Biography of William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley 1285-1343

Paternal Family Tree: Ros

Around 1285 William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley was born to [his father] William Ros 1st Baron Ros Helmsley (age 30) and [his mother] Maud Vaux Baroness Ros (age 28).

On 13th May 1285 [his grandfather] Robert Ros (age 49) died. His son [his father] William Ros 1st Baron Ros Helmsley (age 30) inherited Belvoir Castle [Map].

Before 1287 [his father] William Ros 1st Baron Ros Helmsley (age 31) and [his mother] Maud Vaux Baroness Ros (age 29) were married.

On 6th August 1316 [his father] William Ros 1st Baron Ros Helmsley (age 61) died. He was buried at Kirkham Priory North Yorkshire [Map]. His son William (age 31) succeeded 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley and inherited Belvoir Castle [Map].

Around 16th August 1316 [his mother] Maud Vaux Baroness Ros (age 59) died.

Before 25th November 1316 William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 31) and Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 8) were married. She by marriage Baroness Ros Helmsley. The difference in their ages was 23 years.

After 1321 William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 36) was appointed Lord High Admiral.

Around 1323 [his daughter] Margaret Ros was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 38) and [his wife] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 14) in Helmsley [Map]. She married 27th January 1332 her fourth cousin once removed Edward Bohun, son of Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex and Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland.

On 19th May 1329 [his son] William Ros 3rd Baron Ros Helmsley was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 44) and [his wife] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 20). He married his fourth cousin once removed Margaret Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville 2nd Baron Neville of Raby and Alice Audley Baroness Greystoke and Neville.

Before 15th October 1331 [his son-in-law] Nicholas Meinhill (age 28) and [his daughter] Alice Ros were married.

On 27th January 1332 [his son-in-law] Edward Bohun (age 22) and [his daughter] Margaret Ros (age 9) were married. He the son of Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex and Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.

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Before 16th July 1334 [his son-in-law] William Zouche 2nd Baron Zouche Harringworth (age 12) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Ros Baroness Zouche Harringworth were married. They were second cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In 1335 William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton (age 25) and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton (age 22) were married. He the son of Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex and Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland. They were fourth cousins. He a grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

Around 1335 [his brother-in-law] Thomas Musgrave 1st Baron Musgrave (age 33) and [his sister] Margaret Ros Baroness Musgrave (age 37) were married. She by marriage Baroness Musgrave.

On 13th January 1335 [his son] Thomas Ros 4th Baron Ros Helmsley was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 50) and [his wife] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 26). He married 12th April 1363 his third cousin Beatrice Stafford Countess Desmond, daughter of Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford and Margaret Audley Countess Stafford, and had issue.

In 1336 John de Vere 7th Earl of Oxford (age 23) and [his sister-in-law] Maud Badlesmere Countess of Oxford (age 27) were married. She by marriage Countess of Oxford. They were third cousin twice removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

On 7th June 1338 [his brother-in-law] Giles Badlesmere 2nd Baron Badlesmere (age 23) died. Baron Badlesmere abeyant between his sisters [his wife] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 29), [his sister-in-law] Maud Badlesmere Countess of Oxford (age 29), Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton (age 25) and Margaret Badlesmere Baroness Tibetot (age 23).

                    Calendar Inquitisitions Port Mortem Volume 8 Edward III 185. 185. [his brother-in-law] Giles De Badelesmere (deceased), Knight.
                
                    Writ to Henry Darcy, mayor of the city of London, and king's escheator there, 16 July [1338], 12 Edward III.
                
                    London.
                
                    Inq. Friday before St. Bartholomew, 12 Edward III.
                
                    Alegate. A tenement, 17 shops, and a garden adjacent, within Alegate, worth when let 9l.; out of which there are paid yearly to the lords of that fee for quit rent, 56s. 4d., and for repairs, 40s.
                
                    Lymstret lane. A tenement and a garden, worth 40s., out of which are paid yearly for repair of houses and walls and for enclosing of the said tenement and garden, 20s.
                
                    All held of the king in chief, as the whole of the city of London is.
                
                    Margery (age 30) the wife of Sir William de Ros (age 53), Maud (age 30) the wife of the earl of Oxford (age 26), Elizabeth (age 25) the wife of the earl of Northampton (age 28), and Margery (age 23) (sic) the wife of Sir John Tipetoft (age 24), are his sisters and co-heirs, and of full age.
                
                    John Tiptoft 2nd Baron Tibetot.
                
                    Continues.

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In 1341 [his daughter] Margaret Ros (age 18) died in Musgrave.

On 3rd February 1343 William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley (age 58) died. He was buried at Kirkham Priory North Yorkshire [Map]. His son William (age 13) succeeded 3rd Baron Ros Helmsley and inherited Belvoir Castle [Map]. Margaret Neville (age 13) by marriage Baroness Ros Helmsley.

On 18th October 1363 [his former wife] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 55) died.

[his daughter] Maud Ros Baroness Welles was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley and Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley. She married 1345 John Welles 4th Baron Welles, son of Adam Welles 3rd Baron Welles and Margaret Bardolf Baroness Welles, and had issue.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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[his daughter] Elizabeth Ros Baroness Zouche Harringworth was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley and Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley. She married before 16th July 1334 her second cousin once removed William Zouche 2nd Baron Zouche Harringworth and had issue.

[his daughter] Alice Ros was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley and Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley. She married before 15th October 1331 Nicholas Meinhill and had issue.

[his daughter] Milicent Ros was born to William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley and Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley.