Timeline of Sir Henry de Pomeroy (d. 1281

  • circa 1235–1236: Birth and Lineage
    Henry was born into the powerful de la Pomeroy family, which had held the extensive feudal barony of Berry Pomeroy in Devonshire since shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1086. He was the son and heir of Sir Henry IV de Pomeroy.
  • 1249: Inheritance as a Minor
    Following his father’s death, Henry was recorded as a minor under the age of 21. During his youth, he confirmed previous family grants of land to Ford Abbey, maintaining the family’s local religious patronage.
  • 1258–1259: Service to the Crown in the Welsh Marches
    As he reached adulthood, Henry answered his feudal obligations to King Henry III. In 1258 and 1259, he received a royal summons to assemble at Chester and Shrewsbury (Salop) with horses and arms. He fought in the royal military campaigns to suppress the Welsh uprising led by Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.
  • 1264: Rebellion Against the Crown (Second Barons’ War)
    Despite his prior service to King Henry III, Sir Henry’s relationship with the Crown fractured during the Second Barons’ War. He renounced his royal allegiance and joined the baronial rebellion led by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who sought to curb the absolute authority of the King.
  • 1265: Birth of his Heir and Royal Pardon
    Following the defeat and death of Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham, the rebel barons faced severe consequences. However, Sir Henry managed to secure an official royal pardon from the Crown for his role in the rebellion. Around this same year, his first wife, Isabella de Bathonia, gave birth to his son and ultimate heir, Henry VI de Pomeroy.
  • July 12, 1281: Death and Legacy
    Sir Henry passed away. He left behind his second wife, Isolda (or Isolde), who retained a widow’s dower of one-third of the manors of Berry and Stockleigh Pomeroy. His son Henry, then roughly 16 years old, succeeded him under the guardianship of Sir Geoffrey de Camville.
  • 1281 (Post-Mortem): Burial at the Dominican Friary
    As documented by modern archaeologists, Sir Henry was buried in consecrated holy ground at the Dominican Friary (Blackfriars) in Exeter. His choice of burial place reflected his high social status as a wealthy elite and knight of Devon. His remains rested there until being uncovered by Exeter Archaeology teams between 1997 and 2007 during excavations for the Princesshay shopping precinct.

References

If you would like to explore more, let me know if you want to look into the details of the archaeological dig at the Exeter friary or the history of Berry Pomeroy Castle.