Baron Marmion


There have been four different baronies held by the Marmion family, two feudal baronies, one purported barony created by Simon de Montfort and one barony by writ.

Feudal barony of Tamworth

The first feudal barony was obtained by Roger Marmion, who held lands in Lindsay in 1115-18, lord of the manor of Fontenay and castellan of Falaise Castle, Normandy, when between 1110 and 1114 he was granted the feudal barony of Tamworth, the caput of which was Tamworth Castle, after the exile of Roger d'Abetot, nephew and heir of the King's steward, Robert Despenser. The eldest son of the 3rd Marmion feudal baron of Tamworth acquired the manor of Winteringham in North Lincolnshire.

Welsh feudal barony of Llanstephan

A second barony was obtained by Roger Marmion, lord of the manor of Fontenay-le-Marmion during the Norman invasion of Wales when he was rewarded with the Barony of Llanstephan, whose caput at Llansteffan Castle played a central role in the Welsh wars.

Barony of Torrington, purported barony by writ (1264)

The third barony was a barony by writ of summons for William Marmion to Simon de Montfort's Parliament in 1264, but the summons was not continued after the rebels' defeat at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Under modern law, this summons did not create a peerage.

Barony of Winteringham, barony by writ

Created for John Marmion.

Ancestry

According to Cokayne "the earliest known occurrence of the Marmion name seems to be that of a William Marmion who exchanged 12 acres of land with Ralf Taisson, son of Ralf the Angevin, which were granted by the latter to the abbey of Fontenay before Oct 1049 and who acted as a witness to a confirmation charter by William Duke of Normandy in 1060. Due to similarities between the coats of arms of the Taisson and Marmion families there is some speculation that they were related.

King's Champion

Legend has it that the Marmions were Champions of Normandy before moving to England during the Anarchy. Robert Marmion's defence of King Stephen's castle at Falaise in 1140 against Geoffrey of Anjou, is possibly an indication that the title originally had more than symbolic meaning. In addition, as Normandy was still the homeland of the Kings of England at this time, it makes sense that, if one existed, the King's Champion would be known as "Champion of Normandy and England".
Philip Marmion used the "3 Swords" badge, later used by the Dymokes to denote being hereditary Champions of England, as a seal as early as 1265, and in 1328 Tamworth Castle was held by the service of "appearing armed in the Royal Arms and mounted on the King's best charger to make proof for the king against any who opposed his coronation".
The duty passed to the Dymokes through Philip's granddaughter Margaret Ludlow, due to his having no legitimate male heirs.

Baron Marmion of Tamworth (c.1110-14)

By Tenure
By tenure
By tenure
By writ
Purported barony by writ