. 7.) About 1235 Geoffrey's widow, Hawise, and their son, Willam de Say, jointly issued a charter regarding property in Edmonton, Middlesex (see O'Connor Cal. Cartularies of John Pyel & Adams Fraunceys (Camden Soc. 5th Ser. 2) (1993): 240). Since 16812994William was born by 1209,2 since 33625988Geoffrey was married to 33625989Hawise as of 1215, and since 16812994William is associated with 33625989Hawise in later records, it seems exceedingly likely that 33625989Hawise was 16812994William's mother.

In April 1230 16812994William and his father participated in England's invasion of France.2 Since 16812994William was old enough to serve in the military, he was probably born by 1209 or so.

16812994William's first wife was Sybil ___,3 who seems to have been still living in October 1250.4 Sybil died sometime thereafter, and 16812994William later married Mary ___.5,6

The seal he used on a deed sometime after 1264 is illustrated below.7

16812994William had died by 12 February 1271/2.8

Sources Cited:

1: UK National Archives reference C 60/29, membrane 1, an entry labeled "Willo de Say." I downloaded an image of the relevant entry from the Henry III Fine Rolls Project at <https://finerollshenry3.org.uk/content/fimages/C60_29/m01.html> on 20 June 2022. You can read a transcription of this record in: Excerpta è Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi [...], Volume 1: A.D. 1215-1216 (1835), page 202.

2: Patent Rolls of the Reign of Henry III Preserved in the Public Record Office: A.D. 1225-1232 (1903), page 360. As you can see, 16812994William (and his father 33625988Geoffrey) participated in a military campaign that began on 30 April 1230. Therefore, we can assume that 16812994William was an adult, and thus born by about 1209.

3: John Thorpe, ed., Registrum Roffens: or, A Collection of Antient Records, Charters, and Instruments of Divers Kinds [...] of the Diocese and Cathedral Church of Rochester (London, 1769), page 169. The key phrases are "Willelmus de Sai" and "uxoris mee Sibille."

4: David Crook, ed., Curia Regis Rolls of the Reign of Henry III, Volume XX: 34 to 35 Henry III (1250) (2006), page 250, entry #1449, which reads, "Sussex'. Gladusa de M ortuo M ari per attornatum suum optulit se quarto die versus Willelmum de Say et Sibillam uxorem ejus de placito tercie partis xij. virgatarum terre cum pertinenciis in Wornesham quam terciam partem ipsa clamat in dotem versus eum. Et ipsi non venerunt etc.; 10 et Sibilla habuit diem per essoniatorem suum ad hunc diem et Willelmus habuit diem in banco. J udicium. Predicta tercia pars capiatur in manum domini regis et ipsi summoneantur quod sint a die sancti M artini in quindecim dies audituri judicium suum etc."

5: Rotuli Hundredorum: Temp. Hen. III & Edw. I in Turr' Lond' [...], Volume I (1812), page 236.

6: Close Rolls of the Reign of Henry III Preserved in the Public Record Office [...]: A.D. 1268-1272 (London, 1938), page 465.

7: Archaeologia Cantiana, Volume V (London, 1863), page 222.

8: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Volume I, page 281, entry #813.