Key Facts

Snapshot:	pilgrim; Magna Carta baron
Parents:	67251976Geoffrey de Say 67251977Alice de Cheny
Born:	circa 1180 location unknown
Died:	by 20 September 1230 somewhere in (what is now) northwest France
Buried:	very likely in or near the Maison Dieu hospital, Dover, Kent, England Maison Dieu coordinates: N51.128 E1.3089

The following profile of 33625988Geoffrey de Say is heavily based on: Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), volume IV, pages 562-564. However, Richardson's article includes some information not reflected below; I've included only the facts that I consider especially important or interesting. I encourage you to read Richardson's article for a more thorough description of 33625988Geoffrey.

33625988Geoffrey de Saye is the son of 67251976Geoffrey de Say and 67251977Alice de Cheny.1,2 He was probably born about 1180, as explained below.

Problem: Resolved When was 33625988Geoffrey born? In an 1180 record, 33625988Geoffrey's father 67251976Geoffrey is strongly implied to be married to uxore Hug̃ de Periers ("the wife of Hugh de Periers").3 In late 1775, Hugh de Periers seems to have been preparing for his impending death: In a deed, he makes preparations to give land monachis de Wenloc ("to the monks of Wenlock") pro salute animæ meæ ("for the safety of my soul").4 We can presume he died soon thereafter; a contemporary tax record loosely supports this conclusion.5 In the same deed, he also mentions his wife: "Aliziæ de Clemez." 4 In addition to the 1180 record mentioned above (wherein 67251976Geoffrey's wife is mentioned as uxore Hug̃ de Periers), in a different 1180 record 67251976Geoffrey mentions his wife by name: "Adelisa de Chemey." 6 From these few records, one can conclude that 67251977Alice had been married to Hugh de Periers, who died around late 1775, and then 67251977Alice subsequently married 67251976Geoffrey by 1180. A record dated 1 January 1198 or 1199 indicates that 33625988Geoffrey and his father 67251976Geoffrey gave some land to a hospital.2 33625988Geoffrey may have been 18 years old at the time, or presumably at least old enough to consent to the arrangement. Judging from the above evidence, it seems likely that 33625988Geoffrey was born circa 1180.

33625988Geoffrey married 33625989Hawise de Clare (as explained below). When is uncertain, but their son 16812994William was born by circa 1209.7

Problem: Resolved Whom did 33625988Geoffrey marry? 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).

33625988Geoffrey is mentioned in several land records from the late 1190's through the early 1200's.2,8-12 One record indicates that 33625988Geoffrey was compensated for lands lost in war.8 Several records mention his parents.2,10-12

In June 1215 33625988Geoffrey was made one of the 25 barons responsible for ensuring that King John would honor the terms of the Magna Carta.13 This cute video gives a quick overview of the Magna Carta's background and significance:

The barons' responsibilities are described in the Magna Carta's 61st clause, the longest clause. You can read an English translation here.

The Magna Carta's 61st clause, as seen in the British Library's Cotton MS Augustus II.106, one of the four surviving exemplifications of the Magna Carta. Bigger view. Full page. Transcription and translation.

The barons' names aren't specified in the Magna Carta itself, nor is there an extant primary record of such, but four early sources attest their names. One of these is copied below.13 (For more information on these sources, see Holt's Magna Carta, 3rd edition, appendix 8.14)

33625988Geoffrey among the 25 Magna Carta barons, as listed in Matthew Paris' Liber Additamentorum, written in the 1250's. Full page.13

Despite having signed the Magna Carta, a bitter King John hired foreign mercenaries and launched a harsh campaign of retribution, hunting the barons (some of whom fled into exile) and burning villages all over England. On 15 October 1215 nearly all of 33625988Geoffrey's properties were seized.15 A few weeks later he received a letter of safe conduct to attend a peace conference,16 but it apparently accomplished nothing. The violence continued, and some barons eventually persuaded the king of France to intervene, culminating in the Battle of Lincoln in May 2017, where the French-aligned forces were defeated. Two reputable sources state that 33625988Geoffrey was one such baron taken prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln,17,18 but I can't determine which primary/contemporary source they've referenced. His capture is highly plausible, though, since a July 1217 record describes two of his knights as hostages.19 33625988Geoffrey must have renewed his loyalty to the king, since a few months later many of his lands were returned to him.20

Lincoln Castle, site of the Battle of Lincoln in 1217, at which 33625988Geoffrey was (apparently) taken prisoner.17,18 Bigger image.21

Perhaps worn out after years of rebellion and war, in 1219 33625988Geoffrey was in the Holy Land ("in T'rā Sc̃am"), apparently on pilgrimage.22 In 1223 he was on pilgrimage again on the Camino de Santiago.23

The Pórtico de Gloria,24 part of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, the final destination of pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago. This portico was built several decades before 33625988Geoffrey's visit. Google provides a good virtual tour of the cathedral, including descriptions of when various sections were built.

33625988Geoffrey was present for the siege of Bytham Castle in February 122125 to crush a rebellion by William de Forz. You can read more about the siege here.26

In the late 1220's 33625988Geoffrey exchanged property with the Knights Templar such that they acquired Saddlescombe, where they then established a preceptory.27 Nowadays the site is maintained by the government and is a minor tourist attraction; it's at coordinates N50.8890 E0.1934.

In April 1230 33625988Geoffrey and his son 16812994William participated in England's invasion of France.7 Short on funds (and apparently ambition), King Henry III engaged in only a few actual attacks/raids during the campaign, yet illness still diminished his forces. (For more information about the 1230 campaign, see: David Carpenter, Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207-1258 [Yale University Press, 2020], pages 85-97.) 33625988Geoffrey died overseas28 (presumably while still on the campaign) by early autumn 1230.29

33625988Geoffrey's death is mentioned near another entry dated 20 September 1230. Full page.29

His body was repatriated and buried apud Dovere (Latin for "near Dover"),30 undoubtably in/near the Maison Dieu (more info), to which he had previously willed his body.31 The Maison Dieu is at coordinates N51.128 E1.3089, although the vast majority of what now exists was constructed after 33625988Geoffrey's lifetime.

Sources Cited:

1: John Caley et al., eds., Monasticon Anglicanum: A New Edition [...], Volume VI, Part 2 (London, 1846), page 913, entry XV. The key phrases are "ego Galfridus de Say" and "pater meus Galfridus de Say, et Aliz mater mea."

2: Calendar of Documents Preserved in France, Illustrative of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1: A.D. 918-1206, page 95, entry 280. The key phrase is "Geoffrey de Sai and of Geoffrey, son of the said Geoffrey and of Aeliza de Kaisneio."

3: Thomæ Stapleton, ed., Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae sub Regibus Angliae, Volume I (London, 1840), pages cxxiv and 90.

4: R. W. Eyton, Antiquities of Shropshire, Volume III (1861), pages 331-332.

5: The Publications of the Pipe Roll Society, Volume XXV (1904), page 55.

6: Monasticon Anglicanum [...], Volume V, page 73, footnote y, deed 1 ("The Deed of Geoffry de Say for the Manor of Dudintun")

7: 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, 33625988Geoffrey and his son 16812994William) 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.

8: Thomas Duffus Hardy, Rotuli Normanniae in Turri Londinensi [...], Volume I (1835), page 63.

9: Thomas Duffus Hardy, ed., Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi, Volume I (1833), page 102, right column.

10: Rotuli de Oblatis et Finibus in Turri Londinensi Asservati, Tempore Regis Johannis (1835), page 535.

11: Thomas Duffus Hardy, ed., Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi, Volume I (1833), page 209, right column.

12: William Dugdale, Monasticon Anglicanum [...], Volume XI, Part 2 (London, 1846), page 913.

13: British Library Cotton MS Nero I, folio 123r

14: J. C. Holt, Magna Carta, 3rd edition (Cambridge University Press, 2015), pages 424-426.

15: Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in Turri Londinensi Asservati, page 157, left column, halfway down the page.

16: ibid., page 158, right column, near the bottom.

17: David Carpenter, Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207-1258 (Yale University Press, 2020), page 50, footnote 162.

18: Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), volume IV, page 563. The relevant sentence reads, "He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln 20 May 1217."

19: Patent Rolls of the Reign of Henry III: A.D. 1216-1225 (London, 1901), page 80.

20: Thomas Duffus Hardy, ed., Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi, Volume I (1833), page 321.

21: Tanya Dedyukhina, "Lincoln Castle" (photo taken 5 April 2007), Wikimedia, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_castle_-_panoramio_(1).jpg>. Ms. Dedyukhina has made this image available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

22: Thomas Duffus Hardy, ed., Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi, Volume I (1833), page 393.

23: Patent Rolls of the Reign of Henry III: A.D. 1216-1225 (London, 1901), page 369.

24: "Interior Catedral Santiago de Compostela.jpg" (photo taken 2 July 2006), Wikimedia, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_Catedral_Santiago_de_Compostela.jpg>. This image has been shared under a Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 unported license.

25: Thomas Duffus Hardy, ed., Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi, Volume I (1833), page 475.

26: Excerpt from: Ralph V. Turner, "William De Forz, Count of Aumale: An Early Thirteenth-Century English Baron," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 115, Number 3 (17 June 1971), pages 221-249.

27: William Page, ed., The Victoria County History of the County of Sussex, Volume II (London, 1902), page 92.

28: Close rolls of the reign of Henry III [...]: A.D. 1227-1231 (London, 1902), page 431.

29: 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.

30: Henry Richards Luard, Annales Monastici, Volume I, page 77.

31: William Dugdale, Monasticon Anglicanum [...], Volume VI, Part 2 (London, 1846), page 657.