Truth or Legend: The case of Mortimer and Isabella

With Valentines Day fast approaching, as unprepared lovers singlehandedly keep Moonpig afloat for another year by paying silly money for half a rose, it’s only right that this month I delve into one of Nottingham’s most famous couples. 

Aside from Robin Hood and Maid Marian, there are a few famous pairs in Nottingham – the gentleman we sometimes call ‘the King of Notts’ and the Left Lion, quirky creative types and Hockley, students and Trent Kebabs, and even White Rose and literally any corner in the city centre – there are plenty to choose from. Yet with my strict word count, I’ve had to narrow it down to two infamous individuals: Isabella and Mortimer (and his hole… in a wall).

Back in the early 1300s, when public executions were the modern-day equivalent of breakfast TV, one of the bloodiest family feuds in Medieval history took place. In 1322 Roger Mortimer, the official guard of the English and Welsh border, was arrested by King Edward II and held in the Tower of London. Presumably for his open dislike towards Edward’s reign and his two friends – cleverly nicknamed Hugh Despenser the Elder and his son, Hugh Despenser the Younger. 

One year after this arrest, Roger managed to roger his way out of the tower through a hole in the wall, where he then fled to Paris. Whilst this is still not his most famous hole, some historians believe that he received help from the King’s wife, Isabella of France. During his escape to Paris, this is where he formally met Isabella and her son, Edward III. United in their love for the arts and a hatred for her husband, and the Despensers, their affair began in the city of love.

Female infidelity was considered the worst crime a woman could commit amongst the deeply insecure male aristocracy, so this was a huge risk for Isabella given that her two sisters-in-law were both killed for the same offence. Some sources even suggest that Isabella was the one who instigated these accusations. I’m going to assume rocks strictly belonged outside of glass houses in the 1300s.

Isabella refused to return home, and so King Edward decided to cut off her credit card. However, following a substantial dowry because of an arranged marriage between Edward III, and Philippa, daughter of William I, it turns out that Mortimer and Isabella did not need to rely on the king’s monthly direct debits to fund their elopement.

Following weeks of an intense game of cat and mouse, King Edward was finally arrested outside Llantrisant in Wales and was put in exile, whilst his two Despenser friends were hung drawn and quartered, as the zeitgeist of the 1300s dictated. Edward II later died during his exile, but his actual cause of death is rather murky. Some believe it to be through natural causes – others suggest a hot poker and another slightly less famous hole. 

This untimely demise now finally leads us to Nottingham Castle. Following his father’s death and ascension to the throne, Edward III was growing weary of his mother’s lover and began to plot his demise. Mortimer summoned Parliament to Nottingham Castle, given its status as one of the strongest fortresses in the country. 

According to legend, Edward III’s knights followed a secret passage, known as Mortimer’s hole (his most famous one by far) which led straight to Isabella and Mortimer’s bedroom, where he was ripped from his lovers’ arms as she cried out, pleading for them to “have pity on gentle Mortimer.” Fortunately for Mortimer, the king extended some pity for him as he was only hanged to death, unlike the Despensers.

In reality, however, the secret passage never led to the lovers’ bedroom. Instead, it opened to a supposedly secure courtyard, which was then infiltrated by Edward’s knights, who arrested Mortimer in his dining room. Isabella’s pleas can still be heard around the castle to this day… allegedly.

Whilst legend tells that Isabella demanded to be buried next to her lover in Greyfriars Church, she was buried in her wedding dress, along with Edward II’s heart in a box. A tradition which for some reason is not nearly as popular as it used to be.