Segrave
SEGRAVE, the name of an English baronial family. Stephen de Segrave, or Sedgrave (d. 1241), the son of a certain Gilbert de Segrave of Segrave in Leicestershire, became a knight and was made constable of the Tower of London in 1203. He obtained lands and held various positions under Henry III., and in 1232 he succeeded Hubert de Burgh as chief justiciar of England. As an active coadjutor of Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester, Segrave incurred some share of the opprobrium which was lavished on the royal favourites, and in 1234 he was deprived of his office. Soon, however, he was again occupying an influential position at Henry's court, and he retained this until his death on the 9th of November 1241. His son and heir, Gilbert de Segrave (d. 1254), who was also a judge, died in prison at Pons in France, whither he had gone to fight for Henry III.
Gilbert was the father of NICHOLAS DE SEGRAVE, 1st Baron Segrave (c. 1238-1295), who was one of the partisans of Simon de Montfort; he led the Londoners at the battle of Lewes, and was a member of Earl Simon's famous parliament of 1265. He was wounded at the battle of Evesham, and was afterwards among those who defied the royal authority in the isle of Ely. Soon, however, he obtained terms of peace, and went to the Holy Land with his future sovereign, Edward I. In 1283 he was summoned to parliament as a baron, and he served the king in various ways. He had six sons, three of whom, John (who succeeded him), Nicholas and Gilbert (bishop of London from 1313 until his death in December 1316), were men of note. Nicholas the younger (c. 1 260-13 2 2 ) was summoned to parliament in 1295, and was present at the battle of Falkirk and at the siege of Carlaverock Castle. In 1305 he was found worthy of death for deserting the English army in Scotland and for crossing over to France in order to fight a duel with Sir John de Cromwell; he was, however, pardoned, and again served Edward I. in Scotland. Under Edward II., Nicholas, who was one of Piers Gaveston's few friends, was made marshal of England, but lost this office definitely in 1316. Later he associated himself with Thomas, earl of Lancaster. Through marriage he obtained the manor of Stowe in Northamptonshire, and he is generally called lord of Stowe.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
