William de Lanvalei III - Baron of Walkern

William de Lanvalei was an English landowner and the Governor of Colchester Castle. He was one of twenty-five Barons listed as a Magna Carta surety.

 

William was born around 1180 in Walkern, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of William de Lanvalei II and Hawise de Boclond.

William married Maud Peche, daughter of Gilbert Peche, and niece of Robert FitzWalter. William and Maud had one daughter, Hawise.

In 1214, William accompanied King John on an expedition to Poitou and the failed French Campaign, and was present at the truce where John lost Anjou to King Philip of France, following the Battle of Bouvines.

On June 15th, 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta, and William was one of the Council of Twenty-Five Barons who were appointed to monitor John's future conduct to ensure he complied with the charter.

In 1216, William secured a grant of custody of Colchester Castle, which had been granted to his father by King Richard, after being previously held by Richard de Lucy. The Lanvalei's held the castle until 1209, when it was temporarily lost to another family.

William de Lanvalei died in 1217 in Walkern, Hertfordshire, England, and was buried in the churchyard of the church of St Mary the Virgin in Walkern. The church has a Purbeck marble effigy of a knight with crossed legs, believed to be William de Lanvalei. The male line of the Lanvalei family ended with William.

William's daughter Hawise was still a minor at the time of his death, so she was placed in a wardship under Hubert de Burgh. Hubert would later have her marry his son John de Burgh, and the barony of Walkern passed to the de Burgh family.